The air was dancing over the semi-arid area surrounding the village of Duskvale. It was noon, and the wind was still and calm, like a monk in a meditation trance.

This time of the year was when the villagers prepared themselves for the festival of the snake. The dwellers of this settlement were slender, and their skins were the shade of the sand. Those who had the chance to observe them described them as almost reptilian-like. With their relatively large eyes and narrow noses, they did seem rather otherworldly.

Duskvale was originally known under a different name; its inhabitants, however, renamed it to honor their deity, Raa. Among all spirit animals, they felt the strongest connection to the celestial snake, as the outside world treated them similarly. 

The calm and peaceful village life was disrupted by multiple shouts piercing the veil of silence. 

"We have an intruder! Quickly, fetch me a pitchfork!

"No, a hatchet! Get a hatchet! This must be the spy," a crowd of men shouted over each other. 

A group of women carrying water jugs saw them from a distance. Aya, the youngest one, squeezed herself through the crowd and tried to take a closer look. 

"Excuse me! Let me pass!" she squeaked as she tried to disperse the agitated group of men. Finally, she took a glance at the intruder and gasped.

An exhausted woman was lying on the ground, supporting herself only with her arms. Dirty and torn clothes hung from her body pathetically, making it seem like she had walked for days. 

Aya approached her, trying to get a glimpse of her face. Someone grabbed the young village lady, trying to pull her away, when she noticed something about the stranger. "No, wait!" the girl shouted as she struggled against the person who held her. "Look at her face! Don't you recognize that symbol?"

Everyone fell silent. The stranger looked up at them, revealing more of her face. The prominent symbol visible on her forehead suddenly drew their attention. A droplet between two dots—they knew what it meant. 

Aya moved closer to the unknown woman, offering her a hand. The stranger accepted her help yet remained silent.

"We should probably notify the chieftain," one of the men exclaimed. 

Aya nodded and led the mysterious woman into the village. 

They walked across the village, passing some shabby-looking adobe houses. The hot gravel was burning the mysterious woman's feet; she had nasty holes in the soles of her shoes. Each step brought her discomfort, but none greater than the one in her head.

The group passed the village well that was in the middle of the settlement; they were only a whim away from the main hall.

She noticed a branch of herbs hanging by the doorframe as the locals pushed her into the building. The smell inside was like a mixture of dust and dried leather. Her tired eyes could barely tell things apart, but she was pretty sure she saw a silhouette of a man standing in the shadows.

Without wasting time, one of the village men said, "Sir, we found a marked person at the entrance to the village. You may want to take a look at her."

He shoved the woman to the middle of the room. Her legs were shaking, and she barely kept her balance. 

The man in the shadows approached her. It was one of them, but significantly taller and rounder. He looked at her and nodded, grabbing his chin. Or at least what she supposed was his chin. "So, who are you?"

The mysterious woman looked at him with a slightly confused look on her face. She wanted to respond, but all she could remember was the cursed name Raa gave her, Raajimera. At that moment, she was overwhelmed by the feeling that she didn't want to say it. If they hear me speak, they will pressure me into disclosing my name, she thought to herself. Then I must not. 

One of the village people tried to break the silence. "Chieftain, she doesn't seem to speak our language," he said. "She was alone when we found her."

The leader smiled at her, giving her the impression that he had good intentions. "Well, she does have the mark," he muttered as he ran his chubby hand through his short hair. "Our prayers might have been answered, and we have the Snake Queen in front of us. I want you to treat her as such, and with time, maybe she will be able to communicate with us."

The chieftain dismissed them and settled into his chair. 

Aya grabbed Raajimera by the hand and led her outside. She took her to a small building that looked slightly better than the rest. The young woman pushed the door with her shoulder, and it squeaked loudly. 

The interior was lovely, filled with fancy pillows and ornaments. It was difficult to believe that this place still belonged to this village, as it was completely mismatched from the rest of the settlement. The style didn't resemble anything else she had seen here so far, which made her think it probably belonged to someone else.

