Everything blacked out and I felt like I was dreaming. "Where did Anya go? Where did Valli Amma go?", I shouted in the darkness.
Slowly I realized I was lying with my back on the pitch black emptiness. I treid to get up but my hands and legs felt immobile. I was able to turn my head. I tilted it to the left and at some distant I saw a white dot of light.
In the dead silence, I felt a raging energy — or force, trying to burst through that white dot. It began to grow gradually. I lay motionless for what seemed like hours. The silence was broken by a weak voice.
"Get up, Velan"
I didn't recognize that voice. I questioned, "Who are you?"
"Dalāy"
I just stared at the source of the voice — the white dot. I just realized that the dot wasn't growing, it was getting closer to me. Last time, Dalāy came to me in a black obsidian like sphere form. But this time he was in a white sphere form.
"What is this place?", I asked.
"It is the place where souls live, in complete darkness. There is no need for light since souls don't need to see. They just feel the other souls nearby. Here around you there's a group of seven souls watching at you including my soul — this white sphere"
I turned around but in the darkness I could see nothing but I believed everything he said. Maybe his soul alone was different to be like that or something, I guessed.
He then continued, "All souls of both the living and dead reside here. The seven souls watching you — one of them is dead while the others live and care for you"
"Seven souls? One of them not alive? Who do these souls belong to?" I asked, not sure why he was telling me all of this.
"I can't reveal the secrets of other souls. Just know that you're not alone and there are six alive people love and care for you. I brought your consciousness here just to keep the Time Emperor away from you. He has no entry here, the Souls Garden. Being the Space Emperor, I could transfer anybody here, you know that I'm really powerful right?"
So that's how I came here, I thought. He saved me from those voices of master. "I have many questions, can you answer some? Why can't we return to the timelines we once abandoned?", I asked. That question was not really for me as I had nobody to return to and say hello. It was for her.
"Time works differently here. You can speak with me for what feels like hours to you, but merely a second may have passed in the outside world…"
Answer my damn question, I thought irritably. But his voice became more and more dreamy as he continued,
"…But. I can't keep you here for too long. Even though I'm very powerful and all, I can only keep you here for ten minutes in the mortal world's time. And that time is going to end in 3, 2…"
"INSTEAD OF COUNTING CAN YOU JUST ANSWER ME"?, I shouted out of desperation.
"… And poof. See you later Velan!", he bid farewell.
The blanckness slowly faded away as I opened my eyes, my consciousness returning to my body. I could make out the anxious faces of Anya and Valli Amma looking at me as I laid on a bed.
I counted looking at them, "1, 2 and he himself was one of them, so it's 3 totally. How can there be seven souls and especially one dead?"
They looked at me with a face that suspected me of being mad. "Velan are you alright now?", Anya asked at last.
"Yes", I said lazily and got up in a sitting position. My companion was laying on the ground next to my bed. I looked at my chest and noticed the beaded necklace hanging on my neck. "Thank you", I looked at Valli Amma.
"Don't mention it. I should've given it to you earlier. Or you wouldn't have to go through this all. It was my fault", Valli Amma said.
"Wait Velan. What were you counting when you woke up?", Anya asked curiously.
"It was that I saw seven souls looking at me in Souls Garden. One of them was Dalāy, I don't know who those seven were but Dalāy said that those were the souls who love and care for me", I said.
"Seven? You sure are famous aren't you? How do you like that Anya?", Valli Amma teased her.
"Those could be his parents or relatives for all we know! Even if he never saw them, their souls would love their son don't they?", Anya protested.
It was a logical thinking and I nodded my head in agreement. I felt dizzy even after the ten minute nap. But I didn't say a thing. I thought I should first let them know about the things I saw on that dream.
But Anya looked at Valli Amma and said, "Come on Valli Amma, he needs some rest". The two got up and closed the door behind when leaving.
Despite my wanting to speak and ask questions, I felt happy that they left me to sleep in peace. I glanced once again at my sleeping companion before drifting off to sleep.
I woke up the next day morning. The sunlight fell on my face through a window placed on the east side of the bed. It was an architectural masterpiece, I thought. I got up to find the floor beside my bed still occupied — my companion was sleeping. The room was made up of stones carefully placed and glued together with some kind of paste and the roof was only dried palm leaves placed over wooden beams. The roof was reachable to me. There seemed to be something placed on one of the beams.
I reached out my hand and took it in my hands. It was a knife as I expected it to be. This was for safety purposes and to not let children play with knives and stuff. I placed it on my waist pocket as I had no arms until now. Then I walked to the door to ask even more 'questions'.
I reached out my hand to pull the door open.
"Hey slow down. He's sleeping. Don't shout".
It was Anya's voice. What were they speaking that I shouldn't listen to. Curious, I placed my ears on the door.
"Alright Anya. But I must say that he barely knows anything of use to us. When I first heard that there's another one of you is going to be here, I felt happy that we could finally find out some ways to defeat the Time Emperor Yali. But it turns out we're the ones giving him all the answers. Not that I hate that man, it's just that he isn't of much of use. You know that too, right?", Valli Amma asked.
I was astounded by what Valli Amma just said. But what she said was true after all. Who could argue with such a statement. I felt useless myself. Atleast she's mindful not to hurt me by saying it on my face, I thought. Anya wouldn't be able to just contradict with Valli Amma in this argument.
To my surprise, Anya replied with, "Speak like a monk Valli Amma. You can't possibly thinking this way. Think of it from his point of view. He's been ready to help and agreed with us even though he doesn't know what we say is right or wrong. He believes in us. How can that be useless?"
"Alright. Whatever you say. I just don't see it that way. But anyway, what do you intend to do next?"
"I don't know. Dalāy should've given me an assignment by now. But it's delayed. Maybe something happened to the king. I don't know", Anya replied.
I burst the door open and looked out at the place we've been. It was the village just outside the forest we escaped from. This was definitely not a safe place as the guards of the prison must've warned the king about the escape and they would search for us in nearby villages.
"You're awake!", Anya exclaimed, sitting on the ledge outside the hut.
"Did you sleep here last night?", I asked.
"No no, we slept on the nearby hut. But I couldn't afford to stay there another day. So we came to sit here", she replied.
Valli Amma's expression was grimy. And I felt bad for being a useless person in the group. "Hey, I have some pearls and coins. Maybe I could help you with that. See", I showed them my pouch.
Valli Amma didn't give it much of any glance. But Anya appreciated, "Amazing Velan, we definitely need some of that if we wish to move all the way to the Shoalian Empire".
I felt happy to hear that. Valli Amma shot a glare at me, "You heard everything didn't you?"
"Wait what? No. I didn't hear anything!", I protested. But it was obvious that I was lying. She was witty for sure, I thought.
"So you want to make up for your incompetence with that money?", she asked.
"Valli Amma stop!", Anya chided her.
"I just want some answers that's been itching my mind. What is wrong with that?", I shouted at Valli Amma letting go of my restraint.
"And why…", I was cut off by a new voice,
"How am I here?"
I turned around and saw my companion standing leaned on the door sill. We all just stared at him.
"Answer me first, who are you?", Valli Amma asked.
"Me? I'm the king of the Bāndhan Kingdom!", he replied proudly, placing his fist on heart.