Rise of the Nagas Chapter 2

On that late Monday morning, Abraham was gearing himself up for the task ahead of him. He been out in the back garden doing a number of press-ups and various military exercises that he knew. When he finished, he entered into the kitchen for a well deserved drink, his body was glistening with sweat. Abraham had always maintained his muscular frame due to his regimental drill exercises, even for one of his age. He always felt strong and powerful after he had his exercises, able to take on any challenge that lay ahead of him. Mary had announced that she was going to the shops for some supplies and then paying one of her friends a visit for a while. Knowing how adamant Mary can be and not wishing to start the day with a needless argument, Abraham let his wife get on with her task in peace. After having quenched his thirst and hunger, Abraham went upstairs to his room to get changed into his ‘uniform’. He spent just a few minutes putting on his trousers, boots and vest. He glanced at the mirror and noticed that something was missing.

“Ah, my dog tags.” he muttered, finally figuring it out.

Abraham went to the drawer to where his dog tag necklace and opened it. He frowned slightly when he didn’t see it. He knew that it was always in that drawer, he made sure of it. Figuring out that it’s in amongst the other miscellaneous items, Abraham placed his hand in and fumbled around for it. His hand felt something thin and made of metal. He clasped it and pulled it out of the drawer. Abraham grinned as he found his dog tag necklace. As he placed it around his neck, something caught his eye. It was something made of glass that shone from a slither of sunlight in the room. His hand reached into the drawer and pulled out a small picture frame. He drew a breath when he saw what it contained.
Inside the picture frame and behind slightly dusty glass, was a photograph of an old, slightly gaunt and severe looking man. At one corner of the photo was a signature that read out the name "Jacob". For the first time for a while, Abraham’s blood chilled at seeing the photo of his own father. His mind flashed back to the days of his youth and being with his father.

Jacob was a passionate and patriotic man, but a number of people hated him for arrogance and jingoism. He had been trained as soldier in the U.S Army in preparation of the Vietnam conflict. He even brought his own son into his military life, much to the disgust of his wife. When the conflict raised its head, Jacob claimed that he ‘found his calling’. This proved to be the last straw for his wife, who promptly divorced him. Realising that he couldn’t leave his son behind all alone, Jacob took Abraham with him along to the U.S Army. Both father and son were on board the ill fated plane flight that was in the area where Emerald Island was.
Things went smoothly until the aircraft encountered a sudden storm that caused engine problems. That was the only time that Abraham felt so frightened in his whole life; wailing on how they were going to die in the crash. After the rough landing, the pair, along with a number of other soldiers, found themselves in a strange land with strange people. As they settled within Porton, Jacob was one of the few that tried to contact high command in an attempt to reach their intended destination, but with very little success. Then the news came that the conflict was over and Jacob began a downward spiral. Whilst most of the soldiers welcomed the chance to start a new life in Porton, Jacob, on the other hand, became sullen and reclusive. The news had also affected his relationship with his Abraham; Jacob became scathingly critical and harsh towards him, often taking his frustrations out on him.
As the years went by, Jacob’s health slowly went in to decline due to excessive smoking and drinking. Abraham eventually moved out of his father’s shadow, but the damage had already been done; Abraham grew to resent his father for the treatment he bestowed upon him, yet he held on to the hope that he’ll make Jacob proud of him eventually. Abraham soon met Mary and the two eventually married and had their son Seth. Jacob reacted to the news with apparent disdain, claiming that Abraham had gone soft and weak and had squandered all the training that he gave him years ago.
This proved to be that last straw for Abraham for he announced that he won’t be criticised by him anymore. Since that day, Abraham lived on with his wife and son, determined not to let the emotional scars left by Jacob get in his way.
Then, a few days after Seth turned thirteen, on a dark overcast day, Abraham was asked to come to the hospital urgently, for his father was nearing death. Abraham remembered meeting his father in the hospital bed; a decrepit, physical wreck of a man, consumed by bitterness and poisoned by years of smoking and alcohol abuse. Yet, Jacob maintained the ability to dourly remark on missing out the glory of battle and victory, claiming that ‘they should’ve been there when they needed them the most’. Abraham’s hopes of finding any redeeming qualities in his father were soundly dashed by Jacob’s scathing remarks about his own son and his somewhat nihilistic view on the lives of everyone in Porton. Shortly after his rant, Jacob finally succumbed to his ailments and died a broken and bile filled man.
The funeral was a quiet one, with only Abraham and several former U.S marines attending it. Since that day, Abraham became emotionally detached and reclusive due to depression of what happened between him and his father’s final hours. It went on for a few months before he finally met up-coming politician Ichabod. He gave Abraham a rousing speech that at last put purpose in his life and offered him a new start. From that moment on, Abraham became Ichabod’s most loyal ally, helping him in his rise to power and carrying out his ‘behind-the-scenes’ tasks.

Abraham took his eyes off the photo and glanced outside the window. A slight frown furrowed on his forehead. For all of his training, hard work and dedication to the Governor, he felt like that the people should look to him as a hero and inspiration. But instead, they turned their eyes and praises to Seth. It was true that his son ran few errands for some people and was a part time baby sitter, but Abraham felt like those jobs were just small fry in comparison to a ‘real man’s’ jobs like what he was doing. Yet the people showed their appreciation and plied heaps of appraisals onto Seth. As he watched it happen more and more, Abraham, instead of becoming proud of his son, became increasingly envious, almost to the point of bitter jealously.

‘Why did it have to be my son?’ he thought darkly, ‘That upstart did nothing to contribute to the future of Porton! It should be ME that the people should look up to! If that lay-about of a son of mine thinks he can steal my recognition within Porton, he’s got another thing coming!’

