Yami

Chapter 19, Avirbhav

Despite my father's and uncle's persistent efforts to talk me out of it, my head remained resolute. Questions erupted like lava from a raging volcano, ready to burst my brain's nerves. I shut them out this time, and nobody could explain anything to me.Attempting to let everything slide due to a lack of luck, I failed, as usual. Determined to confront them the following day and demand an explanation, I asked my guard to fetch chairs and summon them for a serious conversation, veiled as a fun game.(I am rich after all)They arrived one by one.Hopeful faces of my brothers and shameless expressions from my so-called friends filled the room. I motioned for them to take their seats arranged in a circular pattern. My mind was prepared for questioning, but figuring out where to begin proved difficult."How long have you been aware of the mirror? Truth demanded," I raised my voice, a rarity, especially when addressing Ruhaan. My actions since the night before were unusual, but I was aware. How does one respond to situations like these? My brothers had never lied to me.Despite our frequent quarrels, Harsh and I shared a strong bond. However, it felt like I didn't even know these people. Even the person I loved, Adam, had lied to me, and the realization was agonizing.Ruhaan: The night of the camp, when i went to get water, that is why it took me a while to come back.Samaira: The night of truth and dare. When I left the group, and no one could find me for an hour.Aadhya: Adam's birthday night. Which is why I was not at the party.Adam: The day we returned from the cemetery, after the huge quarrels.Harsh: Two days after Adam's birthday, when you were comatose.It took me a while to get the words out of my mouth after this."Hmm, interesting," I chuckled before pulling up a chair to join them."Next question, when did you guys find out that others knew about it too? When did you collaborate on this stuff?" No one one answered "Let me put it differently, Since when you guys were stabbing me in the back""We found out when you were in that coma-like state after Harsh came back from the Anartha. We talked and decided to confirm nothing you had seen, as it may have affected you badly" Ruhaan replied with assurance. He tried to comfort me in his way but it irritated me further, it crushed me; he was supposed to be the righteous one. He knew about the mirror, and he should have done the right thing, HE SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME or rather not help everyone else making me feel like a lunatic. I needed to know where it all crumbled."If you are answering honestly, buddies," I sarcastically said tears brimming in my eyes when Adam tried to wipe them off my face. "Don't, Do not fuckin touch me" I stopped him furiously to which Harsh had a reaction almost throwing Adam across the room. "Stop" I asked Harsh to stop with authority "Don't act like you care about me" Loud and Clear, I wasn't the one to let any chance go of making them suffer for what they did, not even a small one, sarcasm didn't come close to the anger I felt, but talking was the healthiest way to let it out."Tell me why I saw my mother and aunt last night," I asked with a heavy heart.They asked, "You saw who?"Surprisingly, they did not know about this. I tried to dismiss it as a hallucination, but if the year has taught me anything, it was this: you can believe what you see and hear, but you must always go with your gut.They began asking me questions I didn't have answers to. It felt like they were threatened by something I didn't understand then. Although they denied any fear, I could read faces and sense the atmosphere.As I juggled with these people, twists and turns unfolded in "Anartha." Being hidden from this world didn't mean it was unaffected by it.They explained everything they had learned, listed below,the mirror has its own mind,appearing and disappearing unpredictably.When summoned, it might appear to you."Anartha" is not a parallel universe but a different realm.Since then, they had been trained by mentors. They talked about the impending threat, saying, "Something is coming, and we need to be ready for it."I learned about their experiences but didn't understand why it affected me more than them. While they may have had headaches, I was in a coma for 20 days. There was also the matter of me being the heir to the realm.But I didn't knew exactly what I had to do. Returning to "Anartha" was the next step on my itinerary. All my attempts to summon the mirror were in vain, but with each try, I felt closer to it. Frustrated, I screamed, "You goddamn mirror, show yourself!"To my surprise, it appeared in front of me, looking exactly as it had before.

As moonlight reflected off the mirror, it looked like it was raining diamonds.I placed the broken piece in its position, touched the mirror, and voila! Back in the hallway. I cleared my mind and walked slowly toward the gate. Rukmi was still standing there, waiting for me."And we meet again," I thought."Told you," Rukmi mumbled as we moved inside the gate making our way to the garden.A fresh breeze touched my face, and the ambiance was uplifting. As I watched the blazing sun, my skin shimmered instead of burning. The bees' hum felt like meditation, water droplets on flowers resembled crystals, and spotting a baby weasel was a wonderful sight."Should we proceed?" Rukmi asked as she pointed to the dining room. She anticipated my questions, and this time, I was willing to listen.Sitting at "the wish-dine table," the second most amazing place in the entire castle, we ordered food and coffee before starting our talk."Everything feels so light," I said."Because you feel light, Yami. I'm happy that you finally accept this realm as a reality and not a part of your dream," Rukmi replied with a bright smile."AAVIRBHAV," she ordered in Sanskrit, meaning to manifest itself. A torrent of shivers swept through my body. Soon, a screen-like projection appeared before the windows—a dream sequence with real memories. I could swear I saw my mother in those running pictures on the screen.