Keval used the vartula around his index finger to open a portal to the Daanavlok. He wasn't looking forward to it but he had to give Ainas his report. He had to be quick. He hadn't expected the other end of the portal to lead him to the she-devil's chambers. He certainly hadn't expected to find her sitting on her bed, smirking at him as if she was expecting him.

'I just won a bet with myself,' She tilted her head, exposing her long and slender neck.

He kept a dull face, 'You're so lonely these days, Ainas?'

'Of course. You see a certain someone is out spying,' she tried to flirt with him, 'I am especially fond of him.'

He rolled his eyes, 'I need to hurry.'

'Yes, tell me.'

He told her everything, the mourning and about the meeting that followed. He skipped the part about the strange girl who was like him. Ainas didn't need to know about that, he told himself. She snickered and folded her arms. It pushed her breasts. He ignored her advances like he always had. 'I should leave now.' He didn't wait for her to respond, 'Oh and next time, I won't be coming here to deliver the report.'

She could've commanded her braid to hurl up at him and catch him but he was gone.

Once he was back in his room in the Yamlok, he was glad he was done with the report and that it was short.

She didn't even stand a chance.

He was satisfied with himself but the work wasn't done. He was in charge of training the Rakshaks. He couldn't believe that some of them were left out. They hunted monsters but they had no idea of how to do the same when it came to the daanavas.

He snickered. 'So careless,' he mumbled to himself.

His room wasn't as grand as the one he had in the Daanavlok. It was plain and windowless. A simple mat on the floor with a slab of stone for a pillow. The sight of such a bed made him procrastinate resting.

He stepped out of his room, pushing the curtain at the entrance of his room. Another thing he didn't really like. The kila had no doors, just plain saffron curtains. They could've chosen a subtle colour, he told himself.

The training had already started.

Like they'd discussed, the Rakshaks were being trained in shifts and those who weren't training were either on watch duty or were given some time off to replenish.

What was so different about the daanavas that they had to be specially trained to take them down?

It was simple. Though to Keval the major population of the daanavas were dim, they were trained to fight, to damage as much as they could unlike all the other creatures the low ranking Rakshaks hunted. The daanavas didn't act on animalistic impulses, it made them unpredictable.

'Hey, Keval!' He heard Abhay call him. He found the big boy making his way toward him. His brow raised involuntarily as he folded his arms. He wished for a moment of peace. Everyone wanted to check upon him.
He seemed to be the talk of the station.

He forced a smile, 'Abhay.'

'Have you seen Shlok?' the big boy asked as he swung his gada and placed it over his broad shoulder.

Keval didn't flinch. He shrugged, 'No.' He faked his curiosity, 'What do you need him for?'

'We're going on a hunt to the Prithvilok. I can't leave without my brother-in-arms!' That was the end of the conversation. Abhay left him alone.

His eyes immediately found a mess of curly hair. One of the other Nayaks was training her. The Nayak kept correcting Anamika's posture. She feigned to strike her with her talwar as an attempt to show the attack that Anamika was learning. It was wrong. The daanavas could deflect that move efficiently.

These souls were so outdated.

Anamika diligently tried to copy her trainer's steps.

Annoyed, he walked toward them. With all the steps that the Nayak was teaching, Anamika wouldn't even stand a chance.

'-position your hand parallel to the ground when you thrust forward,' He recognized her as Eroth, the Rakshak Nayak of the Dasha station. She pushed Anamika's arm higher. It wasn't necessary at all. Her posture was perfect.

'Eroth, if I may?'
It didn't seem like a question. The other Nayak shot him a glare but left Anamika to him.

He snickered at the child-like behaviour. These souls were doomed already. What they needed was unity. However, he knew that for all of them to work in a team, was nearly impossible.

His eyes met Anamika's. It stunned him for a moment. He hadn't expected her to look amused. He struggled to keep a plain face. Her eyes shone golden before they reverted back to the shade of mud.

'I want you to play offence with me,' he kept his voice even.

She blinked, 'What?'

'I need to know what you already know so that we can build on it,' he said drawing Sakhi. Anamika didn't stare at his talwar, instead, she observed him with clear eyes, like she was eyeballing puzzle pieces to put them together.

He cleared his throat, uncomfortably and lifted his sword, 'Play offence.' He clanked Sakhi with her talwar to let her know he meant business. She looked a little unsure but raised her talwar too.

'I'm wait-'

Before he could complete his sentence, she attacked him. She slashed her talwar horizontally. He was caught off guard. In the nick of time, he deflected her blow. He scolded himself for not paying attention.

He stuck to being defensive but that didn't mean he didn't notice that she was being cautious. She was making sure her attacks didn't leave her exposed. He found it intriguing. It was obvious she wasn't trusting him enough to keep his words. He was dead chuffed to see that. She hadn't been foolish enough to trust her opponent.

