by Sudipta Das
Kit thanked them for the welcome and said, “It would be better if you had written your full address there. I did not know that you are the heads here. But for the chanced meeting with Pin and Fin, it would be very difficult to find you here. It’s amazing to see that they easily recognised me.”
“I was advised not to write the full address due to security reasons,” Nik explained and said, “Your admirers are pandemic in Isthad and abroad. Every one of the old hamlet has your photograph.”
Then, Kit introduced us to them. They were surprised to meet Ket, Isthadian Kit’s Inthadian wife, and their kids, Sook and Soor. But their surprise knew no bounds when they were told that, I am an Earthling. Nevertheless, they happily and readily greeted us.
Now, Kit showed them the stone-tablets and said, “We have brought in a crucial piece of Isthad-Inthad history; something that has the potential to change the very way these two colour countries perceive each other. I shall tell you the details later.”
“This colour conflict between the two colour countries is still a menace though the younger generation is less likely to buy it,” opined Nik, the wise.
Then, Kit asked them, “How are my parents? How is my teacher, Z and how are my friends?”
Mik replied, “They are all right. They miss you a lot. But they are sad at the malice that some Isthadians throw at you for losing the Sword to the Inthadians.”
“The Sword of Istha belongs to Isthad. Isthad must get back the Sword,” affirmed Kit.
10
The Sword of Istha
Isth, the Originator of the red colour and the founder of the red colour country, Isthad, had achieved many legendary feats during his lifetime. One of his amazing feats was the creation of the Sword of Istha for the protection of the red colour and of Isthad. The best available technology of his time was employed to make the Sword. Its blade was made with a gleaming red metal specially devised for the purpose. Followers of Isth contributed precious stones and gems, which were decoratively embellished on the handle of the Sword. Then Isth initiated the Sword by chanting the sacred verses of Istha. It remained in his possession till his death. Thus the awesome eternal quality of Istha was imbued into the Sword through the purity of Isth.
Thereafter, the Sword had been carefully wrapped in red velvet and preserved in an intricately decorated bem-wood chest. Over millennia, the Isthadians cherished the Sword as a sacred symbol of the authority of their red deity, Istha. In the hands of a pure Isthadian the Sword spewed fire and had tremendous physical powers. Its very presence played havoc with the enemy’s confidence.
The Sword, however, had a curse attached to it. If any impure Hoo touched the Sword, he would incur the wrath of Istha. In reality, it remained chiefly as a symbol of the power of Istha. Hardly anyone touched it. The bem-wood chest was opened from time to time on important occasions.
The physical powers of this most important Isthadian object had to be summoned in order to fend off a fierce invasion on Isthad by the Inthadians. As the General of the Isthadian army, Kit had raised the Sword and, with his army, pushed the Inthadian soldiers back to their territory. But, he was wounded and captured along with the Sword by the Inthadians. Subsequently, he had managed to escape from captivity with the help of Ket, his beloved. But the Sword had remained with the Inthadians. Kit’s opponents in his home country maligned him by indicating that he had given away the Sword to the Inthadians. All these incidents happened before Kit’s visit to Earth.
Now, to erase this malice off his face, Kit must get back the Sword from the Inthadians.
Meanwhile, the Inthadians faced a few problems in trying to shift the Sword from near the Isthad-Inthad border to their capital, Ethena. Firstly, the gray side of the personality of anyone who touched the Sword became exposed. Such was the supernatural quality of the Sword. So, the Inthadian soldiers generally became reluctant and refrained from holding It. No one likes its grey side to be exposed. Secondly, even the rare Inthadians who managed to lift the Sword could not unleash its full powers.
The Sword moved awkwardly in their hands injuring themselves.
Then they tried to destroy the Sword. But all their efforts went in vein. The Sword easily cut through the heavy metal equipment with which they tried to crush it. In spite of their technological advances, they could not find out the key to the Sword’s legendary powers.
