To the townspeople of Dominus, July was a nasty, hated little girl whose soul had been touched by the devil himself. Of course her mother would disagree with them, but she was only a mere servant in a rich household, so nobody cared what she thought.

The townspeople of Dominus dreaded snakes over everything else. Even though the place was full of sturdy buildings and lovely gardens, the snakes there are swift and bold. They lurked in the tall grass surrounding the meadow and slithered in and out of houses through gutters and inconspicuous holes. They crossed the roads at night and moved silently through the vegetation, lurking near the river where clothes were washed, and they were all very, very deadly. One would be laughing with friends, or playing tag in the meadow, and the next thing they know they've got a snake attached to their ankle, pumping deadly venom into their bloodstreams. Dominus townspeople have lost many friends, family and relatives to the deadly serpents, and July can talk to them.

Those who first heard about her story could never stop talking about it - after all, what could someone who could communicate with such hideous creatures be if not the spawn of the devil? Years ago, a girl trod on and angered a sunbathing cobra. July happened to be nearby by mere chance, as the unfortunate toddler turned around and came face to face with 18 feet of pure deadliness. Without thinking, July had jumped between the two and hissed at the cobra who, miraculously, hissed back, cocked his head in a friendly manner and slithered away. A little boy who witnessed the whole thing had ran as fast as he could to the town centre and told everyone there that July could speak to snakes. The townspeople didn't believe it at first, until the toddler who was saved had turned on her and confirmed that fact.

And this marked the beginning of her misfortune, as the superstitious folk of Dominus ostracised and branded the poor girl as a witch.

But soon, luck would begin to turn in her favour.

Despite the constant jeers and abuse from neighbourhood children, July's mother remained a kindly woman. Holding firm to the belief that kindness would be repaid in due time, she raised her daughter to be a gentle person, taught her to help those in need, no matter how insignificant their appearance.

It was this kind nature of her's that lead July to rescue a badly injured viper from the group of toddlers playing with it. Having the reputation as a witch does save the trouble of a direct confrontation, because the children had barely gotten a glimpse of her before running away in fright.

Over the days, July tried her best to nurse the serpent back to health. She talked to it sometimes, and it turns out the little viper was a very friendly and talkative fellow. He loved to eat mice and was very proud of the white diamond pattern on his black scales, which (according to him) was supposed to be a rarity amongst his species. The two developed an unusual but close friendship.

One day, out of the blue, the little viper said: "I can't help noticing, but you have VERY green eyes"

"Yeah, I know." July replied, a sad tone in her voice.

"Cut it out with that gloom. They're beautiful eyes. Reminds me of this pile of leaves I once fell onto" the little viper retorted, headbutting the girl's elbow in a friendly manner.

"I do wish I had brown eyes." July muttered "Just like everyone else."

"And you would wish for such a thing because?!"

"It's because they compare it to a snake's! No offence towards you there, but the other kids keep making fun of them. It's depressing when you're walking down a street and you see people whispering and glancing at you, like... like you're some kind of monster..."

"It's hard." She whispered, turning a sorrow filled gaze towards the scaly coil beside her.

"Well," the little viper returned July's gaze with confident eyes

"I think you should stop brooding over them. I mean, who even cares about what the people they hate go yapping on about!? Do you see me slithering around town and be listening to what those blasted magpies say about my wonderful diamond patterned scales? Hell, do you see those obnoxious death adders giving a damn about those fat bodies of theirs? No. Hold your held up high and ignore their snide remarks, because these are your eyes, and no one deserves to make fun of them." Here he took a moment to catch his breath. "And if they're really, I mean really ticking you off, then insult their eyes. Fight back, don't let them see you as weak, you're not going to get anywhere if you go about looking weak. Strike them in the face if you really want to. You told me they hit you a lot of times, you've certainly earned the the right to hit them back!"

July looked at the little viper with a bit of admiration. One little snake just managed to kick her self confidence up a notch.

A few months later, a terrible drought rolled through Dominus. Crops withered, lakes dried, and livestock died. Even the snakes seemed to have ceased their activities, opting to hide under stones and log piles to escape the blazing heat.

The townspeople prayed to the gods, but the shaman concluded that the heavens were in disarray. In desperation, they decided to offer a human sacrifice, in hopes of eliciting a response. July was unanimously decided on.

This was the situation in which July found herself, dressed in a ceremonial shirt and bound to the altar, her crying mother restrained by two solemn villagers and the little viper hissing defiantly, trying it's best. In other words, it was a hopeless situation.

July closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. After all that has happened, she was going to die.

"Haaaah" the little viper sighed. "So it really has come to this after all"

"What is he talking about?" July thought, but in the next instance, the viper reared up and adopted a majestic pose.

The diamond patterns along his back started to emit a pure white light, growing brighter by the second. Alarmed, the villagers backed away, started yelling, becoming scared -

The little viper doubled in effort, and the world was bathed in light.

The light didn't hurt her eyes, but plunged the world into a white abyss. July could not feel the ropes binding her, nor could she hear the clamour of the townspeople. There was nothing but her own consciousness amidst a sea of pure white.

However, the light started fading. It receded rapidly as the little viper's scales ceased to glow. Everything returned to normality, no changes whatsoever, except for the fact that the little viper looked exhausted

and the woman of otherworldly beauty standing between July and everyone else.

Wearing a gorgeous silk dress embroidered with gold, the woman radiated an aura of calmness amongst the confused crowd. Her unblemished skin was deathly pale, yet her luscious, waist length hair was even darker than the night sky. Casually, she raised a dainty, ringed hand and tucked a lock of hair behind pointed ears.

Where legs should have been, there was only a long serpent's tail. Black scales with a white diamond pattern, exactly like those of the little viper.

"I am Avernia, the goddess of wind and rain. Thank you, mortal child of humans, for taking care of my son"

A voice that could only be described as ethereal resounded from everywhere at once, and yet the goddess never once opened her blood red lips. July caught the eye of the little viper. He grinned smugly.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself," he said. "My name is Shulo, son of Avernia and the god of justice. You helped me when I was injured, and it's about time I returned the favour."

"Because of the concern for my son's well being, I have grown negligent in my duties. Please accept my sincerest apologies, for allowing such a tragedy to happen. As is my responsibility, I shall amend this situation at once"

With a flick of her tail, thunderclouds gathered in the sky above. Within minutes it was pouring. The townspeople were overjoyed.

"To show my gratitude, July, mother and I will both be giving you our blessings and divine protection. From now on, the townspeople will no longer see you as an outcast, and you will be able to enjoy life happily and without worry. It is the least I could do for those who suffered from injustice.

After all, what kind of god would I be if I couldn't even relieve the plight of one such as you?"

For the first time in her life, July felt heartfelt gratitude towards an individual outside of her family. At a loss for words, all she could muster were two words.

"Thank... you"

The little viper, or rather Shulo, smiled. He slithered off the altar and took on the guise of a handsome young man wearing a woven diamond patterned cloak, moving to stand beside the goddess. Before both disappeared in a flash of light, he caught July's eye and gave her a wink.

True to their words, July's life improved drastically after the incident. The townspeople, believing her to have elicited a response from the goddess, welcomed her and her mother into the community and apologised profusely for previous wrongdoings. The rain obliterated any traces of the drought, and the land became lush and fertile once again. Strangely, the snakes in the area underwent a radical change and stopped aggressive behaviour, so that no one has been bitten for almost 3 months now.

Living happily, July would sometimes catch glimpses of a black viper with diamond patterned scales from day to day. But it was always accompanied by a larger viper and disappeared whenever she approached and in a manner, July thought, was similar to a flash of white light.