Part 1: The Birds and the Butterflies?

Nora and her sister drove most of the night, taking shifts. Nora didn't have any particular destination in mind, but it turned out Michelle had a plan. They were only about an hour away when Nora finally figured out where Michelle was heading.

"Grandma's house?" Nora asked skeptically.

"Well... not exactly. But close." Michelle said. It made sense; the house had been sold years ago.

"So where to then?"

"Remember that old hotel at the edge of town?"

"The one that looked like a castle?" Nora asked.

"You're the only one who ever thought that." Michelle laughed.

"I was six!" Nora protested.

The hotel Nora was referring to was more of a two-story stone cottage than an actual castle. Actually, it looked more like the setting for a Hansel and Gretel story than a princess's palace. But when Nora was a little girl, she hadn't known the difference. Every time they'd pass the place on the way to her Grandma's, she'd ask if they could spend the night there. And now, almost twenty years later, it looked like she was going to finally fulfill that childhood wish.

The two pulled into the parking lot just as the sun was rising. Of course, the old lady at the front desk was more than a little surprised to see them trying to check in so early – especially without even having a reservation.

"Goodness!" she said, looking from one to the other. "I don't think we have anything available this early in the morning."

"Could you please check?" Michelle asked sweetly. "We've been driving all night, and we'd really like a room."

The woman started clicking keys on her computer, looking at the screen with trepidation. "And how long were you planning on staying with us?" she asked, eyes never leaving the screen.

Nora and Michelle exchanged glances. Nora shrugged.

"Two or three days?" Michelle asked, turning back to the receptionist.

The old lady nodded to herself, still clacking away on her keyboard.

"Well, it looks like I do have one room available. It's on the second floor, at the far end of the building. But the current guest hasn't checked out yet."

"What time is checkout?" Nora asked.

"Ten o'clock."

"Well," Nora turned to her sister. "Why don't we get breakfast while we wait?"

"Good idea." Michelle agreed.

"Wonderful." the old lady beamed. "Our dining room's right through here." she gestured across the hall with her hand. "And I'll let you know as soon as that room's available."

The girls sat down in the dining room. There were only a few guests awake and eating breakfast this early, so they had their choice of almost any seats in the room. Nora picked a table in the corner by the giant bay windows overlooking the forest a few yards away.

"I can't believe we're actually here." Nora said, not taking her eyes off the lush green tree line. Everything seemed so peaceful; it looked like this was the first bit of luck she'd had in ages.

She watched as a butterfly came and landed on the windowsill right in front of her, flapping its wings lazily. The black outlines between the iridescent segments made each wing look like a stained glass window. Nora watched until the waiter set her plate down in front of her. As he left, she turned hungrily to her breakfast; she was famished!

She didn't think anything more of the butterfly until she was halfway through her pancakes. That's when she noticed that a dozen more had joined it.

"That's strange..." Nora mumbled to herself. She'd never known butterflies to swarm before. But it did seem unusually dark for being this late in the morning. Maybe that explained it.

"Stranger than that?" Michelle asked. Nora looked over to see her sister pointing at something up in the sky.

At first, she thought Michelle was just pointing up at the darkening clouds. But when she looked closer, she saw that it wasn't rainclouds up in the sky; it was hundreds and hundreds of birds.

The two watched in silence as they finished their breakfast. The good news was that as soon as they were finished, the old lady at the reception desk happily informed them that their room had been cleaned. Apparently, whoever was in it before had vacated earlier than expected.

"Wonder if the birds freaked him out." Michelle mumbled as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. Nora couldn't tell if she was serious or not.

The room itself was gorgeous. The ceiling was lined with wood beams, there was a stone fireplace in the corner, and the bed was filled with pillows and looked softer than anything Nora had ever seen. Before Nora even had time to remove her shoes, her sister was already flopping down happily onto it.

"Oh, I love you." Michelle mumbled to the pillows, eyes closed.

"Tired?" Nora grinned.

"Nothing a small nap won't fix." Michelle assured her.

Nora tried to get some rest herself, but she just couldn't sleep. She found herself staring at the ceiling, tracing patterns in the wooden beams with her eyes.

Finally, she got up. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well take a walk. The birds were still swarming thickly in the sky, and the ground did seem to be covered in butterflies. Still, she didn't let that bother her. Who was afraid of butterflies anyway? After texting her sister a note for when she woke up, Nora put on her shoes and headed out to the forest.

Normally, it might not have seemed like such a good idea to go outside, especially when the birds and butterflies seemed to be acting so strange. But Nora had always been an outdoors type of girl, and she had fond memories of these woods. Still, it was a lot darker under the canopy than she'd thought it'd be, and she was starting to regret her decision.

