by H. K Oby
Rishi somehow managed to sound excited despite hanging on to the railing, hunched over, clutching his stomach with a wan face. He had once mentioned that he occasionally suffered some motion sickness, and it looked like he was in the grips of a bout of the ailment even though they didn’t feel like they were moving.
“I have no idea. He found me and said he had taken a liking to me. I guess I should thank my lucky stars for that. Oh, yeah, check your bags. He said that he put something in them that would be useful.”
Following his own advice, Amin put his hand inside and found another slip of paper. Pulling it out, he read, “These two will take care of your basic needs. Be careful not to eat anything in the patalas; rakshasas are fiercely territorial creatures. If any of them are around, they will feel it and know where you are the second you pluck fruit or drink from a stream.”
Frowning and hoping that the librarian was only talking about rakshasas to keep them cautious, he rummaged inside and took out two objects: a conch as large as a baseball that sloshed as though there was something liquid inside it and a plate made of gold with a border carved with flowing patterns.
“It’s water!”
Turning to his right, he saw Amaira wiping at her mouth and setting down the conch while looking refreshed. And to her left, Rishi, who had recovered a bit and was examining the plate from all sides suddenly scrambled back when food appeared out of nowhere on top of it after a flash that slightly blinded them all.
It fell to the floor, but the food stayed on the plate as if it was glued to it. Getting up and walking to it, he picked up the plate and ate a mouthful, scooping up the food with his hand.
It was a dish of rice mixed with vegetables and cooked with spices and aromats. It tasted great; in barely a minute, he munched down the rest, forgetting where he was and where he was going for a second. Right at the moment when only a tiny bit of rice appeared remained on the plate, it flashed again and was as clean as the one that Rishi had taken out of his backpack.
“He really thought of everything! We won’t need to worry about food or water! Does that mean we won’t have to spend a lot of time there? And…I know I might sound unreasonable, but I wish he had given us a few of those weapons, too…”
Amin found himself agreeing with Amaira. Handing the plate to Rishi who gingerly put it back in the backpack, he walked to his own bag and picked up the conch he had left on top of it. He drank deeply, feeling the sweet water washing away the fatigue resulting from a heavy meal.
It didn’t taste as fantastic as the drink Narad had given him, but it was leagues better than the water that had to be refilled manually every day in an initiate’s hut.
“Hey, are we slowing down?”
Rishi’s question made Amin observe the blue surroundings around them. After a few seconds, he noticed that the fish he hadn’t even been able to identify before were more distinct. They still disappeared in the space of a few seconds, but it was at such a pace that he could observe details such as their color and shape in the illumination given by the blue field around the vimana.
Going to the railing and peering down, Amin saw that what had been a blue expanse before had changed, showing just the hints of a rocky ground far, far below, barely given detail by the dim light that the darkness of the sea was suppressing, as if it didn’t like intruders just waltzing into its secret depths. The seafloor loomed ever closer with each second, and after just a few moments, they stopped above a sandy surface bedecked with coral and the bodies of dead amphibians.
His eyes immediately swiveled to the biggest body lying around, one that looked like it belonged to a shark at least ten feet long. He felt a flutter in his stomach when he wondered what could be dangerous enough to cause the death of such an apex predator, but the answer presented itself in the next second.
In the same manner as the bookcases in the library, the ground split open. He had no idea whether this was because they were there, or whether it was like the mouth of a beast that opened and closed randomly, but he could see, now, that a part of the shark’s head had been crushed, as if it had peaked inside and been trapped while the ground closed around it. The vimana descended into the depths below, entering a rocky yet evenly round passage, and in a few seconds, it halted again.
“What now?”
No sooner had Amaira’s question left her lips than a bright, coruscating pattern of lights burst into life beneath them. The patterns were oval, surrounding a hole just slightly bigger than the blue dome around the vimana. After a brief pause, the vimana lurched forward, going toward that opening.
There was nothing they could do to stop it, or even know whether it was wise to interfere in the course that had been set for them. Together, all three of them closed their eyes, the fear of the unknown pulsating through their minds before they could identify it for what it was and defeat it in its tracks. Outside his eyelids, a brief, bright light appeared that made him feel as if looking up at the sun with his eyes closed.
Forcefully, he snapped them open, berating himself because he was giving the perfect opportunity for an enemy to spring up on him. The sight that met his eyes kept them open, even widening them until they almost hurt, and from behind him, he heard Amaira suck in a deep breath.
They were in the night sky above a twilight land that, at first glance, looked no different from a scenic forest in a top-rated tourist destination, but on closer observation, was more alien than any place Amin had seen yet. It was a forest, yes, but the leaves of the trees sparkled as if they were made of crystal and each tree had an artistic shape, clearly decided upon with the view of the whole place in mind, granting the scene the appearance of a painting that could take one’s breath away.
