"Did you get it?"

"Yes!" I muttered, through my gritted teeth and showed him the Handle. "Where the hell have you been?"

The wait was for two hours but seemed like an eternity to spend all the time alone, with Ashwant nowhere to be found and making attempts to avoid unnecessary exposure. I was mad, and that was an understatement. I'd run away from Matsyasvi only with anticipation to leave this place as soon as possible. But disappointment got the best of me realizing that Ashwant had suddenly gone missing, and had taken both of our bags and the basket with him. Cold. Hungry. Thirsty. Bored. Annoying mermaids ready to throw themselves at me. It was the most torturous two hours one would ever go through.

"Great," he said rubbing his hands and having a soft expression on his face, "I have got another good news."

"Unless you're blessed and got pregnant I don't want to know!" I snapped and snatched the basket from him. My tolerance for hunger was currently at the minimum. I didn't know what came out of the basket, but I just ate it.

"Will you listen to me?" he exclaimed, crouching beside me as I sat back on the rock and started eating, "Hayden, I think you were right. Lady Matsyasvi did give away a tip to my father."

I stared at him wondering. Didn't utter a word but noticed that he was drenched and heavy droplets were splattering down his temples and neck.

"I went around and gathered information," he said, answering my dubiousness. "Nobody told me in exact words-what, why and how, but with everything I've come to know, it did seem so."

"What is it?"

"Citrus. They are simply miraculous. The smell does scare the beasts away to some extent, but smell amalgamated with five kinetic powers will create a seal and that will definitely keep them out of the way."

I felt oddly refreshed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes!" he said excitedly, "Combined Formation. Isn't that what Celina used to call? I can't believe it can be used this way. The entire territory right now is protected with that seal."

I turned towards him with mild agitation. "But, I don't understand. I mean...how did Lady Matsyasvi creating combined Formation?"

"Maybe she is using natural kinetic powers."

"But..."

"How she is doing it, doesn't matter. What matters is that the trick is definitely working seeing how my clan's living a secured life here. Plus, we don't have time to dwell on the presumptions, do we?"

"Fine," I said, "But for future reference, when we enter Almourah's territory..."

"Even before we enter, I'll have to practice how to form all the five kinetic powers at the same time. And we need resources that can enhance citrus flavor. Let's gather a few of them on our way out?"

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

Six days and five nights, that was how long it took to reach Pizaca's territory.

The journey on foot, despite being too strenuous, was quite an experience. To keep our mind off the discomforts of the godforsaken weather Ashwant and I conversed lengthy over the matters that rose our spirits to keep going. His newfound interest to reunite his broken up clan and to officially gain human rights kept my focus to be single-minded in the pursuit of my goals. Besides that, with my hands lit round the clock, I took the pleasure of having her in my mind as a company.

I missed my friends, and I had been missing her more, especially after the talk we had right before I stared for this job. Her voice in my mind, the same as it has been in recent times- commanding and authoritative. Sometimes she'd only stare, rarely smile and would say a few brief statements that even today were out of my scope of understanding.

"Don't hurt him."

"It's not his fault."

"Mistake."

And lately- "Don't believe him."

Uttarameer offered a view of the large fells- mountains ranges, barren lands, and the snow-covered hills. They grew more in number as we went further deep and nearer to Sir Pizaca's territory. Walking against the snowy landscape had slowed our pace down with every direction looking about the same. Ashwant was the sole caretaker of the map, and rather good at depicting an easier route to walk through. It was best to blindly follow his lead. I hesitated to say no to him especially after my disastrous first meet with Almourah.

The sporadic snowstorms had been a major hurdle to deal with. Several stops along the way had delayed our chance to reach the territory much sooner. Surprisingly and thankfully there were tunnels and caves at every base of the hill allowing us to use them as shelters. Ashwant, taking the opportunity, practiced the Combined Formation. It wasn't a child's play. Forming one power had taken us a lot of practice sessions to master and so to him. Forming five at a time needed a phenomenal level of concentration which this weather wasn't allowing him to. Being terrible at it for the first few times frustrated him a bit, but never got discouraged.

