They were not prey, nor playthings. They carried the fire of worlds unseen—And when they said, 'Don't mess with us,' Even darkness dared to step back.
~~~~~
"Don't worry," the woman says in a calm voice. "You won't feel anything. I will send you back wherever you want—so you can return to your ordinary little life. Just let me perform the ritual."
"How can I trust you?" Ahmaya asks, suspicion etched into her face.
The woman smirks. "As if you have any other option. I promise—you will reach your destination safely."
Ahmaya's shoulders slump. "What do you want me to do?"
She feels helpless. She doesn't have a choice. She has to get home, and this woman—this thing—is powerful. Ahmaya can feel it. If she defies her, she may be killed. Then she will never return home.
"Nothing much, kid," the woman says casually, then turns to a man standing nearby. "Take her. Give her whatever she wants. Feed her. She looks exhausted. And dress that wound—she can't go home bleeding."
She approaches Ahmaya and places her fingers gently on her cheek.
"Go with him. Eat something. Freshen up."
Ahmaya follows the man down a narrow stone corridor. She remains on edge—the man's expression is grim, almost frightening. He dresses her wound in silence, then asks if she wants anything specific to eat.
Ahmaya refuses the food. She has no appetite. Her heart is still aching from the illusion she was forced to see. Her mother. Her father. All of it.
Moments later, the man escorts her back.
Ahmaya freezes.
In the center of the dark cave, the woman has drawn a massive rhombus on the ground. She sits at one end of the shape and motions to the spot opposite her.
"Sit there."
Ahmaya doesn't move.
"What is this?" she demands.
"It's a process to send you home," the woman replies tersely. "Don't ask too many questions. It hinders my flow."
Ahmaya lets out a sharp breath in anger but then sits down.
The cave seems to stifle its own breath. The room is quiet.
The woman begins to chant—humming some ancient mantra. At first, Ahmaya feels nothing. Then, slowly, she starts to feel a tingling sensation on her skin. Her fingers start to shake.
Suddenly, a noise.
A rush of feet. A voice shouting. A figure darts into the cave.
It's Ayani.
She comes in like a storm, knocking things over and ruining the ceremony.
"You can't do this!" Ayani yells.
The woman growls and lunges at her, grabbing Ayani by the neck. She lifts her off the ground, and her eyes are full of rage.
Several men grab Ahmaya, holding her back. She struggles, horrified.
Ayani fights to breathe. She's fading.
One of the men slams a rod into Ayani's back. She gasps. The woman lets go, and Ayani collapses.
Panting, Ayani lifts her head. "Leave her alone! Don't do this!"
She pushes herself up, wincing, then channels a burst of green light from her hands.
The blast knocks back the men holding Ahmaya. Ayani quickly pulls her into a shielding hold.
"Why are you here?" Ayani asks Ahmaya, trembling.
"Don't trust her," Ayani says, glaring at the woman. "She doesn't have the power to help you."
The woman only laughs, and with a flick of her hand, attacks Ayani again.
A battle begins.
Ayani is quick—but weakening. The woman overpowers her, lifts her effortlessly by the arm, and slams her into the stone wall.
Ayani hits the ground hard. She doesn't rise.
"No!" Ahmaya screams and runs to her.
"Are you okay?" she whispers, kneeling beside her.
"You need to go," Ayani gasps. "Now. She's dangerous. She will strip you of your power."
The woman points at Ahmaya, her voice venomous.
"Come here. Let's finish this. And tell God's little servant to stay out of it."
Ahmaya shakes her head.
"No… this is not right."
"Are you serious?" the woman snarls. "Do you want me to kill her?"
She points at Ayani, who is barely breathing.
"Don't," Ahmaya says, tears in her eyes. "Just don't. I know what you're doing is wrong… and I will not be a part of it."
"Don't you want to go home?" the woman asks casually.
Ahmaya falls into deep thought.
She knows—she feels—that what this woman is doing is wrong. Something about her energy, her tone, the way she toys with pain. But she's also the only one so far who has confidently claimed the power to send her home. And Ahmaya wants to believe her.
Should she ignore Ayani's warning and obey the woman? Or trust Ayani and risk becoming the woman's prey?
"You're taking too long, kid," the woman days "Sure, take your time. In the meantime, I'll kill her."
She steps back and grabs a new doll. Twisting its hair, she grins wickedly. Ayani screams. Her scalp feels as if it's being torn apart.
Ahmaya watches, horrified. She's still wavering. Even if she sides with Ayani, will the woman let them go?
Now, the woman picks up a knife. Holding the doll in her left hand, she giggles and scratch its stomach.
Ayani screams in pain. Her stomach is bleeding. Ahmaya runs to her and puts her shaking hands over the wound to try to stop the bleeding.
"Don't do this!" she yells. Then, seeing the knife gleam in the woman's hand, she softens. "Please."
"I can't help it," the woman says mockingly. "Should I cut off one of your legs next, Ayani?" She lets out a cackle.
"That would be fun! How will you rule your precious forest hopping around on one leg?"
"Why are you torturing people?" Ahmaya demands, tears of fury in her eyes.
"I'm not interested in answering you."
She lowers the knife toward the doll's leg.
"God will never forgive you," Ayani says through clenched teeth.
The woman sneers. "Where is your god now? When your leg is about to be cut in half?"
She raises the knife.
Ahmaya's heart pounds. Ayani is already bleeding. What should she do? Obey the woman and hope to escape? But Ayani said she needed her power. What power? What is the right thing to do?
Ahmaya turns to Ayani, her eyes brimming with tears.
She remembers what Ayani has done for her. From the beginning, she felt a connection like Ayani knew her. Ayani soothed her, believed in her. She was the only one who felt real in this nightmare. The only one connected to her world from 2025. The only one who was here to protect her.
Suddenly, an image flashes through Ahmaya's mind….her mother's tearful face.
Ahmaya stands up and stares the woman in the eyes, her anger growing.
"Don't do this," she says, voice trembling. "I told you….don't mess with us."
The woman narrows her eyes.
"You better not look at me like that, girl. Because once I am done chopping her leg, I will snatch your eyeballs out."
She lowers the knife to the doll's leg.
As the blade touches it, Ahmaya screams
"DON'T!"
Her voice explodes through the cave. The ground shakes. Her eyes widen, glowing red.
She takes a few bold steps forward.
"I…..SAID…..DON'T…...MESS…..WITH…..US!"
As she screams, a radiant golden light bursts from her body, shaking the earth. She throws the woman back, hitting the cave's far wall with a loud bang.