The first time I see when I open my eyes are crystal like substances made into two poles in front of the gate. When Dean said he was the royal gatekeeper, I never thought he meant it literally. The portal drops us off in front of a gate made of what look like diamonds wrapped in crystals but beyond the gate is nothing like literally nothing. A gate that's like ten feet tall with infinite clouds surrounding it.

"What's behind the gate?" I ask them, watching as they both stare at the city waiting for us in awe and relief. I guess that's what happens when you haven't been in home for a long time. Dean was here not long ago but Damian hasn't been home in almost thirty seven years.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," he answers. I open my mouth to ask further questions but he continues like he can sense that I'm not done being curious. "The gate is just a door to other realms and planets. It doesn't actually open, it's just for show."

I think I get now. The gate is a gate but also not a gate. That's why he was worried when someone got into Di Hipsodat without him because he's the only one that can open the gate or so he thought, even Damian can't open it.

Not knowing what to say, I sigh and nod. I have a feeling I'll be asking more questions but first we have to get where we're going first.

"Welcome home, El-Sah-El," Dean tells me before taking the first step forward, leading to the city? Can I call it a city? A castle city maybe?

Following behind Dean, I walk closely with Damian because this an uncharted territory for me. The sound of our footsteps clicks loudly on the surface of the ground. I look down and notice what we're stepping on isn't really a ground. It's a bridge-like ground because what I'm looking at is a narrow way that leads straight to the city, the bridge is wide enough to contain an SUV but the rest of the place is covered in the same cloud that's covering what's beyond the gate. I turn to the side and walk closer to the cloud covered place and stop in front it.

"Can I touch it?" I ask them over my shoulder.

"Go ahead and tell us what you feel," Dean answers.

Touch a cloud? Never thought I'd be doing something crazy this soon. Fuck it, I'm going to touch it.

I raise my hand and reach forward with shaky breath and hand. My eyes closes just before my hand can touch the cloud. I gasp when I feel the hard surface beneath my touch. I don't know why I gasped, probably because I didn't know what I was expecting but it was hard surface. I open my eyes and watch the cloud glows beneath my touch and the clear sight of the same substance used to make the gate is there. The cloud is just a cover to hide the beauty underneath it.

"Wow..." I murmur and bring my other hand to touch it. I move both hands around the strange wall and I watch it glow but the moment I remove my hands it reverts back to it's original form but not after I catch something.

I place my hand on it again and move closer to get a clear view of what's actually beneath the diamond crystal like substances. It's the same thing as the surface of the bridge. It looks like thin lines entwined to form a big line running through the walls and ground. There's something inside those lines, like it's transporting something.

Removing my hand, I leave the place and go join the others. Dean is looking at me like he's waiting for me to tell him what I felt and I will because what I just saw makes no sense to me. "It's hard and I know you're hiding something inside those walls and ground. What is it?" I know my tone hold some kind of accusations and I didn't mean for it to come out that what but it is what is.

"We aren't hiding anything inside the walls, everyone in Di Hipsodat knows our minerals comes from those something you saw. Earth has coal, crude oil, mineral resources and we have ours," Dean explains.

His tone doesn't show his emotions but I still feel bad for going at him like that.

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me," I apologize and look down in guilt.

No response. I raise my head to see the both of them giving me a weird look. "What?"

Dean blinks and Damian squints his eyes like he's trying to see through me. "Did you just apologize?" Dean asks to confirm. "It sounds like she just did," he says to Damian, who nods and still looking at me like I've grown a third head.

I roll my eyes. "I know when to apologize, come on." I end the topic before it becomes a thing.

The sooner we meet El and ask her permission to bring Jessica back, the sooner we can leave.

We continue walking and reach the place where the clouded wall ends, revealing the realm. Di Hipsodat.

I stop at the foot of the bridge and watch the place in awe. It's so different from Earth and I haven't even entered it to start comparing. The first thing I notice are the flying creatures that's surrounding the whole place like guards. They're far from where I am, so I'm not sure if they're dragons but I wouldn't rule them out because El has a dragon.

"What are those?" I ask, pointing at the well arranged creatures above us. Can't count but they'll be more than fifty scattered around the sky... I can't call what I'm looking at sky because it doesn't look like one.

"Those are the Flongals, the protector of the lower lands," Damian answers this time.

"Flongals. Protector of the lower lands? What about the sky, what's it made of?"

"The same thing the walls and the bridges are made of. Four Dihipian minerals namely Pylo, Nonfur, Deih and Frig. The Flongals are dragon like creatures but aren't dragons. They look like dragons with the exception of the wings and fire breath, and Flongals are stronger than most dragons but not Azra," he explains.

