Odyssey of the Renegade Sovereign

Astrael's breath hitched a bit with a surprised gaze at the eggs.

Those eggs…

The golden light reflected in his eyes, seeing the same eggs he saw in the same white serpent beast nest. It was nestled within the coiled body of the beast, gleaming under the sun like a treasure. But in the chaos of battle, the serpent was desperate and enraged with killing intent to kill him. And with the Blood Berserker skill activated and injured Clawdia, he didn't think of anything except surviving. Even after victory, he fainted in the middle of the forest, and the image of those mystique eggs had slipped from his mind.

Even if he remembered, he couldn't do anything because of his fatigue that had built up in his body.

And yet… here they were.

His mind worked rapidly, trying to piece the puzzle together.

They didn't just stumble onto them. They stole them.

And after watching the unimaginably strong old man, no, monster in human skin, demanding it....it wasn't some treasure or artifact. It was the eggs. The very heart of that beast's purpose.

Astrael's stomach churned as he pressed lower against the rock, Clawdia shifting uneasily at his side. If the serpent was the guardian… then what in the abyss was this man?

If those eggs were treasure… then why?

Why hadn't Varic and the others slit his throat when he was unconscious? They could've taken the serpent's spoils, erased a witness, and left his corpse to rot in the dirt. Instead, they'd dragged him into this cave, tended a fire, even offered him food.

It didn't add up. Not one bit.

They didn't save me out of kindness. They needed me alive.

For what?

Then something clicked in his mind...

Astrael's eyes narrowed, and just as the pieces began to settle into place—

A screaming and sobbing sound tore through the silence.

"—!"

He snapped his head up over the place where the old man and Selena were present, but his pupil contracted. The woman who was begging and asking for mercy was lying in the pool of blood. Her throat was slit open with a smooth line.

And in the old man's pale, bonny hand rested the golden eggs. Then, suddenly, he turned his head towards his hiding place, revealing the faint curl of his lip. His voice cut into the cave like a whisper carried on blades of glass.

"You are smart," he said, almost amused. His pit-like eyes turned, locking onto Astrael's hiding place as if he'd been watching all along. "Able to understand… in such a short time.

The weight of those words pressed down like iron chains.

The old man's words came out of his mouth with a tone of amusement and with a deliberate attempt to see the boy's reaction.

He held the eggs, raising it a little bit.

"This," the old man began, his grin widening ever so slightly, "is no ordinary serpent's egg. Inside sleeps a creature bearing a trace—just a trace—of the Basilisk bloodline."

Astrael stiffened. Basilisk… Even without knowing much, the name alone stirred unease in his chest.

The man's eyes, black pits under the hood, glinted as if feeding on Astrael's reaction. "A diluted bloodline, yes… just a thin trace. But blood is blood. Even a trace of Basilisk coursing through its veins is enough to shape a terror that could burn forests and topple cities." He tilted his head, almost reverent. "Unimaginable, don't you think?"

Astrael's throat tightened. His mind flashed back to the massive white serpent he and Clawdia had fought. The powerful female serpent was just the weaker one.

The man went on, his voice low and poisonous. "Those fools you met… they were not saviours. They were scavengers of the forest. Just a ruthless and cruel vultures. They knew of the eggs, but the mother serpent kept them away. The male serpent was too strong and vigilant. So they plotted a plan. When they finally lured the male away, they set their eyes on the female, who was weak from birthing."

Astrael clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms. So that's why she wasn't as fierce…

"But," the old man continued, with the faintest smirk, " But you thrashed their whole month plan and slaughtered the mother while they hid and watched. Opportunists, nothing more."

A sick chill ran down Astrael's spine. He glanced at the corpses sprawled across the cave floor, the same people who had smiled and spoken by the fire.

"Why didn't they kill me, then?" Astrael's voice escaped, hoarse, before he even realized he'd spoken.

The old man's grin sharpened. He leaned forward just enough that the firelight carved his face.

