Letter of Consent to Travel

I, Imtiyaz Jafar, The High King of Paramarashtra, authorize the third generation Formation Samagraha [Hayden Mackay, Pruthvi Krishna, Leena Savant, Celina Hanslay and Tyrell Kissler] to cross the Strait of Uttara. They are allowed to travel domestically within Uttarameer alongside the Diamond user, as well as the Matsyasvi, Ashwant Veer. Absolutely no charges with obstruction shall be filed against the aforementioned travelers until further notice.

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The knight in a thick fur coat with a hood, took a long time to read those four sentences written in the consent letter. He gazed up at us with suspicious eyes behind the glass sitting crookedly on his nose. He seemed to be disappointed to find no fault and hesitated to return the letter to Ashwant.

"Proof?" He asked, through his chattering teeth.

Ashwant gestured to me with a nod. Fighting against the freezing temperature, I tucked my hand in and searched for the pocket hidden somewhere inside my gazillion pound jacket. Only when Ashwant and I showed our respective stones he returned the letter and allowed us to pass through.

The knights of Madhyakshetra were being too transparent to come across as wise and sincere. Remembering the fate of one of their kings, suddenly made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. It felt too silly watching them follow the rules. There were a couple of more knights working as guards at the main legal entrance of the province, seated down around a small bonfire at this time of the night and poking the logs with tongs. A few feet away stood a large quinzee shaped hut from where a strong overwhelming smell of burnt charcoal was wafting out. Occasional whinnies and neighs from the horses were audible as well.

One of the knights walked aside and with a great effort, he released the rope to raise the barricade. The signage 'PUBLIC WARNING. DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION' were written in big bold colorful letters as if a spray painting graffiti.

The damned weather of Uttarameer lived up to my well-wisher's forewarning. The skin-cutting gust of wind, the fluffy snowflakes stiffening my lashes and hair, it was indeed a several time worse than the weather of Dakshinpur. I hissed passing through the barricade alongside Ashwant, fighting the aggressive wind blowing across my face.

"I think we need help," Ashwant stuttered between his words, vapors releasing from his mouth as he spoke.

A great deal of concentration throbbed my temples. Her appearance in my mind was the only saving grace. The searing thick string of fire emerged out of my palms challenging the hostile wind. I slowly rotated my arms over our heads forming a flame coil down around our shivering bodies. The minimal warmth instantly made us let out a sigh of relief.

The relief, however, was only for a brief second.

A swirling wind, as loud as the flying jet, blustered over us. The knights, at once, ran inside their hut, as if they knew that the temperature was going get hazardous. Ashwant and I shared a tentative glance at each other's faces that were turning pale and dry. He bent down on his knee and taking a long breath, he mustered the energy to command his Diamond, his voice as loud as the good old days, inexperienced Pruthvi.

"Plain Elevator Formation!"

The gentle shake of the ground made me stand alert. The powdery snow beneath our feet sprinkled up. A prism-shaped wall shot up housing us from all sides, thankfully blocking the intensity of the wind.

Flames crackled and burned brighter. "Can you take the map out?"

I increased the fire intensity, that helped him easily rummage through the contents in his large duffle bag. For the time being, I mentally recollected the information regarding the geographical features of the country. Thanks to Ira Zutshi for explaining the important aspect of the province at the eleventh hour.

The largest province of the country, that shared its border with three other provinces, had no specific point of location to pick to open the Gates of Chandrika. No dynasties, no kingdoms, no sightseeing tourist spot. It was an abandoned province, solely ruled by the TriArambh, not to mention the significant part of it by Almourah. On top of that, it was lawfully declared illegal to open the Gates anywhere but at the specified entrance only.

"Alright, here it is," Ashwant said, his voice a soft whisper.

He slowly opened the rough sheet of a map that was hand-drawn. He placed his shivering finger at the spot indicating our current location which was the demarcation line between Uttarameer and the three provinces called The Strait of Uttara -the narrow stream of water that seemed like separating the country into two parts, each ruled by humans and non-humans. Also not included in the world map.

"There are two ways to enter the province," Ashwant said, "One of which is what we use to meet our Lady Matsyasvi for her blessings. See the steps down there, at the corner of the bridge? If you get down and then swim all the way through the strait for about seven and a half hours, we directly enter Lady Matsyasvi's territory. It is actually a detour we built for ourselves since the bridge is not safe to use in this inclement weather."

"Damnable lie," I said with a derisive tone.

"Fine, we built it to not to risk an encounter with the beasts."

I chuckled.

"So, are we ready?"

"Seven hours and a half hours, huh?" I asked, attempting to raise my stiff eyebrows. "So for the human race, is it like an hour or something?"

