"Haimavati Roksana, Haima, born to a conceited armorer and a midwife, an ardent devotee of Vrindahina, was a chronic daydreamer who got through her adolescence by imagining and painting varied non-existent creatures. With her mother passing away at a young age, and her father finding solace in drinking, Haima led a life of a recluse, in the luxurious large backyard where she built a walled garden. Diverse species of flora and fauna were her companions. She averted her loneliness by making friends with them, engaging in communicating with them, growing a natural talent for connecting with the beings. She lived in her backyard all day, every day, but the quality of hers didn't remain unnoticed for long- her great divine beauty. Haimavati Roksana was famously regarded as the most beautiful woman born in the country.

Men lined up in a queue to have a glance at her. Women, for contrast, envied her for her looks. Taking this as an advantage, her father with a take-no-prisoners attitude, lauded his own daughter's beauty in an erotic way and pimped men with money. When she came of age, proposals for matrimony flowed in. From younger married men to the likely to be dying old geezers, everyone wanted her to be a part of their lives. But her greedy father never married her off. She was his only steady source of income. However, his wait had to end when the first High King of the country, who was thrice her age, knocked on her door with a proposal to give her the status of a second wife. Her clever father coaxed the king into writing a contract, that he would agree to give away his daughter only in exchange for the supply of cash on a monthly basis.

Coping with strains of wedlock, Haima pleased the King with the male twins. She lived and got used to the lavish life of a queen, helping and supporting her aged husband in political affairs. Even after the King faded away into a passive state and was bedridden for the rest of his life, Haimavati continued to have social power in her hands. She unofficially ruled the country with King living only for a namesake. It was during this course of time when Lady Chandrika announced her plans to start an institution for those zealous people with unique talents, born with a sense of variation from normal humans, to join and learn magic from her. Haimavati grabbed the opportunity, wanting to extend her interest in communication and developing those unnatural beings she had grown up imagining and mentally conversing.

Within a couple of years, apart from being politically strong, Haimavati became a fully developed mage with the powers that widened Lady Chandrika's eyes with amazement. As a token of appreciation, Haimavati gifted her master's twelve children, the owners of the naturally formed Samaratna, the power of mind connection. She acquired a special place in Lady Chandrika's heart as her beloved apprentice. However, this amiable relationship between them gradually began to fizzle, when Haimavati rose herself up to reach full heights and capable enough to challenge Lady Chandrika's magic. The slight crack in their relationship turned into a massive fissure when Haimavati befriended this woman, who was of the same age, having similar tastes as of her, whose betrayal broke the family apart. She was a Samagraha less and an artist more, with a weird fixation on designing unnatural beings with mud, clay, and plastic that compromised the honor of the family. She was none other Lady Chandrika's eldest daughter- Endira El Sayed, the First Moonstone user of Paramarashtra."

"There she is!" I said, drawing the cup of hot chocolate towards my lips and gently blowing into it as Naag took a break to breathe. He stood against the railings of the porch, his snake curled around his waist with the hood hidden somewhere behind his back. His red shiny hair wavered with the breeze caused by the light snowfall. It seemed too curly this morning as if he had used Leena's curling iron.

It was early to go for patrolling, and instead of having another class with Dhanunjay, I'd fixed an appointment with Naag, to understand and abstract information regarding this thing called the Pride.  Ashwant had once again helped me for making Naag meet us here on the porch, exactly the day before our trail in the Panchayat. Pruthvi and Leena were sitting by my side, hearing another story of another First Formation Samagraha.

"Haima and Endira," Pruthvi said, "these pair of friends did something idiotic that pissed Lady Chandrika off, didn't they?"

Naag nodded. "Haima's desire to initiate non-human clans to Paramarashtra with the help of Endira is one of them. To stop this, Lady Chandrika began showing interest to enter politics. She wanted to battle neck to neck with Haimavati who was racing ahead in this game of conquering the country. My master suspected that she was seeking all the confidential matters through Endira, seeing how her plans were getting sabotaged in every possible way. There were arguments and fallacies. It led to such an extreme that Endira cut all ties with the El Sayeds and fled away."

"Fled away?" Leena asked. "You mean she left everyone behind?"