She was fairly deep into the woods – probably deeper than was wise – when she thought she saw something moving in the shadows. Could it be a deer? Normally she would have doubted it – animals tended to avoid humans. But with the way the birds and butterflies were acting, who knew?

As quietly as she possibly could, Nora crept closer. She knew she shouldn't leave the path, especially in the dark. But it was only a few feet away; she'd have to be a moron to get lost. She tried not to make a sound, and for the most part, she was successful. At least, she was by human standards; half the animals had probably heard her coming a mile away.

She was pretty far away from the path when she caught the movement again. There was something in the bushes, and it was much larger than she'd first thought. But there weren't normally any predators in these woods. So what was it?

"Nooraaa..."

She thought she heard someone calling her name.

It was so coarse and so faint, she almost wasn't sure if she'd understood it, or if it had even been a voice at all. Maybe it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Still, this probably wasn't the time to be out here by herself. She turned to go back the way she'd come. But before she could step onto the path again, she was stopped dead in her tracks.

There, not more than a few yards away in the underbrush, was the body of the biggest snake Nora had ever seen.

Part 2: Snake in the Grass

Nora didn't scream. She didn't make a sound. She didn't even move.

It wasn't because she was too brave to run away or anything like that. She was just so terrified, she didn't know what to do. Here she was, standing next to a snake that looked as big around as a watermelon. She couldn't see either end of it, and she could only guess how long the thing actually was.

It had deep, dark scales that looked almost the same shade of green as the leaves around her, especially in the dim light. That was how she'd managed to walk so close to the thing in the first place; the only reason she even knew it was there at all was because of the faint glow from the darkened sun reflecting off those scales. She watched, not daring to take her eyes from it as she tried desperately to form a plan.

Could she outrun it? She wasn't sure. She wasn't the world's best sprinter, and this wasn't open ground. So the odds didn't seem to be in her favor. As she continued to stare, she was pretty sure she saw it breathing. Nora shuddered, wondering how long she'd been standing next to the behemoth without even realizing it. Her blood ran cold as another thought occurred to her: did it already know she was there? And more importantly, if it did, what would it do about it?

She didn't hear any noises – no hisses, no rattles. That had to be a good sign, right? Or, a very bad one. Either way, it was time to leave. She started backing up slowly, trying her best not to make any sudden movements.

"Nor-a!" she heard again in that same raspy tone and froze completely. This time, she was sure it was someone calling her name.

Her heart started beating faster. First she'd come across a giant snake in the middle of the forest, and now some disembodied, guttural voice was calling her? She really should have taken those birds as the omen they so clearly were.

She darted her eyes around quickly, not daring to move. She wasn't sure which she was more afraid of – the giant snake or whoever was behind her. The voice wasn't exactly comforting at the moment.

"Nora! Turn around!"

She didn't want to. Maybe the adrenaline was clogging her brain, but she was having a hard time coming up with why she should. If she turned, who knew what she'd see? If she just ignored it, maybe this whole thing would go away.

Of course, if someone was here, calling her, that meant she wasn't alone, didn't it? And whoever was with her knew her name. She might not recognize the voice, but whoever they were, they obviously knew her.

So which was better? Should she turn around, try to figure out who –or what – was lurking in the shadows behind her? Or did she take her chances with the snake? Her eyes darted back to those deep green scales. Concerningly, they seemed to be moving.

Seeing the snake slowly slithering through the trees really helped Nora to make up her mind. She decided that it didn't actually matter who was calling her; being with anyone in the world would be better than facing a giant snake alone in the middle of a gloomy forest.

Slowly, heart beating a mile a minute, she turned and looked over her shoulder. But what she saw made her stop and stare. Amazingly, the giant snake was no longer her primary concern. And that voice? Maybe it hadn't been as unfamiliar as she'd initially thought.

Her brain felt like it was slipping out of gear as she tried to take in what she was seeing. She blinked her eyes. She squinted and tilted her head first left, then right. She tried everything she could to convince herself that it was just a trick of the light – or, lack of light. But no matter how hard or how long she stared, the scene before her never changed.

There was someone standing, shirtless, in the bushes. His dark hair was in dire need of a brush, and his cheeks were somewhat hollow. His eyes were filled with concern, but he still managed to have that same old, obnoxious grin he'd perfected way back in high school. But, it didn't make any sense. How could he be here?

He was close enough that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted to. Still, he didn't make a move. Nora just stared at him, afraid that if she reached out herself he might disappear. She didn't think she could take seeing him again if he wasn't even real.

Finally, she slowly reached her hand out. It connected with his chest. He felt warm and solid. She looked up into his eyes.

