Hercules was dreaming, a long, long dream.
In my dreams, there is only an endless grassland, the sun is warm and the wind is soft. He just ran like that, running freely on this grassland. Run fast. As fast as wind, like light, like an existence that cannot be bound by anything. He didn't know where he was going or where he was coming from. He just runs, enjoying that feeling of freedom, enjoying the sound of the wind passing
by his ears. 115Rp
Then
He couldn't run.
Something entangled him. Start at your feet and wrap tightly. He wanted to struggle, to get rid of those things, but found that his body was getting heavier and heavier, and he was becoming more and more disobedient. Those things are climbing up. Wrap around his ankles, wrap around his calves,
wrap around his knees. He looked down, but saw nothing, only a thick darkness
that could not be dissolved. 15Rp
He wanted to shout, but he couldn't. He wanted to run, but he couldn't. He fell like that, on the grassland, in the sun, in those invisible bondages. The body is getting heavier and heavier, and breathing is getting harder and
harder.
Something strangled his neck, tighter and tighter, tighter and tighter-
1r5Rp
In reality, two poisonous snakes have climbed to the edge of the cradle. Their bodies are slender and powerful, and their black scales glow with a cold light. They were born from Medusa's blood, and after Perseus killed the gorgon, her blood dropped onto the earth and turned into these two poisonous snakes.
Medusa's blood. The curse of Gorgon.
They slowly climbed up to the edge of the cradle, the triangular snake head poked in, and the golden vertical pupils stared at the small swaddling baby. The baby was still sleeping, but the little face in his sleep was already frowning, and his
brows were furrowed, as if he was entangled by some nightmare.
They slipped into swaddling clothes. The cold snake's body was attached to the baby's warm skin, and the baby did not wake up. He was just struggling in his dream, waving his hands and feet wildly, his little brows furrowed tightly.
The viper continues to entangle. One wrapped around his neck, and the snake's body tightened, tightening more and more. The other one wrapped around his chest and tightened it as well,
making it difficult for the small chest to rise and fall, 1r5Rp
The two triangular snake heads were raised high, aimed at that small face.
The snake hesitates.
They could feel the blood flowing within that tiny body, that golden blood brimming with boundless power. But with a single bite, with the injection of venom, all of that would be over. They opened their mouths, their fangs gleaming coldly, and then snapped down.
Just as the fangs were about to pierce his skin! In his dream, Hercules lay on the grassland, gasping for breath. He saw the sky darken, he saw the sunlight disappear, as if the world was abandoning him. But then—1r5Rp
He heard a voice.
Boom.
That's the heartbeat.
Boom.
Each sound grew louder and clearer than the last. The sound came from the depths of the chest, from the very core of the heart.
The earthquake shook the entire grassland.
Then he suddenly opened his eyes!
Two golden beams shot out from his pupils. They were thunder, the awakening of the bloodline of the God-King, the power of Heracles.
The dormant power within him was finally awakened. It exploded from his eyes like two golden lightning bolts tearing through the night sky. Wherever the golden light passed, the air...
Everything was trembling; the cradle was rocking, and the walls were humming.
The golden light pierced through the roof of the room, through the dome of the palace, and through the clouds.
They pierced through everything. They shot straight into the sky, illuminating the entire sky of Thebes. The light was so dazzling, so intense, that everyone within a hundred miles could see the two golden pillars rising into the sky. On Mount Olympus, the gods simultaneously raised their heads.
In front of the main temple, Hera and Zeus stood side by side.
Golden light surged up from below, illuminating their faces. Zeus had lowered his hand. He gazed at the golden light, at the pillar of light shooting into the sky, his face fixed on the child.
The potential of the child is somewhat surprising.
His eyes. At the same time, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled; he knew the child would definitely survive. Hera remained standing there, gazing into the distance. Golden light shone on her face, illuminating her unfathomable eyes.
Her face was expressionless, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with her.
But her hand, the one that had been resting against Zeus's chest, had already fallen down.
Where the golden light passed, the two venomous snakes were struck. Their bodies convulsed violently, trying to escape this terrifying cradle.
But it was too late. Those two tiny hands suddenly grabbed their snake heads; the hands were so small they couldn't even fit in the palm of an adult's hand.
He held on, but at that moment, those five fingers dug tightly into the flesh and bone. *Crack!*
The sound was crisp and loud. The two triangular snake heads were crushed into pieces in those small hands. Bones shattered, flesh flew everywhere, black...
Blood splattered everywhere. But Hercules didn't stop; his small hands gripped the snake coiled around his neck, and then he exerted a sudden burst of strength!
Tear-!
The snake's body, as if made of paper, was torn in two. The flesh snapped, the bones shattered, and black blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering his face. He grabbed the other snake's body, which was coiled around his chest.
Pull with the same force.
Tear—! 1r5Rp
Another snake was torn in two. He pulled so hard that his little hand was still waving in the air after he finished, leaving...