They were just fifty or so feet up in the air and descending by the second, so more and more details popped out quickly. The grassy ground below looked like it had been mowed freshly, the soft grass of the sort that Amin had seen Narad sit on before, bearing a bright light-green color that was unique. None of the trees were any he had seen before. Fruits of different shapes and sizes that shouldn’t exist hung from them, shining even more brightly than the leaves, somehow making him want to pluck one to find out how it would taste like.
He clamped down on that wish as tightly as he could, remembering what the librarian had said. They were heading toward a small glade in front of a pond whose glistening waters were still as glass. When the vimana gently landed, all three walked out, speechless, and stood enchanted by the incredible vista in front of them.
Gulping, Amin gave voice to the thought on all of their minds.
“The librarian was right. It is truly a land of beauty. The only question is…why the hell would any beings who live here even want to come up above, to the Earth?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ONLY SILENCE ANSWERED his question.
The other two were just as lost as him, still stuck in admiring the heavenly place they had come to. Amin hadn’t really seen it from inside the vimana, but the sky was actually the most beautiful part of the place.
He had never seen heavenly bodies in the night sky in the outside world, the pollution always too thick in the atmosphere to give a clear view of the beauty that only a few enjoyed daily. He had seen pictures, though, but none of them had done justice.
Galaxies filled the sky, stars like self-lit pinpricks making up a masterful mosaic painted across the night sky. Each galaxy’s shape was different; one reminded him of a pie, another looked like a planet with rings around it. Of course, all of them were so crystal clear that even the individual stars of differing shapes and sizes that made them up could be seen, twinkling and forming the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life.
The tranquility was such that he almost regretted speaking just now and ruining it for those few seconds. Hearing the sound of someone sitting down to his left, he turned and saw that Amaira was relaxing on the ground, her hands behind her, her legs stretched out, a gentle smile playing across her lips.
&nbs
p; Amin imitated her, feeling truly calm for the first time since that streak of light had entered him before death. The grass was softer than even the best bed he had slept on. If he could close his eyes, he knew that he could even convince himself that he was sitting on the best sofa in a posh furniture store. Seeing them both, Rishi sat, too, and the three of them just enjoyed the moment in silence together, each dwelling on their own thoughts, but all enveloped in a sense of calm.
A few seconds later, Amin turned and gave a start when the vimana was nowhere to be seen. Scrambling to his feet and running to where it had been, he heaved a sigh of relief when he found its miniature form on the ground. Picking it up and placing it inside the bag, he went back to his place and sat before feeling Amaira’s eyes on him.
“Do you know why every initiate is given only a small list of places they can go to? It is so that each and every one can focus on the trials to reach a certain level of power where they will be entered into the emergency corps. After that, the studies of all initiates are supposed to open up. But until that point, none have a chance like us, a chance to visit a place so pristine and beautiful and enjoy sights that none of the billions of people who inhabit this planet will ever see in their lives. I feel blessed. Thank you, Amin, for bringing us along. I’ve never believed in things like fate, but if I did, I would thank my fate that led to the three of being initiated at the same time. I couldn’t have asked for better companions, or friends.”
Amin had no idea what brought this on. He felt heat blooming in his cheeks while inwardly feeling that he had done nothing to deserve such high praise. Sure, he had done his best in the saga of that sparring ground competition, but that had only been to benefit himself, too.
Still, the part about fate that echoed his own thoughts almost perfectly made him smile. Getting up, he shifted to a spot right beside her, facing the pond again. Seeing Rishi watching him, he beckoned with his hand and the guy came over, shifting to a spot to the right of Amin so that the three of them were in line. Together, they looked at the lake for a few minutes in silence, and then, Rishi spoke.
“I agree with Amaira. We have come here for a dangerous task, but at this moment, despite all the panic I felt and all the thoughts that said I was doing the most foolish thing in my life, I feel happy. I’ve never had true friends in my life. All those who befriended me either wanted something from me, or wanted to use me. I believe that what the three of us have is different. I had my doubts about Amin…but I must admit I was wrong.”
Amin stayed silent, his thoughts rampaging about in his head, veering in two specific directions: one that made him ramble about everything he had believed was true about relationships such as friendship, and the other that fought, saying that he had made stupid assumptions based on a life that he should now forget.
He shelved both sides when Amaira sighed and said something that made both of them raise their eyebrows and look at her.
“My parents were rich. When I was three years old, they died in a car accident. I was adopted by my uncle’s family. All of my parents' wealth went to them as I was a minor. For twenty-one years, I lived shut off from the world. I went to school, but I was not allowed to have any male friends or even any close female friends. I wanted to learn so many things. I was interested in music, acting, singing, dancing, karate…but because they would all involve meeting others at some of the other point, I was barred from them with false claims about my health. They used my health for everything, telling everyone that I was too fragile. They paid off doctors to create false reports that forced me to stay at home. If I rebelled, I was hit. I learn to control my thoughts. I couldn’t do 99% of the things I wanted. I had no one to talk to, so I had to make my own assumptions. After long observation, I convinced myself that it was because I was small. Everyone else was bigger than me. I kept myself going with the thought that if I grew big enough, they wouldn’t be able to control me. I was alone most of the time. I stayed sane because I used the word inside my mind to the fullest, doing everything I wanted there.”
