Keval stood alone, staring blankly at the horizon. The strange emotion he felt, shredded his reality. It almost succeeded in betraying his oath. 

The sky was red with a slight hint of purple around the corners. There were tiny sparkling orbs scattered across the sky.

They reminded him of her.

He clenched his jaw as he thought of what she had been through to win. For each blow Abhay had landed on her, he wanted to shower upon him a hundred more. He couldn't understand how he had managed to keep his feet glued as the duel went on.

And her reason to challenge Abhay.

It was him.

He shut his eyes painfully.

She was asleep in her room. As much as he enjoyed holding her close to him, he knew he had to leave for the very same reason. He could feel her presence against him. His fingertips grazed his nose. He smiled sadly remembering how she had tugged it. 'Cute' she had called it.

She had fought for him. There was a time when he thought that nothing could hurt more than his torture had, but this... He could vividly see the betrayal on her face. And true enough, he was terrified.

Unique.

The way she had looked at him, it made him wish he hadn't sided with the Daanavraj. It made him wish he was true to the Rakshaks.

But the truth was simple yet so bitter.

'You've been standing here for quite some time.'

For the first time, Keval didn't tremble with fear when he heard the Yamdhut's voice. He surprised himself by being calm and composed.

'It's flattering that you chose to keep an eye on me all this while,' he muttered dryly, his gaze still fixed at the horizon.

Kasa laughed softly, 'You're starting to warm up to me.'

Keval only snickered in response.

'You can only do so much, Keval,' the Yamdhut moved to stand next to him.

He didn't flinch nor did he try to find a reason to escape. He was too absorbed in sorrow. He was rethinking his decision. He was rethinking everything. But most of all, his mind was occupied by her. Someone who faced so much just for him.

'She fought for me, Kasa,' he managed to say without the brokenness in his tone, 'She fought for my honour... For something that doesn't really exist.' He was revealing way too much but he was past the point of caring. He would not try to escape Kasa. 'She didn't have to,' he continued, 'but she did.' He felt raw with his emotions swirling inside his mind's eye. It was too unclear for his senses but clear enough for his emotions.

'When Abhay was beating her I wanted to destroy him,' He spoke, 'I wanted to rip him apart, inflict so pain on him.' He looked down and noticed his tightly formed fists. He released it. He experienced a sharp pain in his hands when he let go, 'I don't know how I stopped myself.'

Kasa had an answer to that. With a soothing voice, he explained in the simplest words, 'You stopped yourself because it was the right thing to do.'

It rang true but Keval doubted it. 'How do you know it's right, Kasa?'

'We don't till we face the consequences.'

He raised his head up, his connecting to the subtle hints of clouds. He sniggered, 'How I wish I would've known it would come to this!'

'If you wouldn't have made the choices you did, you wouldn't have come here.'

Those words of the Yamdhut struck a chord. Keval saw the underlying meaning. His eyes widened. His lower jaw went slack. He faced Kasa, 'You knew?'

Kasa only nodded. He didn't face Keval. There was no smile on his face but he hadn't become unfriendly either.

'For how long?'

'Since you arrived.'

Keval stared at him in disbelief, 'Why didn't you tell anyone?'

'It wasn't my place to,' Came the simple reply.

He didn't know how to form words to voice his bewilderment and the fact that the Yamdhut who was keeping him company spoke so cryptically didn't help. It boggled his mind. He finally managed, 'So you aren't mad at me for that incident.' He didn't dare elaborate. Yoshanhara's death had weighed heavy on the Rakshaks.

'Why would I?'

'You lost one of your own,' he simply stated.

Kasa faced him. He had a knowing smile on his face, 'If only it were that simple, Keval. The working of these realms is beyond us. Why something happens? Why one was born? Why did they have to die? You could say that our entire existence points to one big why but in truth, we have no right to question anything.'

'Why is that?'

'Another why,' Kasa chuckled. 'It is simple if you think it through, Keval. How can one question something they do not understand?'

He didn't explain any further. Suddenly, his the curve on his lips vanished. He turned away from Keval with a grim expression on his face, 'The war is here.'

'What?' Keval frowned. He tried to see what had caught the Yamdhut's attention.

