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"Maharani, this is not the time to grieve. We cannot lose hope like this," Kalika said, now sitting next to Maharani Kaalnayani. The Maharani was in shock, her eyes vacant as she processed her daughter's accusations. Antra's words echoed in her mind, blaming her for the disappearance of Aadiya. This was not what she had wanted, and it was difficult to grasp.

"How... how did this happen?" Maharani Kaalnayani asked, tears streaming down her face. Her lips trembled with each word.

"Maharani, it all started when I sensed a disturbance in the energies around Kaal Chakra Mount. When Agastya and I investigated, I sensed his aura. I knew why he was there. He took the Shakti Bindi. I shared this information with Antra via mind link," Kalika explained, her voice steady yet filled with urgency.

"He has taken the Shakti Bindi, yet you claimed that Aadiya was abducted. Are you all toying with me?" Maharani's voice rose in anger, her eyes flashing.

"Maharani, please sit down on the sofa," Kalika said gently, pouring water into a silver chalice and handing it to the Maharani. "First, drink some water."

Maharani threw the chalice on the floor, the clatter echoing through the chamber. "First, tell me everything, or else I will burn the entire earth!"

Maharani Kaalnayani, a revered priestess, was known for her mastery over all kinds of magic, even the darkest. She could sense everything, and her fury was palpable.

"Maharani, you know how sometimes Antra falls into the abyss ruled by the three witches. They know all lokas ancient magic, but not those three tantras taught by Shiva to Shakti. One we have kept secret all those years." Kalika began.

"So, when we couldn't hear back from her, we thought she must be sleeping. We decided to first reach the palace and then meet her. But when we arrived, her body was blue and cold, as if her soul had left her. There—"

Antra cut Kalika off, her voice shaking with rage. "And thanks to you, when they took me with them again, dragging me across those cold floors and pulling my hair, they bound me with heavy iron chains. They first tortured me, and when they were satisfied with their cruelty, they told me that my Aadiya had been kidnapped by the Black Time Charmer. Once the Black Time Charmers are finished with her, they will use her body to learn the ancient magic you have kept hidden from them—magic forbidden even to gods and goddesses."

"They are going to first sacrifice my daughter and then burn her body for that ancient magic. And this is all happening because of you!" Antra point her index finger towards Maharani, accusing for everything ever wrong happened to her. "I have asked you thousands of times to either let me stay with my family or bring them here to Kaal Loka. But you refused every time."

Antra's voice was full of anger and anguish. It was already hard for her to be miles away from her daughter, leaving her love, her husband Ryhan to perform her duties towards Kaal Loka.

"Antra, I earnestly beg your forgiveness." Maharani pleaded, her voice breaking.

"Forgiveness? Really, Mother? You said she was safe down there. You cast a spell on my family. Were you lying to me all these years?" Antra's voice cracked, each word like a dagger to her mother's heart.

Feeling betrayed by her mother was already feeling like thousands of daggers were stabbed through Antra's heart, and now knowing that her daughter was about to be sacrificed for something she didn't even know added to her torment.

"I do not have much time left. I am leaving your so-called Kaal Loka and duties," Antra declared, her resolve hardening. She stood up, ready to walk away from her mother and all the shackles which has been stopping her all these years.

"Antra, listen. Actions taken in rage and anger never yield the correct outcome," Kalika intervened, her voice calm but firm. Stopping her by holding her hands.

Agastya, still standing silently, watched with a heavy heart. For him, Antra was like a daughter, and seeing her in this condition was breaking him.

The atmosphere mirrored their emotions. For so many years, no such thunder had ever occurred in Kaal Loka, but today was different. Thunder was brewing in the heart of Aranayaka and moving at great speed toward the Matasya Kingdom.

Seeing the weather turning into havoc, Agastya intervened, "Maharani, Kalika, and Antra, I implore you to retire indoors. The weather is not in our favor this day, and we may soon bear witness to a calamity."

Agastaya's intervention acted as an ice breaker, giving everyone time to think before they acted on their emotions. Anger, sadness, guilt—you name it, and that emotion was present in that moment, working as a catalyst for the series of actions to follow. As all four of them walked inside Maharani's Chamber, handmaidens closed the door to the balcony.

"Kalika, how much time do we have before the Kaal Chakra stops working?" Agastaya inquired, his voice calculated as he tried to understand their standing.

"Mmm... According to my calculations, we have around a thousand Earth years. But if Shukaracharya is plotting something, then we don't have much time," Kalika replied. She then pivoted to Maharani and asked, "Maharani, are you receiving any visions?"

Maharani shook her head slowly from left to right.

Kalika then shifted her attention to Antra. "Can you sense her, your daughter?"

"I haven't yet, but I can."

"Great, then what are we waiting for, Diwali?"

"No, let me focus on her." Antra sat on the floor, eyes closed, her breathing steady. The thunder outside growled loudly, but inside, the air around them seemed calm. Antra began to focus on the midsection of her forehead. All her thoughts, fears, anxieties, and other emotions began to swirl into a single point.

Once everything turned to darkness, she focused on the light.

A silhouette of Antra walked in the darkness, searching for the light. In the distance, she could hear whispers, shuffling feet, the clinking of chalices and goblets, the voices of street vendors. She moved toward the sounds, but as she entered the market, it transformed into a grand hall. In front of her was an ancient map of a lost city.

The map detailed the lost city, but what was strange were the footsteps that appeared and disappeared on the map. Antra looked closer, trying to touch the map, but it dissolved, transporting her to the entrance of that lost city.

