The hero who was blessed by the goddess of snakes

Chapter 4: Naming the snakes

I opened my eyes, only to see a giant transparent snake that was coiled around me.

“What happened? Why is there a snake coiled around me?”

Ok, I know that I was blessed by the snake goddess and all, but this takes things a bit too far.

“Calm down, it is your magic-given form, but I am not sure about the form. Is it a sign from Echidna?”, Father Alexander said as he stood up and walked toward me.

“Try to concentrate and bring this construct back under your control.”, he said.

I nodded and tried to reach out to the construct made out of my magic.

The head of the snake looked at me for a moment before touching my hand and disappearing.

“I think we need to talk about what happened.”, Father Alexander said as he looked at me.

“The other priests are going to help you with how to control your magic and how to use it to cast magic. John, if you would please accompany me to my office.”

Not seeing any other option, I followed after Father Alexander, I could feel the stares of everyone on me.

On the entire way to his office, Father Alexander stayed silent and I didn´t know how to ask the questions in my mind.

As we entered the office, Father Alexander sat down on his chair, and I also sat down on a chair.

“*sigh* John, do you know what you have done?”, he asked me after sighing and rubbing his temple with two fingers.

“Using my magic power?”, I answered in confusion.

I had no idea why my magic power had reacted like that nor why it would form itself into a sentient snake.

“It isn´t as easy as that, what I taught you all was how to draw out your magic power forcefully. This is the first step in mastering your magic, as you gain some experience with this energy. Over a long time, you would then learn how to draw it out not by force but through instinct. But you… You just did it by instinct the first time. As if you had a deep connection with your magic power.”

As Father Alexander was saying that, his eyes became sharp and the atmosphere around him became serious.

“Tell me, did one of the priests or one of the knights give you some advice? I swear, every time that someone comes here and tries to learn magic here, they try to trick them into doing it through instinct.”, Father Alexander asked, and then continued to rant about what happened every time someone tried.

All I could think about was the following.

‘Eh? I am not getting a lecture. I thought I was in trouble. Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?’

“*sigh* I thought that I made myself clear the last time that something like that happened, seems like I have to make it clear that something like that is not acceptable in any way or form. I swear by Athena, they never learn.”

“So… I am not in trouble?”, I asked in confusion.

“What? NO! Of course not. Why would you? I only wanted to find out, if someone had tricked you into doing this, nothing more.”, Father Alexander assured me, and his atmosphere became gentle again.

He then continued to tell me how rare it was for someone to achieve something like this the first time that they get in touch with their magic power.

I also took the chance and talked with him about the things that I had discovered last night, about the summoning and the three snakes with whom I made a contract.

I asked him if I could use the crystal ball to see if the double-headed snake had an affinity to any kind of magic.

Father Alexander pondered for a moment.

“Since there isn´t any recorded knowledge about Echidna´s blessing I had worried about how to personalize your training. This will be of great help in that regard, as for your request, I don´t see any reason why we shouldn´t test it. Although I had never heard of a situation like this, there is still much in this world that is unknown. But this has to wait until evening, I hope you can wait until then.”, Father Alexander said with a kind smile.

“Of course, I am already happy that I get this chance in the first place.”, I answered honestly, I was worried that they would deny my request.

After that we went back to the others, only to see them all using their magic as if it was no problem.

“Is… Is this normal?”, I asked, not sure if I should believe this, it hadn´t even been an hour since me and Father Alexander left.

“No… Not at all… You guys are monsters…”, Father Alexander said and looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

The other priests also looked helpless at the situation; they were not able to believe it as well.

“This is why I have told you to leave them with me, but you just wouldn´t listen.”, said general Selena, who was watching the whole scene, in displeasure.

“General Serena, I know how you feel about this matter, but this needed a bit more care than just brutally heading head-on into it.”, Father Alexander said while narrowing his eyes.

“Then you have achieved your purpose in this exercise. Tomorrow they will be under my care again, and I will show them what discipline is.”, general Selena said and left the hall.

“I swear that girl has become just like her father.”, Father Alexander said and shook his head.

“Now then everyone, please stop your spells and sit down again. There is still much for you all to learn.”, he said and walked back to his pillow, and sat down.

Over the next couple of hours, he taught us how to control our magic power and how to train it.

We had to create and infuse a small ball with magic power, which would make it float, and then hold it in the air and move it with our energy.

This might sound simple, but even bringing it into the air was difficult enough, let alone make it move.

And at the end of the day, everyone including me was exhausted both physically and mentally.

If I had to choose between this training and the one, we had to do by that demon of a general, then I would choose this one.

I was able to drag my sorry ass back to my room and immediately summoned my three little friends.

Who in turn looked at me a bit worried.

“I am okay, for now at least. The training is just a bit rough, and I should be able to get used to it in a week or two, hopefully.”

They relaxed a bit after hearing this but still seemed a bit worried about me.

Can´t blame them, I feel like shit.

The little holy snake bit me again, to heal my physical exhaustion a bit.

“Thanks, little guy.”, I said while patting the white snake.

“I need to come up with some names for you guys.”

I first looked at the wind snake, which was playing around with a ball made out of wind, that it had created with its magic.

Wasn´t there a god in the mythology of multiple South American civilizations, such as Mayen, Aztek, and so on?