The lingering force flung half the snake's body against the wall. Two snakes, four bodies, writhed and thrashed in the cradle, gradually losing their life. But Hercules was not yet calm. His chest heaved violently.
His body was covered in black snake blood—his face, his hands, and even the few sparse strands of baby hair. Golden patterns still coursed across his body, surging wildly along his veins like countless bolts of lightning.
It moved beneath his skin. 1r5Rp
His mouth opened.
It was a roar. A roar from an infant whose teeth hadn't even fully grown in, but that roar lacked the weakness one would expect from a baby.
There was no helplessness a baby should have. Only anger.
That was a soldier's instinctive counterattack after his life was threatened.
The warrior roared. His eyes had turned completely gold, a pure and intense gold, like two burning flames.
Then, gradually, the golden light began to fade from my eyes. It receded like a tide from that tiny...
Every part of the body draws towards the heart. From the fingertips, from the soles of the feet, from every inch of blood vessel beneath the skin, slowly retracting to that point.
Deep in the heart.
The gold in his eyes faded, leaving a golden halo around the pupils. Hercules, now regaining his senses from the previous rage, looked at everything before him, panting heavily.
Inside the cradle, the four sections of the snake's body were still twitching slightly. Black snake blood covered the ground, and a strong stench of blood filled the air.
His eyes widened; from this moment on, the power of Hera's digested milk would belong to him forever.
That power was still surging within him, roaring in his veins, trembling in his muscles, and...
A buzzing sound echoed in his bones. The feeling was so intense that his body trembled slightly. He wanted to do something, so he slowly raised his small hand, which was covered in black snake blood.
It's small.
Those five tiny fingers shouldn't even have the strength to clench. But at this moment, they are slowly...
Gather, and tighten little by little.
He clenched his fist into a small fist. 1r5Rp
Then, the fist was raised towards the sky, towards the golden light piercing through the roof, towards the distant and unreachable heavens.
In that instant, the scene in the cradle seemed to freeze—
An infant, stained with snake blood, lay amidst the chaos. His chest was still heaving violently, and his eyes...
It still carried a golden afterglow. And his small fist was raised high towards the sky. Sunlight streamed down from the roof, pierced by the golden light, falling on his fist, on his face, and into his golden eyes.
That fist is small.
But at that moment, it felt as if it held the whole world in its grasp.
On Mount Olympus, the golden light finally dissipated.
The gods remained standing before their respective temples, gazing in that direction, silent for a long time. Zeus's gaze pierced through the clouds, landing on that room, on that small cradle. He saw the infant, the corpses of snakes scattered on the ground, and the fist raised towards the sky.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"You see," said Zeus.
Hera did not answer. She simply stood there, gazing into the distance, at the sea of clouds, at the land beneath them, at that…
The baby. Staring at that tiny fist, stained with snake blood, raised towards the sky. A very, very long time passed. 1r5Rp
She said softly:
"Saw it.
The golden light dissipated. But the two pillars of light that shot into the sky, the extraordinary phenomenon that illuminated the entire Theban sky, had already caused a great uproar in the royal palace.
Alcmene saw the two golden lights in the corridor.
She was walking back when the child was waiting for her. She had only left for a short while to take care of some necessary matters. Then, just as she rounded the corner of the corridor, the light suddenly came on ahead.
Two golden beams of light shot into the sky from that direction, piercing through the roof, piercing through everything, and shooting straight towards the heavens.
Dome.
Her steps faltered, and her heart stopped.
That child————
The next second, she lifted her skirt and ran towards the room like a madwoman.
Amphitryon also saw the golden light at the same time.
He was in the hall calming his frightened servants, suppressing the impending panic with the majesty of a king, when then the light shone from the depths of the palace. His pupils contracted sharply.
Without hesitation, he turned and rushed in that direction.
The two arrived at the delivery room door almost simultaneously. 115Rp
Alcmene's hand was already on the door, about to push it open—Amphitryon grabbed her arm and pressed it down.
hand.
She turned her head and looked at her husband.
Amphitryon didn't speak. He simply shook his head slightly, then pulled his wife behind him. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and he slowly pushed open the door.
The moment the door opened, a strong stench of blood assaulted the senses. Black snake blood streamed across the floor, carving eerie patterns on the smooth surface. Smoke clung to the area around the cradle.
The snake lay in four pieces, some still twitching slightly, black blood slowly seeping from the breaks. Amphitryon's gaze fell on the places where the blood had flowed.
On the ground, where the black bloodstains had passed, the smooth floorboards were making a faint "sizzling" sound.
Wisps of smoke rose from the edge of the bloodstains, and the surface became rougher at a visible speed.
His gaze shifted to the cradle.
The wooden surface of the cradle, stained with snake blood, was charred black. The black blood splattered on the swaddling clothes had burned holes in the fabric, and the charred edges continued to spread outwards.
