Two crescent moons hang in the cloudless night, one larger than the other. The big one glows with a blue hue, its smaller companion with a red one.


    Stars blanket the sky. I’ve never seen so many back on Earth; it’s almost magical. Almost. Too bad I don’t recognize a single constellation.


    The submarine rocks gently in the dark waves.


    I climb out for a better view.


    The waves lap softly against the sub’s hull. A light breeze brushes my face. It doesn’t feel like an open ocean.


    I inhale deeply, the familiar scent of salty seawater a comforting reminder of Earth. Scanning the horizon, I gradually make out the shapes of mountains and land in every direction, some closer than others.


    This is an inland sea.


    The gentle lapping is abruptly shattered by a series of loud bubbling noises.


    Before I can scramble back inside, the submarine is launched skyward, then crashes back into the sea with a resounding splash.


    Struggling to stay afloat, I’m confronted with a massive mouth filled with dagger-like teeth.


    Well I thought to myself, this might be my chance to finally break this cursed body. Sharp teeth clamp down on me. A thick blue liquid blooms into the surrounding water.


    The water now has a rather unpleasant metallic and acidic tang.


    Looking down at my perfectly intact body, I curse inwardly. Then I realize the liquid isn’t mine.


    The creature recoils, twisting and coiling.


    It’s a giant sea serpent, covered in scales, sporting a couple of pairs of flippers and a long tail.


    Its triangular head has two pairs of tiny eyes and an absurdly large mouth.


    The mouth, once full of sharp teeth, now sports several broken stumps.


    A thick stream of blue liquid gushes from its jaws.


    Guess this creature can’t break this body either.


    During my time in the lab, I try to find weaknesses in this body. It’s not exactly a hobby, but more of a… preemptive measure?


    My biggest fear isn’t death. Honestly, if something could break this body, it would be a dream come true. Real peace, finally!


    My biggest fear would be some sort of sealing ritual—some way to trap or isolate this body. An eternity in solitary confinement? That’s my worst-case scenario. So, I absolutely must prevent any possibility of that fate. Or worse… being turned into… I mustn’t get eaten! That would be the ultimate indignity.


    The submarine is still intact and bobs cheerfully on the surface. I eagerly start swimming toward it, but another long, massive body blocks my path. This creature makes the last one look like a guppy.


    It whips its tail, and a crushing force slams me into the seafloor. I frantically stir up the water, trying to hide among the rocks.


    Seriously, why are they attacking me? Do I look that delicious?! Am I radiating some kind of irresistible seafood aroma I’m not aware of?


    The larger sea serpent swims near the surface, while the smaller one races to the bottom. The blue liquid has stopped flowing from its mouth, thankfully. It furiously thrashes, smashing its body against everything on the seafloor in a watery tantrum.


    Taking advantage of its little fit, I carefully sneak around it and swim back to the surface, pulling the dagger from my leg as I go.


    When I’m close enough to the larger serpent, I stab and slice into it with all my might. A fresh wave of blue fluid erupts, showering my face.


    The large sea serpent twists and turns violently. I seize the opportunity and rush toward the submarine.


    I grab onto the hull and start climbing, but before I can get back inside, the sea starts swirling around me. Losing my grip, I tumble back into the water.


    Below me, the large sea serpent is swimming in a circle at an unimaginable speed. The water around me twists and turns into a small, rapidly growing whirlpool, dragging everything down.


    Just my luck, the creature has a special move. Of course it does.


    While the larger sea serpent creates the whirlpool, the smaller one launches itself at me from my blind spot.


    Oh, look, they have a combo attack too. How… original.


    It attacks again and again, snapping its jaws, trying to take a chunk out of me. It can’t even pierce my skin, but I’m being tossed around in the water like a sock in a washing machine.


    I jab my dagger into its head and body whenever I get a chance. Slowly, the water around us begins to darken, turning a murky shade of blue.


