Chapter 162: A Snake Dreams of the Sky
The snow stretched endlessly around Gentle Wind Village, a pristine white blanket interrupted only by Windy’s sleek, coiled form. His scales, a pale white with a faint blue sheen, blended with the frost, making him nearly invisible save for the glint of his narrowed blue eyes. He rested atop a snowdrift, watching as the villagers bustled about, their faces flushed with admiration as they glanced toward the center of the village.
Toward her.
Tianyi, with her shimmering wings folded behind her back, stood near the gathering of villagers, her human form a delicate contradiction of strength and fragility. She was radiant, ethereal, a figure straight out of their stories. To them, she was nothing short of miraculous.
And then there was him—Windy.
The snake.
The villagers spoke of her transformation in awed whispers, calling her a "miracle," a "blessing." But when their eyes turned to him, they softened with a condescension that cut deeper than the winter chill. He could hear their thoughts as clearly as if they’d been spoken aloud:
Kai’s snake. His pet. Loyal, but nothing more.
Windy’s tail lashed against the snow. His frustration simmered just beneath his smooth scales. He wasn’t just a snake. He wasn’t just anything. He was a predator, an apex creature who had proven his worth time and time again, in battle and in loyalty. Yet the world seemed to value not his power, but Tianyi’s newfound ability to mimic the ones they protected.
'Why must I wear another skin to prove my worth?' The thought hissed through his mind like venom. 'A serpent does not need wings to fly.'