In a universe where nothing made sense, a sudden spark of understanding paved the way for Raajimera to claim the gifts she had been promised. Each grain of sand she lifted felt like a small step closer to perfection. 

Feng turned out to be a good friend and a surprisingly useful ally. When nobody was looking, they would slip out to practice together. 

Raajimera remained confused, but just a glance at her companion's face was enough to ground her. She was determined to become a powerful demigoddess. 

The woman was not sure what life she had left behind, but the vision of her future filled her with motivation. She was going to repay the village of kind people with interest for the home they had given her. One day, she would protect them all.

The sun was setting after a really long day for the newly initiated demigoddess. Raajimera and Feng were walking back home after a successful training session.

The woman still felt a bit dizzy from handling the spirit animal magic. It wasn't something anyone could tamper with, and, despite everything, occasionally she was close to having second thoughts about whether Raa had made a good choice in trusting her.

Raajimera just wanted to lie down. The entire day filled with practice really wore her out. She was in the middle of fantasizing about the embrace of her bed when someone stopped her in her tracks. 

The woman looked up and saw the handsome athlete, the very same one beloved by the entire village.

"Well, hello there," he said as he blocked the way with his arm dauntingly.

She glanced at him and narrowed her eyes. The man seemed taller than she was. His muscles, while impressive, were also quite intimidating. Raajimera tried to act unaffected.

"Oh, did I scare you?" he asked. "I'm sorry. You've been with us for several days now, but you didn't seem to speak with anyone, so I thought I would break the ice. You understand me, right?"

Raajimera nodded quietly, unsure what her next move should be.

"May I ask what your name is?" the man said and moved closer to her.

She looked at his face, then put her hand in the pocket of her dress to make sure that Feng was still with her. She needed all the emotional support she could get. The woman felt like it was about time to make peace with the fact that she was never going back to who she once was. One thing was sure: if Feng was there with her, everything would be alright, and if this little critter was good, perhaps Raa was too?

The woman exhaled sharply and said, "It's Raajimera." She smiled softly, not without a grain of sadness. "That, at least, is what was chosen for me."

The man looked at her and said, "I will be honest, I thought you were mute, but then I saw you speak some strange words to a wild critter, and I figured that maybe you didn't speak our language." He smiled. "I am pleased to learn that both of my presumptions were incorrect," he said, scratching his chin. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Seyed."

Raajimera looked him in the eyes and said, after a brief moment of hesitation, "Nice to meet you, Seyed." It felt strange for her to finally speak with somebody who had limbs for once. 

"Likewise," he replied with excitement in his voice. "My people will be thrilled to finally talk to you!"

The woman crossed her arms and opposed, "I don't think I'm ready to speak with them just yet. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course, there's no pressure." He smiled once more and asked, "So, is it true that you are the Snake Queen?"

Raajimera scratched her head. "Would you believe me if I told you that I don't know?" she responded to a question with another question. "The last thing I remember from the start of my journey was a giant snake in the sky, and then before I knew it, I was here speaking with critters."

He nodded. "I understand. So you really don't remember anything from your life before that?"

"No, my brain was corroded like a rock in a river," she said in what had been intended to be a humorous response. It sounded a little bitter, though.

Seyed laughed, although she wasn't certain if it was genuine. 

"It's a great honor to be chosen by Twilight Mother," he stated. "Would you like to see our shrine? I think you would love it."

The woman agreed, and Seyed led the way. They went through the whole village until they reached a giant rock. Right in front of it was a statue of a snake with its mouth open. It looked just like Raa. Raajimera moved close to it and placed her hand on its cheek. 

"I know you brought me here, Mother," she said in the language of snakes. It was an intimate moment between her and the divine being who bestowed its gift upon her. "I think I know why. I will protect your followers if this is your will." The woman put her forehead against the statue and closed her eyes. 

The mark on her head started glowing slightly, and she could see an image in the darkness. It was Raa, showing her how to use an ability she never heard of. 

"I understand," she said as she opened her eyes.

She kissed the cheek of the statue and thanked the snake goddess.

