'What do you mean by gone?' Gomedha broke the silence. Her voice was a mere whisper.

None of them would confess to it but Rohini knew that they were scared. The Guru's soul throbbed with pain when she looked into their eyes. They did not deserve this. Her words were chosen carefully, 'Gone, Gomedha. His urja was absorbed by the daanavas.'

She watched as Gomedha burst into tears.

It was strange how souls could weep. Their colour was different from the tears that were shed on the Prithvilok. They were golden. They shone without needing any light. The colour signified the emotion felt was real... It signified the depth of their emotions. It was a colour Anamika couldn't even see. 

As Gomedha cried, fat golden tears rolled down her cheeks. Dhurya held her close but was unable to soothe her. He wanted to cry too. 

Never had they lost a Rakshak to a daanav. All he could do to comfort them was to look at his feet while rubbing circles on her back.

What happened to being indestructible?

Anamika heard the weak sobs. She wished she were half as brave as Gomedha to cry openly, to express herself openly. She couldn't. Instead, she stood staring at Rohini's face feeling like a ghost. She wanted to laugh at the irony. Ghost? Weren't all the Rakshak ghosts on the Prithvilok? Isn't that what made them imperishable? The only one capable of doing that was the Mother- and She didn't destroy the soul, She guided them back home.

Anamika's core ached for the soul who would never meet the Mother.

Laksh looked at her as if to ask her if she were alright.

She wanted to cry, just as Gomedha had but she didn't have it in her. She noticed that Laksh's eyes were sparkling. Anamika hugged him, 'It's alright, bhrata.' She patted his back, 'We will survive this.'

He felt a burst of joy when she called him her brother. He felt he was home. He felt like he had a family. He pulled away and smiled at her proudly. He was glad they had a chance to know each other. Patting her head, lovingly, he said, 'Of course, we will.'

He glanced at the other three souls there. All eyes were on them. He drew his strength from the girl next to him, 'All of us will.'

Gomedha sniffled, 'Are we going to the Astha station?' She wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'To mourn?'

'No, child,' Rohini replied. 'We are not.'

'So that soul will be forgotten?' Dhurya asked, his tone bordering disrespect. She gave him a stern look. Her demeanour had grown cold in an instant. 'No one will be forgotten.' She walked away after that.

Laksh knew why Rohini had flipped. He had heard from a few Yamdhuts that Rashak Gurus could never forget the souls they have nurtured. He believed Dhurya was unaware of this. He thought of educating him but concluded that it wasn't worth it. He would share his knowledge with someone who would actually listen to him. He looked at Anamika, 'Let's go see Ma.'

Anamika understood immediately who Laksh wanted to see. They sprinted toward the tower that overlooked the Mother River. They scaled the old stone wall. It was a competition, as always. Before they had grown close, Anamika would just take the stairs to reach to the top but after some time she had grown accustomed to the thrill of scaling the big and strong walls of the station.

The Asthdasha station was a fort built by the ancient Yamdhut. It was said to be the Yamraj's first place of residence. 

He was, after all, the First Man to live on the Prithivilok and the first man to die there. Naturally, He became the King of the Yamlok. It was a simple square fort with four towers, one on each corner. Each of these towers had a gigantic torch. It was used as a signal for help at their worst times. There was a huge courtyard enclosed by the thick and sturdy walls where the Rakshak trained. Laksh had told her that all the stations were built the same way, they just differed in size. The Eka station was the largest.

Only one tower of the Asthadasha station overlooked the River.

Anamika reached first. She smirked at him, not afraid to show off her victory. 'You're slow.'

'I gave you a head start,' Laksh spoke back as he pulled himself up.

She folded her arms and sat right below the torch, facing the Mother River. She waited for him to sit next to her. After a few short moments, he did.

They didn't say anything for quite some time. They just listened to the roaring waters of the River. Her waters were darker than usual. Even Anamika could see it. It was as if She was crying at the loss of Her son. 

Anamika held herself. She wrapped her arms around herself feeling the same emotions She was.

'How could they?' She asked Laksh. 'How could the daanavas know how to...' She couldn't say it. She didn't even try knowing that if she did, she would end up weeping.

Laksh stared at the River, 'I don't know, Anamika. It's unheard of.'

'Would Yoshanhara know?'

'There's a good chance that she might.'

'I wish we're sent on another hunt,' she spoke, 'I simply can't wait to slay those sorry creatures.' Her face contorted with disgust. He chuckled and gently tugged her nose, 'All in good time, Anamika. The cosmos waits for everyone.'

She was surprised, 'It does?'

He nodded, 'Of course it does. How else would you explain the coexistence of so many souls?'

