When she saw the kid, she looked up at the fireflies, and all of them were glowing way much brighter than before and were swirling above him.

  I don’t understand why they are swirling around this kid. Is this kid the magical source? How could he? But I am sure of one thing: if these fireflies are swirling around him, then there is something in him which can lead me to a magical source. Maybe he knows where the magical source is located. I think I should ask him.

  She went closer to the kid and crouched; she petted his cheek to wake him, but he wasn’t waking up. Then she turned around and saw that he was bleeding from his leg.

  He is not sleeping; he is unconscious because of excessive bleeding. If I want to know where the magical source is located, then I should wake him up, and for that, I have to heal him and take him to my place.

  She quickly tore a piece of cloth from her dress and tied it across his injury to stop the blood coming out of his body. She picked him up on her shoulder and then went back to her place.

  When she reached her place, she put the kid on her bed and rushed towards her almirah and took out two or three bottles and then placed them on the table. All three bottles had different contents in them. She took a little from each of the bottles, and then she put them into a pot. And she took out another bottle and poured a few drops from it into the pot.

  She picked up the pot, and then she chanted a few words, and the white liquid within the pot turned into golden liquid and started glowing. She rushed towards the boy; she sat beside him and applied the mixture to his wound. Yellow light started emerging from his injury, the witch got up from the bed, and she came out of the pit, and she saw the big bright full moon above her.

  She sat on the ground and started gazing at the moon.

  I’ve spent so many years finding the magical, powerful source, and now, when I was so close to it, it led me to nothing but a boy. Will I be able to get that magical source, or am I going to die with that wish, tears rolled down from her eyes. No, no, that is not going to happen. I will find that magical source at any cost. Many people came between me and that source, and all of them died at my hands, and I’m not going to let anyone stop me, not even myself.

  She stood up and went back into the pit. She saw that the kid was already awake and was looking all around. When the kid saw the witch, he moved backward.

  “Don’t worry, I will not harm you,” said the witch in a sweet voice, “I’m the one who saved you and gave you your life back”.

  The witch gradually approached the kid, and the kid gradually moved backward.

  “Don’t fear from me,” said the witch in a sweet voice, “I will not let anything happen to you, you are safe”.

  As she came closer, the kid tried to move further behind, but this time there was no space behind him, and his ankle bent, which caused immense pain in his leg, and he fell to the ground. Witch rushed towards him and she picked him up with both hands.

  Then she placed him on the bed, and she smiled a little while he was looking at her. She put her hands on his injury, closed her eyes, and started chanting some words, and an orange light started emerging from her hands. Ivaan felt like all of his pain got sucked away from his body.

  “I know what horrible things they did to you,” said the witch, “nothing will harm you anymore”.

  “Do you know magic?” he asked

  “Yes, I do know magic,” she said with a giggle

  “Will you teach me?”

  “I will teach you,” the witch said with a smile, “but before that, you have to answer some of my questions”.

  Ivaan nodded in yes, “good,” she said, “Now, from where did they get you?”.

  “I was with my family,” he said with a sobbing voice, “I was woken up by my mother, and she told me to quickly get up, and we all ran outside of our house. When we got out of the house, they killed mumma and papa.” Ivaan started crying

  “Okay, okay, now stop crying.” Witch wiped his tears, and he stopped crying.

  “Now tell me what your father used to do?” she asked

  “He was the priest of the temple,” he said

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  Now, it is all making sense. Maybe his father or the priest told him about the magical source.

  “Did your father tell you something important when you all were getting out of the house?”

  “Nothing, I could remember,”

  Is this kid lying to me? But why would he lie to me? Maybe because his father told him not to tell anybody. I should try Alitheia (truth potion) on him, and then it will be sure whether his father told him something or not.

  “Oh, I forgot, it’s time for your medicine.” She quickly got up from the bed.

  “But I’m feeling no pain in my leg,” said Ivaan

  “No, you need to take medicine,” said the witch, “it will help you in recovery from the injury”.

  “But I don’t want to,”

  “Good kids always take their medicine on time,” she said with a smile and brought him a cup filled with the truth potion, “now take your medicine like a good kid”.

  She handed him the cup, he took the cup, he looked at her, and drank the potion.

  “Good boy,” she said with a smile and petted his head, “are you sure your father didn’t tell you anything important on that day?”

  “No, he didn’t,”

  He’s saying the truth, but if his father didn’t tell him anything, then why were the fireflies swirling around him? Her eyes became wide, maybe, maybe this is not about something he knows, but maybe he himself is the magical source, that’s why the fireflies were swirling around him. The magical source resides within him, and it is not something that I can take.

