The next day, Laniro gathered the soldiers he had chosen. They were thin and pale-faced. He had selected twenty-one warriors to join them on their journey to Moonatoria. Six of them were sick, constantly coughing and weak, as if they had a lung disease, but still thin. Two others were extremely emaciated, as if they had been starving for a long time, looking like skeletons. Five had disabilities—two were missing an eye, and one had a severed hand. Three looked healthy but weren't particularly strong or muscular, just slightly thin. Only one was robust and well-built. Laniro chose him so that there would be at least one strong one left, just in case the sick and frail soldiers died.

The chosen soldiers were overjoyed, thinking they were going on a journey with the king. They were indeed going for the king, but they didn't know where. This was the first time they felt valued despite their illnesses and disabilities. The other soldiers were surprised and envious.

"Why didn't the king choose us?" a soldier asked his companion, his voice dispirited and lifeless, much like their land where ice rained and a cold wind blew. He exhaled a puff of vapor and his chest heaved. "We who are strong and powerful, the king didn't even notice us?" The soldier heard the deep, raspy, and grumbling voices of his comrades. The sky was cloudy, and fine white ice slowly fell onto the rocky ground. He leaned his large machete against a rock and grabbed some furniture to add to the fire to warm up the surroundings. The warriors' footsteps grew louder as Lanero passed, intentionally trying to make him flinch to get his attention, but like their thick animal-hide clothes that were perfect for the current winter in Ossibus, the noise had no effect.

Laniro heard their whispers but ignored them. He stepped three times onto the stairs and then stood on the platform, holding his head high and looking down at the soldiers below. Snow was already covering the platform, but its dark wood was still noticeable. A small bell rang, a signal to gather the people for an important announcement from the king.

The king arrived, and out of respect, they all gathered and faced him. They saw a black bird perched on the king's shoulder. It was a raven! This was the first time they had seen it again, which was puzzling. The king looked at all his soldiers, from left to right. More were still arriving.

"Listen, everyone!" His thick voice echoed, and some birds flew away. He felt the cold clinging to his hands. Even with the noisy ravens on the roof, the king's voice was clear to the people. "We are sailing on the icy waters of the Orcasian Sea!"

A low murmur rippled through the crowd. Everyone was talking, wanting to join the voyage.

"But only a few will come!" the king said. The soldiers had various reactions to the king's words. "You will all stay here and guard the kingdom!" Matar blurted out. "Laniro has already made his choices."

"What about us?" a soldier shouted. "Who will manage and command us here?" He was a large man holding an axe. This was Adamoth, Laniro's friend and a great warrior of Matar.

"I now install you in the position of commander of the soldiers, and I order you to maintain peace in my kingdom and to be a sharp blade against anyone who tries to take advantage of my absence. They will obey you from now on." With that, he installed Adamoth as the leader of the soldiers.

"Thank you, my King." Adamoth knelt and bowed his head.

Adamoth stood up and faced the king with his head held high.

"From now on, you will obey Adamoth," Laniro said. They all knelt and paid their respects. Matar returned to his palace to prepare for the long journey to Moonatoria, but a vision appeared to him, saying: "wait for a woman outside Moonatoria after you speak with the king of Moonatoria."

Laniro sent the chosen soldiers to board the ship. Afterward, he and Adamoth spoke. However, moments later, the sky grew overcast and a strong wind began to blow. Soon, the cries of ravens arrived, and they saw a multitude of ravens perching on the palace roofs. Everyone was terrified by the sheer number of ravens, which almost blackened the roofs. They tried to drive away the chillingly large flock of ravens. They didn't know where they came from, but they knew it was a supernatural event—a grim day. The ravens were noisy, flying and perching everywhere. They immediately called the king to see what was happening outside his palace. When Matar learned what happened, he wasn't shocked or scared; instead, he smiled at the person who delivered the news.

"Stop throwing stones and hitting the ravens!" Matar shouted. "Those are good ravens, our companions, who bring a good omen for all of us!!!" he snarled at his men. "They are just like my kind raven, Corvus."

"B-but my King, they look like a plague on your kingdom?" said a soldier holding a bow.

"They are not a plague!" Matar shouted, his anger blazing. The raven on Matar's shoulder stared and cawed as if it understood. After that, the ravens suddenly attacked the soldier Matar had scolded. They pecked and ate his flesh, and the soldier died. Everyone was terrified at the sight. Their hair stood on end from the gruesome spectacle of the raven attack.

"Look, they are not our enemies. They will help us against our enemies!" Matar said. "Anyone who goes against my wishes will surely die. Just like that." He pointed at the soldier being devoured by the ravens. The ravens flew away, leaving behind a fleshless skeleton, with blood scattered and the armor destroyed and shredded. How horrific!

The ravens flew away, scattering in different directions. Corvus, Matar's raven, did not fly but remained perched on his shoulder. Everyone wondered if this supernatural event was the work of the king or the raven. They were now afraid of both the king and the raven. They thought Matar had the ability to control the ravens. It was shocking, but they could do nothing but keep silent out of fear.

Matar's group began their journey west, riding black horses. Some soldiers escorted them to the sea, and when they arrived, the twenty-one chosen soldiers were already on the ship. There were also soldiers guarding the ship who would also join the voyage. It took Matar and his companions four hours to travel from the kingdom to the port.

