The night sky was barren of stars, yet beneath it were as bright as day. The mud houses were burnt black and the people running on hot raging fire.

A man bathed in fire ran towards a blue robed man but he tripped and instead fell flat on the ground. “Chieftain, how can you do this to your people?” he grabbed the ankle of the chieftain.

The said chieftain kicked his hand away and even stomped hard on his head. He spat, “You filthy and lowly peasants. How dare you stain my clothes?”

Left with no reply, he looked around and grabbed close a fleeing male villager by the collar. “Where is the Jade-Hand Mistress?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The man cried in panic. “Please, let me go.”

“Very well, then.” He nodded and let go of the man.

The man bowed. “Th-thank you.”

The blue robed man instead grinned and stabbed the man on the back of his head. He pulled the sword out that blood showered all over him and his maniacal face. "Ah fuck! I did it again."

All this, reflected in the innocent blue eyes of a young boy. He was running barefooted like the skinny woman pulling him by her left. Her upper garment were scorched and torn. She struggled to cover her chest with her right arm just to cover it. All the while tightening her grip on the round stone she held. Its size were as big as the clenched fist of the boy.

Crisscrossing across the alleys, entered the dead forest full of bald trees. Their escape reached the riverside. The water was still and radiated a bluish glow. The mother and son stopped to catch their breath.

At the other side of the river was a mystery of fog. It spanned hundreds of meters. From time to time, the wind would create a mesmerizing swirls on it. One could make out silhouettes of treetops. They would rustle as the wind brushed upon them. Yet no matter how many times the wind pass on the fog, it wouldn’t disperse.

The boy shifted his head up to see his mother busy tearing a strip of cloth from her skirt. She wrapped her chest with it and tied it close. She tore another strip of cloth again, held it close to her heart and closed her eyes. Little arcs of lightning moved in between her fingers tips. When she opened her clenched palms, the strip of cloth turned into a pouch.

He gritted his teeth and warm tears fell from his dirtied face as he couldn’t hold back. “Mother. The guy… he’s from the upper house! I thought they were good people.”

The woman, her mother looked at his blue eyes and smiled. “I know, and I will make them pay for it.”

“Here.” she kneeled at his level. She took out the round stone, put it inside the pouch and gave it to him.

Looking at her, he wiped his tears with his arms. “What’s this for?”

“It was mine before, and I decided to give it to you.”

He also smiled. “Thank you.”

His mother’s other hand reached out and ruffled his curly black hair. “Don’t worry. We can survive this. I promise you, we will escape, together.” He nodded.

“Promise?” the boy wiped clean a smudge of dirt from his mother’s cheek.

Before she could reply, chaotic screams echoed. Trees fell down going their direction.

A skinny guy wearing a blue robe surfaced from the dead forest and saw the duo. “There! Those two are escaping.” His eyes widened when his gaze fell on the woman. He brought out a paper and compared the image. “The Jaded-Hand Mistress! Don’t let them get away.” Two blue robed subordinates heard his call and followed him chase.

The woman heard the shout. Her heart beat like mad. She knew things were dire. So she frantically searched for a wooden log. “There!” she pulled the boy. “Come on.”

She found a log as tall as the boy yet it was thin. It was only as thick as her leg. She shook her head and proceeded to touch the wooden log. Its bark felt rough on her palm but a surge of energy from her smoothened it. The energy crawled like electric arcs all over the log. It formed and deformed like clay and finally took shape. It turned into a small water basin.

Without another word, she carried the boy and put him inside. “Little Pon… “ she sighed. Tears welled up in her eyes but she shook her head. “Promise me that you will not come back for me-”

The boy, Pon interrupted. “No! You promised me. Get on!” He put the round stone at the center of his crossed legs. He patted on a palm-sized space left inside the basin.

“I’m sorry.” The mother didn’t prevent her tears from flowing. She sobbed while she slowly pushed the wooden basin to the river water.

Pon cried and reached out to hug her. “...Promise me. Promise me you will live. I will return. I’ll get you back.”  

She forced a smile.

Then heavy and rushing footsteps echoed against the pebbled ground. She looked at his eyes and kissed his forehead one last time. “There’s no time.”

The wooden basin slid on the glowing water. “Promise or I will-.” Just then, bars of wood rose up from the mouth of the basin and trapped him inside. He fell at a loss for words.

“I will be okay.” she pushed the wooden bowl with all her might that it slid on the surface of the water, towards the mystery of fog.

His eyes followed his mother who ran back to the riverside.

She picked up a huge rock. She touched it and little arcs of lightning appeared again, slithering on its surface. It became a thin sword.

The chasing blue robed men came into view. They pointed towards her and raised their bloody swords.

He saw his mother ran in another direction despite barefooted. While he has entered the curtain of fog.

It didn’t take long to pass through the mysterious fog. When he opened his reddened eyes, the rising sun’s ray was licking the blue horizon. Pon, sitting cross-legged inside a wooden basin had his eyes glued on a forest. He was beaming with a wide smile. “Is that…  the legendary grass? legendary trees with its legendary leaves, and-and the legendary bushes!”

Warm tears fell like streams. "Mom... " he sobbed until he felt the basin bump a rock near the river bank.