Zaron laughed a devilish laugh. "Only (Seraph) is saving his life in the depths of the sea, so who could it be? Is the Zarin serpent playing a game with me?" He clenched his fist. He knew that he needed the blood and souls of these ten girls to complete his spell. "Whoever it is, it's too late. In the blue depths of the sea, where even the sunlight used to die on reaching it, there was an eerie silence today. Outside the magical fence surrounding Queen Nerissa's Mermaid Kingdom, Seraph was swimming in his golden serpent form. His body could be seen shining from miles away, as if gold had been melted underwater. Seraph's heart was beating fast for Alina. He could feel that something was very wrong on earth, but Izrak—that green poisonous and powerful serpent—was not letting him move from here.
Suddenly, the seawater began to become heavy and a loud roar was heard from afar, as if mountains were crashing into each other underwater. Azrak appeared with his green army. His eyes were filled with hatred and his breath was dissolving black poison into the water. "Seraph! You have come here to save your queen friend, but do you know whose mercy your Alina is now at?" Azrak's voice echoed through the waves of the water and reached the ears of the Saraf.
Upon hearing this, the Saraf's anger knew no bounds. His golden eyes turned into burning embers. He let out a loud roar that caused an earthquake on the seabed. "Azrak! If you or Zaron even try to touch Alina, I will erase the name and mark of your entire race!" Saraf's body began to grow in an instant. A bright light emanated from his golden skin that illuminated the dark depths like day.
Azrak laughed and signalled his companions to attack. Hundreds of green snakes rushed towards Saraf at once. Saraf created such a whirlpool in the water with his tail that more than half of the snakes were engulfed in it and crashed into the rocks. Saraf was no longer just a snake; he had become a fire of anger and love that even water could not extinguish. Using his magical power, he shaped the waves of water into spears and began to rain them down on the enemy army.
The pressure of the water increased so much that the nearby rocks began to crumble. Azrak himself was also a skilled magician, he used black magic to send a wave of blood into the water so that Saraf "You will not leave here alive, Saraf! Today your pride will be buried in the sand of this very sea!" Azrak tried to strike Saraf with his sharp teeth, but Saraf was no match for his speed. He rushed forward, tearing through the waves like lightning, and swung his powerful tail at Azrak's head. The waves created by this collision shook even the pillars of Queen Nerissa's palace. Saraf knew that all this was to confuse him, and he had to end this battle and reach Alina at all costs.
The anxiety in the college atmosphere was getting on Alina's nerves. Classes were over, but Alina didn't want to go home. She felt as if that little golden snake in her house wasn't (just) waiting for her. She had just left the library and entered the corridor when she felt someone's presence behind her. A scent that was a combination of musk and jasmine wafted through the air, but it also had a strange coolness to it.
"Alina! You haven't gone home yet?" A silky and velvety voice forced her to stop.
She turned around and saw Ziraat (the snake prince Zaron) standing in front of her. He had the same enchanting smile on his face that had driven the girls of the entire college crazy. The last rays of the sun were filtering through the window and falling on his face, making his complexion shine like a pearl. Alina's heartbeat stopped for a moment. She felt as if she had known this man for centuries, but there was no comfort in this familiarity, but a strange fear.
"Yes, sir... I just had to return some books," Alina replied, lowering her eyes. She was afraid to look into Ziraat's eyes. There was something deep in those eyes that drew her towards them, like a deep well.
Ziraat took a few steps closer. His movements were as gentle and captivating as a hunter closing in on his prey. "Your eyes say a lot, Alina. It seems like you are afraid of losing something very dear," he said in a low voice. There was a charm in his voice that cast a spell on Alina's senses. "Do you remember that golden dream you often have? The dream where you are a queen and a prince is waiting for you?"
Alina's colour faded. She wondered how Ziraat knew about her dreams? "You... how do you know?" he asked in a trembling voice.
Ziraat took a deep breath and looked out the window. "Some relationships are connected to past lives, Alina. Will you believe it?" When he said this sentence, Alina's heart started beating against her ribs. It was the same sentence she had heard in her dreams. Ziraat turned and looked straight into Alina's eyes. At that moment, Alina felt her pupils lengthen a little, just like a snake. But before she could understand anything, Ziraat made his voice more charming. "There is someone who is sifting the dust of the oceans to protect you, but remember, Alina, sometimes the one we consider our protector is the one who keeps us imprisoned."
Alina felt dizzy. She felt both the truth and deception in Ziraat's words. Her heart wanted to run and escape from here, but her feet were stuck to the ground. Ziraat waved his hand slowly in the air, as if he were building an invisible wall around Alina. "You have to trust me, Alina. I can show you everything that has been erased from your memory." Just then, the college bell rang and the spell was broken. Alina frantically grabbed her bag and ran out of there without saying anything. Ziraat stood there watching her go, a triumphant smile on his lips because he knew that the first part of his spell had worked. Alina's heart was now beginning to yearn for him, and this was his greatest victory.
Alina was out of breath as she walked out of the college gate. She felt as if the velvety voice of Seraph was still whispering in her ears. Her mind was in a state of confusion. On one side was the little golden snake (Seraph) with whom she had spent her childhood and whom she had blindly trusted, and on the other side was this new teacher "Seraph", whose words had sown seeds of doubt in her heart. "Is Seraph really keeping me in some kind of prison?" This question was biting her mind like a poisonous snake.
