Jaipur, Rajasthan

"Good morning, my darling Pearl," Gauri chirped and kissed her Nani sa's cheek.

"Hmm, okay okay, enough of your buttering. By the way, where are you going this early? Today is Sunday."

"I know Nani sa, I'm on my way to pay my annoying visit to Shivji," Gauri said, chuckling.
"You could say I have my own sackful of grievances to share with him. Moreover, I don't know why but I feel very restless. Like an unforeseeable storm is heading towards us." She muttered the last part more to herself than to anyone. "Once I meet Shivji and spend my time there, I'll find solace," she explained.

"You and your Shivji. Come here, Gauri."
Gauri knelt infront of her Nani sa. Moti Kunwar caressed her grand daughter's face lovingly and her eyes got a bit teary.
"Time passes so quickly. My Gauri grew up so fast. It seems like yesterday when I held you for the first time, so small and fragile. You came in our life like a ray of hope. See how beautiful my grand daughter has grown up to be. Sometimes I want to stop the time." Gauri's eyes welled up. The happiness of the moment could not be weighed with gold.

"What's with the emotional talk early in the morning huh? Pearl darling, am I going somewhere or what? You cry, I cry. So, no crying, okay?" Both of them let out heartful chuckles before Gauri left.

She came towards Chetak and hugged it. "Chetak, my heart. My love, how are you? All good. See, I am so good with you, my baby. 3 years of companionship and not a single scratch. Remarkable, isn't it? Come on, now let's start our journey towards Mahadev's temple but first let's pick up our sweetheart, okay? Let me give you our goodluck kiss."

She plopped a kiss on its metallic skin and turned around to find a boy staring at her with a lollipop in hand; mouth wide open and big button eyes.

Gauri gave him an awkward smile and waved at him. She mentally facepalmed herself. Mounting safely on Chetak, she was about to start when someone called her from behind. None other than PP, Mrs.Parmeshwari Pareek aka gossip queen, stood in front of her with a bowl in her hand. Gauri cursed herself for delaying so much.

"Gauri, how are you? How is your mother?"
"All good, aunty."
"Oh yes, yes, my child. It must be hectic for you, doing a job along with studies. Good, good. Now-a-days, children aren't even ready to study properly. You must have heard of that Beauty Tripathi's daughter, oh my Lord Krishna..."

"Why do I have to play the role sacrificial lamb and be her early morning gossip partner?" Gauri whined mentally.

"Aunty, actually I am getting a little late. Do you need something? Let me guess sugar, right? Go, Maa is free, and hopefully awaiting your lovely company." PP happily skipped towards Gauri's house, not before giving her a hideous laugh in order to imitate 80s heroine.

"I am free. Praise the Lord above. Alas! The same couldn't be said for Maa. She got herself and her ears occupied for quite sometime. She's sure gonna scold me. Well, let it be. I'm off to my sweetheart's house." She flew off on her Chetak.

She parked outside a decent looking house. She looked around warily. One could easily confuse her with a thief, snooping around the house in broad daylight. She let out a loud whistle, almost startling an elderly passerby.

Few seconds later, the front door flew apart with a loud bang. "My jaan (life), good morning," Rads exclaimed dramatically.

Gauri held a hand up in air, urging Radhika to stop her overdramatized act.That, she wasn't up for a tête-à-tête, especially after her tardiness. Radhika heard her unspoken words and unleashed her puppy-face-mode with full force, asking for her apology silently. Gauri shook her head in negation. Radhika nodded her head in agreement. Both stared at each other; one in dilemma, other in repentance. Gauri lost, Radhika won. Radhika did a happy dance in her mind. She blew a battalion of flying kisses towards Gauri. Had there been any audience for their spectacle, they would have gladly sailed them to any mental asylum for good.

Radhika hopped on Chetak quickly, without a word. Gauri smiled, "Good morning to you too, sweetheart."

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Gauri stood with joined hands infront of the Shiv ling (idol). The fragrance of freshly plucked flowers, burning incense sticks and the sound of temple bells soothed her nerves. It was a habit since childhood, whenever she felt restless, she used to come here. The holy atmosphere always calmed her. The divinity hummed in air, encircling her being with positive ambiance.

After they were done worshipping, both roamed around the temple premises, enjoying the beauty for quite a bit. They decided to distribute some food items among the poors. A habit they had acquired over their regular visit to the temple.

"Rads, that woman there is sitting alone. Give me another packet of offerings." Radhika complied, walking alongside her.

The synchronized chanting of mantras by the priests seemed to vibrate the air. The woman was seated near the proceedings, but not near enough to be a participant. A gentle smile etched her face while her eyes reflected the sacred fire of yagya. Something was different about this woman, her face held a strange brightness and she had a holy aura. Her eyes were so wise, it seemed, she knew all the truths of life.

Gauri and Radhika offered her food which she accepted with a smile. Gauri could feel the heat of purification, caressing her cheeks. Her eyes flicked towards the ongoing yagya procedure. She nearly lost her balance while standing, partly due her lack of concentration. The woman held her hand for support. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and frowned.

"You are here for a great purpose. You will play an important role in the war which is yet to be commenced. Nevertheless, your destiny has kept his foot in this place..."

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Jaipur International Airport

A personal chartered plane made a smooth landing on the runway. Rudra came out of the plane followed by Siddharth.

The sole of his shoes touched the ground with poise. He bent down with due respect, seemingly paying homage to his motherland. "I am back," he whispered.

His eyes glittered with an unfathomable emotion. Strands of hair almost touched his eyes, trying to shield whatever was to be kept hidden.

"He is your destiny and destination. However, he is not alone, he brings along deep dark secrets capable of both breaking and mending relations. Friends will become foe and foe will become friends. Masks will be unveiled from faces..."

Rudra walked towards Siddharth who had been grumbling under his breath.

"Need help, Sid?"

He kept their bags on a trolley. Turning around, he saw a group of girls checking them out. He let out a low whistle. Smiling, he winked at them. They squealed in return. And Siddharth could only roll his eyes.

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"You have to overcome your fears and emerge as his strength. Time and again you will be tested, do not break. You are bound to be together; Shiv and Shakti will complete each other. Time is your greatest strength, it will perfect all."

The woman opened her eyes and looked at Gauri with a sweet smile. For Gauri and Radhika, it felt like a storm passed over them. Sweat beads formed on Gauri's forehead. She was afraid, terrified. "Are you okay, my child?"

Gauri jerked her hand out of the woman's hold. Radhika grabbed Gauri's hand and dragged her away from the woman. Gauri looked back and saw her giving her the same serene smile like nothing happened between them. But it felt like a number of clips played in front of her, scaring her.

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Rudra bent down to tie his shoelace. He was done tying when his phone buzzed. He took it out and glanced at it. A puddle of emotions appeared on his face before it was replaced by a triumphant smile.

Jaipur had become a lot more enjoying than it already was.

He was back. They said, everything had a habit of coming back. People really needed to abide such good habits. And now that he was back, he would ensure that goodness prevailed in his lands. All he needed was time, and he would perfect all the wrongs at their best.

"Touché." A lopsided grin tugged the corners of his lips.

"Siddharth, let's go for an ice cream," he chirped happily.