"Is that child right there a freak? Aren't you the real freaks?"
The boys who were previously beating up Hergar looked with fear towards the towering Cobra before them.
"Y-yeah!"
"Of course!! Him and you both!!"
"Mhm!"
The boys slurred off insults as they ran past the snake, escaping from the alleyway.
The cobra merely shrugged his shoulders with a sly laugh.
"Hey kid, do you know why those people exist? The type who will beat up others because they're different?"
Hergar stood up and brushed himself off.
"You didn't need to do that. After all, they're right. I'm nothing more than a freak."
"Does that make me a freak as well, boy?", the man asked with a grin as he slithered towards Hergar.
"Well.... I've never met another person like myself. You are the first. So yes. We're freaks. There is nobody else like us."
"Haha.... is that so? Well, let me tell you something, kid. We're not the real freaks."
The snakeman leaned in on Hergar and whispered into his ear.
"Everyone else is."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"I mean what I just said. We're the originals. They're the true freaks. Do you know why we're so different from them? It's because at one point, everyone was like us."
"What?"
"I mean it. We are the true snakemen. Do you know how the snakemen came about in the first place? There was a certain demon who came down from his throne and began performing experiments on the beasts of the realm. He gave them both intelligence and power by combining the beasts with humans. Obviously, we snakemen were a result of experiments on snakes. That means that our forms are the original forms of snakemen... and everyone else is an abomination."
"Is.... is that true?"
Hergar was interested in the story and the man continued.
"There were multiple.... batches of experiments. We're likely the descendants of those who were the closest to the beasts. Which means that we have intelligence, but we also have more power than anyone else in this city."
Hergar shook his head in denial.
"That can't be true. My parents look like everyone else."
"Then it must have been a recessive trait which they carried within them. Do you know what I personally think, boy? We're the pure bloods. Your parents carried within you the genes of a lost lineage, and mine did as well. But do you know why we are so different?"
"Why?"
"Because we were born to be kings."
Hergar looked up at the man with hope as he said this.
Never before in his life had he met another who was similar to himself, but this statement shook his heart.
Could it be possible that this horrible condition which he thought was some sort of disorder or genetic dysfunction was actually the marking of a ruler?
He desired to know.
The man extended his hand towards Hergar with a smirk.
"Kid. Come with me. We'll show the people of this city who the real outsiders are."
----
Hergar was taken by this strange man to a palace in the center of the city.
It was enormous and surrounded by walls.
Men who wore military uniforms seemed to line the halls and saluted to the cobra as he passed by them with a charismatic smile.
"Kaiser! Welcome back!"
"We've been awaiting your return!"
The cobra nodded and saluted back to the men.
"Gather all the men and have them collect in the plaza. I have an announcement to make."
"As you wish, Sir!"
The guards ran off and Hergar was taken to a plaza where soldier after soldier gathered in assembly. Eventually, things seemed to settle down and the soldiers all stood in line, awaiting the words of their leader.
The cobra then stood forward and spoke in a loud voice so that all could hear.
"Men. I thank you very much for following me to this point. We have worked hard, and are continuing to work towards our future.... a future where this city is led by a pure bloodline of snakemen. Gentlemen! I have today found myself a successor to my lineage, one of pure blood! Behold this young man!!"
The cobra pointed to Hergar, who was shocked at the sudden declaration.
'Eh!? Me?! Succeeding his lineage?? As the leader of this city??'
Hergar was filled with confusion, but the soldiers who were lined up began to clap.
"We trust in you, Kaiser!"
"You have the mark of a leader, just as this young man does! We will serve him just as we have served you, even after you pass on!"
"Now you will not have to worry about what becomes of this city even when you are gone, for it will continue to prosper under a true leader!"
The guards clapped and cheered, and Hergar was filled with a strange emotion which he had never before experienced.
Pride.
Here he was, standing in front of a number of snakemen, and they were clapping.
They were clapping for him, and for this cursed body which he had been born with.
"Kid, I'm going to teach you everything there is about ruling a city in due time. But first things first.... I have to take over this city as the ruler."
"Will that be difficult?"
"Not with these loyal men under me. We're the only organized group in this town. There won't be anyone who can disagree."
And so, things went as such.
The man sent his men out into the town, informing all the people that a new leader had arisen- one of pure blood who was going to make this place a safe haven for snakemen.
At first, people were elated.
They were excited to be ruled by an actual figurehead.
It was something which the snakemen had never before experienced, and so they were all teeming with excitement at the prospect of uniting under a leader.
However, there were some which disagreed.
There were some who believed that a leader would only usurp others and use their power against everyone else.
These people were soon labeled as dissenters.
A registration system was created.
"A name is a precious thing. It is something which only the pure blooded ones like ourselves deserve to have, for a name represents position, status, and wealth. A name has meaning behind it, but the people of this village.... they do not deserve the luxury of a name. For them to have names would be nothing more than arrogance on their own part. We are above them. And thus, we must make this clear. They are nothing more than the numbers which label them."