    As I scan for the smaller serpent, bracing for its inevitable return, I’m suddenly plunged into absolute darkness.


    The water around me thickens, turning into something like thick, sticky glue. My body is squeezed from all directions. I push, stab, and slice blindly, my dagger meeting resistance at every turn..


    My mind races as a wave of claustrophobia washes over me. I keep stabbing with the dagger in every direction, a frantic mantra echoing in my head. Oh no oh no oh no no no no no…


    The viscous fluid continues to thicken, enveloping my entire body. I feel myself being dragged down, down, down through the endless darkness.


    Gathering every ounce of willpower I possess, I clear my mind and, with a mighty heave, stab once more with all my strength. This time, instead of pulling the dagger out, I keep pushing and slicing, tearing at the goo with both hands. I tunnel my hand, then my arm, head, shoulders, and the rest of my body into the rip I create.


    The fluid around me slowly begins to thin.


    The dagger strikes a solid mass in front of me, like hitting an iron wall. I wriggle closer and stomp onto the solid mass. It cracks under my weight, and I dig myself in further.


    Finally, my dagger slices through, creating an opening. Salty water rushes in, covering my hand, then my arm, my face, and finally, the rest of my body. I widen the opening and kick back, freeing myself.


    Back in the embrace of the seawater, I glance back at the dark blue cloud of viscous fluid. Within it, the large sea serpent is coiled into a tight ball, twisting and writhing.


    A deafening, high-pitched scream pierces through the water. Covering my ears, I turn and swim back towards the surface. Thankfully, I can still see the submarine floating above.


    I rush towards it, swimming as fast as I can.


    But halfway there, I’m yanked downwards again by my leg.


    Why?! I taste horrible! You can’t even chew me, you’ll get a blockage swallowing me! Why?!


    The smaller serpent refuses to let go, even as I kick furiously at its head. Frustration boiling, I raise my dagger with both hands.


    Aiming for the center of its skull, I thrust downwards with lightning speed, hoping to end this once and for all. But before the blade can connect, a massive tail swipes my arm aside, and my dagger plunges into the serpent’s eye instead.


    It twists its head, and the dagger slips from my grasp.


    The tail swipe, of course, came from the larger serpent. It wraps itself around the smaller one and carefully extracts the dagger from its eye with its mouth. Then, staring right at me, it swallows the dagger whole.


    Seriously?


    It’s definitely intelligent. Is the smaller one its offspring? A pang of guilt strikes me, quickly followed by annoyance. Why are they attacking me?! There are, like, a million other things they could be eating!


    Weaponless, I tread water, keeping my eyes locked on the two serpents. My other weapon is inside the submarine, but these two aren’t giving me a chance to retreat.


    As I weigh my options, the two creatures lunge. The larger serpent clamps its jaws onto one of my legs, while the smaller one latches onto my opposite arm. They twist their heads, trying to tear me apart.


    Nice try, unimpressed. It’s no use; my body remains stubbornly intact, without so much as a scratch.


    With my free arm, I pull back and punch the already damaged eye of the smaller serpent. I push my hand deeper into its eye socket, firmly gripping the inner structure to prevent it from pulling away.


    I swing and kick at the larger serpent, but it maintains its grip on my leg.


    Fine. Little one first!


    I dig deeper into the smaller serpent’s eye socket with both hands. Finding a firm grip, I hold on tight as it thrashes and twists. With my other hand, I make a fist and punch repeatedly at the same spot on its skull.


    As I punch, the larger serpent pulls harder, dragging us all towards the seafloor. It twists its body around mine, wrapping tighter and tighter, trapping my punching arm and squeezing with increasing force.


    But I refuse to let go of the squirming smaller serpent.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Managing to wiggle my arm free, I gather all my strength for one final punch.


    When my fist lands, I hear a sickening crack, and the serpent’s skull caves inward. Blue liquid oozes from the wound. With one final push, my fist sinks deep into the skull.


