Stay strong. Don't give in to hardship.

The sweltering darkness crushed his heart with ferocity.

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

A monochromatic void of pure white surrounded him, his entire body completely paralyzed. The coldness of the white void clashed with the unbearable heat within his body; his only sense of reason was to breathe.

The air rapidly entered and escaped his chest like a whirlwind.

In, Out,

In, Out…

His lungs desperately worked to keep him alive, but it was as though they were filling with dust and sand. His voice grew raspy, and his throat was swollen shut, barely letting a single wisp of air into his lungs.

His breathing became ragged, his fingers clenching at the endless void and his eyes bloodshot, the darkness that enveloped his heart tugged and compressed even faster than before. Each beat of his heart slowly destabilized his concentration, unable to resist the cold, the heat, the pain.

In, Out…

In… Out…

In…

He took a final breath.

Out.

Instantly, his body convulsed in agony as he felt his entire being collapsing.

His muscles were forced to relax from the strain, causing an unbearable contracting sensation and excruciating twitches across his face.

All of his nerves were assaulted with pain; he felt his fingernails retreating back into his skin, his teeth shuffled and exposed his nerves to the extremes of hot and cold temperatures, and his hair dug into his skull, seeking an end to the torment.

He knew these were hallucinations, a manifestation of the sense of feeling he could not comprehend, yet, it mattered not. His brain couldn't handle the sensory overload coursing through his body any longer, he felt as if every single one of his nerves were dissolving in acid.

His choking voice that resounded throughout the void struggled with effort, desperately clinging on to life. "Stay strong." He told himself, and yet, those words seemed like nothing but a mocking ideal now.

Suddenly, he saw something out of the periphery of his vision.

A small green speck slowly approached him, being the only contrasting colour visible within the white void he deemed as purgatory. Although it was impossible to tell how far it truly was, he could see it was expanding. Coming closer to him.

He was still in unthinkable pain, but he had newfound hope instilled within his spirit. Using the last of his strength, he swallowed as much air as he could and overcame the sensations for a brief moment, rolling onto his side to look directly at the now visible entity.

It was a snake.

A small, green snake that was only about the length of a hand slithered towards him, about 2 meters away, and as it grew closer, he could see its grotesque features.

Four large, jade green eyes were plastered on its featureless face. It had no mouth to be seen, but still produced a harsh hissing sound that only tensed the nerves of the young man even more. Its scaly body was riddled with holes as small as apple seeds that expanded and contracted slowly; a soft whistling could be heard when it slithered, as if it was a living flute.

Although frightened, the overwhelming pain took control of his rationale, and he desperately blinked in order to ask the creature, the only other living thing in the emptiness, for help. He could barely produce a sound with his mouth, so this was the only option he had, he thought.

The creature was unresponsive for a moment. Only a few inches away from his face, it remained perfectly still as it watched him with slit pupils. After about two seconds, it finally began approaching him, its eyes suddenly glazing over and the holes on its body closing.

Its face, like a nightmarish creature from stories told to children, suddenly split into four sections, each flap of flesh possessing one eye and bearing four pairs of sharp fangs.

He was terrified, but also ecstatic. He wanted nothing more than to be freed of the suffering... even if that meant death. It would be better than enduring this pain.

As if waiting to judge his reaction, the snake suddenly circled behind him. Now that it was outside his field of vision, the young man was overcome with panic and confusion, but that wouldn't be the case for long. With a swift lunge, the creature sunk its fangs into his back, piercing his flesh.

It was warm.

Not overwhelmingly hot like the darkness. Not painfully freezing like the air. It was a gentle sensation that instantly calmed his nerves, and the young man could finally breathe again. He didn't even feel pain from the sharp fangs embedded in his back, like they were merely illusions.

In the next second, the snake detached itself from his body and the young man felt normal again, like nothing had ever happened to him. The feeling was only physical however, as he still felt psychological pain lingering on his nerves, such to an extent that he was fearful to even attempt breathing.

After testing a few small breaths, he could not hold his instinct any longer and took a gasp so large that it hurt his lungs with the amount of air he swallowed.

'Hooo…'

His sigh resounded throughout the void, and was quickly replaced with silence.

The young man slowly turned toward the 'snake' creature, not daring to move too excessively. He cautiously observing the thing, who had its face return to its original shape, the beautiful jade eyes regaining their lustre. It was calmly staring at him, and the holes on its lengthy body opened again, resuming the calming whistling that relaxed his mind.

Although it hasn't said a single word - if it was even capable of speech - the young man felt the guidance the creature was trying to convey and spoke the first words since his arrival in the void.

"...T-Thank you for saving my life... could you… explain to me where I am?" His voice was shaky, and he felt some uncomfortableness in his throat, but he quickly overcame it. Frankly, he didn't understand a single thing, much less what to ask. The latest memory he had, unrelated to the white void, was falling asleep late at night.

