She rests in silence, cloaked in power beneath the waters... While he walks the earth, shattered—For the one he love but never truly saw.
~~~~~
Ayani tells her father everything—how Ahmaya arrived here, how they met. How fate seemed to bring them together.
"Keep her with you," she requests. "Please help her awaken her energy and find a way to send her back."
She explains, "Her powers….I think, they're emotion-driven. The last time I was in danger, her energy suddenly surged. And when her emotions peaked again, she radiated her powers."
Ahmaya observes the man closely. Ayani's father feels noble—humble, even. She can sense honesty in his aura, a glimmer of goodness in his eyes.
"What's your age?" her father asks Ahmaya.
"Eighteen," she replies.
He narrows his eyes. "Strange… no one ever told you, and you never sensed your powers before now?"
"Maybe she's only here to discover them," Ayani offers.
"But why were you in her dreams?" he asks, puzzled.
"Maybe God wanted to show her the path—through me," Ayani says.
Her father doesn't seem fully convinced. There's suspicion in his expression, but also thoughtfulness. He isn't entirely happy with how Ayani has handled the situation. Still, he nods slowly, sensing something important in Ahmaya's presence.
"She can stay with me," he agrees at last.
"Thank you, sir," Ahmaya says gratefully.
"From now on, my father will teach you," Ayani says. "I'll meet you tomorrow." And with that, she disappears.
Ayani's father turns back to Ahmaya. "What do you know about your powers?"
"When I feel strongly—fear, love, sadness—it awakens." She says. "But I don't know how to use them."
He nods, "I once taught my daughter. I can teach you too. But first, you must tell me why you want to learn. If you give me a correct answer, I'll become your guide."
Ahmaya falls silent. After a moment, she says, "So I can go back… to where I came from."
He shakes his head. "That's wrong."
She lowers her gaze.
"Rest today," he says. "Tomorrow, give me a better answer."
Since they'd arrived in the middle of the night, Aurora is beginning to rise now. Ahmaya hasn't slept much at Pushpa's place either, and exhaustion is etched into her body.
"Let's take you somewhere safe. Do you know how to swim?"
"I'm a basic swimmer… not great," she admits.
He chuckles, then gently circles around her once. "Catch my hand, kid."
She takes his hand hesitantly—and before she can protest, he dives straight into the lake.
"What the....!!!" She gasps as they jump into the water.
To her surprise, she finds she can open her eyes underwater. Everything around her is crystal clear—bubbles, reflections, shimmering stones, and dancing fish. He guides her deeper, until they reach a strange object embedded at the far end of the lake.
"It's a door," she says, amazed.
They approach. He unlocks it, and it creaks open.
Inside, there is a small room. The walls smells of water and earth, yet the space is dry and oddly warm.
"It is a bit messy and some water leaks in," he admits, "but it is safe. Make yourself comfortable. And if you're scared at night… well…" He turns and notices something.
"Oh, you're already here," he says to the terrapin waiting quietly on the floor.
Ahmaya is shocked to see the turtle-like creature and springs.
"Don't be scared," the man says. "He's kind—and he'll keep you company. If you need anything, just tell him."
"I....How?" she asks, still eyeing the creature with caution.
"Believe me," he smiles, "he's smarter than some humans I've known. And this place is practically his home."
"You don't live here?" she asks.
"No. I have a place above, in the human world. I stay there with Ayani's mother. All right, child—rest well. I'll return tomorrow."
With a sigh, he leaves.
Ahmaya surveys the small space. There is a square wooden table on the left and a mattress on the right. The mattress is on the floor and is covered in silk sheets and a folded blanket. There is a big glass window above it.
She rushes to it, stunned by the view.
From beneath the lake, she can see fish gliding in golden light. She spots the father swimming above, glancing back. He sees her face through the window, smiles, and waves before walking off.
The lake's calming aura fills the space. The terrapin is nearby. He's oddly cute, but Ahmaya hesitates to touch him.
