Have you ever gotten the feeling that there’s someone, somewhere out in this world? Someone that you feel like you know EVERYTHING about, yet you have NEVER met before? Someone that’s ALWAYS with you, yet NEVER around? Sometimes even being able to dream about their lives from your eyes? That is how Nizhoni Shirai, the daughter of the current chief of the Shirai tribe, has felt since she was a little girl. But unbeknownst to her tribe and their enemy tribe the Tonshyu, Hopi Tonshyu, son of the Tonshyu chief, has also had these types of feelings. But he would never tell the princess of his enemy tribe that. Nor anyone else for that matter.

It was a beautiful night in the Shirai village. The whole village was celebrating the Chief’s eldest son, Nocona’s acceptance into the University of Astrology in the nearby city. The city was so bright, you could see it from miles away. But because of how bright the city was, the natives were unable to see as many stars as they once did so long ago. Over the years, the natives have learned to adapt to their unfamiliar surroundings and are still able to keep most of their customs alive. There are some natives that have learned and adapted to the modern age’s technologies; such as cell phones and computers. Some natives from both tribes have moved to the city to further their education, like Nocona will.

Several feet away from the Shirai village, three young Tonshyu boys were hiding in a tree. Among the three boys was the Tonshyu chief’s son, Hopi. “I wonder what’s going on down there?” Asked the boy to Hopi’s right.

“A celebration for the chief’s son, not just that but also for a bountiful fishing trip.” Hopi said as stared at Nizhoni.

“Yeah they caught more fish than we did. So we’re going to steal some of theirs and take it back to our village” Said the boy on Hopi’s left.

“But isn’t stealing wrong?” Asked the boy on the right.

“Well duh but they’re our enemy Nashoba, our villages have been fighting each other for hundreds of years. Besides, they’ll still have plenty of fish left. They won’t mind if we steal some from them” replied the boy on the left.

“Shut up both of you. If you guys don’t then we’ll get caught and you don’t want to get caught. Do you?” Hopi said as he glared at his two buddies.

“Anyway, let’s go while they’re preoccupied.” The kid on the left said.

“Right.” Hopi and Nashoba said at the same time.

As the three boys were sneaking into the village, the Shirai tribe were getting things ready for their Celebration. Nocona and Nizhoni were looking through a telescope the city had donated to them to look at the moon and stars. “Wow! It’s so big! It looks like it’s a lot closer to Earth than it really is.” Nizhoni said excitedly.

“American technology has come a long way and though we don’t use much of them, this telescope helps our tribes look at the stars in a different perspective……And when I go to college, I want you to take care of the Shirai telescope for me. Can you do that for me Nizhoni?” Nocona asked as he looked down at his ten year old sister.

She looks up at him with sparkles in her eyes and nods her head quickly. “Of course big brother!” She said.

“Good. Now come on. The celebration is about to start.” He said as he held out his hand for his sister’s which she gladly took.

The Shirai village all sat down in a big circle. Nocona sat on their father’s right while Nizhoni sat on their father’s left. As her father was talking about Nocona’s achievements, she looks up and notices the three boys crawling around in the darkness. ‘What are the Tonshyu doing here at this time of night?’ She asked herself.

As the boys were stealthily sneaking around the village, they came across the bins that held the fish. “Finally! Let’s take five each and then get the heck out of here!” The boy on Hopi’s left whisper yelled.

Hopi and Nashoba both nodded their heads. As they were gathering some fish, two strong Shirai men found them and picked them up. “Well well. What do we have here!” The man that caught Nashoba and the boy.

“Looks to me like a couple of Tonshyu kids Brother.” Said the other who had caught Hopi.

“And Look here, one of them is their Chief’s son!” The other said as he smiled.

“Trying to steal all our fish! The Chief is gonna want to have a talk with you three trespassers.” The man said as they both walked towards the chief’s teepee.

