The Destiny of Shaitan

by Laxmi Hariharan

  “Are you serious?”

  Yama nods. “Yes. We had the same reaction too. After all, who would leave the pleasures of heaven for the hardships of a real life? However, put that down to the bizarre nature of you Half Lives. The true brains keep leaving for the real world. They claim that they need more stimulation, more opportunities to experiment, and the kind of daily inspiration which only the real world can provide.”

  “So they want to deal with the real stuff.... the tough life?” asks Yudi understanding the situation better.

  “Apparently.” Yama shrugs “Though why someone would consciously choose hardship over fun and games is beyond me.”

  “Perhaps because it gets a little boring if your every day is same as the previous and life always follows a set pattern with no variety?”

  “The high life isn’t all it is cut out to be. Some of us in the heavens, crave stimulation to survive.”

  “No creativity without angst, eh?” asks Yudi.

  “You got that right.”

  “So they have been leaving in droves. The losers!” says Yudi.

  “And those who leave have not been replaced yet. It is being used as a great opportunity to trim the workforce.” Yama sighs again.

  “You speak funny ... like a business man " says Yudi, surprised by his vocabulary.

  “It is compulsory for all of us. We the senior members of the heavenly abode had to complete a mini MBA course.”

  “A kind of executive refresher course?”

  Yama nods. “Apparently it worked so well that he has made a fully fledged MBA compulsory for all new recruits.”

  “So even the Gods haven’t been spared the clutches of modern corporates …”

  “There, you are right,” says Yama, switching back to the original discussion. “So, getting down to brass tacks. You want Tiina to stay and you want her alive, I take it?”

  Yudi nods.

  “And you have something I want in return?”

  “I do,” Yudi nods.

  "What is it?"

  “My life”

  "Your life?"

  “It is simple. You take my life and you spare her. I know that you cannot go back empty handed. You need to tally up your books at the end of the day. And I want her to stay. Therefore, I offer myself in return.” Yudi pauses. “Well? Do we have a deal?”

  “Hmm,” says Yama, “that’s very generous of you. What’s the catch?”

  “No catch,” smiles Yudi, “it’s a great deal for you. I have drunk of the Elixir. Therefore, I believe I now qualify in the category of a super life. I am someone with incredible super powers, right? And my powers are much greater than Tiina’s?” he asks Yama, who nods slowly in confirmation.

  “There you go, then. You get a kind of two for the price of one deal. It’s a bargain.”

  Yama shrugs. “That is true. It does sound good.” He makes up his mind. “OK, come on then,” he says. “Prepare yourself. Any last wishes?”

  Yudi smiles. He walks up to Tiina, prone on the ground. Bends down and kisses her tenderly, smoothing away the hair which has fallen over her brow. Then walks back to Yama.

  “I am ready,” says Yudi, and closes his eyes.

  He waits for what seems like an eternity. When nothing happens and he feels like a decent amount of time has passed, he opens his eyes, cautiously.

  “You passed with flying colours,” says Yama.

  “What?” Yudi exclaims, confused.

  “It was a test,” he smile broadly.

  “A test?” he says again, stupidly.

  “Yes! It is not enough to have super powers, we had to be sure that you also have keen presence of mind and pure intent all that is required to take you to your destination.”

  “A test?” asks Yudi.

  Then he looks to where Tiina still lies prone on the ground. “And Tiina?”

  "She is alive and free to go, as are you. The both of you need to get on now.”

  “What about your books?” asks Yudi. “How will you tally them now?”

  “Well, a huge good deed like this one is going to keep me flush in good karma for a long time.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” says Yudi. “May I?” he asks.

  “Go for it young man,” says Yama. “Go get the love of your life.”

  What Yudi is not aware of is that just as he is engaged in conversation with Yama, Mimir is chatting to Tiina.

  As Tiina lies there suffering, her sister’s death weighing heavily on her conscience, she is sure that she does not want to live anymore. She simply wants to dissolve into nothingness and never have to face making any decision ever again in life.