What was going on?

"..." The snake stared at him.

"..." He stared at the snake.

The two sat in silence for a brief moment. The creature observed the young man intently, taking in the details of his appearance.

He appeared to be in his late adolescence, his youthful expression one of confusion and anticipation. His lustrous blonde hair was styled into a ponytail, cascading down to his shoulder blades and tied with a purple hair clip that resembled two hooves interconnected into an 'X'. His long eyelashes blinked repeatedly over shimmering blue eyes, expressing optimism despite the horrible pain.

A small wool cap intricately embroidered with silk rested beside him, and his attire included leather armor that covered his chest, layered over a decent-quality white silk shirt. Leather bracers adorned his arms, covering fingerless gloves, and pointed boots were fastened to white silk pants with a leather belt, a silver crest on its buckle.

Well, I should have expected this… Why did I think I could have a conversation with something that doesn't even have a mouth…? Just as the thought appeared in his mind-

"You are in your subconscious." A voice said calmly. It didn't seem to come from anywhere but the general direction of the snake-like creature.

Alarmed, he abruptly stood up, but found he had no energy left in his legs. Just as quickly, he collapsed, sitting on the invisible void once again.

"W-Who are you?"

The young man darted his eyes around the snake, glancing back and forth between the creature and the white void. The snake maintained its stare, no discernible reaction visible within its jade eyes.

Remembering his manners, which he thought would be unimportant in a hellish place such as this, the young man quickly adjusted himself. "I apologize, my name is Karlos-"

Pausing for a moment, he gently cleared his throat.

"-Karlos Lippe of the Lippe Household. May I ask... who you are?"

The snake spoke without moving a muscle, much less a mouth. "Greetings. I am Asclepius."

"..." Karlos stared at Asclepius.

"..." Asclepius stared at Karlos.

How is it possible to be having an awkward silence with a creature such as this - this Asclepius? I guess... I should start asking some questions? Karlos was in a mental dilemma. He had more questions than he could count, but still scarred by the previous experience as he was, Karlos couldn't form a proper line of thought that was reasonable. He trembled in place, scared to do anything besides breathing and blinking.

Seeing agitation in the young man's eyes, Asclepius gracefully slithered towards Karlos, forming a small circle with his tail and head. He expanded the seed-sized holes on his body, creating a soft, enchanting song that echoed in the surreal space.

Karlos flinched, but it was for naught. The soothing music calmed him to such a degree that he briefly considered it might be a trap, however, those worries were also washed away by the lullaby.

"...Thank you, once again… May I ask where we are exactly, Sir Asclepius?" Karlos, now relaxed, found it was much easier to think. It was like all his previous worries seemed to be nothing but mundane memories, and his body slumped onto the invisible floor.

"As I have said, you are currently inside your subconscious mind. This empty space we are conversing in is a manifestation of your inner Psyche." Asclepius said while unravelling himself.

"Subconscious? Psyche?" Karlos now calmly examined every corner of the void, but only saw the same, eerie monotone white, and looked back to the small snake that was now no longer a circle.

"Does that mean... We are inside a dream?"

"No, the dreamscape is a result of your consciousness entering a state of rest, and does not reflect reality. The environment you are inside now is the very embodiment of your existence." Asclepius explained vaguely.

"If that's the case, then why did the…" Karlos tried not to remember the feeling, but still had goosebumps at the thought."…The sensations I felt before feel so real? Why am I here? And why are you here?"

In response to Karlos's flurry of questions, Asclepius lowered his head slightly, seemingly in thought. "I cannot explain your situation to you. You are not obligated to know. My only purpose in appearing before you is to inform you of an encounter."

Karlos felt trapped. It was as if every question he could ask would be replaced by several more, and some may even not be told to him. But he remained calm and judged what answers he wanted carefully in case he had a limited amount. It seems Sir Asclepius only responds if I speak first... and it doesn't seem like his "purpose" is to answer my questions...

"...What is this encounter you speak of?" Karlos asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

Asclepius wriggled his tail, making a whistling noise as he swayed. "You will meet a descendant of my kind. 'She' is in a situation much like yours, and I hope for you to converse with her calmly."

She? Descendant? Does that mean I'll meet another one of these strange creatures? How would I even talk to 'her'? Actually, it seems sir Asclepius also speaks Schilden... Karlos struggled to comprehend his purpose in all of this. He was just an illegitimate son of a small noble family after all.

The Lippe household... A noble family residing within the Holy Kingdom of Egris. They made their fortune with lime tree plantations and other forms of trading, with ancestral ties to notable knights. In recent years, however, his father had to fight against economic issues, which spurred his decision to visit a tavern. It was there that he met Karlos's mother, a commoner that worked as a waitress, who he had an affair with. Eventually, she unfortunately passed due to an inexplicable illness, but from their relationship, Karlos was born.