They were looking at nothingness.

'Your work here is done,' Kasa spoke bluntly, 'You should go, deliver the message of war to your Daanavraj. We have found our leader.'

The last sentence made Keval's eyes bulge. It took him a moment to fit everything together. He smiled at the result of his deduction, 'So it was all a plan.' He laughed like a maniac. 'All this time the Daanavraj thought he was playing you. But you...' He let his voice trail off. He was surprised by the Yamdhuts' resourcefulness. He chuckled shaking his head in disbelief.

Kasa smiled. 'If only it were that simple,' He repeated.

Keval was impressed despite the fact that he had been playing a game orchestrated by the Yamdhuts. He bit his lower lip as another laugh bubbled through him. Everything was so clear now. While the Daanavraj thought that everything was going according to his plan, nothing actually was.

But there was another side of that matter that enraged him.

'So all this time, you knew about Anamika's memories?'

The Yamdhut nodded, 'Of course. Hers and yours.'

Keval froze. Never had he expected that answer from the Yamdhut. He scanned Kasa's face for any telltales of lies. There were none. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He was overwhelmed. Kasa knew about his memories! That meant he was someone before he landed in the hellhole.

'Is that why I feel so strongly towards her?' He asked. 

'She's the one for you, Keval as you are for her.'

He felt like he had been gutted. He wanted to break his oath to the Daanavraj... Leave everything he had ever worked for and go to her. 

It was a wicked game played by fate. 

Another revelation dawned upon him, making him feel vulnerable, 'You've planned it well but was it real? What Anamika for feels for me?' He asked. He didn't face the Yamdhut for the answer. He didn't want to know it was a game too. 

'As true as what you feel for her,' Kasa's eyes softened, 'None of the Rakshaks or their Gurus was in on it.'

'So you sacrificed a station and one of your kind just so your plan could succeed?' Keval could not believe it. He had never expected the Yamdhuts to be so ruthless... to go all the way.

'If only it were that simple.'

He let it go knowing very well that he could not coerce a Yamdhut to answer his questions in a forthright manner. It was time to go. He shut his eyes and gripped Sakhi's hilt. 'What are you going to tell her about my disappearance?'

The Yamdhut stared at him blankly, 'The truth about the nature of your arrival here.'

The boy flinched visibly.

He took some time to calm himself. His being shook with anticipation. He pursed his lips thinking of the next step. It was as easy as going to the Daanavraj, informing him that he had been made and a Yamdhut had sent him back to deliver the message of war.

He glanced longingly at Anamika's room. The curtain fluttered gently and he caught a glimpse of her round face, sound asleep. He smiled sadly when he saw her shimmer. He reached for the vartula to slip it off his fingers but Kasa stopped him and said, 'You keep that.'

With the confidence he somehow managed to summon, he turned to Kasa, his palms joined, 'It was an honour to be acquainted with your ways. May the righteous prevail.'

Kasa smiled. The boy didn't miss the hint of pride that flashed on the Yamdhut's face. He mirrored the Keval's posture, 'May the righteous prevail.'

It took all of Keval's willpower to not look back at Anamika. In his mind, he wished her well before spinning the vartula around his finger and fixing his attention on the Daanavlok.

***

'What do you mean Abhay was right?' Anamika's temper was rising rapidly at Kasa's statement. Her eyes kept flickering to Keval's empty spot. It had barely been a few moments before officially becoming the Eka Nayak when she received the news that the Astha Nayak was gone.

Abhay wasn't on the council anymore but he was still part of the Eka ranks. Anamika had given Dhurya the Asthadasha ring as Laksh didn't want it.

'Keval was the traitor. He came here with the sole purpose to observe and inform the Daanavraj about us,' one of the Yamdhuts explained. She looked solemn. Anamika found no traces of lies on her face.

Her mind was blank as she screamed inside. On the surface, her face was vacant, expressionless. She wanted to see him and ask him if what they spoke about him was true. She had trusted him.

She had the sudden urge to throw the vartula that she had won from Abhay. Suddenly, she felt like she didn't deserve it.

She felt like a fool.

'Anamika?' Guru Gavistha looked at her expectantly. His face was cold but there was understanding in his eyes.