Azra is a supernatural creature that binds itself to one the most powerful being in the entire universe. Azra is stronger than every creature.

"Cool." I look away from the Flongals and the lower lands, the city where the none royals lives or so I've heard.

Who ever designed this realm is a total idiot. How can someone level an entire realm? The Lower lands are for ordinary Dihipians and the lands are really lower than that's of the High Land where the royals lives. It's like climbing a staircase except with just two steps.

"They're much today because tomorrow is The Knife Festival."

My eyes widens. "The knife festival? The one I've heard so much about" He nods and tips his lip up in a small smile. "I'm going, I want to watch and who knows? You might finally meet your mate."

"Of course, come on." Dean cuts in and whistles. "Our ride will be here in a sec."

Our ride? I didn't know we have a ride.

I look over to where Damian is standing with Jessica safely secured in his arms. He hasn't complained about carrying her. He doesn't look like he's having any trouble but he looks uncomfortable. I can tell from the way he keeps readjusting her. Dead people are always heavier than the living but I don't think that's the problem. I want to ask if he's okay but I already know what his answer would be. He never wanted to come here in the first place, he's just forcing himself to look like he wants to be here even though he missed the place.

A roar pulls my concentration from Damian as a shadow covers us, I look up to see one of the Flongals descends down to us. Now getting a close look at it, Damian's right, it looks like a dragon but instead of a scales, it's a fur. It's standing on it's large legs with paw and claws larger than me. It drops in front of us and I watch with my mouth open as the largest creature I've ever seen stand tall. It turns to us and head towards us, I move back without taking my eyes off it, my heart banging and beating fast as it stops in front of us. "Why is it looking this way? Why is it looking this way?" I ask, fear building inside me. Slapping my hand against Dean's shoulder. "Why are not saying anything? Why–"

"Deamon! Las vi du bys funtue ala bass," Dean addresses the creature in a cheerful language as he moves towards it. The creature raises his head up and roar really loud that I have cover my ears with my hands but that's not all, the rest of the Flongals in the sky copies him and roar.

"Why did they just do that?" I ask when they finish roaring.

"To announce my arrival, now the whole realm knows I'm around." He answers and walks closer to the creature and touches it smooth skin. "Cami meet Deamon, my Flongal, he just got promoted to General, so we won't be spending much time together," he tells me in a sad tone before speaking to Deamon. "Deamon vas vin die pis ji El-Sah-El."

Deamon moves his attention from Dean to me, it looks at me before going down. "What is it doing?"

"Bowing. I told him you're the princess."

"Nice to meet you, Deamon. I'm Cami." I introduce myself.

It moves it's head up and down like a a nod almost like it can understand me. It moves back and stand straight, it's hands hangs low and some unexpected happens next. Never in my sixteen years of living have I ever witnessed an animal open itself up, and that's exactly what Deamon is doing. It's middle, from the throat to the lower stomach cracks open, I used crack because the hair on the fur shifted aside and the skin cracked, revealing it's inside.

I look at Dean with my mouth wide open. "Fascinating, isn't he?" He says with a smile, not taking his eyes off his pet. I can tell Dean loves this creature because I've never seen the smile on his face before. It might be because he's back home.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"The Flongals aren't just guards, they're also beast of burdens, they can be used as a means of transport. Come on, it's warm inside," he offers me his hand.

I look from his outstretched hand to his face before facing Damian, who gives me a slight nod before jumping up and entering Deamon. Blinking, I take Dean's hand and he levitates, taking me with him.

We enter inside Deamon and I'm surprised to see the places where people can seat. Damian already found a place to seat with Jessica laying on the floor beside him. Dean seats opposite them, I stand at the edge, not taking my eyes off the floor.

"Come sit, Cami, you might fall when he moves," Dean warns.

I sigh and go sit beside him. "Can you explain their biology to me? Why are they–"

"I know you have many questions, Cami but can you save them until after your friend is breathing again." He cut me off, not in a rude way but in a way to let me know that he'd rather be doing something else than explaining the biology of Flongals to me.

He's right. I should focus on what we came here to do and after I'll have plenty of time to explore and ask questions.

I seat back and watch Deamon close the open, and seconds late it begins to fly. I know this because it's just like flying in planes.

I close my eyes and think about what will happen next. I agreed to this trip without hesitation, I haven't really gotten the chance to think about who I will be meeting. El. My grandmother. The woman who is considered the most dangerous being in the whole universe.

I spend the next hour thinking about the woman responsible for my existence. What does she look like? I never pictured her in my head and I won't start now. How will she behave around me? I heard she's tough, will she be tough around me?

"Cami, we're here." Dean's voice interrupts my thoughts.