So it came to be when Seth was at a certain age, Abraham restricted his son’s social life slightly in order to ‘educate’ him into his role of being his ‘successor’. The results weren’t as successful as Abraham hoped for; Seth would clash with his father and paid little interest in Abraham’s teachings about his ‘future’, thus driving a wedge between them. Sometimes after a hard day trying to ‘teach’ Seth, Abraham would ponder where he was going wrong and what will it take to make Seth see things his way.

He turned his attention to the picture in his hand and his expression darkened with bubbling resentment and hatred for his father. In a sudden fit of rage, Abraham threw the picture frame on to the floor. The glass shattered on impact, the fragments scattering across the floor. Abraham snatched the picture of Jacob and stormed down stairs. Picking up a box of matches from the kitchen, Abraham went out into the garden and placed the photo onto the ground. He pulled out a match and lit it. Holding it above the photo, Abraham took one last look at his father and with contemptuous ease, dropped the match onto it. The lower edges blackened as the flames licked hungrily at it. Abraham glared hatefully at Jacob as the picture warped and distorted.

“I don’t need you in my life anymore.” he snarled, “I’m better than you now! I’ll see you in hell....father.”

As if in response, the picture of Jacob distorted and crumpled, giving the impression that Jacob was giving one last leering smile before the picture flashed white and it imploded upon itself. The flames slowly died away as the photo was reduced to nothing but ashes. Abraham placed his booted foot on top of the ashes and scuffed them away with disgust. Glancing upwards towards where his son’s room is, Abraham eyes glinted in anticipation.

‘Now that my demon has been finally exorcised,’ he thought to himself, ‘I can now forge my own legacy.’

Abraham went back inside the house and went upstairs. He knocked on the door to Seth’s room and announced, “Seth! I hope you’re up and about ‘cause it’s gonna be a busy day for us!”

He opened the door and he froze in the doorway. The bedroom was empty! Abraham looked around and noticed that nothing was disturbed or out of place, as if his son was never there. Anger bubbled up inside him like lava in a volcano. He bunched up his fists and roared, “SEEEEEETH!!!”


The day was getting more eventful for Seth. He had woken up that morning within Mara’s smooth scaly embrace and, after much begging, managed to get Mara to release him and to retrieve his t-shirt. He mentioned to her that the H.L.C was closed for some reason, which meant that he can spend more time with the sajada. The pair were wandering a short distance around the jungle when they came across one of the vine covered ‘totem poles’ that were dotted in random places near Porton. As they were having breakfast near it, Mara was explaining more of what Nakaah used to be like a few centuries ago. As Seth was listening, a sudden bright turquoise flash had engulfed him.
It lasted for a short moment before he found himself lying on what appeared to be a smooth marble floor. Seth blinked hard a few times and looked around him. He was in appeared to be some sort of plaza with tall spire like buildings around them. He glanced behind him and saw that the ‘totem poles’ were the same height and width as the ones in the jungle, minus all of the vines and leaves. They were in the shape of a massive snake and greenish-grey in colour. The eyes were like bright yellow diamonds as they shone in the sunlight. Seth turned his attention to the plaza and saw more than a dozen astonished faces looking at him. The inhabitants had the appearance of humans, but from the waist down they had the long and powerful bodies and tails of snakes, some with natural colours and some with bright abstract colours. A hubbub rose from the crowd as they reacted to seeing a human within their city. Seth felt like he had rumbled a nest full of hornets. He got to his feet and held his hands up.

“L-l-look, I-I mean you no harm.” he reasoned, “I-I d-don’t know how I got here...but...I-I-I’m no threat to you...”

The nagas looked at each other in puzzlement. One of them muttered something about, ‘informing the authorities’. A slight chill ran through Seth’s spine, the feeling of him being in trouble becoming more apparent. Suddenly, a hand clasped Seth’s arm and pulled him to one side. He found himself facing a female naga with brown hair, blue eyes and a bright blue tail with a purple diamond pattern. As he looked closer, Seth noticed that her skin was slightly paler, her ears slightly pointed and slit pupil eyes.

The naga announced to the crowd. “Everyone calm down! He’s just as scared as we are! Now, I’ll take him to a safe place where he can catch a breath and figure out what’s going on. Any objections?”

The embarrassed silence from the crowd confirmed her answer. The naga glanced at Seth and spoke soothingly. “It’ll be fine young man. We’re just gonna go to somewhere safe and you can explain what happened.”

Reassured by this, Seth exhaled a sigh of relief. Both he and the naga moved away from the ‘totem poles’ and the crowd. They followed along a long smooth path through the spire-like houses, the greenish-white marble texture shining like beacons in the sunlight. Seth looked around the city with wide eyed wonder, amazed how something as magnificent and beautiful as this could’ve remain hidden from humans for such a very long time.

“Surprised by what you’re seeing?” asked the naga.

Seth snapped out of his reverie and glanced at the naga.
“Oh! Umm...y-yeah...it’s just that...” Seth’s voice trailed off as he struggled to find the right words. There was a short awkward silence before Seth managed to find his voice again. “Does this...city have a name?”

The blue tail naga nodded as she answered, “The city is called Naithaar. In our old language, it means ‘gem’ or ‘jewel’.”

“In a way the whole place shines like a jewel I take it?” asked Seth.

“In a way, yes.” said the naga, “But, sometimes a capital city can be called the ‘crown jewel’ of a country or a continent.”

“Oh, I see.” said Seth, “Umm....where exactly are we going?”

