At birth, I was covered in Snake Scales.
But I am the son of a Dragon; how could I have Snake Scales?
My Dragon Father believed it was a problem with my Dragon Mother.
So, my Dragon Father replaced my Dragon Mother.
Eventually, they had a younger brother.
My brother had no Snake Scales, which made my Dragon Father very happy.
But soon after, my brother only drank snake blood.
On the day I was born, the entire Flame Dragon Ruins' Dragon Clan was shocked.
"Dragon Queen has given birth to a Snake Embryo!"
"Dragon Queen has given birth to a Snake Embryo!"
I bore snake scales instead of Dragon Scales.
I was neither dragon nor snake and was seen by my kin as a curse from above.
Everyone avoided me.
My father's face grew darker as he raised the Dragon Staff and shattered the walls of the birthing chamber.
Then, he took the Dragon Staff to the Dragon Mother's Palace.
My father nearly killed me, but it was only through my mother's plea that I survived.
Since then, I have not seen my mother again.
Later, I had a new mother, and I was happy.
But my new mother did not like me because I was a monster.
Because of me, my father's already unstable reign became even more precarious.
The king believed that he would lose his throne if he did not produce a healthy heir. Thus, he decided to have one.
Before the king could have his heir, some ambitious elders of the Dragon Clan secretly plotted to depose him and the queen, supporting a new dragon king instead. Soon enough, the new dragon king emerged, and the king and queen were overthrown.
Years later, my sister emerged from a room holding a baby. "Go see your Dragon Mother," she said. She shot me a glare before leaving with the infant.
As I approached the door, a foul stench hit me, nearly making me faint. I pinched my nose and stepped inside, calling out softly, "Dragon Mother..."
The Dragon Mother lay weakly on the bed. "Wang Long, bring me your brother to see," she said. It was then that I noticed the floor was covered in dead snakes. Some were completely lifeless, while others still writhed.
I stepped back in fright, looking at the Dragon Mother in terror. "Dragon Mother, why are there so many snakes?"
Seeing the snakes on the ground startled her as well; she looked particularly frightened and urgently asked me, "Where's your brother? Where is he?"
"He was taken by dragon father."
Upon hearing this, the Dragon Mother's face lit up with joy as she murmured to herself, "It's dragon son; as long as it's dragon son, that's good."
I had prepared a medicinal concoction made from the spirit mushrooms and celestial herbs that dragon father had been saving for a long time to bring to the Dragon Mother. My heart felt uneasy.
The Dragon Mother had always wanted to give birth to a healthy heir, but I was a dragon Mother with snake scales, rejected by everyone in the Dragon Clan. Still, I hoped that the Dragon Mother would recover soon.
I brought the medicinal dish into her room. As she drank it, she kept repeating, " dragon son, my dragon son."
"He's just been born. Won't he be hungry?"
I was about to comfort Dragon Mother when my stomach suddenly growled.
Dragon Mother immediately turned to me, her voice sharp as she questioned, "How much Spirit Herb did you eat?"
"Did you steal some?"
"I didn't."
I protested, but Dragon Mother clearly didn't believe me. She slapped my face and angrily ordered, "Go reflect on your actions against the wall."
Reluctantly, I left the room. Each time, they punished me by sending me to Snake Mother Cliff. I knew what I carried on me were Snake Scales. They wanted me to remember their shame as well.
When I reached Snake Mother Cliff, I hesitated to enter. I recalled how dragon father had once made me face the wall here, and every time I came, the snakes would bare their fangs at me, looking quite fierce.
Later, whenever dragon father thought of the past, she would send me here. Although Dragon Mother disliked me, this was the first time she had called me here; it must be because of the new brother.
I could only step inside cautiously. A familiar foul smell hit me as soon as I entered.
As I looked up, I saw a pair of green snake eyes staring back at me.
I was so startled that I fell to the ground.
"You..."
I wanted to say that it scared me, but the words stuck in my throat and wouldn't come out.
This giant snake looked fierce enough to eat a person. Yet as I gazed into those green eyes, why did it seem less terrifying?
Wait... why is it crying?
Is it because of me?
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