The people stared in awe at the Apsara from the heavens sitting in the royal chariot pulled by four strong white horses dashing through their small villages. Little boys and girls started to chase behind the chariot and seeing them the Apsara told the sarathi to stop. 

She got down and the children surrounded her. The ladies from the village came out of their houses to get a glimpse of the ethereal beauty. The men of the village also stopped what they were doing to stare at her.

Tiasha handed over laddus to all the children and they all had the biggest smiles on their faces. She smiled and laughed with the kids for a while. Vati hopped and played with the little girls. When she was about to leave a small dusky girl probably four-five years old peeked at her from behind one of the older children. Tiasha smiled and called her. The girl gaining a little courage came and stood in front of Tiasha, holding her hand out.

-"Is this for me?" Tiasha asked pointing at the blue wildflower held in her hand. The little girl nodded. 

Tiasha couched down and pointed at her loose messy bun, giving her a playful smile. The little girl gave a toothy grin and tucked the wildflower in her bun. 

Tiasha took Vati in her arms and waved at the children. The royal chariot faded at a distance. The little girl whom no one had ever seen before also faded in thin air as the chariot went out of sight.

The sun was about to go down the horizon. The greatest artist of the universe showed a little glimpse of his beautiful masterpiece. He painted the clouds in shades of orange, yellow and red, played with blue and purple to make the sky and sprinkled little bits of diamond on it which helped a lost sailor to navigate his way back home. The old lush green trees of the forest stood like a Tapaswi, unmoved for thousands of years, witnessing the events unfold in silence. He painted the many birds small and big with all the love he had in his heart. The birds sang the loveliest of songs to pay their gratitude to the creator. And in between all, the creator's greatest creations drove their Jaya-rath towards the peak of their development.

Kritavarma stopped the chariot at the entrance of a forest. Tiasha asked, "Why did you stop here, Kritavarma? we can at least go another mile before it gets dark." 

-"I beg your pardon, Kumari, Dwarkadheesh has instructed me to bring you till here and then wait." Kritavarma replied.

-"We are not going to Dwarika, Are we?" Tiasha asked. 

A man with a honey-like voice answered Tiasha's question. And the voice was not unknown to both Kritavarma and Tiasha. 

-"As much as I would love to bring my Shyama to Dwarika, you have something far more important waiting a few miles away from here inside the forest." 

Dwarkadheesh Shree Krishna emerged from behind a tree. White Champa flowers showed upon the lord of the universe as he smiled at his dearest Sakhi. Krishna extended his hand and Tiasha took it. Vati hopped down at looked up at Krishna curiously with her big blue eyes. 

Kritavarma folded his hands in front of him and bowed down. 

Krishna smiled at him and said, "Go back to Dwarika with the chariot Kritavarma, and tell Dau that I will return tomorrow in the evening."

Kritavarma nodded and went towards Dwarika with the chariot.

Krishna pulled Tiasha down and they sat together on the ground under the tree.

Krishna pouted and said, "This, is not right Sakhi. You kept me waiting for you so long. I was starting to think you forgot me. And you didn't even introduce me to my niece." 

Tiasha playfully argued with Krishna, "How would I know that you were waiting for me here?" She picked up Vati in her lap and said, "Vati, meet your notorious uncle Dwarkadheesh Shree Krishna, just like you sneak into the kitchen to drink milk, and never listen to me, he steals Makhan, never listens to his Maiya and plunders around the village." 

-"That is not how I want to be introduced to my nieces and nephews."

Krishna shook his head vigorously and took Vati away from Tiasha.

-"Don't listen to one bit of what your Mai is saying Vati, she is spreading false rumours against Dwarkadheesh Vasudev Shree Krishna."

Vati purred and rubbed her face on Krishna's chest. Krishna stroked Vati's head with affection.

Krishna turned his attention from Vati to Tiasha. He said with a grin, "I have a good news for you."

-"And that is?" Tiasha chimed in. 

-"You are going to be an aunty soon." 

Tiasha jumped up in excitement. She took Krishna's hand and hugged him tightly. The grin on her face could light up the sun and the moon. 

-"Congratulations, Jayantha!" 

Krishna laughed at her excitement. After a few more excited blabbering Tiasha finally settled down. They kept going on about anything and everything.

-"Why did you call me Shyama Jayantha?" Tiasha questioned.

