"Past has never been pleasant, Amira."

Za'al's smooth yet heavy whisper echoed in her ear making her almost snap her hand at him. Her fingers clenched intona tight fist as she stared ahead of her, the man who was fighting now was walking back to his small shop. Sliver of blood coating his lips as he roughly wipes it off from the back of his hand.

Goosebumps arose on the sleeve of her skin as she blinked her eyes once, twice and thrice. Shaking her head she nods at Za'al who fills her with information.

"Baraq and Layla have found something related to hunt." He gestures with his hand, towards the opposite position. The flowy ink like black smoke was only visible to Hafsa and Nazreena as he guided them to narrow alley.

"What have they found?" Hafsa queried with a frown between her eyebrows. Anxiety churning in her guts as she walked gingerly with Nazreena whose shoulders were rigid as mountains. Her eyes conveying the depth of the thoughts, which were swirling in her mind.

"A man who knows something." He answers and comes to stop at the narrow entrance with a sleek step on it. Crazy wind floats their royal burqa as they look at each other. Nazreena's blue eyes went to Hafsa, who just nodded her head. She don't know what they were really doing, she just knows that if this thing does not stop stealing people, it would create a great ruckus.

She walked in as if she owned the place walking into darkness she came across Baraq who stood stunned. Their was nothing in his eyes other than numbness and emptiness. While Layla stood with a her eyes shining as if she got a diamond.

A man sitting on the ground with long beard didn’t raise his head. He just stared on the ground and announced again.

"The thing you seek can not be found in haste. Seek out the family of this man, for they alone will unveil the truth and open the doors before you." Something shifted in Nazreena's demeanor as she hurried and sat beside Layla.

"Where can we find Baraq's family?" Nazreena asked with her rushed voice she was in too much haste, to realize the old man's words.

"A land of sand built by a man. Lies a clan so rich, but poor in youth." The man answered making them frown. Which land of sand is built up by man? She frowned and stood up.

"Now you may begun your real journey for this might be the wrong path to stand." Nazreena nodded and gestured Layla to walk out, Baraq was still in trance to realise any thing going around him.

"Baraq," Nazreena called making him come out of his trance and he stood up and rushed out without waiting for anyone.

With confusion riding their brain they walked out of the little shop and stood out in the hot noon sun. Silence engulfed them making them stay numb for a while.

Layla was the one who broke the silence, "what land was that man talking about?"

"I don't know, I don't belong to future time. I belong to past, like Baraq. But where does Baraq belong to?" Nazreena question making Baraq raise his empty eyes.

"Do you really think that I had known I would be here?" His voice came out as a dry sand paper.

For the first time Layla looked at him with pity as he shook his head and walked to another direction. Layla's heart felt his broken heart. But he didn't say anything.

"Palace is in this direction." Hafsa pointed to the opposite direction from where he was walking.

"A moment of peace, without all your existence will be appreciated." He smiled coldly under his mask making Hafsa's eyes red with anger.

"Hafsa, let him be." Nazreen held her shoulder before she could say anything else. Together they walked into the opposite direction from him, without turning back. Layla was the only one who turned around to take his one glance. Uncertainty swimming in her eyes as she turned back her head at the front and walked with Nazreena.

Baraq felt her eyes boring into his skull,but didn't turned around. He know she would be staring at him, because Layla was too different from him. She carried too much kindness than he could endure. His heart thudded with something he couldn't name.

"I have a family. Great."

"But what was the point of separating me from him?" He sighed and tilted his head up at the sky. As if in search of something.

"Kismet,"

"A path of rough roads and smooth winds." Muttering he walked into the far away desert. A long walk with himself and just nothing. His mind was too numb for anything to think about as he just walked on.

~•~

Bright noon turned into beautiful colours of evening. Hues of orange and blue covered the sky. Layla stood on her window seeing the sun already settled in the dark. The blue appearing to get darker by each passing second as she stood like a statue on her window. She didn't know why she was standing here. She didn't know why she was so disturbed by Baraq's absence.

"Did he return?" She questioned quietly with her voice coming out in whisper. As she sensed someone coming in.

"No," Hafsa mumbled in her answer staring at the girl.

"But will he return if you keep standing on the window like this?" She questioned Layla making close her eyes. The feelings which were currently churning inside her disturbed her. She could not understand why she was feeling like this?

"Why I am feeling so bad?" She questioned her and briskly walked back to her bed. Her eyes conveying the story of her confusion as she patted the mattress gently.

"I will just advise that you go with flow. Affairs if heart can't be handled with mind and if mind enters the affair it only becomes painful. Yeah, it's kind of true that love is blind. But it is not necessary to be blind. I am telling you to go against him or you. I just want to say that, end the relationship when there is no respect of you and your opinions." Hafsa advised her words coming out like the weaving threads as she slowly told her.

"Your advise isn't much helpful right now." Layla muttered stressfully, her finger rubbing her temples.

Hafsa chuckled and walked back to the door.

"What will be much helpful right now, is some tasty food and sleep." Silence covered them, before they burst into the laughter and walked out of the room together.