It seemed like some color of the world had faded away, some charm has left it, some glory has gone by and everything is in ruins and yet it all looked the same but somehow didn't. It was the feeling that made it different
Vikaya opened her eyes, swollen with dried tears. She looked around and was immediately alert, her detective senses and anxiety kicking in
"Where am I?" she sat up
It was the same godforsaken land she has been trying to escape but some how it felt good to be back here, it felt better than all those times she had been living as someone trying to figure out their life and problems
"Oh good" she blurted
"Zar?" she called
"So you do like it here!" said Zar's voice
Vik turned to find him hovering over her
"Zar!" she yelled and sprung up
"Oh God no…" she said to him and held his cold, bony hands
"I am so sorry this happened to you" she said on the brink of tears
Zar stared at her, his eyes wide with shock. After all these years he never experienced this. This feeling of finally someone admitting that what happened was wrong, very wrong and finally someone finding out what actually happened to him
She tried to hug him, but it felt too awkward to even attempt it, so she just patted him comfortingly
"So none of your family ever knew?" she asked, sitting with Zar
"No. Alekon ran away with anything that could have pointed to the reason behind my death. They assumed he was a psychopath who murdered me" said Zar
"And your family?" she asked
"They were shocked and scared beyond repair but they had to cope and move on" said Zar trying to shove away the tears
Vik grabbed his hand again and squeezed. She was still curious but decided to let it go as it still broke him inside
"So, what does Alekon want now? And how is he even alive?" asked Vik, offended and furious
"Well, there can be many things that keep a person alive against the natural order of things. Just like he was sacrificing me, he might have sacrificed many others to gain their Life force and as you might have noticed he looked a bit different, he definitely shifted bodies when his mortal vessel started to give up on him" explained Zar
"Wow, all that trouble to rule the world? Is that even worth it? He can have a lot of money and still rule the world, can't he?" said Vikaya and threw a rock across the empty land
"Well, a lot of money still does not guarantee the power to control the people and their minds. You can try but you can't succeed entirely" said Zar
Vikaya nodded
"But shifting bodies! I never thought such things could happen" said Vik
"Well, the longest living monarch of this planet has been doing this for years, otherwise she would have been knocked out three decades ago" said Zar
"What!" Vik's eyes were widened almost dropping out of her skull "But at least she's dead now"
"Is she?" said Zar raising one eye "Didn't she always seem suspicious, like something is disturbing about her but you just can't point it out?"
Vikaya stopped to think for a moment and then nodded, realizing this shocking very obvious fact
"So, what does he plan to do now? Sacrifice you again?" asked Vikaya
"The dead can't be killed Pekassador. However I am still all-knowing and now I have even greater knowledge beyond the realms of the physical" said Zar
"But still no sacrifice" concluded Vik
Both of them were now walking towards the coffin again and Zar stopped and stared at her with a weird expression on his face
"What?" asked Vik
"Oh come on! You still don't know?" said Zar "All that sharp instincts and that well of wisdom within you and nothing?" said Zar
Vikaya stopped and thought for a moment. Then it hit her! The ground beneath her feet was snatched! She fell into the hole of bottomless shock and despair
"Is it…really" she gulped "me?" goosebumps filled her body
Zar sighed and nodded slowly
"But…why me?" asked Vikaya
"Oh come on! Are you really downplaying yourself? Are you still viewing yourself as small and insignificant?" blurted Zar, his irritability now rising bit by bit
"Huh?" said Vik
"Don't you know yourself? How powerful you are? You have a heart of gold! You have an infinite well of intellect and wisdom which is not gained from the studies of this planet. You are so in touch with your soul" said Zar
These words just nailed Vikaya to the ground. She stared at him, with a blank face almost stopping her breath. Then she took a deep breath in, trying very hard to fight the tears dancing at the edge of her eyes
"Thank you" she said in a small voice
Zar patted on her shoulder
"I wish everyone could see that" said Vikaya walking ahead
"They don't need to, only you do" said Zar
They stood around the coffin and looked at each other
"So a ritual which kills me and sucks your power?" asked Vik
"Wisdom, intellect, heart of gold and an all-knowing being with knowledge across the dimensions. Hell, he might even rule all the nine planets" said Zar
"Pluto is still a planet and the humans are yellow-livered, porridge brain, potty-mouths to exclude it" said Zar before Vik opened her mouth
"I agree" said Vik and smiled
"So what's the plan, wraith-man?" asked Vikaya chuckling at her own words
Zar stared at her, squinting his eyes
"Go to Alekon" said Zar
"Alright" said Vik and picked up the coffin chains
She dragged the coffin while Zar sat over it like royalty on a carriage. In a minute she reached the gates she had been desperately wanting for so long and it was finally within reach!
"Wow, I thought you would trap me here forever" said Vikaya as a gate appeared before her and she stepped, rather dramatically through it
The gates twirled into non-existence and the Land she passed by faded away like ashes. They entered the realm of unknown. In a few moments she found herself being thrown on the ground of the forest
"Oww" she yelled holding her bruised elbow
"Why does it have to throw me?! Someone should really fix these problems" she said brushing herself off
She looked around, the endless forest sprawled along for miles
"Uhh…Zar?" she said
How to get out of here? she thought to herself
"Here" called a faint voice
Vik ran ahead and found Zar's coffin upturned near a tree and he was lying on it, well more like thrown on it
"You got thrown too!" said Vikaya
"Is that delight I hear?" said Zar getting up in anger
"Come on we have to head back" said Vikaya trying to distract him to more important matters. It doesn't matter if Vik felt delight and relief that she wasn't the only one in this suffering
"It's a long way" groaned Vikaya "I hope you know the way back"
"Ehh? Why me?" asked Zar
"Well so much to be all-knowing!" said Vikaya rolling her eyes
While they would have bickered more, Vikaya's phone ringing made them jump
She looked at the screen, it was an unknown number. Who's calling me now? she wondered
"Hello?" she said
"Vikaya Pekassador" a disturbing voice almost whispered "I see you are still alive"
"Alekon Do" Vikaya grinded her teeth
"I will see you tomorrow morning with what I asked for" he said and hung up
She put down the phone and stared at Zar, her mouth open
"He knew we were out" she said
"He must have put something on you that would track you, energetically" he said
"What now? He asked to be there tomorrow morning" said Vikaya
"Let's head to the cabin first" said Zar and walked ahead
He counted five trees and took a left
"Hello?" said Vikaya and pointed to the coffin but he had already left. She groaned and picked up the coffin and dragged it which surprisingly was still as light as a feather
"We are here!" Vik chortled
Well, it turns out, the physical time, space and reality is bendable up to some extent