Avi trembled, pressed to the floor. Every breath shook in his chest.
The faceless woman hovered before him, still and immense, like the shadow of a storm.
"Who are you?" he whispered, voice barely holding together. "What… what do you want from me?"
The air thickened, heavy enough to choke.
"I am the keeper of the Soul World," she said, her voice calm, ancient, and without warmth.
Avi's laugh was weak, hollow. Panic gnawed at him.
"Soul World?" He looked down at his shaking hands. They were solid. Real. He swallowed hard. "Am I dead?"
"You are not dead. Not yet."
His head snapped up, heart hammering.
"Then… why am I here?"
"Because you were close enough to cross," she said, each word deliberate, pressing like cold iron. "And because I need you to return."
Avi's pulse raced. "Return… why? What… what do you want me to do?"
Her presence drew closer, thickening the mist around him.
"There is an ancient book," she said. "It was never meant for human hands. It has been stolen, and it must be found."
Avi shook his head, disbelief flaring into fear. "You… you dragged me here for a book? I'm nobody. I'm not the one to do anything."
"I know who you are," Yakshini replied. "That is exactly why you stand here."
He clenched his fists, jaw tight. "Why me?"
Silence filled the room. Then her voice softened, almost imperceptibly.
"Because you are empty."
The words cut deeper than fire.
"No family waits for you," she continued. "No love binds you. No ambitions blind you. You walk without purpose, and yet you move forward. That is why you hear me."
Avi's chest burned. "And what do you think I want?" he demanded, his voice trembling. "After all these years, after all I've lost… what do you think I want?"
Her faceless form tilted slightly. "You want to see your parents."
The air contracted. Avi's breath caught. His chest rose and fell unevenly.
"That's impossible," he whispered. "They're gone."
"They are not lost," she said. "They exist where all souls pass. But you will see them only when the task is done."
Avi stepped forward without thinking. "Then… I can see them?"
"Yes. Once. If you succeed."
Hope flickered inside him, dangerous and fragile.
"How?" he asked, voice shaking. "How is that even possible?"
The mist around her exploded outward, writhing like living smoke.
"Will you find the book?" she demanded, her voice splitting the air like a blade.
The force of her words lifted him off the ground. Panic erupted as his body spun helplessly in the air.
"Wait!" he gasped. "Please, I don't.."
"If you retrieve it," Yakshini continued, calm but merciless, "I will let you meet them. Once. Not before. Not after."
Avi floated, suspended, staring at the endless emptiness where her features should be. "Tell me about the book," he pleaded. "What is it? Why is it so important?"
She raised a hand, and the mist bent to her will. Symbols formed in the air, spinning and twisting, glowing faintly.
"A karma chakra," she said. "Every soul passes through it. Every action leaves its mark. This book disrupts the cycle. Every use damages it. Each act weakens the boundary."
Cracks formed in the glowing wheel. Avi's eyes widened in horror.
"If it breaks," she said, voice low and terrible, "ancient asuras trapped beyond rebirth will escape. They will devour the mortal world, soul by soul, until nothing remains."
The symbols shattered into mist.
"The book was found decades ago, moved, hidden, stolen again. Its last trace leads to southern India. It must be stopped before it is used again."
Avi's legs gave way as he descended, heart hammering. "And if someone uses it before me?"
Yakshini's gaze bored into him. "Then there will be nothing left for you to return to."
He closed his eyes, tears welling. "Let me see them," he whispered. "And I will find your book."
The mist stilled, almost expectant.
"Then stand," she said. "You have work to do."
The light around her dimmed.
Avi floated, body shaking uncontrollably. His hands clawed at the mist. Fear filled him completely.
Yakshini's presence thickened. Her faceless gaze remained fixed, endless.
"Are you going to find the book?" she asked, voice low and piercing.
"Yes," he gasped. "I… I will."
The mist around her hands spiraled violently. Three swords formed in the air, sharp and trembling, as if made of night itself.
She raised a hand and pointed. One sword shot forward, piercing him from chest to back. He screamed, the sound raw and primal, his body twisting violently. Pain erupted in every nerve.
Before he could recover, the second sword struck. Then the third. He felt his blood and life force mingle with the mist, his body screaming in agony.
"Why… why?" he gasped, vision blurring, falling helplessly through the air.
"These will help you in the mortal world," Yakshini said softly. "Strength beyond the living. Speed beyond fear. Clarity beyond pain. You will wield what humans cannot even imagine."
His body went limp. Head forward. Darkness swallowed him.
He hit the floor with a soft thud. The mist settled. Yakshini hovered silently above him, her faceless gaze eternal, as if the pact had been sealed not with words, but with suffering.