-"Why, you don't like the name? Or is it not your name? You don't want to be called Shyam's Shyama?"

-"No, it's not like that..." Tiasha's voice died at the end of the sentence, she looked up at him and a small smile played at the corner of her lips. "...I almost forgot that name. My grandpa's favourite name, that he gave me."

Krishna pulled her head on his shoulder and said in a quiet voice, "Yashoda Maiya and Nanda Baba wanted to name you Shyama."

Tiasha looked up at him water droplets shining at the corner of her eyes. Krishna gave her a small sad smile.

-"By the way Sakhi do you remember that joke you used to make with your grandma?" Krishna tried to lighten the mood.

-"Which one? That in that I could possibly be your great to the power infinity granddaughter?" The two friends giggled at this.

-"You were not wrong." Krishna said with a wide smile. 

Tiasha's eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. Krishna hugged her side and continued, "Well, I can't let my Shyama go somewhere else, now can I? The things you said as a joke were all true. Tell me Sakhi what does your last name mean?"

-"Halder is a derived word from Haladhar. Usually, it's a prestigious title given to influential people who own a lot of land and... Haladhar literally means a person who wields a Hal (plough)..." 

-"And who is Haladhar?..." Krishna smiled seeing the wheels turning inside Tiasha's head.

-"You mean the theory I had was right and Haladhar is...?" Tiasha asked wide-eyed.

-"I don't know what you are talking about. I only know the joke, I don't about any theory you had inside your head." Krishna faked a serious manner looking at Tiasha with confusion.

Tiasha narrowed her eyes, "You know your games don't work with me right?" 

-"I truly don't know what you are talking about. I would like to hear from you." 

-"You know everything Jayantha. I am not telling you anything." Tiasha turned her head the other way. 

Krishna quickly said, "OK ok, I know, but you have to confirm that what I know is correct." 

Tiasha suppressed a smile forming on her lips and said, "Ok then...my theory is when the things happened in Dwarika, and all the disasters were about to hit, You sent away the women and kids. Then the robbers attacked them. Many of the women and kids were taken. The ones that survived the attack went to Hastinapur. We don't know what happened to the rest. Some of the kids, who were taken might have survived and the ones in Hastinapur, later they spread all across India, that's my assumption. Their decedents are the Yadavs of Kaliyuga, Chandravanshi decedents of Yadu, which is us, Like the Ahirs in North, Gavli in Maharashtra, Golla in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and the Gwalas and Shadgops in Bengal. And there is a very slim possibility that some of those kids were directly related to you or Dau...that's where the joke came from." 

-"I want to give you points for your correct answer. But those are of no use."

-"And now you are saying...that our Family name Halder actually originated from Haladhar, as in Haladhar Balarama...we are direct descendants of Dau?"

-"Yes, in Kaliyuga you were." 

A mischievous smile appeared on Tiasha's face.

Krishna started at her in horror, "No no, you are not going to call me what I think you are going to call me, no, absolutely not. Now, you are not in Kaliyuga, and you are sitting with me here. We are the same age. We, me and Dau are not your great to the power infinity grandfather anymore."

-"But still you can't change the fact, that you are my great to the power infinity Grandpa." Tiasha teased Krishna.

-"Ahh! Why do I have to dig the hole for myself?" Krishna groaned to himself. 

-"Grandpa!" Tiasha giggled.

-"No I am not, I am your Bhrata." Krishan argued.

Tiasha continued to giggle and tease Krishna calling him Grandpa. Krishna acted annoyed but on the inside, he too enjoyed seeing Tiasha giggle.

Vati rested soundly On Tiasha's lap as the night went in laughter and giggles of the two divines. 

The sun came out from behind the horizon announcing the new day in all the lives on earth. In this moment the trees of the forest, the birds and animals who have just woken up from their sweet dreams witnessed a scene which was no less than liberation.

Krishna sat on a root of the Champa tree, his eyes closed and his flute held on his lips. His Shyama sat beside him, looking up at him with all the love and devotion she had in her heart. A serene divine smile adored both of their lips as Krishna played and water rained down from Tiasha's eyes turning into small beads of Sapphire on Krishna's lap. The tree showered white flowers on their feet.

