Another uncertainty now stood before Siya.
The mystery of the blurred shadows refused to leave her mind. Their presence lingered like an unfinished equation — incomplete, unresolved, and deeply unsettling. Siya felt a growing restlessness within her. It seemed that before one problem could reach its conclusion, another had already emerged to challenge her.
But the real question was no longer whether it was a problem.
What if it was an answer?
What if those shadows were not a threat… but a revelation waiting to be understood?
Somewhere within that hazy vision — within that unknown place — the truth was hidden. And Siya knew only one thing with certainty: she would have to find it herself.
She called out firmly, "Ali."
The moment her voice echoed through the chamber, Ali rushed in and stood before her.
"Yes, Boss? You called me?"
Siya gently placed her hand on Ali's forehead. A faint glow pulsed from her palm as fragments of her vision transferred into his consciousness. The burning pyres, the endless river, the smoke-filled horizon — every detail flowed into his mind.
After a moment, Siya asked calmly, "Ali… have you ever seen a place like this?"
Ali shook his head slowly.
"No, Boss. After the destruction of creation, almost everything is gone. Do you really think such a place could still exist?"
Siya's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"The vision felt present… not ancient. The burning pyres, a flowing river, human rituals — this wasn't a memory of the past. It belongs to the current time."
Ali hesitated before replying.
"But that's impossible. The world has been wiped out. Humans no longer exist outside protected zones. The surface is filled only with Screevers. Everyone else we saved is hidden away safely."
He paused, then added carefully,
"Should we ask Trikala? He has answered every question before. Maybe he knows this too."
Siya's expression hardened instantly.
"No. That won't be necessary."
Her voice carried quiet authority.
"I don't trust him enough to involve him in this. Not yet."
At that moment, Andy entered the room. Seeing Siya troubled, he immediately asked what had happened. Ali explained the entire vision to him.
Andy listened silently.
Then his eyes widened.
"Siya… I know this place."
Both Siya and Ali turned toward him.
"When you sent all of us in different directions to secure surviving territories," Andy continued, "I once crossed a land unlike anything else. It felt… divine. Untouched."
Siya spoke in a calm, controlled tone.
"What place is it, Andy?"
Andy looked at her with unusual reverence.
"You are the manifestation of Mother Kali herself. If you dive into your inner memories, you will understand this place far better than I ever could. This land is connected to you… and to the one you worship."
Realization dawned in Siya's eyes.
She understood what Andy meant.
Without wasting another moment, she sat down and entered meditation.
The moment Siya descended into deep sadhana, time itself began to shift.
A powerful vibration surrounded her as she reached toward the infinite energy source within her consciousness. To awaken ancient memories, she needed to access the boundless reservoir of cosmic energy hidden inside her soul.
The world around her dissolved.
Ages began to pass before her eyes.
Yugas unfolded like pages turning in an eternal book.
Civilizations rose and vanished.
Stars were born and collapsed.
And then—
Her consciousness traveled nearly five thousand years into the past.
She arrived at a moment beyond ordinary history.
The birth of an immortal city.
Before her stood an extraordinary divine landscape — glowing with celestial light.
She witnessed the creation of Varanasi.
Known by many names — Kashi, Banaras, the City of Light — this sacred city emerged not as human architecture, but as divine intention itself.
In her vision appeared Mahakaal — Lord Shiva — eternal and unmoving, holding existence in silent balance. She saw Varanasi resting upon the cosmic Trishul, protected beyond the laws of destruction.
Words could not contain the magnitude of what Siya witnessed.
She understood a truth whispered through time:
Anyone who attained death in that city was granted moksha — liberation beyond the cycle of existence.
The revelation struck her like lightning.
Her question finally found its answer.
If the entire world had faced annihilation… how had Varanasi survived?
The truth revealed itself.
Varanasi was not merely a city.
It was Avinashi — indestructible.
Protected by the Dev of Devas himself — Mahadev.
At the end of the Dwapar Yuga, Shiva had personally safeguarded Kashi, establishing it beyond destruction. While civilizations fell and worlds collapsed, Varanasi remained untouched by cosmic ruin.
The eternal city existed outside ordinary time.
And now Siya had proof.
The burning pyres she saw… the river… the shadows…
They were real.
Varanasi still existed.
Her meditation slowly faded as she returned to the present.
Her eyes opened, glowing faintly with divine realization.
She had found the truth.
But a new question rose immediately—
If Varanasi still existed…
how would she find it in a world that no longer followed the rules of space, time, or reality?
Siya stood up slowly, determination replacing uncertainty.
Her next decision would change everything.
The search for the Eternal City had begun.