Not worthy to be Queen if words aren't kept

~Narrator POV~

After trudging through the thick vines and the littered floor the three of them all arrived at the site of Eterna Ruins.

The place was dated back centuries ago, where a gifted serpent speaker created a home for his friends the spirit beasts of the land alongside his partner dragon serpent they created and lived together in peace. It was then he was given the title 'The Serpent King', but that didn't last long the serpent king had been brutally murdered by the invasion of the north. The invasion from an unknown clan from the North wrecked havoc upon the land but somehow Eterna stayed hidden from all the chaos, shrouded in mystery and secrets barely know to man.

Eterna's Serpent Temple stayed hidden from the world for centuries slowly the entrance to the centre of Eterna eroded away leaving no signs of its existence left.

So how could they have found it without trouble? That was all dew to Coraline, she is a direct decedent of the mysterious serpent speaker who created Eterna a place where spirit beasts could live in safety and seclusion from the world. And as a direct descendant, she has the ability to access the barrier placed around Eterna which protects and hides it from the world.

And as of right now our three adventurers are about to encounter their first problems…

~End of Narrator's POV and the start of Lilith's POV~

"Look up ahead guys! We're here! It's Eterna's Abandoned Ruins…" Coraline yelled excitedly as she stares up at the golden gigantic temple before her.

'Geez, whoever made this sure had a lot of assets to waste, who in their right mind would use REAL GOLD! To build a temple…' I thought analysing the structure and material of the temple.

Unknown to me and Felix an unknown voice boomed through the forest, "Coraline Help Usssss…"

And responding to it's call Coraline, herself was stunned as if the voice just now was a siren ringing loudly in her ears.

"Hey! Coraline are you okay?" I called trying to get her out of a weird trance.

Without hesitance or a reply, Coraline headed straight for the entrance, not waiting for Felix or me who were calling out behind her as we followed her every step, confusion written on both of our faces.

"Where are you going, Coraline?" I asked reaching for her hand to pull her to a stop.

"I'm going to help." She said stubbornly with clear determination in her eyes.

"What? Help? Help who?" I said puzzled, "there's no-one calling for help. So who are you going to help?"

"I'm helping him…" Coraline continued stubbornly before going silent again, completely lost in another trance, "Golden Ruby Python, what do you mean by following my heart?"

"Hey!" I yell trying to gain her attention again, "Snap out of it."

"I need to go help him." Coraline snapped before quietly pondering on the Gold Ruby Python's words.

'She's going to help the python? But what is going on with her? Is the python secretly communicating with her? And what about her words just then "Golden Ruby Python, what do you mean by following my heart?"…

Then it hit me, the pocket-watches message, "Thou who seeks to end all has risen from the west, and sought out for glory where the treasure of the lost lies. Death wrecks those who are weak but if one hearts seeks shall it appear."

The line 'one hearts seeks shall it appear' wasn't referring to me but to Coraline…

Coraline may possibly be the key to figuring out the compass's message. So if she wants to help I'll do anything to help her, "Hey, Coraline…I think I know what the python your hearing is talking about…"

"Wait! Really? Then what is he talking about with my heart?" Coraline asked frantically, immediately clinging on to Lilith's collar.

"Calm down first, we won't be able to do something when you're like this."

"Oh!...okay then." She said taking a deep breath and stepping away to give me room to breathe.

"Good. It seems that you're not as muddled headed as I thought. So listen to me carefully, basically, I think what the python is saying about following your heart, means for you to want to help it so bad that deep down in your heart you can connect with him and find him that way."

"What! That can't be right. How would that work, he's not my guardian spirit beast so it's impossible to link with him!" She yelled upsettingly as if what I said was the most ridiculous thing she ever heard.

"Well, you may never know until you try. Like you did already communicate with it…"

"That's because I have the blood of the 'The Serpent King'!"

"yeah and so? He's not here now. You're the descendant of the Serpent King and that means that you have the ability to not only communicate with serpent beasts but that you're also linked with every single one of their existence whether you believe it or not. So stop denying and accept the fact that YOU ARE THE SERPENT KING'S NEW LEGACY!" I yelled frustratingly, I just couldn't stand how she was not acknowledging herself and kept avoiding the truth.

