My eyes opened in the morning as the light slowly engulfed the darkness. I got out of bed, took my clothes, and moved towards the riverbank. I could hear the giggling of ladies. I reached the riverbank. The darkness had faded by now, and we could recognize people's faces.

I entered the river. I was bathing when I saw a few men staring at the ladies from behind a tree while they were changing clothes. My hands turned into fists, and my jaw clenched in anger. Without a second thought, I swayed my hands in the air, and the lightning in my palm collided with their eyes, taking their sight away.

Suddenly, I started feeling cold, and my legs began shivering. I immediately got out of the water. My body was still shivering, and I was clueless. This had never happened before—not even when I was in the cave between mountains. How is it happening now?

I saw women coming towards me. I wrapped the saree around me, and as the women approached, I knew I couldn't stay longer. I walked towards my home and saw my mother coming with flowers. She saw my state and ran towards me immediately.

“Maya, what happened?” she asked, but I had no energy. I collapsed on the ground, my eyelids felt heavy, and I heard the chaos before my eyes closed.

I opened my eyes. My vision became clearer, and I found Gurudev with his disciples. I slowly sat on the bed, feeling weak. My mother and a few other women were standing in the room.

“Pranam, Gurudev.”

“Yogmaya, did you use your powers?” he asked in a stern tone, and I remembered using them on some men near the river.

“Yes, Gurudev. Some men from other villages were watching women changing clothes.” I told him, and I heard him sigh.

“Yogmaya, I told you not to use your power. The more you use it, the weaker you will become, and it will be impossible to recover. You have not gained full power yet, and your third stage will be crucial. They do not want you to use your power to achieve your goal. You are once again the old Yogmaya.” he told me, and I looked at him in shock. The realization hit me—I was back to square one.

“Gurudev, what does this mean? What was the point of all those years if I am once again that weak Yogmaya?” I couldn’t help but ask. I had worked day and night, gained strength, power, and will—only to find out that I was weak again.

“You were never weak, Yogmaya. That’s why you are here today. You gained willpower, which will help you in your third stage. Understand, Yogmaya, this requires all your worship and devotion. You cannot misuse your powers; that is why they are declining. Do not use them—it will weaken your body,” he said. It was frustrating. Even though I knew he was right, I couldn’t digest the fact that I was powerless again.

“Yogmaya, your path is difficult. Did I make you this weak? I thought Yogmaya was brave, but here you are, acting like a weak child—as if you didn’t know your path would be difficult,” he said sternly. I looked at him with guilt. He was right—I was not weak. Even if my powers were gone, I still had my strength and will.

“Forgive me, Gurudev. For a moment, I strayed from my path,” I apologized, knowing I had behaved immaturely despite knowing everything.

“Hmm… Get ready. You have to leave in the evening,” he said, and I nodded. The room slowly emptied, but my mother remained.

She looked at me sadly and sat beside me, cupping my cheeks and kissing my forehead.

“Maya, I don’t have a good feeling about this. Can you drop this, please? I have only you,” she pleaded. I held her hands, squeezed them slightly to comfort her, and gave a tight-lipped smile.

“Trust me, Maa. That is enough for me to win over anything. I know you’re worried, but Maa, it’s too late now. I am closer to my goal, and all I need is your unwavering support.” I said softly. I wanted to go, but not like this. I knew my mother was very vulnerable—after all, I was all she had left. She nodded slightly, then took her hands away from mine and walked out, leaving me alone in the room.

I got ready for the event. Each day brought me closer to my goal. I could never be more thankful for the opportunity I had to help humankind. I was happy that Kuldevi Maa chose me out of everyone to make this happen.

After today, I would lose almost all my power. Well, I wasn’t truly losing it, but if I couldn’t use it, then it was as good as nothing. This was my way of training my mind not to use my power, even in the toughest situations. My willpower alone would be enough to bring my enemies to their knees.

I looked at myself in the mirror—a figure adorned with jewelry. But the way I saw it, it was a power bound by rules and responsibilities.

We stood outside my house, and my gaze landed on my mother, who was trying to control her tears. I felt bad that she was crying because of me. She always cries when I go but when I return she has been the happiest of all.

We moved towards the temple, and the women behind me followed. After some time, I was standing in the temple yard, where other priests were chanting mantras and performing the yagya. We all stood with our hands joined. We closed our eyes and chanted the mantras after them.

Our eyes opened at the sound of the conch, signaling the completion of the yagya. My eyes landed on Kriti, who was looking at me curiously. The moment our eyes met, she smiled at me like a fool. I looked away and focused on Gurudev, who was signaling me to perform the aarti.

I knew I was on the toughest path, but I was closer to God than anyone else. And when you are close to them, they give you challenges to purify your soul.

I started the aarti, and I could feel power emerging in my body, filling me with confidence.

“Hey, Kuldevi Maa, bless me with your strength so that I may succeed in my endeavor,” I prayed internally, and soon the aarti came to an end.

Gurudev gestured toward the glass of water placed near Kuldevi Maa’s feet. I took the glass and gulped down the water. The whole village began chanting Kuldevi Maa’s name.

We all gathered in the yard while Gurudev stood in front of me, and the other priests stood behind him. I fisted my saree and waited for his response.

“Yogmaya, Tamiraj Mahal is your destination. You are destined to be there. We have no idea why this is happening, but it is Kuldevi Maa’s wish, and everything happens for a reason. You are not going there for sadhana—you have already achieved the toughest level for a normal person.”

“The next twenty-one days will be the toughest; you will have difficulty in everything. Once you reach there, you will have to find your answers by yourself—the place where you will perform the final stage of the ritual.”