    The smaller serpent gives a final twitch, its strength utterly spent.


    A deafening, anguished screech fills my ears as the serpent’s body floats sideways, lifeless.


    Suddenly, my hair flares to life again, each strand regaining its iridescent sheen. As if with a mind of its own, it twists into a spear and effortlessly pierces the smaller serpent’s head. Another flash of light erupts.


    When my vision clears, instead of the expected golden light, a massive golden sphere hangs above me.


    It’s…it’s just like the painting in Dr. Keyser’s living room, only, you know, a tad bigger. Okay, way bigger. It practically fills my entire field of vision. It looks like an endless number of specks of light nested within the sphere.


    Is this the true form of the bright light? Dr. Keyser definitely knew more about this dimension than he let on.


    Just like in the painting, trillions upon trillions of tiny lights, connected by shimmering golden strings, swirl within the sphere. They flicker like miniature golden stars, but they dim the closer they get to the center. It’s mesmerizing, if not slightly overwhelming.


    From the darkness below, a dark red speck of light drifts upwards toward the sphere. But before the golden strings can reach it, iridescent strings shoot out from behind me.


    Talk about a dramatic entrance.


    The iridescent strings ensnare and entangle the red speck, preventing the golden strings from touching it. They then pull the speck towards me, and as they do, memories flood my mind in a torrent of vivid visions.


    ******


    My eyes snap open in the freezing depths, a shiver wracking my tiny body, punctuated by a silent, underwater scream of hunger. Two enormous, serpent-like figures glide into view. Mom and Dad. They’re our providers, our protectors.


    One of them looks strikingly familiar…


    I’m not alone. Five other little versions of myself wiggle around in this deep-sea nest. Six siblings in total.


    Time passes, and we grow, slowly but surely, inch by painstaking inch. One day, Dad, the larger of the two, departs the nest. Probably off to grab some takeout.


    Our peaceful existence is abruptly shattered by two piercing beams of light.


    A small submarine materializes from the murky water.


    Dr. Keyser’s sub? What’s he doing down here?


    The submarine’s lights focus on us, and two metallic claws extend, reaching for us.


    But before they can snatch us up, a massive tail slams into the submarine, sending it reeling.


    Mom unleashes a flurry of tail strikes, thrashing the sub repeatedly. It zips and dodges, weaving erratically up and down, side to side, narrowly avoiding each blow.


    Through the sub’s clear viewport, I spot him—a much younger-looking Dr. Keyser.


    As the submarine continues its frantic evasive maneuvers, a hatch on its underside pops open, and something drops out. A blinding flash of light erupts.


    I’m temporarily blinded. Everything’s a blurry mess for what feels like an eternity.


    When my vision finally clears, our nest is in ruins, a jumbled mess of debris. Only two of us hatchlings remain amidst the wreckage. The water around us is now tinged with a strange blue liquid.


    Before we can even process what’s happened, a metal claw clamps down on us.


    It almost yanks us into a glass container when a piercing, high-pitched shriek cuts through the water. A grievously wounded serpent wraps herself around the submarine.


    It’s Mom! She’s not giving up on us.


    Suddenly, a wave of agonizing, numbing pain surges through my body, and everything goes black.


    When I come to, all I see is one of the larger serpents, severed in two, lying lifeless on the seabed.


    It’s Mom.


    Dad returned, encircling Mom with a low, mournful moan.


    The submarine was gone, leaving me alone in our ruined nest.


    That bastard had killed the serpent and taken their children!


    I nudged close to Dad, resting against him. He gently wrapped his tail around me.


    After laying Mom to rest on the seafloor, we left our old home. We relocated to a new spot, much deeper than before. Every so often, we returned to Mom’s resting place, lingering for a while before leaving again.


    A long, long time passed. I grew much larger— Dad got bigger too..


