She must know the answers I was seeking.
It was finally time for me to understand it all.
There were many questions fighting each other to come out of my mouth first.
But the one that escaped was:
"Who are you?"
"What a weird question. I'm Anya. Well, whatever. You don't even know who you are," she replied.
What was she saying?
Still, I needed to ask about my master, the Time Emperor, or maybe even the Space Emperor.
But instead, I remembered something and said,
"You're innocent. I'm sorry that I had to have you go through this trouble."
She stared at me as if I were an idiot.
"That was what Dalāy said!" I added quickly to defend myself.
"Well, he hasn't directly contacted me ever since I was put in this dungeon. He only sent a message through one of his Yashilis — risky move, as you might already know," she said, assuming I understood everything.
I needed to make it clear that I needed answers.
I didn't even know why I said what I said earlier.
"Anya. I want to know everything. Everything. Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on? From start to end?"
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke slowly:
"He said in the message that you wore all black. So that's how I identified you. I know things you haven't figured out yet. I just don't know where to begin…"
I waited for her to continue.
Everything around me faded — just me and Anya.
A voice suddenly snapped that isolation.
"Anya, who is he? What are you two talking about?"
It was the other girl.
Only then did I truly see her: she wore a single white cloth wrapped over a white top — like an ancient saree. She looked around my age. But white… white was considered unpleasant. It was worn by widows or monks.
Her black hair tied in a bun confirmed it — she was a monk.
A monk, standing beside a time traveler?
More questions rose inside me.
Anya turned and answered with one simple line:
"He is like me."
That was enough to silence the girl. She didn't ask another question.
Our shattered bubble made me aware of my surroundings again.
The tall guy Anya punched earlier was still crawling in a corner, unable to stand.
My cellmate trembled behind me.
I wondered how this man had managed to sound threatening on the first day. Now he was a coward.
I shoved the thought away and focused on Anya.
She was the one I needed answers from.
"Continue," I said.
"Alright. Buckle up for some revelations, Velan. But first, you need to answer this: Where were you before entering the Kaalam?"
"Obviously in my real timeline — the one that's perishing right now. Year 3021 CE, to be precise."
"How old are you?"
"23."
"So Master must've said you would die at 24, right?"
"Yes. Was my master lying?" I asked.
"It was the truth. He needed the best version of you for this mission — the most able-bodied and mentally capable version of you before dying."
Her voice dimmed, serious now.
I waited for her to continue.
"He did the same to me. He promised my ill mother wouldn't die if I followed his orders. If he had told me some story like the one he told you, I would've ignored him and said, 'Let the timeline go to hell, I want to be with my mom in her last moments.' I don't know why he made up some timeline-level threat just for you…"
"I'm an orphan," I said quietly. "I didn't have anybody to lose except me."
She fell silent.
"Continue," I urged.
"So… I'm from the 21st century. 2020, to be precise. You might know the ruckus that happened during that time — COVID-19."
"Yeah. It was the deadliest disease ever recorded, even a thousand years later. We still speak of it," I replied.
"My mom was affected. Before she died, I had a dream — a man's face appeared. Our master. He told me I would be affected soon too. And that I had to do what he asked if I ever wanted to save my mother."
I remembered my own experience.
My dream.
My master telling me to save my timeline.
Being pulled into the Kaalam.
Meeting the Time Emperor Yali.
He told me to kill all the abnormalities across timelines, starting with the one in Nagarā, 6th century CE.
And I still hadn't finished my mission.
She continued, "I killed thirteen 'abnormalities', as he calls them. But I was never freed. He kept using me to kill even more. At first he promised I had to kill just one. And before I knew it, my hands were bathed in blood."
I gasped, imagining how hard it must have been for her.
"He was a liar. And I never got to meet my mother ever again."
There was a pause. Then she continued,
"Do you know that you can't return to a timeline you once abandoned?"
The question didn't click in my head.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"For you, one timeline is abandoned — 3021 CE. For me, 2020 CE, and the thirteen other eras where I went to kill abnormalities."
Her tone carried pure sorrow.
I thought I didn't really care — I had nothing in my real timeline anyway. Better to keep living than die in a year.
But I didn't say that.
She had lost everything.
She deserved the silence I gave her.
"If only I could see her one last time…"
Tears rolled from her eyes.
She wiped them away and continued,
"Do you know why Master hasn't contacted you in dreams ever since you entered Nagarā?"
I thought back to everything.
First he came in my dream and pulled me into the Kaalam. I didn't truly meet him there — he just left a letter, the copper kada, and a scroll through the Time Emperor Yali. The scroll contained mantras, procedures, and hidden knowledge I still carry.
When I entered this timeline, I woke up in a village, inside a hut full of valuables — especially pearls. I took them and left. The villagers didn't react or speak with me, so I kept walking toward Nagarā, asking for directions along the way.
I slept outdoors for a week before reaching the city. Each night, Master spoke to me through dreams — instructions about using the Thunder Guide, harvesting a Venpavalā, refilling the kada…
But ever since I entered Nagarā?
Nothing.
"I don't know. Why?" I asked.
"Because of the mystical powers this ancient city possesses. I don't know how they work either. But Master couldn't reach me inside Nagarā too. And just then, Dalāy contacted me. He revealed things I never knew. His revelations made me abandon Master's orders. I wanted to hit Master back. So I started following Dalāy instead."
"How do you know he isn't lying either?" I asked.
I shouldn't have.
Her face went red with anger.
"How could you say that!?"
I froze, imagining the same punch she gave that tall guy.
"Just kidding. You go on," I said quickly.
"Dalāy told me that even without me, Master would put someone else in my spot to keep doing his bidding. That someone… is you. To stop you, he told me to warn the abnormality — the king — and tighten his defence. So I tried talking to him personally, but the guards never allowed it. The only place he was ever alone was his bathing quarters. So I sneaked in. Unfortunately, the king screamed the moment he saw me. Maybe he's too shy. The guards grabbed me, and here I am — stuck with a corrupted monk and a giant pirate who doesn't know how to welcome guests."
She finished at last.
Too many revelations.
Yet none of them satisfied me.
I still wanted more.
Before I could ask anything, she continued:
"Do you know why you suddenly know things you never learned before—"
BANG.
Something slammed above us, shaking the cells.
"What's going on!?" Anya shouted.
My cellmate cursed and screamed, begging a god for mercy.
The tall guy woke up yelling:
"I'm not afraid of you, mermaid! I'm a disciplined man! I won't be lured by you—"
Then collapsed again.
The banging continued.
A deep creaking sounded directly above us.
Crack.
The roof split.
A huge figure dropped through.
A fish.
No — a Venpavalā.
A gigantic one, easily the size of a small whale.
Someone was riding on its back.
We scrambled away as it descended — not touching the ground but floating above it. The creature's glow filled the entire cell. A Venpavalā was already majestic, but one this size? It looked divine.
The rider screamed,
"I came to save you, brother!"
"What the hell is going on…" I muttered as Anya ran forward and extended her arm defensively in front of me.