A few hours later Krishna and Tiasha reached beside the bank of a small stream deep inside the forest. The small stream was not very deep but had a very strong water current due to the waterfall it created at the end of the cliff. The trees here are taller and denser not letting the rays of the sun reach the ground. Tiasha could see the small insects hopping between the dense shrubs which created a velvety carpet under their feet. But their sounds couldn't be heard as it was swallowed by the great sound of the waterfall. The misty fog made it almost impossible to see what was on the other side of the stream. A musky smell of water lingered in the air. It seemed as if this place has hidden something with great care. The mysteriousness of this place could make even the bravest of hearts shiver. The animals roaming around the place seemed fearless. A squirrel kept climbing up and down a tree. A bunch of stones held the water stagnant in a place and a small group of deers drank from there.

Tiasha and Krishna stood at the bank where a few big rocks were making a path to the other side of the river.

-"Shyama, we need to cross the river from here, you go first I will follow behind you." Krishna said picking Vati up in his arms.

-"Jayantha, where are we even going?"

-"We will reach there in a few minutes." Krishna had a mysterious smile on his face

-"We are so deep in the forest, what work do we have here?"

-"Ohh Shyama, you are asking too many questions, you will have all your answers soon from the one who can answer them. Don't ask any more questions to me now, you are making me feel like an answer bank." 

Tiasha frowned not understanding the meaning of Krishna's words. But either way, she stopped asking questions and went forward. As soon as Tiasha stepped on the first rock the mist surrounded her and Krishna vanished in the fog. She tried to look but couldn't see anything. 

Tiasha called, "Jayantha, where are you?" 

Krishna's voice answered from behind her, "Right after you."

Tiasha took careful steps on the algae-covered slippery rocks to make sure she didn't fall. Because falling into the water here would mean the water current takes you down the waterfall, doesn't matter how good of a swimmer you are, you can't swim against this current.

She finally reached the other side but instead of reducing the mist got denser. Tiasha turned back to look for Krishna but nothing came into her vision. She couldn't even see her own feet.

All of a sudden a sweet almost intoxicating smell reached her nostrils.

Suddenly the fog vanished and the sound of the waterfall also stopped. Tiasha saw herself standing in front of her surrounded by fire in the middle of nowhere. The sweet smell has now turned into a very familiar smell of rotten and burnt flesh. A five-year-old small Tiasha sat down beside the lifeless bloody body of her older sister, crying and shaking her sister's hand, trying to wake her up. A seventeen-year-old Tiasha standing like a stone statue in front of her father's body, her mother screaming at her and blaming her for her father's demise and finally twenty-three-year-old Tiasha in front of her mother's with a blazing torch in her hand ready to pay her last regards. 

On one side Kunti and Radha lamented, their son Surya Putra's head resting on their lap. An arrow has pierced through his neck, taking his life away from him. Tiasha felt an immense pain in her heart.

Radha and Kunti looked up at Tiasha. The rage in their eyes made Tiasha's pain a hundred times worse. Her heart burnt under her skin. A sob escaped her throat and tears started flowing uncontrollably.

-"You knew, you could've stopped this."

On the other side, Gandhari and Bhanumati sat beside Duryodhan's unmoving body. Bhanumati has abundant all her sringer. She was clad only in a white Sharee, like that of a widow. The blindfold around Gandhari's eyes was socked with the river of tears she has shed. 

-"You knew, you could've stopped this."

The city of Dwarka was on fire. The storm on the land and the intoxicated waves of the ocean will soon engulf heaven on earth. The lifeless bodies of all the Chandravanshis lay around. The widows and children lamented as they were being taken away from their motherland. Krishna sat under a tree, an arrow pierced his lotus feet. A thin stream of blood flowed from the wound. His eyes closed he whispered,

-"You knew, you could've stopped this."

All of them slowly turned towards her pointing their fingers at her, their other hands pointed towards the bodies. 

-"You did this, you are responsible."

-"You did this, you are responsible."

-"You did this, you are responsible."

Their whisper chanting made Tiasha dizzy. She let out a scream and closed her eyes tightly. Her legs gave up and she dropped on her keens covering her ears. 

A strong feminine voice whispered in her ear, "Strength is not suppressing your emotions, When you make your emotions your weapons and stand up to fight your fears. Open your eyes, and see for yourself this is all just an illusion. Don't let the illusions obstruct you, stand up and fight. You have your weapon tied in your hair, show them who you are. And don't forget I am with you."