As tempting as it was to play offensive, he controlled himself. He convinced himself that he would do that later and it would be a fair fight.

But he spotted it, one moment she exposed herself. He couldn't tell if it was her slacking off or something else. He took that opportunity and in one swift moment disarmed her weapon. Her talwar flew right out of her hands and landed on the ground with a loud clang.

She stared at her weapon in disbelief.

'That was amazing!' She was astonished. 'Would you teach me how to do that?'

He furrowed his brows, 'That?'

She nodded, 'Yes.'

He refrained from saying, That's a very basic move. He didn't want her to be peeved at him. He found her company better than most. Before she could, he reached for her talwar and studied it. It was very comfortable and well balanced. The hilt was a little small for him.

Her talwar was slim and curvy. It was a plain blade, unlike his ornated Sakhi.

He handed it back to her, 'It's a nice blade.'

Apart from that, she carried two katars. He refrained from using them. He didn't like being so close to his adversaries.

She beamed, 'Thank you.' She didn't say anything about Sakhi. He was a little unsettled by it. Usually, people fawned over her.

'So what do you think? Would you teach me how to fight daanavas? Because honestly, I've been looking forward to it.'

He told her the truth, 'It was good but if you had to fight a daanav, you'd lose your weapon like you just did.'

'I wasn't aware that I'd left myself exposed.'

'We'll take care of that,' He assured her.

***

To Anamika, Keval was kind. She made it her personal mission to impress him. She absorbed everything he told her. He taught her with passion. Even when she felt the urja leaving her, she pushed herself. She had to be better, she had to be heard and Keval was giving her a window.

'-no, not that way,' He pointed, 'What did I tell you about daanavas?'

'That they have better reflexes,' she replied.

'Yes. Then tell me what did you do wrong?'

She bit her lower lip. She was a little upset but she answered him, 'I feigned an attack.'

He nodded, 'Good. Remember, Anamika, the easiest way to defeat a daanav is to wait. Deception with them is not going to lead you anywhere. They're strong and fast. They're skilled too but patience is not their forte. You make them impatient, it's an easy win.'

'What about the war?' She asked.

'Which one?'

'What you're saying is only applicable when I'm facing a daanav one on one. What about the war? What if I'm ambushed?' She elaborated. He was about to say something but he stopped himself. He looked at her icily. She suppressed her shudder.

'We'll talk about that later,' he spoke in a clipped tone that made her wonder what she'd said. He paused before saying, 'For now, this is enough. Next time, we'll work on your agility.'

He left her standing there, again.

She gaped at him. This was the second time he had abruptly walked away.

The other Rakshaks who were training were staring at her. Feeling a little conscious, she decided to go somewhere else. She looked up at the tower where she had seen the two silhouettes. They weren't there anymore. She hadn't even seen Laksh. It vexed her. Was Laksh even thinking about where she was? She was aware that he had found his love but she was mad at him for forgetting her. She should have been the first person to know, not Yoshanhara.

The kila had four storeys. Her room was on the second floor. She could've scaled the wall and reached her room but she was too tired. Her room was in one far corner and it was smaller than the room she had back at the Asthadasha station. She knew better than to complain.

She pushed the curtain that hung at the entrance. She stared at it wondering what colour could it be. No one here knew about her flaws. She would be a fool to admit them. She would never be able to prove herself if they came into light. She swallowed the tears that threatened to spill and pushed the curtain aside as she entered.

She sat on the floor and slowly removed her armour.

She didn't want to talk to anyone else anymore. She rested her head on the slab of stone that was intended to be a pillow. As she stared at the plain ceiling, she realized how tired she was.

She shut her eyes and rested.

***

Keval was mad at himself.

Of course, she would ask about the war! What was he thinking?

The Nayaks were training them for war but a part of him didn't like the idea of her going to war. The Rakshaks couldn't win this, not until some divine hand came and helped them out. 

They did not have a force like Ainas on their side. As much as Keval disliked her, he could not deny that she was powerful. She was one of the few disciples of the Maya Devi, the Goddess of Magic and Illusions. She was blessed with immense power by the aforementioned Goddess. None of the Rakshaks would stand a chance against her.

He shook his head to dismiss that thought but it was adamant. He didn't want anything to happen to Anamika. Well, not until he found out why she didn't remember anything from their life on Prithvilok. Though he knew that his life up there wouldn't have been better than the life he had down here, he wanted to know.

He walked off again, without a word. He told himself he must stop doing that. It was a personal mission, he had to get close to her and try to understand why she didn't remember. Maybe her answers could help him fix the gaping hole in his existence.

Currently, he was overseeing a batch of Rakshaks being trained. They were impressive but Keval had seen better.

He liked Anamika's enthusiasm.

He gritted his teeth when her name popped up in his mind again.

But he did have to give her some credit. He knew she was tired but she didn't complain. She was someone who wanted to prove herself.