“What’s going on Pallaton.” The chief asked as he, Nocona, and Nizhoni walked out. Nizhoni hides behind Nocona when she sees the Tonshyu boys.

“We caught these three Tonshyus trying to steal all our fish! What should we do with them, Chief?” The one called Pallaton said as Hopi struggled to break free from his grip but was unsuccessful.

The Chief stares down at the three boys. Hopi stares right back at him but the other two boys are scared of the Chief. “What are your names, Children?” He asked in a stern tone.

“N-Nashoba s-sir.” Nashoba stuttered.

“K-Kitchi.” the other boy said.

The Chief then looks at Hopi. “And I take it you are the one that led this attempt?” He asked.

Hopi didn’t answer. He continued to stare the Chief down. “N-Nizhoni Where are you going?” Nocona asked as everyone saw her running towards the place where the fish was being kept.

She comes out a few minutes later, struggling to drag a large basket filled with fish. Nocona ran to help her. He tried to take it back to the storage, but she refused. When they brought it to the Chief and the kids, they set it down. “Nizhoni what on earth are you doing child?” The chief asked.

“The gods have blessed us with all the fish so that we can share with the Tonshyu tribe, just as they have been blessed with hunting the wild animals.” She said.

Hopi looks at her. ‘Palila, how do you know about the success of my tribe’s hunting?’ He asked himself. He shook his head and glared at her. “You know nothing of our hunting skills.” He said.

“But I do know that we Shirai live near the water while the Tonshyu live near the mountains. There are some animals that you cannot get from the mountains that you can with the water. It’s the other way around for my tribe. We may be rivaling tribes and our fathers may hate each other, but we can at least establish a trading system. Our fish for your goat meat. And your wool for our leather.” Nizhoni explained.

“Nizhoni you can’t be serious! There is nothing of value that the Tonshyu would want aside from the fish.” Pallaton said.

Hopi looked down in thought. ‘Our leather does break after a few years. Will their leather last longer than ours?” He thought. He let out a sigh then looked straight into her eyes. “I will discuss it with my father then accompany him back here for our fathers to discuss it.” He said.

She smiles then struggles to push the basket of fish towards the boys. “Then let this basket of fish be a symbol of good will from our tribe to yours.” She said as she smiled.

A slight blush appeared on Hopi’s cheeks. “Th-Thank you.” He said.

“And I hope that both our tribes will become allies one day.” She said as she held out her hand for him to shake.

“Uhh y-yeah.” He replied as he shook her hand.

Five years later, all the kids were in their classrooms watching the news on the spaceship that would take off any minute. Nizhoni’s brother was one of the crew members on the ship. Everyone was crowding the TV that Nizhoni couldn’t see. She tries to push through but no one would let her in. Just then she felt a strong but gentle hand grab hers and pulled her into the crowd until she was able to see the TV. The hand left as quickly as it had come. She hears the radio man talking about her brother being the first Native American to go to space and that today would be a part of history.

It’s been a couple of months since the spaceship launched. Nizhoni walked out of her classroom as the bell rang, carrying her books to her locker. As she was putting her books away a hand slammed her locker shut. “Well well. What do we have here? The Shirai Princess all alone.” She hears Kitchi say with a sneer in his voice.

“I don’t see your friends anywhere Kitchi, which tells me that you’re on your own right now.” She said as she glared at him.

He smiles seductively as he chuckles. “And this is just how I like it.” He said as she grabbed her by the collar of her dress and slammed her against the lockers. “You know Shirai, our chief has been talking about negotiations for a treaty between our two tribes. Ever heard about it?” He said.

“My father has never told me such news.” She said as he choked her.

He chuckles again, almost to a full laugh. “Oh my dear sweet Shirai, You have been in the dark all this time? What a shame. But I guess I could tell you.” He said as he smiled evilly.

He leans in close to her ear, almost touching it with his lips. “Kitchi What are you doing?” They hear Hopi say.

