"Come," Aksha said. "You have a lot to answer for."

Meera raised her hands. "If it's about killing your daughters, then they started it. The witch and I were perfectly okay going our way, but they had to get in our way."

"So, you admit that you colluded with an enemy of the sisterhood to gain entry into the keep falsely," Aksha replied.

This Aksha was quite different than her daughters. For one, there were hardly any emotions on her face and the way she talked. Her words were to the point and direct, as if she was trying to stab you with her words.

"I needed information on my brother, which I now have, so I'll just leave, and this doesn't need to get ugly," Meera said.

"You cannot leave after your transgressions against the sisterhood. You will answer for your crimes." The sorceress of rebirth held out a hand. "Hand over your weapons."

Meera looked down at her chakrams and then back at the sorceress who had three times the levels as her. "No."

Firaan placed a hand on Meera's arm. "Do as she says because whatever you are thinking will not come to pass, especially if you go against her."

"You have exactly one second to remove your hand before I cut it off. Look into my head, and you'll see how I'll do it."

Meera showed her an image of her level 2 chakram moving so fast that it was a blur and slashed through her wrist. The sorceress got the message and shirked her hand back quickly. Meera turned her attention back to the more dangerous sorceress.

"Would you like to lose a hand too?" She asked.

Aksha's lips moved as if she were chanting some spell. The next moment, a new Aksha pulled out of her. Looks-wise, there wasn't a single difference between the two.

"Get her chakrams," the original commanded.

"Yes, mother." The daughter bowed and moved for Meera.

Immediately, there was a difference between the two. For one, the daughter had a self-assured smile, and the two words she had spoken had more emotion than everything the real Aksha had said.

The daughter Aksha extended a hand. "Hand them over."

Meera looked at all three of them simultaneously and sighed. "Fine. You win." She took off all her regular chakrams and placed them on the daughter's hand. Her smile widened with each chakram.

"How does this work?" She picked one up and threw it.

It traveled not ten feet that Meera recalled it, and it came flying back towards Meera, but unfortunately, the daughter's neck was in the way. The chakram ripped open the daughter's throat as it came to rest on Meera's wrist.

The daughter dropped all the chakrams as she gurgled blood. Meera quickly recalled them as the clone fell to her knees, reaching for her mother as blood leaked out of her neck in droves.

“M-Moth…er…” But she fell dead before the uncaring sorceress.

"Sorry." Meera shrugged. "They only answer to me and despise if anyone else tries to use them." She glanced sidelong at Firaan, letting her know that this fate awaited her if she tried to take them.

Aksha's expression stayed neutral as she chanted the spell again, and four more of her daughters stepped out of her. It was like they were made of the same poison she secreted, but they were somehow whole, like a human.

"This is your last chance, Meera," Aksha said. "I will not repeat myself."

"Trust me, mother is not forgiving sort," said one of the clones.

"We would know," another added.

Meera was surrounded, and she knew this was a fight she could not win, especially not against a self-replicating sorceress and another who could quite literally read her next move. That left her only one choice—to surrender, but she wouldn't make it easy for them. After all, as per Firaan's admission, they needed her alive, even if it was to set her up as bait for Neel. But still, she would be alive, which meant she had a chance to make it out of here.

"You would do best to forget those thoughts," the mind reader interjected. "There is no escape for you any longer." Her eyes went to the chakrams on Meera's wrists, and a greedy smile split her lips.

Stolen story; please report.

Meera didn't need to read her thoughts to know what that meant. Watch this.

Firaan's face faltered as Meera looked at Aksha. "I'll come with you quietly but on one condition—my chakrams stay with me."

"No."

"Then take them and I'll just kill anyone who touches them." She looked to Firaan and smiled. "There hasn't been a single thing these chakrams haven't been able to cut. After all, they are divine, you know."

Aksha stared daggers at Meera. She readied herself for the sorceress's minions to attack. A tense few moments passed, and then Firaan stepped forward.

"I have a solution," she said. "What if we lock them in one of Kuana's boxes and put the lockbox in your cell? That way, she won't be able to get to them, and it will also satisfy the girl's condition."

"I could still probably get to them," Meera countered.

"Do you want to die?" Firaan practically shrieked. "Because that is what she is planning to do."

"Fine. As long as it has a glass window so I can count them so I know that a thief hasn't stolen any in the night." She made it a point to look at Firaan as she said, thief.

The sorceress smirked. "You don't have to worry about a glass window. Kuana's lockboxes are made of clouds."

Meera squinted at her. Now, this I must see.