Raajimera sat on a red, adorned ottoman on the side of the room and observed Aya with curiosity. The young lady approached the tall wooden wardrobe in the corner of the room and opened it energetically. She started digging through the clothes stored in it. Suddenly, she jumped up and presented an outfit to Raajimera. It was a black two-piece dress with golden elements.

"This is for you. Do you understand me?" Aya asked her cautiously.

Raajimera nodded and grabbed the clothes. 

"If you're not ready to speak yet," Aya remarked with a cheerful tone, "I shall speak on behalf of both of us."

The mysterious woman gave her a confused glance. The last thing she needed was a young person chirping for the whole flock. 

"There is a folding screen next to the wardrobe if you need privacy," Aya said and gestured at the corner of the room. "There should also be a bucket of water behind it if you need to wash your hands or face." 

Raajimera nodded again and hid herself. Aya decided to use that time to scour this place for some tools. She needed to prepare their guest for her stay in the village. The young lady took a deep dive into the containers meticulously stuffed under the table when suddenly she heard a noise from behind.

Raajimera reappeared in the middle of the room. She was now wearing her new outfit. 

Aya glanced at her and said, "Oh, here you are! Look at you, simply glamorous!" she exclaimed and turned around, holding an adorned brush in her hand. "Sit here; I will brush your hair."

Raajimera sat down on the ottoman she previously occupied. She had just noticed that there was a mirror in front of her. Its reflective surface was partially covered with a red cloth. The woman pointed at it.

Aya understood the sign and uncovered the mirror. It was tall, and the frame was adorned with tiny silver leaves. The object was fancy, yet old. There was a black stain in the upper corner. 

Raajimera followed the young girl's reflection. Aya's body was rectangular, and her limbs were quite skinny, and they peeked from under a dress that resembled a sack of potatoes. She had dark hair tightly tied on the back of her head, which, combined with her big gray eyes, made her look like a pug licked by a cow. Raajimera giggled at her imagination. 

The young lady sat by her side and began brushing her hair. The woman suddenly noticed her reflection on the surface of the mirror. 

So this is what it looks like… she thought to herself and tried to touch her forehead. I wish it weren't so… large.

Aya noticed. "How did you get that mark? Can you recall?" she asked.

Raajimera shook her head in disagreement. It was partially true. She didn't know how the mark appeared on her forehead, but she did know who was responsible for it.

"Do you know what it represents?" The young lady grabbed a strand of her hair and attempted to brush off a small knot from it.

Raajimera flinched. Her hair wasn't in great shape since she walked away from the mountain. She didn't pay attention to where she was going; she was too preoccupied with following the traces of the moonflower. Desperately trying to hold on to them before they disappear forever and leave her with nothing. That sense of fleeting nothingness was making her feel incomplete.

Aya took her silence as a no. The girl took a deep breath and said, "I guess not. You see, here, in Duskvale, we worship one of the spirit animals, the snake. The Twilight Mother is a good deity. We pray to her, and she answers." The young lady scratched her head. "You must be the answer to our prayers, but it's rather odd that you came here like this. Bearing the mark of the snake is a great honor—only the chosen ones can get it," she said and nodded to herself. "Our village is weak, but we hope…" Aya paused and started thinking about something. 

Raajimera looked at the reflection of the young lady once more. She tried to see her expression.

Aya caught her stare and jumped down from the cloud of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I got distracted," she explained. "Our village," Aya started, "is one of the few places in these lands that are still free." She paused as if she were reliving something in her head. The girl shook her head slightly and continued, "The Hazyan Empire raids us from time to time. Not enough to wipe us from the surface of gitthis world, but enough to remind us who's in charge. They want us to join them, but they hate our cult of the snake. We are not sure why they want to conquer Duskvale, but we have been praying to the Twilight Mother for months. You arrived just when we thought she had abandoned us. Perhaps there is still hope."

Raajimera glanced at her and touched her hand with a bitter smile. These people want my help, but how can I help them if I can't even help myself? she thought. If anything, it should be me who needs to be assisted. I guess they are done for. 

