A Cold Embrace

The ravine continued groaning under the width and span of the Great Serpent as it casually slithered its way through the narrow space.

June could vividly hear it inching closer to him, its hiss growing stronger along with its unnerving presence.

He felt like he was about to drown under the fear of being eaten, but he tried his best to stay calm. Clinging close to the walls, he took a small peek out into the direction of the deep chasm he had come from, the distant shadows and eerie teal glow of the river lingering on the walls.

With each passing second, the weight of the Serpent only inched closer. As a result, the ground beneath his feet grew more unstable, the walls around him trembled, and the overhang above him billowed with sprinkles of dust raining down.

How was he gonna get out of this… if he even could? His mind was clouded in doubt.

What if the Great Serpent could smell his fear through its prodigious nostrils, honing in on his exact location and finishing him before he could even think twice of scurrying away?

Or, what if it simply had enough of his hiding and decided to destroy everything in its way, triggering an avalanche of debris to come falling down and burying June alive beneath it all?

There were just too many things that frustratingly weren't in his favor.

With a grim look on his face, June continued peering down the path, beads of sweat lingering on his forehead and streaming down his face.

Eventually, within the shadows, a long, slithery tongue faded into view, its grotesque vibration hissing throughout the space.

'Crap…'

A moment later, its colossal head emerged entirely, its eyes glowing with hunger, igniting a grave fear in the depths of June's soul. 

As it moved closer, the front half of its scaly face was revealed by the now quivering river, its huge nostrils visibly expelling air as it breathed in the space around it. 

Unsurprisingly, the Great Serpent was relatively unscathed, appearing as if it had no trouble fighting against the cursed tree.

What's worse, though, was it looked annoyed, which wasn't the least bit good for June.

Slowly, the Serpent slithered forward, surveying its surroundings with caution.

Its eyes were skimming through the place patiently, confident that June was still present within the shallow ravine. Out of fear, he held his breath, worried that the Great Serpent would hear his shaky breathing.

June continued watching the Serpent gradually slither forward, causing a soft tremor to reverberate through the space as its body casually glided through the structure with ease.

He had to think of something, anything. 

Peering his gaze away from the Serpent, he worryingly looked around, hoping there'd be something to use or ignite an idea within his brain. But of course, there was nothing.

The best he could do now was patiently wait and somehow sneak past the Serpent without alerting it. 

Which, for him, wouldn't be easy. In fact, it'd be impossible.

'What do I do!'

He dreaded the thought of dying, especially in this crude place.

But the more the Serpent inched closer, the more he felt it was inevitable. In such a dire moment, he couldn't help but wish to be blessed with some kind of godly strength that'd rival the Serpent's, granting him a miracle of escaping it.

Unfortunately… It was purely a fantasy.

Suddenly, snapping June out of his thoughts, the Serpent — for some reason — stopped.

'W-what…'

No longer hissing, it stood still, as if frozen.

Concerned, June gulped and began trembling.

A grave silence then fell over the ravine, June's heart rate dramatically rising. He could hear it beating loudly in his chest, as though it was about to explode. 

More sweat built up on his skin, lingering on his nose and streaming down the side of his face.

His hands were clenched together tightly, shaking uncontrollably as he tried his best not to be overcome entirely by the feeling of dread… all while keeping his gaze locked on the Serpent, not daring to look away.

The Great Serpent then finally moved, only barely. Instead of slithering forward like it had been doing, it slightly bent backwards.

June's brows furrowed.

'D-does it… know?'

Then, as if to answer his question… the Serpent's petrifying eyes blinked. Only, when they reopened, its slit pupils were looking directly at him.

Before he could even react, the Serpent violently whipped its head up and collided with the overhang, destroying it.

With gritted teeth, June braced himself, his hands gripping the walls as the floor beneath him shattered, sending him falling down.

'C-crap!'

He looked down as he fell, his body aggressively colliding with the falling debris before abruptly meeting the cold embrace of the teal blue river. Immediately, its chilling touch seemed as if it was seeping into his bones, sending chills through his soul. 

He struggled under it for a bit, in shock of how fast everything had transpired. His body also ached, especially his back that had met the collision head-on after falling from such a height. The river wasn't as deep as he had thought… providing no cushion for his fall.

Soaked, he shakingly got back on his feet, coughing uncontrollably as he tried to make sense of what was happening around him.

Using his forearm, he wiped his face and squinted as he took in his surroundings, struggling to stand.

The ravine was ruined, and the sight before him was… truly intimidating.

Towering above him, the Serpent's body was sinuously twisting, its colossal face peering down at his small figure, casting a long shadow over him.

The Serpent was silhouetted against the creeping moonlight that now peeked through the gaping hole it had created, traveling the inner sides and shining into the ravine, quelling any shadows that lingered within.

At the very bottom where June barely managed to stand, the river was cluttered with fallen debris and rubble, both long and small protruding out of the shallow water like jagged teeth. 

Parts of the pathway above were still falling down — or in the process of — sending small splashes to shower him with its cold touch.

There were also withered trees that had likely fallen from the surface, their branches now dipping into the water or hanging precariously over it, some even dangling high above near the hole.

Crazy was the first word that came to mind.

It was as if he was now a lone island surrounded by several jagged rocks and decrepit branches that had been run through, wrecking the space entirely.

From the bottom corner of his eye, June suddenly caught sight of Ethope… or at least, a part of him.

His fractured skeletal arm was drifting down the river, gently carried into the distance before coming to a stop against a large rock obstructing its path.

With a frown, June's gaze returned to the Serpent… but this time, there was no trembling of fear in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath in, June spoke, his voice raspy:

"Damn you…"

With that, the Great Serpent opened its maw once more and lunged forward.

However… seconds before the creature shut its horrid maw, June felt a hand suddenly grasp his back, pushing him with great force into the depths of the Great Serpent.