"I-I can't…I'm not like the serpent king…He was a hero to them…but me? I'M JUST A USELESS, SHELTERED PRINCESS WHO CAN'T EVEN PROTECT HER OWN GUARDIAN SPIRIT BEAST! WHAT RIGHT DO I HAVE TO BE THE LEGACY OF THE SERPENT KING!" Coraline cried desperately, with tears streaming down her face, "what right do I have…"

"Didn't you say that you wanted to help the golden ruby python! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DETERMINED GIRL WHO CHOSE TO LEAVE HER KINGDOM AND HELP SOMEONE IN NEED!" I yelled looking at the sullen broken girl before me. It irritated me to see her like this, I hated seeing people give up on a cause that they chose to start.

"Lilith that's enough…" Felix whispered, clasping my shoulder from behind.

"no…It's not. I refuse to travel with some as pathetic as her. I'm going to help that python whether she goes or not as I'm someone who follows through with what I promised." I said coldly looking him directly in the eye before tearing my eyes off his to look at Coraline.

I walk a few steps in front of her and clasp her face in my hand, lifting her head to look me in the eyes before I whisper in her ear, "you really disappoint me, Princess. I thought you would be a good ruler to your people but I guess I thought wrong…If you can't even keep your word then you don't even deserve to be a queen."

Coraline shivered as I glided my icy fingertips along her face before letting her go, and continuing walking behind her into the deeper parts of the temple.

"Lilith! Come back here!" I could hear Felix yell but acting as if I didn't hear it, I kept forging on ahead into the darkness. I knew Felix wouldn't leave the princess as that's what he should do, so I was relieved knowing that Coraline would be safe with Felix around to protect her.

Now, all that I need to do is try to communicate with the Golden Ruby Python using my telepathy magic. I was standing silently in the pitch-black pathway trying to reach him for around 5 minutes and finally, I got a reply, "Who iss thissss?"

"I'm Lilith, Sir Golden Python. I came with the Princess, to come help you."

"You came with Coraline? How come she isn't responding to me anymore?"

"She-She doesn't believe in herself sir and chooses to deny her blood," I said calmly, trying to mask my uncertainty.

"WHAT!? HOW DARE YOU INSOLENT HUMAN LIE! SHE WOULD NEVER DO THAT!!" His voice boomed in my head. It was so painful that I instinctively covered my ears before crouching and trying to soothe the pain if felt in my head.

"I'm not lying sir, I know you can differentiate the truth from a lie. So I'll ask you once, tell me your location now, I can help you." I continued calmly, not scared but slightly irritated at what he had done.

To my words, he paused for a bit before replying "…I-I'll trust you human this time but if I find out that you lied I will swallow you whole."

"ahaha, sure. I'll take your word for it Golden Python." I said with delight as I imagined him trying but ending hopelessly.

"…It's Tatsuo…" I heard his voice say faintly, making me confused, "Huh?"

"My name, it's Tatsuo…" he said more loudly before talking again, "I used to be the old man's right-hand man…well, serpent. And Tatsuo is what he named me, it's weird saying it out-aloud now. It really has been too long…"

"aha, you're talking about the Serpent King aren't you?" I laughed a little at his choice of words, 'old man'. Hahah I could imagine the serpent king right now just yelling off at him in rage, it definitely would've been a remarkable sight.

"Yes, that's him he was such a kind master and it's sad that he has left my side…"

"I understand, I've been through the same thing. I've lost those closest to me before too, so I can understand where you're coming from." I say with pain in my tone.

"Really? I never knew that there would be such a commendable human out there who doesn't talk to us like a beast or fear us and instead treats us like one of their own kind." He stated curiously as if he found a new toy that interested him, "you're sure a weird one aren't you?"

"Yep, sure am Tatsuo. But you beasts all deserve to be treated as a comrade, not as an enemy or tool…I've already had the experience of being treated that way and I never would wish that feeling upon anyone, not even my worst enemy deserves to be treated that way…" I voiced quietly, looking down at my feet as flashes of my past appeared before me.

"You're an interesting human, Lilith. I really do hope you can save me, I give you my blessing to enter the centre of this temple where I am awaiting your arrival. I really do hope you make it in time…" He said interestingly before slowly his voice faded away, "My life, Is in your hands…"