Encounter on Aeaea: The Serpopard Test
The first thing you felt was not wind, not heat, not even magic—it was judgment.
The island of Aeaea loomed behind a rising mist, its cliffs carved by time and weeping salt. A shore where no birds sang. The air crackled subtly—laced with power, like distant thunder trapped in a whisper.
You stepped onto sacred soil.
She had already sensed you.
Before you could call out, blink, or question if you were truly alone... a shadow peeled itself from the stones and vines. No sound. No breath. No mercy.
From nothingness, it emerged.
🐍 The Serpopard
It was a vision straight from forgotten tablets—an ancient predator of Mesopotamian memory, crafted by hands that defied gods.
Body: Sinewy and muscular like a great cat, sleek with deep ochre and bronze-spotted fur that shimmered with enchantment.
Neck: Long, serpent-like, curling with unnerving grace, moving like a stalking cobra.
Eyes: Not glowing—reflective, like obsidian glass filled with stars.
Fangs: Too long for its feline jaw, curving like ivory daggers laced with slow-acting venom that ensured death came with reflection.
The beast sniffed once. Then lunged.
You dodged—barely. Claws tore a trench in the earth where your heart should’ve been.
And still…
You felt eyes on you. Watching. Weighing.
🌒 Serina Reveals Herself
There, atop a stone altar nestled into the moss-laced cliffside, her invisibility fell like a silken curtain.
She appeared lounging, poised with divine cruelty.
Her golden hair draped over one shoulder like woven sunlight.
The tiara upon her brow gleamed with a magenta pulse, not ornamental, but reactive—connected to her thoughts.
She raised a single finger—graceful, bored—then gestured toward you.
“Kill him.”
The Serpopard roared, fangs wide, death blooming in its throat.
And she just watched.
Expression unreadable. Judging not your soul, but your use.