"Hi." he whispered, grinning.

"Ian?" she asked numbly.

Part 3: An Unexpected Reunion

After getting tricked into going through that portal, Ian had been stuck slithering through the forest for days. It had been over a week by this point, and he was getting pretty sick of it. The fact that he had to drag his bag everywhere without arms wasn't helping. He would have abandoned it his first night in the woods, but he knew he was going to get out of this eventually. And there was no way he was going to be stranded out here with absolutely zero supplies when he did.

He could have buried the bag and come back for it later, but he wasn't about to attempt digging a hole that big; he didn't want to waste hours only to risk losing it when he forgot where it was hidden. So now, here he was, a snake with a bag. He wondered what anyone would think if they saw that.

He kept going in the direction of the talisman. It was faint, but consistent. And the longer he traveled, the stronger the feeling seemed to get. It was the only thing that kept him going. Well, that and the fact that if he didn't, he'd be spending the rest of his life in the forest – alone, with no one even knowing what had happened to him.

Every day was the same. Wake up, grab his bag, and head vaguely in the direction of that cursed charm. But during his second week of drudgery – in the middle of the night – something changed. He got the feeling that the talisman was moving. How could that be? It had been calling to him from the same direction since he'd come back to this realm; as far as he could tell, it hadn't moved at all. But now, he had the distinct impression it was pulling at him from farther and farther to his left.

He didn't have any idea how far away it was. Sure, he knew he'd feel its presence more the closer he got, but he'd never been anywhere near this far from it before. So it wasn't exactly easy to judge. He decided his best bet would be to just wait it out; there was no sense wasting energy chasing after something that wouldn't stay put. He found a spot in the underbrush that looked reasonably safe. Then, with nothing else to do, he coiled up and fell asleep. He'd figure out a plan in the morning.

When Ian woke up, it was still dark. He picked his head up and looked around, trying to orientate himself. He sank back down resignedly as he realized he was still in the forest. But something was different. That charm seemed closer than it had been before he went to sleep. A lot closer.

Ian slinked cautiously through the underbrush. He could tell someone was here, not because he saw or heard them; he could taste them in the air.

Cautiously, he raised his head up to his full height – just under six feet tall. When he was human, he was a few inches taller, but it was still a pretty impressive height for a snake.

Of course, he was only able to raise himself up that high because of how long he was; the tip of his tail trailed around twelve feet behind him. He was still relatively coiled up, but he hadn't completely fit under the bush he'd chosen to sleep under. If someone else was here, he was going to have to be careful that they didn't see him. He really didn't want to have animal control called on him; capture would cause a whole new set of problems.

He tasted the air again, trying to get any information he could. He was almost positive he recognized the scent, but he couldn't quite place it. But more importantly, the human seemed to be in the same direction as that talisman. Did all this mean someone he knew had taken the talisman?

David.

It had to be him. He'd been in the car when Ian had lost the talisman – who else could it be? Well, time to see how David felt about snakes.

It wasn't that Ian wanted to scare his friend. Actually, that would be unbelievably counterproductive. But he was going to have to get incredibly close to the talisman if he wanted it to have any effect. He'd been trying unsuccessfully on his own for long enough by now that he knew this was his only chance.

He slunk through the bushes, still trying to place that scent. He was only a few yards away when he finally realized who he was actually sneaking up on: Nora.

Ian froze. He knew he'd see her again, of course; that was the entire point. But he hadn't really thought he'd be seeing her so soon. And he definitely didn't think he'd be seeing her while looking like this. Still, unless he hoped to just follow her around and steal the talisman when she set it down, this was by far his best shot.

He crept as close as he dared. He knew his tail was dragging far out behind him, but he didn't have time to coil up smaller. The longer he took, the more likely Nora would walk away. He started changing, relief flooding through him; it was actually working! As he continued, he found himself scrutinizing her intently. Partly, it was to make sure she didn't see him until he looked human again. But mostly, he watched because it had been so long since he'd seen her. He couldn't believe how much he missed her.

He was surprised at how hard it actually was to change. At least it was finally possible, he told himself. He was back to looking like the Naga he really was when he ran into a problem – he couldn't go any further. Even being this close to the talisman, he was stuck on the wrong side of the human/snake sliding scale. Would he have to actually hold the thing for it to work? Or was he missing something? Well, this was definitely going to make their reunion awkward.

There was a noise that startled him out of his thoughts. His head snapped back to Nora. She was standing ramrod straight, facing slightly away from him. Slowly, she started backing up, looking like a scared rabbit. As she got further away, he could feel himself starting to slide back towards snake. Scales started climbing further up his torso, and he felt his incisors getting sharper. He really didn't want her to see him like this, but he couldn't afford for her to leave. He was too close; he'd never get another chance like this.

