Satyayoddha Kalki- Eye of Brahma

by Kevin Missal

  At least with Kali, it hadn’t been this bad.

  Even if he had bent the system, he had had his humane moments. He had, at times, shown compassion towards the citizens and had devised proper ways to hold power over his councilmen. Urvashi seemed like she might just kill anyone who spoke against her. There was harmony in the city. It was quiet out there, like the silence before a storm.

  She is going to be the death of me.

  “We have to leave,” Arjan said, grabbing the sack, trying to put in as many of his belongings as he could.

  “Calm down. What happened?” Rudra sat next to Arjan, letting his hands run across his hair. “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to us. Ramras is in prison because of Urvashi. If she wanted us in prison, we would be in it right now. She likes us, love.” Rudra kissed Arjan on the cheek to calm him down.

  “I understand,” said Arjan.

  His gut was telling him to leave with Rudra right there and then.

  “She needs you to advise her. She likes you more than me.”

  It wasn’t just the ban on homosexuality that was bothering Arjan, but also Nala’s growing influence in the court. He just gave Arjan the creeps. Arjan had often noticed Nala speaking to himself.

  Arjan took a deep breath. “You like me, right?”

  “I love you.”

  Arjan smiled. Even though he was stressed, Rudra made him smile. “God, I love you too. But listen to my gut feeling. Please trust me. I know when something is wrong. And I can feel it’s in the air.”

  “Where do we go?”

  “To my mother. She’s at Lord Bajrang’s temple. We get her and we go to a village, toil all our lives to hide ourselves, and perhaps we would be able to live the way we want to.”

  “It will be treason if we escape. This paranoia will be with us everywhere we go, Arjan. Are you sure living in obscurity would be good for us?”

  “I don’t care,” Arjan quietly responded. “But at least we’ll be happy.”

  “I’m happy here. I don’t think Urvashi would do anything . . .”

  And then there was a knock on the door.

  Arjan looked at Rudra, uneasy. Rudra went to the door and opened it. Three guards were standing outside.

  “Yes?” Rudra asked.

  They were still at Urvashi’s fort and her guards occasionally came to escort them to meetings.

  “Lady Urvashi demands your presence.”

  Demands? It was always ‘requests’ your presence.

  Arjan shook his head at Rudra. Rudra smiled at him, mouthing that it was okay.

  “Is she in her chambers?”

  The guard nodded.

  “Tell her we are coming in five minutes.”

  The guard shook his head. “You need to come with us now.”

  Arjan was perspiring, dreading what was to come. Rudra just shrugged his shoulders, showing there was no need to worry. He wore his overcoat and began to walk outside, with Arjan striding behind him. His eyes wandered around the place. The guards were watching them with suspicion.

  Arjan swallowed a lump in his throat as he made way to Urvashi’s private chambers. It was guarded by two men. Their breastplates had the symbol of the City Guard—the national security for the premier king. The guard signalled Arjan and Rudra to enter.

  Arjan entered first. He saw the magnificent room of the youngest queen of the capital of Udaiyas. She was looking out of the iron-grilled windows, her earrings sparkling in the light.

  The door closed behind Arjan with a loud bang.

  Without turning back to look at them, Urvashi spoke in a mellow tone. “You know why I’ve summoned you here?” She was fragrant. Arjan caught a whiff of lavender in the air. Her long gown was exquisite and richly-woven. Ever since she had been crowned, she seemed more confident. Like she knew exactly what she had to do and when she had to do it. Close to her sidetable, Arjan saw her dolls carved specifically for each council member. If they ever did anything problematic, she would not hesitate to use them.

  Black magic. No wonder the people have started calling her the Mad Queen.

  Mad or not, Urvashi should not be queen, thought Arjan. Kali had been a better ruler.

  “No.” Arjan was the first one to respond.

  “Ramras is making accusations, Arjan, about your friend. I threw him in jail after the Force found him playing around with male prostitutes. He is shouting that people like Rudra should be thrown in as well.”

