The Myth of the White Snake

第十七章

The green serpent swam through the waters of the flooded city, scanning the area around her in search of Nino. On the ground below her lay a number of destroyed cars and... Dead bodies. Hundreds of dead bodies littered the ground. Alya looked away from the traumatizing sight, hoping that Nino wasn't among the dead bodies. She couldn't imagine how Marinette would feel if she saw that for herself.

Alya continued swimming. Before she knew it, she spotted a red baseball cap floating towards her. Nino's baseball cap to be exact. She changed into her half human form and grasped the cap in her hands. Perhaps Nino is somewhere nearby. She hoped so. Alya swam up to the surface and poked her head through the water, leaving the lower part of her body hidden underwater. People all around her were busy worrying about themselves or their loved ones and didn't notice the snake girl.

Alya swam on, passing through floating objects and debris varying from big to small. Her eyes landed on a figure sitting on top of a floating car in the distance. Alya perked up upon making out its features. She dashed towards the figure, hoping her eyes were correct.

She swam closer and closer, and to her relief, Nino was sitting on top of the car. Relief flooded through her as she continued on her way to him.

"Nino!"

Nino looked towards the source that was calling his name. A large smile spread upon his lips when he saw Alya swimming towards him. As she got closer to him, Nino soon realized her bottom half was not a pair of legs, but rather... A tail? A snake tail?

Alya stopped in front of him, smiling at the fact that he was safe. She held his cap out to him. Nino thanked her and took his soaking hat from her. He twisted the thick fabric, allowing excess water to drain out of it.

"I'm glad you're safe," Nino said, "But care to explain your... Tail?"

Alya laughed, "I'll tell you in a bit. I'm gonna take you to Adrien"

Nino's eyes lit up with hope, "Did you two save him?"

"Well," Alya scratched the back of her head, "Somewhat. He's completely fine, but Marinette..."

The spark of hope that filled Nino's eyes faded away after hearing Alya's tone.

"Is she okay?" Nino asked frantically.

"Listen, I'll explain everything soon," Alya said and grabbed ahold of his hand, "Just come with me"

"How are we gonna—"

Nino was cut-off when Alya yanked on his arm, forcing him underwater with her. The sudden splash caught the citizens' attention. They looked over to the source of the sound, only to find nothing there.

Alya brought Nino deep enough underwater that they were hidden from sight. She pressed her lips against his as the water clouded their hearing. Nino's eyes widened from the sudden movement, but soon closed shut as he melted into the kiss.

Alya pulled away from the kiss with a smile. Nino opened his eyes and took in a deep breath.

A breath. He just breathed underwater! It must be Alya's magic (or whatever one would want to call it).

With their hands still intertwined, Alya led Nino through the water.

"I'd advise you not to look down," Alya said, "Unless you want to be severely traumatized"

"Note taken"

He's already seen enough above the surface. He didn't even want to know what horrors lied below the surface.

"By the way, can you explain all of this?" Nino asked, "Last time I checked, you had legs. And I never got wicked powers from kissing you before"

Alya couldn't help but laugh at his statements. Nino always knew how to make her laugh, even during times like this. That was one of the many things she loved about him.

"Long story short, I'm the green snake demon and Marinette is the white snake," Alya said.

Nino's mouth gaped open, "D-Demon?"

"Relax, we're not evil," Alya chuckled, "Anyways, continuing on. That monk that took Adrien is named Fa Hai, and he's been hunting Marinette for decades"

Alya continued rambling on about Adrien and Marinette's relationship and how Fa Hai is trying to tear them apart. Nino still had so many questions roaming around, but he probably wouldn't be able to handle getting bombarded with even more information. After all, he was in the middle of an event that looked like something from a disaster movie—one that would most definitely end up in history books. That alone was overwhelming enough.

~

Adrien stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the rapid currents. His eyes traveled repeatedly between the water below him and the battle in front of him. Well, not exactly a battle anymore, but he had a feeling something was going to happen, judging by Fa Hai's position and the fact that a bright, yellow glow was surrounding the monk now.

He needed to find a way to get to Marinette. She saved him, and now he needs to save her from that villain of a monk who wants to kill her.

Adrien took in a number of deep breaths. His heart pounded violently against his chest at the thought of jumping into the water. He tried to force himself to jump, but his legs had a mind of their own. The fear of that steep fall controlled his body. Adrien grunted in frustration.

Suddenly, a large splash shot upwards from the water below him. Adrien jumped back in panic and closed his eyes as the seawater splashed him.

Adrien opened his eyes, and sitting on top of a giant green snake was none other than his best friend. Nino waved at him. Adrien smiled and returned the wave. Alya lowered her head onto the ground right next to Adrien. Nino jumped off of her and ran to pull Adrien into a hug.

"Bro! You're alive!" Nino yelled excitedly.

Adrien lightly patted his best friend's back before stepping out of his arms. Him, Alya, and Nino turned their attention to Marinette and Fa Hai. Now, that yellow glow around the monk was beginning to cover a larger area—growing bigger and brighter with each second.

"Marinette!" Adrien shouted, "We need to—"

Adrien stopped when the blinding light struck his eyes. He squinted at the brightness and shielded his eyes with his arm. At this point, neither of them could get close enough to save Marinette without losing their eyesight.

The light continued to spread. Soon, the entire area was engulfed, and Adrien could see nothing but brightness.