The sudden seizure of pain took over my brain.

I spluttered and coughed in my full wakefulness. I had my face contorted with the sort of burning sensation that I never remembered enduring as such before. My unmovable fractured hand was plastered, and so was my chest and forehead. There were gauze and bandages everywhere. My shirt soaked with blood and seemed intentionally torn. I tried to sit up, but the throb in my head gave me a sudden flash of vertigo. I grunted and fell back completely down on the floor of the cave.

"Hayden!" Ashwant's voice barely reached my ears, but there was an edge of concern and fear in it.

I moaned, trying to open my eyes again. They were heavy, so heavy that it seemed to carry the weight of the mountain.

"You are still weak," Ashwant said, "Go back to sleep."

I didn't, thoughts and emotions pouring out instead of having them bottled up. Despite the pain, my mind bent in contemplation. How badly I had failed in my first attempt. The failure had lead to my instant death. Just like how it had to Doctor. Reminiscing about him, and his father like approach towards us made me spill the tears out. The tears that I had been holding up, now seemed to be reluctant to stay put. I turned my head aside and let flow my despair. There was guilt, a lot of it that I just needed to drain away. I pressed my eyes shut, and pleaded for calmness during this original aftermath of my death. It was me and I knew me. This was the only way I'd be able to resume the last lap of the journey.

It took an hour or two to regain my composure. The blurry images were still there, but I gained enough energy to pull myself up in a seated position. The wall of the cave felt cool and clammy, but leaning against it gave me an effect of massaging my sore muscles. Ashwant nursed me well and being a Samagraha I sensed a weird tingling sensation underneath my skin. My injuries were beginning to heal. Continuous intake of fruits and hot chocolate helped me energize a little bit more.

For a brief moment, a flicker of a shadow, tall and ghastly, walked past the cave. Being in a state of pathetic vulnerability, I gasped finding my voice and jerked back in trepidation.

"What is it?" Ashwant asked, frightened, kneeling beside me.

"Almourah!" I said, watching the shadow walking away. "Is he not?"

"Wha...don't worry, it's alright," he said, trying to calm me down. He followed my gaze and attempted to find someone outside but in vain. "I created the seal. We are safe here."

I relaxed the shoulder down, mentally thanking him for being successfully mastering the magic, and silently watched the figure walking away. But then I pondered. Was it was really the seal stopping him from even trying to attack? Dark thoughts inhabited me. Almourah seemed to be creating an impression of showing mercy and letting me stay here in his realm. Nazira was right, he was too proud and smug about his superior personality.

After spending another hour of nerves, and healing a little bit more, I started to feel settled and apprehensiveness draining away. "For h...how long was I dead?" I asked. What a weird question to ask.

"Nine minutes, Hayden," Ashwant replied, going through the boxes of medicines I didn't know he had brought with him. "A Samagraha goes through a natural death only for nine minutes."

Slightly dazed, I looked outside the cave once again, and then realized that the rays of sunlight were filtering through a thick seal. Last I remembered dealing with Almourah in his chamber was in the fading light of dusk.

"It's morning," I asked, astonished.

"Noon, to be precise," he said and ran his hand through his hair, "You started breathing again in nine minutes. But then you kept sleeping and moaning....perhaps dreaming. You were way too burned out. I didn't want to wake you up."

I swallowed, embarrassed, and tried to stretch a little. My fractured hand stung having me leave a pained grown. It was yet all vague and wooly at present. Finally, the dream I had that wasn't forgettable anymore. In fact, it was so real that it came as a bit of a surprise when Ashwant mentioned I was dreaming. The conversation I had with her didn't seem like a beautiful fantasy happening in my head. Somehow, it was disappointing and difficult to accept that she really wasn't here with me.

"Hayden," Ashwant said, "I think you've gained experience in dealing with Almourah. So, let me know when you are ready to walk."

I blinked, trying to pull my thoughts of her and the conversation we had in the realm. "What do you mean?"

"We are leaving. As soon as you're able to walk again, that is. There's no hurry but...hurry up and get well soon."

He dumped all the boxes of medicine back in the bag and locked it.

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. "No way! I'm not done with him yet."

"You died, Hayden!" Ashwant said in a stricter voice, "The worse has already happened."

"So?" I asked, "I came here for the dagger. There's no way I'm returning without it."

He sighed, anger etching on his face. "You cannot kill him. Why can't you accept the fact that there is no way to kill him."

"There is," I retorted, "And it's called the Khatanjar."

Ashwant stood up, gritting his teeth. "The moment I step outside, I fall asleep. It took me forever and a day to bring you back to this cave. I can't help you in this job anymore."

"That's alright. I'll do it myself. You helped me guide my way till here, and that's all I can expect from you." I sat uncomfortably when my insides began to pain with frustration. "Ashwant, we are almost there. Please, please do not lose hopes now. We have come this far and now it's the most crucial moment for our country. Just have faith and leave everything to me."