"For many years there was no sign of her. Haimavati and Lady Chandrika, both dispatched a word to her supporters and friends to locate her but all was in vain. Vrishabha never returned to the Parallel universe after Endira disappeared. She was way too devoted to her master and did as per the instructions were given to her. It wasn't even her fault, Constellia have to fulfill their master's wishes. But both of their disappearances caused complications within the family, and among the Constellia."

"Did Endira ever come back?" Leena asked, getting thoroughly involved in the story. Her eyes illustrating the desperation, somehow trying to relate the story with Celina's disappearance.

"Yes," Naag said, "Endira, unable to cope up with the miserable life, showed herself at the threshold of Lady Chandrika's manor looking for help. Unfortunately, things went further downhill. Her return became one of the reasons for Lady Chandrika's downfall."

That piqued quite an interest. "Huh?" Pruthvi asked.

Naag stroke his pet snake gently that twitched with the fireflies that suddenly flew up in the porch. "She didn't show up alone," he said, looking inside the house through the window when there was slight movement and then back at us, "She returned with a child. A child whose father is known to none. Not even to Endira."

Pruthvi cast a varied look at me as I leaned forward to place the cup down on the floor. I was delighted to find the story leading to something that was concerned with Uttarameer. Now the dots seemed to be joining. "Almourah," I said, "Endira El Sayed is Almourah's mother, correct?"

"Yes," Naag said and then hesitated for a bit until the glow of the fireflies softened. "Almourah is born with strange and unusual character traits, also with the darkness he has within him."

The information unnerved me. I was nowhere near my goal of finding a tip to break Almourah's magic, but this piece of information that the First Moonstone user, the stone that now Celina possessed, was related to Almourah this way. With all the experience in blindly following Doctor's orders, it was obvious and self-explanatory that our jobs were based upon the abilities passed down to us. Celina's ability is what Doctor must have found favourable to find the Pride.

And there was a sudden thought....

"Oh geez!" I exclaimed, getting slightly irked remembering Singh's account of how Almourah turned into a beast. "That means the first cornelian user and Almourah were..."

"Kins," said Naag, giving a single nod, "Almourah was just a year or two younger than the Cornelian user."

"Another set of weird friends," Pruthvi muttered.

"But I don't get it," Leena said, "Fatherless child?"

"Endira lived in the suburbs somewhere in a corner of Uttarameer," said Naag, "According to her, she never knew who impregnated her. Nobody believed her, not even her own mother, brothers and sisters. Honor and glory were everything to the El Sayeds. They ousted her completely out of the family. Endira was humiliated and helpless. The only person who took pity on her was Haimavati Roksana. She was rich, famous and magically strong. Unfortunately, she was widowed within these years of Endira's disappearance. Meeting Endira again, as someone alone as she was, they sympathized with each other, eventually becoming each other's anchor of support. Haimavati took the new mother and her son in and treated them as her own. Haima regarded Endira as her soul sister. Everything that Haima did was against Lady Chandrika's wishes."

"Leena?" Nazira came out of the house, smiling and stealing little glances with me. And then stopped dead finding a giant person like Naag standing on the porch. The hood of the snake twitched once again, as if struck by an electric spark, and rose completely up turning to face her. It suddenly let out an aggravated hiss, from low droning to high pitched, that almost knocked the three of us out of our chairs. Nazira gasped, stepping apprehensively back, her feverish cheeks aglow.

"Stop," Naag said pulling it aside by its hood. "She isn't a threat."

"I...I was just looking for hot chocolate," Nazira signaled, her eyes proportionally big and cold fixed askance on the snake slithering across his waist.

"Oh, here you go," Leena said passing the jug to her. "Still feverish?"

"Yes," she replied. "There's been no change."

"And migraine?"

She glowered at the snake. "Just returned. I'll see you later." She walked back into the house and yelled as if intentionally wanting me to hear. "That snake needs to see a vet!"

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

"Something doesn't add up," Pruthvi said, stretching to flex his muscles, "How is the TriArambh really formed if the Almourah is the only son of Endira?"

I was crouched near the hearth of the fireplace setting the wood logs straight, and softly chuckled when he raised the same question as I had this morning. "Remember the slogan-anything is possible in Paramarashtra? Well, guess what. After everything we have seen and went through in this country, the reason behind it wouldn't sound surprising."

