"Oh God!" Nazira shrieked, bending low and hugging her own body. Her voice in my head seemed to have drifted away with the sudden impact caused by the ferocity of the winds. The massive blizzard raging in the realm of Makara was par from our anticipation. It was blustery, subzero temperature, and the wind was howling creating a sound like a whistle of a giant monster. 

This cold was a killer. It was as if Nazira and I were transported straight into an iceberg, chilling us to the marrow. My teeth began to chatter and my vision blurred. The snowflakes pelt my cheeks, icing it and clinging to my lashes and hair. I pulled my jacket too close to my body and zipped it hurriedly before my finger went all numb. Then I realized Nazira was wearing nothing over her casual top, nothing that could help her keep the bitter cold away. Makara was Pruthvi's Constellia, born in the month of January. I should have known the possibility of this sudden drop in temperature and prepared her for this before we had passed through the Gates. Feeling responsible, I extended my shivering hand to hold her. She tentatively turned towards me and watched me struggling to reach out to her. Thankfully, she lent her hand up and instead of just clasping, I pulled her closer in an embrace holding by her shoulders.

She was shaking terribly, taking deep breaths. She covered her face with her hands and had her head bent down touching my chin. I rubbed her upper arm to give some warmth, and then it struck me what type of a Samagraha I was.

"Fire Shield Formation!" I shouted, not caring if I uttered the words right.

In my year-long history playing a role of a Samagraha, I hardly might have ever created such a tiny protective ball of fire that sustained only for a few seconds. The high current of wind fanned the fire away and falling snow totally put it off. It was frustrating but I didn't let it get me down. I focused and concentrated hard on my stone to try it again, with every possible formation that could possibly withstand this weather and give her the necessary heat, but my fire was barely able to fight the temperature.

Pushing myself to keep my eyes thoroughly open, I began to search for a safe place to get some shelter until we located our hut. Dhanu had mentioned that hut was traveling it us, it must be somewhere around, but for now it just too difficult to look especially for it.

I turned my head at all direction and on keenly watching I noticed that we were actually standing at the foot of a mountain, looking pristine and white, rising tall until it reached the horizon.

Beneath it that I spotted was a gaping hole, an ovoid shaped cave. Watching through the whiteness of the snow, it seemed to have engulfed with a chilling blackness. In this deadly temperature, it was the only option existing and I decided to go for it. I didn't know how to call for Nazira's attention who had her head down. I tapped her on her shoulder but she couldn't acknowledge that I was calling her. This was the matter of safety and I couldn't care less if she thought of this otherwise of what I was going to do.

I gently put my finger under her chin and pulled it upwards forcing her to look at me.

"We-have-to-run," I said as slowly as possible, looking at her pale face, "Do you understand me?"

Nodding slightly, she tried to move her hands to give me a response, her lips chattered from cold but she couldn't convey her message. She was shaking as hell.

"And stay close," I added, holding her hand.

Tightening my jaw, I took a step forward and pulled her to run with me. I could feel her whole body shivering against mine and was struggling to run at an equal pace as mine. Her knees were giving up. I immediately grasped her shoulders to help her atleast stand. We were about a few feet away from the cave but running over the hard snow and fighting the storm was taking excessive time than required.

"Only a little distance more," I said to her, forgetting that she had to look up to read my lips. 

We finally entered the cave. I took a long sigh of relief when the wind stopped hitting my skin, but it was now taken over by the darkness. I let Nazira go, and commanded my stone for some light and heat. As soon as the cave illuminated I heard Nazira's loud gasp, looking aside with her eyes widened in an alarm. I might have been carrying some sort of good luck charm with me, when I myself was surprised looking at our hut lingering a little deep inside the cave.

She caught my eye and now I didn't have to tell her what was required to do. We ran as fast as we could, hut pulling us towards it as in a magnetic force. Quickly, we barged inside but we didn't stop there. Slamming the door shut, not allowing the chilly wind enter, we both raced towards the fireplace.

"Flame Formation!" I shouted on top of my lungs and fired the logs up. I was so sick of this horrible snow that had made me feel incapable.

Nazira sat too close to the fireplace to let the warmth defrost all the thick chunks of snow stuck in her hair. She had the same angry expression on her face that according to me made her look more winsome.

"Florida is so better!" she murmured to herself.

I bit my cheek to keep my face straight. But it was difficult to suppress the snicker when I remembered how she had ranted about Florida being so hot.

