The Serpent King's Teeth

The aftermath of battle left a silence that was heavier than death. The Shadow Serpents lay sprawled across the moss-covered floor of Kagutsuchi’s Hollow, their blood seeping into sacred roots. The air stank of poison — not from the weapons, but from the truth that had begun to surface.

Taiki stood beside Amira, panting.

He wasn’t tired.

He was angry.

Not at the assassins.

At himself.

For not saving her sooner. For losing control. For letting Taiji live.

Amira touched his arm. “You’re trembling.”

Taiki shook his head. “No. I’m waking up.”

---

High above them, beyond the clouds, the Serpent King's Palace rose like a throne carved from shadow. Its spires pierced the sky, and its walls were alive — breathing, pulsing. Emperor Hoeth, ruler of the hidden empire of assassins, watched through a pool of shifting black water. His fanged mouth curled.

“They’ve reunited.”

Beside him, Taiji knelt.

“Do you fear them?” Taiji asked.

Hoeth turned, the silver crown of bone and scale glowing faintly.

“No. I own them.”

---

Back at the Hollow, Amira knelt to inspect one of the fallen Shadow Serpents. “Hoeth never sends these unless he’s threatened. You’ve drawn his eyes, Taiki.”

Taiki wiped his blade clean. “Good. Let him stare.”

“You don’t understand,” she warned. “These attacks? They’re tests. The real punishment is still coming.”

“I’m not scared of punishment.”

“You should be.”

Amira stood, her silver eyes sharper than daggers. “You haven’t seen what he turned your twin into.”

---

Night fell fast over the Hollow.

Amira led Taiki to a hidden sanctuary carved beneath the roots of an elder tree. A sanctuary where old assassins once trained — those who defied Hoeth's doctrine.

There, under ancient glyphs and flickering lanterns, Taiki finally asked what had burned in his mind for weeks:

“How did you survive?”

Amira was silent for a long time.

“When Taiji stabbed me, I didn’t die right away. I fell into the river beneath the cliff… and drifted. Somewhere in the current, I saw… her.”

“Her?”

Amira closed her eyes. “Ratel. The beast spirit I was trained to bond with. I thought I failed. But as I sank, she awakened… and offered me a second chance. A painful one.”

She removed her glove. The veins beneath her skin shimmered with red lightning.

“I’m not just human anymore.”

---

Before Taiki could respond, the sanctuary shook violently. Dust fell from the roots above.

The walls split.

A figure emerged from the shadows.

Tall.

Regal.

And laughing.

“Cute little reunion.”

Taiki’s jaw clenched. His fingers curled around his blade.

“Taiji.”

His twin stepped forward, arms crossed. “Didn’t expect to see both of you here. You know, I wanted you to think she was dead. Wanted you to break.”

“You succeeded.”

“Then why are you standing?”

Taiki’s eyes burned with fury.

“I stood… to bury you.”

---

Taiji smirked and drew his blade. Unlike Taiki’s elegant Dragon Blades, his weapon pulsed with chaotic red fire — a cursed scythe, forged from the ashes of the Scorpion Clan.

The fight began.

Steel clashed against corrupted steel. Sparks flew like fireflies. Taiki moved with precision, Amira circled with grace — but Taiji was a storm. His style was feral, fueled by hate and jealousy.

“You were always their favorite,” Taiji hissed, dodging a strike. “The prodigy. The chosen.”

“I never asked to be.”

“But you always got everything.”

He swept low and nearly caught Amira’s leg, but she twisted mid-air and kicked him across the jaw.

“You betrayed everyone, Taiji!” she shouted.

“And I’d do it again!” he spat, licking blood from his lip.

---

The battle dragged into the night, each side landing blows — but it was Taiki who began to falter. His inner demon, the Spider, begged to be unleashed.

Let me out. Let me end him.

Taiki’s vision blurred.

“No. Not yet.”

But Taiji didn’t wait. With a primal roar, he plunged his scythe toward Amira’s heart.

Time slowed.

Taiki screamed.

Everything turned white—

Until… a wall of red lightning surged between them.

Amira had unleashed Ratel.

The spirit emerged from her — a spectral honey badger wreathed in stormlight. She caught the scythe midair and shattered it with a shriek of fury.

Taiji staggered back.

“You…”