Yiyun's Pov

After winning a war, I am now granted to go back home. But instead, I went back to the place where this real mission of mine begun: The mystic sea.

It was 15 years ago when I promised at this very land that I will comeback, and here I am, all ready to finish what my parents had started.

I can still remember that night like it was just yesterday:

My parents were both herpetologists, and so as a little child, I got the interest for reptiles and amphibians as well. Through all of their expeditions in discovering new species, they always include me on the team for me to be exposed at an early age.

We've been in this country for months, but we haven't had any expedition since then. Or at least that's what I thought. 

I noticed that one or both of my parents were not at home alternately during this period. When they're at home, they were locked at their laboratory most of the time. I think, they are hiding something from me.

One night, my curiosity was answered. It was raining heavily when they abruptly woken me up from my deep slumber and hurriedly went to the carriage with our luggage on it.

My father was insanely driving the horses like we are on a chariot, racing for our lives. My mother was looking at the back like we are being chased while holding me tightly like I will be taken away from her.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We are going somewhere they can't follow." She answered.

"Who are they, and what do they want from us?"

"Listen my child..." she holds both of my cheeks, "in that bag, are my and your father's research works. Whatever happens, DO NOT GIVE IT TO OTHERS." Then she took out a necklace, with a little bottle in it as a pendant. "Wear it at all times, this bottle is as important as everything on that bag."

"What's this?" I asked as I saw crystal-like particles inside it.

"Its..."

"Let's go! Quickly!" My father yelled when we stopped.

"No time for explanation, just use what we taught in finding out" she said that made me puzzled.

At the shoreline, was a boat waiting for us. We loaded our luggage then my parents started paddling.

With some lanterns on our boat as our only source of light, we started our journey. Then my mother blown a horn which I find odd. Then suddenly I noticed that there was something swimming beneath us. I got goose bumps seeing how big and long it was, a whale I guess?
But what made me freaked out was when I confirmed that it is not alone.

"Do not come out!" My mother hysterically yelled, contrary to her usual behavior which is calm and subtle. "What ever happens, do not come out!"

‘who is she talking to? There's no way these creatures can understand her’

"Hide!" My father second handed.

"Wait, what is happening here?!"
I interrupted. I have no idea of what's going on and I need a clear explanation now.

"They are here." my mother muttered, looking at the distance, totally ignoring my query.

"Go dive the deepest you can! Do not leave any mark!" He commanded. "Dive!" The shadows beneath us subsided but my heart was still pounding at fast rate.

The rain became heavier and the waves got bigger, that its hard for us to get by. Then I noticed a big ship coming near us. I absentmindedly stood up and waved my hands to capture their attention. "Help!" I yelled. 

"Stop!" My mother held me, but consequently, our boat stumbled and lost its balance. We dropped in the water.

Everything happened in slow motion. I felt rough scales against my skin; Roars echoed in my ears... And the last thing I saw scared all the sanity left in me: my father was held by a giant monster on its mouth, and my mother... My mother was all bloody on another monster's mouth.

"No!!!" I can only shout on my mind. Everything went blurry until my sight got pitch black.

Next thing I knew, I woke up in the cliff, with a man resuscitating me. I cough hard. I was drenched in water mixed with tears, and... Blood?

"Thank goodness, you're awake!" The man said.

"What happened? Ahhh!" I screamed when I finally felt the stinging pain on my wounds.

"You had been attacked by an evil serpent."

‘Evil Serpent? Those monsters are called evil serpents? So it wasn't a dream?’

My eyes got bigger as reality struck me. "My... My parents! Where are they?!" I started crying.

"Hope that they'll also be saved." He said, pointing on a distance. And there I saw the creatures and the ship I called just a while ago.

He handed me a binocular, and then I saw clearly that it wasn't just an ordinary ship but a big warship! They are trying to slay the two serpents.

I tried my hardest to look for my parents but they are nowhere to be seen. As time passes, my hope is slowly deteriorating until ....

Booom!

The warship just launched two cannonballs consecutively aiming to the two serpents.

"No!" I heard the man beside me shouted.

I looked at him confusingly, he looks devastated. I was about to ask why, but deafening roars from the two serpents were released that made me shot my eyes back at them.

The cannonball just exploded and the whole area was on fire. The rain doesn't really help, as the creatures can't escape for they're trapped on an enormous net. Not long after, the white serpent fell onto the water and the black one followed but it fell right onto the ship.

From my point of view, it looks like the sea was burning and there's no way someone or anything can survive from it.

The sun peeked in the horizon, making the debris of the tragedy visible: The ship was completely wrecked. The creatures were burnt down to ashes and flown freely to the sea just like my hope to save my parents.

"Its not the end little one" said the man who, I believe, was my savior.

My mind can't seem to process anything so I answered him with silence. "My name is Soo Man , what's yours?"

"Josephine." I answered.

"Foreigner?"

"Yes we ...yes I am" I rephrase my sentence midway, remembering there's no more 'we', I am alone from now on.

Then I started crying again.

"Crying won't help you change what 
Has been done." He said like a disciplinarian father. "But you can do something for the future."

"What do you mean?"

"There's more evil serpents out there. The one who attacked you... It could  still be alive."

I got fired up knowing there is more monster in this sea, waiting for another victim...

"How much do you love your parents?"

"They are my life!" I shouted.

"Then, would you offer your life to give them justice?"

"What does a kid can do?!"

"Train." He answered shortly. "Train hard to be good. Train hard to be ready. Train hard to slay them all! Kill all the evil serpents to extinction.!"

And that became my vision in life, to kill all the evil serpents to extinction.

"Tell me what to do."
I said ready to obey.