The descent into the bottomless spring was slow and disorienting. Svetavastra felt weightless, like a leaf drifting downward. Yet there was a force, gentle but inescapable, pulling her deeper into the abyss. She had no control—over her body or her powers. The vast, dark waters seemed to swallow her, pulling her toward the endless void below. The more she sank, the more helpless she felt—a sensation she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time. The pressure of the water surrounded her like a suffocating blanket.

Time lost its meaning. It could have been moments, or it could have been an eternity.

Something caught her, warm and firm, dragging her upward. The warmth filled her with a sense of life, like a distant echo of herself. Then, everything dissolved into emptiness again—a void where she felt nothing. No pain, no weight, no air.

A voice, distant but insistent, broke through the haze.

“Come on, Svetavastra!”

Another familiar voice whined, “Wake up, No-god God!”

Consciousness returned in fits and starts. She coughed violently, expelling water as her body fought to breathe again. She was lying on solid ground, her cosmic self looming above her, hands pressed against her chest to force the water from her lungs. She opened her eyes to daylight and the cosmic form came into focus. Cosmic Svetavastra grinned down at her, relief evident.

“Thank the gods,” groaned the preta in the bracer.

“Are you alright?” said Cosmic Svetavastra. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’ll survive,” said Svetavastra as she struggled to sit up, her head pounded like a drumbeat,

“Weren’t you the one who warned me about the bottomless spring?” said cosmic Svetavastra. “How come you fell prey to it?”

“Momentary lapse of control,” said Svetavastra. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Don't bother,” Cosmic Svetavastra shrugged it off. She stood up and offered her hand. “But seriously, why’d you lose control?”

The preta’s voice piped up again, curious as ever. “Yes, No-god God. What happened?”

Svetavastra rose to her feet, still unsteady.

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“I was passing through some of my past memories. Something in the memories triggered some instinctive response in me that jerked me awake from the cultivation. ” She shook her head, trying to clear the fog of disorientation. “I should have been more careful.”

Cosmic Svetavastra rubbed her chin. “I see...”

“I need the divine sword,” Svetavastra said with a firm tone.

Cosmic Svetavastra hesitated, her usual playfulness faltering as she gauged Svetavastra's serious mood. With a slight nod, she summoned the Divine Sword, its radiant glow illuminating the space around them.

“Wow,” said the preta in the bracer as it witnessed the Divine Sword for the first time. “My eyes are blessed to see this divine sword.”

Svetavastra grasped the hilt of the sword. At first, it seemed familiar, but the moment she held it, the radiant glow dimmed. A flood of memories rushed into her mind, flashing images and sensations she couldn’t fully grasp. The sword felt too heavy to hold, straining her spiritual energy.

“I can barely hold it,” Svetavastra said, her grip tightening in frustration. In the memory, I could split myself into multiple forms but I have to think twice just to transform back to my female self. My current powers are nowhere near what the powers of God of War are supposed to be.

“You can take it,” said Svetavastra letting go of the sword. The cosmic form made a gesture and the sword disappeared into her.

Am I really the God of War? Svetavastra wondered, her brows creased. What is the truth Raktabija wanted me to find? And who was the god that commanded me to fight him?

A surge of frustration welled up inside her. So many questions and the answers felt maddeningly out of reach.

She began to pace, her agitation rising with each step. Her cosmic self watched quietly, an amused yet curious glint in her eyes. Just as Svetavastra's frustration threatened to boil over, a spark of clarity lit up her mind.

“Wait... Manu,” she whispered to herself. Manu is connected to Swarga-loka. He might have some answers.

“Cosmic form,” said Svetavastra turning to her. “Let’s return for the time being, we will come here once more to have a deeper cleansing. Right now I need some answers. Let’s head back to Manu.”

Cosmic Svetavastra smiled. “As you wish,” she said and grinned. “I’m always ready to see Manu.”

The return path from the Moonlit Spring felt different under the daylight, yet still filled with a sense of unease. Sunlight filtered weakly through the mist, creating ghostly beams that pierced the thick air, but the haze remained stubborn, swirling in slow eddies around their feet.

“I’d expected it to be clearer in the daylight,” muttered Cosmic Svetavastra.

Svetavastra led the way, her gaze fixed ahead, her senses on high alert. The sound of their footsteps was muffled by the dew-covered earth. She stepped carefully around the twisted roots and slick rocks that jutted from the trail, still cautious despite the relative brightness of day.

She stopped dead in her tracks, arm outstretched to block Cosmic Svetavastra. Her counterpart stumbled into her with a grunt.

“What gives—”

“Shh,” Svetavastra gestured for the cosmic form to be silent. Her eyes narrowed as she listened carefully.

Faint voices floated through the mist, barely discernible.

“Chief, are you sure the spiritual master is here?” they could hear a man's voice ask another. “We’ve been going in circles for hours...”