On the day of the festival, everyone is dancing and singing in joy .

  After the sun had set, when all the chatter, the laughter, and the stir had faded into silence. With weary faces and silent steps, they all faded back into their homes.

  Before Saraya and nayi went into their home , a group of villagers approached saraya and offered a bowl of ceremonial water saying that it will bring good health and fortune upon them.

  saraya gratefully accepted the bowl and went back into the house .

  Nayi was observant and keenly aware of the subtle changes in the villagers' behavior.

  saraya sat at the window after placing the bowl aside near the window . As her gaze lingered on the moon, a soft smile graced Saraya's lips. Her eyes are brimming with excitement and hope .

  Nayi never saw Saraya that happily and asked her "I have never seen you like this. what are you so excited about my lady?".

  Saraya said " Today, we're going to meet someone who might finally take us home....our final journey. And after this... you may no longer have to protect a powerless girl like me. You'll be free, Nayi. And more than anything, I hope you live the life your heart has always longed for"

  A heaviness settled in Nayi's chest. The thought of parting from Saraya filled her with silent reluctance.

  Saraya then took the ceremonial bowl of water given by the villagers.

  As Saraya was about to give Rana the ceremonial water, Nayi stopped her, took the bowl from her hand, and carefully observed the water before allowing her to take it.

  She didn't find any abnormality in the water, no smell and no color .

  Saraya took the bowl from Nayi's hands and said with a sigh,

  "Why are you always doubting the villagers? They've done nothing but show kindness."

  Nayi looked at her with concern in her eyes.

  "You're a kind person, my lady. Maybe too kind to notice... but I've been observing them for months now. Something's changed. Their behavior, their eyes....something feels off. Even today, a few of them acted strangely. I am afraid they are up to something. Until you meet the person you're supposed to tonight, we need to stay on guard."

  Listening to Nayi's concerns, Saraya offered a gentle smile and said,

  "They're just pitiful souls, Nayi. people who've lost everything to war and sickness. We can't abandon them like this. That's why I plan to ask the person we're meeting tonight to continue sending food to the village, even if they don't have me and my bracelet "

  She paused, her eyes distant, and then whispered softly to herself,

  "At least... let this be a small atonement for what my father did."

  Saraya gently poured the water into Rana's mouth, then handed the bowl to Nayi and told her to drink the water.

  Nayi surprisingly said, "No, Why me ?, this water is meant for my lady and rana"

  saraya said, "Not"my lady". from now on call me sister saraya, you are my family too, after today's journey we may not meet again"

  with affectionate gaze nayi said," Sister saraya , this journey may be the last one for us to go home, but not for me to leave you yet"

  She lowered herself on one knee, placing a hand over her heart.

  "I, Nayi Vishwa, solemnly request that my lady.... my sister.... Saraya to let me serve her for a little longer."

  Raising her head slowly, she whispered,

  " please".

  With tears welling in her eyes saraya said

  " yes, you may" and hugged her.

  After Nayi drank the ceremonial water, Saraya took the bowl and drank from it herself. Placed the bowl near window under moonlight and went aside to place rana in the bed.

  Nayi drifted her gaze to the bowl they had drunk from. Under the moonlight, it was emanating a strange-colored glow .one unlike anything a regular bowl would reflect. She then placed another similar looking bowl beside it. the reflection of the moon light is different .

  Seeing Nayi's actions, Saraya walked towards her and asked anxiously, "What is it, Nayi?"

  Before Nayi could respond, footsteps echoed outside . slow, deliberate, drawing closer to their door.

  Instinctively, Nayi turned toward the sound, her hand reaching for the hilt of her sword. But as she stepped forward, a wave of nausea hit her. The world tilted. Her vision blurred. She stumbled, struggling to stay upright.

  Saraya, too, felt a sudden heaviness in her limbs. Her body refused to move properly, and her eyes clouded with dizziness. Desperately, she tried to reach Rana , but her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor.

  In that moment, the door burst open.

