Raivy kept walking and walking... It was that midnight – the midnight that Jigan had spoken of. But he could not spot the blue mist.

Did I forget something he said? Raivy wondered. He had spent an hour walking around his hut and was growing desperate. He could not believe the sage would lie to him.

He is not that kind of a person, he can't be... but I still can't find it.

After thirty minutes, Raivy stood still for a while, thinking about what he should do. He also had to sleep early to set out for Itara's home as soon as he woke the next morning. He did not have much time on his hands. Raivy decided to see what would happen, so he kept walking for another thirty minutes. But the last thirty minutes were long; Raivy’s thoughts were going downhill, thinking about how he was going back to square one. His mind was furious, and his blood was boiling on the six months he wasted for nothing. To soothe his rage, he hit the surrounding trees so hard that blood dripped from his knuckles.

This is it, I am heading back, he thought.

Raivy had given up hope. He turned back toward his hut. However, as soon as he did that, a blue mist appeared in front of him... It was unlike anything he had ever seen. It had no source and appeared out of thin air. The moment was so captivating that Raivy could not hear, look at, or think about anything besides its dazzling blue color.

The mist had the same height and length as Raivy; he felt as if someone had made it for him exclusively.

Who is playing with me? Raivy wondered. He punched another tree, but this time it was out of joy.

Ignoring any danger, Raivy walked toward the blue mist. The closer he got to it, the more he appreciated whoever had conjured the misty apparition. Once Raivy was close enough, he extended his left arm into the mist... and it disappeared. His eyes only told half the story, as he still did not lose control of his left hand, nor did he experience any pain. Instead, what he sensed inside the mist was a gentle, airy breeze.

The mist tickled Raivy’s arm—an addictive sensation. But the ensuing sensation was alarming; something grabbed his hand from the other side of the mist. It did not feel like a hand, or rather, a human hand. Raivy tried to break free, but he could not. Whatever was holding his hand felt heavier than a large boulder.

Raivy relaxed his hand, trying to focus on dealing with his situation sensibly. Although hitting a boulder would hurt, a surprise attack is my best bet, he thought.

As he threw a punch with his other hand, Raivy used his already locked left hand to gain extra momentum to spring into the mist. Raivy's fist entered the mist first, followed by his head, as he viewed what was in front of him. But his brain could not register the view; his focus was on throwing a strong and swift strike with his right hand. The mysterious being, however, used its other boulder-like hand to stop Raivy's punch.

Both of Raivy's hands were immobilized now by the two hands of the unknown being, but Raivy did not plan on stopping. Instead, Raivy lowered his legs, and used the weight on his locked hands for more force to jump as he threw a left kick straight into that being's head. But again, the unfamiliar being dodged Raivy's kick with a simple tilt of its head.

After the kick, Raivy landed on his back, facing the mysterious being while his hands were still immobilized. Though he was in no position to continue, Raivy leaped toward his opponent, aiming to create a feint with his left knee and hit its head. The enigmatic being surprisingly fell into the trap by tilting his head to the left. Raivy seized the opportunity and headbutted his opponent. And, to a certain extent, it worked.

Although the two heads knocked against each other, the unknown being neither moved an inch nor seemed to be affected by the blow. Though Raivy felt that the grip on his left hand was loosening, it was met with a more dangerous lock around his neck. Then, the hand gripping his neck pulled Raivy's entire body upward.

Dammit, he thought. Raivy had originally planned on taking whoever had grabbed his hand by surprise and exploit that to jump through the blue mist and back to the jungle, which was now a foot behind him. Raivy stopped resisting once he realized that the grip on his neck tightened further each time he tried to break free. He then noticed that he had not been harmed during the struggle, but was only restrained.

"Don't be alarmed; you are an honored guest here," the unknown being said, while slowly loosening the lock around Raivy's neck. "On behalf of all the horsenakes, I, Vira the Stoneheart, welcome you to Metzra, Raivy."

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After blinking thrice, as he listened to what he had just heard, Raivy’s eyes opened wide, and he processed what surrounded him. Orange-colored grass coated the ground, and over the distant horizon, a humongous chain of mountains stretched beyond what his eyes could view. The smell of the grass, that he now sensed, also had a faint but relaxing orange-like scent. And, the sound of the twisting river on his right made the perfect ethereal experience. But Raivy had to stop his admiration of this crisp scenery—there were eight creatures behind this inhuman named Vira.

Am I hallucinating? Raivy thought.

