A heartbeat, the pressure of the blood flow and a faint consciousness- I continued to stay blessed to live a long life of a Samagraha.

I woke up with a start as if sleeping for another second was a dangerous red herring. My heart pounded with a dramatic long wanting to get back to its usual rhythm. Head buzzed with a noise of rare insects. I gently rubbed my forehead and shook my head to clear the sound away. It felt like hours before I relaxed and shed the remainders of sleep. Breathing heavily through with my mouth helped me regain a complete consciousness. Then I began to think, looking around to make an assessment of my situation.

The rickety cot, a small fireplace and the closet at the corner. Wasn't this the bedroom of Ashwant's hut? Spending several nights here recovering from the injuries over my time period in the Parallel universe was enough to remember them as worse idle moments of the month.

I pushed the blanket aside and jumped out of the cot. A sharp burning sensation stung my skin, and I pulled out of my stone out. It was hot and twinkled mockingly at me. A considerable amount of experience had given me an idea that that never happened unless Singh heard my thoughts right from his realm.

My outer shirt was resting beside the pillow and I found my sneakers lying underneath the bed. I hurriedly put them on in growing nervousness. I wanted to know how and why I'd been sleeping here. Did Ashwant bring me back to Dakshinpur? In a fit of anger, I swiftly walked out of the bedroom. His hut always smelled like a beach with the tolerable smell of fish and seashells. However, today there was a freshness in the air. The living room was shimmering with intense sunlight penetrating through the opened door.

A rabbit passed by the threshold.

I frowned, confusedly, my mind strangely muzzy. Outside, it didn't seem like the village where the Clan of Matsyasvi resided. Before settling upon any facts, I hastened my way out of the hut, the sharp beams of sunlight welcomed me, as though to a new life.

The cascading waterfall sparkled in the colors of the rainbow. Displaying peacock danced on the wet rocks of the small islands. What more evidence did I need to realize that I was back to the Parallel Universe.

I stood rooted to the ground, soaking up the moment.

There was another surprise waiting for me, sitting at the cliff edge of the island. It was her, in plain pink ethnic attire, the one I always admired to see her in. She was playing with a rabbit holding in between her hands, fingers gently caressing its fur.

"Nazira?!" I muttered, my voice came as a whisper. Her disability didn't allow her to acknowledge me standing there.

Moistening my lips that had suddenly gone dry, I quickly walked towards her. "Nazira?" I called her again, deliberately making myself notice.

She casually looked up, not showing a sign of being surprised as much as I was. "Good morning!" she said, her face lighting up with a radiance of her smile.

"Wha...what are you doing here?" I asked.

She let the rabbit go and stood up. "Me? Ask yourself. You are the one imagining me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Excuse me!"

She shrugged. "I'm just a figment of your imagination, Hayden. None of this is true."

She had stated it as a matter of fact which it definitely was. There could be no way I'd be back to Parallel Universe within a span of few minutes, right? Unless I lost my consciousness for so long.

"Why are we in the realm of Vrishabha?" I asked.

She pouted, folding her hands. "You liked this realm that much?"

That confused me more. "Nazira, tell me honestly. What's going on?"

"Hayden, I am telling you the truth," she said, quite sincerely, "You were dead and now you've got your life back. But somehow you don't want to wake up, and you wanted to see me. And talk to me. So here I am."

"Am I dreaming?"

She shrugged again. "Take a wild guess."

I wasn't able to wrap my head around. Although the genuineness of her voice made it sound believable. Despite being a dream, everything seemed so real. The flow of the water and the wetness in the air. The noises made by the animals and rays of the sun basking my skin. There was one thing that I wanted to feel, and take the pleasure of. I gazed at her until her elegant charm soothed my nerves and gave the courage to ask her straight up. "Am I allowed to touch you?"

Her eyes lined with thick black kohl twinkled with the light of the sun. Showcasing the right blend of shy and sweetness, she lifted her hand up.

I slowly raised my hand having this intense desire to feel her, the most precious thing on earth that she was for me. When the touch made me feel alive, I clasped her hand tightly, savoring the moment. She was real and warm, similar to my feelings for her.

"Impossible," I whispered.

She slightly tilting her head. "Anything is possible in Paramarashtra."

Disturbing images of Almourah's insanity and the agonizing pain I'd experienced flashed through my mind. In a desperate need to get rid of them, I didn't mind getting captivated in her great beauty. Looking thoroughly at her, craving for a cuddle and wanting someone to replace my mother's comforting embrace.

After a few moments of silence between us, noticing the urge in me getting too strong, she slowly withdrew her hand back and averted her gaze down. Today, she seemed unready, unlike the day we'd returned from Parallel Universe. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" she asked.

"I...died." It was immensely a silly thing to say. Perhaps everyone goes through this aftermath of death. Also, I did not mind to admit the thing that hadn't gone according to the plan. "I failed."

She stared with a look of friendly curiosity. "Was there anything unusual about Almourah?"

Me shoulders slumping down, and I sighed. "Ask me what's not?"

