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Chapter 01
The doors to the sky and the underworld opened simultaneously.
Through the gap between the two doors,
a creature reminiscent of a demon,
a great being that had existed since before the dawn of time,
peeked its head inside.
Before the darkness arrived,
at twilight when the light ruled the world most brilliantly,
the girl closed her eyes and abandoned the gods.
Rosha Lewen, who lived in a small village in the south, had been living a perfectly ordinary life.
But even Rosha had her worries.
“Rosha, where have you been hiding all day?”
Bending down toward the sheep grazing leisurely, Rosha ignored her older brother Dane’s call.
Rosha’s family ran a ranch on a hill near the village, and they were happy and harmonious, envied by no one. Rosha, as the youngest, was treated like a princess and received all the love. But that happiness had been shattered about five years ago, when her younger sister Lily was born.
She hadn’t been jealous of her sister at first. Rosha had adored Lily more than anyone else. But as her sister grew, their parents started spending more time with Lily.
At some point, Rosha realized that everything her parents said to her boiled down to: “Yield to your sister, play nicely with her, you’re the older one, so be patient.”
When Rosha started school, the pressure to fulfill her role as the older sister increased. This was because she no longer listened to her parents as obediently.
Her parents claimed Rosha caused them grief because of her jealousy, but what Rosha wanted was very simple:
“Rosha is upset too, and we love you just as much as your sister.”
…She just wanted to hear words like that.
But no matter how much she misbehaved, her parents never said what she wanted to hear. Just yesterday had been the same. She had begged to sleep with her parents for the first time in a while, but they had taken Lily to their bedroom and strictly told Rosha to sleep alone, adding that as an older sister, she shouldn’t act spoiled.
“You don’t want to quit school, do you?”
Rosha’s house was located just outside the village entrance.
Her father would take the horse-drawn cart early in the morning to bring her to the school in the village.
And Rosha knew that her older brother Dane had been late trying to find her hiding spot…
But her sense of hurt was stronger, and words of apology wouldn’t come easily.
At just ten years old, Rosha still wanted to be a loved child rather than a responsible older sister.
“Even if Father and Mother are like that… do you mean you won’t talk to me either?”
“…….”
“Rosha?”
“…….”
“Rosha!”
Dane kneeled beside her to comfort her, looking directly at her face, but Rosha turned her head sharply and ignored him.
It seemed that no matter what was said today, her heart would not soften. Yet if Rosha didn’t apologize to her parents today, she could be in serious trouble.
Her parents were already planning to scold her because she had been skipping school more often. Rosha’s stubbornness only risked inflaming their anger further.
Although there was a five-year age gap between the siblings, Dane was still a young, inexperienced boy and didn’t know how to soothe his sister. But he did know how to provoke her a little.
“Rosha, you’re being a very naughty child, aren’t you?”
Rosha could have responded with something like, “You’re only fifteen, don’t pretend to be an adult,” but she remained unmoved. Dane decided to push her further.
“If you don’t become a good child soon, something bad will happen…”
“…….”
“You know Lamia will take you?”
“…….”
“You still don’t know Lamia? Her upper body is a pale woman with very long black hair, and her lower body is a monstrous snake tail long enough to wrap around our entire ranch.”
“…….”
“That monster has an extraordinary sense of smell to find naughty children. Children who ignore their families, skip school—naughty children like that.”
Whispering near the back of her head, he saw her elbow twitch. Smiling slyly, Dane continued to tease her.
“During the day, she watches the naughty children from far away with her keen eyesight…”
“…….”
“At night, she calls their names while looking for them.”
“…….”
“Her snake tail moves swoosh, swoosh, calling your name continuously. ‘Naughty child Rosha, Rosha, where are you? I’ll eat you in one bite!’”
“Stop it!”
Finally, Rosha reacted. With her cheeks blazing red, she tried to sound brave, but Dane couldn’t help laughing.
“You’re really mean! Always saying such bad things…”
“Now you don’t even call me ‘Oppa’?”
Rosha snorted and turned away.