"I'm okay with that. What do you say, Aksha, or do you want to keep losing more daughters?" Meera egged her on.

"Bring her," Aksha said to her daughters, turned about, and left the room.

One of the daughters smiled and poured a hand to the door. "This way, please."

Meera left with the group of Akshas with much fanfare. It seemed that wherever Aksha traveled, a group of young fans followed, or the news of the Champion's sister's capture had spread faster than wildfire, and she knew just who to thank—Arvena.

She must have given me up the moment her sister got captured.

For the faintest moment, Meera regretted antagonizing the sorceress, but then she remembered the girlie comment and thought otherwise. Besides, she would have her chakram with her, so it couldn't be that hard to break out of here.

Aksha led her down the stone steps, not caring a lick if the group of sorceresses hastily getting out of her way on the narrow steps fell to their deaths. Though Meera hated to think less of anyone just because of the group they belonged to, she couldn't bring herself to feel too bad, as, after all, they were sorceresses.

They pivoted towards the dragon's stomach, which was Aksha's lair, and despite multiple warnings, she was looking forward to seeing what was in there. After all, she couldn't outright kill the Champion's sister. Meera was too juicy a prize for them. The absence of the threat of death made one reckless.

They entered the stomach at the bottom, and Meera faced a stone wall. Aksha pivoted right and knocked on the door. One of the clones opened a stone door, and just like that, they arrived at what she figured were the dungeons.

If Meera was scared of what she saw in the Cave of Wraiths, she was downright terrified at what she saw here.

Many cells were filled with men who seemed to have been tortured. One even had the flesh of his arm flayed to the elbow—most supported nasty-looking burns or melted skin. A lot of them were missing limbs. One was knawing on his legs, trying to escape from his chains.

He clasped his trembling hands as they walked by. "Please grant me death."

Aksha walked by as if he didn't even exist. One of his clones spat acid at him. It hit his cheek, making the man reel as he desperately tried to clean it off.

"Next time, don't speak until you're spoken to, dog."

Meera clenched her teeth. "You like torturing people, do you?"

"It's a fun way to pass the time," the clone replied. "Don't feel too bad. He's an enemy of the sisterhood. Tried to infiltrate the keep to assassinate our leadership. This was his punishment."

Meera sighed and looked at the man. "I'm sorry."

She shot a chakram through the bars and slit his throat. The man gasped and smiled as the life leaked out of him.

The real Aksha turned on Meera, gripped her by the throat, and lifted her off her feet. "Just because I cannot kill you, it doesn't mean I can't make your life a living hell."

Meera fought against her grip as she floated in the air using Mirror Wing, making the clones frown. Meera would've smiled at their confusion if not for the vice grip threatening to crush her throat.

"U-Understood," Meera managed.

The sorceress let her drop and turned around without another word. Meera breathed in deep and huffed as she sucked in much needed air. She could've easily teleported to safety, but why reveal all her tricks?

They walked to the end of the long dungeon where a sorceress was casting a spell on what Meera figured was her cell. From the conversation she heard, Aksha's clone called her Kuana, the one who would make a lockbox for Meera's chakrams.

"Are the cells ready?" Aksha asked.

"Yes, and the lockbox," Kuana replied.

If Meera had to guess, she belonged to Zona's race as she had the same stark white hair and red eyes. The woman was pretty, but that was a common theme in this place.

Kuana produced the lockbox, and it felt like she was holding a square cloud. The white clouds swirled around but never broke the square shape.

"Are those actual clouds?" Meera asked.

"Are those actual divine weapons?" Kuana asked at the same time.

Aksha grunted, and Kuana reined herself in. She coughed. "Please place your chakrams in here."

"First, you place the lockbox in my cell. Who's to say you won't run off with them? I'm not saying I don't trust you, but I don't trust you."

Aksha flicked her head, Kuana walked into the cell on her right, and Meera followed. Once inside, Meera took off all her chakrams and placed her chakrams in the swirling clouds.

"Your Hoard Belt?" Kuana motioned to Meera's belt.

She sighed and placed the belt in the lockbox as well. Kuana uttered a spell that sparked lightning in the clouds, and a moment later, they quieted, and turned fluffy white.

She placed the cloud box on the table by the bed and left and uttered the same spell on the cell. Clouds ejected from her hands to cover the cell, locking Meera in.

"None of your skills or magic will work against them, no matter how much you try," Aksha declared. "I will come to pay you a visit soon."

Aksha left with all her clones, leaving only one behind.

"Hello, dearie. Did you miss me?" Kalrina waved from the opposite cell.

Meera groaned. "Which of your gods is playing this cruel joke on me."