“To a place where you’ll learn a lot more than asking a lot of questions.” answered the naga.

Seth raised a perplexed eyebrow. Before he had a chance to ask, the naga had turned a corner and was opening a wooden door. It swung open and she slithered inside. Seth carefully followed her inside, trying hard not to trip over her tail. The room was massive and shrouded in darkness; the result of two heavy curtains been drawn over what appeared to be a huge window. Seth’s eyes darted from side to side, wondering whether going with the blue tailed naga was a good idea.

“Is this...your home?” he asked in a small voice.

“Not really.” the naga replied, “But this is the place where I work.”

She pulled back the curtains and sunlight flooded the whole room. Seth’s eyes went wide as saucers with what he saw. Standing together in neat rows were three metre tall shelves full of books. Seth looked around in absolute wonder, a look of child-like delight on his face and with tears forming in his eyes.

“I-is this...what I think it is?!” he said excitedly.

“Yep, it’s a library,” said the naga, “and I’m the librarian.”

Seth’s heart raced with joy, his tears flowing freely from his eyes. The naga slithered over in concern.

“Are you okay?” she asked, “You seem to be crying.”

Seth quickly wiped away his tears and tried to recompose himself.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” he said shakily, “It’s...it’s just that...it’s like...a dream come true! I...I...don’t know where to start!”

The librarian gently guided him to a lower section of one of the tall shelves. Seth noticed some symbols engraved the top part the lower self above the books.

“What category are these books under?” asked Seth.

“History.” replied the librarian.

Seth felt all the hairs on his body stood on end as he heard one of his favourite subjects being mentioned. The librarian raised herself to a higher shelf with her tail and plucked a thin book from one of the shelves. She descended to the ground and waved the book at Seth. The young man looked at it quizzically.

“What does this contain?” asked Seth.

“The majority of the books here in Naganesse, the old language of the nagas.” explained the librarian, “This book is basically an alphabet for infants, but it’ll act as a translator for whatever you’ll read here.”

Seth took the book graciously, his eyes alight with excitement.
“Thank you...thank you so much!” he squeaked, “But...where do I start?”

“You can always start at the beginning.” said the librarian, a wry smile on her face. She pointed at a section of books at the furthest end of the bottom shelf. “Those contain pictograms, so you can, pardon the pun, picture what you’re reading.”

The librarian then adopted a serious expression. “But I will ask one thing; were you with someone when you came through one of the Pylons?”

“Pylons?” echoed Seth, “You mean those snake totem poles?”

The librarian nodded. “Yes. Were you with someone or were you on your own?”

“I was with...what was the word? Oh yeah, a sajada called Mara.” answered Seth.

“A sajada?” said the librarian, raising an eyebrow, “Then she’ll have no trouble following you here.”

“She must be worried sick about me...” muttered Seth, casting his eyes on the floor with guilt.

The librarian went up to him and raised his chin, so that his eyes met hers.

“Look, I’ll wait in the plaza and inform Mara that you’re in the library safe and sound.” she said, “You just stay here and help yourself to as many books as you want.”

She made her way to the door, and then she stopped, turned and announced in a wry tone of voice, “Oh, since you’re the first human to be here and thus not a member of the library, I can’t let you hire the books out I’m afraid.”

“Oh...flip!” muttered Seth, realising that he has his work cut out for his quest for knowledge about the nagas.

The librarian flashed him a reassuring smile before she closed the door behind her.


Meanwhile, a door to an ornate antechamber opened and a male naga in shining gold armour entered.

“Your Majesty.” he announced.

Another male voice emanated from a half-lit corner of the room. “Yes Captain?”

“We’ve received a report that a young male human had arrived at the city unexpectedly.” said the captain.

“Really?” replied the voice, “Now that is unexpected. In fact, that’s the first time ever. How did happen?”

“We’re not exactly sure how it happened.” explained the captain, “But judging by eyewitness accounts, he must’ve travelled through a faulty Pylon. We also have reason to believe that the whole thing was an accident, for he didn’t show signs of aggression to our people.”

“Interesting.” commented the voice, “Where is the human now?”

“Reports say that he’s been taken to the library. I assume that he’s been told to wait there until something could be done about his sudden arrival.” said the captain, “Shall I have some soldiers bring him here?”

“No.” came the voices’ reply.

“Sire?” the captain inquired.

“We don’t want to cause a disturbance, not at this moment in time.” said the voice, “I shall meet him in person and find out more. Besides, I have a few books that need to go back in any case.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own sire?” asked the captain.

The voice gave a slight chuckle as he answered. “I’ve lasted ten years around the world with little knowledge of the culture of other lands. Compared to them, this will be as easy as shedding ones’ skin.”

The captain nodded in acknowledgement. “Your Majesty. I shall stand the guards down to avoid any commotion.”

The naga saluted and exited the room. The figure in the shadows replaced the book he was reading to one side and ‘stood’ up straight

“Well, time to make myself known.” he said to himself.


In another and much larger room, the atmosphere was much more frantic. An enormous bed occupied nearly a quarter of the room. Lying within the intricately designed blanket was a female naga that looked immensely old. Her hair was chalk white and thin. Deep wrinkles lined her face and her green eyes were pale and slightly bloodshot. She wore a simple gown which concealed her thin and withering frame. She was, on the whole, a physical wreck. The old naga had heard the news of a human, of all things, in the city and her servants were flapping around in a panic, wondering what’s going to happen.

“How did he get here and why?” one of the servants wailed.

“I don’t know! I dread to think what will happen if the guards get him.” another servant said.