    This time, as we left Mom’s resting place, I saw it again. That submarine, floating mockingly on the surface—the thing that had shattered our family. The cause of all of Dad’s grief.


    My blood boiled. With a roar, I charged, sending the submarine flying into the air. As it crashed back down, a small creature tumbled into the water. Blinded by fury, I clamped my jaws down on it. It felt like biting a jagged rock—a sharp pain shot through my mouth.


    The little pest scrambled towards the surface. I couldn’t let it escape back inside. Thankfully, Dad was there. He slammed the creature back down to the seafloor. I gave chase, smashing and crushing everything in my path, but it still managed to wriggle away.


    When I looked up, I saw Dad swirling in a furious circle, faster and faster, creating a whirlpool that dragged the submarine and the creature back into the depths. I lunged again and again, trying to tear something off—a limb, a hand, a foot, anything! But nothing budged, and the creature stabbed me repeatedly.


    Before I could retaliate, Dad opened his massive maw and swallowed it whole.


    Just when I thought it was over, as I prepared to finish off the submarine, the unthinkable happened. A hole burst open in Dad’s side. He roared in pain, twisting and thrashing as that small, deceptively fragile creature emerged from his body.


    Impossible!


    As it tried to flee, I bit its leg again, determined to drag it back down. Not again. Not after everything. As it raised its blade, I braced for the worst, but Dad intervened once more, swatting the blade aside. It went off to the side, and embedded itself in one of my eyes.


    Dad helped me yank the blade out, then promptly swallowed it.


    In a final, desperate attempt, we each grabbed one of its limbs, hoping to tear it apart. But the little monster was incredibly tough. Nothing we did seemed to hurt it.


    Suddenly, I felt a hand reach into my empty eye socket and grip my skull. I thrashed and twisted, but it was no use. Punches rained down on my skull, one after another.


    In one excruciatingly painful moment, it all ended. I could no longer feel my body. Everything went cold again.


    ******


    When the memory stream ends, the dark red speck of light becomes translucent. As if it has all the colors absorbed, returning to its most innocent form. It drops silently back into the darkness.


    My vision snaps back to the middle of the sea.


    As if time has been rewound and replayed, my hair returns to its normal silver color, and the smaller serpent remains motionless, still clutched by its empty eye socket in my hand.


    The larger serpent releases me, its massive coils loosening as it hurriedly wraps itself around the smaller one. Protecting its head from any further fisticuffs, it cradles the body gently, but it’s too late.


    I loosen my grip, letting the smaller serpent’s lifeless form drift away. The larger serpent guides the body softly to the sea floor, laying it down with utmost care.


    It looks at the still form in agony, wrapping itself around it and emitting soft, mournful sounds—a lullaby, comforting its child into an eternal sleep.


    The larger serpent then turns its gaze toward me. Its eyes meet mine, filled with unfathomable grief, the stare piercing my chest like a thousand icy daggers. I can feel its sorrow, raw and all-encompassing.


    I had a family once. I can’t even begin to fathom the despair this creature must be feeling now.


    They mistake me for Dr. Keyser because of that blasted submarine!


    Regret and dread wash over me, leaving me rooted to the spot. My mind spirals, consumed by thoughts of all the ways this could have played out differently.


    If only I knew… If only I hadn’t used that submarine. If only I’d tried running. If only… I had been the one to die. It’s not my fault. It attacked first. It wouldn’t let go. It’s not my fault!


    The agonizing thoughts engulf my mind, and even darker ones surface.


    Should I kill it? Killing it would reunite it with its family in the afterlife.


    The serpent lies beside its child, motionless.


    I should just end its misery. They’re just animals, after all.


    I clench my fist.


    Just one swift, powerful kick, directly into its skull, would do it.


    I sink down onto its head. As if accepting its fate, it doesn’t move. It looks at me with lifeless eyes and then closes them.


    Deep within me, I’m practically begging for a different outcome. Just as I raise my feet above my head, poised to deliver a swift, merciful end, my hair flares up again.