"So what, am I just sitting back here and watch you die?"

"I won't die!" I shouted, my gut throbbed upon raising my voice. "Not for good, atleast. And nine minutes don't matter to me. All I'm asking is for some support and patience. Please bear with me. I will kill Almourah."

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

The final week of February approached offering yet another chance of accomplishment.

It took a couple of days for me to recover from my injuries. Today, I was fit as I could be. A full glass of hot chocolate made me feel pumped up. I pulled my jacket up and zipped it. There were marks of my dried blood, reminding the fatal day and I intentionally disregarded wanting to forget about it. Ashwant gave a weak friendly smile, watching me spray a liquid of lemon all over my skin.

As soon as I stepped out of the cave, the shift in the air hit me like a jolt. An eerie sense of foreboding beginning to spill all over my brain. I am going to die -was the thought that tried to scare me, death seemed to be circling around my head like stars. I gritted my teeth, mustering up the courage. It was Nazira that I thought before I paced towards the lighthouse.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

The wood cutting sound made the atmosphere rather sinister. Every fiber of my being warned me that I was playing with death again. To hell with this intrusive thought. I'd just keep on walking and be determined to figure his way of retaliation, as per the plan.

Even in broad daylight, darkness was absolute in the lighthouse. Having my eyes lit and her in my mind, the feeling of death become stronger as I approached the chamber.

My lips quivered as I squinted through. He wasn't sitting in the middle of the chamber as the last time. He wasn't sitting anywhere at all. He simply wasn't there. Wrapped in confusion and suspicions, I stepped inside and waited for a moment or two hearing my own hard breath.

Then there was a clicking sound. I was startled and quickly raised my hand to check up at the ceiling. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head finding Almourah up there, attached to the ceiling, scuttling and crawling like a whooping lizard. His hair and loincloth acted as per the demand of the gravity, but damn his beastly body submerged in dark magic working against the laws of nature. He tilted his face down, placed it between his limbs and fixed me in a stare thick with the promise of violence.

He wasn't anywhere near the Blade, though. My heart skipped a beat, realizing that this could be my chance. No matter how scary he looked, the way he was crawling all over the ceiling would atleast give me about a minute to find the Blade. I looked around quickly. There was nothing but the lumber. The Blade must be somewhere mixed up in the pile of wood.

The ground beneath my feet thumped as I took a few quick movements inside. Almourah grunted loudly, and the sound sent a chill of frost through my nerves. He jumped down from the ceiling and flicked his hand. He thrust something cool, flat and sickeningly sharp. The skin of my neck tore, blood flooded out. Before I could even comprehend what had happened, darkness concealed my vision and that was it.

The last I heard was - "You make it easy, boy!"

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

"Realm of Vrishabha, again?!" I said, watching disgruntled at the peacocks.

"Someone's got it bad!"

"I do not!"

Nazira chuckled. She'd once again approached me as a figment of my imagination, with full grace, charm, and luster. Physically, I wasn't here. It was my dream, and that was according to her.

"So?" She asked, "Did you observe anything weird of Almourah?

"I didn't even have a glimpse of him, and the next minute I died."

Every minimal appropriate aspect of Almourah, I'd already shared with her. There was nothing else to say. She would accept my detailing with a nod, and let it go. Together we spent most of the time talking, sharing information. It reminded me of those days we had spent in the parallel universe. Amidst all the delightful talk, I made an attempt to ask her about this deal Almourah had with her, about the pact that Pizaca had told me about? If in case, it wasn't a pre-planned lie as she claimed. But Nazira cleverly changed the topic, and started another one, giving me a vivid image of the future of the country free of dark magic. And I got swayed away...somehow.

For how long we talked, I wouldn't know. Ashwant might fill me up with details later. At the moment, I was the master of my own dream and she was beside me. Around us was the beautiful realm that rejuvenated me and my soul, preparing me for the next attempt with Almourah. That was all that mattered.

Several hours later, she suddenly stopped talking, as if something important struck her and then said, "It's time for you to wake up."

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

Almourah lunged me down and sent a blow thrusting his knee onto my back. Something tore and then snapped within my chest. It pained twice acknowledging that my spine was ruptured. I shrieked, blood flooding out of my mouth. I flung my hand, to knock him down or to get hold of something to help me get away from his capture. But this idea had always been in vain. I wasn't even able to touch him, not to mention a spark of my kinetic power bothered him. He slammed his feet against my gut, again and again, till the pain stole my breath, and blackness clouded my vision.

I stirred attempting to come out of my dream where Nazira bid me goodbye with her statement- "It's time for you to wake up."

It was the second week of March, and Ashwant mentioned that it was the thirteenth time. Never knew he was counting the number of times I died.

