After a long night of mildly interrupted sleep, a ray of the rising sun ultimately woke Raajimera up for good. 

The woman got up and stretched without leaving her comfortable spot. She was under the vague impression that something was off. Raajimera started moving around as she had the sensation that a straw of hay was sticking out from under the goatskin stretched on the bed.

However, it must have been just her imagination.

Raajimera looked at the extinguished oil lamp and began to wonder whether the things that happened last night were real or if it was just a fever dream. 

She reached under the colorful blanket in an attempt to find the peculiar talking snake. 

"Feng?" she asked quietly, yet received no response.

The animal silently slithered out of the blanket with an exceptionally unintelligent facial expression, raised its head, and stuck out its tongue. 

"Was it just a dream?" she talked to herself in the serpent speech. "I would have sworn that last night you were—" she was suddenly interrupted by loud knocking. She twitched. 

The knocking repeated; this time it sounded more dire and demanding. 

Raajimera quickly got dressed, rushed to the door, and opened it with an ear-piercing screech.

On the other side of the entrance stood Aya, greeting her with a vibrant smile. "Good morning!" she shouted excitedly.

Not waiting for any kind of response, the young woman grabbed Raajimera by the wrist and started dragging her out of the building.

"Follow me," the girl said. "We will present you with the candidates!"

Raajimera rapidly turned around, desperately trying to make eye contact with the snake that was still in her room. The animal stared at her cluelessly until she lost it from her sight. 

She was suddenly overcome with anxiety. Something about these people just didn't sit right. Raajimera had no idea what to expect from them; at least she formed some sort of connection with Feng. Or at least she thought she did.

Both women proceeded downstairs. Raajimera was overwhelmed with thoughts. She was unsure whether she could trust these people or not, but at the same time she would rather not seem ungrateful. After all, they have already done so much for her.

When Aya pulled the tavern door, a scent of fresh morning air hit Raajimera's nose, and her eyes struggled to adjust to the amount of light suddenly given to them. Despite everything, the village seemed dreamy to her. 

Raajimera looked up and sensed a strange connection with mornings, as if this part of the day played an important role in her past life, the life that she would never get back. 

The sky was brimming with longing, giving the feeling of being blue a whole new meaning.

The two women appeared in front of what appeared to be some sort of makeshift arena. Hastily put together, aged wooden logs tied with a worn-out rope marked the contest area. Raajimera could have sworn that it was the same place where they feasted last night; however, her mind was cloudy, and she wasn't certain about that. 

The village chief appeared in front of them and greeted them with a smile.

"Good morning," he said. "Today you will witness the village's finest athletes attempting to prove themselves as the potential Snake King." The leader gestured vaguely at the group of men gathering behind him. 

What do I need them for? Raajimera thought to herself. I still have to figure out, well, all of it. The woman let out a quiet, dissatisfied moan.

The chieftain noticed her reaction and laughed heartily. "Don't worry. We will give you enough time to get to know them and pick one," he assured. 

While he was speaking, a handsome-looking man in his mid-twenties waved at her from a distance. His face, chiseled like the finest sculptures of the old masters, seemed kind yet somewhat smug. The man's eyes were blue, and a lone strand of hair hung above his forehead.

Raajimera looked down at his body and noticed that his clothes were visibly too small for him. His vest was like two people hanging desperately off a cliff, holding on for their dear lives. It seemed like it was about to break if he tensed his muscles a bit more. 

She started wondering how a group of bulky men in their ridiculously small outfits was going to help her when suddenly the chieftain spoke once more, bringing her back to reality.

"Our scouts reported no suspicious activity in our area," he said. "We decided to organize a small tournament for you to see." The chieftain smiled and gestured for her to follow. 

Raajimera took a seat on what she supposed was a bench. The piece of furniture seemed like it was about to collapse, but it was in much better shape than the remaining ones, so she decided it shouldn't be a problem.

The chieftain shouted at the men to begin the games and heavily sat next to her. The wooden plank she was sitting on squeaked and nearly launched her into the sky. 

The woman was spooked, but she tried to hold it together. She thought it would be easier, but it proved even harder than it was for the buttons on the shirt of the young athlete she met before.

After hearing the chieftain's shout, the contestants took their places, and the championship began.

The first two rounds consisted of throwing spears and sparring. One thing, however, caught her eye. The contestants were roughly on the same level, yet they seemed to have held back against one of them, a handsome athlete named Seyed. He seemed to be the crowd's favorite too. The inhabitants cheered for him no matter what he did.

Raajimera tried to make sense of the whole tournament, although it quickly began to bore her.

She stared at the man who stole the heart of every person in the village. He noticed her glare and smiled widely at her. With his teeth exposed, he seemed charming, but there was also something slightly sinister in his grin.

Raajimera looked around and noticed the happy faces of his peers. "Seyed! Seyed! Seyed!" they chanted. He turned to them and waved with both hands. The man really did give them a show.

She glanced at the chieftain to see whether he cheered for him as well or remained stoic. The woman couldn't quite understand his expression. He observed the athlete with some sort of strange satisfaction rather than pride.

The woman turned around and noticed a small snake crawling nearby. 

Feng? She thought to herself. 

The last task was weightlifting, but since this entire spectacle seemed to have been rigged from the start, she started to plan her escape route hoping nobody would notice.

Raajimera took a quick glance at the villagers. They were too preoccupied with their sports games to even pay attention to her. This could have been her chance to disappear…

The woman quietly sneaked out and followed the small reptile. She needed answers. 

When she finally went out of their sight, the animal froze in place and looked at her.

"Feng?" she asked.

"It is me!" the animal replied with a voice full of joy.

"What happened?" Raajimera sounded worried. "I thought I went insane. Why didn't you speak to me again?"

The snake let out a tired hiss.

"You mean this morning?" the animal asked. "I was about to, but then I heard someone on the stairs, and I—" Feng paused and looked at her. "What did they pull you into this time, exactly?"

Raajimera sat down on the ground and sighed. "They wanted me to witness their tournament. It's supposed to help me pick one of them as my helper, but I am not sure how."

The snake nodded quietly, showing that it understood.

"I don't get it, Feng," she said and rolled her knees under her chin. "They say their village is in danger, yet they could spare some time to organize some pointless sports event." Raajimera grabbed Feng and placed it on her palm. "If their situation is so dire, shouldn't they be doing something about it rather than waiting for a messenger of gods?"

"I agree completely," the snake responded and tilted its head. "However, I think some training would benefit you too."

"What do you mean?" Raajimera asked, clueless. "I'm not exactly built for strength."

If they needed someone to throw spears or fight, they already had a group of trained people. Making her do the same thing seemed like a further waste of time and resources.