    Strands of it twist and solidify, reforming into the smaller serpent. It’s like its consciousness has returned for an encore.


    It whispers softly beside the larger serpent’s ear. The larger serpent’s eyes snap open, life returning to its gaze. It murmurs a soft reply before closing them again, this time with a hint of peace.


    Strands of my hair pierce the larger serpent’s head, and a dark blue aura envelops it. Memories surge into my mind. I see visions of the two serpents meeting, their love, their care for their children, her death, his sorrow, this fight, and finally, his child’s death.


    All memories of his love and family flood into me. The serpent’s aura brightens, fading to pure white. His eyes clear, the despair gone. All his wounds close.


    The smaller serpent gently nudges the larger one’s head before dissolving back into strands of hair, returning to their normal color.


    It’s done. I’ve absorbed all his memories of his family. It’s as if they never existed for him.


    I’m not sure if it was the right thing to do, but it feels like the smaller serpent’s last wish for its father.


    The larger serpent glances at the smaller serpent’s body, a flicker of confusion in its eyes, before swimming off into the dark sea.


    Not exactly the happy ending I was hoping for. Guess reviving the dead isn’t one of my hair’s special talents.


    I slowly ascend to the surface. As I break through and clamber back onto the submarine, a ray of light pierces the darkness.


    A sun, remarkably like Earth’s, rises over the horizon.


    The seawater glitters in the sunlight, the wind picks up. The distant land and mountains sharpen into view.


    Every scrap of fabric on my body is shredded, yet my skin is without a single scratch.


    Destroying this body is going to be a real pain…


    I run my hand through my already dry hair. Not a drop of water stays anywhere on my body when I return to the surface. Examining my hair, I once again try to control it or light it up, but nothing works.


    I run a hand through my already dry hair. Not a drop of water clings to me as I resurface. I examine my hair, giving another futile attempt to control it or make it glow, but nothing happens.


    It’s only lit up three times: twice when something died right in front of me—that seems to be the trigger. The last time, I had no clue what set it off, and the effect was completely different. I didn’t even see the golden sphere then.


    In all cases, though, it seems I’m absorbing memories through my hair, memories from whatever it was attached to. I wonder what other nifty skills or abilities are hiding in my character tab…


    After a couple of minutes of flailing around and looking like a complete idiot, I give up. No skill tab, no character sheet, no system…nothing.


    “This is a trash isekai,” I mutter. “Let me go back to my afterlife!” I yell at the sky, half-hoping some bored deity might actually hear me.


    I yank off the wet cloth and scramble back into the submarine to change. Once I’m back in the driver’s seat, I scan the horizon for the nearest large landmass and point the sub in that direction.


    Half-submerged, I speed toward the land, keeping a sharp lookout for any more aquatic attackers. Thankfully, the trip is uneventful, and I reach a red sandy beach by the time the sun is only halfway up the sky. The sun definitely seems to be moving slower than back on Earth.


    As I approach the beach, I throttle back and find a secluded spot to beach the sub. I climb out and heave the vessel further onto the sand.


    The submarine is surprisingly sturdy. After everything it’s been through, it only has a few minor dents. I head back inside and gather all my belongings.


    I cautiously make my way inland from the beach. The plants and animals I encounter aren’t aggressive, but absolutely nothing looks familiar. Most of the plants have enormous leaves, and some are laden with huge, dangling fruits.


    The vegetation is lush and tropical, and the air is thick with humidity. I hear bird-like calls mixing with low roars echoing around me—some close by, others far off in the distance.


    Every so often, I take a deep breath, just to get a sense of my surroundings. Some areas smell foul, like animal droppings, while others have a pleasant, sweet scent.


    As I venture deeper into the jungle, a particularly interesting aroma catches my attention. It smells like a blend of spices—very familiar spices, the kind you’d find back on Earth.


    Someone’s cooking…