"Where am I?" Ryhan rubbed his eyes, trying hard to open them. It was pitch dark, and the temperature was below freezing. Ryhan was shivering, as if he were standing at the gates of Hell.

The ground beneath him wasn't cobbled or gravelly but more like sand, trying to devour him. He felt an endless sensation of suffocation, as if he were being buried alive.

"What is happening? Ahh! My back." The fall had caused a pain that felt like it would last a lifetime. Ryhan tried to peer through the darkness. It felt as if his eyes were still closed, but in reality, he was fully awake.

He raised his hands in the air, trying to sense his surroundings by touch — a human instinct when deprived of sight.

"Antra!" he called out in desperation to his wife. If he was here — wherever here was — then Antra and her "friend" must also be here.

"Antra! What was her friend's name? Kali? Kika? What was it? Something related to night... Ka— Leave it. Antra? Antra?"

Oh my God. Weird things are happening one after another. I feel like such a loser right now. I couldn't save my daughter. I don't even know the person I married, the woman I loved for years. What the actual hell is happening? 

Ryhan walked forward, relying on his other senses to understand his surroundings. So far, he knew he was walking on sand, and the freezing temperature would likely kill him before he could do anything.

He kept calling out for Antra, walking through the darkness with no idea where he was going. Eventually, exhausted, he dropped to his knees and fainted.

A cold breeze kissed him, nudging him to wake up. The stars in the night sky were shining bright, illuminating the way for a traveler. An eerie silence enveloped the surroundings. There wasn't a single breath taken by another human.

Ryhan was still in deep sleep, thinking he might have died in the accident. But in reality, he had been teleported to Marusthal — a desert in the western region of India. The land of the Bhairavs — guardians of the abodes of Shiva and Shakti on Mrityu Loka.

His sleep was dreamless. His mind was an empty, dark pit, holding nothing inside. His thoughts were numb, and so was his body. Not even Antra's whereabouts wandered through his mind. Meanwhile, Antra and Kalika had been teleported to a temple — the same location where Ryhan was, yet they were miles apart. The key difference was that Antra and Kalika were 80 feet beneath the earth's surface.

"Antra."

"Kalika?"

"Where are we? Where is Ryhan? I can't see anything."

"Antra, calm down. The more you speak, the more you lose the ability to breathe."

"I know that, Kalika. But for Shiva's sake, illuminate this place."

"Huh! You possess more powers than I do."

"Seriously? Never mind. Agnideva, prajvālaya eṣāṃ kakṣam."

Antra whispered the verse, held her breath, and went deep within herself to call upon Agni, the Fire God. A power to summon the primordial gods at her request. It took a few minutes before a small orb appeared above their heads, floating in mid-air and casting enough light for them to see through the pitch darkness.

"Not bad. I'll give you a solid 6 points for that verse," Kalika taunted, smiling.
Antra smiled back. "Now let's find Ryhan first."
"I don't think he's here," Antra replied. She knew if he were nearby, he would have already found them or she would have heard him calling her name desperately.

Kalika walked towards Antra, placed her hands on Antra's shoulders, and gently turned her around to face her. "I know this is hard. But we have to do it. We will find Ryhan. I can sense him. Let's figure out where we are first."

Antra looked at her friend, her mentor, and a primordial goddess. Kalika knew far more than anyone else. She had even seen the outcome of this search and still chose to help her friend.

They both walked forward. Until now, they thought they were in a closed space, perhaps a cave, but the reality was far different.

As they moved, the orbs illuminated the area around them. The ground beneath their feet was made of obsidian stone, their reflections shimmering in the dim light. On either side of the trail, there were deep trenches. Antra looked up to check the ceiling, but the orbs' light wasn't strong enough to reach it.

"Walk in the middle of this trail. We might be in a temple," Kalika said to Antra, her voice cautious.

"Kalika, I know this isn't the right time to ask, but I'm hungry."

They both stopped in their tracks. Kalika turned around, her expression saying, Are you serious right now? She took a deep breath and replied, "Antra, do you want to eat stone?"

A moment of silence passed between them. Then Antra broke the quiet. "Yeah, I get your point."

"I think Mrityu Loka has taken a toll on you. You're acting very childish. I know you lose your temper quickly, but this is unacceptable."

"I know."