Aya looked down at the stranger's hand. "We always had this prophecy, you know? It revolves around a powerful duo of heroes, the Snake King and the Snake Queen. A snake monarch would one day appear among us mere mortals and lead our village to greatness. We must know if the legend talks about you; if it does, we will need you to pick the Snake King out of our finest men."

Raajimera let out a scoff.

This girl listens to too many stories, she thought. I won't say anything, though. The moment I open my mouth, she will start asking me questions, and I refuse to use that cursed name Raa gave me. 

Aya finished brushing Raajimera's hair. "You look good, don't you?" she asked.

Raajimera got up and approached the mirror to take a closer look at her reflection. The outfit was beautiful; the dark top revealed her chiseled belly, but it also covered her shoulders, as it came with a petite cape held together with an ornate golden collar. The layered skirt made her look like a dancer; it dropped on both sides of her body like a black waterfall. She put her leg forward and noticed how good the short, tight pants looked underneath. 

As she admired her new appearance, Aya put some jewelry on her. Two golden arm hoops and a pair of earrings that resembled white raindrops held together by a pearl. 

Raajimera wondered if she ever looked this good, but then her eyes wandered to the cursed mark again. She couldn't stop thinking how much she hated it. 

This must be why I remember nothing, she thought to herself. That damned sky worm must have stolen my memories from me. I wouldn't give them up willingly, would I? What kind of person was I to end up in this predicament?

Her inner monologue was interrupted by a sudden knock on the window. As Aya opened it, Raajimera quickly turned around and saw the face of the man who dragged her to the chieftain's place. 

"Are you done?" he asked. "The chieftain told me to bring both of you to a special feast. The food is almost ready; don't make us wait!"

Aya smiled at their guest. "I hope you're hungry," she said.

Raajimera nodded. She didn't think about it until now, but her stomach was indeed empty. All that anxiety and confusion must have clouded her mind. 

Both women left the building and saw a crudely assembled feast area. The villagers must have put together their personal belongings. There were mismatched blankets on the ground and very short tables bending under the weight of the delicious food on top of them. 

People of the village sat on the ground and chattered happily, but when they saw Raajimera, the crowd fell silent. 

She waved at them shyly. 

The chieftain got up and gestured at her to sit on his right side. "Oh, it's our guest!" he shouted. "Come here!"

Aya took a seat on his left. The chieftain leaned towards her slightly and lowered his tone. "I guess that means everything went as planned; I take it?"

The young woman nodded.

"Marvelous," he said and turned to Raajimera. "Treat yourself. This is our way of welcoming you into the community. You must be starving."

She looked at him and then started eating. Her stomach was much more empty than she initially thought. Somebody handed her a platter of succulent roasted meat. It seemed like Twilight Mother erased her table manners as well, among other things. Raajimera ate so quickly that she got hiccups. 

The chieftain laughed and passed her a jug of wine. She drank it so quickly that she started coughing. The wine was disgusting, but beggars can't be choosers.

The leader of the village observed her. "Make yourself at home, but when the time comes, remember to tell us about yourself," he said.

Raajimera felt a sting in her stomach. She looked at him with the facial expression of a sad puppy.

"There's no pressure; take your time." The chieftain put his hand on her shoulder and continued, "For now, just eat whatever you want. We will have a bonfire dance party after the sun sets. You could join us if you wish. If not, Aya will show you the place where you can stay. You are welcome to live with us for as long as you please."

Raajimera was uneasy, yet she resumed eating. Her stomach was churning, and she would just devour whatever was placed in front of her.

After finishing her food, a sudden realization that she probably should have stopped eating sooner hit her. She felt round and heavy, like a boulder rolling down the hill. 

Aya noticed that their guest was not feeling well and decided to escort her out of the party. 

"Let's go; I will show you the place where you can rest," she said and grabbed Raajimera's hand. 

The mysterious lady didn't feel comfortable having these strangers touch her. She just wanted to be alone for a moment to collect her thoughts.