The vision of the divine city refused to leave Siya's mind.
The moment she had witnessed that celestial place, something within her had changed forever. She knew she would never be able to forget it — the sacred flames, the eternal river, the silent divinity that existed beyond destruction.
Now, only one desire remained within her.
Varanasi.
The city still thriving under Lord Shiva's divine protection.
Yet instead of peace, the realization disturbed her deeply.
If such a safe sanctuary had always existed on Earth… why had she never sensed it before? Why had its presence remained hidden when they had desperately searched for a place to protect humanity during the collapse of the world?
Countless lives could have been saved.
The thought unsettled her heart.
Siya stood lost in these questions when Ali's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Boss," Ali said gently as he approached, "did you discover anything about that place? Any way we can find it?"
Siya turned toward him, her expression calm but thoughtful.
"We're forgetting something, Ali," she said. "Andy already knows about this place. He will lead us there."
Ali immediately called Andy into the room.
"Andy, where exactly is this place?" he asked.
Andy hesitated before answering.
"It's here… in India itself. The sacred land — Kashi."
Ali quickly activated the digital map projection and began searching.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Confusion appeared on his face.
"It's not here," Andy said slowly. "I tried locating it earlier too. There's no Varanasi… no Kashi… nothing on the global maps. It's like the city doesn't exist."
A faint smile appeared on Siya's lips.
"That's because," she said softly, "Kashi is protected by my Lord himself. If it were easy to find, demons would have discovered it long ago. An unseen force shields it — an invisible barrier beyond technology and perception."
She stepped closer to the holographic map.
"We won't find Kashi," she continued, "until we learn how to enter it."
Before anyone could respond, a voice suddenly echoed in Siya's mind.
"Sister… where are you?"
Siya instantly recognized it.
"Maan?"
"What happened, Maan?"
His voice sounded uneasy.
"For the past two days… I've been seeing the same dream again and again."
Siya's attention sharpened.
"What kind of dream? Tell me everything."
Maan began slowly, recalling each detail carefully.
"I see a woman… glowing with divine light. She looks like a goddess. Her face shines with an energy I can't explain. In the dream, she places a small child into a river… letting the water carry him away."
Everyone in the room fell silent.
Maan continued.
"Then I see ancient buildings… very old structures. A massive river flows beside them. People stand near the banks performing rituals… praying."
Siya listened without interruption, but inside, shock rippled through her.
The description matched her vision almost perfectly.
Now a new question arose.
Who was the woman appearing in Maan's dreams?
And why was he connected to Varanasi?
Was Maan somehow linked to the eternal city?
All answers, she realized, awaited them only in Varanasi itself.
Siya spoke again.
"Maan, did you notice anything familiar there? Anything that felt… known to you?"
He paused before replying.
"No, Sister. Most of my memories are gone. From my childhood… I only remember a dharamshala. Nothing else."
Siya made a decision.
"I need to look into your memories."
She reached him through their psychic link and gently placed her hand against his forehead — even across distance, her energy bridged the connection.
A soft glow surrounded her as she entered Maan's consciousness.
Memories unfolded like broken fragments.
Faded corridors.
Lonely childhood moments.
Blurred faces without identities.
Empty years filled with silence.
Siya searched deeper, carefully navigating through erased memories, hoping to find even the smallest clue connecting him to Kashi — or a hidden location that might reveal where the eternal city existed.
Time passed.
Nothing.
Every path ended in emptiness.
Whoever had altered Maan's past had done so perfectly.
Just as Siya prepared to withdraw, something unexpected caught her attention.
A memory fragment flickered.
Barely visible.
Hidden beneath layers of suppression.
She moved closer.
And then—
She saw it.
Her breath stopped.
A symbol.
Burning faintly in golden light inside Maan's deepest memory — a sacred mark she recognized instantly.
A mark associated only with one place.
One divine protection.
One eternal city.
Siya's eyes widened in disbelief.
What she had discovered was impossible.
And yet… undeniable.
The truth about Maan — and the path to Varanasi — had been hidden within him all along.
But the question that now haunted her was far more terrifying:
Was Maan merely connected to Kashi…
or was he the key required to enter it?