“Apparently our dear princess has been kept in the dark about our tribe’s plan. I only wanted to……fill her in.” He said.

He walked over, balling his hands into fists. “What have I told you guys about trying to tell her?! She’s. Not. Ready. As Acting Chief of the Tonshyu tribe, I forbid ALL of you to say a single word about it to Nizhoni or anyone in the Shirai tribe.” He ordered.

“But Hopi, doesn't she have a right to know?” Kitchi asked.

Hopi glared at him. “I said; She’s. Not. Ready. Now are you going to put her down or do I have to take her by force?” He said in a low, angered tone.

Kitchi sighed then dropped Nizhoni, making her fall to the floor. “Fine. But you know, she’s gonna figure it out eventually.” He said before he walked away.

He sighed and turned around. “Are you alright?” He asked as he held out his hand for hers.

She gets up by herself. “I’m fine. Thanks for the help Hopi. Are you boys having a falling out?” She asked as she looked at him.

“Something like that. A-Anyway let’s get to our next classroom else we’ll be counted late.” He said.

“R-Right.” She replied. She looks at him in confusion. ‘I wonder what those boys are up to. And what do they mean by “She’s not ready?” How strange.’ She thought to herself.

An hour later, as everyone was quietly doing their assignments, the door opened and the school principal walked into the room. “Miss Shirai. Would you mind coming with me for a bit?” She asked pleasantly. Hopi glanced up at her, getting a strange feeling that something was wrong.

When Nizhoni and the principal left the room, Hopi raised his hand. “Mrs. Rhonda, may I go to the restroom?” He asked.

“Take a hall pass, Mr. Tonshyu.” She said without looking up from grading papers.

He quickly grabs a hall pass and leaves the room to follow Nizhoni. He arrives at the office and sits outside the principal’s door and listens in to their conversation. “I’m afraid we have sad news Miss Shirai. It’s about your brother.” The principal began to say.

“Wh-What is it?” She asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“He’s gone missing. His team were studying a black hole that’s a couple lightyears away from Earth, he got too close to it and was sucked into it.” She said, Nizhoni and Hopi’s eyes widened.

It’s been about ten years since Nizhoni’s elder brother, Nocona, went missing through the black hole. Everyone keeps telling her that he’s dead, but somehow, she can feel in her heart that he’s still alive, somewhere out there in that endless black void the Americans called Space. Though the Shirai tribe and their enemy tribe, the Tonshyu, are slowly learning about the technologies the Americans create, they are still set in their customs. A Thousand years ago, the Americans came to the land from the east.

Their leaders spoke with the tribes’ chiefs to seek out land to build their village. They brought gifts such as guns that we have never seen before. They offered to give Education for the tribes’ young and thus built a school just outside their now, ever growing village. That is how Nizhoni’s elder brother learned about the stars and space. That is how she learned about the different kinds of animals around the world such as parrots in the amazon rainforest, tigers in the jungle, and polar bears in the arctic.

When she isn’t in her village doing her chores, She is in the city working as a Veterinarian for all the city’s and both tribe villages’ sick and wounded animals. Though neither of the tribes like the Americans, not all of them are bad. Over the years there have been people from all over the world that come to live in the big city. It's interesting for the natives to see all the different nationalities coming together in a way that is still fairly new to both tribes.

Some of Nizhoni’s friends and Co-workers arrived to the city from all over the world. Angel and her family came from Mexico,  Mitsu and her family are from England, Miku and her family are from Japan, The Twins, Sarime and her brother from France, and finally Cerena, Sireen, and their other three sisters are from Egypt. Two of the sisters each had a daughter at a very young age.

Hopi has been the Tonshyu’s acting chief for about thirteen years now. His father died due to an illness the Americans called Lung Cancer when he was only fourteen. As he, Kitchi, and Nashoba were teaching the young boys of the tribe how to make spears, bows, and arrows for hunting, a memory popped into his head of a conversation between him and Nizhoni’s brother. It was just a couple of days before Nocona was to board the space shuttle.