Just like him.

Exasperated by the sudden revelation, he roughly corrected a Rakshak's posture. He looked up to see Anamika's profile disappear behind her curtain. He shook his head and focussed on the group he was training. He resented his current position. He had immense faith in his talents and thought himself capable of being able to hunt on the Prithvilok.

Instead, he was undermined and stuck training the sorry lot.

He made his resentment clear. The Rakshaks could read his face loud and clear but they attributed it to the loss he had supposedly suffered. 

 The only loss he had ever suffered was his loss of freedom.

'Put some more energy into that,' He barked when he saw a Rakshak reiterating the steps he'd shown, passively. His temper was flaring.

He found himself thinking when the nightmare would end. He used to train with elite daanav ranks and used to emerge as the best of the best but now... He snorted.

'Keval,' He heard an unfamiliar voice call for him.

He shut his eyes praying for strength. If another came up to him asking how he was doing, he'd lose his mind. If there was anything he hated, it was the fake concern shown to him by the Rakshak.

He turned to find a strong man walking toward him. By his attire, Keval knew that the man was a Yamdhut. He was the same one who had presided over the meeting. The Rakshak stopped their training and greeted them by joining their palms and bowing. Keval lowered his gaze and did the same, not out of respect but out of fear.

This Yamdhut was tall and lean. He had the aura of power floating around him. His steps were thunderous and menacing, striking fear into Keval's core. His thin moustache was curled at the side of his lips, crowning a grin.

Keval didn't dare look into his eyes. Ainas had warned him not to.

He knew what his greatest fear was.

'You're quite the warrior,' the Yamdhut complimented him. His voice was serene and could calm even the most unsettled minds but it was not so for Keval.

If Keval had it his way, he would run. He hated how Yamdhuts brought out such cowardly thoughts.

He didn't look up as his face twitched in distaste, 'You're too kind, sir.'

'Drop the formality, Keval,' the Yamdhut said, 'I am Kasa and I wish you address me by my name.'

Keval wanted to tell him to go away. 'To what do I owe the pleasure?' He flinched when he realized how rude and arrogant he sounded.

Thankfully, the Yamdhut laughed it off and took no offence, 'Must you be so formal?'

Keval had a feeling that it was a rhetorical question. He was not wrong. He listened to Kasa with his head bowed down, his eyes fixed on his bare feet.

'I came here to tell you that I am impressed by your zeal. I noticed how you trained the Asthadasha Nayak. It was quite admirable.'

The boy was unsure of how to reply. He took his time to contemplate the appropriate answer but before he could reply, his head was forced upward and his eyes connected with the Yamdhut's. He was frozen in his spot. Never had he seen a pair of eyes that looked so hollow. The dark depths reminded him of the place he hailed from. Terror gripped him in a way it never had. His entire being shuddered. He felt his consciousness being tampered with.

The Yamdhut had his hair gripped in a fist keeping his head steady. The sight of the abyss had rendered him immobile.

When Kasa let go, Keval fell. His legs felt like jelly.

The black faces of his torturers flashed in front of his eyes before he hit his head to the ground.

'Keval, son, are you alright?'

He heard Kasa's voice. This time, Keval didn't feel any fear. The Yamdhut's voice soothed him. The sudden change in his perception of the Yamdhut perturbed him.

Keval shook his head in reply. He felt his urja leave him. He cursed it. It left him just when he needed it the most. He was uncertain of what had happened.

Did Kasa know his secrets?

Consciousness spilt over him and in a moment, he sat up abruptly. It shocked the Yamdhut and the mass that had gathered around him. He rubbed his head and stared at Kasa, trying to figure out if the Yamdhut knew something.

Kasa's face showed nothing but concern. He knelt next to him, 'I am sorry for that, Keval but you carried a lot of pain.'

The boy felt lighter. He could no longer remember what he had been through. He couldn't remember the dark faces that had laughed at him not could he remember the dark words that had been spewed his way.

'What did you do?' His voice trembled as he spoke.

There was a moment of silence that passed.

'I merely relieved you of your pain.'

His eyed widened. He tried to recollect the unhappy things. They came to him in bits and pieces but failed to bring the ache that they always brought along with them. He was grateful for it but the thought nagged him, how much did Kasa know?

As if reading his thoughts, Kasa spoke, 'Don't worry, Keval, I haven't seen what you have experienced for I believe in due time you will tell us yourself.'

Keval felt as if he had been backhanded. Kasa seemed sincere but Keval decided that it was best for him to assume that the Yamdhut was lying. He had to be on his toes. Ainas would not be happy with him.

He didn't like the fact that he was beholden to a Yamdhut.

It complicated the path to his goal.

He nodded and forced a smile, 'Thank you, Kasa.' The familiarity in his voice was a stranger to him too.

The Yamdhut simply grinned widely, 'You're welcome, child.'

***