Nazira's happiness had no limits.

Every minute I spent with her later the most crucial conversation, I felt the positive radiations flowing out of her. The laughter in her eyes, just wouldn't go away. Seeing her immensely elated, empowered my optimism. It was really a right decision to lend her my secret. Only if I had known she was going to take it positively, maybe I would have pulled up some courage to mention it back in the academy.

However, I have always been wondering if she possessed a few of Leena's qualities, that had helped in developing a great friendship between both of them. And I was so darn right in thinking so.

Nazira Khan....she just wouldn't stop talking.

"So this happened in forth grade. And then, that happened in fifth grade. And then..."

She took the liberty of making fun of me, pulled my legs for pretending to understand her sign language for all these days. And the worst part was, she repeatedly kept asking me the same question and even after answering her a zillions times she was determined to not to accept it.

"Why didn't you tell Pruthvi?" she asked, with a slight mocking quality in her voice.

We were sitting at the threshold of the hut. It was indeed getting hotter inside and we both agreed it was best to spend most of the time in the fresh air until my next challenge began and move on from this horrible realm. I honestly craved for a chilled bottle of Uilani de Blanc but compromised myself with the hot chocolate, its sweet flavour was only able to keep my mind steady.

I held my cup near to my mouth, and then on hearing her question, I abruptly stopped drinking.

"I told you he was preoccupied with his own problems."

Answering her for a zillion and oneth time, I tried to drink, but she stopped me again.

"Was he preoccupied for complete five months, twenty-four hours a day?"

"I think so, yes," I said, holding my cup, trying to drink only if she would let me to. "It's all because of your country. It's just so weird."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe you're the weird one here?"

"Not until today, but thank you for the enlightenment."

"You are welcome. Anyway, we used to spend a lot of time by the lake and my brother was always free. You could have told him then."

"No, he was busy," I said hurriedly and took a sip.

"Or maybe you were busy."

I broke down coughing, noticing a hard edge in her voice. I put my cup aside on the ground and covered my mouth before it all spilled out. She giggled, noticing my face getting flushed. It took me no time to understand that she was reminding me of the moment when she first caught me staring at her blankly.

"Y...yeah. Maybe," I stuttered, "Now can we please maintain some peace and quiet? I really want to finish this cup before midnight."

"Of course," she shrugged, "Have it. When did I stop?"

"Thank you." I pulled my cup over to my mouth.

"But the way..." She shouted really loud, almost breaking a nerve in my brain. I controlled myself from spewing my drink out of my before she fell laughing on my shoulder and making my heart flutter.

----------------------------

As per Meena's reminder, my challenge was supposed to start on this very day. I have been waiting to meet the Constellia named Mesha for quite a few hours now, roaming in this dead meadow all alone under the hot shimmering bright sun. Nazira got herself involved in the painting, and I noticed it was the only way for her to deal with the tension that automatically surmounted whenever I walked out of the door to get on with my challenge. Never ever I might have waited for the Constellia for this extended time, and it was certainly making me slightly impatient.

In the meanwhile, I tried to figure out what my challenge with the female ram was going to be. I practised few of my formations as well, just to see if everything in here-the grass, the soil and the water in the lake was as normal as it was supposed to be, unlike that of the plants in the realm of Meena.

"Hmm," I said to myself after I made sure everything worked quite normally.

"Hayden Mackay, right here!" A loud quivering voice grabbed my attention. I turned around and found the Constellia standing beside the door of the hut.

She was waving at me, smiling brightly and beckoned at me to come nearer. Sighing heavily, I quickly walked towards her shouting right from this distance, "You are late!"

As I kept taking steps, I keenly observed how tall she was, taller than me by a few inches. Her woollen knee length gown wasn't stopping from showing her strong physic. Her woollen hair and that pointed horns, she was a total humanoid ram.

"It's almost evening," I complained, "Thanks to you, I lost a complete day!"

"Relax, Hayden Mackay," she said sweetly, "This challenge is different. It might not take more than half an hour to finish."

I frowned and refrained myself from believing her. They all had this knack to sound as if these games were similar to a duck-duck goose. "Is it so? What is the challenge?"

"You just need to answer my questions," she said, "Ten out of twelve right answers, will automatically open the Gates for you."

"That's all?" I asked, slightly baffled, "No action?"

"No action." She confirmed.

"What's the catch?" I asked suspiciously.

"No catch. Just answer my questions and you are good to go." At first her voice was slightly quivering but still, it was stern. Suddenly she changed her voice so much that it almost sounded as begging. "Please answer all the question right. We need our Arena back!"

