47

Delphina's phobia continued, and she couldn't gaze away from the snake's menacing look. 

The snake's unblinking gaze seemed to pierce through her very soul. Her mind raced with thoughts of her mother's gentle touch and comforting smile, which was now a distant memory and an illusion. She felt a stinging sensation in her eyes as tears began to form, but she couldn't look away from the snake's hypnotic stare.

The snake's forked tongue darted in and out, sensing Delphina's fear, and she could feel its malevolent presence closing in around her. She thought about her step-family's cruel intentions, sending her into the forest with no protection, no food and no hope. They wanted her to die, and now she was face to face with death itself.

Delphina's breath came in short gasps with her heart racing like a wild animal, and her mind was a jumbled mess of fear and panic.

Suddenly, the snake lunged its head at her, ready to strike. 

A helpless Delphina closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable, but as she did, she remembered her mother's words and irreplaceable smiling face, and she submitted herself to what came next, feeling the snake's spooky breath just inches away from her as it hissed.

 

Seconds turned into minutes, but nothing was happening. Other than the hissing, which had reduced, she could no longer feel the snake's breath.

Still, Delphina's mind succumbed to a torrent of horrible scenes. She envisioned the snake's razor-sharp fangs sinking deep into her flesh, injecting a deadly venom that would course through her veins like liquid fire. She pictured herself writhing in agony with her body contorting in ways that seemed impossible as the snake's venom ravaged her nervous system.

Her body quailed as she imagined the snake's scaly body wrapping around her, squeezing the life out of her. 

After the passage of some seconds, she felt the snake's searing breath on her face once more, the hiss growing louder and more menacing. The horrifying thought of being completely devoured consumed Delphina's mind, picturing herself enmeshed in the snake's murky, dank gut with her screams drowned out by the sound of her heartbeat.

The snake's gaze was a vortex pulling her in and dragging her down into an abyss of terror from which she might never escape.

As Delphina closed her eyes, she felt a sense of resignation wash over her. She was convinced that her time had truly come and the snake's deadly venom would soon course through her veins, but as she waited for the inevitable, she was met with an unsettling silence. The snake's hissing had stopped, and an eerie stillness had fallen over the cave.

A deep, masculine voice pierced the silence, "Open your eyes."

Delphina's eyes snapped open in disbelief. 

"What is your purpose?" 

"I... I got lost..." She was unsure if she was speaking to a real person or just a product of her fevered imagination. She took a deep breath, waiting for a response and looked patiently for what came next. Then, the dark place suddenly became bright. Turns out there was a pearl above all along. 

Now that she could see properly, she saw the person who had asked her the question earlier. He was a mountain of a man and was a sight that both fascinated and terrified her. The green-haired man with pink eyes, snake-like markings on his skin and an unnerving expression stood before her. No soothsayer was needed to let her know this man was that scary snake earlier.

Delphina's mind struggled to reconcile the contrast between his striking appearance and his intimidating demeanour. She felt like she was gazing upon a work of art, yet simultaneously she sensed danger emanating from him.

The man's pink eyes seemed to hold a piercing intensity as if they could see right through her. Delphina's instincts screamed at her to be cautious, to tread carefully around this enigmatic figure.

As she hesitated, unsure of how to address him, she finally settled on a timid "...Sir." 

The word felt inadequate, but she hoped it would suffice. Internally, she prayed that he wouldn't harm her, that he wouldn't be another source of pain in her already tumultuous life.

The man moved slowly toward her with his gaze lingering on her as if sizing her up before he spoke.

"You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't have come here, elf!" 

She willed herself to stand, clenching her teeth.

However, his forked tongue, which darted out of his mouth for a brief moment, made her fall back down and subconsciously retreat.

"What's your name?" he asked, arms folded.

"I...I'm Delphina, daughter of Gordon Levitt..." She replied with a quaky voice, afraid to look him in the eye.

Suddenly, she heard a growl coming from behind her and froze, eyes dilated.

'That... That... that growl... Is it of a wild beast or a shape-shifter like this man?' Delphine mused, with the possibility of the latter being the case swirling in her head like a maelstrom.

Her breath came in short gasps, and she couldn't tear her gaze away from the man. 

She was trapped.

Frozen in fear.

And unable to move or look away. 

The ominous growl seemed to close in on her, and she felt the ground's vibrations, making her bones tremble with unease. The sound of snapping and cracking bones caused her to cover her mouth, lacking the will to even gasp.

The snake guy didn't seem like he would shield her from this new shifter who had arrived.

Resignedly, she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable attack, when she heard a feminine voice, calm and authoritative, speaking from behind her.

"Who is she?"

The man didn't respond, and a menacing growl was heard, causing Delphina's chest to almost break free from the constraints of her rib cage.

"Enough," the man said, unfolding his hands, and the growling ceased.