Bhairava Kaalike Namosthuthe, it is through Bhairava that we attain Maa Adya Kali. He is not a side character; he is the toll-keeper of the path.
Whatever you carry that is not hers, pretension, fear, performance, ownership, Bhairava collects. The transaction is not optional. There is no spiritual visa around him.
Sadhakas who try to circumvent this discipline find themselves at the edge of the garbhagriha forever. Those who pay willingly find that what was taken was never theirs to begin with.