As Nocona was getting ready to leave his home village. He looks back and smiles at Hopi. “Hey Hopi, it’s up to you to watch over Nizhoni while I’m gone. She doesn’t have any friends in our village that are her age and you three are the only ones she feels even remotely comfortable with at school. So can I count on you to keep an eye on my little sister while I’m gone?” He asks.

He looks at him and nods his head yes. “I promise, I will protect her with my life.” He replied.

He chuckles. "Good, I'm counting on you. And Hopi? Try not to be so shy around her. Among the three of you, she's the most comfortable around you and I know that you're shy around her because you have feelings for her." He said before he turned and left.

He comes back to reality when he feels Nashoba shaking him by the shoulders. "Hey, Chief! You alright?" He asked.

"He was probably thinking about Nizhoni again." Kitchi said. His brothers laughed. "I keep telling him that if he doesn't make a move on her soon, I just may sweep her off her feet before he does."

"Kitchi don't do that! You know how the chief feels for her." Nashoba said.

"It was dad's idea to unite the tribes by a marriage between one of us and Nizhoni, the other Shirai STILL doesn't know a thing about it because SOMEONE here doesn't have the balls to say anything to her or the chief about it." Kitchi explained.

"I'm going to the Shirai village today to talk to their chief about it while she is at work in the city. I have to tell him sooner or later." He said as he looked at his younger brothers.

"It's taken you this long to finally man up and talk to her dad about uniting the tribes! If you had just acted a lot sooner on this, the tribes would have already been united, the two of you would be married, and with kids of your own by now! What's taken you so damn long, Hopi?!" Kitchi explained. 

“Because I’m waiting for the right time to tell her how I feel!” There was a long pause. “Ever since her brother disappeared, she hasn’t been her normal self. She hardly ever smiles, let alone sing anymore. The Palila I know would sing her heart out every single day. When times were tough she would try to stay as positive as she could, so that she didn’t worry her tribe. Her beautiful dark eyes would have so much life in them that they would sparkle in the light. But you wouldn’t have known that, would you, Kitchi.” He said as he glared at his younger brother by two years.

“What’s the deal with calling her Palila anyway?” Nashoma asked.

“Because, the day I first met her, she was singing as she was learning to weave a basket. Ever since then I’ve been calling her Palila…….She’s always been my little songbird.” He replied.

“I thought you first met her the night we tried to steal the fish?” Kitchi asked.

Hopi nodded his head no. “I first met her when we were five. I had gotten caught in one of the adult’s traps when I tried to steal a fish from them. She was walking around as she was trying to weave a basket when she looked up and saw me in the trap. I thought that she would call for one of the adults, but she was the one that helped me down. When she helped me down, she told me to be quiet and gave me a couple of big fish, then helped me sneak out of the village unseen.” He explained.

“Wait, hold up. So you’re telling us that you’ve known Nizhoni since you were FIVE?!” Nashoba asked in surprisement. Hopi nodded his head yes. “And you never TOLD US?!” Another nod from Hopi.

“No wonder you didn’t introduce yourself back then.” Kitchi said as he crossed his arms.

“Anyway, I have to get going now, if I want to make it to the Shirai village by nightfall.” He said as he started walking towards the edge of the village.

“I was being serious earlier, Hopi. If you don’t make a move on your little Palila soon, then I will take her from you at the next chance I get.” Kitchi said coldly.

‘Over my dead body, brother!’ He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, in the city, Nizhoni was working at the front desk of the vet clinic when a young boy no older than ten from the Shirai came in, holding one of the village hunting wolves in his arms. “Princess! Please! You have to help Raja! I think he’s sick!” The boy said in a frantic and worried tone.