"Alright," I said shakily, "I will do my best. But, er, what kind of questions are these?"

"It's going to be about the history of Paramarashtra."

My eyes instantly widened and then I quickly shrunk it, not wanting her to see that I was hit by a sudden panic attack. Except for the stones, the five prominent villages and the Clans I knew nothing about the country. My knowledge was limited. In no way, I going to answer if she asked me the typical historical question like -What happened to those two people during so and so war in the year so and so CD?!

Man, I am so screwed. Only someone who loved this country and patriotic enough to have interest and zeal to go through the history in detail would know the answers of such type of questions. I blinked. Of course, I do know that person.

"Okay, tell me. If I fail," I asked, "will the questions change in the second attempt?"

Her thick white eyebrows bumped together. "The first answered all the questions right," she said, "So I have no correct information. But you know what, I have been given only twelve questions when the rules were set up and I do not think they are going to change."

"Right," I said, feeling immensely satisfied.

"Where are you going?" Mesha asked, making me realize that I was already on my way.

"Er," I said, quickly making up a lie, "Bathroom break."

I rushed inside and closed the door behind, quickly finding her mixing colour in her paint tray.

"Are we going?" she asked, "Can we wait for five minutes, I am almost done."

"No!" I interrupted shaking my hands as I walked closer, "Challenge hasn't begun yet. Nazira, I need your help."

She stood up, dropping her paint down on the table. "My help? Are you making up jokes again?"

"No, I am not. I promise. And only you can help me."

"How?"

"Just read the Contellia's lips."

Nazira and I sat down on the ground, cross-legged, in the opposite direction of the Constellia. It was slightly getting darker, and I wished it to complete soon before Nazira could get deprived of reading her lips. Thankfully, Mesha didn't object her presence and the most surprising factor was that Nazira didn't get scared of this tall and strong Constellia.

"Shall we begin? Alright. Question one," Mesha began, "What is the total number of Samagraha?"

"Twel..."

"Thirty six." I heard Nazira saying it.

"Thirty six," I immediately changed my answer.

"Correct," said Mesha.

Whoa, tricky question.

"Number two-What is the name of the deity that designed the Diamond?"

"Vrindahina," said I and Nazira both at the same time.

"Correct. What happens when two stone collide?"

Nazira was silent this time and she looked at me for the answer.

"You mean the Shaatrumani and the Samaratna?" I asked, just to make clear.

"No," said Mesha, "Samaratna and Samaratna."

I blinked frantically. I have never thought of it before. What could happen if our stones collided? It was only the third question, nine more to go. I was allowed to answer only two of the question wrong. But without passing out the question I simply answered it, and it was just a fluke.

"Nothing happens."

"Correct."

"What the..." I said, as Nazira laughed. "Why would you ask me such stupid question?"

"A question is a question," Mesha said, "You just have to give the right, appropriate answer. Now, question number four, what is the name of the Paramarashtrian Dance?"

I gulped down a huge, enormous bile. Paramarashtrians can dance? Is there anything they can't do?

"Ganika-Hili!" I heard the voice.

I controlled myself to look at her. I wasn't able to comprehend if I heard it right, the name sounded weird and I so wanted to ask her to repeat it.

"Ga...Ganika Hailey?" I said, or asked, even I couldn't comprehend how it sounded. I was feeling my heart beat fast wishing for her to accept my answer.

"It's Hili," corrected Mesha, making a face, "Don't let Mithuna hear you saying that. They will be so mad."

"I will keep that in mind," I said, although I forgot about it the next minute, "But did I gain a point?"

"I think so. We will only get to know if the Gates open after you give the tenth right answer," said the Mesha and immediately continued, "Number five, who is the founder of Paramarashtra?"

I gaped again, dreadfully. I so wished it to be a challenge filled with action, rather than a stupid pop quiz.

"Lady Swagata El Sayed, an Indian explorer," Nazira answered, very slowly and clearly, letting me hear her say almost every syllable.

I repeated whatever she had mentioned and smiled as soon as Mesha declared it correct. I was getting too impressed with her knowledge. Now probably this could be another reason Doctor had forced her to accompany me. All those time when I kept bargaining with him and how adamantly he asked me to take her- now on translating, giving exact words to his real intention, it was as if Doctor was indirectly saying - "You dimwit, go learn something about our country you are responsible for!"

"Whooo, five more to go." said Mesha, getting excited, "Question Number six. Which is the largest province of Paramarashtra?"

Yes, finally something I know.

"Madhyakshetra," we answered together.

"Correct! Question number seven-The first generation Samagraha were born in which century?"