  Nayi was on the brink of losing consciousness. Her eye lids felt heavy and near to closing. She stumbled, fell to her knees. But in that final moment, she summoned the last remnants of her strength, grabbed a dagger from her belt, and drove it into her thigh.

  The sharp burst of pain jolted her awake.

  Just then, the group of villagers who had offered the ceremonial water entered through the shattered door.

  Saraya, barely able to move, was crawling toward Rana with desperate determination.

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  Using her longsword as support, Nayi pushed herself to stand on her feet. Trembling, limping, blood trickling down her leg, she stepped in front of Saraya and raised her blade. Her hands shook, but her eyes burned with defiance.

  Through clenched teeth, she growled, "What have you done, why are you doing this?"

  One of the villagers stepped forward and gently took the baby into his arms.

  "Forgive us, my lady," he whispered. "We... we had no choice."

  Another added hastily, "You'll be fine after taking the antidote."

  At that moment, a third villager wrested the sword from Nayi's weakened grip and restrained her, holding her tightly.

  "It seems Nayi drank from the bowl too," one muttered grimly. "But we only have one dose of the antidote... and it can save only one."

  Desperately a villager said,

  "My lady Saraya, we'll give you the antidote....only if you hand over the bracelet and the gestures needed to receive food from the coachman. We... we can't risk sparing Nayi. She'll kill us all if she survives."

  The villager's voice wavered with guilt. "We don't want to starve again. Please... give us what we need. Save yourself, my lady. We beg you."

  Nayi, barely able to stand, exploded with rage.

  "You ungrateful bastards!" "I swear, I'll kill every last one of you!"

  The one who took rana into his hands , felt coldness and no sign of warmth in rana's body.

  He immediately checked rana's mouth and tongue and realized that rana also took the poisoned water and uttered the words with shivering,

  "oh no .... rana also drank the poisoned water".

  Nayi's spirit shattered completely. She knew that only one could be saved , either Saraya or Rana and she could no longer bear the reality of it.

  Overcome with grief, Nayi collapsed to the ground, her forehead hitting the floor as she cried out from the depths of her soul. Her voice trembled, faltering with each word.

  "I'm sorry, my lady... I'm sorry... Forgive me... forgive me..."

  Her anguish boiled over, and with a sudden surge of fury, Nayi raised her head, her face streaked with tears.

  " You despicable bastards... what have you done .. she trusted you .... made arrangements so that you bastards can have food even without her and bracelet..... why did she trusted you.."

  Her cries filled the air as she screamed helplessly.

  The commotion drew the attention of other villagers, who began to gather around the scene, murmuring in confusion and dread.

  listening nayi's words, villagers realized how foolish and evil their actions were.

  One by one, the villagers realized the weight of what they had done. Shame crept into their faces as their misguided desperation gave way to tragedy.

  Tears welled in their eyes as they slowly dropped to their knees before Saraya,

  " forgive us my lady..... we didn't know this... we just thought of scaring you with the antidote to get the bracelet and gestures for the food".

  With a faint, fading voice, Saraya called out, "Na... Nayi... Nayi..."

  Hearing her name, the villager who had been restraining Nayi loosened his grip and stepped back, overcome with shame.

  As the weight of the scene sank in, the surrounding villagers turned against those responsible. They seized them without a word, restraining them.

  nayi approached saraya

  Saraya, barely clinging to consciousness, handed Nayi a folded paper , the one given to her by the coachman. Her fingers trembled as she placed it in Nayi's palm. Her voice was a whisper, fragile as breath.

  "There's no time... take the antidote... save Rana..."

  her eyes glistening with unshed tears

  " meet Pratap at this location..." She gestured weakly to the paper.

  Her lips quivered as she gave her final plea.

  "I'm sorry, Nayi... my sister... I'm asking you to trade your life for my son's. Please... save him... save... him..."

  Hearing Saraya's desperate plea, some of the villagers began to move forward, intending to help.

  nayi furiously shouted," DON'T,...don't you dare touch rana and my lady"

  seeing upon the fury of nayi, villagers were stopped in their steps.