The most loyal 125 households from each of the four districts were selected to become labeled members of the village- totaling for 500 allowable households. No more, no less.
Everyone else was then determined to be 'unregistered'.
To be unregistered meant that you were not considered to be an insider under the eyes of the Kaiser, and these people were quickly taken into custody- both dissenters and non dissenters alike.
This was when the slave camps were formed.
"Hergar, these people are the ones who view us as nothing more than freaks of nature.... but they are the true freaks. They are outsiders. They are a danger to this village. They must be silenced."
People were put to brutal work in these camps, which were enforced by the soldiers underneath the Kaiser, and those taken into custody were stripped of all rights.
"There is no need to consider the feelings and rights of outsiders. After all, they will only ever lead this place to ruin if we allow them to do as they please. We must control them and stop anyone from becoming like them. Dissent is like a disease. If even a single person gains just the slightest suspicion, then they will spread it around to everyone else. We can't allow that. This is why we must control everything. The people. Their lives. Their work. Their provisions. Their food. Anyone unregistered among the people is someone who is not under that strict regulation, and as such is a threat to our people."
The leader taught Hergar, who stood by his side watching as he established an entire system.
Years passed and the number of dissenters declined one by one.
As time passed people began to become both fearful and in awe of the person who led them.
He became a mysterious figure- one who stood at the top and was near untouchable.
But it was when Hergar was 27, 13 years after having been taken in by his mentor, that his own mentor found himself on his deathbed.
"Hergar.... you are like a son to me. My plan to rule this village.... it does not end with myself. As a matter of fact, I have set everything up for you.... I did not do all this because I wanted to be at the top.... I did this because I wanted a pure blood to become an untouchable being. The entire production of food within this city..... it has been regulated by our insiders. It's been years since anyone here has even witnessed the production of food. Therefore.... you can do this now. You can spread the information that you are the one who produces the food of the people from nothing. They will become reliant on you. They will view you as necessary. This was my plan from the start. Fulfill it for me."
Hergar grinned as his mentor said these words.
"I will fulfill your wish."
Hergar took the throne, and the brainwashing begun.
The people of the town underwent mandatory education on the origins of this city, and the name of the provider was spread throughout the village.
He was an untouchable being of pure blood.
He held power that was unimaginable.
In reality, Hergar was actually slightly stronger than the average snakeman, due to his own genetics. He discovered that he was talented with fire magic and used this to show his own power to the people at one point when he showed himself in a blaze of glory.
However, he kept his own face to be one which was publicly known, yet rarely shown.
The people would gaze in awe and terror upon seeing the person who was responsible for everything which happened to them.
Eventually, this turned to a rein of terror.
Even the slightest slip of the tongue would lead people to be arrested.
The numbers were kept at exactly 125 per district with only two children allowed per family- one male and one female so that the number of people would remain exactly the same. Any children born beyond these numbers were given up to the provider as unregistered sacrifices.
Pliara did not know this herself, but she was one of these children.
The 2nd daughter born to a family, they disguised their child as a male for the first couple of years until an inspection occurred.
As a result of this inspection, they had to get rid of the child.
They left the 3 year old girl in the garbage dump, and claimed that their child had died in an accident when the soldiers investigated.
Pliara survived on her own, eating out of the trash piles, learning how to live in the most basic of circumstances until she eventually met Thomar.
Meanwhile, outsiders became the very enemy of the snakemen.
The people were educated under the pretense that outsiders were evil beings who wished to spread corrupted thoughts and false teachings, uprooting everything which the provider had established for the people.
And so, the snakemen village went on like this for years.
Outsiders who did happen to show up were turned in and killed as sacrifices.
Until four particular humans showed up, that is.
Four humans who held the flag of the antiheroes, the beings of chaos who would uproot each and every last system in this very world.
To the provider, one who had spent his life adhering to such a system, the antiheroes of legend were his natural enemy.
And now, this provider, Hergar Poliarus, found himself face to face with these beings of terror- ones who he had never even so much as considered their existence.
He had never expected that such powerful creatures could possibly exist.
But here they were. And here he was.
A demonic male and a young girl taking the form of a spirit stood in front of him with horrible looks of sadism on their faces.
Their hands were on each others shoulders and their heads turned to look at Hergar with disgusting smiles.
"I think it's time to add onto our collection of charms. After all, your soldiers seemed to have a number of badges covering them. Did those represent achievements and status? Hey Ally, I just got an idea. Why don't we start to do something similar? For example....."
The demon seemed to reach into an inter-dimensional space before pulling out a pair of knives, handing one to his crazed lover.
"Why don't we cut out those eyes and use them as baubles? I'm sure they'll make a nice addition to our necklaces."
"I.... love it.... hehehehe....."
