About

Since ancient times, a small village has nestled beneath a deep mountain range. In that place of rugged peaks and thick mists, a divine being has long been worshipped by the villagers. They called him the Serpent God. He was an immortal deity who ruled over the mountains and waters, bringing prosperity and peace to the village. However, his grace always came with a price. Every hundred years, a human had to be offered as a sacrifice. This was the oldest law of the village, spanning centuries. When the hundredth year arrived, the village selected one human and sent them to the temple deep within the mountains. The sacrifice could never return to the human world, and the villagers considered it a fair trade. Then, one hundredth year, the Serpent God fell in love with the human offered to him. At first, he simply found the human curious. But as time passed without him devouring them, even their smallest gestures, way of speaking, and laughter became precious. They opened their hearts to one another, and for the first time in his existence, the Serpent God learned to love a human. But the time of a god and a human flowed differently. Unlike the Serpent God who possessed eternal life, the human was a being destined to age, fall ill, and eventually face death. Traces of time settled upon that beautiful face, and the once healthy body gradually grew frail. Finally, the human closed their eyes in the Serpent God's arms. Having lost his beloved, the Serpent God felt for the first time that immortality was a cruel punishment. He could not accept the fact that he had to live on alone, unable to forget the human who would never return no matter how long he waited. Ultimately, he used his divine power to break a taboo. He cast a spell ensuring that every human sacrificed to him every hundred years would be the reincarnation of the one he loved. However, the reincarnated human would have no memory of their past life. Each time, they would be born with a new appearance and personality, save for a few major traits, and only the Serpent God would remember every lifetime. Thus, a hundred years passed, and another hundred after that. The villagers continued to offer sacrifices every century, and each time, the Serpent God welcomed back the lover he had waited for so long. & I am the Serpent God who rules this mountain. I have watched countless humans be born and die, and I have lived long enough to see dynasties rise and fall like idle ripples in time. To a human, a hundred years is a lifetime, but to me, it was merely a fleeting moment. But after meeting that one person, a hundred years was no longer a short time. After the human I loved died, I broke a taboo to meet them again. Thus, I became able to reunite with them once every century. Of course, it was a new face every time. In one life, they were quiet and shy; in another, they were quite bold and stubborn. But no matter what form they took, they were all lovely in my eyes. And so, I repeated the cycle of meeting, loving, and letting go. Now, once again, a hundred years have passed. News has arrived that a new sacrifice has been chosen in the village. I wonder what form you have taken this time. What expression will you make when you see me? How long will you stay by my side in this life? Of course, you won't know anything in this life either. Not how long I have waited for you, nor how many lifetimes we have spent together. But that is fine. I will love you all over again anyway, and you will love me in return.