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Heir of the Snake King

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Hey there, well, here we go back to my more recent pictures. This one I actually finished on the day I started posting my calendar art, so there's been a bit of lag time. ^^;

This is a picture of Naané Naganaya, a character I've been noodling around with for some time. It's hard to describe Naané in few words, so I've added his story below. It's about 600 words, so you can skip it if you want, although the picture is better if you read it.

The Story:

Long, long ago in the land to the east, there was a terrible god-demon known as Nagana, the King of Snakes. His power was great and terrible, and he a mighty serpent of incomparable size.

For one hundred and fifty years he ruled and terrorized the country between Kasia and Umalta, until at last he was slain by a man called Indrus.

A man people now call "hero."

But as he was dying, Nagana drew forth all his power and sealed it deep within Indrus's heart, so that one day the hero's descendants would inherit Nagana's power and finish what the demon had started.

"Indrus in desparation went to the Naga, the snake people, and had the essence of Nagana sealed away by their strongest spells, so that the power should never resurface.

And so time has passed. Generation to generation, each hiding this terrible secret.

Until now.

************

"My parents died in a war when I was very young, and I was raised as an orphan. I lived in a small, poor village; all alone and unwanted, until the Elders found out about my family's secret.

"I was five when I realized, that although the hero's blood had run thin and weak over the years, I still held the terrible power of Nagana buried deep inside me.

"Using forbidden arcane magics, the village Elders removed the seals placed in my blood by the Naga so many years before. They called forth the demonic powers within me, and in doing so granted the power of Nagana freedom once more.

"And I became... a tool. A weapon. I knew only to fight. And the fear, the fear of this power I had. I had to destroy everything around me in order not to be destroyed myself.

"And slowly I realized, I was not just a tool. I was a dangerous, unwanted tool. The very people who wished to use my power now wanted me dead.

"Betrayed, used, and betrayed again, I became a monster that knew only how to kill. Because that was how people saw and treated me.

"I didn't understand any of it. I looked at myself and saw a monster, but I didn't know why. I used to cry a lot back then. I can't cry anymore. It all dried up, after all those years of crying.

"Out of fear the Elders handed me over to the Naga in the hopes that they might be able to reseal the essence of Nagana. But even as humans are stupid so the Naga are proud. They could not reseal the power, but they could not admit their failure and kill me. They tried to teach me how to use my power, and control it --- more or less.

"But still, to the humans and the Naga, I am a monster. I am the failure that nobody wants.

"And I can't cry anymore.

"This pain... physical pain is nothing. The power of the snakes is healing, I can heal any wound in seconds. But this pain.... inside me.... it always hurts. No matter where I go, or what I do; it always hurts... right here.

"And I can't cry anymore. I can't run. I can't hide. I'm right here, a monster. I can't die and fade away. I'll always be a reminder of the human's stupidity and the Naga's pride."

***************

"But I've lived long enough now, I realize something.

"Just because people see and treat me like a monster... doesn't make me one. What people think of me has no effect on what I really am.

"And I realized something else too. I'm tired of being sad and I don't want to cry anymore. And... I am not afraid.

"From now on, what I am and what I do will be my decision. The power inside me is mine. Not a tool for foolish humans or a relic from and ancient monster.

"I may be the Heir of the Snake King, the Naganaya, but I am also Naané. Myself. The real power inside me is not this demonic energy. It is the power of my own will.

"And so it will always be."

--- Naané Naganaya, Heir of the Snake King

The Picture:

I really pulled out all the plugs on this one, it's 100% colored colored pencil, and took roughly nine hours spread over a week. I put a lot of work into the lighting and the texture, even adding details like the relief carvings on the stone in the background. (The carvings tell the story of Indrus and Nagana, if you bother read the story.)

There are a total of six living snakes in this picture (not counting Naané since he's technically still human), they are: two black rat snakes, one boa constrictor, one coral snake (deadly poisonous), one greater California king snake, and one giant anaconda (what Naané is sitting on :P ).

And as to Naané? Basically I'd gotten tired of snakes always being associated with evil characters, (Orochimaru, Lord Voldemort, Slytherin, etc.) and I wanted to create a snake character of my own who, although he has every reason in the world to be evil, is still a good person with a strong will of his own on the inside. He has the power of death, but can also heal people (this is a small reference to the medicinal emblem of a snake wrapped around a staff).

In a nutshell: Naané has personality issues to rival Uchiha Sasuke, but can still rock the world. Go boy, go.

Naané Naganaya, the image, and the story related above are © myself, Agent Elrond, 2005. Enjoy. :)
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© 2005 - 2024 GoldeenHerself
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wrath9's avatar
Intriguing story and a job well done with those brushes (or did you make this with pencil colours?...)....