Trikala's voice was low, almost swallowed by the silence.
"I don't want Ashwatthama to discover who I really am… or learn about the past I've spent so long trying to hide from Siya. I have no problem with Jate returning. And whatever happens between him and Siya… that doesn't concern me either. If Siya is happy, that's enough for me."
He paused, his gaze lowering.
"Even if this is the final hour of the Kali Yuga, Ashwatthama… this cannot be the end of Siya's happiness. Not yet. Perhaps it never will be. Whatever decision Siya makes will be my command."
Ashwatthama listened without interruption.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He understood more than Trikala had intended to reveal.
Meanwhile, inside Siya's memories…
A voice slowly echoed through the beautiful garden.
"The wait is finally over, Siya."
The voice carried a strange mixture of disbelief and longing.
"I never knew whether I would ever see you again. And now you're standing right in front of me… It feels almost like a dream."
Siya turned slowly, searching the garden.
The trees remained still. Flowers swayed gently in the breeze, yet there was no sign of anyone.
"Jate…?"
Her voice softened.
"Is that really you? Come out."
A quiet answer came from somewhere beyond the trees.
"Yes.
It is me."
There was hesitation in his voice.
"But I'm afraid, Siya."
"Afraid of what?"
"Of facing you."
The silence between them deepened.
"For everything I did… for every lie, every mistake, every secret I kept from you…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"Can you forgive me? Can you give me another chance?"
Siya closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, her expression was calm.
"Right now, forgiveness isn't the most important thing."
She looked toward the endless garden.
"This universe is in danger. I have a responsibility to fulfill. Whatever happened between us belongs to the past. Right now, I have to protect what still remains."
Then—
A brilliant light appeared before her.
Slowly, a figure emerged from it.
Jate.
He stepped forward.
Siya froze.
For a moment, even she couldn't speak.
He looked exactly as she remembered him.
Those deep, ocean-like eyes.
That otherworldly radiance.
The calmness surrounding his presence.
And that familiar smile—the one that had once brought an inexplicable sense of peace into her life.
Thousands of memories collided inside Siya's mind.
Jate stopped before her.
Neither spoke.
Then Siya finally broke the silence.
"For thousands of years…"
Her voice was quiet.
"You stood beside me as George. You kept me trapped inside an illusion, and I was foolish enough never to recognize you."
Her eyes remained fixed on him.
"I couldn't even recognize the person I had created in my own memories."
Jate lowered his gaze.
"Forgive me, Siya."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"I had no choice."
"You always had a choice."
"I had to do it."
He looked into her eyes.
"I needed to remain close to you. I needed to become your shield… to stand beside you without letting you know who I really was."
Siya remained silent.
Jate took another step forward.
"Your world has called for you, Siya."
His expression became strangely emotional.
"And now… you have called for me."
Siya's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then tell me, Jate…"
She took a breath.
"What exactly does that call mean?"
Jate didn't answer immediately.
Perhaps even he didn't know.
Somewhere beyond the memories…
The body was finally ready.
A humanoid form stood motionless before the sages.
The framework was no longer merely clay. The structure had been transformed, refined, prepared to receive something far greater than ordinary life.
Only one thing remained—
Life itself.
Ashwatthama turned toward Hanuman.
"Son of the Wind, your task is not yet complete."
Hanuman's expression remained peaceful.
Ashwatthama continued,
"Place your grace upon this lifeless form. Give it the force required to enter the realm of living beings."
Hanuman smiled gently.
"If this is the only path remaining, revered one, then so be it."
He turned toward Ali.
"Ali."
Ali immediately stepped forward.
"Yes, Lord Hanuman?"
"You possess the herb brought from Dronagiri, do you not?"
Ali nodded.
"Yes."
"Prepare it."
Hanuman's gaze returned to the motionless figure.
"Make a paste from it and apply it across the entire body. After that, the herb will perform the work it was meant to do."
Ali carefully prepared the mixture.
He spread the luminous herbal paste over the figure, covering every part of its body.
For several seconds—
Nothing happened.
Then a faint golden glow appeared beneath the surface.
Ali stepped back.
The light intensified.
Whoom—
Golden energy surged through the chamber.
The clay-like surface began to change.
The structure softened.
Then hardened.
Its texture transformed.
The form slowly began taking on the appearance of human skin.
A heartbeat echoed through the chamber.
Thump.
Everyone froze.
Another heartbeat followed.
Thump.
Around them, the air began to vibrate.
The sacred sound of "Ram" filled the chamber.
Then the chanting of "Om" rose around it, as though the entire space itself had awakened.
Golden light erupted from the figure.
The transformation accelerated.
What had once been an inert clay creation was no longer a statue.
It had become—
a human body.
Ashwatthama stared silently.
Hanuman's smile deepened.