The Inthadian rulers decided against bringing such a hazardous weapon to their capital endangering their citizens. Instead, they commissioned a fortified building at a secret location near the border and put the Sword in it under all-time surveillance. They declared a grand and fitting reward to anyone who could help them to unlock the secrets of the Sword of Istha.
Now, Kit solemnly told Nik, the wise, “I will get the Sword.”
The crinkled eyed elderly Hoo looked at Kit’s eyes and worriedly said, “Going by your past feats, I do not doubt your capabilities. By the look of your eyes it is apparent that you have already made up your mind. Still, I would like you to consider the heavy odds that are against you.”
Taking a cue from Nik, Ket anxiously said, “Don’t you remember dear, you escaped from your captivity in Inthad? If you go there, they will surely put you behind the bars again. We have already spent many years in separation. How will I raise the kids without you?”
Kit caressed her shoulder and assured her, “Don’t worry sweetheart, I have a plan. I will be all right. You will be safe here. I will be back soon. Before I meet my parents and my teacher, Z, I must bring the Sword back.” Still directing his gaze on his family, he said to Nik,
“Sir, please take care of my family and my friend.” He looked at me and continued, “Doctor looked after me very well while I was on Earth. Now he is our honoured guest to Hoola.”
“Remember what I told you after you reunited my folks with me. Consider this place to be your home. Your near ones are dear to us. Your friend is our friend,” said Nik.
I interrupted saying, “I feel quite at home here. I shall be all right. You take care of yourself, Kit. We shall be waiting for you.”
Indeed, the elderly brothers made every effort to make our stay comfortable with adequate food, trendy cloths, luxurious accommodations and even audio-video wrist gadgets for long distance communications.
Thereafter, Kit bade us farewell and left Neoton, with some food, water and money, towards the Isthad-Inthad border. At that juncture, we did not know whether we would see him again.
Kit, however, did come back after a couple of weeks and told us his awesome story.
11
Venture to Inthad
After leaving us at Neoton, Kit headed straight to the border and spent three days there before entering the blue colour country, Inthad. During these three days, he earnestly took refuge in the blue deity, Intha, and His blue colour. By the end of the third day, he was completely transformed into an Inthadian. Not only his long furry tail but his entire being became blue.
Thus he sneaked into Inthad as an Inthadian. His goal was to reach Ethena, the capital of Inthad. After reaching the nearest Inthadian town to the border, he boarded a public car for Ethena. On his way, he saw new places and met a few Inthadians and his co-passengers. Through these interactions, he found that many things had changed in Inthad since he had escaped from there. Most strikingly, the younger generation of Inthadians was not willing to carry on the divisive egoistic baggage of the older block. The new generation wanted to live and enjoy their lives. They wanted peace, development and prosperity rather than war, bloodshed and death.
After reaching Ethena, Kit called on the public liaison officer to the colour rulers of Inthad, at her office. He politely said to the elderly Inthadian lady, “Madam,
I am Tik. Is the offer for the reward on the Sword of Istha still on?”
The liaison officer raised her eyebrows and squarely enquired, “Why? You want to give it a try? You want to earn some quick bucks? Do you think it is that easy?”
Kit kept his composure
and calmly replied, “I know how to fight with that Sword.”
“What makes you so confident?” asked the officer.
Kit said, “For many years, I have lived among the Isthadians in Isthad. I know their ways. I am sure I can do it.”
Now, the officer toned down a bit and said, “Look, so far only five persons have responded to the announcement of the reward. One of those got separated from his wife as his unfaithfulness became exposed by the Sword. Another one is still languishing in rehabilitation on charges of theft. The remaining three were severely injured by the Sword and had to be hospitalised. In the last three years, no one else has come forward. You are the sixth one. You will have to convince the rulers and seek their permission before you can make the attempt. I can fix a meeting with the rulers if you still insist.”