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Dear diary,

It's going great. Four challenges down and I am totally psyched about the next one. I have this feeling that my real battle is just about to begin, and until now it feels like I just the warm-up acts. 

The day after tomorrow I am going to see Makara and fight him. He has always been friendly, in a way I sometimes expect my own Constellia to be. But I know in my heart, that he wasn't going to be any easy on me. Fighting fair and square is the only way he could help me win, it was him who quoted it. But I want to know how difficult the challenge with him was going to be, that the Second Cornelian user was never able to defeat him. With what I have heard from Naag and Makara, I am sure my predecessors were more experienced and probably stronger than what I am. Will I be able to prove it wrong? Will I, in any way, reach the expectations these Constellia have on me?

I admit I am scared. Not that I might not be able to cope up with failure, not that I might be stuck here for next two year or probably for the rest of my life in this dreaded weather. But if I don't win, someone else was going to suffer more than me. The only reason for her to be here, is to be safe from some power hungry monsters. But is she really safe? Isn't her life already at stake?

Pruthvi and Leena, every ounce of my body wishes to see them, to talk to them. I hope they are taking good care of each other. I know they will. They are too resilient that way. But if I am ever given a chance to pass on a single message, I would only request them again and again, to go to any lengths to bring our friend back and keep my promise. How incredible the thought itself is- the moment I step into my world and the first thing I see him standing right there, with his welcoming hands....

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A slurping and sipping sound made me aroused from my slumber. My skin did not feel the immense chilliness unlike it did last night, the fireplace helping us live this weather. I became aware of the subtle fragrance in the air like I felt in the realm of Dhanu. I yawned and then slowly opened my eyes, to see Nazira sitting across me in the chair and having the drink that was newly appeared the day before- rich, sweet and delicious hot chocolate.

"Was I making sounds?" she asked signaling with her single hand.

"Don't worry about it. What time is it?" I asked running my hand over my face and feeling pleased and perky to see her as the first thing in the morning.

She shrugged at my silly question, holding her cup too tight probably enjoying the heat passing through her fingers.

"I was wondering why you asked me for the papers last night," she asked, looking pointedly at the white sheets on the table, "Do you make paper boats?"

"Oh no!" I said, checking for the paper if it was still in my pocket, "I was just writing...for my diary."

She frowned lowering her glass, suddenly getting interested to talk about it. "You write too?"

"Yeah, but what do you mean? Do you know anyone else who has this habit?"

"Of course," she signaled, her voice in my brain at once filled with excitement, "King Harsh."

I didn't know I was smiling fondly at her until she brought up his name. There was an instant change of mood which I wasn't too proud of. I pursed my lips from letting it screw up. I sat straight and ran my hand through my hair feeling the familiar resentment that rose in my heart whenever anyone tried to compare me with that dead person.

"Yeah," I said forlornly, "Looks like we have one thing in common."

"I am sure there are more," she signaled, not realizing that I wasn't too comfortable with the topic, "You are after all his grandson."

I dropped my eyes to the table and leaned down to fix my own glass with hot chocolate. I did not find it necessary to reply her, let alone prolong this topic that wasn't going to keep my patience in check. I simply ignored it, and I wished her to drop it as well. Although it was just a simple factual sentence, it somehow felt like an insult, probably because it was Nazira who stated it, the one person who had to live a long lonely life because of his unjust decision.

I was too adamant to look at her, I was afraid if I might just blurt some words out that might have the probability to offend her. For a while, I just drank the hot refreshment, and then went ahead to have bagels, all in silence.

"What is he thinking so much?"

I coughed when I heard her voice drawling like never before. She stretched on each word that was too funny to be normal.

The movement I caught her eye she immediately signaled. "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"Er, no," I lied, "Why would you say that?"

"Because you are not asking me weird questions today."

I tried my best to control but couldn't resist and burst out laughing, watching her glazed expression. That lightened my mood, and I was surprised how within a minute she managed to make me grin.

"Alright, so here is one for you," I said in a friendly manner, "That day when my aunt talked to you, why did you say it's a duty to respect the individual of Clan of Rajya?"

She slumped her shoulders down, and her face deadpanned. She put the glass down on the table and signaled, "Why? Am I being disrespectful to you?"

"No! No!" I squealed hurriedly, "That is not what I meant. You have been respectful enough, not anymore. Please!"

She smiled faintly.

"So tell me, why did you say it's a duty? I never knew that it's considered as such. Are the people of Paramarashtra forced to show respect towards their Kings?"