  Urvashi finally turned to look at them with her cold, kohl-smeared eyes. She quietly walked towards Arjan and Rudra. She was petite, yet she looked menacing, devious. “He’s telling the nobility about you two.” She shook her head, disappointed.

  “We were meaning to tell you,” Rudra came forward and admitted.

  You honourable idiot! We could have lied!

  “You didn’t have to. I knew it already. But I was keeping quiet to save you both.”

  “What?” Arjan realized Rudra had been right about her. She did like them.

  “I didn’t want my two favourite men to be jailed as well. But Ramras is making noise . . . too much noise for the other councilmen to become suspicious of my . . . well . . . what should I call it? Bias? Ramras’ father plans to bring this issue up in the next meeting. I cannot protect you like always.”

  “What do you want from us?” spoke Rudra. Arjan was now thinking of how they could escape at that moment.

  Urvashi glanced at Rudra and then casually walked to her bed, wearing her sandals. “I would like you, Rudra, to take the fall and return to prison again.’’

  Kali didn’t know what to do with this kind of information. This was just so weird . He had been hurting his baby brother for so long. He had been torturing him, pressurizing him.

  And now he had the Soma too.

  Kali bit his teeth as he thought about all this. Arjan could be capable of being Dharm. And that wouldn’t be so bad. Arjan and Kali, ruling side by side, reviving the Asura name. The thought made Kali giddy with excitement.

  Or Arjan is the Dharm and Kali will have to rule along with him.

  Arjan has been adopted by Kalki’s family. They are not related. He is my blood.

  That Shambala native had corrupted Arjan, made him . . . weird. It was exactly what Kali didn’t want.

  I shall change him and show him our ways.

  Kali looked at Durukti as their boat moved towards the centre of the sea. Darkness had enveloped the sky. He could smell the saltwater. The silence was often broken by the noise of the birds screeching in the sky. Durukti was quiet and she seemed distraught. Kali had forgiven her though he hadn’t told her this. The thought of his brother being alive had made everything else forgivable.

  Kali smiled at her.

  He began to move towards Durukti when Shukr came in between, his hands at the back. “I know what you are going to do,” he said softly.

  “What?”

  “You are going to inform her, the betrayer.”

  “She’s my sister.”

  “She also betrayed you for someone else.” Shukr shook his head. “In the ancient Asura culture, a sister and a brother are so close that their souls are supposed to be glued together till the time they leave this world. She doesn’t deserve to be your sister anymore.”

  Kali sighed. “All right.” He tried to divert the subject. “So you think Arjan is not Dharm?”

  “No, he’sss not. He’s inexperienced, but he can be a good ally if you use him to your benefit. He can adapt. The little I have seen of him tells me that he has a fire in him. You have to use it when you return.”

  “How will I return to an already conquered city of mine?”

  Shukr gave Kali a devious smile. “You shall. I have a plan.” He guided Kali to the sea where Alakshmi had brought them. Here especially, the ocean was raging, waving with terror. “During the Mahayudh, there was an astra that had been buried in Pataal. This had caused the islands to collapse. They were submerged, never to be seen again.”

  “The i
slands?”

  “Yes, they are right here, underneath this boat, in many pieces.”

  Kali widened his gaze, trying to see through the black water. He nodded. “So what can we do?”

  “Have you heard about Danavs?”

  “Yes, of course.” Kali had heard stories. Danavs were the ancient brothers of Asuras. They were the ones who had fought Lord Indra when he was in Illavarti. Danavs were huge, fifteen to fifty feet giants, whose steps would shake the ground when they walked. People were so afraid of them that the Asuras out of fear of not being able to control them, made them sleep forever on the land and buried them in the ground. Nobody had seen them ever since and no one knew where they were buried. But it was said that if they woke up, they had the power to end this world.

  “They . . . are right here where we float upon.”

  “THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE.”