'I suggest we take a break,' Kasa broke the silence.

The Nayaks and the Gurus stepped out the room. He pulled Anamika aside, 'Do not let your emotions cloud your decisions.'

Anamika had tears in her eyes. She drew her hands into fists as she quaked. Her gaze was fixed at her bare feet.

She had woken up, happy, full of zeal. She was a little disappointed that she hadn't found him next to her. When Kasa gave her the Eka vartula, she couldn't spot him in the crowd either. She gathered some courage and asked a few Rakshaks if they had seen him. No one had. Then she asked Kasa, who replied by gathering a council where one of his kind broke the news.

She gritted her teeth. The taste of betrayal was bitter.

It was so obvious that everyone saw it.

Everyone except her.

A fool, that's what she felt like.

'It was right in front of me the entire time,' She whispered, 'the entire time!'

Her pain morphed into a fury she had never experienced before. It was white-hot and burning her insides. She gritted her teeth, 'He will regret betraying our trust.' She stormed off in the courtyard. Kasa followed her.

'Attention! All of you!' She yelled.

All the sounds of the Yamlok seemed to have dissolved into cold stillness. Everyone's eyes were on her, whether they were on the tower or inside their rooms or in the courtyard. She kept her head held high. She made a mistake by trusting Keval but she wouldn't let it throw her back.

She would learn from it.

'The rumours are true. Keval has betrayed us! As of now, the daanavas are preparing for war with the information the traitor has supplied them.' Her declaration was met with loud gasps. She paused for effect. Her emotions were raging. 'Believe me, when I say this, the daanavas will not win! They will meet their doom by our blades. Let this battle be a warning to all those who resort to treachery!'

The Rakshaks cheered, raising their weapons but she wasn't done yet.

'We will stand together! United! Shoulder to shoulder! We will strike them with our best and they will tremble,' She unsheathed her Nashtra and waved her in the air. 'They will tremble to our battle call! They will cower when they see us standing together, our blades thirsting for their blood!'

Louder cheers followed.

'We will bring honour to the Yamraj! We will bring honour to ourselves!'

Someone from the crowd yelled, 'Victory to the Rakshaks! Victory to the Yamraj!'

A look satisfaction settled on Anamika's face when the crowd resonated the words with all the zeal. It reverberated, it seemed to come from every corner of the kila. With all the urja she could summon that moment, she thrust her blade upward and yelled as loud as she could, 'Victory to the Rakshaks!'

At that moment, the gathering of Rakshaks and Yamdhuts watched her glow with the blinding power of agni.

***

'You have failed me too,' the Daanavraj shook his head in disdain as he addressed Keval. The boy kept an impassive face. He didn't fear the monarch like he used to.

Ainas watched the exchange carefully. There was concern written all over her face, he couldn't understand what she was pondering over. If anyone looked at her, they wouldn't believe that she was the one Anamika had so brutally beaten. She was glowing again. Her braid had grown longer though it was less jovial. Keval was thankful for that.

'There was not much I could gather. I was made by a Yamdhut,' he repeated, 'And she's very strong. She is the Eka Nayak now.'

The Daanavraj slammed his fists on the table, 'Of course, she is!' He got to his feet and straightened to his entire height, 'She defeated Ainas and because of her some of my best daanavas were killed in vain! And we still don't know what makes her immune to Ainas' power!'

Ainas looked terrified. She didn't dare look at the monarch. Keval on the other hand, stared at him, unbothered by the rage that emanated by the King.

'If they want so bad, then those Yamdhuts will get a WAR!' He bellowed making the woman wince.

'Excellent,' Keval stated calmly, 'Let's get to work then.'

The Daanavraj eyed the boy suspiciously, 'Why do I feel like you're hiding something from me, Keval?'

Keval replied without missing a beat. His voice was even. 'You made me. You took me from the hellhole I was tortured and gave me a purpose. I would never disrespect that. I would never disrespect my oath to stand by you, Your Highness.' He joined his palms and kept his head bowed. Whatever he had spoken was true.

It was also true that he had kept Anamika's greatest strength a secret from them, the reason she wasn't affected by Ainas' powers.