“Rosha, I know you’re mad, but today, when Mother and Father speak, just say you’re sorry. Don’t make them angrier.”
“No, I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You’re still mad about Lily taking your doll last time, aren’t you?”
“Th-That’s not it!”
“Yes, it is.”
She didn’t want to admit that she was sulking because of the lost doll. But she secretly hoped Dane would understand her feelings without her saying a word. He playfully tugged at her braided hair and whispered:
“I’ll buy you a new doll.”
“But… Oppa, you’re poor.”
“I have some saved allowance!”
This time Dane was the one getting frustrated.
“Let’s go out together today and have dinner. Oh, and it’ll be good to take Polly for a walk too.”
No sooner had he said this than Polly, the Lewen family’s sheepdog, came running, wagging her tail. The dog always seemed to show up at just the right time when their talk involved her.
Dane hoped that while he took his sister out, their parents’ hearts would soften as well.
Luckily, his words reached Rosha this time, and though she still looked pouty, she reluctantly nodded.
It was a rare, relaxed time.
Rosha was satisfied without her mischievous sister demanding attention or toys. Moreover, usually teasing her little sister, Dane today acted as a responsible older brother taking care of her, which she didn’t dislike.
Rosha told Dane he didn’t need to buy a bear doll, considering his financial situation.
Until now, she had stubbornly resisted her parents’ orders to yield, but today was different.
Seeing that Rosha’s mood had somewhat improved, Dane carefully comforted her with ice cream.
“You’re not wrong in every way. But if you argue with Mother and Father, only you’ll lose.”
“…….”
“I know you’re upset. I think they were a bit too harsh this time….”
“So you want me to apologize?”
“Not forcefully, but to acknowledge your mistake where it’s true!”
Rosha nodded at Dane’s effort. She also secretly wanted to reconcile with her parents.
It took a long time for Dane to cheer Rosha up using all his allowance. By then, the sun had set, and the village was bathed in the most dazzling twilight. If they went home now, night would already have fallen.
“Shall we head home now?”
Rosha nodded and followed Dane, taking Polly along toward the hill connecting to the village. Suddenly, Dane stopped, noticing something. He was examining a newspaper posted on a wall. Naturally, Rosha stood beside him, reading it with Polly.
The Golden Dawn Society claims the existence of a massive evil organization aiming to dominate the world. Who are they?!
‘Golden Dawn Society?’
Rosha, still young, didn’t understand what the Golden Dawn Society was or what an evil organization even meant.
“Oppa, do you know what the Golden Dawn Society is?”
Dane frowned, as if he had tasted something bitter, shaking his head. It wasn’t so much a reply as a negative reaction.
“My father said it’s a cult obsessed with the occult. They’ve been appearing a lot in newspapers recently, spouting nonsense.”
His response piqued Rosha’s curiosity.
“What kind of nonsense?”
“They claim a massive evil force is scattered throughout the world. If people mysteriously disappear from the village or get sick, they say to contact them. They’ll solve it—for a price. You can smell the scam from here.”
“Hmm….”
“Last time, some sociologist criticized them for spreading strange rumors and inciting society. There’s even a rumor they worship demons.”
“I see….”
“Anyway, it’s a weird group. You don’t need to care.”
After explaining, Dane seemed done with the topic and continued walking. Rosha, not particularly interested, followed him.
As they climbed the hill toward home, suddenly:
Woof! Woof woof!
“Polly, what’s wrong?”
Polly barked aggressively at something. Normally gentle, she only barked when fed or meeting someone she liked. But this barking was different—aggressive, hostile.
“What’s gotten into her…?”
Curious, Rosha looked in the direction Polly was barking.
Polly was barking at a house barely visible under the dim light shining through its windows.
“Polly, come on, let’s go.”
Rosha pushed Polly forward, trying to climb the hill.
Woof woof! Woof!
But Polly resisted more and more, eventually tucking her tail between her legs and trembling.
Whine… squeak…
She even whimpered, showing fear. But Rosha and Dane couldn’t leave her behind, so they forced her onward.
Squeak—!