What a strong poison.
His pupils narrowed slightly.
If that blood splattered on that child—1r5Rp
Amphitryon's gaze fell on the cradle.
The tiny baby lay amidst the chaos. His body was covered in black blood, and his face and hands were smeared with the venom that could corrode floors and wood. Yet his skin remained smooth, without a single burn mark.
His chest was still heaving violently, his small fists raised high, towards the sky, towards the door pierced by golden light.
A transparent roof. Hercules turned his head to look at the doorway. His eyes still held a faint golden hue.
Alcmene's heart clenched. "Child—" She instinctively rushed forward, wanting to pounce on the little thing covered in blood and hold it in her arms.
A hand stopped her.
Amphitryon's arm blocked her path, stopping her in her tracks. Alcmene froze. She looked up at her husband, her eyes filled with confusion and anxiety.
Burn.
"What are you doing?" Her voice trembled. "Let me through—"
"Don't move." Amphitrite's voice was low, his eyes fixed on the still-smoldering bloodstains. "That blood is poisonous."
Alcmene's heart sank.
poisonous.
She followed his gaze and noticed the corroded stone slabs on the ground, the charred wood of the cradle's edge, and the burnt hole in the swaddling clothes. Her face turned deathly pale.
Ill.
That blood————
The child was covered in blood.
"He—" her voice was already trembling with tears, "Would he—"
"No."
Amphitryon interrupted her. A newborn baby, yet able to kill two venomous snakes and survive unscathed in venom strong enough to corrode the floor.
This is beyond what can be described as "extraordinary".
This is the child of God. 1r5Rp
"Don't worry," Amphitryon said, his voice carrying a complex emotion he couldn't quite explain. "This child…is protected by divine power."
Amphitryon turned around and called out towards the end of the corridor.
"Someone come here!" Several maids cautiously peeked out. They saw the scene inside the delivery room, they saw the black blood.
Seeing the traces and the corroded ground, their faces turned deathly pale. But the king's orders were not to be disobeyed, and they had no choice but to bear it.
Pi came over. "Go fetch some clean water," Amphitryon said, "warm, the more the better. Also get some clean cloths, and some new utensils."
The maids, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly left.
Amphitryon turned to look at the baby. His gaze lingered on the tiny face for a moment, then he took a deep breath, carefully skirting the still-smoldering blood, and walked to the cradle. He lowered his head, looking at the little life.
Hercules was also looking at his adoptive father.
Amphitryon reached out and gently brushed away the snake carcass fragments smeared on the baby's face, then carefully wiped the blood from his cheek with a cloth. "Good boy," he whispered.
Hercules blinked.
The water was brought in. The maids carried a huge copper basin into the delivery room, filled it with warm water, and then hurried away. (Amphitryon Bend)
He bent down, lifted the baby from the cradle, and carefully uncovered the tattered swaddling clothes. Warm water was poured over the tiny body. The black snake blood dispersed in the water, then gradually faded.
Lacus lay in the water, looking at Amphitryon, at the man who was gently washing him with his large hands.
Amphitryon's movements were very gentle; his hands, accustomed to wielding swords on the battlefield, were now carefully washing.
The baby was covered in blood. From his face, to his body, to his tiny fingers. Those fingers that had just torn apart the venomous snakes. They were so small, too small for even one of his knuckles to grasp. But just now, they had ripped two deadly snakes to shreds. The sound of rushing water filled the air.
Alcmene stood in the doorway, watching this scene unfold.
She looked at her husband, the man who fought on the battlefield, the king who held immense power, who was bending over...
Those hands, which had slain countless enemies, were now carefully bathing a baby.
The baby lay quietly in the water, letting him do as he pleased.
Amphitryon lifted the baby from the water and wrapped him in a clean cloth. The tiny body was spotless, without a trace of snake blood, except for a faint, occasional glint of gold in his eyes.
He would then turn around, holding the baby, and look at Alcmene at the door.
Alcmene met his gaze, then quickly lowered her eyes again. She didn't know what expression to wear. She didn't know if he would ask about the child's origins, if he would ask about the miracles, if he would—
inside.
Amphitryon remained silent.
He simply walked over to her, stood before her, and gently placed the tightly wrapped baby into her arms.
Alcmene's arms instinctively tightened, pulling the small, warm face close to her chest. She looked down at that small...
Her face showed him quietly watching her.
"Take good care of him," he said.
Alcmene looked up at him. There was no questioning, no suspicion, not even anything she had thought of on his face. 115Rp
Amphitreon didn't say anything more. He just gave the baby one last look, then turned and walked towards the door.
He still has something to do. The corpses of the serpents need to be disposed of,the bloodstains need to be cleansed, and the subjects who see the vision need to be appeased. There are still many things waiting for him in the palace. But the moment he walked out the door, he stopped. Turning around, he looked at the baby who was held in his wife's arms.
This child's future will never be ordinary.