We reached the point where the fell seemed to be a little craggy, entirely different from the ones we had passed through before. The strong citrus smell of lemons began to waft in the air. There was a sneaking suspicion when the slow appearance of the lifeforms like a large flock of snow-buntings glided over the hills. Ashwanth then confirmed that everything beyond the range up ahead would be the beginning of the new territory.

I was pumped to fetch the Spine, but Ashwant shook his head dismissing the idea. It was late in the evening, with dark clouds threatening the arrival of another severe storm. We still had a few miles to walk to actually reach the suburb where the ogres dwelled. Without further discussion, we sought for a fine cave to rest up for tonight and be ready for the upcoming meet with another originator.

Sir Pizaca, as he called and reminded me to call, needed a much clearer understanding of his mystical behavior upon which many Paramarashtrain children's stories were based.

"He is an idiot," Ashwant rambled on his hatred towards the thousand year old ogre. "Everything that comes out of his mouth is a big load of crap. And it wouldn't be surprising at all if he gives you some random wooden piece of junk instead of the Spine and then laughs taking the mickey out of both of us."

Before the night was out, he told a few stories about Pizaca and it was difficult to deny that they weren't funny. We laughed most of the time without worrying about the lingering tension we saved to deal with tomorrow. And later, to the sound of the whistling hailstorm, Ashwant and I fell asleep completely exhausted.

Wind whistling through, and we were sleeping in the calmness of the cave and against the warmth of the small bonfire burning in between me and Ashwanth. At the moment when I dreamt about being alongside her, walking down the streets of Rawat's village, hand in hand, and looking over the happy faces of the people...

"Hayden!"

I felt my pulse quickening recognizing the voice. Arousing from my sleep, I sat up straight. The flames of the bonfire crackled and sparks fizzed with the breeze. I waited to respond to the one who had contacted me. I waited to make sure that this was indeed happening.

"Hayden." The voice rang out so clearly in my mind, that it almost made me smile. And I was too thrilled to be perplexed by hearing the voice after a span of complete four months.

"Tyrell," I replied, glancing at Ashwant who shifted in his sleep.

"Did you find the Pride?" he asked, sounding calm, yet rigid with terror.

"Ready to come back, are we?"

"Just answer my question. Did you find the Pride yet?"

"No, but I'm on it. That reminds me to thank you for sending me that letter. Care to tell me what made you want to look for the solution yourself? Thought you liked the way you are."

"I have no time to explain. You have to find that damn weapon. I need that as soon as possible."

"Even if I find it, I'll be damned if I give it to you."

"Don't be ridiculous, alright? You have no idea about its purposes."

Soothing calm voice, but the words screamed the desperation. And the way he articulated made me wonder if the uses of the weapon were beyond my acquired knowledge. "Then why don't you tell me."

"I have no time, Hayden." He hissed as if suffering from pain. "As soon as you find it, do not do anything stupid except handing it over to me. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't. Not unless you tell me what's going on."

He took a moment to respond, perhaps trying to let his frustration out which he couldn't. "Listen, if you don't find the weapon within the next ten days, then forget about ending Shashi's reign. He'll forever be invincible and neither of us wants that for our own reasons. Is that answer good enough?"

That skipped a beat and I pulled my legs closer. "Ten days? That's impossible."

He surely had scoffed at my reaction. "The word impossible doesn't seem right coming out of the mouth of someone living in Paramarashtra."

"What? Tyrell, what does that mean?" I paused and he gave no reply. "Tyrell, answer me!"

There was a slight prickling sensation when I felt losing the connection with Tyrell.

I stood up instinctively, trying vain attempts to connect back and feeling the heartbeat pulsating through my body. Besides the pressure of fighting with Almourah, Tyrell had now given me a deadline to finish the job. Only ten days? According to Ashwanth's estimations, it would take about those many days to reach his territory. He shifted again in his sleep, and I took a few steps away trying to think of ways to quell my growing anxiety and those feelings of self-doubt.

