Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes
The Venomous Key

As the prophecy foretells the dawn of the serpents will be coming forth at the dusk of mankind. Out of the ashes of ruins so cold will arise the one who holds the key to prevent the dreaded dawn.

Riok felt a strange shiver running down his spine as if ghosts were stirring in their graves. A bizarre hissing sound suddenly surrounded him. He abruptly awoke to find unusual shadows leaving his ruined house.

Riok sat in bewilderment. He did not know what had happened nor did he want to find out. Riok didn’t know much about the history of Sueri, all he did know was that unholy creatures were banished from the site over 1,000 years ago, never to be seen or heard of again. Riok sensed there was more to this legend than what he was told. Ever since Riok was a little boy he had always wondered what Sueri meant and why he was put there?

Now this. What had happened to his home and what was going to happen next? Suddenly as if in answer to his question Riok’s world went black. All he could see was darkness yet he could hear the strange hissing sound. This time it was speaking to him, saying, “Come to me.”

His head was telling him to run yet his heart said stay. As the sound grew louder Riok became more confused. The sound suddenly stopped. Riok saw a blue light coming towards him saying, “All will become clear soon.” Then he was back in his house.

Puzzled by this phenomenon Riok went to see an elder to get the truth about why he was having nightmares about the city being in ruins.
Just as the elder was about to give an answer everyone in the town disappeared, leaving Riok alone. Riok looked around only to find one message. This message told Riok that he was living with others than just what he could see.

Riok was very confused; he didn’t get this riddle that was bestowed on him. He tried to think about what other thing he could be living with, but just on that thought his mind sank into blackness. It was like Riok wasn’t meant to know what was going on around him. Yet he felt like he had known the blue light from his dream his whole life, like their spirits were intertwined and forever bonded.

Riok felt the sharpest of pain in his chest like a bullet had been shot through his heart and in an instant it felt as if nothing had happened.
Through a series of strange proceedings that had happened shortly after the searing sting he found himself standing in front of a temple. The sequence of events occurred in order of time and place. The catalyst event was when Riok’s house suddenly burst into a bright red flame. The house began to hiss as loud as a T-rex roaring in your ear until the flame had died out then all was silent once more. Subsequently fate was toying with things unruly.

Destiny is a strange thing and for Riok, a thing he wished didn’t exist. He felt like his life was just a game to Sio, ruler of things holy or unholy. Things were changing around Riok. Strange and weird images flashed in front of his eyes. Right now Riok didn’t know where he was then all fell black again. He found himself in the burial ground of Sio’s wife Yoi, who was the previous ruler of the defiant ones. She died of a cause that was described as deviant. Sio took advantage of this predicament, taking rein over the defiant ones.

Riok stared blankly at Yoi’s crypt. He wondered why he was brought here, would this place give him the answers that he was seeking? As Riok wandered through the crypt he found writing on the wall that looked to answer his questions. Riok had never seen this style of writing before in his life yet he could read it as if it were written in plain English. This writing said “the one true ruler will claim his throne through the key that only he holds.” Just as he was about to find out who was behind it the entire crypt began to shake. Riok tried to run. The walls were quickly caving in around him. There was nowhere else to run.

Riok had almost given in on getting out alive a voice calmly spoke, “Open your heart and you will be safe.” He felt like the voice was a complete stranger but they were spiritually connected and trusted each other 100%. So he opened his heart and was orbed out of the crypt in a blinding light to a bastion in the sky called “Amestion”.

There was nothing much here but some tombstones scattered around the ground. Taking a closer look Riok could read “He will come and set us free.” Then Riok looked up to see whose grave it was but half the name had been scratched off. Riok could barely make out the other half; he thought it said “Sueri”. Riok didn’t know if he had read it right until he found the date of death that read 26.11.49 ad, which was Riok’s birthday. Riok felt the searing sting again, but this time it was much worse. The world began to spin. Riok felt dizzy, he could barely stay on his feet. As he wobbled around he didn’t even realise the edge had left his feet.

Riok was now falling. After just a few minutes of falling Riok felt a soft ground beneath him. As he became aware of his surroundings Riok realised that it was not the ground but he had fallen onto the back of a dragon.

The dragon just kept on flying. It seemed to know where it was taking Riok. The dragon flew him to the sacred temple that he had seen in the image, the temple of Oricalconus, which Riok knew could have the answers to his questions but also was the place of his foes lair.

The temple was nothing like Riok thought temples were suppose to be. It was dark, gloomy, filled with hatred and emitting a vibe of pure evil. It had a stench of dried blood and rotten meat. This smell made Riok’s stomach turn with disgust.

Something seemed odd. Riok could sense that what he thought to be evil was not and something seen as holy is the purest evil. Riok had these strange feelings about people as well. He doesn’t know why but he can see or hear things, the inner spirits of people all around him.

As Riok got closer to the centre of the temple the searing pain came back and didn’t leave until the blue light reappeared, coming closer and closer to him. Behind the blue light was a beautiful girl with long flowing white hair. Riok felt uncomfortable, she looked so innocent but there was something about her that wasn't right.

As she approached Riok noticed a strange aura around the girl. Suddenly a sword hurdled towards him. Riok silently thought ‘stop!’ and as if he had ordered it the sword froze in mid-air. Then without thinking Riok’s anger took over him and then he attacked forcing the sword back toward the girl. The sword disappeared just as it touched her. Then she shouted in a voice full of despair “how dare you, you insignificant boy try to hurt the invincible”. Riok thought to himself that if he imagined something and have it attacked it might work.

He conjured up a flaming arrow and fired it towards her but it turned to dust. It was as if she had God-like powers and couldn’t be hurt, then as out of nowhere Riok noticed a spear flying towards him and without time to make it stop it went straight through his heart but he only felt the lightest of scratches. Riok found it bizarre that she was invincible yet he kept attacking anyway.

She was far too strong for Riok to take by himself. Just before he lost all of his hope and faith he drifted off into a far off place where he found the blue light it said, “just believe”. Deep within his heart Riok found the secret to summon the Key.

He raised his hands into the air and Riok began chanting, “ In life or death I will follow my heart and will never trust you”. The lady sent a final killing blow unto Riok. Suddenly an immense golden key appeared in front of Riok deflecting the blow back at her. Once the girl had been hit serpents surrounded Riok. The serpents told Riok the girl was Yoi and how she had been controlling them. Riok asked why they were giving him nightmares and as a reply they answered “we were asking you for help”. Riok realized the key was nothing but a mirror in the shape of a key. He inquired; “If this isn’t the key then what is?” they replied “You”.

Riok felt like he didn’t know who he was anymore. Unexpectedly Riok had a golden aura of light around him. He then found out the original light was Sueri and that dusk and dawn have been cycling this way for eons linking man and serpent for all of time