“Do you think he has brought others with him? If so, what will happen to us and Naithaar?” a third servant questioned.

There was a sudden hollow ‘thump’ as the old naga slammed a metal sceptre onto the floor.

“Enough!” she hissed, her voice cracked and husky with old age, “Hysteria does not help matters!”

An awkward silence filled the room as the servants looked at the floor in shame. All three spoke at once, “My apologies, Your Majesty.”

The old naga, who was in reality Queen Janaan, released the sceptre and held a stern gaze on her servants.

“That’s better.” she croaked, “Now; bring me a bowl of water. We shall see what went on and what’s currently happening.”

One of the servants bowed and exited the room. Queen Janaan relaxed onto the pillows with a slight wheeze. She took a few deep breaths and turned her attention to the two servants.

“Tell me, where is my son?” she asked.

One of the servants swallowed nervously before answering. “The last I’ve heard that he had left his private chambers and was making his way to the library, your Highness.”

“I see.” said the Queen, “It seems not too long ago that he embarked on his journey.”

Queen Janaan stared off into space as she recalled seeing his son boarding the ship that practically took him around the world and saying a fond farewell to her and the people. It was one of the very few times that she herself openly shed tears. The door opened and the servant who was sent from the room had returned with an ornate bowl half full of water. He went to the Queen’s side and placed the bowl near her hand. Queen Janaan raised a bony hand and dipped a finger into the water. The tip of her finger glowed green briefly and it spread into the water. The green water shone for a moment and then the centre flashed white. The water shifted slightly and then the image of Seth sitting on the floor reading the books appeared.
The servants looked at each other in wonder, not knowing what to make of this stranger in their city. Only the Queen remained unmoved, her expressions unreadable like a chess player.

“Y-your Majesty,” said the first servant shakily, “what steps should be taken about-?”

“Bring it closer to me.” commanded Queen Janaan.

The servant with the bowl carefully lifted the bowl with his tail near the Queen’s face. The old naga stared deeper into the bowl, her eyes twitching ever slightly from side to side as if she was reading a book. Her face was stony in concentration and the light from the water made her pale eyes glow in an eerie ethereal way.

“He has a good soul.” she said after a while.

The servants flinched and looked that their ruler in puzzlement.

“R-really? H-how can you be sure?” asked one of the servants.

Then slowly and purposely, Queen Janaan smiled, her wrinkles hiding her eyes slightly.

“Because this human,” she said, “looks and acts like a younger version of him.”

The servants looked at each other, puzzled by her cryptic answer.


Seth’s head was in a whirlwind of new information. He had spent the next three quarters of an hour reading the history books with the Naga Alphabet book acting as a translator. He managed to go through four books and was in the middle of his fifth book. From what he could gather and judging by the pictograms, the nagas had been around for several million years at the time the human race was still developing itself. He also found out about something called the Essence, which was a source of ‘natural magic’ that the nagas were able to develop and evolve from. Seth then discovered that there WERE humans on Nakaah, way before the ones from the 1800’s came along. He theorised that they were probably from somewhere among the Oceanic Islands and they must’ve landed on the island in an attempt to gain more territory and food.

The more Seth read the books, the more he was reminded of his younger days at school. He was classed by the other students as a bookworm and in a way, they were right. Seth would always sit apart from the other students, reading a book to satisfy his curiosity about the world and how things worked. One day, he was ridiculed by a few students for being a ‘socially impaired F Grade loser’ for his constant reading of long neglected encyclopaedias. Seth ran out onto the outdoor stairs and started crying, clearly hurt from their cruel remarks.
Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Seth looked up and looked into the kind eyes of Alec; younger and a slightly livelier set of hair. He sat down beside of him and asked, ‘What’s wrong lad? Has someone bullied you?’
When Seth explained what happened through broken sobs, Alec wrapped his arm around his shoulder and spoke to him sagely, ‘Seth, their laughter and words are meaningless. Just because they don’t approve of it, doesn’t mean you should give up with what you enjoy doing. It is them who are foolish; neglecting their studies for needless entertainment and inane trivia.’
Seth recalled the light within Alec’s eyes and the welcoming smile that formed on his face as he made an offer to him, ‘Tell you what, how about on certain days when school time is over, you can come over to the museum to read some of the books there. What do you say?’
It was an offer that Seth didn’t regret one little bit. Ever since, Seth had always regarded Alec as like a mentor and was eternally grateful for what he had done to make him into the person that he is today.

Seth picked up the fifth book he pulled out of the shelf off the floor, opened it and came across a pictogram of what appeared to be a mountain shooting off lightning bolts at fleeing humans. The nagas were nowhere to be seen. He looked at the set of letters above the picture and turned to the Alphabet to decipher them.

“Hmmm....c...a...t...a...c...l...y...s...m...” he murmured. His eyes widened as he spelt out the word in shocked awe, “Cataclysm.”

A number of theories soon flooded his head as he tried to make out what the word was implying and what the picture meant.

“Quite an avid book reader, aren’t you?” a voice rang out.

Seth flinched with fright and looked behind him. Whilst he was reading, the door had opened without Seth noticing. Now a male naga that looked like someone in his late twenties stood in the doorway, looking at Seth with curious eyes. The young man assessed the naga in front of him; he was well built and wore a sleeveless khaki coloured robe. He had long platinum blonde hair and striking green eyes. A gold coronet with a dark green jewel in the centre adorned his head.
The male naga looked up and down at Seth, as if he was studying the human, but with amiable and friendly eyes. He cocked his head to one side quizzically.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Seth snapped out of his reverie with a slight start.
“Oh! Umm....yeah.” he managed, “Sorry, I....didn’t mean to.....I didn’t expect....”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” replied the naga, slowly slithering over to Seth, “Nagas tend to get around from place to place almost noiselessly.”