“Alright. Set him on the table here.” She said as she stood up and led him to one of the examination rooms. She took the dog’s weight and temperature. She picks the dog up and lays him down on the table. When she laid him down, she noticed that he was a she, and she was producing milk. She was in labor but was having some issues. She walks out of the room shutting the door behind her and goes to her co-worker, Arisa, one of the five sisters that came from Egypt, for help. “Arisa! I need a Sonogram in room three! Stat!”

“On it!” A young woman around the age of twenty-six with long black hair and green eyes came out from the back with a sonogram machine.

When both women entered the room the boy was pacing until he heard them come into the room. “Is he going to be okay Princess?” The boy asked.

“She will be just fine, Swapan. Arisa and I will take care of her.” She replied, trying to calm the boy down.

“What do you mean ‘she’? Raja is a boy!” He said.

Nizhoni giggled. “Swapan, Raja is actually a female and she will bring her offspring into the world within hours. But for now you’ll have to leave her with us. I will bring her back to the village once she is well enough to return. Though I suppose Raja would need a new name since Raja is a male dog’s name. Would you like to think of another name for her?” She asked as she looked at the boy.

He looked down in thought then looked back at her. “Chandra! Because she was brought to this world under a shining moon!” he said happily. She smiles.

“Then I will bring Chandra once she is well enough to return to the village with her puppies.” She replied.

“Hey Nizhoni, we’ll need to do an emergency C-section. There are so many pups that they’re getting stuck.” Arisa said.

“Alright. I’ll prepare the operating room.” Nizhoni said.

“After you help me deliver these babies you can go on lunch.” She said.

After they did the C-section, they placed Chandra and all six of her puppies in a cage for her to recover and the pups to start nursing. Nizhoni just left for her lunch break when she sees what appeared to be her father, laying down on the sidewalk, across the street from the Vet Clinic. “F-Father! What happened? Why are you here?” She asked as she crossed the road (After looking both ways of course.) to get to her father.

“My Daughter, I was going to cross the road to come see you when a couple of children knocked me over. I was going to come see you to talk about Uniting our tribes.” He explained.

“U-Uniting our Tribes? Father, couldn’t this have waited till after work?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“I’m afraid It cannot, my daughter.” He said as she helped him up.

“Alright well I’m on my lunch break now so, why don’t we go somewhere to talk about it. My Treat. Will Hopi be Joining us?” She asked.

“He will join us as soon as he can.” He said as they headed down the street. As they were walking towards the restaurant, the Shirai chief looked behind him, as if someone was following him.

“Is something wrong, father?” Nizhoni asked.

“Everything is fine, my daughter.” He said as he smiled at her.

Hiding in a dark alleyway, watching Nizhoni and her father, was Hopi. ‘Something doesn’t seem right about Chief Bidzii. I doubt that the Shirai Chief knows about father’s plan of uniting our tribes through marriage.’ He thought to himself as he followed them from a safe distance.

“Tell me, daughter. What is your opinion on Chief Hopi and his brothers?” Bidzii asked.

“Well, his brothers are good friends of mine, though they can be immature, Nashoma is a little too young, and Kitchi…….He’s changed since we were in school, and I don’t mean in a good way.” She explained.

‘Nizhoni, my Palila, you have NO idea’ Hopi thought to himself as he smiled. His eyes widened as he saw the Chief’s legs turn into a red serpent’s tail as it started to coil around her.

“Oh really! How so?” The chief asked as he smiled without her noticing.

‘Why the hell is he here?! I thought he was only a figment of my nightmares!’ Hopi thought to himself.

“I’m not sure how to explain it.” Nizhoni said as she looked down in thought. When she looked down, she noticed the red tail coiling around her. The tail tightly wrapped around her body as the chief laughed.

“I have finally caught you off guard, Shirai Princess!” He said as his upper body became large and very, VERY plump with a red hue so bright he almost looked like he was covered in blood. He moved closer to her till his nose was almost touching hers. “My my don’t you look radiant my dear.” He said with a seductive grin.

