The serpent
Reo made his way back to his room, retracing his steps through the corridor . Upon entering, he noticed Michael, who had succumbed to his slumber. From there, he proceeded to the kitchen to fix some dinner, utilizing ingredients at his disposal. The array of foodstuff comprised of salt, blue flowers, garlic, black pepper tomatoes, and a miscellany of others.
Next, Reo initiated his culinary endeavor by instigating the stove's flame using a lighter. While the dish began its tranformation, Reo's thoughts were haunted by a perplexing encounter. Earlier, when he had crossed paths with a peculiar man at the muffin shop. Reo couldn't fathom how the man managed to perceive him in his ghost-like state, and why their paths intersected at the muffin shop.
With his mind engaged in this enigma, Reo remembered to attend to the simmering pot. Inside, a soup was brewing under the low heat of the stove fire. He heaved a considerable sigh, voicing, "With every answer, a new mystery blossoms. It's perplexing how the pursuit of knowledge only reveals my ignorance."
Upon extinguishing the fire on his stove, he partook of his dinner in preparation for Michael to do the same upon waking up. Following his meal, he switched off the grand lamp's lights, climbed into his bed, and began to initiate meditation. An untried, unique skill lingered in his thoughts, its practice still untouched due to Alice and the invocation's constraints. He resolved to attempt it the next day at the placed colosseum.
His eyes shut in anticipation of meditative tranquillity. Upon reopening them, he found himself suspended in mid-air, revisiting the familiar locale of the muffin shop and its mysterious man. The man acknowledged his return, yet questioned his identity. Given his spectral state, Reo was rendered speechless, unable to scratch out words in the dirt, merely left to observe silently.
The man retrieved the dark blade he wielded during their initial encounter. His stance suggested an expected arrival of some form - maybe a person, an event, or a signal as he waited in anticipation.
Reo Heard, in his spectral state, observing the mysterious man who had nudged the door of a muffin shop open. The distinct sound of shattering glass and a peculiar hissing noise originating from within the shop filled the air. The man, with his feet set at shoulder-width, shifted one foot forward while adjusting the other between an angle of 45 and 90 degrees.
Positioned in a sword stance, they both watched attentively as a sizable serpent emerged from the dusky muffin shop. This unique creature possessed two large horns, a yellow head, a green belly, and blue skin. Additionally, it boasted massive black wings on its back. Overwhelmed with curiosity, Reo wondered about this abnormal entity.
Suddenly, the man retreated slightly before launching off the ground at an incredibly high speed and attempting to deliver a powerful slash to the serpent's head. However, he quickly realized the formidable strength of the serpent as his attack left no visible damage on its head.
"The serpent began to fly, utilizing its vast, dark wings, maneuvering around the man suspended in the sky. Upon opening its mouth, it unleashed a breath of fire at the man's location.
"Gauging the situation and identifying it as his assignment for the day, the man strategically positioned himself in a sword-wielding stance, his blade held against his waist. With a pronounced utterance of his unique sword skill, the 'Doom Saber,' he executed a powerful slash that obliterated the serpent. All that was left in evidence of the grand creature were a single wing and its horn, both enveloped by a pool of blood on the ground.
"Reo, an observer in his ethereal form, was stunned by the spectacle that unfolded. As the victor collected remnants of his vanquished foe, his facial expression revealed an evident distaste. Irrespective of the frequency of his encounters, he admitted to never acclimating to the gruesomeness of it.
"The man then turned his gaze towards Reo. His query, uttered with a stoic demeanor, directed at Reo, asked about his identity. In response to the question and the chilling scenario he had just witnessed, Reo, his heartbeat racing in terror, quickly exited his spectral state."
Reo found himself in a frantic state, his breathing progressively becoming heavier. Despite his panic, he gradually reassured himself, thus succeeding in calming his breath. He then proceeded to descend the ladder of the upper bunk bed. Subsequently, he illuminated the dim dorm room.
Upon scanning the room, he noticed the kitchen light that provided a faint glow. His gaze then fell upon the bottom bunk bed, now vacant of its usual occupant, Micheal. Traversing the compact corridor linking the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, it became apparent that Micheal was in the midst of enjoying his meal.
In a tone coated with sarcasm, Micheal wished him a good morning before addressing his concern regarding Reo's seemingly tense demeanour. "Are you alright?", he queried, "you appear as though you've encountered a ghost." His question hung in the air as he awaited Reo's response.
"I'm alright," Reo assured, retreating to the solitude of his bedroom to contemplate the cryptic scene he had just witnessed: a serpent adorned with bony, horn-like protrusions and a set of wings while capable of breathing fire. Could this cryptid be linked to Alice's account of people undergoing a transformative process to acquire elemental abilities ?
If this was indeed the case, the creature might represent the morphed form of a hapless individual who didn't manage to secure acceptance by an elemental. In this context, the slain serpent would be a hapless person who had succumbed to undesirable consequences of being chosen by an element. This could also mean that the enigmatic man, presumably serving the king, is the executioner of these unfortunate souls.
Engrossed by thoughts of the mysterious man and the horned serpent, Reo found himself climbing back to his room. Lying on his bed, his gaze locked onto the ceiling as he lost himself in his thoughts until the break of dawn.