The Dream Market was a legendary place that sells magical goods which cannot be found anywhere in the human realm. Items like love potions, scrying mirrors, illusionary wares, and enchanted goods are only some of the available catalogues.

- Dual Universes: Of Humans and Demons

After three stressful weeks of traveling, Danif’s family finally reached their destination—a place outside of Saraja where Nia could recuperate safely. And of course, a place with a large mirror to use as a portal to the Dream Market.

Along the way there, they were stopped and checked by border patrols, no doubt because of the bounties Roshana had placed on both of their heads. Danif’s family placed Nia in a coffin, pretending she was the body of a relative they plan on burying in Zahdi. Khiran, on the other hand, had temporarily dyed his hair black with cheap dye. Perhaps the border patrols weren’t expecting the two ‘criminals’ to be harbored by a pack of Zahdian merchants, so they managed to pass the scrutiny.

The sun was still high in the sky when the caravan arrived at an inn owned by Danif’s family, but Khiran didn’t bother waiting for night. As soon as he made sure Nia was situated properly, he dragged a mirror into a dark room and made preparations. He double-checked everything in his satchel that he meant to bring with him.

Before he could start the ritual, there was an unexpected knock at the door. Khiran almost flinched at the interruption due to the pressure he was under in ensuring the ritual was set up perfectly.

Still holding the unlit candle in his hand, he opened the door to find Latifah standing behind it. The bruises on her face from her former slave master had healed in the weeks she spent traveling to Zahdi. 

“Latifah?” Khiran blinked in surprise.

Latifah gave him a small wave. “I heard from Sierra that you might need someone to ground you during the ritual.”

Sierra Odessi was the name of Danif’s mother. She insisted that the children call her Sierra instead of Madam Odessi.

Grounding referred to the use of a second person to keep the portal active while the first person traveled to the Dream Market. If the candle was to go out during the ritual for any reason, the portal will close, trapping the traveler on the other side. If that happens, it was the job of the grounder to reopen the portal with another ritual so the traveler could return.

Khiran furrowed his brow. “You don’t have to—”

Latifah rolled her eyes. “I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for Nia. I had been enslaved for ten years before a random stranger was generous and caring enough to free me. This is just me repaying the favor in some way, even if indirectly.”

Khiran rubbed his forehead. He had been to the Dream Market many times in the past, and he rarely had an issue with the portal closing prematurely, but it’s not a bad idea to be extra cautious.

“I also want to see the ritual done with my own eyes.” Latifah admitted when Khiran didn’t agree right away. “Back when I was a slave, I’ve always wanted to go there to find a way to regain my freedom.”

“Fine.” Khiran sighed, then placed the unlit candle on the ground in front of the mirror. “Your job is to make sure this candle doesn’t go out. If it does, you have to redo the ritual again to reopen the portal, do you understand?”

Latifah nodded eagerly. 

“Then watch closely.” Khiran commanded.

After making sure the room was completely dark, he lit a candle and knocked on the mirror, then spoke an incantation.

Suddenly, the flickering reflection of the candlelight went out as if snuffed by some invisible wind. The plane of the mirror was now inky black as if it was a window into the lightless room. However, the real candle still standing on the floor remained lit.

“That’s so crazy…” Latifah muttered to herself as she looked at the mirror with wide eyes.

Suddenly, another pair of knocks rang out from the other side of the mirror, echoing Khiran’s knocks from earlier.

Latifah let out a small shriek of surprise, nearly toppling backward to the ground.

“Careful! Don’t knock over the candle!” Khiran warned her.

“Sorry.” Latifah mumbled as she sheepishly recomposed herself into a sitting position a good distance away from the candle so she wouldn’t accidentally knock it over.

“I’m heading in now. Keep this portal active, all right?”

Latifah blinked. “Wait! I didn’t catch the incantation you spoke earlier!” She quickly tried to bring it up, but Khiran had already stepped through the mirror portal.

Walking through the glass of the mirror felt like diving through the surface of water. Khiran shivered at the coldness of it against his skin before it disappeared. He emerged at the other end out of another mirror.

If the person conducting the ritual didn’t have a specific destination in mind, they might reemerge out of any one of the many mirrors in the Dream Market. But since Khiran did have a destination in mind, he managed to connect to the most convenient exit on the other side.

Khiran stepped into a familiar tradehouse. Magical charms and bottles of potions cover every flat surface of tables and desks.

The markethouse was also filled with both demons and humans. The demons’ physical appearances were more diverse than that of humans. Some had gossamer insect wings, and some had horns on their heads. Others had scales or fur covering their body. Most had slitted eyes like Khiran himself. He and his white hair fit right in with the strange crowd.

As Khiran’s eyes scanned the crowd for the owner of the tradehouse, he gripped his satchel harder out of habit. Although stealing was prohibited in the Dream Market due to the demons’ honor code, he did it out of reflex due to his many years of thieving in the human realm.

Before long, he spotted the owner standing in the middle of a crowd of customers. She was currently in the middle of conducting business with a middle-aged man who was pleading on his knees.

She was a tall, alluring demoness with long, silky hair crowned by large antlers. Her silky red dress matched her crimson lips and scarlet eyes. She possessed a magnetism that could draw everyone’s attention to her. Despite looking like a young woman in her primes, Khiran knew she was decades, if not centuries, old.

“Raziya?” Khiran called out to her. “Aunt Raziya?”

The demoness named Raziya Mialorae glanced up to see who was calling for her, then her face broke into a smile as soon as she recognized him. The Mialorae family was one of the three most powerful demon bloodlines in the demon realm and were famous for their psychic abilities. It was believed that they were one of the three demons who formed the Triad of Demons and created the Dream Market. 

“I’m feeling a little generous right now, so I’ll accept your offer.” She quickly wrapped things up with the human, whose expression melted in relief and thanked her profusely. She directed the rest of the customers to her assistants before practically gliding over to Khiran.

“You’re back, little tiger!” Raziya reached over and pinched Khiran’s cheeks before he could dodge her. “You’ve grown so tall! What did you do to your hair?”

Khiran managed to break free from her greedy hands. “I just saw you a few months ago. Stop pinching my cheeks!”

Raziya pouted a little as she guided him to a quieter area. “You used to visit nearly every day when you were a cute little boy. You’re looking a bit thin. How’s your mother? Did she recover from her illness?”

Khiran’s face darkened. “No, she died a few days after I last visited you.”

Raziya’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Khiran. I was hoping my medicine would be enough.”

Khiran rubbed his face. “It did ease her symptoms, but she passed away in her sleep not long after. I think her body was too weak, even with the medicine.”

He should have been a better son. He should have taken better care of her after his father died.

Raziya leaned down a little. “What about you, Khiran? Do you have anywhere else to live? You can always stay here with me.”

That was actually what Khiran’s mother advised him to do if anything were to happen to her. Raziya was a friend of his father and something of a godmother to him. He would have gone to her right away after his mother’s death, had he not been backstabbed by his former friends and sold to a trafficker.

But Khiran hesitated to accept her offer. Things are different now that he’d met Nia.

“Sorry, Aunt Raziya, but not now. I have something I want to take care of.”

Raziya nodded, clearly curious but deciding not to pry. “By the way, how are you feeling?”

“I think I’m managing my mother’s death rather well, although it’s been an intense couple of months since I last saw you.”

“I don’t mean that.”

“Then, are you referring to…”

“Yes, the blood curse.” Raziya’s eyes bored directly to his. “Now that you’re starting to mature, you should be coming into your Zaravik power.”