"Because when the male serpent learns its mate is dead and its eggs stolen…" His hand closed tighter around the golden shell. "…it will rage with unimaginable fury. Its fury will devour every living thing in its path."

Astrael's stomach twisted. He already knew where this was leading, but the old man's words hammered it in like nails.

"They wanted you alive," the old man whispered, "as bait to slow the beast and give them time to run. As the serpent can track those who stole and killed his mate, and you were the perfect target".

The words hit like a blow. Astrael's mind replayed everything—their too-easy smiles, their measured questions, Varic's probing tone. They never saw him as a companion. Only a leash for death itself.

Clawdia growled beside him, low and deep, her silver fur bristling in the fire's glow.

The old man's gaze flicked to her, then back to Astrael, his grin unbroken.

"Well?" he asked, voice almost playful. "Now that you know the truth… what will you do?"

Astrael's breath came rough, his chest heaving as the weight of the revelation settled on him like a mountain. His hands trembled, not from fear alone, but from a bitter anger coiling within.

He had thought himself cautious. He had thought he'd managed to walk carefully. Yet here he was, almost a pawn, a piece to be moved and discarded in someone else's game.

His gaze dropped to Clawdia, her molten eyes fixed on him as if sensing the storm inside him. He clenched his fists tighter.

No more. I will not be played like this. I will not be anyone's puppet. If this world is built to crush me, then I'll claw my way to the top, break its games, and turn them against it.

He swallowed hard, then raised his eyes back to the hooded old man, voice steady despite the venom coursing through it.

"…Then tell me this. Why?" Astrael asked. "Why kill them like cattle?"

The old man, who still cradled the golden egg in his gnarled hand, paused. His grin didn't fade, but his eyes narrowed, sharp and cutting in the firelight.

"Why?" He echoed, as if tasting the word. Then his voice dipped, cold as steel. "Because they were cattle. Rabid cattle. Parasites feeding on the corpses of others."

He tilted his head, shadows shifting across the deep creases of his weathered face. "That group you sat with… they weren't adventurers. They were scavengers. Notorious across lands you've yet to tread. Killers and slavers. They've taken the lives of countless innocents—men, women, children—all for their own benefit. All for amusement."

Astrael's brow furrowed. His chest felt tight, his thoughts battling between disbelief and the lingering memory of their too-slick smiles.

The old man's grin faded just a fraction, replaced with something more jagged. "Mercy would have been the lie, boy. What I did tonight… was simply stripping them of their masks and enacting justice."

The cave fell silent but for the hiss of the fire.

Then, slowly, the old man straightened. His voice, though low, carried a weight that seemed to press on the air itself.

"My name…" He paused, as if savouring the decision to share it. "…is Baldoc."

The old man, no, Baldoc's steps echoed in the cave like someone who carried no fear of the world. His eyes, which were clear as day shining with golden light. Walking towards the exit, he finally spoke again, his tone cutting through the cave, "They once called me…" He paused, the words dragging like a whisper, but Astrael, with his sharp sense, was able to hear. "…the Holy Sword of the Church of Eternal Light."

The weight of that title struck Astrael harder than any blade.

Baldoc's eyes flicked toward him one last time, bottomless pits glimmering faintly in the fire's glow. "I've told you what you needed to know, boy. This place… leave it fast as you can. Do not linger here if you value your life, boy."

Astrael clenched his jaw, his voice breaking through before he could stop himself. "Why? Why should I leave?"

For the first time, Baldoc did not answer with words.

The cave trembled.

ROOOOOOOAAAAR!!!!

From somewhere deep in the forest beyond, a roar ripped through the night—a sound so vast, so filled with rage and grief, it made the walls quake

It was the sound of something colossal. Something wrathful and enraged.

Clawdia's ears flattened against her head, a low growl rising in her throat as her body pressed closer to Astrael.

Astrael's eyes widened, a chill crawling up his spine. He didn't need to ask. He knew.

The male serpent was furious with unimaginable fury.