Thinking deeply, I talked through myself. It was after all Tyrell, still living with a sleeping soul, trained by his unethical father and learning dark magic. On top of all, he knew me too well. What if it was a way to manipulate my mind, stuffing me with unnecessary information that would force me to reformulate my strategies. But...was lying Tyrell's style?

"Is everything okay?" Ashwant stirred in his sleep and sat up straight, his eyes fluttering adjusting in the light of the bonfire. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

"What happened?" He asked, beginning to look concerned.

I swallowed and pressed my eyes shut, disliking the idea of hiding things from him. "Tyrell happened."

He raised his brows and waited for me to talk more.

"He was trying to give a piece of information about Shashi," I said, "But I don't know if I can believe in him."

"You shouldn't be really worrying about everything happening in other provinces. Just worry about Almourah."

"I know," I said, and rubbed my nape. "It's getting harder and harder to understand what Shashi really wants. We have always been told that he is after the Samagraha power. But his desires, his aspirations have never been in one direction. He has Tyrell in his hands. Pruthvi is always on the radar and because of him, Leena is in danger too. And Celina, I don't even know what and why she is in a killing spree and denying to come back to us, but Shashi actually might be aware of her reasonings. And he also wants someone on his side whom I really, really care about. Doctor once forewarned me that we gotta be two steps ahead if we want to win this game. I am trying, that is why I'm here today. But it feels Shashi is always ahead. Far ahead."

"He just needs the throne," Ashwant replied, with a shrug. "Isn't it better to think we know something rather than keep mulling over the fact we don't know about?"

"The throne," I whispered, and scoffed. "I can't see myself in the mirror knowing that it actually belongs to me."

He gaped at me and slightly chuckled. "You still have doubts? Hayden, is there something you want to confess?"

Outside, the dried branches of the trees rustled with the breeze creating a sense of foreboding. Of course, there was something lingering in my heart, something that I'd been reluctant to acknowledge and now in great need to flush away those ambiguous thoughts. "Sometimes I feel there's this darkness in me," I said, words pouring out. "Something in me keeps screaming to aim for the necks, to squeeze, to burn, to pull the veins out of whoever comes in between me and my loved ones. Ashwant, none of my friends know this, but it happened plenty of times. I want to control it, but I can't. That feat with Almourah the other day? That's one of the examples. I do have urges to kill. Believe me, I wasn't this way in those years leading a normal life. Singh told me that the first two were atrocious. And I guess he had a reason to look at me the same as them."

There was a hint of astonishment in his eyes. Perhaps he had noticed that I have seen it, that he blinked and smiled weakly, the smile that reminded me of Doctor's. "The urges you are speaking of, everyone has it. Don't you think I didn't had the urge to get up and strangle you hard when you declared this goddamn war on Almourah in front of the whole Panchayat, without even discussing with us first?"

I sniggered.

"Speaking of which, you are a Samagraha. You aren't normal, Hayden. Your urges are elevated. You will have these elevated feelings, which might not even be yours, which might not even be real. Just like how you find the Shaatrumani Stone and Pruthvi's emerald alike, but in reality, they aren't. Your feelings can't be considered as facts. Constellia wait until they find the right person to bear each and blunder the Firsts committed. Thank god third-generation Samagraha have the sense of right and wrong, otherwise, gee god, this country would have jumped out of the frying pan and landed into the pit of fire."

I burst out laughing. His wry sense of humor helped me slacken my mood. "We never had this man to man conversation before, did we?"

"I know, and this is nice." He smiled as a friendly gesture, and the talk tonight put him on a par with everyone else. "Don't think too much," he then said, "Forget about Tyrell. Forget your friends. Let me be the one to worry about them. You're in the middle of attaining the high goal you've set for yourself. Just focus on that, alright?"