Time slowed down for Bhairavi. Blood roared in her ears as she saw Samanya, her Samanya, fall. Bhay laughed loudly with great joy and slapped his thigh, as if he had just proven a point to her. His eyes fell on Bhairavi's face and he gleefully expected fear, anguish, even tears. But all he got was a face etched in stone with no expression. Her eyes though, her eyes were glowing with such rage that she would burn him down with a single look if she could.

Bhay felt a frisson of discomfort for the first time, in the last couple of decades he had spent so much time looking for her and dreaming about how he would kill her while she begged for reprieve. But now he wondered if it was the right thing to invoke one's own nemesis.

Bhairavi had never felt so much pain since her parents had died. With Namma being kidnapped, Summer lying like the dead at home back then, and...Samanya falling, Bhairavi realized every fear of hers had already come true. She had nothing left to lose. No longer did Bhay radiate fear for her. All he emitted was cruelty, and she intended to end him.

Almost quivering with rage, she decided to not let anger get the best of herself. Yet. Bhay stood with a smirk, beckoning her with a finger to take her chance. Closing her eyes, Bhairavi touched her beloved pendant which always warmed up when she used her powers.

Maa, bless me and be with me, so that I end this monster once and for all, Bhairavi prayed. Ignoring her swollen wrist, Bhairavi picked up the sword. 'Come, you fucking bastard!' she screamed in his mind, swearing for the first time. That got his attention and as he attacked, Bhairavi willed the blade to not melt, and made it blaze with fire.

With her flaming sword she intercepted his attack and the harsh sound of clashing blades echoed. Bhay tried to push down with his blade, using his superior strength. But Bhairavi held her own, her mind was lending her body the strength she needed.

As she invoked the Kundalini in her, the primitive Feminine energy of the universe, she felt all her pain fade. All she felt was...power. She kicked him hard in his chest and he fell back before getting up, a tad sluggishly.

Bhay's face registered fear for a moment before rage encumbered it, for Bhairavi was now on fire, her entire body was blazing with Tapas. When she spoke in his mind, her voice was magnified, 'Your time is up Bhay. For too long you have killed and tormented the innocent. No more.' Bhairavi could feel the Goddess' presence and she further mined the powers embedded in her, in her essence, in her blood, in her spirit.

An injured Bhay had slowly stood to attack again, but his sword seemed to grow heavier at the sight in front of her. A flaming Bhairavi had two more hands at her back, which held a bowl and a trishul. When the hands moved, they often shimmered like a mirage before solidifying in reality again. Her forehead had a glaring third eye, right above the two accusing ones.

Bhay refused to feel fear, he was the Lord of it after all, but it still pricked him and drew vulnerability. As Bhairavi advanced and he took a stance, he asked, "Who are you?"

A chilling laughter filled his mind, a laughter of rage and pain, 'I am Bhairavi. The manavi daughter of Maa Tripura Bhairavi, as well as your doom.' With that she lunged at him with her sword while her trishul blazed up and just as he swerved to her left, it struck him in the chest. She pierced the trident further into his chest and Bhay gurgled, "You cannot kill me. I am immortal."

Bhairavi smiled, her face splattered with his blood, and what a terrifying smile was that, 'I know. But you can be defeated and dispelled.' Realizing he had lost, Bhay screamed in fear while choking on his blood. Bhairavi twisted the trishul in his chest and life left his eyes.

Throwing his body down with the trishul embedded, she ran to Samanya, ignoring the petals raining all around her. He was almost dead, even though he had been struck only some moments ago.

'No...no no no. You cannot die on me Samanya. I refuse to let you go! No!'

He had no strength to speak, so she probed into his mind. He could barely form coherent thoughts to answer her, "Bhairavi...I...I...won't die...promise...you alive...love you...."

Bhairavi's powers were already draining, but she made a last attempt to call upon the Goddess. 'Maa, please save him, please, take my life instead, but please.' As he died, a crying Bhairavi kissed him tenderly, unable to say goodbye.

Suddenly, light started glowing from his body, and...a man who looked like a human Samanya arose from his body. Astounded and exhausted, Bhairavi did not know what to say.

"Bhairavi, it's me. I never got the chance to tell you about my birth. I was cursed to be born as a Rakshasa to my parents. I am a Gandharva, my name is Dharmapriya..."

"..and he was supposed to die in the arms of a human hero to be liberated of his curse," Goddess Tripura Bhairavi completed, a benign smile on her terrifying face. The Gandharva who looked like Samanya nodded, but he looked miserable.

"But now you don't want to go back, do you?"