"Nora!" Ian called out to her.

He sounded terrible, his voice almost brittle. Maybe he was closer to snake than he thought. All he could do was hope his eyes looked normal. And that his fangs didn't get any sharper.

Nora looked vaguely around, still backing up. If anything, she looked even more terrified. She turned to leave and froze. Ian couldn't quite see what she was looking at in the darkness. He really hoped she hadn't seen part of him. He cleared his throat and called out to her again.

"Nora!"

He didn't sound any better the second time. Clearly, he wasn't going to be soothing her with his melodic tones anytime soon.

"Nora! Turn around!"

She did.

When she saw him, she jumped back about a foot. She stared at him blankly, as if she were looking at a complete stranger. Slowly, recognition filled her eyes.

"Hi." Ian grinned.

"...Ian?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah." he rasped. She stared at him like he was a zombie. Then, she said the last thing he ever thought he'd hear.

"But... you're dead."

"I'm dead?" he asked. What on earth did she mean by that?

She nodded, taking a step back.

"Why am I dead?"

"There... there was an accident..." she whispered.

"I know." he nodded. "David was driving. And then I woke up – in the hospital."

She shook her head. "They said you were gone..."

"I was at the hospital." Ian repeated hoarsely. He wasn't sure exactly what she meant. She couldn't mean the Realm of Rage, could she? How would she know about that?

"No, you were gone." She gave him a look.

"...They said I was dead?" Ian asked slowly, as the realization finally dawned on him. No wonder she hadn't looked happy to see him. Who would be glad to see a ghost? "Who said that? Specifically?"

"Sophie. She called me after the accident."

"Oh." Ian said. "Are you still in contact with Sophie?"

"A bit."

Good. That would make it easier for Ian to call her. He couldn't wait to hear why she'd told Nora he was dead when they both knew perfectly well it wasn't true. He was still fuming silently to himself when Nora looked up at him suddenly, a strange expression on her face.

"I'm really glad you're not dead." she said a slow grin spreading across her face.

Before he even had time to react, she jumped over the bushes he was hiding behind, wrapping her arms around his torso. He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. He couldn't believe he was finally here again. Her arms started sliding vaguely downward, and Ian's eyes shot wide open. He could feel the very instant she realized something was wrong. Her hand brushed down his side and over his hip. As her fingers ran across his scales, she stiffened.

"Nora..." he started. He probably should have mentioned this to her earlier, but he hadn't found a good time. Nora ignored him.

She craned her neck and peered cautiously over her arm. When she saw the emerald scales, she jerked away with a scream.

Part 4: Beauty and Survival

"Did you see the birds?"

That one simple sentence kept playing in Nora's head, ever since she'd found Ian in the forest this morning. As glad as she was to realize he was still alive, she was still more than a little freaked out by actually seeing him there. And the way he'd looked hadn't helped. So she was taking some time to herself. Ian was doing the same; he'd been understandably upset to learn she'd thought he was dead.

Nora had wandered into the downtown library. It was one of the places she used to come with her grandmother, especially on days that were too rainy for hikes.

She walked down the aisles, not paying much attention to her surroundings. Really, she just wanted to get to one of the reading chairs in the back corner so she could think without Ian or Michelle around to ask questions. At the end of the aisle, she pulled a random book off the shelf; she didn't even glance at the title. Then, she sat down.

The book was kind of strange-looking. It was slightly bigger than a paperback, and much heavier. Partly, that was because it was thicker than a regular paperback. But mostly, it was the metallic, somewhat rusty clasps holding it together.

Nora stared down at it. She'd never seen a book like this in the library before. She wiped her hand across it, getting rid of the dust that had accumulated. The Six Realms of the Known Universe was stamped onto the cover. Whatever. Nora flipped it open to somewhere in the middle, as much for a distraction as anything else. She scanned over the words, not really taking them in. Instead, she replayed this morning over in her mind.

When she'd first seen him standing there, she'd thought it was a ghost. Or maybe a hallucination. She wished she could have been so lucky. Instead, she'd found herself hugging a snake. Well, maybe not a complete snake. But a half snake. And was that really any better?

As soon as she'd hugged him, she knew something was wrong. He'd jumped when she'd touched him. And then she felt those scales. She'd leapt back with a shriek. She would have run away from him, but she got tangled up in the bushes.

"Nora!" the thing that looked like Ian— like most of Ian— choked out. And that was another thing; it didn't sound like Ian. It was too hollow. It had to be a trick.