  Turning back to Saraya, Nayi knelt beside her, voice trembling yet resolute.

  " my lady .. i promise you, i won't let rana die today... i will reach him to pratap. ....i will reach him home...... i swear it"

  With steady hands, she gave the antidote to Rana, her heart aching as the infant stirred weakly.

  Lifting him gently into her arms, Nayi stood. Her armor still bloodstained, her leg wounded, but her resolve unshaken. Without another word, entered the forest to reach the location that was mentioned in the paper slip.

  Here in the village , the handful of villagers responsible for the betrayal were dragged out and beaten nearly to death by their own people , rage and guilt driving every blow

  Meanwhile, Saraya carried out of the dim, broken house. the villagers, weeping and ashamed, brought her to rest beneath her own statue, the very monument they had once erected in gratitude and reverence.

  There, under the gaze of stone carved in her honor, Saraya sat slumped, her strength slipping away, faintly muttered the words , with anger in her eyes.

  "why have you done this to me?"

  Her words, though faint, cut through the silence . The villagers, overwhelmed by guilt, collapsed to their knees around her, tears streaming down their faces.

  "Forgive us, my lady," "We failed to see the fiends among us... We failed you... Please, forgive us..."

  saraya asked the villagers who made her into this state, " I know you lack the courage to devise something like this on your own... who instigated you guys to do this?"

  One of the bloodied villagers, barely able to lift his head, confessed through trembling lips,

  "A man... in a black hood and mask... He had a mark...just like your bracelet....on his wrist."

  "He came to me yesterday. Gave me the bowl, told me it was coated with a poison... that it would activate only when touched by water. He gave us the antidote and explained the whole plan..."

  The man collapsed on his knees, sobbing.

  "We... we were afraid. Afraid of going back to starvation. We let our fear blind us. We betrayed the goddess who fed us... who protected us..."

  " forgive me, my lady ... forgive this foolish mutt who betrayed our goddess who gave us food... forgive me".

  Other villagers were ready to kill them if given a word from saraya.

  Instead, she whispered softly to herself, her voice lost to all but the wind,

  "So... things have come this far, huh?"

  A faint, bittersweet smile curled on her lips accepting her fate" it is inevitable for my death even if you hadn't done this....... it's not your fault..........in fact , i am glad you did this ... you saved your fellow villagers by killing me."

  Blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth. Still, her gaze was calm.

  She turned her head to the crowd, her voice soft, but clear,

  " leave them be ... let them take my bracelet.... Let them accept the food the coachman brings ...... as a final wish of this unfortunate girl .. help me sleep in eternity..... in a peaceful place ..."

  The world around her dimmed. She let her eyes drift shut, her thoughts the only thing still alive within her:

  " sorry nayi , my sister.. i couldn't able to fulfill your wish.. i hope rana lives up to be a good man, meet his father and make him proud"

  As tears slowly started to shed from her closed eyes

  "I wish... I could've seen you one last time, Pratap... Rana..."

  Her breathing slowed.

  "By now... I hope my son has found his father. please remember this unfortunate mother of yours Rana... my son"

  As her head gently fell to her shoulder, her final thought was

  "I'll wait for you in heaven, Nayi... My sister..."

  As the sun started to rise, Saraya drew her final breath beneath the stone statue carved in her honor.

  A solemn silence fell over the village. Not a voice stirred , only the quiet rustle of the morning wind and the soft weeping of those who mourned her. Every villager grieved her passing, hearts heavy with guilt and sorrow.

  Honoring her final wish, they spared those who had betrayed her, leaving them behind in the village to live with the weight of their choices.

  The others gathered around Saraya. With reverence and care, they lifted her and began their journey away from the village, seeking a place untouched by pain or bloodshed , a place where she could finally rest in peace.

  They walked, under the rising sun, carrying the memory of a woman who gave everything, even her life, for those who had once called her their goddess.