Despite the full trimmed mustache, with that mocking twist on his mouth, he suddenly looked like a teen. "No silly. It's the same for anyone. And I know, you can't swim that long. So we gotta risk passing the strait through the bridge. But let me warn you, it's going to be a long walk. Considering yourself walking over the bridge the whole night."

I craned my neck to gape between the walls. The stone bridge stood right ahead in between the roaring log fire, and most of it hidden in the darkness of the night.

"Oh," I said, being in retrospect, "Didn't you tell me the bridge was built a thousand years ago?"

"Bhagwad Bridge," he replied, nodding and pointing at the paper, "It's named after the famous architect cum First-generation Samagraha Bhagwad El Sayed. Observe the shape. Doesn't it look like a T? It stretches up to a few kilometers and then gets divided into three separate smaller bridges, each directing to the territory of the originators."

I nodded.

Ashwant continued, "Once we step onto the bridge, we officially leave Madhyakshetra."

"Alright, let's go," I said, tucking my jacket closer.

"Wait," Ashwant said, his eyebrows narrowed. He licked his lower lip before he asked, "Are you absolutely sure about this? Hayden, we still have an option. I can talk to the High King if you want. We can..."

"No, we can't," I interjected, "Listen Ashwant, I'm sorry for dragging you into this risky mission but...you are required to fill in your father's place. Only you can figure out if Doctor really borrowed a tip from Lady Matsyasvi to trap the beast in their territory. It might come in handy. And trust me, I know what I'm doing. Just have faith in me."

He swallowed. "Bhupathi Garg and Jyran Kerenza. Is it true? "

The road to freedom was right up ahead and he is questioning me now? "I didn't kill either of them. You gotta believe me. But, it's also true that I'm equally guilty for whatever happened with Bhupathi. I...I broke into the correctional facility without permission to get detailed information about the Pride. This is also a reason why I can't go back now. The question of going back doesn't even arise without having victory in my hands. I just want to do what I know I can do first. Everything else can wait, right?"

He briefly nodded. "But I still don't understand how you've decided to do it, Hayden. Having the dagger in your hand isn't enough. You should be able to see your opponent as well. Remember, Almourah is considered invisible. Unless you thirst after ever more magic, as Shashi did, you wouldn't be able to see him."

I seriously doubt that!  I thought, remembering Singh's mention on this specific issue. "Almourah, after he became too infamous for his dark magic, was never seen by anyone except The First."

Since I had come to know that, there had always been an inkling considering all my experiences with all the abilities passed down to the Third generation Samagraha. It was only wild speculation though, but I refused to comment on it in front of Ashwant until there was a little solid evidence.

"Well, then there is more we need to ask the originators besides the parts of the dagger."

Ashwant raised a single brow. "Do you realize how risky it is? Fine, let's just say you've acquired everything you wanted to finish him off. So, when do you think we'll be able to finish it?"

"I can't give you a specific date. Almourah ain't Shaytan Rup, who can be killed within a month. It also depends on how well I persuade the other originators to give me the other parts of the Pride. It might take a day or even a year, I don't know." I sighed heavily and raked my hand through my hair finding him dissatisfied with my answer. "Look, I wouldn't have bothered you if your father was alive. Now that he's no more...I just need you more than ever."

"I understand that," he assured, "But you need to remember that there's a clan that needs my attention."

"Absolutely. I will not waste my time on anything else, I swear. It's not a pleasure trip. But to finish this job as quickly as possible, I want your support and...please just blindly follow my plan."

"And what is it, may I ask?"

"I want to target the seemingly uncomplicated one of the TriArambh first. Ashwant, let's go meet Sir Pizaca."

We didn't even realize that we had walked for a couple for hours until Ashwant and I started panting from exertion. All those months of continuous patrolling in heavy snow seemed to have improved our resistance to the high temperatures. A quick break, standing against the railing of the bridge to catch our breath, and a few sips of hot chocolate would just be efficient enough at the moment. Hot chocolate, with its zero kick, didn't have the effect the Paramarashtrian decoction coffee had been giving me lately, yet it was helpful.

A pack of snack bars down before the early hours of down. The bridge rose out of the darkness. The light of the sun felt filtering by the thickened clouds. The weather was bound to get worse as we went further along. Air so cold that it hurt to breathe. Having our hands lit with fire to melt the snow accumulated over the bridge for so long seemed another reason for our energy to be draining away. This suddenly made me ponder about the trip Celina had come with Doctor. The troubles they might have undergone to cross the bridge itself. And the reasons started pouring in as to why Pruthvi thought that Doctor's extreme tiredness had caused him to give in to death.