  In that state of mind, Mimir appears to her. “You are free to go Tiina” he says

  There is yet no response from Tiina.

  “It’s your choice,” Mimir continues, “your life, Tiina. You can leave without completing what you started.”

  Tiina looks at him, a flicker of emotion in her eyes.

  “You know it is meant to be.”

  “Ah! Destiny again” Tiina flares up. “So we as Half Lives are told that we are different from humans because we can change our future. And yet when something strange happens, it is fate?”

  “That was her destiny, this is your life.”

  “I thought our destinies were supposed to be intertwined? She was my twin.”

  “Born within seconds of each other, yet poles apart. Distinctive in life and in death.”

  “This is not how it is supposed to be.”

  “You never know how it is going to turn out.”

  “For once, can I not get what I want? Without trying … so hard?”

  “You have no idea how easy you’ve had it.”

  “Me?” asks Tiina, surprised.

  “Sure. You, who are born into royalty and a Half Life, one who found purpose and true love. You’ve got it all.”

  “When you put it like that …”

  “It is not too bad, is it?”

  “No,” she agrees.

  “All you have to do is not play into his hands. Do not let Shaitan dictate how you feel. Do you see that?”

  Tiina looks at him, comprehension dawning in her eyes. “You mean …?”

  “Yes!” he says. “You are letting him control you by giving in to misery.”

  “You are right, Mimir.” Tiina looks at him, her eyes filling with hope.

  “And you haven’t yet noticed that your true powers have been revealed.”

  Tiina looks at him, a quizzical expression on her face. “What powers?”

  “Do you remember how you stopped Raven the first time?”

  Understanding dawns on her. “You mean …?”

  “It was you, Tiina.”

  “That was me? So I can control minds?”

  Mimir nods. “You always could. But the Elixir finally activated your complete powers.”

  “It was the situation, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes – everything that happened pushed you to free your true powers.”

  “So you mean I can ...”

  Mimir nods again.

  “So maybe I can,” she gestures at Mimir, who falls silent and immobile for a moment. Then, recovering quickly, says, “Good try, Tiina. You are still not that powerful.”

  “That is quite incredible. To be as powerful as you and possess energies as potent as yours.”

  “This is your chance, to choose your path.”

  “Tell me how?”

  “Just stay with it, in the silence of the situation. Let the whirlwind of your actions guide you.”

  Mimir’s voice is still echoing in her ears as Tiina opens her eyes. She looks up at Yudi and, with a slight smile on her lips, whispers, “Reverse psychology …”

  Yudi pulls her up and into his arms.

  Raven, Tiina and Yudi walk with Mimir and the premier to the main viewing gallery of Arkana. The wide glass panes are flung open. As they approach the space, Raven cocks her ears first to the left and then to the
right, looking very much like the shape-shifting bird after which she is named.

  Yudi notices her actions and asks, “What is it?”

  Raven does not reply immediately, but then asks, “Can you hear it?”

  They strain to hear in vain. Initially there is complete silence. Then, as if a dam has been broken, the sound gushes through the space and breaks over them in waves. It is as if there is a mighty giant snoring in the background. The sound rises and falls in troughs and crests.

  “It feels like as if … as if …” Tiina is at a loss for words. She can almost place the sound and yet not quite. She is unable to fully articulate the feelings rising in her.

  Then as they continue walking towards the space there is a new sound, like a thousand wings flapping. Raven perks up considerably at that. For the first time, there is genuine excitement on her face. She breaks into a run. “Raven,” Yudi calls out as she runs to a gigantic window and continues out of it. Tiina and Yudi dash to the mammoth panes and look out. The sun shines straight into their eyes blinding them temporarily.

  When their vision clears, they peer again at the scene. Tiina points excitedly up to the sky, which is filling up with circling birds. They are gigantic creatures, which flap their wings and circle around, continuing to grow in numbers before their eyes.