The male naga had reached the young man and curled up beside him on a mass of coils. The sunshine from the window illuminated the naga, his shining coils and the golden coronet gave him a rather regal look about him.

“So, how did you managed to get into Naithaar unannounced?” he asked.

“To be honest, I don’t know.” said Seth with a shrug, “I was with Mara and we stopped by one of the...umm...oh yeah, Pylons in the jungle.”

“Mara?” said the naga, “Is she a human?”

Seth shook his head. “No. She’s a sajada. She....helped me with a serious problem. I’m....indebted to her.”

Seth glanced at the floor, a light blush formed on his cheeks. The naga raised an eyebrow with bemusement.

“A sajada, eh?” he said, “Interesting. So, what happened next?”

Seth placed a finger on his chin in recollection. “Hmm....me and Mara had stopped by one of the Pylons and were breakfast next to it. I was listening to Mara’s history lesson, when there was this sudden bright light. I felt myself falling in a void and the next thing I knew, I found myself lying on a smooth marble floor.”

The male naga remained silent as he digested the information. Finally, he looked at Seth and spoke. “Must’ve been a faulty Pylon you came across.”                    

“’Faulty’?” echoed Seth, “You mean....they require maintenance?”

“Well, after being many years of disuse and being exposed to the elements, the ones in the jungle are prone to malfunctions.” explained the naga, “Normally, we would go out to fetch them and bring them back here for repairs. But carrying just one would take two of us and we couldn’t run the risk of more of us being discovered at any one time.”

Seth digested the information with keen interest. His blue-grey eyes darted upwards at the naga as another question formed inside him.
“I take it that you’re a naga then?”

The naga nodded. Seth then remembered what Mara had said a few days ago; something being a subspecies of naga, indicating that there was more than one type of naga.

“That librarian.” he said, “She looked somewhat....different to the others. Is that....normal among you?”

It took a brief moment for the naga to register what Seth was indicating, then his face brightened and he smiled disarmingly.

“Oh that! Don’t worry about it.” he said, “I’ll show and explain you something and everything will become apparent.”

The naga knelt down, picked a book from a shelf near Seth and opened it. He turned several pages, came across what he was looking for and lowered it to show Seth. The young man’s eyes came across a picture of a massive and powerful snake with emerald green scales, light green oval patches on its back that were edged with rings of mid green. Its eyes were almost hypnotic; large bright yellow orbs with black slit pupils. The first summary that came into Seth’s mind was ‘a powerful ancient predator’. He judged that the coils could constrict man with just two or even one set of coils, to which there will be no escape from them. Seth estimated that the snake must be at least 50-55 or even 60 feet long; a terrifying size for a limbless predator that relied on stealth, surprise and an immeasurable amount of raw power that its coils possessed.

“Forgive me for my ignorance,” said Seth after a moment, “but is there something special about this serpent?”

The naga nodded sagely, his green eyes radiating a surprising amount of wisdom.
“That magnificent snake you see before you,” he announced, “is what we were, a few million years ago.”

The revelation struck Seth like a sledgehammer hitting a pane of glass. He glanced back and forward from the picture to the naga with evident disbelief.

“Wha-wha-what?!” he stammered, “B-bu-but how?”

The naga placed a hand on his shoulder as if to calm him.

“Have you read about the Essence yet?” he asked.

“Not too long ago, yes.” Seth answered, “Has that got something to with you being what you are today?”

“It has.” said the naga, “You see; the Essence is vast form of natural magic that emanates from the bowels of this planet. It leaks from a number of places in other countries, but Nakaah has the largest concentration of the Essence than anywhere else in the world. In another way, if Nakaah was like a bonfire, then the other Essence ‘spots’ are like juvenile fireflies.”

Seth’s head practically buzzed with this new knowledge of the nagas and the Essence.

“Anyway, in answer to your question,” the naga continued, “the Essence is responsible for our transformation from being gigantic serpents into what we are today.”

The naga spread his arms out wide as if showing Seth the end result to some great masterpiece. Seth looked at the male naga up and down in wide eyed wonder. He had read about mysterious hybrid creatures in books at the library in Porton, but seeing one in the flesh and within their own city made Seth almost giddy with excitement and curiosity.

“How long were you like this?” asked Seth carefully, “I mean, being half human half snake that is.”

“Nearly 200 years.” the naga answered.

Seth placed a finger on his chin in calculation, as if the number of years had rang a bell. Then his eyes widened as the penny dropped.

“Wait....that was the time when WE came along!” he exclaimed.

The naga nodded sagely. “Yes. The speed that the colonists had settled at the place you called Porton had terrified us. Then, more came in the shape of refugees from a bloody civil war and soldiers that were trained for another internecine conflict. We realised that the human race had advanced at an alarming rate and we feared that we get caught up in their self destructive squabbles. In our paranoia, 85% of the population fled from Nakaah in search of a new home. Later, we’ve came the conclusion that we had to evolve in order to survive. After nearly a year of studying human anatomy and weighing up the enormity of using the Essence, we’ve changed ourselves to ensure our survival. Our eyes and view of the world were opened when we first experienced the touch of humanity. We saw that humans can be brilliant and fantastic as well as unbelievably destructive and cruel. From what we have witnessed and heard of the atrocities that humans have committed, we vowed that we NEVER traverse that long path to self destruction, suffering and hatred.”