Kit nodded, thanked the officer and went back to his rented accommodation in the outskirts of Ethena. After a couple of days he received a call on his wrist gadget from the liaison officer. The meeting with the colour rulers of Inthad had been fixed on that afternoon at the Dome, the place from where Inthad was ruled. Accordingly Kit presented himself at the gate of the Dome, sharp on time. As usual, he was ushered through the corridors to the main hall of the Dome. As he walked through the middle passage of the hall, the Inthadians sitting on both sides of the passage curiously turned towards him. After all, it was after years that someone had sought to make an attempt at the significant Sword. The colour rulers of Inthad, gracefully dressed in their traditional blue outfits, were seated on a finely designed blue podium at the end of the hall, in front of Kit. He saw new younger faces among the colour rulers than the ones he had met years ago when he had been captive in Inthad.
Kit was asked to approach the podium. Kit serenely bowed to the rulers and stood before them. One of the rulers asked him, “Well Mr. Tik, we found no record of you in our registers. Could you tell us why?”
“For generations, my ancestors have been living in Isthad. I was also born and brought up in Isthad. All my records are there. Anyway, I guess, my capability will be enough proof of my credential,” Kit replied confidently.
Another ruler asked, “What proof do you have in support of your claim? What guarantee do you have that you will not waste our precious time?”
Kit patiently said, “I understand you have the cosmetic technology to change the form of a red Isthadian into a blue Inthadian?”
“That’s true,” said the ruler.
“I can bring about a deeper transformation automatically without any artificial means. If you give me three days’ time, I shall come back in the red Isthadian form,” said Kit.
Now, the rulers seemed a bit skeptic. Even so, solving the riddle of the Sword had been a serious pending issue for them. The Chairperson of the colour rulers of Inthad declared, “We give you three days’ time. If you come back in the Isthadian form, you will be given a chance to decode the secret of the Sword. Otherwise, you will be penalised for making false claims before the rulers.”
Kit thanked the rulers and went back to his temporary rented residence. Thereafter, he locked himself up in a room. For the next three days he continuously aligned and submitted himself to the red deity, Istha. Three days later, he came out of his room, fully transformed into an Isthadian, from inside out. His tail had turned into gorgeous red. His entire being exuded a reddish aura.
The new colour rulers of Inthad could hardly believe their eyes when they saw that the blue Inthadian had indeed transformed into an apparently authentic Isthadian within a matter of three days. They had never heard anything like this before that point in time, less seen. Still, they insisted on a medical test of Kit to ensure that his appearance was not a trick of visual illusion. Kit was taken to a sophisticated hospital in Ethena where a team of Inthadian doctors performed a series of tests and examinations on him, particularly his, now red, tail. The medical reports startlingly confirmed that presently Kit was a thorough Isthadian. His appearance was not shallow. He was red from inside out.
As astonished as they were, the colour rulers of Inthad fixed the following morning for Kit’s attempt at the reward on the Sword. The rulers had deferred the day of the attempt by a day so that they themselves could take the time off their busy schedule and witness Kit’s attempt. By now, they had started taking Kit seriously.
On that eventful day, Kit reported at the Dome early in the morning, as per the schedule. He was provided with a flying car. The colour rulers of Inthad boarded their official flying cars. They were accompanied by an elaborate array of convoys, ranks of the Inthadian military and a team of paramedics. The convoy headed straight to the secret location near the border where the Sword was preserved in a specially constructed building.
They reached the border in an hour and landed near the secret building. The soldiers guarding the fortified building opened the gate and the convoy walked into the spacious chamber in which the Sword was housed. The colour rulers took their seats flanked by their delegates and senior military officers. Without much formality they gave their nod to Kit to make his attempt. Kit thanked the rulers and proceeded to the Sword, which was placed in a glass showcase. Two soldiers gently opened the lid of the showcase and then stepped back. Some of the spectators who witnessed Kit’s display on that day subsequently described it thus.
