WAR OF AGES

Arriving on the site he saw three soldiers and five villagers who are having a heated discussion before one of the soldier bit far away noticed Agus's presence and the villager also looked at him coming at them which surprised them as normally a general would not come at them and a monarch or a king which is much lesser.

Seeing a king was in front of them by reflex they kneeled to the ground but before long the soldier who had seen Agus showing dissatisfied look at the villager where they quickly pull them upward while whispering at them one by one from the back, surprised by it they looked at the guard before turning back looking at Agus thus they slowly stand up while looking at him with a wry smile as they never thought the king would appear before them coming to them taking care the problem that caused them to stall the work and at the same time disliked them kneeling in front of him which surprises them more.

"Forgive me, my Lord but we merely following the tradition of our ancestors." said the villager who seems to be the head of the group.

"Tradition... this is the first time I heard of it? is that true" said Agus with a bit surprised.

"Yes, my lord. Based on the story, I had heard they said themselves to descendants of the few explorers who chosen to stay at this place" said soldier A.

"Ah?! no, it shouldn't be possible, right? or perhaps... it could be" said anxiously and bit wavering.

The people around Agus were a bit scared and nervous but they still standing normally while looking at him while on the other hand, the soldier who was with him was still anxious to his next order as they looked at the villager vigilantly and carefully.

"Okay, you tell the other and the generals to continue the plan but extend the area further that way" as he points his finger towards his right side "I had a feeling we should change the plan to destroy the place as the place still being inhabited by a guardian beast... I just hope it's not the guardian but a leviathan class laying dormant inside the forest" with a heavy tone.

Everyone on the site was surprised by it that they were confused about how to address the issue as one of the soldiers ordered by Agus saluted then leave the place towards the general who is currently in the meeting.

"Okay, you go with me inside the mentioned place and the rest of you should leave the place," said Agus as he looks at the soldier before turning towards the other.

"Yes, my lord," said the soldier as he dispersed the villager.

"... Understood, then we shall leave" as the villager's head said awkwardly.

Seeing most of them left the place Agus turn once more to the guard in front of him thus opening his mouth.

"What's your name soldier?" asked Agus.

"My name it's Akbar, My lord" answer nervously.

"Akbar... ah, the great or is it the truth bearer?" said Agus with a teasing tone.

"I'm not someone great... not someone like yours my lord, if I may say boldly myself it would be the carrier" answering in the quick-paced talk "The title the great would be more fitting with you, my lord," said anxiously.

"Great... no, I am not great since I am merely a human... Okay, time to get moving" said Agus as he walks ahead.

"Er... yes, my lord," said Akbar as he followed Agus while keeping his eye on the surrounding.

As the two walk to the inside of the forest, they find some animal which was said to be sacred by the nearby villager as the guard tells every description and story behind it Agus who was listening to the guard as they move to the inside of the forest before they reached to the inner forest finding an entrance of what appears to be a small shrine.

Akbar who was knowing the day was already noon he quickly pulled a couple of pre-prepared torches coated in oil then he slowly pulls a lighter and stone then put it on the ground to light the torch, after few minutes passed he successfully lighted the torch then illuminating the entrance with the torch which revealed a picture on the wall surprised both Agus and Akbar at the same time.

"This is..." said Akbar looking at the picture.

"There are pictures on the side of the entrance... I would never expect to find this early in this world?" said Agus as he sighs.

"My lord, what is that exactly?" said Akbar.

"It's a picture of what seems to be a serpent king... but from the picture, the serpent king suffered a wound from a great battle that had happened a long time ago," said Agus as he examines the picture carefully "The serpent king was gravely wounded before he was later found out by the local, one of the villagers braved himself to help the serpent king accepting that person's help the other also do the same as they take care of the wound as they later blessed by the serpent king where they prospered for a long time... a misleading picture if one does not look at it carefully, I would think for a moment, was a sea lion (Singapore symbol if you know the monument)" as he slowly stands back before turning his head to Akbar.

