Anamika swung her legs back and forth as she listened to the waters. They were still up there, on the tower overlooking the Mother. 

While Laksh sat there, he tried to balance a khanjar on his index finger. 

The silence was a comfortable one. There was nothing much that they could see, just blank red hills. To Anamika, they looked grey. She looked up at the sky and all shades of black and white stared back at her. She huffed, wishing she could see colours and appreciate the beauty around her. She looked at her brother-in-arms, 'Laksh?'

'Hmm?' He responded but concentrated on the blade.

She looked back at the sky, 'How does the sky look today?'

He flipped the blade between his fingers and rested it next to him. He glanced at her and then at the sky. He took some time to take in the colours he could see. He wanted to do his best to describe the sky for Anamika, though he knew that it would never change. 

She watched as he squinted his eyes, an action that told her he was analyzing his thoughts. 

She waited patiently.

After a few moments of silence, Laksh started to speak. 'You see there,' he hand swept across the horizon. She nodded and leaned closer to him.

'There is black along the horizon.
The colour that stretches from there, 
Is the colour that resembles that darkest of the Mother's.
From there, limbs of fiery red and tamarind yellow, 
Are splattered across the sky.

Some parts like sindur, 
Some parts like blood.
Some parts like fire;
some parts like the dark desires.
Some golden specks of golden like our tears,
But they are few and free like they have nothing to fear.'
 He looked around, to see if he had missed any of the details. When he was satisfied, he grinned at her, 'What do you think?'

'I think it sounds beautiful,' she spoke, truthfully. 

He caught the awe in her tone. He chuckled, 'You always say that.'

'What else can I say?' She shrugged, 'It's the truth.'

'It's always the same, Anamika,' he said. She raised a brow at his words and he laughed, 'But don't stop asking me. It's the only time I may be able to brush up on my poetry.'

She joined him. When their laughter died down, she looked at her brother-in-arms with a big smile on her face, 'Don't worry, I like your poetry.'

Laksh lovingly pinched her nose, 'You're my sister-in-arms, you should love my poetry.'

***

Keval witnessed the entire ordeal. He watched as Ainas devoured the Rakshaks. They were helpless. He desperately wanted her to stop. He wished he had the courage to give up his dream and save them. 

He didn't. 

Closing his eyes, he turned away but couldn't block the screams. There were thirteen of them including the Rakshak Guru. None of them saw him but that didn't make it any better for Keval.

He found himself wondering if it was a mistake, joining hands with the Daanavraj but he immediately pushed the thought away. All this wouldn't matter when he would achieve his freedom. 

Sacrifices have to be made.

This was his sacrifice.

'You know what to do,' Ainas glided toward him. They were still in the Astha station. There was no sound except that of a few petty daanavas enjoying their tiny victory. He hated those dim-witted creatures with a passion. The Daanavraj had told him a story when he was recruited. It was of the King Prahlad. He was the greatest King of the Daanavas and a devout follower of Lord Vishnu. The Daanavraj convinced him that he had the same spirit in him.

Keval had been so moved by that story at that time.

But after witnessing Ainas, he wondered if he had been blind to worship the Daanavraj.

'I do,' He replied. He hoped this short reply would relay his message that he was not interested in her but she was persistent. She stepped closer to him with a wicked grin on her face. He didn't like it when she traced his jaw with her slender fingers, 'You look so grim, Keval. Does my appetite scare you?'

He moved his head away, 'No, Ainas.' He made sure his words were dripping with sarcasm. It failed to wipe her seductive smile. 'Oh, a soul after my own,' She drew closer, her bosom pressed against his. Her braid seemed to have taken a liking toward his nose.

He tried to push her away, 'I want to go over the plan.' She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. He felt his entire being heat up. It was wrong. Her hand over his, she forced him to squeeze her. Her nippled hardened and she moaned loudly. This caught the attention of the daanavas. Keval was seething when they whistled at the sight. She forced her lips over his. Keval felt nothing but rage. He tried to move away from her but she used her magic to keep him close.

He was disgusted.

