Chapter 415: Serpent

Ethan sensed the exact moment something around him changed.

Above his head, the sky was clear, a bright sun bathing the world below in warm light.

It was from that cloudless sky that a flash of light emerged, fast and silent, streaking down toward the golden egg.

"Ah... It worked!" Arwen declared, springing to her feet.

The sudden movement sent her gigantic elven tits surging upward along with her, heavy and full. They hung in the air for a split second before plummeting back down against her delicate torso with a wet clap.

She stopped infusing life energy into the egg and took a few steps back, never taking her eyes off the golden shell, until she stood beside Ethan.

Her slender fingers gripped his arm firmly.

At first, there was a trace of anxiety on the beautiful elf’s face—her brows slightly furrowed, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

But that faded.

Now, only deep excitement remained on her noble, mature features, her eyes shining as she squeezed his arm a little tighter.

The first crack appeared in the egg’s golden shell, as thin as a strand of hair. Then came another. And then another, spreading across the surface like roots.

Ethan felt a powerful mana welling up from inside the egg, dense and heavy, pressing against his skin. It was followed by a loud, high-pitched hiss that echoed off the walls of the Nursery.

The shell shattered all at once.

An intense white light burst from within, engulfing the entire Nursery of the Palace of Beasts. For a moment, nothing existed but white.

Seo-ah and Arwen had to look away, raising their hands to shield their eyes.

Ethan, with the Eyes of the Fallen Emperor active, did not need to.

And that was why he alone noticed, amid the blinding light, something emerging from the egg.

It was an immense serpent with scales as white as snow and horns that looked like twisted branches.

The scales had the smooth sheen of porcelain, and the horns were wrapped in vines and dotted with tiny flowers, as if an entire forest had sprung up on its head.

Its eyes were a deep green, radiating a life force so powerful that Ethan felt it prickle against his own skin.

That vision lasted only a single second.

It faded as the flash of light dimmed, finally revealing what truly lay inside the egg.

Arwen didn’t hesitate.

She let go of Ethan’s arm and knelt in front of the cracked egg.

Her heavy breasts swayed with the movement, the two plump masses drifting inward and brushing against each other before coming to rest as she settled onto her heels.

She held out a single hand, palm facing upward, her slender, delicate fingers pressed together.

Ethan heard a soft, low hiss.

Then he saw a tiny head peeking out from among the pieces of shell, like a miniature—and adorable—version of the gigantic serpent he had just seen.

The little creature’s jaw stretched open in a strangely cute way, as if yawning, revealing rows of small, sharp teeth.

Its beautiful green eyes, oddly human-like, rested on Arwen’s hand for a brief moment.

Then it moved.

The little serpent slithered across the broken shell, climbed onto Arwen’s hand, and curled up into a tight little ball, its slender body shifting in her palm until it found a comfortable position.

It was a serpent, but its eyes closed as if it had eyelids, and its whole body went slack in her hand.

Ethan watched it with a touch of bewilderment.

Serpents weren’t supposed to have eyelids. Its eyes weren’t serpent eyes either, with a well-defined sclera and iris, almost like a human’s.

But he could only find it adorable, so he didn’t think much of it.

Magical beings could be quite unique.

"Is it done?" Ethan asked, stepping closer as Arwen rose to her feet.

She stood slowly, careful not to disturb the sleeping creature, her heavy breasts lifting with her and settling back down in a soft, unhurried bounce.

He looked over the beautiful elf’s shoulder, catching the faint scent of flowers wafting from her hair, and admired the little serpent sleeping in the palm of her hand.

"Yes." Arwen nodded, stroking the serpent’s little head with her fingertip. "She has received the soul of the ancient guardian of the First Tree of Life, and she will be a good guardian for our Tree of Life. Her memories should return little by little as she matures."

Standing next to Arwen, Seo-ah leaned in to look at the serpent, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"May I?" she asked, already reaching out her hand.

"Yes," Arwen replied, turning her palm slightly to make it easier.

Seo-ah ran a finger over the serpent ’s head, feeling its delicate scales.

They were soft and cool, like small porcelain tiles fitted together, too smooth to seem real.

The little serpent stirred slightly under her touch, but didn’t wake up. Seo-ah’s lips curved into a small smile.

"How big will she get when she’s fully grown?" Ethan asked.

"Her actual body can reach a few hundred meters, maybe a few kilometers," Arwen replied. "But in the past, she almost always remained in her human form, or in a smaller serpentine form, when she was at the Tree of Life."

She paused and linked her arm with Ethan’s, her full breast pressing against him once more, the soft mound flattening against his arm and molding itself around it with a warm, heavy weight.

"Let’s go. The sooner we take her to the Tree of Life, the better. She needs plenty of rest, and she needs to begin developing."

He didn’t object, following her back to her palace and, from there, to the Tree of Life.

The walk was peaceful, the pillowy weight of Arwen’s breast rolling gently against his arm with every step she took.

When they arrived at the base of the Tree of Life, which had already grown a few meters since they’d planted it, Arwen raised her hand upward, the movement tugging one heavy breast slightly higher than the other.

The little serpent opened its eyes, lifting its tiny head to look up at the gigantic tree.

A single branch descended, bending with a soft creak of wood until it stopped level with Arwen’s hand.

The Serpent hesitated for a brief moment. It looked at Ethan, and then at Arwen.

Soon after, it finally climbed onto the branch, coiling itself carefully around it, its white scales standing out against the dark bark.

The branch rose back to its normal height, carrying the little serpent into the safety of the Tree of Life’s embrace.

The tree sent a wave of excited emotions through its connection with Arwen and Ethan, almost like a child receiving a gift.

It immediately connected its consciousness with that of the little serpent.

It was happy to have company.