My eyes bulged open, literally and mentally. Heat started flowing all through my veins, boiling my blood. I had no idea why I was so angry all of a sudden, may be everybody trying to compare me with the person I despised was exploding my brain up.

I just wanted to shout at him to shut his mouth up or atleast to take his words back. But I didn't. Instead, I felt thankful for his honesty, that really helped opening my eyes. I made a quick decision, then and there, standing right at the spot. If focusing more on Nazira's safety was the matter of being like someone, who had never ruled his kingdom in a right way, then may be I had to do something to make people think otherwise. I wasn't going to play safe, like he had. I wasn't going to run away with the duties I was liable upon...like he had. It was totally under my will as a Samagraha and strong enough to keep Nazira safe, in my own way. I was well made aware about the right thing to do, at the right time and I was going to do that. I was going to win over all my challenges, kill Shaytan Rup, bring Nazira back with me, safe and sound, and hand her over to my best friend who believed in me more that I did.

I violently turned around, daring enough to swiftly walk towards her, taking long quick steps. I didn't bother to know what her opinion was, I didn't care to look up into her frightened, curious eyes. She even stepped back watching me approach but I didn't stop there. I went ahead, grabbed her dainty wrist and pulled her with me.

"Open the Gates," I said to Ashwant, but not politely.

"Don't be angry. There is still time for you to...."

"Open the gates, PLEASE," I shouted, feeling all my nerves tingling with an overgrown anger that I was having on myself for acting so cowardly. Nazira's hand trembled beneath mine. I tightened my fist, not letting her slid through my palm. I couldn't let her go now, she was with me in this freaking job.

"Alright," said Ashwant, calmly, not getting offended by my outburst, "Come with me."

He opened the door of the hut and provided space for us to walk outside before him. I was still feeling Nazira's hand shaking with fear, and I also heard low sound of whimper in my brain. She clearly didn't want to get drowned with me. But I was now too stubborn to dither away from my decision. This gave me a new determination. I promised her, that only for her sake, I was going to come back within a month.

Ira Zutshi was already waiting for us near the stony edge of the pond, a little distance away from the only huge trunk of bronchial enormous tree. I heard a low gasping sound in my head. Nazira was definitely seeing these mer-people for the first time in her life and that was making her hand shake a little more. It was under my list of questions to ask her if she had ever come across this place in her four years of her life she had spent in Rawat's palace.

"Are you ready?" asked Ira.

"Oh, you have no idea. " I said a little harshly but truthfully.

She frowned upon my raised voice and looked at Ashwant who nodded, asking her to do her thing.

She stepped on to the rocks beside the pond, then pausing to focus on the pond. Closing her eyes, slowly lifting her hand up, she cried out a command in a certain language that I always found it hard to understand.

Her hands were raised up, and it seemed she was pressurizing herself a lot, tightening her face in a grimace. For a moment nothing happened, except a few ripples that formed in the water of the pool.

All was quite.

Then all of a sudden, as if water had made come to life, ripples radiated out, creating a gigantic wave, that crashed relentlessly against the waterfall. The water running down of the hill, at once stopped flowing for a split second. Then the last strand of the falling water began flowing upwards, in the opposite course, against the gravity. Finally stopping it's momentum right at the topmost edge of the cliff.

"Oh my God!" Nazira exclaimed.

"Do you see the cave?" Ashwant said walking upfront and pointing at the top of the hill, "That is the place where the Gates of Chandrika resides, I mean The Silver Rock."

"Didn't you say it is hidden inside the pool last time?" I asked, feeling my chest rising and falling tremendously watching the water stand still.

"We have changed its location," replied Ashwant, "With Jyran stealing a part of the rock, we moved it from its place and we also tightened the security. Probably that is why Tyrell couldn't find the rock when he was here. The security we have chosen might not allow you to enter the caves and so I'll join you till there. But when you come outside of the universe, out of the Gates, you might have to deal with it by yourself."

I swallowed. "Alright. Please show us the way to the cave."

Ashwant walked past us. I, holding Nazira, followed him, striding around the pool, sensing all the dubious eyes of the mer-people upon us. We reached the the tip of the hill covered with the shrubs and smaller trees. The trunks of the trees were thick enough to hide the only stony staircase. Ashwant was already stepping up. I just kept pulling Nazira with me, and I was grateful she never once stopped me to ask the reason for the change of my decision.

Stepping up on a few hundreds of rocky hard steps, that took several minutes, three of us now began panting. We reached the spot where an archway was artificially built, making it easy enough to find the narrow pathway towards the cave. It was getting darker and cooler with every step we took on this bushy hill and the rocks beneath our feet felt a little damp. I looked up. The opening of the cave seemed nothing less than a mouth of a giant scary monster. Ashwant waited for a few minutes for our breathing to settle down and then resumed walking inside the cave.

