[When it appears, the ocean will be infused with a peculiar life. An invisible energy will ripple outward.]

[Those things buried in the deep sea—their existence—they will become real.]

[Including what the sailors brought back from the far side of the ocean… ancient, forgotten, strange, incomprehensible things. They will awaken.]

The words echoed in Mei’s mind, a chorus of wonder and unease.

They will become real.

What does that even mean? Objects? Living beings?

These questions had consumed Mei’s thoughts of late, compelling her to dispatch the Fish-Men in search of answers.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the crack space, the giant serpent coiled itself tightly, its luminous eyes flickering nervously. With a furtive glance at Mei—who sat with her eyes closed, deep in thought—it cautiously extended its long, forked tongue.

On the serpent’s tongue rested a pearl.

It was no ordinary pearl, though its surface gleamed pure white, unmarred by any imperfection. A soft, unearthly radiance seeped from it, pulsing outward like ripples in a tranquil sea.

Suddenly, Mei’s eyes snapped open.

The serpent froze.

In a panicked motion, it retracted its tongue and swallowed the pearl in one swift gulp.

Mei turned her gaze toward it, her piercing stare cutting through the creature’s towering form. Beads of sweat formed on its glossy scales as it quivered under her scrutiny.

Without a word, Mei rose and approached the serpent, her footsteps slow, deliberate.

She grinned. A cold, disarming grin.

The great serpent’s heart sank.

〣( º Δ º )〣

It’s over! She’s discovered me! My life is over!

The serpent squeezed its eyes shut, bracing for its doom.

Instead, Mei reached out and patted its head lightly.

“I need to step out for a while,” she said, her voice calm, even cheerful. “You’ll be fine here alone, won’t you?”

The serpent blinked, momentarily stunned, then nodded frantically, its massive head bobbing up and down.

Mei chuckled softly, tearing open a crack in the fabric of the space. With a graceful motion, her dark, imposing form dissolved into her human guise, and she stepped through the rift.

The serpent exhaled in a long, trembling sigh, its massive coils loosening as relief washed over it.

But as soon as Mei disappeared, it couldn’t resist. Its jaws creaked open, and the pearl emerged once more, gleaming as if untouched by the chaos of moments before.

The radiance began to flow outward again, spreading an unseen force across the void.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

But just as the serpent relaxed, Mei’s head suddenly popped back through the crack.

The serpent froze mid-motion, its eyes wide with terror, and with a panicked gulp, it swallowed the pearl again.

“Be good,” Mei said with a sly smile, her voice laced with quiet authority.

The serpent nodded repeatedly, sweat dripping down its scales, as Mei disappeared once more.

This time, she didn’t return for a long, long while.

The serpent, chastened by its near miss, waited for what felt like eons. Only after it was certain Mei would not return did it cautiously open its mouth again.

This time, it spat the pearl out quickly, then swallowed it again in a nervous reflex. It repeated the motion a few times, testing its luck.

Finally, emboldened by her absence, it allowed the pearl to rest on its tongue, the light spreading further and further.

Through the crack in space, the radiance spilled outward, carrying fragments of ancient, forbidden information into the real world.

...

In the shadowed depths of a secret underground chamber, a group of black-robed figures convened under the flickering light of lanterns. Each robe bore the image of a snake entwined with a tree—a serpent with its head as the trunk, its coiling body sprouting countless hands as leaves.

One figure stood at the forefront, their voice carrying an almost hypnotic weight as they addressed the gathering.

“The Creator taught us to believe in God. The Creator warned us to avoid the fruit of good and evil, saying it would bring death!”

The speaker paused, letting the gravity of the words settle before continuing.

“We believed it without question, until the great serpent appeared and revealed the truth!”

Gasps rippled through the room, though most nodded in somber agreement.

“The garden was not created by the Creator but by the serpent. The Tree of Good and Evil was planted by the serpent itself. The so-called Creator is an outsider, a being from a foreign world, who sealed the serpent and sought to suppress its greatness!”

The speaker raised their arm, revealing the serpent-tree tattoo. They pressed their hand to their chest, their voice rising with fervor.

“We are the prisoners of the garden, trapped in ignorance. The Creator cursed us to be twisted and abnormal, to suffer uneasy deaths, and sent her servants to drag us back to that prison!”

“But the serpent granted us the fruit of wisdom! It broke our chains and opened our eyes!”

The crowd murmured, their voices a rising tide of passion.

“We will not bow to the Creator’s will! We will not wait to be erased! We will spread the serpent’s wisdom, gather allies, and resist her tyranny!”

The speaker’s voice thundered now, resonating against the stone walls.

“The Creator seeks obedience, but we will rise in rebellion! The Creator desires imprisonment, but we will flee to freedom!”

The robed figures raised their right hands, their tattoos illuminated by the faint light.

“We will ignite the stars and burn the plains! The garden belongs to the serpent, and we are its hand!”

The chant became a roar.

“We swear here!”

“We swear here!”

Their cries echoed, a declaration of defiance against the heavens.

...

Kitsune Headquarters.

In the sleek confines of his office, Zero sat behind his desk, the dim light of a lamp casting sharp shadows on the documents before him. A knock at the door broke the silence.

“Enter,” he said without looking up.

Naira Sorkin stepped in, his expression sharp and professional as always. He held a stack of files in her hands.

“Chief, three unusual incidents. Which one first?”

Zero leaned back, glancing at her briefly. “Doesn’t matter. Start wherever.”

Naira nodded and set the first file on his desk.

“First, a new secret organization called the Serpent’s Hand has emerged. Their growth rate is extraordinary. This isn’t just evangelism. Every member claims to receive visions from a great serpent. I suspect a connection to a collected object.”

Zero tapped his fingers on the desk. “Next.”

Naira opened the second file. “The Church of Light. Initially, they were opportunists profiting off the vampire panic by selling holy water. But now...”

“They’ve picked up the angel,” Zero finished, his tone measured.

“Yes,” Naira confirmed. “But the angel remains trapped in an eternal nightmare and hasn’t awakened. The problem is, the GPA, after its reorganization, will likely target the angel first.”

Zero’s lips pressed into a thin line. “We’ll need to retrieve the angel ourselves. Quietly.”

Naira hesitated. “It won’t be easy. After the fallout from our handling of 008, international tensions are high. Forceful intervention will only worsen matters.”

Zero didn’t respond, motioning for him to continue.

With a sigh, Naira laid a photograph on the desk.

“Third, strange objects have begun surfacing in various countries. Almost all of them are connected to the ocean—or were dredged from it. This is a golden key found by a fishing boat. It can change shape and open any lock in existence.”

'These aren’t remnants of the original objects split from 009,' Zero’s eyes narrowed. 'They’re new. Then they must be creations of that thing in the ocean.'