"I wouldn't say they force us," she said, "But it's a formal compulsion. We are actually taught in our schools about how to behave in their presence."

I almost choked on my bagel, and I had to swallow it down quickly than required. "You are kidding, right?"

"No, I am not," she signaled, "We have special classes for it. Students are taught that people of Clan of Rajya are those who are born for the people. So treating them with certain kind of respect is the least we can do for them in return."

I grimaced. "That's crazy. "

"Why?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, feeling disgusted from inside but being careful to not to show it in my face. "Maybe I think like an American or like the people from the other parts of the world do. And in my terms, you are actually taught how to enact before your...this stupid Clan."

She scowled and whispered without signaling. "That's not true."

I ignored her retort, I had to. "With what I have seen in this one year, people never come out of their huts. Then how is the schooling system running in this country?"

"I have no idea," she signaled, "But my teacher once told me that it is only Dakshinpur that has turned too lifeless. People of other provinces, they atleast try to find a way to run the schooling and other public institutions. That is why only during the month of the Fest, a lot of people have been migrating from Dakshinpur in search for some life."

"Why? Why only Dakshinpur?"

"Because Shashi Thrubhuvan hails from Dakshinpur. And...and it turned too gravely especially since he destroyed Rawat's palace and started too much havoc among the people."

I tilted my head. "How do you know this?"

"Shourya told me when he first moved me out from Paschimgarh to let me hide in the palace."

I smiled and leaned back. Then I thought of asking more about her, rather than the whole country which had the system running that was too difficult to understand. "So you were homeschooled?"

She nodded. "I miss my time with my teacher, it was so fun learning new stuff."

"What subjects do you have?" I wished to have not asked the question. She had to signal with a lot difficulty and it made me realize that I was actually being too much disloyal, to both with Pruthvi and her, with the people who were having a special place in my life. I had no idea for how long I had to keep pretending but it was certainly testing my patience.

"Everything," she replied, and continued taking the trouble to signal every alphabet, "We have six subjects and electives. Numeric System, Environmental Sciences, Economics, Medical, Sanskrit, and Grammar. Did you understand?"

"Yeah I did," I smiled, watching her interest in explaining me stuff that I hardly cared about, "And electives?"

Yet I couldn't stop asking. If I did I would have to miss the brightness in her face that appeared talking about another side of her past. My only intention was to make her comfortable with me, to treat me as a friend, with whom she could easily share everything including the matter she was finding difficult to talk about.

"There are many," she answered, "sign language was compulsory for me and another one I chose was painting."

"Were you a good student?"

"I was," she signaled brightly, "Except in Arithmetic. It was so horrible. Two times three was always five."

I sniggered.

"How do you know sign language so well?" she asked, making me blink. The question was too sudden for me to answer.

"Oh..er," I faltered and looked away from her rubbing my nape while I tried to invent a lie, "One of my school friends' brother was challenged. I learned it from him."

"Really?" she signaled and I literally prayed to have her say something except regarding it. And thankfully she did. "So tell me about schools in America."

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The following evening, Nazira and I went for a long walk.

I was having my fingers lit, constantly concentrating on my stone and for the first time, I created a thin spiral ring of fire around us to have much-needed warmth. The snowstorm was stopped but the bone-chilling mist clung to all sides till my sight could reach. I increased the intensity in my flames to eradicate the mist around us and to have a better view of this realm.

The cave inside which the hut was located, was shadowy and dank with icicles been formed at the edges of its opening. Nazira and I, seeking the help of the minimal penetrating sunrays, walked outside the cave and into the valley.

The dusk turned the fresh layer of this coagulated snow pink. I frowned upon its oddity. Apart from the few chunks, the snow was indeed too rigid, solidified by the temperature that my fire couldn't even melt and it was something that never has happened before. My formed fire was only able to crunch it into fine powdery flakes. This gave me one of the clues regarding the Second Cornelian user's failure.

Nazira, covered in a thick blanket, wasn't showing any significant trouble to stay outside for a while. She was rather comfortable, and I noticed she was having a cheery smile on her face looking at this breathtaking view.

All I could see was the dove-white, sky touching mountains, trapping the sun behind them. A few trees twisted out at the sides of the rocky but snowy trails, and I supposed they were pine trees covered by a thick layer of snow.

Nazira suddenly tapped on my arm and then quickly pointed up at the top of the mountain under which our hut was located. A tall tree grown tall exactly at the apex was Vrindahina.