'What's the hurry, Keval?' She looked at him through her long lashes. Guiding his other hand to the small of her back, she buried her head in the arch of his neck and moaned in pleasure, 'We've been over it several times.'

'The Daanavraj wouldn't appreciate this.'

'But I do, Keval. Don't deny me this simple pleasure,' she drawled in his ear.

He fought her powers. 'It's inappropriate,' He hissed. He was well-aware of the daanavas eyes on him. They would rat him out without even thinking. They would enjoy watching the Daanavraj punish him. He tried to push her away again, 'It's inappropriate, Ainas!' He almost yelled.

All of a sudden, her hands were off him and she was clutching his face. He could feel her nails digging into the surface. She looked enraged and he believed that it was better than the sex-craving monster. Those blank eyes projected rage, 'You belong to me, Keval!' She seethed, 'the Daanavraj gave you to me!'

He wanted to argue with her but it was true. When the Daanavraj had placed him under her, his message had been clear. She owned him. He bit his tongue, holding back a retort.

'You will satisfy me or else I send you back to where you came from!'

He lost his composure. 

He never wanted to go back to where he came from.

She grinned at the reaction she got. Patting his cheeks she pulled herself away from him. 'We can go over the plan now.'

***

'We're going on a hunt,' Dhurya yelled loudly so that the two souls sitting on the top of the tower heard him right away, 'Hurry up!'

Laksh replied, 'In a moment!' He turned to look at the girl sitting next to him. She had fear in her eyes. He understood why she was so worried. He was worried too but for her sake, he didn't show it. 

'Let's go, Anamika. We've got work to do.'

They got up and climbed down the tower. They went to the weaponry and armed themselves and then made their way toward the vara where Dhurya, Gomedha and Rohini were waiting for them. Anamika saw another face there.

Kasa.

She was hoping Yoshanhara would be the one who would accompany them. 

Kasa smiled at her but she couldn't bring herself to return it, so she nodded.

'We're going to slay some pisachas,' Gomedha informed them.

The assignments came from the Eka station, the highest-ranking Rakshak station. The Eka Rakshaks were skilled in every form of fighting. Souls usually didn't last that long to rise up the ranks. Anamika hoped that she would be able to be one of them and Laksh would be with her when she would.

Clutching the hilt of Nashtra, she composed herself. She could not have her thoughts wander ahead of time. 

She had to keep them in harmony with her soul.

'Anamika?' Laksh's voice brought her out of her reverie. 

She looked up to see that the portal was open. He raised his brow, silently asking her if she was alright. She forced a smile and nodded slowly. Gomedha and Dhurya had already crossed realms. Kasa gave her an encouraging smile and gestured her to step inside the portal.

Without a thought, she stepped through the realms.

The Prithvilok looked gorgeous as ever. Tall coniferous trees surrounded her, making her feel insignificant. It seemed to her that they were looking down at her, trying to intimidate her. She pursed her lips and shivered as her hands reached her weapon. She followed Laksh who was already prepared. He was holding Indria in his hands and had already mounted an arrow on the string.

Gomedha was holding her talwar, the blade upward as if she was thrusting into the air. They navigated through the woods. Dhurya led them. He had his mace in his hands. Behind Anamika was Kasa. He was carefully walking behind them. He had no weapon except the khanjar that was strapped to his chest.

In the midst of the woods was an abrupt clearing. An old and broken two-storey house stood in front of them. It looked like it would topple over any moment.

'I thought pisachas live in graveyards,' Gomedha whispered.

No one replied to her so she shrugged.

'How many are inside?' Laksh asked. His voice was lower than Gomedha's. Kasa answered his question, 'Five.'

'They're not supposed to be in groups,' Laksh spoke, 'this is strange.'

'Don't let that message get to you, Laksh,' Dhurya pressed his back against the bark of a tree. 'No matter what, we'll end those sorry creatures.'

Everyone there understood the meaning of his words. He was talking about the Astha station.

Laksh glanced at Anamika and then at Kasa. Anamika didn't miss the look the Yamdhut gave him.

He was hiding something. 

She was sure of it but didn't want to think about it.

She motioned Laksh to follow her.

Dhurya was about to explain the plan when Kasa stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder, 'Let Anamika lead this one'. 

