Borneo Basin — 2013
The jungle was silent.
When the Hollow Serpent moved, even the insects fell quiet. For nearly three years it had ruled its hidden kingdom beneath the canopy, keeping balance through fear and ferocity. Nothing entered its domain and lived.
But tonight, something was wrong.
The rivers smelled of blood and scale. The water trembled with something vast.
The serpent followed the current downstream, its movement barely disturbing the surface. Every flick of its tongue tasted the intruder — reptilian, powerful, ancient.
"Impossible," its mind whispered in instincts and impressions.
"Nothing grows this large without my knowing."
The Challenger
At the mouth of the river, moonlight broke across scales like armor plating. The creature sprawled in the water — a colossal crocodile, easily half the serpent's size, its hide ridged with bone plates hardened by generations of Hollow Earth radiation.
The serpent had seen crocodiles before, had hunted them, even integrated traits from smaller ones for denser scales. But this one was wrong.
It was a survivor of something deeper — perhaps even a descendant of Skullcrawler prey or an offshoot species warped by the same radiation veins that birthed the serpent itself.
It raised its head, hissing low. The air shimmered between them — a challenge.
The Battle
The first strike came like a thunderclap. The serpent lunged, coiling its length around the crocodile's torso, crushing water and muscle alike. The crocodile responded with a bellow that shook trees from their roots, its jaws clamping down on the serpent's midsection, bone cracking under the pressure.
Blood boiled in the river. Every impact sent shockwaves through the ground — enough to trigger seismic sensors thousands of miles away.
Monarch satellites registered the tremors first.
Location: Borneo, coordinates matching 1973 anomaly site.
Energy output: Hollow Earth resonance spike, classified as "Titan-level."
For hours they fought — fang and coil, roar and silence — until at last the crocodile rolled violently, dragging the serpent deep beneath the water. The serpent's vision dimmed; its bones screamed under the pressure.
Desperation set in. Its mind reached for survival — for evolution.
The Awakening of the Orchid
In the depths of its body, the serpent's secondary stomach — the orchid reservoir — ruptured. The stored flowers dissolved into its bloodstream, releasing a surge of crimson-gold energy.
The effects were instantaneous:
Wounds sealed faster than the crocodile could tear them open.
Muscles swelled, scales hardened into metallic plates.
Eyes flared with bioluminescent fury.
And within its mind — clarity. The haze of instinct was gone. What remained was focus, logic, purpose.
With a final convulsion, the serpent twisted its entire mass, wrenching free and coiling once more around the crocodile's throat. This time, it didn't crush — it held. Waiting. Watching the life drain from its rival's eyes.
When the river fell still, it released the body and let the current carry the corpse away.
The victor rose from the depths, scales gleaming under lightning. Its body had changed: heavier armor, reinforced jaw structure, and a faint golden sheen beneath the green — the mark of the Blood Orchid's full assimilation.
Aftermath
For three days, the serpent lay hidden in the valley, its body mending, its mind reshaping. Memories surfaced — human and animal, intertwined. Thoughts formed not of hunger or dominance, but of strategy.
It now understood territory in the way Monarch understood containment zones.
It now understood survival not as instinct, but as adaptation by will.
Monarch Observation Log — 2013
Subject: TITANUS SERPENTIS (The Hollow Serpent)
Location: Borneo Basin — confirmed movement patterns.
Energy Signature: Hollow Earth spike; seismic disturbance equivalent to Kaiju-grade conflict.
Status: Wounded — recuperating.
Threat Assessment:
Subject displays regenerative capability surpassing that of any known terrestrial organism.
Possible connection between Blood Orchid compound and Hollow Earth energy.
Recommend full containment operation before escalation.
Agent Note:
"It's evolving every time it bleeds. Every wound makes it stronger. If this thing ever leaves Borneo, the world's going to know the name Titanus Serpentis."
The jungle breathes again. Rain falls softly over the glowing orchids.
At the heart of the basin, the serpent stirs — eyes like molten gold, scars sealing with radiant light.
It slithers toward the deeper caves, following the pulse that hums beneath the earth.
A faint tremor answers — the heartbeat of something vast in the Pacific.
In one year, Godzilla would rise.
But in the jungles of Borneo, evolution had already found its king.