Nazira cleared her throat and from the corner of my eye, I found her looking down at the ground, creasing her forehead. I raced my mind as well, just in case if she wasn't sure about the answer. Just a few months ago I was told that we were never going to die, until and unless the Shaatrumani did its job. And we, the third generation were chosen only after a fifty years after The Second generation's extinctions. They had probably lived for five hundred years and The First another five hundred years, so that means...

"Around 1000 years ago?" I said it out loud, my curiosity needed to be blamed for it.

"The Year 1167 CE," Nazira answered, the exact year, making my heart sink. I should have so given her more time to think but I was in a rush to show my intelligence which I had none in this case.

"Wrong," said the girl disappointed. "You should be precise and it's 1167 CE."

"Sorry," I whispered as Nazira looked at me with her questionable eye.

One of these days, I intended to sit down with Nazira and talk about the rest of the history I didn't know.

"Question eight," said the girl, "how was Shaytan Rup born?"

Nazira slowly glanced at me. Since she had 'the talk' with Makara, she definitely must have been wanting to know more about this person.

"Through Yajna," I said, feeling her eyes digging my skin, "When Lady Chandrika and First Cornelian user used his magical fire to invent it."

"Correct," said Mesha, and Nazira slowly turned away still frowning, "Who was the first person to visit Parallel Universe?"

"Lady Chandrika," I said immediately and noticed Nazira was just about to answer it. The answer bothered me a little, but I didn't oblige more to it.

"Correct Question nine..."

"Hold on," I said, "How many questions did I get it right?"

"Seven or Eight," answered the girl, "I cannot say exactly."

"Fine. Continue."

"Question nine- In what form did the result of the war among the Constellia concluded?"

"Er...Naag?" I said, in the questioning form.

"Correct!" Mesha said, "I didn't expect you to know that."

"That's a real surprise even to me too," I said, thinking of Singh because of whom I knew most of the answers.

"Question ten, what is the shape of the country Paramarashtra is known for?"

"Walnut." She and I answered together.

"Only one more right answer and you are good to go, hopefully. Question number eleven- What is the symbol of Lady Chandrika."

Obviously, I didn't know the answer and it was best to keep my mouth shut and pretend to think until I automatically heard it in my brain.

"An Asterisk."

Bingo.

An uncomfortable silence fell among us. Nazira and I kept looking at Mesha, waiting for her to say anything, declare me the winner or at least get on to repeat it already. It was almost night, Nazira might not be able to read her lips anymore. But heck, if the questions were going to be the same, would I be really needing her help anymore?

The silence was reminiscent of some kind of a thriller movie, although it stayed only for a few seconds. The brilliant light emerged next to Mesha, making my heart jump with joy. Even though I knew I did not win this game fair and square, I was happy that I still tricked Shaytan Rup.

I implored myself to not to feel guilty about it.

A smile immediately fell across Mesha's face. She didn't even have to stand up to put her hand in between the Gates.

Feeling contented, Nazira and I freely exchanged a proper glance.

"Congrats," she said, brightly.

"Thanks to you," I mouthed smilingly at her, "Let's go."

I held her hand and we both stood up together. But before we jumped out of the Gates, my nerves trickled my instincts. If this was learning about my country, why not learn it a little bit more.

I turned towards Mesha and asked, "Hey, there is one more questions, the twelfth one. What was it going to be? What were you going to ask?"

Mesha's face turned too stern before she replied, "How did the First Generation Breaking Samagraha die?"

"It was an accident, right?" I asked, finding the question rather interesting and remembering the story of First Opal user that Doctor had told us in detail. "They killed themselves... unknowingly."

"No," said Mesha, "It was never proven how they died. So the answer is suicide. But I know, every Constellia of the Breaking Samagraha know, that they were brutally killed. It was mass murder. The second generation Breaking Samgraha died in the same way. Everyone knew who the murderer was but the fellow Samagraha saved him from being punished."

Nazira's hand shook a little. I heard her say nothing but felt her eyes stuck on me, asking me to jump through the Gates already, but I found drowning myself in contemplation.

I did not ask Mesha who she actually was referring to, I didn't have to. The way she had mentioned, it sounded so obvious. There was only one way for a Samagraha to die-and that was through Shaatrumani. The opal user was the only one who can make it function.

"Hayden Mackay," Mesha said, "I and other Constellia of the breaking Samagraha are wishing for our current masters live as long as Formation Samagraha are going to."

Did she mean that my friend Tyrell might probably kill her master and every other Samagraha I met in the academy? No, that cannot happen. Pruthvi and Leena better find a way to bring him back, make his soul awaken. Soon.

Because -History cannot repeat.

-x-