“Who-Who are you?!” She asks with fear in her eyes.

He looked at her as if she was crazy. “Do you REALLY not know who I AM?!” He yells as he stares at her. Just then a lightbulb went off in his head. “Oh! That’s right, it must’ve slipped my mind for a moment. I’m not in Millennia anymore. I guess that would explain why I don’t see any of those annoying ‘Dragon people’ flying about.” He talked to himself. He turned back around towards Nizhoni. “I am known by many names in this dimension. Most Commonly as The Devil, Satan, Abaddon, Antichrist, just to name a few. I used to be called Lucifer when I was an angel. But in my dimension, I am known…….As The DEMON KING!” He snarled.

“Wh-What do you want f-from me?” She asked.

He chuckled. “I’m glad you asked my dear. You see, I have a way to merge both our dimensions into one. But I need your help to do it.” He said.

“A-And if I refuse?” She asked.

“Should you refuse? Well then I guess you won’t ever see your elder brother again.” He said as he looked at his razor sharp nails.

Her eyes widened. ‘It can’t be! How does that fat **** know about her brother?! As far as we know he went missing in a black hole. Whatever he’s babbling about, has to end here and now.’ Hopi thought to himself. He sneaks around, trying not to let them notice him. Once he was in place, he stabbed and sliced the demon’s tail with his dagger, forcing him to let go of Nizhoni. “Palila What are you doing! Get away from him! NOW!” He called out.

The demon growled. “You little pest! How DARE you injure the mighty Demon King!” He hissed. “I should have you rot in hell for what you’ve done, boy!”

Hopi stands in front of Nizhoni with his arm out to protect her, while holding his dagger. “If you want the Shirai Princess, then you’ll have to go through me first.” He said.

“Ahh. There you are, Hoptepshit, or whatever your name is, I was wondering when you would show your ugly face. Sorry but my business is only with the fair Shirai, so I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.” The demon said as he turned up his nose and tried to shoo Hopi away with a hand gesture.

“Not a chance, you fat prick.” He said as he held Nizhoni close and protectively in one arm.

The demon sighed. “Alright then. I guess this will be your last day alive. And I was so hoping where your life would have led you, should you have married the Shirai Princess.” He said in disappointment.

Nizhoni’s eyes widened. “H-Hopi?…….H-How do you know him?…….Wh-What does he mean by that?” She asked. He didn’t answer her.

“Palila…….I want you to run as fast as you can back to the Vet Clinic, don’t look back. I will buy you some time and catch up to you when I can. Take this with you, don’t give it to anyone else but me, protect it with your life, and whatever you do, don’t let him have it!” He explained as he gave her a small, round, leather satchel before charging at the giant, fat, snakeman demon.

Once when he knew that Nizhoni was out of the demon’s sights, he glared at the Demon King as he laughed and his wound instantly healed. “Have you HONESTLY not learned your lesson, boy! Your puny dagger cannot wound ME!” He chuckled.

“I am aware of that but thanks for playing along to my theatrics. Nizhoni is not ready to learn about other dimensions and you know it!” He explained. “So. Why are you here, Trickster?”

He grinned, showing his fangs. “Oh child, I do believe she is ready. But isn’t it obvious, child? The stars will be aligning very soon and you know what that means, right? The dimensions will be visible to each other. Everyone in all the dimensions will be able to see and possibly even communicate to one another. It’s only a matter of time before my son will become the new King of Demons” The demon king said as he slithered around him.

“There’s no way her Soul Mate nor I will EVER hand her over to you or your son! No matter what happens, we WILL stop you!” He said.

The demon laughs again. “As if you can communicate with the fair Shirai’s Soul Mate. You don’t even have a plan!” He said as he calmed down to a chuckle.