A shadowy figure stood at the entrance, staring at Antra as if it knew she was there. A cold shiver ran down her spine. The figure's eyes bore into her soul, trying to steal something precious from her. When she looked down at her hands, she realized she was holding the hands of her daughter. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her daughter was there. Antra looked back again, trying to read the name of the city and see if the figure was still standing there.

But before she could unravel the name of the city and the identity of the figure, a wave of strong wind blew her away, her connection wavered.

Antra was suddenly back in the palace, in her mother's chamber.

When she opened her eyes, she was gasping for breath, trying to find an anchor to hold onto her life. Her heart pounded like a shooting star.

"Aadiyaa!" she cried out her daughter's name, her hands in the air as if trying to hold onto something, someone.

The vision had ended. Something was terribly wrong with her daughter. There was darkness lurking at the corner, ready to strike at any moment. She knew this was just the beginning.

She looked around and saw the familiar faces of Kalika and the Maharani. Her daughter was not there. Her eyes pooled with tears, and her heart throbbed, crying out for her daughter.

Kalika ran to her, gently caressing Antra's back. She handed her a glass of water, which Antra gulped down in one go.

"In the Himalayas," Kalika said aloud before Antra could even speak.

"Yes." Antra nodded. "Somewhere in the Himalayas—" catching her breath, "there is a lost city or maybe a kingdom."

"A lost kingdom?" Agastya interjected.

"The Golden City of Immortals," Maharani Kaalnayani replied, her voice void of emotion, her eyes staring into nothingness.

Everyone turned to look at Maharani Kaalnayani. "Waiting for her to say something about the city, but they didn't get any response from her."

After a long pause, Agastya, in his steady voice, said, "I am going to meet the Maharaja. He might be free now from the Praja Sabha. I will give him the update and request a meeting of the Council of Lokas as soon as possible." His words were resolute.

With a graceful bow to Maharani Kaalnayani, his head dipped deep in respect. He then turned to Antra and Kalika, a look of care in his eyes as he nodded to both of them.

He stepped out, closing the doors behind him, leaving silence in his wake. The tension was palpable, as if all three women were waiting for someone to speak.

The weight of the conversation settled heavily in the air, leaving a deafening silence between mother and daughter.

Maharani Kaalnayani's eyes, filled with a mix of guilt and determination, met Kalika's. "Kalika, you should take Antra with you for now. I must deal with the thunder; otherwise, it will destroy everything in its path," she commanded, her voice steady yet tinged with sorrow.

The Maharani's sense of duty was unwavering. Despite the anguish over her daughter's accusations, she could not forsake her responsibilities.

Although she couldn't change the weather, she could shield her kingdom with a protective barrier of magic.

She knew the ancient magic she would wield was powerful and perilous, a secret not even mentioned in the Vedas. These Tantras, imparted by Shiva to Shakti, were a legacy carried through the matriarchal bloodline. Such Tantras were not formally taught; they were intuitively mastered over time.

"Go now," she urged Kalika, her voice softening as she glanced at Antra, "Stay Safe, this thunder might bring much damage in its awake."

Kalika nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. She gently put her hand on Antra's shoulder, giving her a que to exit.

The tension between mother and daughter was palpable, a silent battle of emotions waging within them.

As they walked through the ornate halls of the palace, Kalika could feel Antra's turmoil

Upon reaching the Aaraam Graha, Kalika turned to Antra, her voice calm yet firm. "We need to strategize. We can't let emotions cloud our judgment. Your daughter's safety is our priority."

"You are right! I am a fool—a fool who acted like a deranged woman with no control over her emotions. I am a Princess of the Matasaya Kingdom. I am the greatest Sun Time Charmer the entire universe has ever seen. How could I—?" Antra paused, feeling utterly foolish. She had made herself appear unworthy in front of the entire council of ministers.

"Antra, calm down. You're being too harsh on yourself," Kalika said, walking towards Antra. She stood in front of her, placing her hands gently on Antra's shoulders, her eyes filled with concern.

Sensing the deep pain within her friend, a pain no one could heal, Kalika continued, "Come, sit down. Let the storm brewing in your heart settle. Then we will think and take action." Kalika did her best to stay calm, trying to prevent Antra from making any rash decisions.

"You don't understand. We might not have much time left. They could do anything to her. You have no idea how they can use her. What are they planning? What does Shukracharya really want? He was dead—how is he alive?" Antra was lost in a sea of questions, struggling to make sense of them while suppressing the urge to scour the world in search of her daughter. Suddenly, a troubling thought struck her.

With confusion in her eyes, she looked at Kalika and asked, "Have you been lying to me all these years? You knew, didn't you?" It was a bold question, one that challenged the loyalty of her beloved friend—a friend who played a crucial role in controlling the flow of time.

"ANTRA!" Kalika was shocked, and more than that, she was deeply disappointed. "Of all people, this is what you think of me? I am not a traitor," Kalika replied, her voice laced with pain. She held back tears as she walked toward the entrance of Antra's Aaram Graha.

"If you truly want the truth, I can take you back in time and show you exactly what happened." Kalika turned around, meeting her friend's gaze.

Antra's head bowed, her shoulders straight, and her hands rested on her lap—a posture of someone who had lost everything.

Antra looked at her friend, an apology clear in her eyes but not on her lips. With trembling lips, she asked for something that might bring their friendship to a breaking point.

Taking a deep breath, Antra said, "I want to see."

<a/n>

Word Count - 2138