“I cannot help you anymore, child. You have to make your way, but I will pray for your success.” My heart thumped at his words. My teacher, who was always beside me, the only person who had trusted me, the only person who was there for me in my journey, had taken a step back. I felt lonelier than ever. Probably, I had never realized it before, but his support gave me confidence.

Before today, I never realized how it feels to be alone, but this is my path, and I have to make my own way.

“Yogmaya, you have to leave now. Your palanquin is ready. They will drop you near the border of Tamiraj Mahal’s village — Tamralok. After that, it's your journey. I am sure you will be successful in your task,” he said, and I nodded. There was something that felt off, but I knew it was because I was actually alone now—no guidance, no scolding. I would be liable for my mistakes, and I alone would repent them.

I moved towards my mother and touched her feet. She took me in a hug and cried on my shoulder.

“Maa, when I come back, you will be proud of me,” I tried to assure her, but she only cried. I pulled away from the hug and moved towards the palanquin.

The palanquin was ready, and my few belongings were kept on a bullock cart. I sat inside palanquin, and a new journey began.

The night grew darker as I sat inside the palanquin. My mind wandered to the upcoming path of my life.

Slowly, the darkness faded, and the light engulfed a little of the darkness. Very early in the morning, my palanquin stopped on border of Tamralok village.

I got out of the palanquin and looked around. It was early morning; the darkness was fading away slowly. I saw a man come and stand in front of me, his head ducked down, his gaze fixed on my feet.

“Yogmaya, you have to continue your journey alone. From here, we must take our leave. I wish I could help you further, but this is against Gurudev’s order.” I looked at him in confusion; he was unfamiliar.

“You’re from?” I asked him, because we had very few men left in our society, and he was not one of them. I remembered well—I had saved each and every one of them by performing a tough ritual.

“I am from the neighboring village. You all are in trouble, and we are glad that we could help you, Yogmaya. We all will pray for your success,” he said in a concerned tone, and I nodded in agreement, not knowing how to respond to his help.

“Thank you for your help. I will take my leave now,” I said, and he nodded. I took the bundle of my clothes and a few weapons, including my bow and arrows. I walked inside the border of Tamralok—my new destination and the key to the success of third stage.

The village was silent; it felt as if nobody lived there. Was it an abandoned village?

I walked further but found no traces of humans. I kept walking, yet there was no one. I felt like I was going around in circles and standing at the same place despite walking miles away. Was this really a place or an illusion?

No matter how much I walked, I was standing at the same place where I had started!

I sighed in frustration as I once again stood at the spot where I had begun! By now, I had an idea—this was way tougher than I had imagined.

“At least that Mahal should be visible! Where is it?” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I remembered Gurudev's words: ‘You have to find your way, Yogmaya. It's nature against you.’ I opened my eyes took a step forward, just when I felt some movement behind me. I turned back immediately but found no one. I was alone in a village situated between a forest, with no idea how to survive here. It wasn’t normal—it felt like an illusion!

I raked my eyes all over the place. There were a few huts and houses, all empty. So many streets, alleys, and colonies, yet not a single trace of humans.

I saw a mango tree behind me. Fine, this would be my mark now. I took a wooden stick and made a circle where I stood. Every house and every alley looked identical, without a single difference. It felt eerie. Was this a way to keep outsiders away?

I swallowed as my throat began to dry. I hadn’t eaten anything, and my stomach growled. That’s when my eyes landed on the mango. I took my bow and an arrow, aimed at the mango, pulled the string toward myself and released. Arrow hit the target, and the mango fell. I ran and caught it before it touched the ground.

“Finally, I'll be able to eat something.” I took the mango and wiped it on the hem of my dress. I smiled and took a bite.

My whole body shivered at the taste—it was neither sweet nor sour. It tasted awful.

I spat it out immediately, only to see a piece of flesh in my hands. My eyes teared up in shock. I threw it away and looked up—only to see an acacia tree instead of a mango tree, and vultures feasting on flesh above me. They all suddenly flew in my direction. I ran, trying to save my life.

My feet stumbled, and I fell to the ground as they soared over my head. Panting heavily, I was shocked to the core. My hands fisted my saree, trying to wipe away the touch of flesh. I rubbed my hands on the ground to get rid of the blood. Then, I spotted a pond a few meters away. I ran toward it and started washing my hands.

I felt disgusted. I couldn’t believe what had just happened.

I was washing my hands when suddenly the water turned red, so did my hands. I stopped and looked in horror as the pond slowly dried up—leaving behind a human skeleton.

My throat went dry. I stood up with a jerk and fell backward. I sat, scooting away in fear.

What the hell is going on?

The next moment, I was drowning in water. It happened too suddenly to react. Somehow, I collected myself and swam to the shore, crawling out of the pond. I sat there, panting heavily.

It was an illusion. The place that had seemed like a pond wasn’t one—but the ground I had been sitting on was the pond!

How was this possible?

How was I unable to recognize anything?

I felt movement behind me. I turned immediately—but found no one.

By now, I was sure this place was an illusion. But how would I get to my destination? How was I going to find the Mahal? It wasn’t visible—not within the radius of my sight. Was the place unreachable? Did it even exist?

If we had seen it in the apocalypse, then it was definitely present. Just because something isn’t visible doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!

I stood up and walked back to where my belongings were. I took the stick and started marking the places I had walked from.

I felt someone following me. Enough of this hide and seek. I would find them. They wouldn’t stand in front of me for long. I would trap them before they even realized it.

I started walking faster, and the sound of footsteps behind me increased. I didn’t stop. The person behind me was tiring. Just a few more moments, and they would be in front of my eyes.

I started running. The person behind me ran too.

I reached an empty place—nowhere to hide. I ran a little further, marking the necessary spots with my stick. The moment I reached the exact place, I turned back immediately—

And I was shocked.