This time, Hopi chuckled. “I may not be able to communicate with him ‘directly’ but someone else’s Soul Mate is a Dream Dragon that has been a lot of help to us. So, lucky for us, he has a few plans under his scales.” He said.

He growled. “You wretched meddling human! I should have killed you when I had the chance all those years ago. Then there would have been one less thorn in my side to deal with.” He said as he balled his hands into fists.

“Even if you would have killed me, they would have found someone else to learn about the dimensions, whether it been one of my brothers, or someone from the Shirai tribe. Maybe even Nizhoni herself. The information would have still been taught to someone.” He explained.

“Just you wait, mortal. I will find ways to destroy those plans of yours as well as destroy all of you. I’ll be back.” He growled before he slithered into the dark back alleys of the city, disappearing from Hopi’s sight, and his dimension.

“And we’ll be waiting for you.” He said to himself before twirling his dagger in his hand and putting it back in its pocket. He ran towards the Vet Clinic. By the time he got to the Vet Clinic, it was already sundown. “Hey ladies. Did you by chance see Nizhoni come back here?” He asked as he looked at Cerena and Arisa.

“Yeah she ran back in looking like she’d seen a ghost or something. Did something happen during her lunch break?” Arisa asked.

“Something like that.” He replied.

“She’s in the break room if you want to go back there.” Cerena said.

“Oh no. It’s fine. I’ll just wait till her shift’s over.” He said.

“If I remember correctly, her shift should end in about thirty minutes.” Arisa said.

“Tell us what happened, Hopi! She looked terrified when she came back.” Cerena said.

He smirked. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He said.

“Try us, Chief.” Arisa said as she crossed her arms.

“Would you believe me, if I told you that we were attacked by the devil himself?” He asked.

The girls looked at each other, then at Hopi, then to each other, then back at Hopi, Then they looked at Angel when she walked in the room. “What?” She asks as she raises her eyebrow.

“Don’t you get weird dreams a lot?” Cerena asked.

“Yeah? What about them?” She asked.

“What about a dream about the devil?” Arisa asked.

“Oh god! Don’t remind me of that horrible dream.” She said as she put her head in her hand.

“What did the devil look like in your dream?” Hopi asked.

“Half snake and half human with scales and skin so red, you would think he was covered in blood at first glance.” She said.

“Sounds about right.” He said as he looked down in thought. ‘So the Dream Dragon must be her Soul Mate then.’ He thought to himself.

“What do you mean by that?” Angel asked as she looked at him.

“Oh. That’s who attacked us earlier. He’s strong enough to escape dreams now. But I wonder why he showed himself today of all days?” He replied.

“What’s so special about today?” Arisa asked.

He looked at the girls then smiled and winked at them as he put his finger to his mouth. “Don’t tell Nizhoni but I’ve decided to discuss my father’s plan with her and the Shirai Chief.” He said quietly to them.

“Good luck with that Chief Hopi cause You’re also gonna have to explain to her what happened.” Angel said.

“And I intend to tell her the truth. I was hoping this day would never come, but I fear that she’s more than ready to know about the other dimensions, and about the Soul Mates.” He said.

“You mean you STILL haven’t told her!” Arisa said with a bit of surprise in her voice. He nodded his head no.

“You should probably tell her when you’re walking her back to her village. The sooner she knows, the more she can understand what happened.” Cerena said.

The four of them went silent when they saw Nizhoni come out of the break room, holding a pet carrier with the newborn puppies, with Chandra behind her. His heart ached as he saw how exhausted and worn down she looked. She appeared to have cried herself to sleep at one point. “I’m gonna head home for the night girls. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” She said in a saddened tone.

“Nizhoni?! Guess who came to take you home?!” Arisa said excitedly.

“Were you really going to leave without even so much as a glance my way, Palila? He must have really terrified you, didn’t he.” He said worriedly as he put one hand on her shoulder, the other caressing her cheek.