Several hours later, keeping a track of time was no longer as important as reaching the station we had decided to rest up at. Hot chocolate. Snack bars. Bagels. And fruits. Ashwant wouldn't stop laughing seeing my vast, never-quenching hunger. The snow had stopped falling for the past few minutes, and taking it as an advantage we walked a bit faster, almost trotting to cover a few more kilometers. And that turned out to be a blunder mistake. Our muscles felt stiff and the joints seemed inflexible from all the effort. On finally reaching the desired point, we dropped our duffle bags at the corner, melted the snow, and instead of sitting and relaxing, we began working on our bodies doing the push-ups.

"Oh yeah, that feels good," I murmured, hearing the crack of my bone.

Ashwant was gathering things up to get going. Whereas I spent a few minutes scrutinizing the area, now that the cloud-washed sun had risen up. I straightened my bag on my shoulder and looked about. The bridge was symmetrically trifurcated into three narrow bridges, each leading to the destination of one of the three originators. Ashwant's voice was muffled in the growing breeze, but I understood his explanation clear-cut. Lady Matsysavi's territory was straight ahead. Sir Pizaca's was on the left and I found myself highly interested to sift through the complete right potion of Uttarameer.

Compelled, I ran my eyes over the territory where my predecessor's friend was growing his clan. It was just a huge mass of snow everywhere. I shook my head defeated to spot anything worth seeing.  

The running water of the strait burbled gravely traveling along its way.

As I kept wanting to see more, morbid curiosity burned in me. An insane notion of something deeper than a desire. Following the path, I walked a few steps ahead along the bridge leading to his territory. Ashwant ran behind me, yelling for me to have control over my senses. I wouldn't listen. I just walked, as if in a trance-like state. I walked until the point where I found the bridge completely broken. It seemed like a giant gaping hole as though a sinkhole. The sound of the gushing water made me blink. The inflowing water of the strait seemed to be in a rush to push heavy snow rocks flowing with it.

I averted my gaze back up, still feeling compelled to keep walking. Between the thick gray clouds, there was a sudden spark of illumination, a quick on and off twinkle similar to a star. The gloomy gray clouds rolled away, allowing the shimmer of the sun. There was a silhouette of something tall and cylindrical. Was it a water tank? Perhaps a lighthouse, or both sculpted together, that stood in the middle of the humongous island surrounded by a stream of water. Trees, aren't they? I thought, gazing imploringly at the bed of the island covered with forest. Are they Vrindahina?

There was a jarring note as I kept staring. The enormous island. Surrounding it, were the numberless trees of Vrindahina. A lighthouse at the center with fleecy clouds drifting past. Sure, it was scenic. Also...unnerving.

I dropped my bag, crouching down with it to search for my binoculars. Ashwanth's skeptical eyes noticed me acting in great haste and enquired about my perplexity. I couldn't answer him. This feeling within me was empowering and surreal, which had made me go numb to the core.

Slowly standing back up, I raised the binoculars and zeroed in on the highest point of the lighthouse. The clouds drifted away revealing the distant whitewashed lighthouse stark against the sky. There was a flickering illumination, though it was too difficult to obtain the source. A narrow window on the wall overlooking the country and the glossy darkness surrounded to dim lantern light. A sudden movement, a change in the flicker of the illumination, made me jerk and shift my direction of view. I zoomed in further and...

A body of a huge creature was crawling, heading straight down towards the window.

Blood froze in my veins and it had nothing to do with the temperature dropping by a couple of degrees. I tried hard, twisting the knob to zoom more and more, although in vain, forgetting that that was as far as the lens could go.

I peered through it.

The creature seemed pale, half-naked, gazillion pounds of dense muscles at the shoulder and upper body area whereas extremely skinny down at the torso, shabby cloth fluttering with the wind as it crawled down vertically, writhing and twisting, on the smooth surface of the lighthouse. Its limbs long as any of the beasts, but I was damn sure that the creature was a much much taller than any of those beasts I had fought with. Its loose matted waist-length hair fiddled along with its lizard-like grizzly moves.

"Oh my god!" I finally found my voice albeit a whisper, goosebumps shooting out of my skin and fearful moisture forming in the corner of my eyes.

The creature then held the rim of the window. It twirled like an acrobat showing off the circus acts, plunged with a somersault into the dimness of the room. For a second, it disappeared. And then, giving me a jolt, it erupted up, throwing its hair backward. It stood straight and tall against the window, facing out. Facing towards my direction. Facing me.

My heart hammered but I kept my stance casual, knowing that both of us staring at each other.

"What is it?" Ashwant asked, his voice felt like an echo that made me blink. "Hayden, talk to me."