Ashwant and I were running out of things to say to each other. There was no word of consolement, encouragement or atleast comfort that kept us away from the misery. He preferred to stay quiet for most of the time, lost in his own thoughts, answering me with a nod or a shake of his head. At times he had his brows drawn so close, not letting his temper erupt, which might if I tried to make another conversation. It was best to remain silent, rather than hurling spiteful and unkind remarks to each other. We both seemed to be buzzing around like a noisy fly that couldn't even be swatted away. Sometimes I wished Pruthvi was here with me. I missed his disgraceful comments and his insensitiveness that atleast made me smile. But then, Pruthvi couldn't have helped me get through with Matsyasvi and Pizaca, right?

In spite of the annoying atmosphere that Ashwant was creating, I was still thankful to him. He had been nursing me well, fitting himself in Doctor's shoes and giving me the right medication at the right time. He helped me get proper nourishment and gave advice on how to maintain basic hygiene. Two months had passed since we got caught in the gridlock, living a worse life in Almourah's territory, and the situation seemed beyond retrieval. I wasn't able to figure out the weakness Nazira had mentioned, but she was adamant that the information was precise. I didn't want to make another mistake and disregard her. But sometimes I believed it was indeed only dreams, seeing how Almourah was flawless. And the thought hurt me more than a kick in the broken ribs.

April was the cruelest month.

Almourah, Ashwant, and Nazira - three people showing me the three different phases of life. Although Almouraha's savagery was predominant of all.

With every passing effort of confronting him, it felt as if he had started to take a delight in his brutality. He was keen on finding a variety of ways to slaughter me dead. He was playing with me, turning my life a tease. He knew I'd return again and again for the Blade. The doom he couldn't rain down upon the First was being showered upon me as a token of retribution. Revenge and rage surged through his expelled breath. Matsyasvi had warned me earlier, he chose to live for a thousand years just to inflict pain on a Cornelian user. It was unjustifiably justifiable.

The current scenario was beyond my imagination. Before even I locked horns with him, he had the leaves of Vrindahina set on fire, on the verge of reducing them to ashes. There was a trick that I had been trying to play on him, only looking for a right chance. It was nothing but to keep defending myself from getting caught in his trap and see how he reacted. To try and keep escaping until I found the Blade, that must be somewhere hidden in this pile of lumber.

Naive again, I was. How could I keep forgetting that Almourah was a dark magic user? Apart from pervading drowsiness in the air and himself becoming untouchable like air, he hadn't even started showing his mettle in magic.

He advanced towards me taking proud, defiant steps ready to attack as a wolf does on its prey. I concentrated hard, not on my stone or challenging his intense gaze back, but on the movement of his hands. The thorough keenness prickled my temple, but never once I took my eyes off his fists all the while he walked. He sneered, getting closer. The ground shook, creating tremors in my heart realizing how close to death I was... for how many times now? Even Ashwant had lost the count.

As soon as he lifted his hand to grab me by my collar, I, being attentive enough, slide past him- at the right time and in the right direction. His fist collided fiercely with the wall. The impact was too strong, enough to create cracks on the wall and the pieces crumbled down to the floor.

Ha!

A smirk broke on my face. I made Almourah miss out on having the fun of thrusting me by my collar. It was something above a fail grade called the mere triumph. And no one would ever believe that it was my very first defense to resist his attack. It gave me immense pleasure as if I'd already won the war.

Almourah stood rooted to the floor, his undertone grunt generated some semblance of shock. Now that he was away from his usual place and before he got back to me, I ran further inside towards the lumber. My instincts reminded me that the wood belonged to the trunk of the Holy tree and I refrained from kicking them. I dropped down on my knees and began rummaging through the pile, hurling the planks of wood here and there quickly trying to find the Blade.

In the process, my breath caught in the throat. The world stilted. A buzzing hum in my ears. I was trying to inhale, the air just wouldn't go in. I began to cough, my neck pinching me as if it were trapped in the hands of Almourah. I fell aside, completely flat on the floor and began to convulse, my hands wrapped around my neck. I looked up through my streaming eyes and muffled gasps. He was still standing in front of the cracked wall. He slowly turned around. And as soon as his eyes met mine, he began to walk towards me, slowly and dangerously, taking time and devouring the fun of watching me writhe with agony on the ground. I was twisting and writhing like a snake.

When he came closer, he pulled me up by my collar. Terrified, I gazed into his eyes that were filled with so much anger that I thought I was already dead. He howled loudly like never before, my ear couldn't stand the sound. He dragged me sharply towards the pile of leaves that were on flames. Lifted me up with his bare hands and before I could get more frightened, he dumped me forcibly down to let the fire devour me like a monster.

"Burn!" Almourah seethed, "Know how he tortured Singh."

The natural fire was extremely hazardous to me. Twice the amount of pain it gave me being the Cornelian user than it did to the normal humans. The pain was indescribable. And what hurt me the most was when Ashwant told me that he had found me near the shore of the blood-filled stream- dead, skin peeled off and completely unclothed as the day I was born.

-x-