"Then perhaps that was the reason they split up finding the local had found a wounded god," said Akbar as he started to believe the legend.

"Even it's a wounded, don't let your guard down we are not sure it would also be friendly toward us," said Agus as he touched Akbar's shoulder before entering the shrine.

Surprised by Agus's touch Akbar took a moment to look at Agus in confusion he then turned his head to the forest to make sure no one was following them as he did not find someone he slowly walks to the inside of the forest, not far from the entrance there lies a shadow who was watching them from afar while munching what seems to be a jerky or something similar to it as it was a bit hard but sticky at the same time but the shadow was enjoying it thoroughly looking at the two was already inside the shrine the shadow smiled knowing that he was intrigued by Agus's conduct and noticed there are someone close to them where the shadow whispered a word.

"That guy is more powerful than the other people than once I previously encountered which is truly interesting" by the shadow.

Knowing they would meet face to face and closer he quickly jumps down to the ground then slowly walk to the shrine would later become a major fight that would destroy the sacred shrine and the forest.

Walking inside the shrine there is a picture across the wall that started from an image of the serpent king being worshiped to the day where the serpent king managed to help the ancestor of the local against the invader long time ago before lastly ended with an image of the shrine being built and the guardian slept until today and no longer coming out from the shrine for almost one thousand years.

Akbar who had to catch up with Agus walked a bit faster to show the wall and it's a picture to Agus so he could examine it more carefully where he opened his mouth which had him curious about the guardian's whereabouts or it's the current status.

"My lord could it be possible that the serpent king perhaps... dead?" said Akbar while looking around with the torch.

"If in human age and mortality rate yes that would be the case but from what I heard about the guardian spirit usually they lived long or even for eternity unless be killed by something or someone," said Agus as he walks a bit behind than Akbar.

"Is that so then could he be alive then, my lord?" said Akbar as he glanced once at Agus.

"That's is highly possible but there also the chance of the guardian succ.u.mbing to the wound," said Agus as he looks at Akbar before looking at the picture on his left.

Learning of such possibility the two when silent as they walk through the corridor before finding a large cavern opening connecting to the outside world, Albar was in for surprise as he never thought there would be cavern but Agus thought such to be the case of the long corridor that goes to the underground already knew of the possibility as the forest itself small that the guardian beast never came out again for very long time.

"This is... a large cavern the chasm is too large, I can't even see the end of it," said Akbar as he looks downward.

"It does look deep though," said Agus as he also looks at the large chasm below him.

"Yes, My lord it does look like it," said Akbar as he turns his head to Agus.

"Then shall we carry on with the travel," said Agus as he walks ahead of Akbar.

Akbar who was watching the chasm noticed Agus was moving ahead first where he followed his back as they walk through the cavern path they see there was nothing inside especially any living being and plants showing how of how sacred it was before Akbar unconsciously looks at the roof of the cavern where he was surprised by the shape of it.

"The roof is smooth... there is no uneven shape on it, it's like it's been shaped artificially," said Akbar as he gazes on it.

"Hm... yeah, it was smoothened artificially" as he gazes at the roof before walking once more.

The two walks to another large chasm connected with a wooden bridge as Agus and Akbar looks at the end of the bridge and noticed there lies another shrine across, Akbar who is a guard just walk just only to the half of the bridge where he noticed the bridge was still strong enough for some people to walk across.

"It looks old but still strong... what kind of rope is it? I guess it's either already rare beyond comparison or extinct" said Agus in amazement before hoping such possibilities.

"This rope I think it's not an ordinary one mixture?" said Akbar remembering something he comes across during his childhood.

"Really... is it on your home?" asked Agus as he turns his head to Akbar.

"No, further away from my home... few roads away perhaps, I once come across it with a friend during that time looks almost the same as that time" answering half sure.

"Then someday when we sent the expedition on where that is then we would like you to be their guide for them, can you?" said Agus as he was relieved to hear it's possible to find it.

"It is an honor, my lord," said Akbar as he bowed to Agus with reverence.

