She came bearing warning, but her presence was prophecy—the war had already begun, and it began with her.
~~~~~
In Pataallok, the lady behind Ahmaya's kidnapping—Gyanwati—kneels before her king, updating him on recent events.
"She is not a mere Aokma," Gyanwati says, her voice tense. "She is someone… unique, her golden aura was different. We need to find her."
The chamber is a dark, smoke-filled cave reeking of damp stone. The king sits high on a throne carved into the stone ceiling.
"You claimed you were the most powerful among them," the king growls.
"Yes, I am," she replies quickly, then hesitates. "But… but she is not a regular Aokma. I can defeat her—but first, we need to find her, Your Highness."
"I don't want our strength wasted on an Aokma who holds no title and bears no importance," the king snaps.
"Defeat God's major players. Crush the ones who matter. That's how we rise to power and take what is ours."
His eyes narrow in thought. "What's that Aokma's name…? Yes… I remember now. Ayani. Kill her and her family. She's been a thorn in our path long enough. I doubt she'll surrender her powers unless she is dead."
He leans forward, his voice cold and commanding:
"I order you, Gyanwati—bring me her dead body within two days. Prove that you are still the most powerful of them all."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Gyanwati, the woman who had everything and lost it all because she abused her power and failed to perform her duties properly, Instead of repenting for her faults, she joined forces with the wicked. Yes, she hates Ayani, which is why she threatened to sever her leg the last time. She needs the power from her, but Ayani strongly denies transferring it. She could have killed her when she had the chance, but she never did. Because murdering her might hurt someone she was close to in the past, someone she loved and possibly still does, that's why her heart stops her every time she is about to kill her.
.
Meanwhile, in Nako, morning sunlight spills over the peaks as Ayani's father prepares a small meal for Ahmaya and heads to his sacred lake.
As he dives in, he notices a figure already standing inside the water—calm, waiting.
"Hi. It's been a long time," Gyanwati greets him with a sharp grin.
"Why are you here?" he asks quietly.
"The master gave me two days to bring your daughter's dead body," she says bluntly. "I came to warn you. Tell her to surrender her powers."
"She won't," he replies, his voice now firm with rising anger.
"Then I have no choice," she warns.
"I won't let you touch her."
"You can't stop me."
"What happened to you?" he asks, hurt breaking through his tone. "What have you become?"
"Look at me with your wide open eyes ," she murmurs, eyes gleaming with hatred "Look at me. You're wondering what I've become? You pushed me into this darkness."
"No, it was not me. You'd have done what you're doing now, no matter what I decided."
"I'm not here to debate your assumptions," she cuts in coldly. "I'm giving you today. Spend it with your daughter. Because tomorrow… she dies."
"You'll never touch her."
She turns to leave, fury in her motion. But just before she vanishes, Ayani's father speaks again—softly, almost wistfully:
"How have you been?"
She pauses… but says nothing and disappears into the shadows.
.
Ahmaya awakens as sunlight comes through the window and warms her forehead. She rubs her eyes groggily, then turns to gaze outside. The lake shimmers under the morning light. The water is clear, revealing far more fish than she had seen the night before.
Far off, she spots Ayani's father standing in the water—speaking with someone. Ignoring him, she gets up to drink some water. But then, something tugs at her thoughts. She glances again… and recognises the woman.
It's Gyanwati—the woman from Pataallok who kidnapped her.
What is Ayani's father doing with her? Ahmaya's trust begins to waver, she is confusion . Why is he talking to the Lady of Evils? Is Ayani hiding something from me?
*KNOCK*
She opens the door for Ayani's father, holding a plate of breakfast.
"I brought something for you to eat. Did you think about the correct answer?"
Ahmaya ignores the question, her eyes sharp with suspicion.
"What were you doing with her?"
"With whom?"
"That evil woman from Pataal Lok."
"That's none of your business," he replies, attempting to brush it off.
"I know what she's capable of. I can't trust you until you tell me."
He lets out a quiet laugh. "So, you are a curious and furious one. But she's not truly evil—she just chose the wrong side."
"Why are you defending her?"
"I'm not. I'm simply telling you the truth."
"She almost cut off your daughter's leg!"
"But she didn't, did she?"
Ahmaya's face flushes with frustration. "We escaped only because my powers summoned .Otherwise…"
"Maybe she was just trying to scare you. Even if your powers hadn't awakened , I don't believe she would have actually hurt her."
"What are you trying to say?"
"She only wants power. The truth is, she could've killed my daughter long ago if she wanted to. But she hasn't—because she doesn't want to. She just wants the power we carry."
"Why are you still defending her?" Ahmaya's voice trembles with anger.
"I'm not defending her. I'm explaining her. Do you even know who she is? Her name is Gyanwati—because she is filled with knowledge and wisdom."
(In Hindi, "Gyan" means knowledge or wisdom, and "Wati" means one who possesses it. Gyanwati means "the one who possesses knowledge.")
"Then just answer one thing: why did she come here to meet you?"
"I told you—it's none of your business," he says firmly. "Use your energy to focus on the correct answer if you wish to master your power."
And with that, he turns and walks away.
Ahmaya stands in silence. His response leaves her more curious than ever. His words… they made strange sense.
She's powerful enough to kill Ayani—so why hasn't she?
There's something going on.
She knows now that the only one who holds the answers is Ayani's father. She must earn his trust—become a excellent student. Only then can she uncover the truth hidden beneath these strange encounters.
Her heart tells her that he is a good man. She just has to peel back a few more layers to understand this world better.
That afternoon, Ayani's father returns with lunch.
"Have you thought about the correct answer?"
"Yes…" Ahmaya nods. "I need to evoke my power so that I can make correct use of it so that I can eliminate the evil with it for which it has been given."
She's confident, believing her answer is right.
He sighs, slowly shaking his head.
"That's a great realisation, but this is not the correct answer."
Ahmaya is now even more puzzled; if this isn't the correct answer, what is?
.
Ayani's father may believe Gyanwati won't harm his daughter—but still, he is deeply uneasy. Her coming in person was no ordinary threat—it was a warning. And he knows better than to ignore it.
He quickly sends a message to Ayani, asking her to come to Nako as soon as possible.
Ayani receives the message. She understands the urgency—and rushes to Nako immediately.
"Dad, what's going on?" she asks the moment she arrives. "Why did you call me so urgently? Is something wrong?"
She looks around and notices several others have gathered—her cousins, maternal uncle, and other relatives from the Aokma community.
She greets them, then turns to her father again. "What's going on dad? Why are they all here?"
Her father's expression is grave, sure, his voice slow and heavy.
"I think….there will be a… war tomorrow."