Chapter 7

• AERA
• As I sifted through the dusty journals that my dad had penned in private. I felt my world crashing in on itself. It was a lot to digest. I found myself re-reading pages. Several times I had pinched myself to make sure this wasn't a dream. A nasty nightmare that no one should have to endure.
• What I once believed to be true was merely a fragment of the truth.
• The deeper I delved into Dad's words, the more I understood why I always felt like a misfit. I was only half Silver Viper. The other half of my DNA was Serpion.
• As the layers of this reality unfolded, I quickly realized the monster at the center of it all was Emperor Arion. Under his order, bioweapons had been created. Warriors that were crafted from the scorpion bloodline and black serpent had been spliced. Creating a breathing, moving armoured weapon that only obeyed the emperor. To keep the production going. Females like my mother had been taken from their lands.
• With no proof of who had taken them. Families had to mourn for a daughter they would never see again.
• "Serpion," that is what the bioweapon had been named.
• It took me no time to realize that the reality was far more unsettling than I could have imagined.
• I held the envelope addressed to me.
• "My beloved daughter,
• If you’re reading this, it can only mean one thing; I am no longer with the living. I trust that the elders have already shared some insight into your identity. However, only I truly understand the weight of the situation.
• With the elders giving you the key, that means war is nearing.
• Arion is no different than the others that came before him. He is ruthless and will kill simply because a hair is misplaced. NEVER trust a word that comes out of his mouth. IF you have the misfortune to be in his proximity. Never claim your other half. You will always be referred to as a Silver Viper, and nothing more. (Your biological father's name is Opion. If you have questions, he may have the answers for you.)
• Remember, nothing glorious comes from war. Death. Destruction. That is all war grants everyone. Be the woman I raised you up to be. The woman your mother would have wanted in a daughter.
• With this letter, I have given you the information about the Serpions. Their weakness and strengths at the time. The scientists may have altered the Serpions' genetic makeup in recent years.
• Take care of yourself, my beloved daughter. "
• I carefully folded the letter back to its original form. I held in my palm the fear of my dad's last thoughts before his death. Closing my eyes, I steadied my breath.
• It wasn't something I wanted to do. Yet I knew that I needed to know the nightmare that brought the man to his knees.
• The detailed information my dad had painstakingly shared about the Serpions was detailed. Each line revealed a new layer of understanding. With this, an uneasy feeling crept into my chest.
• A precisely drawn diagram accompanied the text. Dad wasn't an artist per se, but I saw what he meant in every stroke. It offered a visual guide to the creatures the scientist had designed.
• A shiver ran up my spine. A haunting image of a scorpion and serpent being grafted together. The exoskeleton was resilient against blades. Several pairs of smaller sideways eyes along their head. Allowing them to see around themselves. They had an extra set of arms with a long black tail.
• At the time, they were undefeated.
• News clippings had been collected. Each was a testament to the terror the Serpion caused when released. Several towns had disappeared overnight.
• I didn't want to believe it, but logic took over. This is what the seers had seen. A repeat of what occurred two decades ago. And somehow I was involved the moment my path crossed with the emperor of Elysia.