'I thought they went on. The higher souls go to the Devlok and they forget about us.'

He shook his head, 'No, they don't. Indeed, they stay there in the Devlok for some time but when they're done enjoying the fruit of their good deeds, they go back to the Prithvilok.' He paused. 'It's birth and death over and over again.'

***

Keval's core was thrumming with joy. He sat in his room in the Daanavraj's kila, as he shined his talwar. He smiled, 'We're one step closer to freedom, Sakhi,' He told his talwar. The inanimate weapon shone in reply. 

He beamed, 'You're going to be there with me till the end and once we're free, we will travel the three realms as if we own it.'

He sheathed Sakhi and proceeded to walk toward the Daanavraj's chambers where he'd been summoned.

What the Daanavraj had planned was simple. Keval would be sent to a Rakshak station and pretend to be one of them. This vague explanation confused Keval, he asked the Daanavraj for some details but the King shrugged it off with a wave of his hand.

Keval understood. He would have to slay a couple of daanavas. Nothing he hadn't done before. 

He asked for his cover. 'How do I prove it to them that I am a Rakshak?'

'Oh, you don't have to worry about that,' the Daanavraj smirked. 'It will be very easy. My demons are working on your cover.'

This made Keval curious, 'What exactly are they doing?'

The Daanavraj chuckled evilly, 'Tracking a Rakshak station.'

Keval raised a brow at the King. His lips were drawn into a wicked smile. That would be a perfect cover. Deep down, in his core, he knew this was wrong but he extinguished the thought immediately.

He would pay for his freedom whatever the costs.

The Daanavraj was standing in the King's room, near the balcony, overlooking the training grounds. The altitude never ceased to amaze Keval. The big bulky demons looked tiny and insignificant. Keval studied the Daanavraj. The demon was old but hadn't aged at all.

Perks of being a King, Keval concluded.

He often found himself wondering, once again, why a powerful King like him required his help. 

He was merely a troubled boy.

'There's someone I'd like you to meet,' the Daanavraj brought him back to the present. Keval looked at him curiously.

'Ainas!' The King yelled in the air. Keval was confused. He looked around in the Daanavraj's room to see if anyone had stepped inside. He furrowed his brows when he saw no one.

It sure did sound like a name.

He was shocked when he saw a young woman materialize right next to the King. She wasn't beautiful. She was sexy. She reeked of sin. Her long dark hair was loosely braided. Her face was long, with delicate cheekbones. She had a sharp nose and big eyes. Obsidian eyes that were ready to seduce anyone in her path. Her lips painted red. She wore a dark shade of sari with her pallu barely covering her full breasts, he could almost see her nipples. The lower part of her sari was draped around tightly highlighting the wide shape of her hips. Her long and slender fingers were playing with the Daanavraj's long beard. She lightly caressed the King's chest with a wicked smile on her face.

'Keval, this is Ainas, my Right Hand,' the Daanavraj introduced him to her. Keval didn't like her. She seemed evil. She gave him a seductive smile. Keval knew that would work wonders on the daanavas. She was exactly the kind of woman those dumb-headed creatures would fight over. She moved her hands in a way that the cymbals would make the most melodious sound. Keval surprised himself by being unfazed by it.

'You never told me the boy was so handsome,' Ainas stepped closer to Keval. He tried not to move away from her. He didn't want to give her power by retreating.

Her hair danced around her as if it had a mind of its own. She leaned closer to in order to assess him. The strong smell of chameli threw his senses into a frenzy. He leaned away from her, 'Greetings, Ainas.' His voice was strained.

She chuckled at his formal greeting.

He felt something forcing his chin toward her. Shockingly, it was her hair.  

He found himself wondering what sort of creature she was.

'He is a tough one,' She stepped away from him and moved back to the Daanavraj. She ran her finger through the expanse of his massive chest. She kissed his ear and whispered loud enough for Keval to hear, 'You chose well, Your Highness.'

Keval turned away, embarrassed.

The Daanavraj chuckled. Keval wasn't sure if it was at her comment or his reaction at the intimate scene that played in front of him. He prefered to assume it was the former.

'You will report to her, Keval,' the Daanavraj spoke.

Keval was taken aback. He looked at the woman again and she had the audacity to wink at him. For some reason, this woman felt like a threat to him. Around her, he felt the need to be on his toes. He needed to know what she was. She wasn't as ugly as a normal daanav would be. She was different. He tried to sound casual when he spoke, 'If the Daanavraj doesn't mind, I would like to ask Ainas a question.'

The Daanavraj and the woman exchanged a look before she burst out laughing, 'Ask away, dear Keval.'