Dhurya furrowed his brows but stepped back. Anamika looked at Laksh who looked confused. She was stunned at the strange order. 

'No. She can't do that,' Dhurya hissed, 'That's my responsibility!'

'It's just one task, Dhurya,' Kasa's tone was gentle but it was clear that it was a command. Dhurya shut up about it but everyone knew that he would cause a ruckus later on. 

Kasa was asking a subordinate to lead.

'So what's the plan, Anamika?' the Yamdhut asked.

Anamika opened her mouth but she was a stuttering mess. Dhurya was glaring at her and so was Gomedha. She didn't know what to do. She would be in so much trouble if Rohini came to know about this.

'Go on, Anamika,' Laksh smiled. 

That was all the motivation she needed.

The plan she laid out was very simple. Dhurya ticked his tongue disapprovingly when she explained it. She didn't like it but she let it slide.

They surrounded the house while Anamika walked to the front door. It was slightly off the hinges. She chose to make a silent hunt, being noisy was not her style. She slithered inside through the opening. The interior was no better than the exterior. The smell of rotten meat and wood assaulted her nose. It was falling apart. Threads of webs fluttered when she moved past it. 

It was eerily quiet. Pisachas were neither silent nor did they ever live in groups. It was against their nature. They were wretched and selfish creatures who fed on human flesh.

They weren't like bharmanas, that stayed together, hunted together and ate together. That was the only thing that Anamika admired about those hideous creatures- they did everything together as a unit.

The dust rose when she glided past the walls. She couldn't spot any of the creatures.

Even if they were near her, they would show no interest in her. She was only a soul. She wasn't flesh and bone and blood.

A faint rattle stopped her. She turned to face the other side of the corridor. At the end of the corridor, she saw a wooden plank fall from the ceiling. It snapped and landed on the wooden floor.

She didn't make any sudden movements.

The sound might lure them out.

A shadow was cast over the plank. She almost smirked. Her feet barely made any sound. She felt herself soaring like the wind toward the end of the corridor. She grabbed Nashtra by the hilt and swung the sword in the corner.

A loud crash was followed by a louder shriek.

She got one.

But one too many.

There were four of them crammed up in that tiny room. Three pair of beady and bloodshot eyes stared at her, hungrily. The three of them were hunched over an open carcass. The entrails were being sucked into their mouths. She had no doubt that it was a human body. 

They're not supposed to be in groups, Laksh's voice echoed in her mind.

Pisachas never shared food.

Not giving herself any time to think more than she already had, she flung herself out of the dusty window to lure them out. The glass shattered on impact. She landed on the balls of her feet like a feline.

The pisachas tore the wall down and stepped outside, enraged.

She always thought they were disgusting. Their beady eyes glared into her soul. Their thick, meaty and hairless bodies were on display. To the Rakshaks, nudity wasn't something to be ashamed of. It was a sign of confidence and power but the sight of those bodies made her want to gag.

It made her wonder about their intellect. They had enough brains to adorn themselves with bone jewellery but not enough to clothe themselves?

They had their claws ready to take her down. She couldn't see the colour, but there was a thick liquid dripping from their claws and teeth. She had no doubt that it was blood. Human blood. Their head was roughly triangular, with all that headspace, she figured they couldn't be any dumber. A big head doesn't necessarily make anyone smarter.

The one she had injured stumbled outside. She saw the damage she had done. Her talwar had severed an arm.

Her job was done. She had lured them out.

An arrow tore through the air and struck one of them in the eye. They shrieked.

They launched themselves at her.

She stayed put. The air around her hummed as her team came out of hiding and came forth to attack them.

Then they played offence.

***

'What you did there was pretty impressive,' Kasa spoke. Anamika looked away. She didn't deserve the compliment. It didn't seem fair to Dhurya. They had fought well and slain all of them. They burned their bodies so that they wouldn't be able to resuscitate themselves later.

Laksh showed her his quiver. 'Good job,' he whispered in her ear. She counted eighteen arrows and managed a small smile.