Obviously, Karlos was already ostracized for being an illegitimate child, but surprisingly, due to the support of some of his siblings, his late mother, and his physical appearance, his father hid his status and welcomed Karlos into the family out of pity. It wasn't how he wanted to be acknowledged, but Karlos embraced the life of a noble for several years. That is... until around five years ago, when he had a conflict with his father about an arranged marriage and various other issues. Ever since that incident, he was essentially disowned from the family, and had to move to the village he was currently staying at.

Regardless of his past, Karlos had no value for information or as a hostage, so how could he be tied to something like this?

"Sir Asclepius, how would I know I've met your descendant?"

Asclepius's eyes glazed over once again, deep in thought over an appropriate response. After a brief moment, he focused onto Karlos's eyes, closely observing the young man's reaction.

"I shall brand your Instincts so that you remember who 'she' is on sight," Asclepius declared.

Karlos was momentarily stunned. Even in a place like this, he didn't expect to hear such an answer.

"Brand… my instincts?" He asked with skepticism.

Asclepius responded while nodding slightly. "Yes, much like how I calmed your Psyche moments ago, I shall carve an imprint onto your mind for you to remember her."

Karlos grew wary. He trusted the small serpent since he's saved him multiple times, but he didn't like the thought of having his life forcibly tampered with by an unfamiliar creature in an unfamiliar location. Powerless to resist as he was, however, Karlos had no intention of fighting a creature capable of a myriad of strange abilities.

Not daring to antagonize Asclepius, Karlos firmly agreed. "Alright, what do I need to do?"

Asclepius wriggled his tail in satisfaction and circled around Karlos. "Please lay on your stomach; you need not perform any other action. I shall conduct the process."

Karlos, placing his trust in Asclepius, laid down on the bizzare invisible floor that was neither cold nor warm, exposing his back to the small snake.

Asclepius began slithering his way towards Karlos, first up his leg, then directly onto his back, before removing a layer of his clothes to see Karlos's skin.

Cold…Karlos thought, he had no idea what the little serpent may be up to but in the next moment, he heard a voice from all directions.

"This will hurt quite a bit, so please bear with it." Asclepius's confident reassurance resounded.

'SIZZLE'

…Sizzle?

Karlos had no time to ponder. In the same moment the sound began, Karlos felt the excruciating pain of having his flesh carved into by a searing blade. He tried to move his body, but found he was completely still, completely unable to resist the procedure.

His pained voice resounded in the void once more, though as if he built a resistance, Karlos managed to bite his shirt and withstand the pain.

"I am almost finished, please endure for five more seconds."

Stay... Strong.

...

The sizzling eventually stopped after what felt like an eternity, and Karlos violently gasped for air.

His breathing was rapid, taking in as much air from the empty void as he could. His head felt dizzy and he could barely make sense of the environment, utterly disoriented from the monochrome white.

He wanted to vomit, but his breathing only elevated further. His mind was in disarray as he couldn't help but tremble at the thought of pain.

Asclepius observed the state of the young man and formed his body into a circle once again. Seconds later, Karlos heard the calming song, his breathing slowing down.

Like a cooling tide, Karlos felt relaxation take hold of his mind as he slumped his body on the invisible floor. He wanted to question the snake, but Karlos couldn't muster any strength to retaliate. It was likely Asclepius wouldn't answer, anyways. After taking a few more breaths, Karlos inspected his back, finding it was perfectly smooth with no signs of singe.

"What just happened? What did you do to my back?" Karlos questioned as he fixed his clothes.

"I engraved a mark… that you are not permitted to understand." Asclepius said frankly. "You are only allowed to know of its appearance."

Using a portion of Karlos's shirt as drawing material, Asclepius drew the location of the mark and its details, carving an outline with his fangs.

It looks like it's directly over my heart… It sort of resmbles the fangs of a snake and… a soul? Karlos deeply inspected the drawing, and found the mark unfamiliar yet oddly reassuring.

"So this mark will let me know when I meet your descendant, Sir Asclepius?"

"Yes, that is correct" Asclepius closed his terrifying face once again into a featureless head with four eyes.

Although Karlos had his doubts, he decided to directly ask the snake about the mark, in case it may interfere with his life. "How exactly does it work?"

"..."

"..."

The silence was broken by Asclepius this time, who spoke declaratory. "Our time has depleted. You will awaken shortly."

How convenient… Karlos was relieved he could finally leave this terrifying place, but decided on one last question.

"How could I talk to you again, Sir Asclepius?"

"..." The snake stared deeply at Karlos, the whistling coming from his body suddenly ceasing.

"You will not remember our encounter, but I shall come to you when the time is appropriate."

Asclepius paused.

"Remember, 'she' has silver hair."

Karlos had no time to respond. He felt the white void grow dark, his consciousness fading. In the next moment, he saw the familiar wooden ceiling of his bedroom.

The sunlight was suffocating.