Seth goggled in thunderstruck silence from the naga’s speech. He felt both awed by the nagas’ commitment to a life without war or conflict and tremendously sympathetic that the impact of humans’ arrival had forced them to change so dramatically. He glanced at the floor, feeling an immense guilt and shame that his own kind could be so ignorant, barging onto other lands and claiming it as their own without a single regard or concern about the natives.

‘Looks like that some people are right; we truly ARE the most dangerous creature on Earth.’ Seth thought gloomily.

He was brought out of his reverie when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the naga smiling at him reassuringly.

“Don’t take it too personally.” he said, “After all, it all happened many years before you were born and we’ve pulled through our darkest period. My teacher once said to me, ‘sometimes in order to secure your future, you’ve got to let bygones be bygones’.”

Seth was suddenly reminded of Alec, for he said something very similar a long time ago. The naga pointed at the pictogram of the ancient naga with a finger.

“One little fact about this,” he said, “any naga nowadays bearing those colours on their tail are considered royal blood.”

“Really?” asked Seth, looking closer at the massive snake in the pictogram, “Do you think it’s due to heritage or something?”

As Seth looked closer, he noticed something familiar. He glanced at the naga and did a double take. The naga’s tail had the same colours as the giant snake in the pictogram!

“Hang on....your tail....it’s like....surely....are you really...?!”

The naga chuckled heartily at Seth’s flabbergasted expression. “Aye, I’m certainly am!”

The naga bowed theatrically as he announced, “Prince Ajan, at your service.”

Seth eyes were like saucers as he stared at the naga in surprise.

“P-p-prince?” he stammered, “Who’s the actual r-r-ruler of the n-nagas?”

“That’ll be my mother, Queen Janaan.” said Ajan, “But....she’s not in the best of health, so access to her chamber is prohibited unless she grants it.”

Seth sighed inwardly, somehow knowing that such a privilege was too good to be true. He regained himself and asked a question from earlier, “Are there really different types of nagas?”

“There are.” explained Ajan, “Three in fact.”

Ajan spread his arms wide, gesturing to himself.
“Nagas, like me, are the most common of our kind. Our tails always have natural colours like the serpents in other parts of the world. The ones like the librarian you’ve met are known as lamias.”

“La...mia.” repeated Seth, carefully trying out the word, “How did they came to be?”

“When most of the nagas have fled Nakaah, they settled in isolated areas of the world, away from the majority of civilisation. They all adopted the next step to our evolution, but where they were, there were only very small pockets of the Essence to work on and they had to use ‘alternative’ tools to make it complete. The end result is what you have seen earlier, like us but with differences; pale skin, pointed eyes, slit pupil eyes and bright abstract colours on their tails.”

As Seth digested the information, he was remained with how some people that look the same, but have certain genetic traits and physical aspects that make them unique from others.

“What about the sajada’s? How did they came to be?” asked Seth.

“They were the result of a few individuals that took the process a step further. They are the most skilled of using the powers that the Essence has given us, but they’re also the most intelligent which makes them...how should put it...devious.”

Seth’s look of wonder clouded when he heard the word ‘devious’. He suddenly thought about Mara and a knot formed in his stomach. What if she had an ulterior motive with him meeting her? Is she all what she seems to be? Before he could voice his fears, the door flung open and a black blur slithered into the library. It made a beeline towards Seth and enveloped him. Seth was caught off guard from this and his eyes didn’t register who it was that entered. Then a familiar voice rang out that made Seth’s heart soar.

“Seth! Oh, I was so worried about you! I thought I’d lost you!”

It was Mara.

The sajada had arrived in Naithaar a few minutes ago after nearly half an hour of trying to get the Pylon to work. When she arrived at the plaza, she knew that the Pylon in the jungle was now just a tall piece of junk, its power source burned out from its one last service. Mara was confronted by the librarian and was informed that the human she seeks was in the library. It took Mara a short while to find Seth again due to so many new scents in the city and her not visiting Naithaar for a long time. Now, she had Seth in her coils, delighted to see him safe and sound.

“Mara! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” exclaimed Seth, slightly winded from Mara’s sudden appearance and ‘hug’ of relief.

Prince Ajan was somewhat surprised when Mara appeared, but then a warm smile formed on his face as he watched the sajada hugged and nuzzled the young man in her coils. The prince knew that sajada’s can be tricky to work with when they have a mind to be, but somehow, he figured that Mara was a rare exception to her kind. Mara glanced up and noticed the prince observing them. She straightened up and presented herself to him.

“Your Majesty.” she announced, “I’ve come for Seth and escort him back to his home. I pray that his sudden arrival hasn’t caused too much of a disturbance.”

Prince Ajan nodded sagely.
“Your proposition will be accepted without any fuss or bother.”

“Thank you, your Majesty.” said Mara, bowing her head respectfully. She uncoiled Seth and started slithering towards the door. Seth stood up and dusted himself. He looked at the book around him and felt somewhat sad of having to leave this wonderful place.

‘So many books; so much to learn about them.’ he thought to himself.

The temptation of just taking one of them with him was so strong. But he remembered the librarian’s words and thought about what would happen if someone from Porton were to find the book in his possession. With a resigned sigh, Seth placed his hands in his pockets and made his way towards the door. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and found Prince Ajan looking at him reassuringly.

“You’re very lucky to have someone like Mara as your friend.” he said.

“Y-you...really think so?” asked Seth.

“I know so.” replied Ajan, “She’s somewhat of an oddity among her people and she has only your wellbeing in both mind and heart. You have nothing to fear or to be concerned about her.”