She found herself avoiding Dhurya's eyes. He was glaring daggers at her making it very clear to her that he was infuriated. She would be too if she were in his position. She blamed the Yamdhut for her current predicament. It wasn't her fault. She was only following orders.

Dhurya should be mad at Kasa and not at her.

'Do you want my ring too?' He hissed as he spun the vartula. The atmosphere around them charged as the Prithvilok began to ripple. All of them chose to ignore him. Clearly, it wasn't the right time to engage in a conversation.

When they reached the station, Dhurya marched away without greeting Rohini. Of course, the old lady asked the others what happened. Thankfully, Kasa explained his orders.

Rohini did not say anything. She dismissed those under her with a wave of her hand. Soon she was alone with the Yamdhut. She narrowed her eyes at him, 'What are you playing at?'

Kasa gave her a curt smile, 'You will find out when the time comes.'

'That is no answer!' She almost yelled, 'I will not take that as an answer after what happened to that soul in the Astha station! What you ordered was reckless! They could've met the same fate.'

'There were no daanavas around and you forget, the Astha station went on a hunt without a Yamdhut,' His face showed no trace of emotion, 'And what are you so worried about? She did well today.'

Rohini's face was as cold as steel, 'You will never do such a thing, ever again.'

'I understand your concern,' his hostile emotions took over, 'but don't ever use that tone on me, Rohini. You're a Rakshak Guru and I'm a Yamdhut.'

She snarled at his tactic. He pulled his rank on her. She chuckled darkly, 'It's so pathetic that you'd use your rank on me.'

He tilted his head and gave her a wicked smile. It made her soul feel cold and dark. Her rage had dissolved into fear. His smile grew wider when he extracted his desired reaction out of her, 'Until next time, Rohini.'

There was a burst of blinding light and then he was gone.

***

Keval was nervous. The time had come. He was going to step into the portal that led him to the Eka station. Ainas had given him the vartula that opened the doorway.

The plan had been altered after Ainas had decimated the Rakshaks of the Astha station. He was to go to the Eka station directly, narrating the entire incident.

He looked down at his armour. He had borrowed it from the station forge. The strange crest on his chest glared back at him.

He would have to be careful.

He went over the checklist in his mind once again.

How did he escape? Because Guru Falit bought him time by giving himself up.

Why didn't anyone else survive? His sacrifice wasn't enough for everyone.

How many phases are there in the plan? Three. Three phases.

I must pretend I am broken, he told himself. He snickered, 'That should be easy.' His tortures had broken him many times.

'Everything will be alright, Sakhi,' He whispered to himself as the surface in front of him began to ripple like waves in the water. He clutched the hilt of his talwar. The following moments were very important. If he messed it up... He shook his head. He told himself that he couldn't think about something that would never happen. 

Whatever the reason, he could not mess this up.

Ainas was long gone along with her daanav-pets. He was glad that she wasn't here to see him off.

He preferred to go through it alone.

No pressure.

He spun the vartula around his index finger seven times. While turning it for the last time, he yelled out loud, 'Ekam!'

The quiet atmosphere around him hummed as his surroundings began to dissolve into ripples of darkness. Fear gripped him. He thought of the instructions Ainas had given him. He had been very careful and had followed them word to word. In the short moment of panic, he truly believed that she had misled him, that she had set him up for failure.

He felt sick.

He prayed silently to the devas.

He was shrouded by darkness for another moment before a bright light appeared, as small as a dot. Insignificant, but there. 

Soon, it consumed all the darkness. It was so bright that he felt the surface of his soul burn. It was too fast. He didn't have time to shut his eyes. He should have but he was paralysed by his fears.

Then it was gone. 

He whimpered as he fell on his knees.

'Deva! Who are you?!' He heard a masculine voice.

His eyes registered a silhouette. 'I-' He stuttered. He was unable to find words. He wanted to slap himself to bring his concentration back. 'He-lp,' He managed. He knew that Ainas had something to do with this. She must've done something to make him feel this way.

He could imagine her evil grin. He cursed her and swore he would find a way to ruin her.

'Abhay! Guru Gavistha! Someone just came through the vara!'

That was the last thing Keval heard before he plunged into darkness.

***