He shook his head, his eyes downcast, "Devi, there are several Gandharvas in Amravati to fill my place. Let me be with her in her lifetime, aide her in her adventures, protect her with my life. I promise to never let any harm come to her."

"I know, Dharmapriya. You have been virtuous like no cursed Gandharva before. You refused to give in to the bloodthirsty nature of Rakshasas, and did only good deeds. You fought Bhay, knowing you might not die in her arms and be regenerated as a Rakshasa again. But the choice lies with her."

Bhairavi blinked, her mind and body was too exhausted to keep up properly with all that was happening. "Bhairo, I offer you a choice. You can either have one of your parents back, or have Dharmapriya by your side."

Now that got her attention. Getting back one of her parents...how could she choose among her Maa and Baba. Also, she remembered how they were together and at peace. If she asked for one of them, the other would be left alone, also it would be really selfish of her to get them stuck in the cycle of birth again. But Samanya...or Dharmapriya...wanted to be with her, to be by her side, even if it meant renouncing Amravati, or paradise, for a long time.

She felt guilty as a daughter while making her choice, but she did, 'I choose him. Samanya, or Dharmapriya, whatever be his name.' The Goddess smiled, "So be it. You shall remain as Samanya for as long as she lives. But give us a moment alone."

Turning to Bhairavi as the Gandharva moved away, she said, "My dear girl, I am proud of you. Unlike my sister forms, I never had children. But now I see the charm of being a mother. You did the unimaginable. You managed to defeat Bhay. Henceforth, all the lokas, or realms, will know you as Abhaya Bhairavi, the fearless one."

Before she could control, she blamed her exhaustion, she spoke like a child, 'But I am scared Maa. Scared of what the future holds, of what might happen to Namma, of not being good enough.' She felt vulnerable admitting those insecurities.

"My child, being fearless does not mean you won't be ever be scared. It means you will always have the strength to defeat your fears and to learn from them. You have a long journey ahead, this is just the beginning. You made the right choice, you need him by your side. Take care, Bhairo."

As the Goddess vanished, Bhairavi's mind swam with all the information. The Gandharva came up to her, "Bhairavi? Are you okay? You are hurt. Come, let's go home. I will patch you up over there."

'What do I call you now, Dharmapriya or Samanya? I am so confused. Thank god you still look like Samanya.'

"Samanya, for you I am always Samanya. Come on, let me take you home. I am not hurt anymore, but you are. I'll carry you."

But Bhairavi refused to be carried like a damsel in distress, 'I can walk.' But as she stood, she hissed in pain, her knee throbbed and her hand was almost numb with pain.

"Still want to walk?" a skeptical Samanya asked with a raised eyebrow. Bhairavi nodded, 'Yeah. Had forgotten the pain when my powers were at peak, simply experiencing them all over again.' Samanya shook his head at her stubbornness. Bhairavi was just Bhairavi. But he loved her for that. Lending his shoulder for her to lean on to for support, which she grudgingly accepted, they started walking home.

'Oh but the cafe! And Bhay's body!? And all this mess!?' Bhairavi exclaimed in his mind.

"Relax. Breathe. A little slow else your ribs will hurt. While the Goddess had a private moment with you, I saw that his body had vanished, along with the trishul. Courtesy Goddess Tripura Bhairavi, no doubt. As for the cafe, I made a call to the fire station and tipped them off anonymously. I hope the place was insured, though."

'Yes, Maa and Baba were always at the top of their game when it came to business.' She realized that it no longer hurt so much to talk about them. Grief indeed became easier to bear with time. But then her worry returned, 'Is Namma alright? And where is Summer!?'

"Bhairavi, relax. I took care of it all. Namma is fine, she was simply unconscious. I bandaged her cut palm before I came to help. As for Summer, while you were talking to the Goddess, I found her snoring near the Italian restaurant. She claimed that when she saw you blaze and attack, she knew the cactus man was done for and decided to take a nap. She further added that the painkillers had kicked in."

Bhairavi laughed on hearing that before the pain in her chest made her stop. The roads were deserted and she hoped that the battle had not been witnessed by any insomniac, wandering mortal. Hopefully the Maya had been strong enough around Bhay to cover her as well. Else she would be in trouble. But she decided to put all that out of her mind. She had tomorrow for all that. For now, she would simply be grateful and happy that everyone she loved was alive, and that she had defeated Bhay.

As they walked home in silence, enjoying each other's presence, the glorious voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra reciting and singing Mahishasurmardini was heard from radios of the houses they passed. A new Mahalaya dawned, heralding the arrival of a new savior.

A/N

Not the end, the epilogue is yet to be seen, with a surprise! So, stay tuned and don't forget to vote.

Love,
Kaushiki