  “It is true.” He nodded. “And according to the prophecy, only the Dharm can wake them up with the blood of his own.”

  “Blood of his own?” Kali hadn’t heard this version of the prophecy.

  “An Asura.” Shukr nodded.

  Kali gulped. This was not going according to what he had expected. “What if I’m not Dharm? What if I’m unable to wake them up?”

  “Then this will be a disappointing crusade of mine and I shall not do anything. But I know you are the one, the saviour of the Asura people, the one who shall return our race back to greatness.” He grabbed Kali, looking straight in his eyes. “My son, it’s time to realize what you are worth.”

  Kali nodded.

  “Good. With the army of Danavs, you shall be able to control your fate and control the entire Illavarti.”

  “But wouldn’t it destroy many livelihoods in the process?”

  “For a greater cause, casualties are a must.”

  Kali didn’t understand this concept. Ever since he was child, he knew that whatever he had done, he had done it because it was the right thing. He had done things for the people. He hadn’t wanted to be the king that ruled over people, but one that ruled with them.

  “And I shall ensure that you fulfil your destiny.”

  “How will the Danavs rise? They had been put to sleep many years ago. They must be dead by now.”

  “They were wrapped in honey and special Asura paper and put in limestone boxesss, wrapped up so their bodies won’t be decomposed. And you now have the power to wake them up and induct them into your crusade—for Asuras, for Illavarti.”

  Kali was afraid. He was so afraid, but the confidence in Shukr’s eyes, as if anything else didn’t matter to him much, strengthened his resolve. Shukr was here to see Kali do what he had dreamt of doing his entire life.

  “You have no idea how long I have waited for thisss.” He hissed under his breath. “I have seen so much and I know thisss is it.”

  “Then, you had seen the future through the Eye of Brahma? The Danavs will rise again?”

  “Yesss, I had.” He nodded. “That’s why I’m telling you to do it.”

  “Was I the Dharm in the future?”

  Shukr looked puzzled. “The identity of Dharm and Adharm, both were shrouded in mystery. They were never absolute. I could only see the events being played out around you. I only know what’s going to happen.”

  Kali only wondered if he really was the Dharm. But this was a great way of proving it. “How did you get your hands on the Eye of Brahma?”

  “How doesss it matter?” Shukr was getting annoyed.

  “It matters,” Kali squared his shoulders, “because I want to know.”

  “When I travelled from the land of Pataal to Illavarti, I heard stories about the Eye of Brahma. I had to have it. I went on a crusade and found its Shards in the unlikeliest of placesss since there were myths about its location, but only few had the power to sniff it out. I worked half my life to find it. No one knew where it had come from. Stories were bizarre and unreliable. I finally combined them and took the Eye with me until I started serving Lord Dushasan. When he died by Raghav’s hands, I escaped and then I joined the crusade of Duryodhan. He also died even though I had shown him everything he was supposed to know. I knew Govind and Arjun were in power. They were slowly vanquishing the Asuras in Illavarti so I had to escape from there. I had the Eye of Brahma and I was trying to use it in the best manner possible. But it was not enough. When the Mahayudh happened and the Breaking occurred, I wandered aimlessly. I was lost, seeing the future, the past, and the present. Only the hope that the next Dharm will arrive soon kept me going. By then, everything happened as it should . . . until . . .”

  Kali narrowed his gaze. “Wasn’t Pataal destroyed during the Breaking?”

  “The Breaking only occurred in Illavarti. Not in Pataal or Swarg. These were two lands away from the mainland of Illavarti. You must realize, I came back to Pataal when the Manavsss were leading an expedition against the Asuras, to burn the islands after they had learnt that Duryodhan had Asura blood. They got paranoid proclaiming that the Asuras will lead Illavarti to damnation. After all, Asuras were foreigners. Arjun was at the height of his power. I wasss afraid. But before Arjun could even step in and destroy the Eye of Brahma, it was stolen. Except one Shard . . .” he pointed at the ocean. “The only one.”