Keval resisted the need to gag. 'With all due respect, what are you?'

If her laugh was loud before, it was louder now. 

The King looked amused too. 

Her hair floated toward Keval and brushed along his jawline. He tried not moved away- again, establishing that he was not a pushover. 

'What makes you think I'm not a daanav?' She placed her arms on his hips.

'You don't look like them.'

Keval didn't mean it as a compliment but she took it as one. Her thick lips were drawn into a smile, 'Such a sweet boy.' The end of her braid didn't seem to want to move away from him. 'Why are you named Keval? Are you alone? I'll make sure you aren't, I promise.' That sickly sweet voice laced with those harsh words fueled his hatred.

He didn't say anything. He placed his hand on Sakhi's hilt. His talwar's presence soothed his anger. He didn't know her relation with the Daanavraj so he did not think it was wise to take the risk of offending the Daanavraj.

Keval simply stared back at her with blank eyes.

It only added to her amusement. 'I can't wait to work with you, Keval.'

He didn't wish the same. He figured that his task was going to be difficult and like a cherry on top, he had to deal with her too. 

It was draining him already. 

He forced a smile, 'Same here, Ainas.'

'That is it, Keval. You may leave now,' the Daanavraj dismissed him. Keval was relieved. Finally. He walked toward the egress of the gigantic chamber when he heard Ainas declare proudly, 'I'm a daayan.'

Keval didn't know what the term meant but he would figure it out. He nodded at her as a way of saying 'thank you' because he couldn't force those words out of him. 

He could not let his guard down with that woman around. That would be careless.

She seemed like the woman who would stand between him and the freedom he wanted the most.

***

It was darker than usual over the Astha station. The Rakshaks over there, with their Guru, were mourning the loss of the soul who was lost. Their agony could not be understood, nor could their pain. They were scared for themselves and for the lost soul.

There were thirteen Rakshaks there.

They were mourning when one of the souls noticed a shadow pass. She assumed it was her sorrow deceiving her. She looked at the others. They had their eyes shut as they dutifully prayed for the Rakshak they had lost. She felt guilty for not concentrating. She was about to close her eyes when she saw a figure move near the torch.

The figure looked so out of place. It certainly wasn't any of the Rakshaks. It wasn't a Yamdhut either. 

It was something else.

A woman she had never seen before. Her dark tresses were loosely braided and were floating all around her. Clad in a blood-red sari, the woman smiled at her. It was the same unnerving smile. The girl found it impossible to tear her eyes away from her.

Her consciousness labelled her as a threat.

Their eyes connected and the woman smirked.

The girl reached for her talwar but she couldn't draw it.

The woman flicked her wrist. The Rakshaks screamed in pain.

The girl's core shook. She wanted to help but she couldn't move.

She watched, horrified as the woman made her way toward her, effortlessly climbing down the tower.

Someone called the girl's name but she couldn't respond to it. She couldn't even recognize who it was. Fear consumed her. She realized that this was what had happened to him before he was consumed. The woman was going to devour her.

'My, my, my,' the woman's voice was deep and sickly sweet. The end of her braid caressed the girl's face before her fingers did. The girl couldn't look away even if she wanted to. She couldn't be brave. She couldn't be strong.

The woman was too powerful.

'Such a beautiful soul.'

The girl shivered when she saw how hollow the woman's eyes were. The dangerous smile that played on her lips told her that the woman was up to no good. She leaned closer and whispered in her ear, 'I will enjoy devouring you and your friends. Would you like to watch?'

The girl's face skewed in disgust.

The woman found it amusing. She laughed, 'You poor thing, you want to watch, don't you?'

The girl wanted to draw her weapon and behead the monstrous woman before her. If only she could move. She tried to focus on her weapon instead of the woman. If she would be devoured, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

'I like your spirit,' the evil woman giggled, 'But it won't work.'

The girl saw another figure moving in her peripheral vision. She recognized it as her Rakshak Guru Falit. He was being dragged by two daanavas.

The woman gave her a creepy smile. She walked slowly toward the Guru, taking her own sweet time to reach him. 

The girl still couldn't move. 

She couldn't look away either. 

She watched helplessly as the woman devoured her Rakshak Guru. She heard the other Rakshaks scream profanities trying to free themselves, they spewed venomous words at their attackers but the woman didn't stop devouring the Guru. He didn't even have a chance to scream. One moment he was there, the next he was gone.

The girl couldn't scream. She couldn't cry. She couldn't shut her eyes. She couldn't do anything.

All she could do was watch everyone she knew fade at the hands of the evil woman knowing very well that she would join them soon.

***