  “So, when will you teach me magic?” asked Ivaan

  “So, you will always address me by 'you',” she said, “it hurts”.

  A sharp pain began to spread through his leg, and he started weeping again.

  “The pain is too much,” said Ivaan with tears in his eyes, “ahhh”.

  “Come here,” she said while opening her arms and moving them towards him.

  Ivaan came to her limping and fell on her hands; she picked him up and put him on his lap.

  “It’s ok, child,” she said while moving her hands over his injury, and an orange light was emerging from her hands. “The pain is part of life, but don’t worry, as long as you are with me, no pain will come to you”.

  Slowly, the pain faded from his leg, and he started to feel sleepy. “Can I call you mother?” he murmured in his sleep.

  “Of course, my dear child, you can call me mother,” she said with a wide smile.

  Ivaan slept in her lap, and from then on, she started nurturing him as her own child. Outside of the forest, there were the farms of the villagers. But due to too much rain, all of the crops got destroyed, which pushed the villagers into starvation.

  A farmer was sitting outside his house. His wife came to him, “It has already been 3 days, we haven’t eaten anything, and our son is already very ill, you have to do something”.

  “What can I do? Our crops got destroyed, and now I also don’t have any money left to buy any food, only God can do something,” said the farmer.

  “We can’t rely on gods, you have to do something before anything bad happens,” his wife said with tears in her eyes.

  “Okay,” said the farmer, “there is a village a little far away from our village, maybe I’ll find some food there”.

  “That’ll be great, thank god,”

  “I’m going there,” he said, “I’ll return in sometime”.

  “Okay, me and our son will be waiting for you,” His wife said with a smile, “may god help us”.

  “They will, I know,” he said with a smile, and tears fell from his eyes. He went straight to his farm, he kneeled in the field, “I have to lie to my wife that there is a village with food out there but there is no such village here. God, you know everything, I know that there is nothing in power that I can do to bring food to them but God you created whole universe, you can do anything.”

  “So hereby I am sacrificing myself to you, I can’t see my son and wife dying from starvation. Oh god, please accept my sacrifice and bring food to them,” he said while taking out a knife, and he slit his own throat. His blood burst out of his neck, and he fell to the ground. In a few seconds, the blood created a pool around his body.

  He opened his eyes, and he saw nothing but himself lying on the ground covered with blood.

  “It’s me, I am lying dead there,” he said to himself. He looked at his arms and legs.

  So, if I am dead, then this is my soul.

  He saw two people appear out of nowhere and glance at him.

  “Come with us, your time is done,” said one.

  “Are you Yamadutas, messengers of Yama?” asked the farmer.

  “Yes, we are, now come with us,” said the other one

  “Yes, sir, gladly, I was waiting for this moment for a long time,” said the farmer with a big smile.

  Both the yamadutas walked and stood beside him. They both grabbed his arms from each side and ascended to take him to Yama. First, they reached a city while flying in the sky,

  There were many people in the place. “What is this place?” the farmer asked.

  “This is the capital city of Naraka (Hell), Pitrloka,” said one of the Yamaduta

  “And who are these people who are residing in the city?” asked the farmer.

  “These are Pitrs, they are the deceased predecessors and relatives of the people,” said the Yamaduta, “we took you here because lord of hell, Yama, resides here with his assistants, he will…”.

  “Give the judgment, I know,” said the farmer. Both the Yamadutas looked at each other.

  “What do you think I will go to heaven, right?” asked the farmer, but the Yamadutas didn’t give him any reply.

  “Of course I will go to heaven, I’ve done only good work in my entire life,” said the farmer. “When I meet him, I will ask him to provide food to the people of my village after all.

  In a few seconds, they reached in front of Yama’s court, which was a big castle.

  “Finally, we’ve reached. I can’t wait to see lord Yama, how humongous and large he will be from me,” said the farmer with delight.

  The farmer entered the court with both the Yamadutas beside him. There were large stairs in front of him that ascended towards a big throne on which lord Yama was sitting. He was dark in color, with fire-rimmed eyes and sharp side tusks sticking out form his jaw. In one hand he held a noose (pasha) to bind the dead, and in the other, a mace heavy with divine judgment. Compared to the farmer, he was massive.

  Yamadutas left him in front of Yama, the framer looked at Lord Yama.

  “Lord Yama, I can’t tell you how blessed I am to see you,” said the farmer, grinning. Lord Yama didn’t say anything.

  “Chitragupta, tell me what this man has done in his entire life, and on the basis of that, I will give my judgment,” said Yama in his loud and heavy voice to a man sitting below his throne.

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