I woke up in an alert on hearing the horn, a war horn. For the past few days, I’m blacking out often. I found myself dressed up in some weird warrior costume and I had a bow hanging around my shoulder. Mahatapase was who entered the room helped me with my Trishul and my whip. We both went out to find what was happening. It was the Smithiis, they started to attack the Vishakhans without any prior notice. I was in a dilemma on to whom I must support, either Vishakha or Smithii. Vishakha who saw me coming out ordered me to get into the safe zone. But I’m not a person who runs away from a fight, yet my confusion still remained. I asked Mahatapase to whom I must support. To my surprise Mahatapase talked, he just uttered the name Vishakha.
Though it was answered by Mahatapase my mind didn’t take it so easily. Even for example elders used to say never trust a person with a snake mind as they might turn against us at anytime Here Vishakha and her men snakes who can transform into humans or maybe humans who can transform into snakes. “How is it possible for me to believe them?” there were bloodshed and wounds all around me, but none attacked me. But to my analysis, it was Vishakhans who had their upper hand.
My concentration went to Vishakha, who went snooping into Smithiis safe house. The thing that I saw gave me a shock. Vishakha whom I thought as a undefeatable person was kneeling down and Smithii had his sword on her neck. “Every Time it was you who gets the blessing of God, what mistake did I do, why didn’t he bless me with everything like he blessed you? He gave us back our life equally, he blessed us with immortality equally then why didn’t he bless me with the “Mighty Arc”. Am I not worthy of it? Or is it because he considers you as his daughter?” shouted Smithii. He continued “Even now, I tried to trick that stupid fellow who carried the Trishul and the whip of the great Lord and get me my Mighty Arc but YOU, it was YOU who came in the middle and took it back from me. He abandoned us both in this hell for a long time and still you believe in him?” and slapped Vishakha for multiple times.
It hurt me very badly but the reason was anonymous, is it for the slap that Vishakha got for me or Smithii calling a stupid. Then with a sympathetic voice, he said “Many centuries before we were good friends, very close enough that anyone could get jealous on us, it was all his mistake. He gave us something and took everything from us. Let us make a deal. Give me the Mighty Arc as per my right and I would spare your life considering our long-broken friendship, or else die protecting it from me”. Vishakha with a Cynical smile answered “Anger has clouded your senses and now you will pay for’ it” saying this she saw towards me. “Now there is a new fate which God has written a very long back, who will take the life which the Lord gave you” screamed Vishakha in pride. Hearing this Smithii got even more ferocious and transformed into a mongoose. He started to attack Vishakha vigorously and tore her skin apart.
I jumped into the scene to save Vishakha and used my whip to catch the untraceable fast Smithii, who was in the form of a mongoose. My mind became clear. I had the clarity to decide on whose side I must fight. I pierced my Trishul through Smithii who transformed back into human form and died. His last statement was “This is why I trusted Ashu to you”. I helped Vishakha to get up who instructed me, that we must get back to her place in order to help her people. We were late, most of the Vishakhans were slaughtered by the Smithiis and only a few along with Mahatapase was fighting against the Smithiis.
Vishakha looked at me and told me to use the Mighty Arc. Readily I took it in my hand which transformed into a heavy bow. “Wow it was really a Mighty Arc”, I asked her for an arrow using which I could shoot the enemies, but she neglected my request and instructed me to just pull the string and aim at the enemy. I did as she instructed. “What the hell?”. The same laser kind of arrow appeared between my fingers, when I released, it hit the enemy making them fall down instantly. It was kind of game which I really enjoyed, but it was not enough, we were overpowered. Vishakha grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the opposite direction.
We reached the top of a hill nearby and she instructed me to use the mighty arc, but this time she told me to hold the string which I pull for a long time. My hand worked automatically. My action created the laser light grow even brighter, hot and heavy, and she told me to release it on her own place to destroy everything. I hesitated first, but she insisted me to trust her. I saw her eyes, it had a truth, having faith on her I did as she said. There appeared a great explosion, anything around the explosion for a kilometer burned into ashes. We went to the spot after the fire went down, everything that was burnt magically got back to its own state. Trees, flowers, statues and even grasses. But the dead stayed dead except the difference, they got their human state. Vishakha took the stone with which she prepared the potion for me and dipped in the water in a nearby vessel that had water and poured it into the mouths of the dead.
Everyone came to life one by one and started to help Vishakha in her chores. They even gave it to the Smithiis, to my surprise even to Smithii himself. But there was a difference only the Vishakhans got back their human form while the Smithiis remained as mongoose, who ran away into the shrubs. Vishakha with a smiling face approached me and said everything had turned back to its normal state and that I can continue my journey back to the above land with the help of two Vishakhans, but with two conditions. First one was to name the place, I named it Nagapuram as it was resided by the snakes and the second condition was to keep Nagapuram on high secrecy. I promised her, bid her goodbye, took some stuff and started to move with two Vishakhans. I felt that I was missing something or someone. It was Mahatapase I searched for him even Vishakha helped me to search him. There was again multiple sounds of great roar above a tree. It was Mahatapase, sound asleep. Before I left, Vishakha said that we would meet soon and bid me goodbye again.
………. To Be Continued ……….
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