Her voice broke. Her eyes filled with tears for the first time, and after pulling her legs to her chest, she bent forward and buried her head between them, hiding her face. All the fieriness and mischievousness was gone, revealing a broken inner shell. She looked so beautiful, so helpless. He could almost imagine her locked in a room all day, having no one to talk to. For the first time in his life, he felt his heart go out for someone in a way that he had never thought would happen, and suddenly, a fit of irrational anger took ahold of him.
How could they do this to her? Those bastards!
“As I grew older, I kept waiting, hoping that things would get better. On my 21st birthday, I was told I would be married to the son of my uncle. I didn’t want that. I – um…stuff happened that I’m still not ready to talk about, but it culminated in me being strangled by my to-be husband. When I felt death looming over me, I only had one wish: that I wanted to be bigger than everyone else. You can never understand how satisfying it was to feel that light enter me. In an instant, I was double his size. I slapped him so hard his jaw broke. And that’s…how I came here. Initiates are told not to discuss the past, but I felt like sharing. It’s okay if the two of you don’t want to.”
She looked up, then, and smiled slightly to them both, her eyes a stark red and swollen. She went back to the lazy position from before, but Amin could read from the stiffness now present all over her body that her relaxed pose was only a pretense.
Compared to her, nothing that he couldn’t talk about had happened to him, so without hesitation and with the hope that he could take her mind off her past, he recounted everything that had occurred before the arrival of the demigod.
When he talked about the scam and the plans he had made, both of them praised him for the sheer ingenuity he had shown. He brushed off those compliments, but inwardly, he did feel a burst of pride.
Toward the end, Amaira recovered from the mood brought about by her recollections. She went back to her typical, frank self, battering him with questions about the demigod and marveling at how differently his savior had acted.
She never hesitates from asking a question that comes to her mind or saying something that might be rude. She is often so impulsive; if she feels like doing something, she does it and thinks about the consequences later. Is it because she spent too long thinking about doing things, but never being able to do them? Damn those people.
When he was done, Rishi, who had stayed silent the longest, finally spoke up. He had actually looked even more amazed than Amaira to find out what the demigod had done, but he hadn’t asked anything.
“I don’t have a long story like you guys. Or even a difficult one, I guess. The same could be said about my entire life, up until a few months before my death. You wouldn’t believe it, but if you had met me, then, you would never have recognized me. I was confident. I was rich, so I always believed that life was only meant to be enjoyed. I had no fear whatsoever. Once, I even raced against cops because I thought it would be fun, and my dad got me out of it. I didn’t even need to go to jail. I was a bully in school and college. I attracted friends and enemies alike. None of the friends actually cared about me, and none of my enemies were capable enough to call for a care(edit this). Everything changed six months before I came to Ayodhya. It’s…hard to describe what happened. I don’t think I’ll be able to talk about it for a long time, just like how Amaira felt about that part of her past, but what I can say is that it left me…broken. In the aftermath, I was so shattered that even a gust of wind scared me. I managed to get better, but not by much. And then, when the car crash happened… I just wanted to stop feeling so weak. I wanted to be strong. If I was strong, I believed I would not be scared of everything. I was wrong, mostly… but maybe, in a way, I was right, too.”
Amin honestly couldn’t believe that Rishi had once been someone so different, but the casual, wistful way in which he told it convinced him that it must be real. Ferreting out lies had been an
essential skill that he had had to learn at a very young age, so he was confident that he was right.
In Ayodhya, they had spent a lot of time together, talking about random things or remarking on different events that had happened in the sparring round or during someone’s training, but they had never even veered close to a discussion regarding their pasts. He didn’t know how knowing such personal details about them made him feel, but he did acknowledge that in ways he couldn’t understand, yet, the bond they had had changed.
Time almost seemed an abstract concept in the glade, as if it stood still, letting them recover from all the strain and stress of the training so far. No one even felt tempted to speak further. The time for words was past; it was now the age of peace, and Amin wished it would never end.
He knew all too well that they would need to get up and go searching for that sage, soon, yet he told himself that it could wait. Maybe the search would be easier when morning dawned. Perhaps even if that wasn’t the case, the search would feel easier the longer they could stay where they were, forgetting the entire world.
By Amin’s reckoning, a couple of hours passed when the first signs of the sun rising appeared on the horizon behind the pond.
Aren’t the patalas underground? How is the sun rising? And for that matter…how were there stars and galaxies in the night sky? Ah, screw it, I’ll find out later. Now…time to find that sage and get my answers.
The sky lightened, dazzling rays shooting through the forest on the other side of the water and falling on them, declaring an apt end to a perfect, soul-calming time. Just when Amin decided to lay out the plan he had decided on to find the sage, a scent reached all three of them.