The voice filled Tiasha's inside with warmth. She felt safe when the voice spoke. The other disturbing voices went away like magic and she could hear the sound of water again. The musky smell returned. She opened her eyes and saw the dense trees around her, no fog restricting her vision.

As soon as Tiasha stood up an arrow came her way from the mist. Tiasha stepped out of its way at the right time, the arrow barely touched the tip of her left ear. Tiasha's ears perked and she tried locating a movement of a figure in the shadow of the trees. 

Tiasha smiled thinking of what Mata Mahakali said, "You have your weapon tied in your hair,...I am with you." She thanked Mahakali for removing all the illusions. She had only one thing tied in her hair the blue flower that the little girl gifted her. 

Tiasha untied her hair and took the blue flower in her hand. She closed her eyes for a moment and said in her mind, 'Om, kalikawai Namo.'

the feeling of soft petals of the flower changed into that of cool metal. Tiasha opened her eyes only to find the divine Kharga of Mahakali shining in her hands. A sense of power ran down her spine and suddenly she started laughing. The birds sitting on the branches of the trees flew away, the deer ran away and the squirrel hid inside a hole in a tree trunk, fearing her laughter. At that moment she became the beacon of untamed power, the embodiment of destruction.

Tiasha's normally calm eyes were now red with anger and she looked bloodthirsty. She noticed a movement and at the speed of light reached the spot. Her movement was so fast it almost looked like she teleported from one place to another. With one swift strike of the Kharga, the large tree fell to the ground. 

Two inhuman-looking creatures came in front of her. They were short but had a muscular body. They wore a lot of golden jewels on their mossy green body. Red eyes big fangs and matted red hair could make anyone faint in fear of them. One of them held a bow and the other had a sword in their hands. 

Tiasha laughed, "So, you two created the illusions, Yaksha's! You wanted to show me my fear? Now I will show you what fear looks like." 

The two Yaksha's attacked Tiasha from two sides. She dodged both of them and took a leap towards one. The yaksha holding the sword stepped aside and the Kharga in Tiasha's hand stuck to the ground. The whole ground shook starting a chain of panicked screams from scared animals from all around the forest. 

Next Tiasha attacked the Yaksha holding the bow and he tried to stop her attack by holding his bow against her Kharga. The bow broke into pieces and Tiasha almost cut his head from his body. 

Tiasha went on and on attacking them showing no sign of stopping, her eyes blood red, untamed open hair flying in the air, teeth bare in fury. Seeing her absolutely out of control the Yakshas got scared. They have never faced someone like this before. 

Tiasha held both of them together by their hair and laughed ready to chop their heads down. 

A cool stream of water ran down her head as a sweet honey-like voice chanted, "Om Santi, Om Santi, Om Santi Hei."

Tiasha's grip on the Yakshas' hair loosened and her her eyes closed for a moment. She felt at eternal peace and her serene smile returned to her face. 

Tiasha slowly opened her eyes and saw the two Yakshas kneeling in front of her with their hands folded near their chest begging for Mercy.  

Krishna handed over the Kamandalu from which he was pouring the water from Ganga on her head, to another standing beside him. The elderly man with icy white hair and beard covering his face smiled at Tiasha. 

He had an aura which screamed Divinity. His Hand reached Tiasha's head as she stared at him in awe.

-"I witnessed Mata Mahakali's Rudra krodh with my eyes today. The slightest doubt I had in my mind has vanished. The last I saw someone in such fierce of a fight was in Treta yuga when Shree Ram fought Takara Rakshasi to save my Ashrama and Yagna."

Tiasha's mouth gapped. Krishna laughed at her reaction and said,

-"Seek, Your Guru-Dev, Bramha-Rishi Vishwamitra's blessings, Shyama."

-XX- 

Yea! Tiasha is going to start her lessons in Gurukul. The best Guru is up and ready to pass his Teachings down to his lovely student now. I know this chapter was intense, a lot has happened. And a lot is going to continue happening. 

I asked you guys if I should break the plot down into a trilogy but almost 99% of you my dearies you told me to continue it in one book. So taking your wish as my command I am going to continue. After you are everything. Trust me the Authors are nothing without their readers. Thank you so much for all your love and support. I cannot tell you how happy and excited it makes me when I read your comments. 

By the way, If you want to connect with me you can join me at writer_woodyzoid on Instagram.

Take care, Adiós, my lovely readers ❤️.