And I got lost in time in the best way possible. I never knew for how long we talked sitting by the waterfall, letting my heart out, spilling all the details. There was gentle, relaxed nature in her gaze which made me wonder if this conversation was only about the words. In the spirit of me revealing everything, I did mention my conversation with Matsyasvi and Pizaca. I did not hold back from sharing my uncertainty and suspicions of why Shashi Thribhuvan was hell-bent to have her on his side.

The light in her eyes never faded away. She remained calm and composed, her smile intact. There was no insane reaction from her, although I could tell that something was running in her mind.

"Is it true?" I asked, nervously, wanting her to say something that would restore my faith in her and wouldn't arise a point where I continued to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Everything that Pizaca had me watch, is it how it really went? My grandfather's allegation about you, were they true?"

A grim shadow then crossed her face. "Would you believe if I tell you that everything Pizaca showed you was a pre-planned lie?"

In the given situation I would have erupted into the full flared anger, and perhaps I wanted to. But somehow this soothing essence of this place and her aura of innocence wasn't allowing me to. "Depends," I replied and swallowed a thick bile, "If you be more honest and tell me that this is not really a dream."

Certainly, she wasn't going to. She couldn't. "Follow your instincts, Hayden," she said, "It knows what the truth is."

I was unsure of how to reply to such a statement. However, I did give in to my instincts, believed in what I wanted to believe.

"Matsyasvi told me that you know a secret about Almourah," I said, "Care to give it away?"

"Now you want to talk to me," she said as though complaint, having her cheeks slightly puffed out and mouth pouted.

Filled with regret, I took a moment to analyze my past actions. Only if I had given her more time, only If I'd made efforts to listen to her, to genuinely lend a hand in the battle she was going through alone, maybe I would have avoided the taint of suspicion that was yet lingering in my heart.

I turned completely towards her, getting amused by her child-like expression. "I tried not to make a mistake this time, but guess not, huh?" I sniggered but she didn't. "Nazira, I only wanted to do what was best for our country. In these grave situations, I wanted to protect my private life. I just didn't realize that you could be someone...larger than life. I'm sorry, okay? I really am."

She tucked her hair back, bending her head down. There wasn't any wetness in her eyes but she wiped them anyway. "The secret is," she said, "that just like Matsyasvi and Pizaca, Almourah has a trait that can be considered as his weakness."

The noise of the waterfall felt unnaturally loud in the silence that we maintained for a few seconds. "Wha..no way!" I exclaimed, "I thought Almourah is a genius."

"He is a genius," she said, stifling a chuckle, "But not perfect. He is still a dark magic user. Hayden, every dark magic user has atleast one weakness, it has to have a weakness. That is its nature. One weakness, that they always try to conceal. Only by concealing it, they become stronger. Almourah has got one too. And that is something the First used as a shield to protect himself from Almourah's wrath."

"What is it?" I asked again, stressing on my words, curiosity burning.

"If I know wouldn't I just tell you?"

"Come on..."

"But you can figure it out," she said, raising her brows, "Almourah has always been invisible to me and will be this way till he dies, so I can't know. But you can see him...from a close range. There must be something unusual and unique about him in the way he retaliates. He's either too proud or too timid to keep using the magic that's making him invisible. And you have to take that as an advantage."

"So there's something besides the second heart that's keeping him going," I said mulling. "But my Formation doesn't work. What am I against him if my Formation doesn't work?".

"All you need is the Blade. Don't you think you should focus more on that? You can die many times and gain life back without losing your Formation, but Almourah needs one stab to get deprived of all his magic. No matter how powerful a dark magic user is, a Samagraha is always stronger."

That meant a few things- to figure his one unique way of retaliation, and simultaneously aim for the Blade. Formation wasn't going to work, so it was unnecessary to waste my energy over it. It had to be done step by step. Brick by brick. Similar to how it had taken twelve challenges to reach the stage to encounter Shaytan Rup. It's going to take time, I already had mentioned that in Panchayat, so why not take more time and be a little more careful apart from being vigilant?

"Oh, and I almost forgot," she said,  seeking my attention, "I told you before and I'm telling you again- it is not up to you to kill Almourah. You can go for the first stab but you have to leave the job unfinished for Celina to take over."

Funny how the answers to all my questions were with the one living with me under the same roof, while I'd been jetting around everywhere yearning for the answers that only lead to more questions.

"Khatanjar belongs to her," she continued, understanding my concern, "Almourah's death wish makes her entitled to end every dark magic user living with the second heart. I don't know if she knows this or not, but Endira wanted the authority to deal with her son's magic all to herself."

I shook my head. "The second heart and the dagger, she wanted to have the authority on everything you invented."

Her lips curled into a small smile, her face a bit flushed. It certainly had to go unsaid, that she was atleast not proud to have started something that had taken such an unexpected turn for the entire country.

"Doctor was very intelligent," she said, "He knew what could have happened if I hadn't come with you to Parallel Universe last year." She then muttered beneath her breaths. "Very well played."

I frowned at her statement and was about to ask about it but she gently placed her hand on mine. Her expression indicates that it was time to say goodbye. "Welcome back to life. It's time for you to wake up."

And my eyes shot open, the beautiful images of her and the realm converted into the grimdark cave. I was back to Almourah's territory.