Ahmaya lies on the mattress. It's surprisingly soft. Thoughts swim in her mind—Ayani, Kitbok, the answer her father wants. Until she gives the right one, she won't be trained.
Her stomach growls.
Just then, the Terrapin opens the door by himself and walks out.
After a while the terrapin returns, dragging a leaf in his mouth. On it are mushrooms, some fruits she doesn't recognize, and what look like edible plant stems.
"What's this?" she asks.
He waddles to the wooden table, where an alphabet chart lies on the floor. He points at a letter.
"F?" she says. He points again.
"O?" she guesses.
"Food?" she asks. The terrapin lets out a small grunt—affirmation.
"You brought this for me?"
He taps again.
"Y… E… S. Yes?"
He grunts once more.
"Thank you," she says with genuine warmth.
The terrapin purrs softly.
She eats with him.
That night, though she arrived weary and uncertain, Ahmaya sleeps deeply—for the first time in many days.
.
The atmosphere at Kitbok's residence is spiralling out of control.
"Let's fix the date for Kitbok's wedding," one of the elders announces with finality.
Kitbok clenches his fists. "Dad, I don't want to marry her."
There's a pause.
His father's eyes burn with rage. "Do you even know who that girl Pushpa really is? That widow—who seduced you?"
Kitbok flinches. "What are you talking about? Who are you even referring to?"
"That woman you helped shamelessly with Rupomoi," his brother jumps in. "That's Pushpa."
"Pushpa?" Kitbok's voice falters. His whole body freezes.
"Yes," his brother says, practically spitting the words. "She is a widow, she ran away from her in-law's house. And now look at her—shamelessly seducing you."
Kitbok stares at them in disbelief, his mind a fog of confusion and pain.
"What are you even—"
"She's been lying to you all along," his brother cuts him off again. "Her name is Pushpa. That's who she really is."
Everything inside Kitbok collapses. Pushpa. Ahmaya. The woman he thought he knew—who is she?
He says nothing and dashes out of the home to Ayani's house. His heart racing with fear and heartbreak, and he breathes in quick bursts.
.
'BANG!'
He slams on the door. Ayani, who has just returned after safely leaving Ahmaya, opens the door in surprise.
He's panting, his eyes wide.
"Ahmaya. I mean… Pushpa? Who is she? Is she Pushpa or Ahmaya?!"
Ayani's face tightens. "She's both."
"What?" he demands. "Give me a straight answer!"
"This is complicated," Ayani says, her voice calm but heavy. "You wouldn't understand."
"Tell me!" he shouts. "Did you know she was a widow?!"
Ayani looks away for a moment before speaking.
"Ahmaya, came from the future—I mean...her soul did. Ahmaya is living inside Pushpa's body. I knew Pushpa was a widow, but Ahmaya… she ended up inside her. None of us chose it."
Kitbok steps back as if struck. His voice trembles.
"So… the face I kissed… the hand I held… it wasn't really hers?"
Ayani says nothing. The silence speaks enough.
"Oh my God," he whispers, collapsing into himself. "This is so messed up."
"I told you it would be difficult," Ayani says gently. "You went too far in."
But he's already turning away, staggering down the path.
Tears stream down his face as he walks, and soon he's sobbing—loud and broken cries that echo through the trees. The sky listens. The wind listens. The mountains listen.
She's not even in her own body.
She doesn't belong here.
He cries harder, unable to hold anything. His voice shatters the stillness of the night. He has never even seen the real Ahmaya—never touched her real hand, never looked into her true eyes—and yet he loves her more deeply than he thought possible.
And now, the truth makes it unbearable.
She's here—but she's not.
And he's left to live an ordinary existence without the one soul who turned his entire world upside down.
Who did I fall for? he asks himself.
Was it Pushpa—the face, the hands, the voice he knew?
Or was it Ahmaya—the soul, the light, the energy behind that voice?
He doesn't know anymore.