Seth digested his words and then a small smile formed on his face.

“Thanks, your Majesty.” he said.

Ajan chuckled quietly, “Please, just call me Ajan. I’ll look forward to seeing you again Seth.”

The young man nodded at the prince and joined Mara outside.



Meanwhile, at an odd corner of the jungle, two tall leaf covered rocks stood within the undergrowth, both of them just three metres apart from each other. Suddenly, both of them started glowing in a turquoise light, as if they were lit from within. Arcs of lightning crackled from the ‘stone pillars’ and connected to each other. Slowly, a large circular mirror like surface formed in the space in between the pillars. It rippled like a pond on a windy day and shifted as two individuals emerged from it. Seth looked around in wonder as he found himself back in the jungle, but it was a part of the jungle that he vaguely recognised. Mara slithered beside him and brought all of her coils into a neat pile before the portal disappeared behind her.

“Umm....Mara, exactly where are we?” asked Seth.

“We’re just ten minutes away from the ruined storage hut.” explained the sajada, “But not from where you’ve first met me; in the opposite direction in fact.”

Mara noticed that Seth was examining the Pylons more closely. His curiosity and innocence were some of his traits that she found endearing. She smiled warmly at him as she piped up, “Quite an eventful day you’ve had, eh?”

“You can say that again.” replied Seth, “But, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was like....a dream come true....but a lot bigger and grander.”

Seth turned to face Mara, who was smiling warmly at him. He blushed slightly from her admiring look.

“Umm....have I said something funny?” he asked, rubbing the back of head in awkwardness.

“Not really.” said Mara brightly, “It’s just that you sound so happy and bright compared to what you were like a few days ago. And I wouldn’t have it any other way either.”

Seth’s blush deepened from her compliment. He tried to say something in response, but his words got jumbled up. Eventually he gave up and glanced at the jungle floor sheepishly.

‘Awww! He looks so adorable!’ thought Mara. She slithered up to him and placed her tail on his shoulder.

“You can continue your investigations about us later on tonight at the ruined storage hut.” she murmured.

Seth looked at her and nodded in acknowledgement. “Okay. Is there anything to look forward to as well?”

“Does this ring a few bells?” said Mara silkily. She blinked a thick yellow and lavender ring from her eyes in response. Seth’s eyes briefly widened as he saw the rings, feeling the pleasant light headedness from her hypnosis for a very short moment. He shook his head to clear it and smiled at her. “Okay, I’ll see you later on tonight.”

Seth took a few steps forward and then stopped as if realising something.
“Umm....Mara?”

“Yes Seth?” replied Mara.

“I...I wanna say....” Seth muttered, and then he suddenly threw his arms around Mara and hugged her, “Thank you....for everything.”

Mara was surprised by this, but she loosened up and nuzzled against him. It warmed her serpentine heart to see the young human so happy.

“Hey, no worries.” she purred.

After a short moment, they broke apart and looked at each other.

“I’ll see you later Mara.” said Seth.

He turned and started walking through the jungle.

“See you later Seth!” called Mara, waving at him with her tail.

Seth glanced back and waved at her back. He turned his attention to path in front of him, brushing back leaves and branches as he walked. For him, today had been absolutely wonderful and all because of a small accident. His head was buzzing with the knowledge that he obtained about the nagas. There were just so many questions that need answering. Seth wondered if he’d ever get the chance to be in Naithaar again. He placed all of his hope that he would for there was so much for him to learn. His thoughts then turned to the people of Porton.

‘How would they react to the fact that they’re not alone on the island?’ he thought, ‘It’ll probably cause quite a commotion. I just hope there aren’t any stupid people among us that just lash out at anything that are different....’

Seth’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud rustling to his right. He prayed that it was an animal, but it was infrequent and loud to be any creature. Seth glanced to his right and realised that it was coming from where the ruined storage hut was. He crept through the undergrowth until he caught sight of it. A group of men were in front of it, looking at it up and down as if assessing it. Seth crouched down and held his breath.

‘What are these men doing here?!’ he thought, his face etched with concern.

He heard one of the men spoke, “So, these are the ruins then?”

“Aye. Ugly looking thing isn’t it?” said another man.

“Well, we have our orders.” barked another, “Let’s get this over with!”

Seth saw the men go to a large brown roll of canvas behind them and unfurled it.  He blood froze as he saw what they picked up; pickaxes and sledgehammers.

‘Oh no! They can’t! No! I won’t let them!’

Throwing caution to the wind, Seth bolted from the undergrowth and confronted the men. The men stood in mild surprise as Seth appeared from nowhere.

“Hey! What the hell are you doin’ here kid?” one of the men said gruffly.

“I think that question should apply to you!” snapped Seth, “What gives you the right to do this?!”

“We have our orders kid!” said one of the men, “Now step aside and scram!”

Seth picked up a sturdy branch and took on a defensive stance.

“No! I won’t let you do this!” he cried.

Suddenly, something hard hit Seth on the back of his head and he fell to the ground. His vision swam and his head rang as he lay stunned. He felt something drag him along the floor away from the men. He tried to grasp on to something to resist, but found nothing. Seth was then forced up on his knees and his hands held behind his back.

“I’ve considered myself a reasonable man.” growled an all too familiar voice in his ear.

Seth craned his neck and found himself face to face with the thunderous face of Abraham. Seth’s heart nearly stopped with horror as he realised that the worst that could happened had now happened.

“I have clearly laid down my rules and I expect those rules to be obeyed!” said Abraham, his voice thick with bubbling fury, “It seems that those rules have went through one ear and exited from the other!”