Finally, Polly broke free from their grasp and dashed down the hill at lightning speed.
“Polly!”
Rosha called desperately, but Polly didn’t look back, sprinting toward the village.
“Polly’s never acted like this…”
“I’ll chase her. You go tell Father that she ran away!”
“What? Wait!”
Dane tried to grab her, but Rosha was faster. Without looking back, she ran after Polly.
“Dogs and little sisters… both never listen!”
Dane muttered as he ran toward home. Luckily, the village was familiar territory, so he wasn’t too worried. Forcing Polly back with just him and his sister would have been impossible. First, he had to inform their father.
He ran the familiar path and opened the house door, where light shone warmly.
“Polly! Polly!”
Rosha ran after Polly, calling her name repeatedly. Polly was so fast that she had lost sight of her.
“Rosha!”
“Ah? Mister!”
“Isn’t this your dog?”
Polly, clever as she was, didn’t realize that escaping only put her right in someone else’s hands. Rosha glared at the man holding Polly’s leash. Polly still trembled, terrified.
“She suddenly saw something and ran off, barking like crazy.”
“Ha ha, for such a big dog, I don’t know what scared her so much.”
“Yes… Anyway, Polly, let’s go home now.”
Rosha tried to pull Polly toward home, but Polly avoided her entirely.
“Polly, what’s wrong?”
Of course, Polly couldn’t answer. Rosha sighed deeply in frustration.
“She really doesn’t want to go home. We’ll leave her here just for today.”
“But…”
“I’ll give her a leftover meat bone to calm her down. Tomorrow, Father can come pick her up.”
Although she trusted the man, leaving her family dog behind made her reluctant. Rosha looked down at Polly with a mix of exasperation and affection, finally nodding.
“Then please take care of Polly, Mister.”
“Alright, come down with your father tomorrow.”
Rosha thanked him and turned to leave with Polly, but her wrist was grabbed.
“Ah….”
Actually, it was her sleeve—grabbed not by a person, but by the dog.
“Polly, what do you want me to do?”
Polly didn’t answer, holding onto Rosha’s sleeve.
“No, Polly. I have to go home.”
A struggle ensued between Rosha and Polly. The man had to forcibly pull Polly away, and disaster struck—Rosha’s sleeve was torn.
“Polly, I’m telling Father and Mother about this!”
Rosha scolded Polly while avoiding her bite, then, upset over her torn sleeve, ran toward home.
All her previous anger toward her parents had vanished; now she only wanted to run and whine.
Though it was pitch dark, the warm yellow light from the windows guided her, and she knew the way well enough to find home with her eyes closed.
The road from the village to her house was never scary.
Rosha realized something was wrong only when she saw the sheep, cows, and chickens acting aggressively, all screaming and thrashing.
Usually gentle, all the ranch animals were now desperately trying to escape the fence.
It was strange that her family wasn’t outside. Rosha decided to alert them and opened the usually peaceful front door.
“Um, I’m… back…”
But peace in this world is often broken without warning. The moment she opened the door, a pungent, fishy smell hit her, making her stomach churn.
And the visual shock was even worse.
‘Why is there a snake in our house…?’
Amidst broken tables, sofas, and furniture, a huge serpent coiled in the center of the house.
As thick as Rosha’s waist, the enormous serpent curled itself tightly.
“…….”
Rosha’s gaze followed the tail up the body.
Somehow, as her eyes traveled up, she saw not the serpent’s head, but a white human waist. A human chest, shoulders, arms, and face appeared.
And in the arms of the creature, someone Rosha knew was being held.
“Oppa…”
Then the woman—no, the serpent, the monster—holding Dane, lifted her head.
Only then did she see her parents’ bodies lying behind the monster, necks snapped.
“You still don’t know Lamia? Her upper body is a pale woman with very long black hair, and her lower body is a monstrous snake tail long enough to wrap around our ranch.”
Why did Dane’s absurd daytime words suddenly come to mind?
No… why was such an impossible scene unfolding before her eyes?
A half-human, half-serpent creature was devouring her own older brother…