Alina walked the path from college to home like a shadow. When she reached her room, the silence there was rushing to bite her. The place where the little golden snake often sat coiled was completely empty today. Alina started crying as soon as she fell on the bed. She was tormented by the memory of Saraf, but at the same time, the talk of agriculture—that he could show her her past—was making her uneasy. She was falling under the spell that Zaron had so skillfully created around her.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the ocean, Saraf's anger had now taken on a terrifying form. His ongoing battle with Azrak had turned the ocean water blood-red. Saraf suddenly felt a severe jolt, as if a part of his soul was being snatched from him. This was the change in Alina's heart that Saraf had sensed from miles away. "Alina! No! Don't listen to this Dajjal!" A scream came from Saraf's throat that shook the waves of the ocean for miles. He realised that Zaron had cast his magic spell and Alina was now coming under his control.
Saraf had now put all caution aside. He closed his golden eyes and called upon his "Ancient Power." His entire body began to burn like a torch. Azrak, who had been bewildering him until now, recoiled in fear at the sight of Saraf's new form. Saraf was no longer just a serpent; he was a storm that no power in the world could stop from reaching Alina. But there was still one great obstacle before him—the protection of Queen Nerissa or the call of his love? Saraf had little time, and only a few hours remained before that first spell of the night of Zaron was completed.
The silence of the night was dancing like a ghost in Alina's room. She was lying on the bed, exhausted, but sleep was far from her eyes. The moonlight coming through the window was not calming her today, but frightening her. As soon as she closed her heavy eyelids, she felt as if her room had disappeared and she was standing in the veranda of an ancient palace.
The atmosphere in this dream was exactly the same as the atmosphere around Ziraat in college—a combination of musk and coolness. From a distance, she heard the sound of a flute, which was so attractive that Alina's steps automatically started rising towards the sound. In front of her was a throne on which Ziraat (Zaroon) was sitting in his royal robes. There was that magical glow in his eyes that made a person forget his senses.
"Alina... have you arrived?" Ziraat's voice echoed inside her mind. "Look, this is your true place, this is your throne, and I am your prince that you have been searching for for centuries."
Alina wanted to step back in fear, but heavy chains appeared at her feet, which were not made of iron but of golden snakes. Ziraat said with a devilish smile, "Look! Those you consider your protectors are the ones who have bound you. The goldsmith never wants you to recognise your true power, because he knows that the day you wake up, you will leave his slavery."
In her dream, a mirror appeared in front of Alina. In it, she saw a girl who was exactly like her, but there was a magical glory in her clothes and eyes. The girl was writhing inside the mirror and wanted to say something to Alina, but Ziraat moved his hand over the mirror and the scene blurred.
Suddenly, the dream scene changed. The same Shadow Serpent appeared and stood between Ziraat and Alina as a wall. It let out such a terrifying roar that Alina's eyes flew open. She was drenched in sweat and her heart was pounding in her throat. The room still smelled the same, which meant that Ziraat's magic was not limited to dreams. Alina helplessly touched the small amulet around her neck that her father had given her as a child. That amulet was unusually warm today, as if it were warning her of a major storm coming. She was realising that her life was no longer what it had been yesterday. Now she had become the centre of a war whose players were not humans but powerful serpents.
The atmosphere in the basement of Zaron's magical palace had become heavy and bloody. The torches on the walls were no longer blue but a deep red fire. The ten girls, who had been hidden from the eyes of the world, now felt the shadow of death hovering over their heads. The girl in the middle, whose name was Sarah, was the most terrified. Her innocent eyes were filled with tears, but there was no room for mercy here.
Zaron (the Serpent Prince) stood near an ancient star (Pentagram) in the centre of the room. On his lips were demonic spells that sounded like a panting serpent. He pointed at Sarah and an unseen force threw Sarah into the air and brought her right into the centre of the star.
"Today, with this first blood, the foundation of my great spell will be laid, which will forever break Alina's soul from the seraph and throw it at my feet," Zaron's voice echoed throughout the basement like an explosion.
Sarah tried to scream, but Zaron's magic took away her voice. Her body slowly began to rise above the ground. Zaron took out a dagger from his pocket, the hilt of which was shaped like a serpent's head and poison glittered on its edge. As he waved the dagger in the air, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped. The same mysterious Shadow Serpent appeared in the corner once again. It seemed as if it was trying to stop Zaron, but Zaron was blinded by its power at that moment.
"You can't stop me! No matter who you are, this sacrifice will be made!" Zaron roared in anger and swung the dagger at Sarah's wrist.
As the first drop of innocent Sarah's blood fell on the magical star, a terrifying scream echoed throughout the palace—not Sarah's, but the ancient magic that was awakening. The lines on the floor began to soak up the blood, and the star glowed with red light. A savage, triumphant smile appeared on Zaron's face. He felt his magical power increase many times over.
The effect of this sacrifice was not limited to this palace. Alina, who was sleeping in her room miles away, was suddenly jolted awake. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if someone had stabbed her in the heart. She did not even realise that for her sake, the lamp of an innocent life had been extinguished. Zaron's first step had been completed, and now it was becoming almost impossible for Alina to escape from his clutches.
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