"Almourah!" I whispered, my throat pinching, "I see him!"

With a gasp of intense horror, Ashwant stepped closer to me. "I can't believe it. Are you sure it's him?"

Now that I knew where he was exactly located, I slowly dropped my binoculars, without once shifting my eyes. I'd wager, neither did he. His gaze felt piercing through the dimness of the room, raising a competitive edge in me. I stared back with the intensity of a vulture gliding down with great speed to catch its prey.

"Are you sure it's him?" Ashwant repeated.

"There's only one way to know," I replied, feeling my heart pulsating strongly in my chest.

"Hayden, if you are thinking to do anything stupid, don't," Ashwant urged, "It's too soon for it. We got to do this according to the plan. Be patient."

Sorry Ashwant, I already had my mind made up. This was my chance to know if it was really him and that was where he lived. I'd decided to provoke him. I was going to set a challenge. I was going to see how powerful he was. I was going to make him aware of what stone I possessed, and if he still held a grudge over it. And I was going to do in three, two, one...

Ashwant huffed stepping back, as I lifted my hand up, pointing straight up to the sky.

A fair amount of concentration it required and warmth burst out of my hand in the form of a great gush of fiery fire billowing upwards into the sky.  Singh's deafening roar filled the atmosphere, the sound of a nightmarish thunder rumbling through the plains.

"It's not his fault. Leave him alone," Nazira said to me, her eyes steely and tearful at the same time. I disregarded her.

There was no reaction from the other side as I'd been anticipating. I slowly dissipated the fire and pulled my hand back down. Silence fell, only the gentle whoosh of wind. I waited. Nothing. I held my binoculars up and searched for him here and there. The creature was gone. Just the lighthouse. And the empty window. My heart sank. It was disappointing.

I turned to see Ashwant who was biting his lip with anger. "Relax. You might be right. It is really too soon. Maybe it isn't Almourah."

As I held my bag up, my guilty conscience suddenly plagued me with the truth.

Do not get way over your head, Mackay. Provoking is an uncomplicated war tactic. A method to portray strength. A diabolical and convenient way to either force our opponent to withdraw from the battlefield, or to gain an irreproachable idea of how strong the other team is. But while doing so, we usually forget whose territory we are standing in, right?

I patted Ashwant's shoulder gently and turned around. At once the world around me seemed to drown into a strange humongous shadow. The bridge beneath my feet trembled as if buffeted by a great wind. It was only for a second though. I stood attentive, with a heavy breath and drumming heart. Before I checked what that was all about, Ashwant yelled taking frantic steps back, "Goodness Gracious!"

Whoooosh!

The water surrounding the island rose to life, forming into a massive wave of a cyclone. My eyes felt tearing up noticing it charging at us with a great deal of frenzied urgency. For once I thought if it was Leena messing up with me, hidden somewhere around. But it seemed beyond the power of her Formation. The wave was demonic, raising up to hundreds of feet above the bridge. Ashwant and I ran back as the wave got closer to devour us. It twisted and turned magically changing its shape and forming into a creature I had once fought and defeated.

The two-headed eagle faced monster Agnidaanav squealed and shrieked, spewing a great amount of water instead of fire.

Freezing air amalgamated with freezing droplets of water wettened our clothes and I felt my muscles trembling. It was getting difficult for the both of us to run speedily over the piled snow over the bridge. The watery beast screeched raising loud and booming echo. Ashwant tried to use his stone to stop the water raging threateningly at us. Pruthvi would have torn apart the earth and dumped the creature in it like he had the last time. But Ashwant used his water kinetic powers to divert it away.

He gave his best effort but it was useless. Ashwant was still an amateur against the humongous watery monster.

An idea instantly formed in my mind. I decided to do the same as I had the last time to get away from it. I quickly held Ashwant by his wrist and pulled him forcibly with me. Together, we swung over the railing and leaped high in the air, spinning. Ashwant grunted as we both glided off the bridge. Thankfully it wasn't built too high above the strait. Ashwant instantly commanded his stone and a thick plain of the ground shot up from the water.

With a thud, we safely landed over it on our knees.

Agnidaanav, the sound of its screech gradually pacified and its form changing back to the wave before it returned to join back into the water surrounding the island.

The plain we landed on slowly began to descend, as per Ashwant's wishes. He spun around, daggers in eyes shaper than Doctor's. "I told you not to do anything stupid."

"Atleast we know that I'm capable of seeing him. It seems like another ability I've got."

"I don't care about that. You provoked him big time. What was the necessity?"

"I wanted to see if it's really him and...how powerful he is."

"And?"

I looked away guilty, watching the approaching water of the strait without actually seeing it. "Now I know."

-x-