“Father....you can’t....” managed Seth.

“Shut up you piece of crap!” snarled Abraham, yanking his son’s hair with his free hand, “You’ve tried my patience for far too long! Now witness what your defiance has cost you!”

Abraham looked up and nodded at men. The men understood the order and hefted their tools. Seth grimaced with pain as Abraham held him in a tight grip. When he opened his eyes, he saw the men about to swing their tools at the ruins.

“No! NO!!!”

But his cries came too late. The men had started hacking and knocking the ruins down. The old stonework practically broke and crumbled from their blows. Rotting wood splintered as the hammers found their marks. Seth was writhing and struggling to free himself, but his father gripped him tighter. He screamed and pleaded them to stop, tears forming in his eyes. The visual and emotional torture lasted for five minutes, by then the old ruined storage hut was reduced to rubble. The men rested their tools down and wiped their brows from a job well done. A rustle from the undergrowth revealed a heavy set man carrying a large wheelbarrow. It was Simeon, the head teacher of the H.L.C. He puffed and wheezed as he rested the wheelbarrow near the rubble.

“I never thought those things were so bulky and unwieldy.” he muttered.

Simeon turned to face Abraham and was surprised to see Seth being restrained.

“What the hell is he doing here?” he demanded.

“Trying to interfere with our task.” said Abraham, pulling back Seth’s hair so the young man would see the head teacher. Simeon shook his head disdainfully and walked up to Seth face to face.

“Well boy,” he said sardonically, “you’ve really done it now. As effective immediately, you are expelled from the H.L.C! Do you hear me?! Expelled!”

Seth’s heart sank even deeper into the depths of despair. Simeon straightened himself and looked at Abraham.

“What should we do with him?” he asked.

“I’ll deal with him myself.” growled Abraham. He roughly lifted Seth to his feet and half carried half dragged him through the jungle. Seth could only look back helplessly to see the men load the rubble into the wheelbarrow as Abraham hauled him away.


Abel was curled up in his ‘home’, leisurely eating a wild mouse he caught sneaking around the house earlier. After swallowing it whole, Abel relaxed onto his coils, letting his meal go down with content. Suddenly, he felt loud vibrations on the ground approaching towards the room. Instincts warned Abel to find cover and hide. He slithered under the bed and carefully poked his head to see what was going on.
The bedroom door flung open and Abraham literally flung Seth onto his own bed.

“I’ve warned you time and time again Seth!” he bellowed, “I’ve been putting up with your crap for as long as can, but you’ve gone too far this time! You need to know your God damn role in this town and know it now!”

Seth kept his head down and remained silent, knowing that no words of his own could pour water over the fire of his father’s wrath. Abraham took a few steps forwards and folded his arms, towering over his son.

“Be fortunate I didn’t send you to Ward C for correction at the hospital.” he rumbled, “’Cause you know what happens to people like you when they’re taken there. They get re-educated by force! But prefer to do things my way.”

Abraham quickly swung his fist and struck Seth on the back of the head. Seth cried out in pain and clutched at his head.

“As of now, you’re gonna be home schooled, with me as your teacher!” he snapped, “Oh, I wouldn’t bother telling Mary. As far as she knows, you’re just taking time off to recover from a case of concussion.”

He struck Seth again to emphasise the point. Seth gingerly touched the back of his head and lay still, physically and emotionally beaten into submission. Abraham snorted scornfully and turned to leave the room.

“Just think about what you’ve done Seth.” He added, “After all, I did tell you not to disappoint me again.”

Abraham exited the room and shut the door behind him. Seth started shaking as his bottled up emotions overflowed within him. The young man curled up into wretched ball and wept brokenly. From underneath the bed, Abel remained where he was, ever the silent witness to what just happened.


Later that evening, heavy dark clouds loomed over the horizon, threatening to rain heavily over the whole island. The sun was just barely visible as it slowly sank into the horizon. Within the deepening shadows of the jungle, Mara was slithering through the undergrowth. It was nearing the time to meet Seth again and Mara tended to very punctual when it came to appointments. She flickered her tongue and smiled, knowing that she’s nearing where the ruins are. Her coils shivered with excitement with the thought of having Seth in their embrace again. Soon, she came across something that wasn’t there before; a large clearing in the middle of the trees. Mara frowned in puzzlement and looked around.

‘Strange....this wasn’t here before.’ she thought, ‘Have I took a wrong turn? No, that’s impossible. I knew the way and even know what the ruins smell like! Yet, the scent has brought me here....’

An awful feeling of dread formed inside Mara. She examined the area and noticed something on the ground. The sajada lent towards it and saw it was a small piece of rubble. Her tongue flickered and her eyes widened with disbelief. It smelt the same as the ruined storage hut!

“No!” she gasped, “How could this have happened?! I need to find out...”

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then Mara uttered something in Naganesse under breath and slowly opened her eyes. They were now glowing in a pale green light and were staring at nothing. Using this power, Mara was able to see whatever animal saw on this particular spot earlier. A gasp of horror escaped from her lips as she saw the storage hut being destroyed and Seth being restrained by his father.

‘Oh no! Seth!’ she thought frantically, ‘I need to see if he’s alright! Think Mara, think! What animal would be perfect to see what’s going on in his home? Of course! Abel!’

Mara muttered an incantation under her breath and looked ahead with the same glowing solid green eyes. What she saw from Abel’s vision caused tears to flow from her eyes and roll down her cheeks.

“No.....no no no no...!” she sobbed. Then the jungle echoed with her scream of despair.

“SSSSEEEEEEEEEETTTTH!!!”