Shadows of Ba-Ath: The Serpentine Rebirth

"The Angel and the Snake are married..."

Trouble brews beneath the city of the God-King Ba-Ath, for the reincarnation of his ancient human adversary has returned. The very notion of humanity stirs a deep-seated loathing within him. The word 'human' alone sends the winged sovereign into a fit of uncontrollable rage.

"Are you certain it's him?" he inquired, his deep, melodious voice betraying a hint of fear that only his closest advisers could detect.

"Yes, my Lord, for I have personally verified it thrice from close quarters. His blood bears the power of our kind's bane — the blood of the Serpentine. I have observed him over many lunar cycles, as you commanded, since his birth. His mere presence momentarily weakened me; his words nearly hypnotized me, oh mighty one, causing the icy blood in my veins to warm. Yet, his power is not fully realized, for the Princess of the West has not joined him."

"Bring him to me! Now!" roared King Ba-Ath. His red eyes blazed like fiery flames, and his outstretched leathery wings trembled with the rage he felt. It was unusual for him to exhibit emotion, a trait his kind seldom showed, but the bloodline of the Serpentine posed a grave threat to his race.

"I beg your pardon, oh mighty one, but why not simply kill him?"

King Ba-Ath, the founder of the Vampyre and Wampyre races, the revered One of the Mirrored Halls and Champion of the Moon, regained his composure. Emotionlessly, he responded, "Without the Angel by his side, I might yet sway him to our cause and reveal the pitiful state of humankind. The ultimate strategy in our unending game is to convert an enemy to our side. Besides, you stand no chance against him alone. Only I can defeat him, for he is incomplete without the Princess. Lady Selene, protect us, for their union would render him invincible to us, as in the ancient wars against humanity."

Ba-Ath pondered the prophecy penned when the sun had yet to rise, recalling the age-old battle for the human mind. A slight smile crossed his wrinkled, pallid face as he remembered his role in the downfall of Atlantis, a hub for those who once wielded the sun's power to challenge his kind.

Just then a messenger rode into the great hall on a spectral steed. "My Lord I am sorry to interrupt, I regret disturbing you during Council"

Ba-Ath swiftly turned towards the messenger, his crimson cloak swirling about him. "We Vampyres are never sorry, everything we do, we do with confidence. We have no regrets, only humans have such weaknesses. Now tell me what news do you have that concerns you so?"

The messenger stared straight ahead and spoke thus:

"The Angel and the Snake are married, my agents couldn't keep them apart as you requested. Universe itself was foiling our attempts it seems.”

King Ba-Ath's cloak fluttered as he absorbed the gravity of the messenger's words. The union of the Angel and the Snake, a convergence foretold yet fervently opposed, had come to pass despite his machinations. The ancient prophecy, once a distant whisper, now thundered with inevitability in his ears.

In the end, he shrugged resignedly. “Sometimes you just can’t beat fate.”

"Dispatch a gift to them," King Ba-Ath commanded, his voice a mere whisper, yet carrying the weight of centuries. "And extend my respects. In this chess game of shadows and souls, acknowledgement of a worthy adversary is the mark of true sovereignty."

The court fell silent, the significance of the moment hanging heavily in the air. The God-King, a being of immense power and dark dominion, recognized the unfolding of an era-defining chapter. The convergence of the Angel and the Snake heralded a shift, a potential end to the ancient reign of night.

In the shadows, whispered discussions began among the courtiers. The prophecy of Seer Kalion, once a legend etched in the tomes of the Mirrored Halls, was now the lens through which the future was inexorably viewed. The union of the Angel of Darkness with the Serpentine champion promised a new dawn for humankind, a lifting of the shroud of fear that had long enveloped the mortal realm.

King Ba-Ath retired to his chambers, the weight of millennia in his gaze. The moon cast a silvery light through the tall, arched windows, bathing the ancient texts and relics in a ghostly glow. He pondered the paths that lay ahead, the strategies and sacrifices that would define the coming age.

Authors Note: I wrote this story as a wedding gift to Doktor Snake and Dark Angel after their marriage on November 17th, 2003.