Raajimera moved to the table with offerings that stood right next to the shrine. There was an abundance of lit candles and gifts for Raa. The woman lifted her hand theatrically above the flame. She snapped her finger and caused a small amount of sand to dance with it above the candle. They spun around harmoniously until they merged into what looked like small glass lotuses. She collected them and carefully placed them next to real flowers.

Suddenly, she remembered that she wasn't alone. She turned around and saw Seyed gawking at her with his eyes wide open. He couldn't believe what he just saw.

"I'm sorry, I was starstruck," she said, trying to explain herself.

Seyed shook his head. "No, I apologize; I've never seen anything quite like this before." He hesitated, then continued, "It proves that you truly are the Snake Queen. We are so blessed to have you here in this time of need."

He moved a bit closer to her, as if he were trying to check if he could kiss her.

She wanted to say something, but suddenly she sensed that Feng, who was still inside her pocket, was attempting to grab her attention. The woman had no idea what was going on, but she felt like it was urgent. 

Raajimera backed away and said, "Actually, I am sorry. I have to return to my room now."

"Already?" Seyed asked. He sounded surprised. "I hoped I could show you more things and get to know each other better, perhaps."

"I really need to take care of something right now, maybe some other day. Thank you for bringing me here." Raajimera left the place, rushing. 

Seyed turned to the statue and waited until he could no longer hear the woman's footsteps. He looked at the statue of Raa and took one of the glass flowers from the table. He examined it closely, turning it in his fingers, observing how the light moves through them. Then he smiled to himself and slipped it into his pocket.

"I hope you won't need all of these, Twilight Mother," he said to himself and smirked. 

The air suddenly turned cold and sharp in a way that was unnatural for this climate. It was not sure whether it was caused by the approaching night or the goddess's disappointment in the petty altar thief who worshiped her. 

Raajimera's steps were swift. She quickly climbed the stairs of the inn where she lived, closed the door loudly, and took a seat on her bed. The woman took her snake pal out of her pocket.

The animal seemed agitated.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked with concern in her voice.

Feng looked at her and exclaimed, "You? No!"

The animal was restless. "When you went to the shrine, something changed in Raa's energy; it's concerning," Feng finally explained.

"Do you think she is disappointed with me because I communed with her in front of a village person?" she asked worriedly. 

"No, I don't think it's that," Feng responded. The animal seemed puzzled. "I can't quite put my tail tip on what is wrong."

"Why do you think this is a problem?" Raajimera asked. "She taught me a new skill, and I managed to follow her instructions on my first try!"

"This has nothing to do with you, I think—"

Some ruckus outside interrupted their conversation. They looked at each other and approached the round window of Raajimera's room. 

"It seems like the whole village gathered around the well for some reason," she said. "This doesn't look good; do you think I should go there and see what happened?"

Feng nodded. "I think it would be a good idea," it said. "Bring me with you."

Raajimera put her snake companion in her hidden pocket and rushed outside. She didn't dare to come too close, so she just observed the village people from afar. 

The village chieftain noticed her in one way or another and decided to start a conversation. 

"We seem to be experiencing a water shortage right now," he said gloomily. "The last days have been pretty harsh, but I would have sworn the situation was still manageable about an hour ago." The chieftain sighed. "We thought that bringing offerings to the goddess would bring us her favor, but something seems to have worsened the situation. Do you think you could help us, herald of Raa?"

Feng slithered out of her pocket and crawled up to her shoulder. "You could draw the water from the ground and bring it to the surface," the reptile hissed quietly into her ear.

Raajimera lowered her voice. "How can I do that?" she asked. "I've just learned how to bend sand; I have no idea what you expect me to do."

"Roughly the same way. Water lines just look like glowing threads when you look at them with your third eye," the animal explained. "Seek, and you shall find them."

"I really hope you are right, and they won't kill me for being a fake deity," she said. The woman shouted, "Step back." 

Raajimera felt awkward as her loud voice dragged all the attention. She wished she could back down and retreat to the safety of silence, but it was too late now.