  “Who stole it?”

  “The man with the scar.”

  The man with the scar. From Kali’s dreams, the man who had burnt down his village. Why had he wanted Kali’s siblings to die?

  “I know him. I saw him in the past.”

  “I know you saw him. I did too.”

  “Who is he?”

  “A Chiranjeev, someone who has lived for a long, long time.”

  “Why did he kill my siblings?”

  “That I do not know. I wish I did.” He gritted his teeth. “But do not worry. We shall find him. For now, you must concentrate—”

  “Hold on,” Kali snapped. “There’s something wrong with your story.”

  Arching his brows, Shukr backed off. “I have told you everything now. What is wrong?”

  “You have lived from the time of Raghav’s reign in the North to Govind’s reign to finally this age? That’s more than a hundred years.” Kali advanced towards Shukr. “And I know that Asura priests cannot live for so long.” His eyes narrowed into slits as he asked Shukr, “Who are you?”

  Shukr looked at Kali, unperturbed.

  “You are not a priest. You are someone else. Who are you?”

  “An Asura . . .” he coughed. “Just like you.”

  “Which Asura?”

  At that moment, Alakshmi whistled letting the hyenas roar at Kali to break the confrontation. But Kali was not interested in the beasts. He just shushed them by putting a finger on his lips and directing them to sit. The hyenas obediently and surprisingly listened. Kali peered at Alakshmi who was smitten after observing his forced control over the animals. Honestly, Kali had no idea how he had done it, but he had read somewhere that hyenas responded to power in a person and they would eat the prey who reeked of fear.

  “My name is . . . Bali. You might have heard of me.”

  Kali smiled.

  Of course I have.

  He had named his brother after him.

  “Mahabali, the man who lost to a dwarf,” Kali said and smiled, as the last piece in the puzzle unravelled itself.

  Kalki geared himself up.

  He knew he had to prepare himself for the battle against Taar and his forces. He went to the armoury, gathered supplies, wore his breastplate, tightened a belt, dangling two of his best swords in it. He even had a dagger wrapped around his ankle. He held up a shield, which was not too heavy nor too light. He could see Padma getting ready as well. She didn’t want to lose an opportunity to fight for the Vanars. Kalki liked that.

  It was a choice to be a better person. And he was being one. He could just feel it. It was not about being casual about the world affairs. It was about lives, human lives that needed saving, regardless of them being a Manav or a Tribal. It d
idn’t matter who was what.

  Kalki came out of the armoury, packed with everything he needed when he saw his white horse straddled in the stable. Kalki came and stood in front of him. It started nudging him to pat him. Kalki did.

  Thanks for saving me out there, buddy.

  You needed help.

  But I had tied you to a tree.

  Hah! As if a piece of rope has ever stopped me, man!

  Kalki grinned. Shuko fluttered and flapped his wings, sitting on Kalki’s shoulder.

  What should I do now, boss?

  Kalki handed Shuko a piece of rolled-up parchment.

  Give this to Arjan, back in Indragarh.

  What is it?

  This will tell him that I’m alive. It says that I am safe and he need not worry about me.

  But I want to be a part of this war!

  You are an integral part of this war. You are helping me, friend.

  The parrot squawked in anger. He grabbed the parchment and fluttered away.

  Part of war? Pfft! He’s just a parrot, hope he knows that.

  You are a lot like a person I used to know.

  Who?

  A stubborn, old beast who helped me in the nick of time. He was called Devadatta.

  Eh? I like that name.

  Kalki smiled. I will call you Devadatta from now on. Though he did feel that the human Devadatta would not have been impressed to know that a beast had been named after him. He saw Padma leaving the armoury and mounting her horse. She was ready, and so was Kalki. They were standing in the midst of the thick snowy land as the Vanars crossed them, armed with swords, wearing heavy armours. Kalki could even see a slight blizzard coming as the winds had gotten strong.