"Pratyusha, can you hold on for fifteen minutes?" Dhruva's message appeared in my personal chat window. "I'm bringing reinforcements and some equipment."

Reinforcements? Did he come across another group from the Ashrama?

I checked my Prana and the rate at which it was decreasing, calculating both the increment from digestion and the decrement from the maintenance of my Lakshman Rekha.

"It will be hard. There are lots of Yeti here. My barriers can last for eight minutes max." I replied, hoping he would come fast.

Before embarking on this pilgrimage, I had researched all my group members, being the leader and all.

I had approached their acquaintances, made friends, and extracted information from them regarding my soon-to-be colleagues.

For Dhruva, it was a guy named Dweep. Having been around Rachit and his friends since childhood, I knew about the mannerisms of boys to an extent. They would insult their 'true' friends in their presence and praise them behind their backs. Dweep was no exception. From his accounts, I realized how much he trusted this guy.

In my mind, I started holding him and a few others to high standards, but after scrutinizing his actions for the last two weeks— I was disappointed.

But after the vine monster struck, I got to witness a glimpse of his capabilities.

I realized that his skills were high cost and high return. I'm not sure about the specifics behind its workings, but it was apparent that he could manipulate an enormous amount of Kundalini for a set amount of time. Time— which was too precious to waste on ordinary mobs.

The number of yeti around us had already increased to hundreds. All I could see on the other side of my barrier were dirty yellow-white bundles of fur draped around massive humanoids that reflected the flickering light of the bonfire in front of the chief's two-storied wooden house.

There were dozens of villagers with sharp-ended farming tools patrolling and stabbing from the inner side of my outer barrier.

Since the Lakeh and Yeti didn't use any metal weapons and chose to brawl with their claws or bare fists, I had allowed metal to enter and exit my barrier freely. Otherwise, it might snap in half like those Lakeh who came to abduct children earlier in the day.

If the outer barrier was working fine, why was I wasting my life energy to keep up the inner wall? Why did Ananta's incarnation, Lakshman, devise such an inefficient design?

"Have this sheesh kebab! And here are some lamb momos!" The aunty responsible for feeding me shoved a long and... Why am I even describing it?

"Eight huh? Got it. I'll be there, don't worry." Dhruva's message arrived a little late, "Do everything you can until then. I'm sorry if you felt bad when I said that the Blessing was wasted on you. But I won't take back my words. Blessed Skills are not about the Beings who designed and shared it with you. They are about internalizing and augmenting them to fit your circumstances. Get creative."

I stared at his message for a few seconds.

When was the last time someone had rebuked me for not trying hard enough?

I have always participated in many co-curricular activities, ranging from dancing, singing, debating, and even several sports. Whenever I found people better than me, I left practicing midway, thinking there was no use keeping at it when I had no talent in that field.

I've been searching and searching for something that clicked with me.

I've often wondered whether I was wrong in thinking like that.

Were those people better than me because they kept at it while I jumped ships from one activity to another? Or was I too caught up with the things taught to me and never excelled in anything because I was too lazy or afraid to think outside the box?

Every time, my parents, Rachit, and a few of my other childhood friends supported my decisions, enabling me to run away at the first sign of failure or difficulty. They never got angry or disappointed.

As if... They never expected anything to begin with.

I've been thinking about it for the whole evening. Their acceptance had become a poison for my growth.

It had been four Satya weeks since we got our Blessings. What did I even do with my blessing? The only thing I've learned is to set entry and exit conditions.

"I've always been a Xerox machine." I have no idea why I sent back this message to Dhruva, "Always copying and imitating others, diligently following instructions given by elders, and never coming up with my original ideas. Right now, without practicing, even if I want with all my heart to come up with something, I won't be able to. So, please give me some directions or hints. I've already talked about my Blessing with you."

"Pratyusha!!" One of the patrolling uncles shouted, interrupting my conversation with Dhruva, and pulled out a pitchfork from a collapsing Lakeh previously scratching at the cracks on my Lakshman Rekha from the other side. "The cracks are getting bigger. These yeti are dealing significant damage to your barrier... What should we do? Our weapons, even with Kundalini Augmentation, can't seem to breach their tough fur and leather."

