"She is somewhere..."
Siya's voice was barely above a whisper.
The moment those words left her lips, Andy froze.
"You mean...?"
"Yes, Andy."
There was no hesitation in her answer.
"She's alive."
The declaration sent a shockwave through the psychic connection.
"But we have no idea where she is."
Siya slowly rose from her seat and began pacing around the small room. The surveillance camera mounted in the corner followed her every movement.
"I've been searching for her throughout this place, but whoever controls this city is watching me twenty-four hours a day. Every corridor, every room, every shadow... his eyes are everywhere."
Her expression hardened.
"He isn't foolish enough to let me search freely."
A brief silence followed.
"I think he's waiting for something."
"For what?" Andy asked.
Siya's eyes narrowed.
"Perhaps for me to make a mistake."
The possibility lingered heavily in the air.
"Or perhaps..." she continued, "this entire situation is a trap designed specifically for me."
Andy's face immediately darkened.
"Then don't do anything reckless, Siya. I'll come there myself and help you."
A faint smile appeared on Siya's face.
"You really think it will be that easy, Andy?"
Her voice carried both amusement and concern.
"The one behind this isn't some ordinary enemy."
Her gaze drifted toward the ceiling camera.
"He's a monster."
The temperature inside the room seemed to drop.
"A monster who has spent an unimaginable amount of time preparing for this moment."
She folded her arms.
"Do you honestly believe he'll simply allow you to walk into his prison and reach me?"
Andy had no answer.
Siya continued.
"Stay calm and wait for my command."
Her tone transformed into that of a commander issuing orders before a battlefield operation.
"Even if this turns out to be a trap..."
Her eyes gleamed with determination.
"I will become its prey if that's what it takes to save her."
The conviction in her voice left no room for argument.
"But I do need help."
For the first time, Siya admitted something she rarely ever said.
"I cannot complete this mission entirely on my own."
Ali and Andy exchanged shocked looks.
Siya asking for help was almost unheard of.
After a few moments, Andy spoke again.
"Can you at least try to determine your location?"
Siya remained silent.
Andy continued quickly.
"If we can identify where you are, we might be able to find you."
His voice grew more excited.
"I still have the technology capable of sensing your energy signatures."
Siya looked interested.
"The wave-tracking system?"
"Exactly."
A small smile crossed Andy's face.
"If your energy exists anywhere on Earth, I can detect it."
He leaned closer to the psychic connection.
"You just need to create some kind of disturbance."
"What kind?"
"Anything."
Andy began thinking rapidly.
"Release energy into the atmosphere. Body heat. Divine frequency waves. Anything that can escape your surroundings."
His eyes brightened.
"If even a fragment of your signature reaches the outside world, I can lock onto it and track your exact location."
For a moment, Siya appeared thoughtful.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"I don't think it will work."
The answer immediately erased Andy's optimism.
"Why?"
Siya looked toward the small ventilation opening near the ceiling.
"Because I don't think I'm in the real world anymore."
The words sent chills through everyone listening.
"What do you mean?" Ali asked.
"This place..."
Siya paused.
"...is wrong."
She struggled to describe it.
"It feels real, yet it doesn't."
Her eyes wandered toward the distant darkness beyond the room.
"This black city... this illusionary kingdom..."
She clenched her fist.
"I don't even know what it looks like from the outside."
A silence followed.
"He allows me to move freely throughout much of this place."
She smiled bitterly.
"But I am watched every second."
The realization had become impossible to ignore.
"Which means one of two things."
Ali listened carefully.
"Either he believes I have no intention of escaping..."
Her eyes darkened.
"...or I have severely underestimated him."
The second possibility worried her far more.
"And there is something else."
Her voice lowered.
"I cannot leave using teleportation."
Andy's expression changed immediately.
"What?"
"If my energy waves could reach you through the air, then teleportation would still be possible."
She looked toward her hands.
"But it isn't."
The room remained silent.
"My signal cannot reach you."
Those words carried terrifying implications.
"Which means the air itself is trapped."
The realization settled heavily over everyone.
"This place is sealed."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Whatever this prison is, even the atmosphere cannot escape beyond its boundaries."
Andy swallowed.
That meant the prison wasn't merely physical.
It operated on entirely different laws.
A prison capable of isolating energy itself.
After several moments, Ali finally spoke.
"What about asking the Chiranjeevis for help, Boss?"
Siya immediately shook her head.
"No."
Her answer was firm.
"They are guardians."
"And teachers."
"Their purpose is tied to the Last Avatar."
Her thoughts drifted toward Maan.
"They were sent to Earth for him."
She sighed.
"I cannot burden them with every problem I encounter."
Ali remained unconvinced.
"But this doesn't seem like a small problem."
A faint smile appeared on Siya's face.
"Perhaps not."
Then her eyes hardened once more.
"But escaping this place is my responsibility."
She looked directly into the camera watching her.
A challenge hidden within her gaze.
"Either I will find my own way out..."
Her voice became cold.
"...or he will be forced to reveal himself and release me."
A dangerous silence followed.
Andy immediately understood what she was planning.
His eyes widened.
"Siya..."
"You aren't seriously planning to provoke him, are you?"
She didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
"That's dangerous."
"Very dangerous."
"I know."
For a moment, genuine sadness appeared in her eyes.
"There are innocent people trapped here as well."
Faces flashed through her memory.
The frightened woman.
The countless unseen prisoners.
The hopelessness filling this place.
"I cannot leave them behind."
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful.
Necessary.
Finally, Siya smiled.
The same fearless smile they had always known.
"I should go now."
"Wait—"
Andy tried to stop her.
But she interrupted him gently.
"Take care of Maan."
The words carried unusual importance.
"His trial has only just begun."
The psychic connection started fading.
"Siya—"
Ali's voice echoed.
"Be careful."
A final smile appeared on her face.
Then the connection vanished.
The room fell silent.
But far away, deep within the prison beyond reality, Siya slowly turned toward the darkness.
And somewhere beyond those endless shadows...
Something was already waiting for her.