"Took you long enough," the snake hissed when it saw Gesar approach the pond. "Follow me."

Instead of following the snake, Gesar halted and said, "How can I understand you?" He was struggling to wrap his mind around the fact that he could talk to snakes. It was yet another one of those things that had never happened before. Did meeting Nur change him somehow? But why? The questions were beginning to make him more restless than he had ever been before.

"Of course, you can. Your highness is half-Naga."

With those words, a memory of his mother resurfaced, and Gesar gasped. Understanding dawned on him as he stared out at the pond. Any substantial body of water was a gateway to the Naga realm. He knew that because he had witnessed his mother emerging from within the depths of a lake. That's why the snake wanted to bring him here. "I can't breathe underwater," he said regretfully.

"You're already dead," the snake hissed.

"Yes, well." Was the snake being sarcastic? "Are you saying I can enter the Naga realm now that I'm a ghost?"

Though the snake said nothing, Gesar heard it loud and clear. "Duh!"

As a kid, Gesar often asked his mother to bring him to the Naga palace with her, but he was more human than Naga. Visiting the Naga realm or meeting his maternal side of the family wasn't in the cards for him. Or so he believed, but now he no longer needed to breathe.

It might not trigger his curse because even if he entered the Naga realm under the pond, he would technically still be in the castle. Before then, he never considered the possibility because he had forgotten his past and his Naga heritage. Now that he remembered his mother, things looked promising. She might help him remember more of his past and even help him with his current predicament.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" The snake vanished in the water, leaving Gesar with no other choice but to follow.

The underwater world was nothing like he expected. He imagined a landscape full of vibrant and varied life forms, but it was much more peaceful and tranquil. Gesar marveled at the color palette created as the sunlight filtered through the water. He swam behind the snake and went further down into the pond. The deeper they went, the darker it got until they reached the bottom. Then, everything brightened once again.

The depths captivated him. He watched in fascination as water dragons swam around him before continuing on their way. Vibrant colors, exotic creatures with tentacles, others with scales, and still more that were a combination of the two, and majestic scenery assaulted his senses. The realm of the Nagas was far more magical than he anticipated. They swam past a shipwreck, and a walled city came into view, whose gates were guarded by the giant sea serpents.

From where they hovered in the water, Gesar couldn't see the top of the city walls and wondered if they could swim over them. There was no need, though. The snake that accompanied him stopped near the guards and said something. The next thing Gesar knew, gates swung open as if by magic, and they entered the underwater city. Thus far, they had been swimming. Now, on their own accord, his feet touched the solid ground, and he walked on. Most people were in their snake form, but some preferred half-human and half-serpent personas. The only one in complete human form was a woman he recognized as soon as his eyes found her.

Yelga, his mother--the Nagi princess, must have been waiting for them. As soon as she saw them coming, she rushed forward and engulfed him in a tight hug. "My son, how many centuries have I waited to see you again? How have I searched for you? I never imagined finding you in such a way. A ghost?" Her voice clogged with tears as she buried her face into his chest.

"Mother." Gesar hugged her back. Her warmth surrounded his dead heart and a weight lifted from his soul. His mother was alive and well. She was here, and he could touch her. He tried hard not to burst into tears himself. He hadn't felt the touch of another living being in what seemed like an eternity.

His father banished the two of them when he was a mere boy. At the time, he was too young to understand what was happening, but later, he found out about the treachery of his father's second wife. The woman was vile and remained so until the very end. Even after his father died, she did everything she could to thwart his claim to the throne. He was the firstborn, and it was not only his birthright but also his destiny to lead the people of Kingdom Ling. Thankfully, his stepbrothers were nothing like their mother and welcomed him with open arms.

For a long time, though, it had just been him and his mother. They lived in exile, far from the castle, and fended for themselves. The bond he shared with her was unbreakable. There was no one else he loved more. How he could have forgotten this was a mystery to him. But his memories of her were rushing back with a vengeance.

"Let me look at you." She detached herself from his embrace and drew back to stare at his face. Once she had her fill, she took his hand into hers and led her through the city.

In the distance, he could see a beautiful marble palace surrounded by glowing crystal gardens. Nagas were friendly and welcoming people. Everyone they met on their way to the palace was nice to them. They bowed to his mother and greeted him with a smile. It was hard to believe that such a world existed below ours. In every building and every structure, he could feel the history and culture that had existed for thousands of years.

And as it turned out, his mother was no longer the princess. She was the queen, ruling over the entire realm and trying to maintain the balance between worlds. Taking the throne meant she could no longer leave the realm even for a little while. The thought saddened Gesar a little, and he wondered if she missed their home by the lake. That small cottage had been their sanctuary for years.

They walked toward the palace, which grew bigger as they came nearer. From above, it had been a small pond, but below it, the vastness of the place was immeasurable. "Are we still under the castle?" he said, fearful of finding himself back in the dungeons.

"My dear son, you are in another realm. It has nothing to do with your world, and the laws of your realm don't matter here. You are under my protection, and here my magic is stronger than any on earth."

Her words reassured him, and he sighed in relief. "You said you have been looking for me, but I thought I was dead." He came straight to the point. Small talk was never his style, as much as he could remember.

"It's a long story. Where do I begin?"