She looks at him with her dark, bloodshot eyes widened. “H-Hopi? Y-You’re alive.” She whispered to herself. She gently touched his face with her fingertips.

“I’m here, Palila, I’m alright. I was able to chase him off for a while…….But I’m afraid that he will be back.” He began to say when he saw tears form in her eyes. He wraps his arms around her back, hugging her tightly. “Which is why there is a lot that I must tell you about, like who and what that creature was, where he came from, and what his plans are for you.” He explained.

“You mean you know what he wants with her?!” Angel asked in surprisement.

He looked at the girls and nodded his head yes. “He wants to unite the dimensions into one.” He said.

The girls’ gasped. “But that’s impossible, the dimensions can’t fuse together unless there’s a Soul Mate out there that has the mental power to keep the planets aligned!” Arisa said.

“Not only that but to celebrate the dimensions coming together, he wants to force Palila into marrying his son, The Demon Prince.” He said.

“Wh-What are you guys talking about?” Nizhoni asked as she wiped her eyes.

“Anyway I should take her and Chandra home. Thanks to the Prince of the Dragons, she at least knows what a Soul Mate is but she doesn’t understand what dimensions are. So I’ll have a lot to explain to her on the way home.” He explained.

“Will you be needing Dreemur’s help?” Angel asked.

“As of right now, no, but when we do I’ll let Serenity know and she’ll get him.” He said. He waved goodbye to the girls and left the Clinic, letting Nizhoni and Chandra out first.

On their way to the Shirai Village, Hopi explained everything about all the different dimensions, how there is only a short amount of time where all the dimensions can be seen at once, and that the dimensions must forever be invisible to all those who know nothing of them. He explained to her about the Demon king, about how he knows him and that he comes from the same Dimension their own Soul Mates are from. He told her of the Demon King’s plan to unite the dimensions into one and that that must never happen at any cost. And finally, he told her about what they need to get from every dimension in order to prevent the unification from happening. He was very patient with her as she slowly began to understand what he was telling her. He answered all the questions she had for him.

“He told me what a Soul Mate is…….But he didn’t really explain them very well…….So what are Soul Mates to you, Hopi?” She asked.

He looked at her and smiled. “Soul Mates are more or less like our interdimensional twin siblings, we are born at the exact same time, day, month, and year, yet we are from two completely different dimensions. Sometimes we can act exactly the same with everything about us from our personalities to our favorite people can be exactly the same. Other times we can be polar opposites where, for example, there could be someone in our dimension, Like say my brother Kitchi, that I would absolutely despise, While for my Soul Mate, Serenity, she would have a sister that she would absolutely adore. We can communicate to our Soul Mates through our dreams, sometimes we could even dream about each other’s dimension.” He explained.

“What’s your Soul Mate like, Hopi?” She asked as she looked at him.

He looks up in thought. “In her normal form, She’s a very pretty white dragon with aquamarine eyes and her feathered wings are of an angel’s. While in her human form she’s a woman with long white hair with her white horns coming out of the sides of her head that gently encircle around it, somewhat like a halo, she wears an aquamarine colored, tattered, raggedy dress, as if she was a poor slave, yet she told me that she and her family are famous cooks for the Royal Dragon family and that she grew up with the Dragon Prince himself.” He explained.

“She sounds like she’s just your type.” She said as she giggled.

He stares at her with sadness in his eyes. “Listen, Nizhoni, There are different meanings to the term Soul Mate…….but-.” He began to say before he was interrupted by her.

“Look! There’s the village up ahead!” She said before she handed the puppies to him, and ran past him, towards the Shirai village, followed by Chandra.

He stares at her as she runs towards the village. He sighs and smiles at her. “Sounds to me that you weren’t able to tell her the truth again. Were you, Hopi?” A feminine voice was heard around him as she giggled.

“I tried and failed yet again. so, I guess it’s up to you now, Prince of Dragons.” Hopi said as he turned around to see two black figures standing in a bright white light.