What was it´s name again? Quetza… Quetzaquat… No, no, that wasn´t it. AH! Now I remember it was Quetzalcoatl.

But that name is way too complicated, and I am pretty sure that I will mispronounce it in 90% of all cases.

Then how about…

“Little guy, would you like the name Quetzal?”, I asked while looking at the little flying snake.

Knowing that I was looking at him, he paused for a moment, causing the ball of wind to pass by him and fall to the ground.

The little guy seemed to ponder about the name and then happily nodded and flew towards my face, covering it completely.

What do you guys want, I wasn´t expecting this, and even if I did, I wouldn´t dodge out of the way, he seemed happy about the name.

“Ok, ok, I know that you are happy about the name, but could you please get off my face, so that I can give the others a name as well?”, I asked Quetzal to move somewhere else.

Quetzal let go of my face and immediately flew up to the top of my head and lay down on it while clinging with its tail on my head.

“Ok, one day we will need to have a conversation about this habit of yours. But first, you two. How about Python and Typhon?”, I asked toward the two-headed snake.

The way that I came to that name, was because they looked like a python, only with two heads.

As for Typhon, that´s because I am a giant Greece mythology fan and every god damn time that I think about the word Python, the name Typhon comes to my mind.

The two seemed to like the names.

Now I only need to figure out, which head should get which name.

Luckily that didn´t take so long, the left head would be called Python, and the right one Typhon.

Finally, I looked at the small white snake, who looked at me with hopeful eyes.

I began to think about a fitting name for the name, yet again going back to mythology, this time Chinese mythology.

I remembered that in school we had read a book called ‘Legend of the white Snake’.

But I couldn´t use that name for, the same reason as Quetzalcoatl.

I just know that I will mispronounce Suzhen most of the time.

“Ok, my little friend, how about Sushen?”, I asked while sweat was forming on my forehead.

The white snake thought for a moment before nodding with shining eyes.

‘Oh, thank god… I had no other name in mind if he didn´t like it.’

I spent some more time with the three, until the time ran out again and made my way toward the canteen, to get something to eat.

Later on, I talked with some of the class members, including Andrew about their blessings and so on.

Even both Miss Priston and Miss Sanchos joined the conversation as well.

Later on, I tested Typhon´s and Python´s magic affinity with the help of Father Alexander.

What we found out was that both of them had an affinity with both poison and earth magic.

The poison part was pretty easy to understand, but why earth magic?

(AN: Because I said so, shut up.)

The next day it was training from hell again, but not as bad as before.

“Last time I brought all of you over the brink of breaking so that I could figure out where your limits are. Now that I know where they are, I will personalize your training to every one of you. But until I can start with your training, I will build a solid foundation with every single one of you. I hope you guys are prepared.”, Selena said with a diabolic smile.

But the training that pushes us to the brink of collapse lasted only half the day.

For the other half, she brought out a lot of weapons and lied them down on the ground.

“Now that you guys will train your bodies, I will also make you choose your weapons. This might seem like a stupid thing to do. Most of you are probably thinking, ‘Why doesn´t she starts with swords or other simple weapons and go on from there?’, and I have to say that this is a wonderful argument. If any of you were simple soldiers that had just joined the army, I would have done so, but you guys aren´t simple soldiers and I am not allowed to go as far as I would normally go. Lucki you guys.”

I thought it once and I will think it again, this woman is a demon.

“Even if I don´t want to admit it, your blessings have already made your choice of weapons before you even thought about it. Now try to pick the right one and meet me in the field, I will test every one of you personally.”

Serena walked into the middle of the ground and pulled out her long sword.

Many, myself, and Andrew included, hesitated for a moment.

“This seems like the ideal weapon for me.”, said Miss Priston and grabbed a pair of long daggers, which had a slightly curved blade.

“If you have chosen a weapon, come and face me!”, shouted general Selena.

“Ok, I am coming.”, answered Miss Priston and walked before general Selena.

“Ready?”

“Ready!”

General Selena ran forward, swinging her sword sideways.

Miss Priston stepped back just enough for the sword to miss her by a few centimeters.

Not letting up, general Selena followed with an upward swing.

Miss Priston twisted her body to the side while kneeling, trying to create an opening for herself.

But general Selena wouldn´t let her and changed the course of her sword.

Not having any other way to dodge the sword, Miss Priston sunk into her own shadow, this time much faster than last time.

General Selena jumped back and increased the distance between the two.

“Is that all you have?”, general Selena taunted, or at least I thought it was one.

Miss Priston fully sunk into the shadow, and the shadow quickly rushed at general Selena.

General Selena tried to keep her eyes on the shadow, but the shadow managed to get between her legs and fused with her shadow too.

Hands made out of shadows came out of general Serena´s shadow and tried to grab her.

“Ok, that´s enough, this is a test for your weapons, not your nor your blessing’s magical abilities.”, general Selena said and covered her weapon in magic power.

“This is going to hurt a little.”

General Selena thrust her weapon onto the ground, whereupon a shockwave was created, which not only destroyed the shadow hands but also threw Miss Priston out of the shadows.

Miss Priston rolled on the ground for a few meters before stopping.

“You tried to incorporate your magic into the fight. I will allow it to a small amount, but the focus here is the weapon, nothing more. NEXT!”