Vira had a body structure akin to a horse. But the skin, face, and other body parts resembled that of a snake. The eight behind Vira also looked the same, save for their skin colors, which were different shades of green, with Vira's being the darkest.

They look exactly how Mother described them in her stories, Raivy thought.

"I must apologize for the forceful invitation," said Vira. "We horsenakes are rough by nature."

While Vira's tone was sharp, his forked tongue was the most annoying part. He extended it to sniff while hissing around Raivy's body.

Is this how they treat an honored guest? Raivy thought.

"You do know it is considered rude to sniff your guests like that?" asked Raivy. "And watch out for your saliva, lest it drips on me."

Vira retracted his tongue into his mouth. "Well, it is good of you to tell me,” said Vira, “because I was about to lick your face.” Vira removed his hold on Raivy's neck, allowing him to stand on the ground.

"So, I presume you can explain what is going on?" inquired Raivy.

"That was my plan,” said Vira. “But don't come closer than three feet—the gate you came from cannot sustain your body any further than that, else you may be pulled back to Earth, or to some unknown world."

Raivy looked down at his feet. There weren't any borders to speak of, save for the orange grass that covered the entire range of his vision. "So, my existence here is limited to this small circle?" asked Raivy.

Vira started laughing, and the sound was sharp enough to pierce Raivy's eardrums. "You seem disappointed,” he said. “I expected you to be relieved, as it means that we cannot do you much harm. You see, there is a link between your desires and this blue mist. If you have a strong desire to return to Earth, then this is as far as the blue mist can support you. However, if it is weak enough, then you could live in Metzra… and this is where we come in."

All the nine horsenakes lowered themselves down on their four knees and bent their heads toward Raivy.

“Please lead us," said Vira. "Wars and bloodshed have torn Metzra apart far too long. Death keeps staring at us. You never know when it will stab you, a friend, or a relative. The recent War of Hope had killed millions of Metzrians. Everyone is horrified—ten thousand from each race remained, yet the conflict continues…"

"Our people have long been dreaming for a way out of it," continued Vira, "creating futile stories of peace and prophecies about a day when horsenakes, antigers, and fronkeys will live in harmony. But this time, a two-thousand-year-old prophecy came true. It speaks of a half human who will come from a blue mist the day our horsenake king, Javaria the eighth, dies. This half human will unite the three races and save them from widespread annihilation..."

The legend they speak of ties with what Jigan told me. But I can't believe I am capable of accomplishing such a grand feat. I am not even half human, Raivy thought.

"I see," said Raivy. "I entered the blue mist to find out about my mother's death. Instead, I got invited into one of the most treacherous places ever. But even if I agreed, have you seen how weak I am? So, how do you expect me to save your world?"

Vira was the only one among the nine horsenakes who spoke to Raivy. "Weak?" asked Vira. "I do not think so. I am currently the strongest horsenake, yet you still managed to hit me. So, I expect you should be able to beat someone like me after training properly in Metzerian art."

"As for your other complaint," continued Vira, "we will aid your cause and find out who killed your mother. We are experts in that regard. However, in return for helping you, you will have to come to Metzra to help us. By that point, your desire to stay on Earth should plummet, allowing you to live in Metzra. Having said that, will you accept our offer?"

This creature doesn't know how to make deals. He wants me to lead a bloody, never-ending war in return for a mere investigation, Raivy thought. Yet the situation was favorable for the horsenakes—Raivy would sell his soul to uncover what killed his mother, Arbara.

"Fine," Raivy replied. "But you will have to explain how you will help me."

"I will come with you to Earth and finish the matter in person," said Vira. "We have the Amulet of Magdamillia to force the truth out of anyone. Also, in case you are wondering, we will not harm any human unless you order us to do so."

As expected, no issue in killing, Raivy thought. He had other inquiries, but decided not to ask. They needed him more than he needed them, so he had the upper hand.

"Very well," Raivy responded. "Let's hurry to Earth, as we both have urgent matters to tend to."

"Agreed," said Vira. "Lieutenant Miliver, pass me the Amulet of Magdamilia."

The horsenake in the middle of the group tossed a light object toward Vira. He grabbed it and then hung it around his neck. The amulet was made of silver and had a green, round gemstone at its core with three intertwined silver snakes engraved on it.

"I am ready. Let's go," said Vira. He then looked back at his comrades. "Make sure that no one knows what happened here."

The eight replied in loud unison, "Yes, sir."

And with that, the two entered the blue mist. Little did they know that this meeting would start a lifelong kinship between the two.