Cherish || A Chase x Sweetie Fanfiction ||

(S3-C4) • Intrusion •

Various symbols on the walls were painted in old brush art, close to the etched style of hieroglyphics. It imagined a blue serpent crossing a storming ocean, turning over the ships of vikings in the distant past. Thanks to Chase's mask, he was able to find the answers to his questions just by thinking about it like a convenient search engine, the words appearing to be written digitally on the wall when in fact, it was a projection from his worn item.

"Thousands of years ago, there once lived a serpent whose spirit lay dormant beneath mountains. It was said that anyone who comes in contact would almost definitely be devoured as a meal. However, there was also a rumour that a chosen few with a great purpose in this world would be given a fair exchange. A wish for a wish; a trade-off—the wanderer's deepest desire and the serpent's as well. However, the wanderer usually gets the short end of the stick."

"It's a legend," a voice spoke through Chase's mask, his paw touching the side of his face as he continued to listen. "I personally don't believe in the serpent yet it might be linked to the Orb of Promise, which is your mission to recover if you want that new life of yours, although I am unsure of this. Haven't really seen that place you're in myself, just heard stories."

The Shepherd turned his head back to the long pathway ahead of him, every step allowing vision of history from the past, and he kept a close eye on them. One story symbolized how a warrior, who was bound to be king, was given the strength of a thousand men yet in return, he only had one year left to live. He couldn't take the wish back, a consequence of being driven by his blind search for more power, and so, he used his last remaining year to weep in the corner of his home, eventually being heard that he had died of a heart attack exactly one year later.

"Did he deserve it? I wouldn't know," Chase whispered, hearing a questioning hum from the Terrier which he replied with a casual "nothing".

Another story Chase saw was how a hunter, bound to be the best amongst all, came forth to the serpent and tried to kill it, yet he failed. However, instead of making him its meal, the serpent decided to put a curse on him, and forever until his death, he became a target worth more gold than a dozen horses could carry. A literal world-changing monster that can bend destiny as it saw fit.

Chase's boots clopped with every step, kicking the dust back with little force, which only caused the powder to fly right back on the ground. This wasn't in Chase's favour, his allergies were at the mercy of every single speck of dust that were scattered across the entire hallway. It was a miracle he hasn't sneezed yet.

Taking a turn—the only turn to the left—he spotted another story drawn and painted on the wall in a dim hue, probably from how ancient it was. It was a woman carrying her child into a cave, crossing indistinguishable carvings on the cave walls. She then found the serpent, whose legend was known, in the farthest end. She pleaded for it to save her child, for bandits wanted to slay her and take the young one away from her. The serpent allowed the wish, and the art Chase saw changed in perspective.

The bandits that entered the cave saw it was a labyrinth when they got deeper, and as they turned back, they were lost in the middle of the maze, unbeknownst to them that there was no actual way out anymore. The fact it was a maze was an illusion for an escape, causing them to spiral down in dread and result in their cannibalism towards one another until the final man bit the dust. The terror of someone whispering to them that drove them to insanity would haunt them even in death.

Chase found himself frightened from the dark magic that deconstructed and reconstructed the existence of beings into another place in an instant. Truly a power to be feared. He had to continue reading.

Although the woman was thankful for the disappearance, she knew she had to give something up, and she offered her life to the serpent after laying a poorly-constructed bed from her gown with its bottom part torn. As she closed her eyes though, as a symbol of a sacrifice for the saving, light shone upon her to blind for a second, and she found herself and her child in a forest, with armored men wandering around. When they saw her, they ran desperately to reach and bow down. Next thing the woman knew, she was a lost princess and she lived a wealthy and protected life, completely opposite of her previous life where was a beggar in debt.