Her memories.

He couldn't bring himself to tell them. It was something he wanted to keep to himself. They knew how many Rakshaks were there, they knew the precise locations of the armoury. He had no doubt that all of it was shifted. Kasa would've told them the truth. He could see Anamika's crestfallen face. It hurt him to think of her pain.

But it was a necessary evil.

When the Daanavraj placed his burly hands on his shoulders, Keval was brought back to the present. He raised his head to see the King who looked at him with confidence. A big grin marked the monarch's face, 'I am pleased by your loyalty.'

'I will serve you till the end,' Keval pledged himself to the Daanavraj again knowing very well that he would regret it.

'I already have a job for you.'

He listened carefully.

'You will gather my troops, lead them into battle,' The Daanavraj declared dramatically, 'You will be my Senapati!'

Keval swallowed. There was no way he could run from Anamika. They would meet on the battlefield. For the first time, when he gripped Sakhi to draw courage, he didn't feel brave.

The truth was he felt worse. He took his hand away and let it fall to his side.

'You will protect Ainas on the battlefield as she devours the Rakshaks. Protect Ainas from that...' the King's face skewered with disgust as he spat, 'that wrench!'

The boy ignored the anger that bubbled inside him. He was in no position to fight. He held back all the vile words that rested on the tip of his tongue. He bowed his head, 'As the Daanavraj orders.'

The King of the Demons was very pleased. He smiled proudly at the boy and patted his back before turning to Ainas. His face was grim when he faced her, 'Ainas, you will steer clear of the Eka Nayak. No matter what. I trust Keval to protect you but I don't want you to be careless as you have already proven yourself to be.'

The sharp words stung Ainas. She tried to remain stoic, but Keval noticed the hurtful look that crossed her face.

'And keep your braid to yourself,' He continued to instruct her.

The last time Anamika had managed to weaken Ainas only because she had accidentally cut Ainas' braid. Keval trusted Kasa to tell inform Anamika about it. He was certain that the Yamdhut knew what Ainas was.

'If I see it flying around, I will cut it myself,' the Daanavraj threatened her.

At that moment, Ainas' braid stopped floating around its mistress. It fell limply to her side looking like a normal braid.

Keval was delighted. At least someone else found Ainas' hair as annoying as he did.

The King faced the boy again, 'You have three pehers to prepare my army.'

Keval diligently nodded. He bowed while joining his palms, 'If the Daanavraj would be kind enough excuse me so that I can carry out the orders immediately.'

'You are dismissed.'

Without uttering any other word, he marched out of the Daanavraj's chambers.

Before he could step out of the threshold, the Daanavraj called him again, 'And make sure you change your armour before you face my troops. No Senapati of mine wears the crest of the Rakshaks.'

'Your wish is my command, Your Majesty,' Keval bowed again before making his way to his chambers. He knew he would have a spare armour there. Once he reached it, he realized that missed the mat and the stone pillow.

He found it incredulous, not the fact that he missed the simplicity of life back there but all the luxuries that had once surrounded him; all that he had once enjoyed. He spotted the armour with the Daanavraj's crest in one corner. Gently, he took off his armour. He put it down. The Rakshak crest stared back at him. He looked outside his balcony longingly, like he would catch a glimpse of the Eka station if he looked carefully.

He shook his head as he reminded himself that he was in a different lok.

He looked down at his hands. The golden band of the vartula glowered at him. He took it off but he didn't have the will to put it away. He closed his fists around it as he searched for a chain. Once he found a golden chain, he put the vartula in it and wore it around his neck. It rested on his chest.

It gave him the courage that Sakhi couldn't.

Reluctantly, he put on the breastplate that had the Daanavraj's crest on it. He made sure the vartula was hidden inside his armour.

Once he was completely covered in his old armour. He stared at himself in the mirror. It had been so long since he had seen his reflection. He found himself touching his nose, reminiscing how Anamika had tugged it.

A painful smile made its way to his face.

You're amazing, special, unique.

Her words haunted him.

No, he envisioned her round visage, you're wrong. That's not me. That's you.

He walked out of his chambers and made his way to the training grounds where all the daanavas were assembled waiting to be addressed by him.

***