It was not the first time that Antra had visited Mrityu Loka, but this time she was acting a bit weird. She was also unaware of this side of herself. A lot had happened, but talking about strange things in such a foreign place was new to her, too.

"Kalika, you know I was a bright child."

Kalika looked at Antra, her eyes squinting in disbelief at what Antra was trying to say. "What are you trying to imply?" Kalika shook her head in disbelief at her friend's strange behavior.

"Listen to me" Antra insisted.

"Antra, my dear friend, my ears are working. I can even hear your thoughts. So please, speak up." Kalika was now on the verge of losing her patience.

"This bright child knows the entire history by heart—about all the hidden kingdoms, cities, and colonies of nearly every species. I have seen the entire timeline of all the yugas in one of my classes. But..." Lost in her thoughts, Antra walked towards Kalika; both were walking side by side.

"But what, Antra? What is it that keeps nagging your mind?" Kalika replied, trying to control herself.

"But... I never read about this underground place," Antra finally confessed.

Kalika paused to process this new information her friend had presented to her. She pinched the bridge of her nose and facepalmed mentally.

"Antra. You might have read about this place. Right now, you're lost and don't know exactly where you are. This situation is making you go crazy. Now stop overthinking and watch your steps." Kalika pulled her to the side, saving Antra from a big fall.

Antra whispered, "Thank you." Her eyes were wide open in horror, and panic was all over her face. A mere second could have caused her death.

After walking a few steps, Antra, who was still not satisfied with Kalika's reply—even knowing that her weird theories were giving Kalika a headache—still asked, "I don't know, Kalika, what it is, but I know deep down I've never heard of it," Antra insisted. For her, instincts were the primary source of her powers. And right now, all her instincts were telling her that this place was not in their textbook.

"Shhh," Kalika said, holding Antra's hand. Both were now glued to the ground. Kalika could hear a sound—a gurgling sound echoing, as if thunder had just rolled in the corner.

"What is it?" Antra whispered.

"I don't know. Let me focus, Antra," Kalika replied, grinding her teeth in frustration.

Walking close to each other, they were now more alert than before. One wrong move would surely lead to their end. Kalika could easily sense the presence of an otherworldly being, but she couldn't pinpoint how far away it was or how dangerous it might be.

The gurgling sound reverberated again. Their throats tightened with bile. What is it? Kalika thought to herself, squinting her eyes and trying to focus more on the sound. She could easily use her magic, but she didn't want to risk alerting anyone. In an unfamiliar place — and in worlds she knew — using magic sometimes turned against the user. She had learned that lesson the hard way during one of her most dangerous adventures with none other than her teacher, Shukracharya.

Kalika had to rely on her senses and stay on high alert until she figured out exactly where they were.

"Kalika, I think we're in some kind of temple," Antra whispered in her ear.

Kalika looked at Antra with a confused expression. Antra gestured for her to take a deep breath and inhale the fragrances lingering in the air.

"It's camphor," they said in unison.

Nodding to each other, they began following the fragrance to find its source.

Although it was the scent of camphor, it was often a sign of sacred rituals — and possibly enemies. Putting her index finger to her lips, Kalika signaled for Antra to remain silent until they could see who or what they were about to encounter.

In the distance, they could now see a flickering fire — a flambeau. The gurgling sound still reverberated at fixed intervals. They measured it by counting the steps they took before it came again. So far, it occurred every 200th step. By now, they had walked around 1,000 steps.

The flambeau gave them hope. Based on Kalika's calculations, they still had 5,000 more steps to reach their first point.

The physical exertion had already drained much of their energy. They faced a choice: either rest and regain their strength or keep moving until they were too exhausted to go any further.

"Antra, I think we should rest before continuing our journey. It's already evident that we're in a temple, but the gates are far away. We might lose all our strength before we reach them." Exhausted and tired, Kalika sat on the ground.

Antra took a deep breath. She wanted to argue with Kalika and question her decision. Right now, her heart was set on finding her husband as soon as possible. But deep down, she knew that in her current state, she wouldn't be able to fight off enemies, let alone save her husband from them. A minute or two of rest wouldn't cost her much. Hai Shiva! Hai Shakti! Protect my husband until I regain my strength. With a small prayer, she relented and sat next to Kalika.

"Don't feel guilty. You know I see what time holds. Don't worry — he's safe." Antra dropped her head on Kalika's shoulder and closed her eyes to hold the moment for a while.