The voyage began. The ship was large and could navigate through the frozen and icy sea. From the first day, they passed by and encountered a lot of snow. Large chunks of ice floated in the sea. The temperature was already very cold.

On the second day, they encountered a wrecked ship, covered in snow. This ship was believed to have been destroyed by a large whale. The cold was intensifying and becoming deadly. They saw giant icebergs and mountain-like formations of ice. As they went farther, the passage for the ship became smaller and narrower in the middle of the solid and white waters of the Orcasian Sea. Among Matar's companions, three had already given up and died. They could not withstand the intense cold. They simply threw the bodies of the dead onto the deadly ice. Although everyone was shivering, they continued their fight against the cold. Matar, however, was bundled in thick clothes made of animal skin. His raven was dead.

On the third day, the ferocious and truly deadly cold attacked. The passage in the ice was very narrow, so the ship's progress was slow. On this day, five more died. Only thirteen remained. As night fell, another one died. Laniro was worried that they would run out of companions for the voyage.

"My King, only twelve are left. The sad thing is, we might run out of companions?" Laniro reported. "We can't even be sure if they will survive in this cold place? And it's a miracle, that the sick ones are the strongest at holding on." Laniro continued. "The others with disabilities are already dead, and four of the sick ones are also dead?" he added.

"Corvus is dead!" the king said with a cold tone. Laniro looked at Matar's hands, where he was holding the bird. Laniro swallowed hard and tried to clear his throat.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, my King?" There was a hint of nervousness and fear in Laniro's voice, as he was afraid he might end up like the soldier who was suddenly attacked by the ravens. "W-what's so special about that raven?"

The king stared at him. "You will also learn the significance of the ravens—but I will tell you when we return." Matar's response was sad. Laniro couldn't force the king to answer his question, and when the king didn't want to continue, Laniro knew what to do. He kept silent and left the king's side.

Their voyage lasted six days, a long, slow, and deadly journey because the sea was covered with thick ice. Finally, they were close to Moonatoria. They stopped at the jutting land of Durasca. Durasca is south of Moonatoria; they are not connected because the country of Moonatoria is separated. They still needed to travel through the white land, or 'The White-land,' better known as 'the Moonlight kiss' because of its inherent beauty and prestige. According to the beliefs of their ancestors, the land of Moonatoria became white because a fairy who lived on the moon wanted to live in the human world to love a man. But when the people found out, they tried to capture and kill the moon fairy. However, the man saved the fairy and died. Out of anger, the fairy poured her power onto the people to avenge her beloved, cursing this land. It became the color of the moon, and the fairy returned to the moon. From then on, the land became white until they named it "MOONATORIA," combining 'Moon' or 'Mona' from the fairy's name and 'Athoria,' the name of the man, which was replaced with a new one. Moonatoria is said to serve as a memory of the fairy, because when the fairy is sad and lonely, she remembers the man by peeking down every night.

Matar and his companions had not yet set foot on the land of Moonatoria because they still needed to travel for two hours to the other side of the sea. There, they would ride a small boat. The northern part of the sea was a bit wavy and windy. The water was still cold, and ice still formed along the shore. Matar's companions seemed to be amazed when they reached the white shore of Moonatoria. They got off the boat, making sure no one was watching. The companions didn't know where they were. This was the first time they had set foot on this land, so they were puzzled by what they saw. There were large white stones near the seashore, while others were immersed in the water. Some were round and large. Matar's companions were restless, so one of them, the robust and well-built soldier named Gallexe, asked a question.

"My King, where are we really going?" Gallexe said. The other companions also looked at them. Matar stopped but did not turn around. "Laniro, talk to them. Let them know where we are," he ordered without speaking to the one who asked. Matar continued his journey.

"Leader Laniro, where are we going?" a very thin soldier said. The two extremely thin ones were still alive. He first looked at their faces.

"We are here in the world of Moonatoria," Laniro answered.

"W-what?" They seemed to have choked on something deep. Their knees trembled when they heard where they were. They almost stomped their feet in fear. "I don't want to die yet!" Gallexe wailed, weeping. "I don't want to continue!" another one shouted while coughing.

"And where do you think you're going?" Matar asked, annoyed by the cowardice of his soldiers. "No one is leaving!" he shouted. "If you want to live, you will come with Laniro and me and show them your pitiful looks. That's all!" Matar said. "We don't need to fight. So if I were you, you'd perfect your act!" The king's gaze was sharp, so they fell silent. "Do not do anything that the king of Moonatoria will not be pleased with! Be quiet when you are not spoken to, and do not make any inappropriate movements, is that clear?"

"Y-yes!" they all said at once, their heads bobbing. They saw the king continue on his way. They were still very scared. "The king's last instruction is for you not to show fear or try to run. Your eyes must not wander. Look straight ahead and be brave, or we will all die." Laniro advised. "Do a good job of pretending, because we are doing this for our people."

"What if they kill us inside? Or what if...? What if we can't come back? I don't want to die yet!" Gallexe said dispiritedly. "Neither do we!" others replied in their own ways.

"Then do a good job! We didn't come here to die! Our king knows what he's doing, so let's just have faith in our king." Laniro said, as if trying to encourage his companions.