  The sounds of screeching and cawing grow until the noise is almost overpowering. Then, as they watch, one of the birds, which has been circling in their vicinity, breaks off and flies towards them. Yudi puts up a hand in self-defence as the creature approaches them with speed then swoops down on the ledge, wings flapping.

  “Raven,” Yudi exclaims, with dawning realisation.

  Raven laughs, glorious in the sunlight, and her excitement reaches them. Her wings settle down, the beak, crown of feathers recede back, and she laughs once more as she assumes her more human form. “Sorry! I just had to say hi to my people.”

  “Your people?” asks Tiina.

  “The Bird People — they are all here. It is incredible, a huge family reunion. Never before have I seen all of them, assembled together in place. There’s someone here who can’t wait to meet you,” says Raven, smiling again.

  Barely are the words out of her mouth, than another figure breaks away from the circling monsters and heads towards them. This time, though, they are much better prepared. They do not flinch as the beast hurtles towards them at full force like a cannonball and then, at the very last minute, comes to a screeching halt on the ground in front of them.

  This one is many times the size of Raven. It towers in size from the grounds below to the tips of the towers of the palace, stretching along the entire length of the building. It is golden-brown all over, the speckled feathers shining in the sunlight.

  As they watch, it reaches with its human hands, plucks out a feather from its back and hands it to Tiina. She puts out both her hands and manages to grab the massive stalk of the feather with great difficulty.

  Tiina looks at it and then at the face of the creature, which is partially obscured by the sun.

  “Bird Man!”

  Barely are the words out of her mouth than he shrinks back to normal size, the wings settling back into his body, the beak fading back into a normal mouth and the crest of feathers now a crown. It is the Bird Man, alright, but as they have never seen him before.

  He looks splendid in bright golden robes the jewellery on his body marks him out as Royalty. He bows to them.

  “Meet Garuda, the King of Birds!” says Raven, bowing deeply to him.

  Garuda stands to attention, then nimbly leaps off the ledge and goes up to Tiina and warmly kisses her on the cheek.

  “Bird Man!”

  “Didn’t I tell you, that I would see you …?”

  “At the appropriate juncture,” agrees Tiina, laughing delightedly and hugging him warmly.

  Yudi comes up and pats him on the back. “We should have realised you were royalty, as soon as we met” he says.

  “You made it as well, eh, Yudi?” Garuda slaps him on the back in a friendly gesture, which is nevertheless strong enough to unbalance him.

  Yudi regains his balance and rights himself. “Yes, and this time we come equipped with full powers.”

  “I cannot wait to hear what you have discovered on your travels,” says Garuda. “The armies of Half Lives have been waiting for you for a long time”.

  “Army? What army?” ask Tiina and Yudi, looking at each other in surprise.

  Garuda looks to Mimir “Perhaps you can help in explaining what is about to happen.”

  “May as well show them right?” Mimir laughs and raises his hands. The entire wall separating those inside from the atmosphere outside disappears and there revealed, as far as the eye can see, is a vast army of soldiers. Living creatures of all shapes raise their arms, wings, tails and various other assorted attachments, their voices growing in volume.

  Tiina and Yudi are stunned. They look at Mimir, then at Garuda and Raven, both of whom look back at them and smile.

  The premier takes their arms and walks them to the end of the catwalk-like structure jutting out over the crowds. “Here is the greatest army assembled ever,” he says. “The first army of Half Lives. The army of Arkana is here to fight with you.”

  The army cheers louder, the noise growing to a crescendo. The premier lifts Yudi’s right arm, showing off the Isthmus on his wrist. As it catches the sunlight and sparkles, the crowd below falls silent and the circling Bird People quiet down, almost coming to a standstill in the skies.

  “I give you Yudishtra the righteous, the one who will lead the Half Lives against Shaitan. To victory!”

  Mimir turns to Raven. “What say you, Raven the shape shifter? What is your prophecy?” Raven looks at them, her eyes lit with an unearthly light. She raises her sword “Victory to us!” she cries hoarsely “Death to Shaitan!”