"My—friend is coming. We need to hold on for a few minutes. Bring in everyone who can fight. Now is not the time to conserve our forces!" It felt weird to call Dhruva just a colleague or a fellow pilgrim at this point.

"It's okay." Dhruva sent back, reminding me of all the words of consolation I've heard from the people around me over the years.

Don't say that to me... Whatever resolve I had mustered will wither away hearing those words.

"You've already done it once. Try building up on the things you can already do. Combine them together. Maybe you'll find out some application of your barrier like that." Another set of messages poured in through the chat window, reigniting the flickering fire of change inside me.

Manipulating the dimensions of my barrier after establishing it.

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Settings entry exit conditions.

These two things were all I had right now.

Several earth-shaking vibrations pulsed from the outer barrier, threatening to break it away from the onslaught of all the yeti surrounding us.

Their ginormous hairy fists kept chipping away pieces of my barrier like a bulldozer, removing rocks to create a mountain pass.

My single-digit Prana lost a few points at once.

The caretaker aunty started panic-feeding me in tandem with all the unfortunate events happening in front of me.

A few more shattering sounds emanated from behind the chief's house. The sickening sounds of blunt farming equipment smashing or piercing through Lakeh's flesh made me squeamish. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a doctor in the future—sorry, Mom.

There were three batches of villagers who were supposed to patrol in slots one at a time. But on my orders, they all rushed out with their trusty tools to engage with the hairy fifteen-foot humanoids on the other side of our pre-final line of defense.

Dead Lakeh littered the boundaries, and broken equipment lay cluttered, lining the golden outer perimeter. Many villagers were slowly pushed back while they held on to their tools, half-stabbed into the bodies of their unfazed enemies who kept approaching the barrier like a tanks.

Their backward movement gave me an idea. It flashed across my mind like lightning—a combination of dimensional manipulation and command settings.

"Get inside the inner circle!! I'm opening the outer one!" I shouted, my stomach bulging to its limits. "Aunty! Feed me some more!"

The villagers looked surprised but didn't voice their opinions for now.

While seven to eight Yeti had already started assaulting our barrier from the very beginning, a significant portion of them were ravaging the empty village, demolishing once comfortable, happy homes and fertile orchards.

When they all gathered around my Rekha, their numbers went up atleast by a hundred.

Their incessant banging on the walls of my barrier filled me with stress. Not knowing how all this would unfold gripped my heart with a cold fear.

My clothes started sticking to my back, giving off an uncomfortable feeling.

"I'll have to try... I need to see whether I deserve the blessing or not."

I added my will to the barrier as soon as all the villagers retreated into the inner of the two golden circles on the ground.

A part of my conversation with Rachit from today noon flashed in my mind.

"I was Blessed with this because I wished for an ability to keep others safe. I wanted to protect the people close to me. But considering my current situation, I won't be able to protect anything by setting up a passive barrier."

I curved the fingers of my two hands and brought them together to create a complete circle with the two half-circles.

My outer barrier shimmered and allowed everything to come inside.

"If only I could assimilate Prana right after eating something... Instantly." I wished like I had during the Divyastra Utsaav. But, not a single response arrived from the Higher Beings.

Hordes of Lakeh and Yeti rushed in and shoulder-banged the inner wall of my Lakshman Rekha. My Prana reduced from 7 to 6, but instinctively, I could tell that the burden on my Prana consumption had lessened a bit.

Fists, claws, shoulders, and palms pressed against the inner wall, spreading indentations like a cracked mirror. The world outside visually broke down, refracting incoming light in different directions, producing a bizarre soap opera effect.

It reminded me of a painting I had seen long ago, where lines divided the whole picture. Each section between the lines had a different shade of color—somewhere lighter and somewhere darker, giving an ethereal feeling to the art.

My Prana increased to 8 from the food I had eaten some time back but again reduced to 6 points instantly.

I have no idea if my strategy would work, considering the amount of Prana I have right now. Should I try? Or brace myself, waiting for Dhruva and his reinforcements?

Will they be able to take down hundreds and hundreds of Lakeh and Yeti?

