I Am Sorry

"Very well."

The sound that came from the dragon snake's hiss reverberated as a voice in Laz's ear. But he had already made his resolve to remain still, acting unconscious.

Like every other intelligent predator, which loses interest in something that doesn't pose threat or respond to challenges, the creature moved in circles around Laz, sniffing with curiosity.

It had heard sounds come directly from the being resting on its tail, or was it just an object?

In Laz's thoughts, he imagined the dragon snake totally moving away from where it had coiled its tail. His purpose of remaining still, trying to play dead or dumb, is to shoo the creature away. But, it seems it won't be a possibility.

Then, he remembered, the particles he had scrubbed earlier when his hands met the scales of the creature. He was going to rub the remains in his palms, on his face, and brush some of them against his cloak. Since the dragon snake was sniffing, if it discerned a scent similar to its own, it wouldn't think of him as prey but a kin.

Nice idea.

But, he shouldn't move now that the creature was still in front. He waited patiently for it to make its rotation around him, and secretly moved his hands, rubbing them on his face, and carefully brushing them against his cloak to avoid fabric shuffles.

Once he had done this, the creature sniffed more of him, and as soon as it discerned the scent of a brethren, quickly pulled away. But this movement caused Laz.

In its rapid pull, it had released its coiled tail and poked the sinuous neck in front of Laz once again. But the pull now left Laz nowhere to rest his head, and he hit the bare floor, finally making a thud sound.

'God should be good,' he prayed silently, and let out a painful groan.

ARGHHH.

Since he now smelled like a kin to the dragon snake, it was not going to launch any attack on him now... or so he thought. Based on his analogy, it should see him as a kindred soul crawling through survival. If he acted like he was cursed or vulnerable, it could mean he is forsaken, too.

Is the dragon snake really forsaken?

Since they possess a different level of intelligence, won't it detect that he has a frame not even similar to any of its brethren?

Why in the hellish fuck will this kind of doubt tinge into his mind at this crucial moment? He was almost there, on the verge of becoming friends with this massive creature towering above him.

His doubtful thinking surely had a shift in his actions, blaring pretense before the eyes of the dragon snake.

Now, Laz remained frozen. His eyes locked with the dragon snake's glowing gaze.

The creature bared its fangs with an unnerving patience, as if it already knew Laz was going to do something foolish.

And he did.

Laz lunged sideways, rolling off the remaining part of the creature's massive coils and sprang to his feet with a grunt. The adrenaline with which he used to act now kicked in with such force that his fear gave way to instinct.

RUN!

And so, he began to run.

His bare legs slapped against the cold, smooth stone as he darted into the surrounding darkness further, only illuminated by the dim rays coming from behind. He didn't know where he was running to, nor did he care.

There was one thing he cared about — not ever turning back, even with his eyes. And there was one thing that mattered — ESCAPE.

Behind him, he could hear the heavy, slithering motion of the beast as it stirred fully for the first time in what might have been a very long time.

Then—

ROOOAARRRRRRR!

A thunderous roar shook the very air in the surroundings, and against his initial resolve, Laz threw a glance backward.

Damn.

The dragon snake was now slithering after him with terrifying speed, with its wing flaring slightly, and its eyes blazing like twin orbs of starlight.

"NOPE!" Laz gasped, pushing harder, his legs kicking against each other as he tried to maintain a steady stance.

But just when he thought he was about to be swallowed whole—

THRUMMMM!

A pulse of energy blasted out the moment he crossed an invisible threshold. The sound was like the ring of a thousand bells, crushed to vibrate in compression into one moment. A blue glow flashed behind him, sending a visible wave of resistance towards the pursuing creature.

'What?'

Laz staggered to a stop, panting with his heart hammering against his ribs. Slowly, he turned to find that the glow had been as result of the dragon snake slamming into the invisible wall.

He rolled his eyes at himself and thought. 'Did I just cross a barrier?'

Captured by the snarl of frustration and confusion that now sounded faint to his ears, he raised his eyes to meet the creature's body recoiled, gazing at him with narrowed eyes — but no longer in fury.

Something else had replaced it.

Plea. Pity. The creature's sight was now a pathetic one.

The dragon-snake tilted its head slightly. Then its voice came, in a similar sound as before. For a reason Laz didn't know, he could hear this sound in translation to words.

"You crossed the Seal."

Laz blinked. "What? There was a seal?"

The creature relaxed its long neck on the coiled body and continued. "I was caged by this seal for centuries now, alone. And the power of this seal was never made to allow any being to cross through."

Laz took a step backward, still eyeing the shimmering wall. "And you expected me to just trust you? Just a moment ago, you had the killing intent to eat me."

The dragon snake moved its neck forward, as if it was going to pass through the seal, causing Laz to make more steps backward, but it stopped its movement.

"I never intended to kill you. But hunger twists the mind. Lying here for more than a hundred years, and feeding on only the brews that gushed forth from my body, and sometimes, crunches from my scales, is boring enough. I thought I had finally found a different meal."

Laz crossed his arms, relaxed now that he had certified the creature couldn't cross the barrier. "So what now?"

"I am sorry."

Those three words hit a bang in Laz's heart. He lowered his head a bit and raised it again.

"I am guiding a gate, which what lies beyond is yet known to me. But, I can let you explore if you wish."

"Not enough to sweet talk me," Laz shrugged, but now that it was mentioned, a gate, his curiosity sparked. Was it gate to home? Or gate to a red zone?

The creature's head lowered. Its voice softened.

"Not sweet talk. I'm just asking that you bargain with me. Help me escape this prison, and I will open the gate for you. What lies beyond is yours to explore if you wish."

"Still not enough," Laz squinted.

"Or maybe, I can show you the path home."

"The path home?" Laz asked suspiciously.