First, Kit aligned himself and his long, luxuriant furry red tail to the Sword. He recited a sacred verse dedicated to the red deity, Istha. Then he gracefully picked up the Sword from its resting place and held it by the handle, with both his hands stretched before himself. The red metal blade of the Sword shone; as if it had been awakened. Kit started with a few gyrating movements of his body and slow swings of the Sword. Gradually his movements became more rapid.
Then he performed the rhythmic, elegant and delicate movements of the war-dance of the ancient and the eternal Istha. Suddenly his being was transformed into a ball of fire. Now his fierce movements were faster than the eyes could follow. His long and agile tail majestically slashed through the air in unison with his dance like a serpentine whip. The Sword seemed like an extension of his own body. His face looked intense and he seemed to be utterly aware and in control of each and every movement. In spite of the intensity, his eyes looked calm and in a state of trance. The Sword of Istha, in his hands, swung and swerved through the air spewing thunderous sparks. After dancing like that for about half an hour, Kit beautifully concluded the dance with a final movement of the Sword, finely slashing through a two feet wide stone column. Then he formally bowed to his spectators.
Everyone present in the chamber, stood up in awe. The colour rulers of Inthad congratulated him for his successful attempt at the Sword and assured him of the promised prize. The General of the Inthadian army enquired of Kit, “Was it war technique or artistic dance? I have studied all the war techniques. There is no record of such a war-dance anywhere on Hoola. Where did you learn to fight like that?”
Kit serenely replied, “It is a merger of both fight and dance; of elegance and lethal accuracy. By the grace of Istha, I learnt it by thought exercises, directly from Istha Himself.”
None, including the General, had expected such a reply. They could hardly believe Kit’s words. But, then they could not disbelieve their own eyes either. They remained astonished. The Chairperson said, “All you have to do now is to reveal the secret of the Sword and then you can claim your reward.”
Kit said, “There is more to this than meets the eyes. Perhaps you have discovered by now that this is easier said than done. What I shall tell you now may sound unusual or even irrational.
“In simple words, the key to the firing power of the Sword is this: seeing the red deity, Istha, everywhere, in everything and in everybody. While swinging the Sword in the air or striking an object or an opponent enemy with it, the bearer of the Sword must perceive Istha in each of these, the air, the object and the enemy. Only a pure Hoo of the Isthadian order can realise such a vision after many years of alignments and prayers to Istha. The
all-pervading Istha draws the fire out the Sword from within the air or the struck object or the enemy. To control the Sword, the bearer must first control its own self. The Sword must be used with controlled balance and stability; not with raw hatred. The reason why the enemy is fighting you may be as great as the cause that compels you to fight. Realising thus, the fighter has to unselfishly perform his duty without expecting anything in return.
“However, this Sword is so constituted that it can only be used for the defence of Isthad and can never be used against the Isthadians.
“Allow me to mention here that, all colours lead to the same Supreme Being. Because, the entire relative colour manifestations emerge from the singularity of the Absolute Truth of the Supreme. Therefore, every Hoo is potent to manifest any colour it likes. Of course, purity and perseverance are required.”
Everyone heard Kit with rapt attention. His expressions, body-language, gestures and delivery exuded the depth of his truth and his profound realisation behind every word that he spoke. It turned out to be an eye opener for the Inthadians. They usually belittled the Isthadian’s stress on devotion and love as irrational. They boasted of their intellectual orientation, their technological advancement and the higher frequency of their blue light than that of the Isthadian red. Now, they saw that they had something to learn from the Isthadians. Kit’s practical display and profound discourse readily appealed to the truth seeking psyche of the Inthadians. Their interest in learning about the Sword extended to queries about the Isthadian colour culture.
After a few whispers among the rulers, the Chairperson declared, “You may claim your reward now. We will do our best to keep our word.”
Without any hesitation Kit said, “Please return the Sword to the Isthadians. This will go a long way in improving your relations with them.”