It was as dark as night which wasn't even bothering Ashwant as much as it did to me. But as per his instructions we just kept walking straight and deep into the cave.

And the silence was broken by a sudden growling sound. I slightly gasped, jerking my head up in caution. I pressed Nazira's hand in attempt to let her know that we were required to stop walking anymore.

"Stop right here," I heard Ashwant's voice coming from a feet away.

Far distance away a tiny glint of light emerged that seemed to be increasing gradually; then the sound of the footsteps, that was more like heavy thumping of a herd of elephants. The growling sound resonated loudly across the cave, rising goosebumps all over my body. As the light became wider, it was enough for me to see that all the fuss was coming out of a colossal person. My eyes widened as he maintained his steady momentum even after noticing us. I quickly studied the profile which didn't seem humanly at all.

"An ogre?" I shouted, and I got more tensed on hearing Nazira's fearful scream.

"It's a Pizaca," replied Ashwant.

Nazira and I instantly stepped back to increase the proximity. He was holding a fire lit lantern in one of his hands. His huge personality, perhaps weighted a two thousand pounds, sent tremors to the whole cave, his big belly bouncing with every step he took. He was totally bald, his bulgy and pimply face with large round nose, broad wide lips and ears long enough till they reached down his invisible neck, his black eyeballs protruding out staring daggers at us. His skin was black leathery making him appear more terrifying. From his waist down, a brown rag covered his humongous wide legs. He sneered as he came nearer to us. As his eyes lingered upon Ashwant, his finally slowed down and stood bending slightly down at us.

"It's just me," said Ashwant, lifting his hand up, "These are my friends. You don't have to hurt them."

Pizaca grunted, watching me and Nazira. I even doubted if he was smelling every cell of my body. Then he lowered his hand holding the lantern and handed it over to Ashwant.

"Thank you," said Ashwant, "Now please leave."

The giant grunted again before he turned around and walked away from us, resuming the thumping sounds.

"Ashwant, what the hell was that?" I asked, finding my own voice quivering.

"Pizaca, a branch of mammal found only in Uttarameer. My father specifically transported one of them, as an extra security. Their specialty - dark magic doesn't work on them. They are human friendly, only once they really get to remember our faces."

"Well," I said, trying to make sure, "He is not going to remember us when we come back. Is he?"

"Nope," said Ashwant coolly, "For now he remembers only me and my father. So when you get back, you have to be careful not to bump into him. He might just step over you and you will probably lie on the ground flat."

"Thanks for the heads up," I replied, trying not to imagine myself lying flat.

Ashwant laughed. "Don't worry, you will be fine. You are the Fire of Vengeance."

"Stroke of luck, huh?" I muttered, "So where is the Silver rock?"

"Just right here," he said, taking a few more steps ahead, his lantern giving us the much needed brightness.

Ashwant extended his hand, to augment the illumination. My eyes instantly went wild, gazing upon a ten feet tall and wide sparkling rock, each and every particle of its shining as much as Doctor's diamond, like a million of stars grouped together to make it a whole.

"Go ahead, touch it," Ashwant suggested.

"O...Only a touch?"

"Yes," he said, "Naag informed my father that the touch of a the Carnelian user shall immediately open the Gate. So go ahead."

I swallowed a huge bile, now feeling a certain kind of nervousness piling up within me. I took a step forward, pulling Nazira with me. My breathing suddenly increased on realizing that from the very next minute my life was going to change for ever. No matter how strong my determination was, there was still a possibility, that this was going to be the last moments I might be breathing in my world.

I was taking Nazira with me. Responsibility I accepted wholeheartedly was enormous. I slowly and tensely turned my head towards her, and not to my surprise I found her already looking at me with her worried teary eyes. At that moment, we didn't say a word to each other and I was not willing to either. But a silent conversation conveniently passed between us. No matter how hard the hurdles were going to be, we were together in this.

"Just remember," said Ashwant, making me blink, "You will loose all your contacts and ability of mind connections once you enter the universe. You cannot contact any of your friends and you cannot call your Constellia anywhere you want. You have to get through the challenges all by yourself."

I nodded at him, even though I wasn't sure if I heard him all right.

"Good luck!" He mentioned.

I lifted my other hand up and pressed it against the cool, wet, glittery rock. Reaction was instant. The rock shimmered, illuminating a light brighter than the Gate of Chandrika that I was used to. I pressed my eyes shut and so did Nazira, turning towards my direction, getting closer to me. The silver rock began melting silently, dividing itself into two, finally stopped when it created enough access for us to pass through.

It was finally the time that I, with her by my side, step into the whole new world, with the whole new challenges.

-x-