"WHAT ARE YOU...WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?" Arthur screamed, pulling at his enchained arms, screaming his lungs out. "HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY? THAT DRAGON JUST SAVED ALL OF OUR LIVES, SHIVAM!"

Shivam gestured for him to stop, and pulled out the Shadowblade out of the Imoogi's head. The Imoogi took a few steps back, eyes hurt and disbelieving. It jerked its massive head this way and that, clearly in pain.

"Come on...come on..." Shivam muttered. Everyone else watched the scene silently.

The Imoogi's entire body caught fire, in the blink of an eye. The fire engulfed its luminous scales, its massive fangs, its shocked eyes. Soon, the Imoogi turned into a gigantic ball of blazing fire.

"I am sorry, my friend...but you must die...so that Aparajita can live," Shivam whispered. That was what the Resident Dragon of the Forest of Falling Leaves had said, hadn't it? "If the memory of your love lingers somewhere inside the Imoogi, then the Shadowblade will rip her outer form of the Imoogi, and reveal her true self-the self of your beloved..." Shivam remebered its words all too well. He had gone searching for the Shadowblade with the hope that it might be able, somehow, to turn the Imoogi back into Aparajita.

"Answer me! YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO US WHY YOU KILLED THE IMOOGI," Arthur screamed again, even as the blazing ball of fire began to diminish rapidly.

Shivam jerked his head towards him. "To turn it back into my girlfriend! Don't you remember the words of the Resident Dragon? If my love is pure then..." Shivam silenced himself, aa he saw what was happening to the fire-ball.

Tiny, glittering stars had taken the place of the flames. Those stars were moving very fast, rearranging themselves...were they rearranging themselves into a human form? Or was Shivam just being hopeful.

"Come on, Aparajita...I know you can hear me...come on..." Shivam said.

***

A voice.

What did it say?

"Come on...come on..."

No...I'm sleepy...lemme sleep...forever...it's so beautiful under the water...

"Come on...I know you can hear me..."

Hey, wait. Isn't that Shivam's voice.

Shivam? Shivam who. Look at the fish. Look at the stars. Look at the beautiful flames and water and sleep.

"Aparajita...please..." the voice persisted.

That's DEFINITELY SHIVAM. AND SHIVAM WHO? HE LOVES ME, GODDAMN IT...WHERE AM I?

***

The glittering stars seemed to turn into dots of sand. And the sand turned into flesh and bones.

Soon, Aparajita stood in front of Shivam, wearing the same pair of jeans and top that were on her before her transformation. Incredibly, even the necklace that Shivam had gifted her for her birthday was still intact around her neck.

"Shibu...whe...?" Aparajita whispered weakly, then collapsed on to the ground.

"NO!" Shivam shouted, and ran to her. He sat down right beside her, and began shaking her vigorously. "Nonononono wake up wake up! I can't afford to lose you again, wake up, Aparajita!"

"It's okay," a female voice said. "I think she's just unconscious."

Shivam turned his head. Sabrina stood beside him. "Can you help her?" He asked hopefully. "Is Sylvia alright?" He added.

"Yes, yes," Sabrina said, sitting beside him. "We'll take her to our place. You set your friends free first, they may die of the cold. Go, quickly!"

Shivam stood up. She was right. As he picked up the Shadowblade, and started moving towards where Josh and Arthur were chained, Sabrina called after him. "Shivam?"

"Yes?"

"You pulled a miracle today. The people of Heart will talk about this for ages."

Shivam opened his mouth, closed it again, and nodded. Then he walked to Josh and Arthur.

"Careful with that blade," Josh said.

"Don't worry, little brother," Shivam said, and attacked the chains with the sword. They broke easily, finally freeing their captives. "About time," Arthur sighed.

"Go run with Sabrina...she'll give you two some Miracloth cloaks," Shivam said.

"What about you? Don't you feel cold?" Arthur asked.

"No...this armour repels cold, I think," Shivam said, and looked at the armour that had latched around his figure as soon as he had picked up the Sword.

As Josh and Arthur ran to Sabrina, who was now carrying Aparajita with the help of another woman he didn't know, Shivam took a look around him.

Strangely, there wasn't as much chaos as he expected there to be. People stared, talked excitedly, ran hither and thither. Some Infernos stood still, looking at their feet, unsure of what would happen to them now. But there were no burning homes, no rivers of blood, no sky full of carrion eating ravens.

This had to be the most bloodless revolution, ever. Truly, it was nothing short of a Miracle. Blikrot defeated. Aparajita found.

Still, an odd question came to Shivam's mind. What now? What next?