"Did you see the birds?" it asked.

"The what?" Nora was momentarily caught off guard.

"The birds." he wheezed.

"What are you—?" she started. Then, she pulled herself together. She'd seen the birds, but so what?

"It's...a sign." he insisted.

"You're— you're not real." she told the thing, struggling to pull herself out of the bushes. "You're something else. Not him."

The Ian-thing looked strangely hurt. It had been reaching out to help her, but at that it pulled away, eyes wide.

"But...I've known you for years..." he whispered.

"Yeah? Prove it. When did we first meet?" she asked instantly.

"You mean in the forest?" he asked.

"Nope! Ha!" Nora shouted. She pointed an accusatory finger. "In science class!"

"That was years later... I taught you how to fish..."

Nora paused. Something about that struck her as vaguely familiar.

"We were in the woods." he insisted. "You were lost."

Nora thought about that. It had been so long ago, and when she'd told her family where she'd been, no one believed her.

"That was real?" she asked.

He nodded. Maybe this really was him after all.

"What happened to you?" she asked, looking him up and down.

He struggled for something to say. Finally, he told her what she guessed was the truth; he was born like that. And once he finally got her to believe it, he told her everything that had happened to him since the day of the accident. When he was done, all the initial horror she'd felt first at seeing a ghost, then a trick, then a snake melted away. Instead, she felt sorry for all he'd gone through.

But just because she felt bad for him didn't mean she was ready to welcome him back with open arms. She wanted to, but she needed a little time to think. This was a lot to wrap her mind around.

Ian had looked horrified at the thought that she'd leave. She'd only backed up a few feet and already she could see his incisors looking disturbingly sharp. She would have almost thought it was a threat except for the fact that he was clearly trying to hide it.

When she'd asked him what was going on, he'd reluctantly told her about the strange marble she'd found. She'd completely forgotten she'd put it in her pocket until he'd mentioned it. She'd left it with him before coming to the library. She still didn't quite understand why he needed it, but apparently it was important to him.

Nora was still going over all of that when something in the book caught her eye: And the skies will be darkened with birds, signaling the arrival of the Realm of Survival.

What did that mean? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. Nora flipped back a few pages, scanning for whatever she'd missed.

There are six Realms in the Planes of Existence, each filled with their own inhabitants: Beauty, Agony, Rage, Terror, Survival, and Possibilities. When the end is nigh, the walls shall collapse, unleashing atrocities, amalgamations, and abominations throughout the land.

Well, that certainly sounded like something they'd want to avoid. She would have chalked it up to some crazy fortune-teller from the past, but she'd just seen those birds. Butterflies too, though she didn't see where the book mentioned those. Quickly, she flipped through the pages, wondering where the butterflies might come in. Agony? Doubtful. Rage, Terror, or Survival? Probably not those, either. So either Beauty or Possibilities. She flipped through to the Realm of Possibilities section and was relieved when she didn't see anything about butterflies. But when she flipped to the section on Beauty, she was stunned to read: The Fae will be heralded by butterflies' wings, and the End of Man will draw ever closer.

Nora stared down at the page. So, the Realm of Beauty and the Realm of Survival were crashing down on them. Beauty didn't sound so bad, except for that End of Man part. And Survival? She couldn't see how that was a good sign at all. She wondered which one of those realms was the one she lived in. Then, she wondered about Ian.

He'd told her that he wasn't born human. Did that mean he was from one of these other realms? Which one? Was his being here another sign of the apocalypse?

Nora shook herself— it couldn't be. He'd been here for years before, and nothing like this had ever happened. No, whatever this was couldn't have anything to do with Ian, she was sure of it. Still, she'd have to ask him what he knew about all of this. Maybe he knew nothing; maybe he was just as ignorant as her. But then again, he did seem convinced that those birds were a sign.

That settled it; she was going to have to ask Ian what he knew and warn her sister. She got up, closed the book, and tucked it under her arm. She walked to the checkout counter, doing her best not to look like she was in any particular hurry. But if this book was right, they might not have much time. Nora never would have thought opening up a book could turn her world into such chaos.

"Can I borrow this?" Nora asked the lady behind the desk, setting the book down.

"Of course dear."

"...I'm sorry, I think I left my library card at home." Nora said, looking apologetic.

It was a small fib, sure. She hadn't had a library card for this branch in years. But it had worked in the past; her name was on file here from back when she was a little girl. The librarian looked at her disapprovingly for a minute, then asked for her name.

It took a few minutes, but Nora was finally successful. She thanked the librarian and hurried out the doors. She wondered about meeting up with Michelle for lunch; there were a few things Nora was going to have to catch her sister up on.