"Hayden, I am too tired for the riddles," he said, his eyes drooping, "And tomorrow is a big day. So tell me, what else did Naag reveal?"

"Haimavati Roksana," I said, trying to calm my faint resentment against this woman born a thousand years ago who disrupted the lives of the El Sayeds and in the process, her own, "The poor woman seemed to be doing everything for good, but actually cast a dark shadow over the once peaceful country."

"Dude, what did I say about the riddles?"

I lit the fireplace, as usually seeing Nazira, the most beautiful girl in my life. And repeated the whole thing out, word for word, that Naag had us made us aware of, and unmasked the truth behind Almourah's beastly savagery.

"Step by step, brick by brick, Haimavati grew magically stronger with a personality which is cunning and devious. Morphing the surroundings with ease. Teleporting herself from one place to another without the need of Gates. Creating ways to emerge at two places at once. The country's weather changed as per her emotional state. With so much power in her hand, she anointed herself as the First Queen of the Paramarashtra. She loved and cared about the people coming along in her favour and punished those severely if spoken a word against her will. Being a daughter of a midwife, she inherited an exaggerated form of a trait to pour life in the unliving. And that is how she started her dream to introduce non-humans to the country. The sculptures Endira created, such as Matsyasvi and Pizaca have to come to life because of her. In turn making, three of the originators the great siblings.

Years later when the enemy-ship between the first Cornelian user and Almourah surfaced, Haimavati, before the madness between them wreaked havoc in the entire nation, ordered Matasyavi to murder the men crossing her reservoir. Those men were the ones to join Almourah's territory to learn dark magic from him and wage war against the First. The plan was to torture the Cornelian User in any way how, since the latter wouldn't die without the Shaatrumani. The plan failed with Haima's interference and on top of it, the situation reversed, when Almourah was attacked and nearly burned to death by the First.

This gave rise to Almourah's unending animosity towards both his sister and the First.

He was Endira's son, and so Haima took pity on him and restored his life. Applied the same formula that made Matsyasvi and Pizaca complete living beings today. Unfortunately, Almourah was never the same person ever since then. Brutal and more brutal he became, now that he knew that with this new life in him ensured immortality. Nothing and no one can absolutely kill him. The war resumed, against Haima's wishes and people started to treat her with disgust for making things worse. And just like Singh mentioned, the war came to an end only after the First travelled to Parallel universe from where he never returned."

"Sweet!" Pruthvi exclaimed, "So what happened to this Haima person?"

I averted my eyes, thinking deeply and frowning at the answer Naag had given me. "She just disappeared. People thought she killed herself unable to bear the insults and everything that put her character down. But there were just no proof. Nobody knows. She was simply considered as...gone."

"And Lady Chandrika got a free way to occupy the Queen of Paramarashtra role."

"Barely. The position was never legally filled. And if there's any woman in line to gain that position, she'll be treated as the second. Just how my mom was supposed to."

Pruthvi nodded. "Some legend. What has Naag told you about Celina's ability?"

A touch of uncertainty and anxiety permeated in the living room just as though the warmth from the fireplace. "Naag could have been sure if Vrishabha had disclosed it fair and square. Looks like the First's influence is still upon the Constellia. But there could be a possibility, seeing Endira's behavioural traits. And Doctor just wanted to experiment this by taking Celina with him, to gain some sense of closure. They believe it is nothing but...motherhood."

Pruthvi swallowed hard and gave a strained smile. "There's no need to experiment, she does act like one. Anything about the Pride?"

"Naag says he never heard anything about it, so I'm guessing it has nothing to do with the Firsts. Then there was an emergency and he had to leave. But you and I both know from whom we can get a precise answer."

Pruthvi was an intelligent thinker than I was. He didn't need specifics nor a detailed plan of the attempt I was going to make tomorrow. The only problem that stopped him from being nuts was his paranoid focus on getting caught. "We will break a thousand laws if we dare to do that."

"I am willing to take the risk this time because we're running out of time and have no other options open. If Tyrell says it is to be found then it must be related to Shashi. And Doctor was looking for it which makes it extra special. So, you tell me. Will you be my partner in crime?"

With wicked smile spreading across his face and the merest nod, we clinked our glasses of soda one last time for the night. There was a stringent single-minded determination to face the big day tomorrow at Panchayat. It shall be either yay or....yay only.

-x-