After reaching the end of the bridges finally find themselves at the inner shrine where they are a bit surprised by the existence of a small river inside of the underground cavern before Agus noticed there is an object similar to a bell near them then he walks close it.

"Bell inside of this place... a bit, surprising," said Agus while looking across the pond.

"Should I rang it, my lord," said Akbar as he looks at Agus.

"Sure," said Agus while looking across the pond.

Akbar then rang the bell five times with an interval of fifty seconds before ringing one after another when he stopped ringing it the two of them stop for a moment while looking at their surrounding hoping to find the guardian spirit who may approach them.

After five minutes they saw no one nor no sound was heard but before they opened their mouth and talk to each other they were surprised with someone walking to them, not from across the pond nor left or their right but instead it was from their back thinking it was an assassin coming to kill Agus both of them quickly draw their weapon then turn to the incoming possible assassin.

Where they found a shadow of a man was walking towards them as he smiles at them which make them cautious toward that person before the person suddenly talked at them which surprised them while they kept their guard up against the unknown person coming to them.

"Hello there... welcome to my humble home, pardon for surprising you two," said the person joyfully.

The two still held their guards up as they don't know the person well enough while a bit surprised that the serpent king would turn into a person who will be standing in front of them while on the other hand, Akbar was more surprised by the person in front of him who tells the two he was a serpent king.

"Who are you?" said Agus as he was still cautious with the person in front of him.

"I haven't told you yet, I'll introduce myself... I'm the serpent king but it seems you two have a hard time accepting it I guess I'll demonstrate then" said the person who looks at Agus then Akbar before giving a wry smile.

As he said slowly appeared a symbol started to appear on his forehead that would signify that he was the serpent king while noticing that the person in front of him was the real serpent king, one of Agus goals was already achieved an he was in front of him which mad Agus a bit relieved.

"I never had any visitor after... hm, Six hundred years so I'm a bit bored since everyone I knew already died over old age, you see," said the serpent king as he smiles brightly "And it also refreshing to meet a new face after many years you know, especially those people revered my for so long that they never come to meet me face to face so it's a bit boring" as he sighs in the end.

"Yeah and how they revered you are shown on the cavern entrance as we walk to here," said Akbar to console the serpent king.

"It was my fault I merely joke around of wanting to be revered by them and wanted for them to give tribute to me... but without me noticing they just revered me then giving me tribute at the same time which made me lonely as time had passed by, I want to try to stop to it but they won't listen to me and continued it as a tradition of their ancestor they say" as sigh "As I gave up what should I do to unexpectedly a familiar comes in then telling 'You could just work under my master who has many familiar under him than staying here in loneliness' which surprised me then later on you arrive here a few weeks later" as he continues saying.

"As I expected that fox, I thought it was odd she never comes to me after going to this world... I knew she had something going on, as expected of the former nine-tailed fox" said Agus as he rubs his forehead.

"Former? what do you mean my lord" said Akbar in confusion?

"As I said Former nine-tailed because of her pure loyalty towards me I wonder how that happens she changed into a saint fox," said Agus as he held his forehead tiredly.

"A Saint fox?" said Akbar with another questioning face.

"Those who have a purity that is so pure that any fox who has been tainted of its dark past and which sins which is the gravest and the most the unforgivable sin would be cleansed by its purity" answered Agus "Because of it she always stayed with me and if asked to well you know ehm, you know a thing about that right?" as he continues explaining.

"So if described well then her position is close to that of your mistress then, my lord," said Akbar as he exclaimed in astonishment.

"Sadly that is the closes thing she is would be on, because of that every time I go to bed she would try to sneak inside of my bed without me knowing how or when," said Agus as he sighs.

"That means you are being loved, my lord," said Akbar to comfort him.

"... True, I guess" said Agus as he started to understand her pattern before smiling.

"Oh, a saint fox I never thought heard of them again... so perhaps that explains why she knew me well enough, we may have met in the past then she was one of the survivors," said the serpent king in wonder.

"Survivor?! what do you mean by that?" said Agus in a surprise.