The fallen trees in the orchards straightened as if gaining consciousness, sending a shiver down my spine. The worst is coming to pass.

The aunty beside me gripped my arm tightly, her face deathly pale.

Dozens of yeti were now dragging the orange trees by their trunks to use them as clubs to break down my barrier.

I stepped back but had nowhere to go. If my final barrier broke down, we were as good as dead.

Why don't we get to travel peacefully like the others? Rachit and his team, my roommates, and their teams— none of them faced any problems till now other than some minor fatigue and issues with food procurement. Why did we have to come across an indestructible monster and then cryptids that usually stay hidden from humans?

I squatted down on the ground, staring at my Prana count reducing by one with every minute.

The crowd of monsters parted in several areas, giving way to the approaching Yeti. They lifted the trees on their shoulders like baseball bats and swung hard.

Deep sounds of rumbling thunder followed by the cracking of innumerable eggs registered in my ear drums. The ground connected to the barrier burst open like a dry river bed.

"No..." I could only mutter helplessly as my Prana fell to two points.

"Can I trust you to keep my children safe?" The aunty feeding me till now squatted down beside me, "Please create a small yet strong barrier that can surely protect my son and daughter. As long as the children are safe, I'm sure the others won't mind coming out of your Rekha. Its size must have been taxing for you to maintain." She whispered, placing one of her hands on my weak, trembling shoulders.

Only six minutes had passed since my talk with Dhruva. There's no way he can come here in time.

The Yeti pulled back their tree trunks and lifted them again over their shoulders.

One more swing and everything will be lost.

The wild eyes of the Lakeh clawing at my barrier were pure nightmare fuel, forcing me to look away.

"I'm fortunate to have enough lives left." I stood up, stopping my brain from calculating the consequences of my decisions. It's better to listen to my heart this time.

I won't be able to keep my sanity watching so many innocent lives die before my eyes, especially when I'm the one who's supposed to protect them. Didn't I get my blessing for this very reason?

I cared for my peaceful sleep. Failing to accomplish my mission will surely rob me of it.

"Tell everyone to get inside the house. Huddle together. When my friend arrives after I'm gone, tell him I got creative and saved you all like a hero." I smiled at the aunty, who stared at me in disbelief.

"I won't ask you why you're doing this for us. But know that we will forever be grateful for what you did for us today." She kissed the top of my head and gave me a hug like my grandmother often does.

"Everybody. Leave things to her. We will only be getting in her way." She ushered all her fellow villagers and entered the house in a hurry.

Three uncles stayed behind, determined to protect me till the end.

"I don't even know your names..." I gave a sad chuckle.

"But our children will know yours. Pratyusha. Keep them safe. Please."

An unknown sensation erupted within my chest, threatening my eyes to tear up. I wasn't sad. But it was unlike anything I had felt before.

The way they said those words... The look in their eyes... Were full of appreciation for me.

I wanted to live up to their expectations. I wanted them to see another day. I wanted to give them more time with their children.

The last point of life energy that maintains all my bodily functions. These people were worth it. I will still have two more lives after this.

For a split second, a thought crossed my mind. If this was my last life, would I have been able to sacrifice myself like this?

"I would have." A torrent of determination rushed into my mind and body. "Every time."

I didn't think twice about whether I was genuinely considering it or deluding myself. At this moment, I truly believed it.

"Seshya Prana." I muttered, starting the process of burning up the last of my life force, "Ananta, I will give this life to you. Allow me to manipulate my Blessing as I've envisioned."

"It will not be enough." A voice boomed inside my mind. The one I had heard only once during the Divyastra Utsaav. "Fifteen seconds."

"That will be enough." I could feel hot liquid flooding my lungs and trachea, making me choke and gasp for breath.

I connected my mind to the outer barrier and increased its dimensions to cover the extreme perimeter of the enemies in the village center currently surrounding us—making sure most of them were now between the inner and outer circles.

I wanted to take a deep breath but knew it would only waste my time. The feeling in my chest reminded me of my swimming lessons. Of those times when I often suffocated myself trying to hold my breath underwater for a couple of minutes.

I brought my palms together and clapped. "Keep things inside. And meet the Inner." The outer wall started reducing in size, resonating with my Will.