  The army cheers again in response to her war cry. Their screams are much louder this time. The passion of their emotions bounces off the heavens as they shoot their weapons into the skies, filling the atmosphere with a display of bright lights. The excitement rises sorrounding everything. The Bird People whoop and fly into a spectacular trident-shaped formation in the skies, lending a celebratory, almost festive feeling to the atmosphere.

  Yudi looks at the Isthmus glowing dark blue on his wrist. He can feel the promise of victory welling up in his heart. He looks to the horizon where the first of Shaitan’s army is now visible. “It is time,” he says.

  The Seventh Hour

  The battle between the Half Lives and Shaitan’s Army is fierce.

  Every soul brutally contested for and conquered. Every square inch of land fought over and won.

  Over the years, people abbreviate it to 7-7-7, for it is a war which lasts seven days and nights. It is fought in the seventh month of the year. And only seven survive on each side to tell the story.

  The army of Half Lives is impressive to behold. Leading the charge are the Mermen and women from Neptune, wearing a tough armour plate made of fish scales, smooth to touch yet able to withstand the weapons of any enemy.

  Then are the Varamens, the Boar People riding around on their magic surfer boards, with powerful magic horns coming out of their snouts; capable of casting a spell over the enemy leaving them open for the rest of the troops to move in.

  Right in the middle are the Narasimhans, the Lion People, far-flung cousins to the Lion Man, nevertheless there to avenge the Lion Man’s death at the hands of Shaitan. Upright and proud, their strong thigh muscles covered by the traditional batik sarongs, holding shining diamond-edged swords, they are known to be deadly in their precision.

  Vamanen, the warrior Dwarf People, originally from Earth now colonised separately on the moon; their speciality, the ability to grow to extremely tall proportions in situations of extreme duress, the sheer size dwarfing the enemy troops.

  Paramen — the imperial red army guard unit from Arkana in their proud five-layered headpiece, bare backs glis
tening with sweat, each tattooed with the sign of their personal animal spirit and holding powerful axes, with which they can scalp an enemy in minutes.

  The only Half Lives with better armour plating than the Merpeople are the Kurmen from Uranus. Slow movers and struggling to keep pace with the fast paced slithering walk of the Merpeople, each of them carries an entire range of weaponry on their back under the tough armour shells, providing a never ending artillery supply for the army. They bring up the rear, followed by the master strategists — the Buddhans. The wise men from around the galaxy, each of them is centuries old, almost as old as Mimir. They are here to provide advice in the art of strategic warfare to Yudi, Tiina and Raven. But can also go to battle as needed.

  There are ten of the Buddhans, their collective ages totalling more than a thousand years. They fly up to the head of the army in their various flying spacecrafts. Then landing on the docking jetty adjoining the viewing hall they walk up to Mimir and swear their loyalty to the army of Half Lives.

  Yudi and Mimir are in their respective spacepods, small capsule like crafts streamlined, built for speed and yet made of some of the strongest yet lightest metal ever, reinforced many times over to repel the strongest of weapon attacks. Tiina of course rides Artemis, the space ship having configured her shape to resemble a sleek warship almost a twin in dimensions to Yudi’s spacepod.

  And flying above them are the proud Bird People led by Raven and Garuda.

  The army is imposing enough to strike fear at the heart of any enemy. Yet Yudi knows that they will meet their match in Shaitan’s troops who come from the air, the land and the sea. Shaitan’s army is fearsome to look at. The obvious lack of planning in their ranks is made up by brute force. Most of the soldiers are giants, above seven feet tall, well built, wearing strong armour which covers them almost from neck to toe. They bear a variety of weapons, from large stones and clubs, to swords and spears, and the more exotic bows and arrows. A few even have the much sought after golden discs which when sent flying through air can cut through flesh of any kind in milli-seconds.

  As the sun rises on the first day of the battle, Mimir blows his conch shell announcing the official start to the war. The high pitched sound is taken up by his generals and then by the leading soldiers on Shaitan’s side.