Enter The Ninjaverse

EPILOGUE 4

"Honestly," General Arcturus sighed as he slithered in front of Ophiod's chambers, "You are not normally one to be tardy to their own appointments, my Prince."

Ophiod said nothing, adjusting the ceremonial golden robe on his body. He reached out and attempted to tie a large, flaming orange scarf around his neck to complete his attire, only for it to rapidly unfurl. Ophiod grumbled out and held his hands up, causing it to surround in a magical field and start gently tying itself. When he assumed he had it, he turned to face Arcturus, just for it to come undone again.

"You can unleash enough magic to drive a creature back from the abyss, but you can't even dress yourself for a simple announcement..." Skales, standing up from Ophiod's bed, walked over and took hold of the small fabric, "You should be able to do this on your own by now."

"I am not used to wearing such things," Ophiod pointed out. Skales, rolling his eyes, finished tying it into a small circular bow. He reached down and took hold of a pin, placing it at the top of the bow to make it appear almost like a kind of snake.

Ophiod turned to look at himself in the mirror. He wore deep orange and burnt gold robes, ones that hugged his body and went all the way down to the base of his tail. On his shoulders, he wore a far more decorative version of that which his fellow Viper brethren traditionally wore, with a far lower slant of the pauldrons and large jewels embedded into the eyes of the snakes on them. The robes were tied with a belt that connected to two more that formed an X pattern around his chest. Where the robes stopped on his tail, a silver chain, looking almost akin to some kind of odd net, had been wrapped form the base of his tail all the way to the robes, causing each motion it made to produce a soft rattling noise.

"I find this excessive," Ophiod admitted, "But I suppose it will do."

"The Queen awaits your presence," Arcturus growled, "It would not do to make her wait any longer than she already has."

"I am on my way now," Ophiod told him, "And I will not make her wait unnecessarily. It would be far worse for me to arrive and not appear as the image of a Prince that my people should know me as."

"Of course not," Skales rolled his eyes. The Hypnobrai had on robes that were similar to Ophiod's own, but without any of the jewels and cast in a deep icy-blue color to compliment his tribe's colors. As he walked forward, the large golden blade he carried on his hip shone.

"Come then, now," Arcturus grumbled. Having not changed even slightly from his standard battle armor, the snake began to slither through the halls of the palace. Ophiod and Skales quickly nodded to one another and made their way after him.

The halls of the palace that Ophiod had known for so long were twinged with rectangular patches of sunlight that the windows in the structure allowed in. Shadows rolled on and off Ophiod as the three snakes made their way along the halls. As Ophiod slithered along, the chains on his tail softly rustling, he turned towards Skales briefly before looking forward again.

"You have prepared for this day since you returned home," Skales informed him, "If you were able to convince your mother to allow you to do this, backing out now would be a feat."

"That was the simple part," Ophiod shook his head, "I am beginning a true journey now. I have hidden from my people for a long while. I will not allow for what I have discovered about myself to go to waste."

"Then don't look like you're about to throw yourself behind the throne," Skales shrugged, "It might help your image."

"Do I truly look that on edge?" Ophiod asked with a smile. Skales, seeing the smile, groaned out.