I Became Strong by Devouring Others

As the feast came to an end, Xerxes saw Fia leaving. He glanced at Lulu, who was also watching Fia.

Lulu seemed about to follow Fia, but Xerxes stopped her. "Let me," he said.

He followed Fia, who was sitting alone, looking at the stars.

"Do you come here often?" Xerxes asked, sitting beside her.

Seeing him, Fia was surprised that Xerxes had left the feast to come to her.

"Sometimes," she answered.

"Is there something bothering you?" he asked. "Your mother says that this isn't how you usually are. Would you mind sharing it with me?"

He tried to be as casual as he could.

Fia remained silent. Xerxes thought his attempt had failed, but then she spoke. "I still can't believe he's not with us anymore."

Still looking at the stars, she continued, "I wasn't able to say goodbye to him the last time because..." Tears began to flow from her eyes.

Xerxes understood her pain. He patted her head as she continued, "That serpent swallowed him and others who lost their lives that day. And here we are celebrating while that serpent is still out there."

'If I were in her place, I wouldn't be able to stand still either until I saw that serpent draw its last breath.' Xerxes thought.

Suddenly, he spoke, "Do you know where that serpent is?"

His question was sudden. He didn't want to become a hero, nor did he have any intention of impressing her, but the man inside him was telling him to go and help her.

Fia looked at him. "Why are you asking this?"

"Others may not be able to help, but maybe I can, but you must keep this between us," Xerxes spoke with a stern tone.

"Why?" she asked, her eyes narrowed slightly. "You helped us against those people, and now you're offering to help again.

"What's your motive?"

Xerxes laughed. "For no reason."

His tone became serious. "My mother was in an accident, and the person responsible was nowhere to be found. At that moment, I felt utterly helpless because I couldn't do anything."

"Seeing you today made me realize my weakness. I couldn't do anything for myself, but I can do something for you."

"Your mother!" Fia spoke in a low voice.

But Xerxes didn't answer, as he waited for her response.

Seeing he didn't answer, Fia changed the subject. "How will you face something that wasn't tamed by the Firefly Society and wasn't defeated by dozens of people?"

"At the moment, I don't know," Xerxes answered, "because I haven't seen a big serpent in my life. But I know I can defeat it."

Seeing his confidence, Fia couldn't tell if it was genuine or just overconfidence. "It's west of here," she said. "I don't know the exact location, but it's where my father went and never returned."

"Keep this conversation between us," Xerxes said, getting to his feet. "I'm feeling sleepy. Goodnight."

He left Fia alone and confused.

Xerxes went straight to his tent and closed his eyes, deciding to take a nap after the hearty feast.

Morning.

"Xerxes"

"Xerxes"

Lulu entered the tent, but Xerxes was nowhere to be found. She ran outside to look for him, but he wasn't there either.

She ran to find her father-in-law. "Father-in-law, Xerxes, he…" she gasped for air. "He's not in his tent, and I even looked all over the village, but he's not there."

"What!"

"Where could he have gone?" The village chief got up, alarmed.

Fia, who had just come into the tent after hearing the commotion, couldn't believe her ears. A thought about her conversation with Xerxes the night before flashed through her mind.

"No way," she murmured. "Did he really go there?"

Lulu and the village chief, hearing this, looked at Fia. "What! Where did he go?"

Fia then explained everything to them.

Meanwhile, a few hours earlier...

Xerxes opened his eyes; the celebration outside had ended. He waited until the whole village was asleep and then, without alerting anyone, left.

"I don't know why I'm doing this," he thought, "but after learning about their problem, I can't help but imagine myself in their shoes." He ventured into the night.

Unlike other humans, his vision was clear even in the dark. Looking back to make sure no one was following him, he headed west, toward where the serpent was said to be.

Just half an hour after leaving the village, he could feel the presence of beasts around him. Some were wary of him, while others were waiting for the perfect moment to lunge.

His eyes glowed, and a wild, powerful aura erupted from his body. "Leave," he commanded. "I don't have time for this."

At his sudden roar, the beasts lurking nearby scattered, sensing the dread aura emanating from him.

An hour later, another group of beasts surrounded him, but sensing his aura, they fled without a backward glance.

After that, a few more came, but none dared to make a move. Another hour passed, and he felt fewer presences.

"Seems I'm at the right location," he murmured.

The lack of beasts was due to a sudden change in the atmosphere. This part of the forest was foggy, and the deeper Xerxes went, the dizzier he felt. But his body slowly began to adjust.

"The air is poisonous," he muttered as he went deeper, but he couldn't feel any presence.

"Where could it be?" For an hour, he was inside the poisonous fog, but there were no traces of the serpent.

"Where…"

Just then, he saw something he hadn't anticipated. Human skeletons were hanging from the trees, dozens of them.

"What is this!" He had never seen anything like this before.

Dozens of skeletons hung from the trees, and instead of rope or stems, they were suspended by something grotesque.

"Sssssrrrrrrrpppppppppp"

A sudden hissing sound came from his right. He turned, but found nothing.

"Sssssrrrrrrrpppppppppp"

To his left, he instinctively jumped, but again found nothing.

"I can feel its presence, but then it's gone all of a sudden," he thought.