The spirit girl responded in a horrible voice in the affirmative and the two approached Hergar with faces of insanity.
"W-wait..... you..... you outsiders.... what are you doing!?!? What are you doing!?!?!? Do you know who I am!?!? I am the provider!!!!! I am the one who stands at the top of my people!!!! My people.... they will.... they will destroy you for laying a hand on me!!!! They are all undoubtedly loyal to me, and will never stop until the ones who have harmed me have perished!!!! You fools must be the antiheroes!!!! I have heard about you in the legends, but I never thought that you would be so stupid as to pick a fight with myself!!! I am a legend in the eyes of my people, and I will not stop until I see you all perish for this!!!!"
It was then that Hergar raised his own hand with a smirk and produced a blue flame.
It was like a blowtorch. The flame was extremely concentrated and likely at a temperature of thousands of degrees.
"I am a prodigy of magic myself.... this is what it means to be a pure blood, after all!! This is how my mentor was able to take the lead of so many loyal people, and I will not let you simply do as you wish!!!!"
The demon and the spirit were looking at Hergar with unimpressed faces.
"Hey, I think the bug is saying something."
"Ah, is that right? Yes, I think he is."
"What should we do, Gary?"
"I suppose putting him in his place would be the first thing."
"Hehehe..... it's actually more fun when they have the will to fight back at first....."
The spirit stepped forward with a horrible smile towards Hergar who held his own hands forward, expanding his flame.
"Don't tell me I didn't warn you, spirit girl!!! I'll kill you here and now!!!", he stated as he stood up and shot the flame off like a projectile at her.
An explosion occurred as the beam came into contact with the spirit and dust was spread all around the jail cell.
"Hahaha!!!! I bet that pierced right through your heart!!! Even spirits aren't immune to magic, after all!!!"
However, when the dust cleared, it became obvious to Hergar that he had made a grave mistake.
Standing before him was not a spirit.
She was a ghastly nightmare.
Her eyes became ragged with veins and her mouth grinned widely.
Her hair began to flail about in all directions as if the mana flowing through it was electrifying it.
And Hergar came under a feeling of dread which was so great he could not describe it.
"Do you think you could hurt the origin of darkness with a spell that was infused with evil intent? On the contrary..... you are merely returning my own power to myself....."
Hergar fell to the ground under the pressure of gravity which seemed to increase by over 1000 times.
He could not so much as even lift a finger and his throat became caught on itself as he tried to speak.
"After all.... being a hero sure would be boring, wouldn't it? A hero isn't supposed to do something like this. Fortunately....."
The monstrosity descended on the constrained Hergar with a terrible grin as she reached for the knife.
"I don't have to play as a hero. Because we are the antiheroes."
The knife was stuck into the lower part of Hergar's eye socket, and a circle was carved so that the eye popped right out.
The spirit girl grabbed the eyeball, ripping it out with the optic nerves, which had previously been repaired.
"Ah ah.... it really is so much fun to see the look of despair on the faces of you scum.... I can understand exactly what Fargar meant..... we truly are similar to him."
"Indeed.", the demon replied with a horrible grin as he too approached Hergar, his knife branded.
Hergar could not describe the unimaginable pain which he experienced as both of his eyes were carved out and his sight then was shut off as the nerves were severed.
He felt the cold blood dripping down his face from his own eye sockets, mixed in with tears which he could no longer cry.
And then, his eyes were poked through with a needle.
The demon and the spirit took off the necklaces which the other one wore, removing two of the fingers from each of them so that the eyeballs would make the centerpiece on the necklaces.
The spirit placed the necklace back onto the head of the demon once again, and he did the same for her.
As he lowered this necklace onto her face, he brushed aside a tuft of her messy hair, taking a look into her ghastly eyes, dark with lines underneath them.
"You are truly the most beautiful girl in the world.", he stated.
"Hehehe...."
The girl fixed the necklace on the demon so that it was properly aligned, and he did the same for her.
"T-thank you.....", she said.
The two then looked over to the eyeless creature in front of them.
"Now that we have our souvenirs, we will never forget this moment. How lovely, isn't it?", the demon said as he looked back to the elf and the succubus who were calmly watching with their hands held as they leaned back on the wall.
"Indeed.", the elf replied. "Perhaps we too should obtain some souvenirs?"
"Why not?", the succubus stated.
Hergar heard this interaction and was overcome with a fear unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Even at the time when he loathed himself for his own body, he had never once feared death.
And yet, these horrible beings of terror would not let him die.
They were intent on making him suffer every last infirmity before throwing him aside.
'Demons... demons..... these people.... they are truly unredeemable....'
"Unredeemable?"
Hergar heard the smooth voice of the succubus as he felt her cold, clawed fingers grab onto one of his fangs.
"Don't make me laugh. The fact that you cannot even consider your own actions to be the ones that were wrong is what makes you truly unredeemable. We know that we are evil. But you? You are the one who is truly sick."