The man sighed. His Ātmà Grànthà closed and then disappeared inside him. He looked down at the volcano eye and the ash and lava surrounding it.
'I searched for this volcano which matches the description of the Grànthà. I have already performed two sacrifices and gained substantial powers. Now just the third one remains. Hope Lord Ghõrà accepts me as a subordinate.'
The enchanter, the one who holds sway over dreamy eyes, flew away leaving behind the eye of the volcano surrounded in its own ash.
******
Somewhere else, in a particular inn, a young man with eyes resembling the volcano surrounded in ash, was looking at a boy who looked exhausted beyond belief.
"Did it work?"
Aaron asked as he gasped for air.
"Yeah. The ritual was a success." Sharv took a deep breath as he sat down beside the boy, " But we can only wait for the results to take effect."
"So we just wait for my sister to come back?"
"Yeah, something like that." Sharv answered looking out from the balcony. 'Boy, that's all I can tell you. You need rest now. But I have got a general direction to search.'
He added to himself.
'We still need some confirmation don't we?' Aadya asked.
'We do. After all, we need to have at least an idea about the enemy's strength before making a big move.'
'When do we move?'
'After I take a good nap.'
Aaron was looking at Sharv intently, who was looking outside the balcony."Sir may I ask what those incantations are called? And their language?" he asked with a little hesitation.
"Yeah, why not." Sharv came out of his thoughts. "They are called Màntrà and the language is Language of Gods, namely - DÈVÀVĀNĪ. It is a language based on sounds and has only oral practice."
"Okay." The boy nodded and then got up. "Thank you" he said and bowed.
"It was my duty. Now lead, we need to cleanse your room so you can sleep. But you have to stay quiet about my powers and me. Promise?"
"Yes, sir."
Sharv followed the boy outside and found that both of their rooms were side by side. It saved him a hassle. After simply staying there for five minutes and spreading his Anùgràhà Prānà, he came back and slept. It was like he didn't care if he was on a mission. He laid in his room and slept till a little past midnight.
A cool breeze was still blowing, alongside the rain which seemed to have increased slightly. Sharv woke up and washed his face to blow off the drowsiness. Then he looked outside and went to the balcony. The rain was still on but the sky was clear. He looked at the Trident Constellation which was still just above the horizon in the south west sky. It meant that not even two hours had passed since midnight.
Sharv came back inside and put on his tunic, made from black corrosive silk with golden lotus embroidery. He then donned his coned bamboo hat, covered with the same black silk.
'You can't be a priest now. Which 'you' is going to investigate?'
'You are right. I can be a priest but that would be unnecessarily complicating my own work. I can't use the third path 'SÀNRÀKSHÀNÀ'. That might be linked to our family. And since we need people alive to interrogate….' Sharv thought with a sheepish smile scratching his head. Images of people who have been killed by him, whom he needed to interrogate, flashed in his mind. And also his imprisonment because of such slip ups. '...the last two paths are out of options.'
'So SRÌSHTÌ it is.'
'Yes, The Path of Creation.'
Sharv again stood at the centre of the room and took a deep breath clasping his hands together.
'Don't forget to pray to The Mother.' Aadya spoke at the last moment, before Sharv started his incantation.
"ANÀNTĀ NÌRÀVBÀNDHĀ CH SHÀKTÌH PRÉRÀNÀMÉVÀ CHÀ
YÀSYĀNTÀRÉNÀ CHÌNTĀYĀM JĀTĀH SÀTYĀNÌ SÀNKHYÀYĀ
MĀRGÀM TÀVÀ AHÀM GACCHĀMÌ MÀRTYÉSHÙ ĀDYÀVĀN
SHRÀDDHĀM SHÀKTÌM CH MÈ DÉHÌ, MĀ MÈ SÀNKÀLPÀBHÀNGÀTĀ"
{Infinite and Unbound are your Energy and Inspirations,
By mere thought of Whose, countless realities are born.
I wish to walk your path, a Primordial among mortals,
Grant me your Energy and Inspiration, so that my will is not torn.}
Sharv started singing these Màntrà in his usual calm and deep voice. But slowly a little speck of excitement crept in his tone. The air churned around him and the Prānà in his room became visible. Then slowly the Prānà also took a form behind him. It became visible in the form of an eight petal lotus, ethereal white in color. The stalk of the lotus also became visible and it slowly wrapped around his waist. The energy in the room was moving in circles around him as if it was excited and wanted to get in shape.
Sharv took another deep breath and started a second incantation.
"PRĀRTHÀYÉÀHÀM SÀNĀTÀNYÕNÌM YĀ SRÌSHTÉRÀPÌ KĀRÀNÀM
PRĀRTHÀYÉ TĀM SÀDĀ YÀÙVÀNĪM MĀTÀRÀM PÀRÀMĀM SHÙBHĀM
TVÀDĀTMÀJÀH SÀÑ ICCHĀMÌ MRÌTYÙMĀNÀPÌ ĀDYÀTĀM
SVĪKÙRÙ MĀM NÌJÀM RŪPÀM MĀ YÉ SYĀNNÀ KÀSHCHÀNĀPÀDÀH"
{I pray to the eternal womb, who is the reason behind existence itself
I pray to The Mother, who is eternally youthful and supremely blissful.
As your son, I wish to become a Primordial though born a mortal,
Accept me as your own, so that nothing in path becomes a hurdle.}
The results of the second Màntrà were both different and the same. When Sharv started his incantation, the energy in the room turned to red from the ethereal white. The nature of the energy still remained the same but the excitement of energy itself can now be felt by even a normal mortal. As the incantation progressed, the energy created a tornado, its centre above the ethereal lotus behind Sharv. Then the energy poured down in the lotus turning red from white and the stalk of the lotus extended and connected itself to Sharv's heart, right above the tattoo. The red energy and lotus both were then devoured by Sharv's body, leaving nothing behind.
Now when Sharv opened his eyes he was clearly smiling. His eyes held inspiration and little mischief, unlike his usual self.
"Let's have some fun tonight."
'Where are we headed to?'
'The entry gate.' Sharv jumped out of the balcony at the same time he answered. He walked openly on the roads without hiding himself. The night of the city was vibrant. The luxurious inns were still open and banquets, music concerts and many other celebratory events were going on. After all, Swarnaa mountains were a place of attraction among rich people who wanted a silent vacation.
But among all this something stood out, a phenomenon that he had noticed earlier too. The locals, the shopowners and even the performers in such events did not look excited. It seemed they were doing what they were doing, out of necessity. And the smaller shops and local population was much more gloomy. It was clearly an effect because of the ongoing disappearings.
Sharv simply nodded to himself as he reached the gate he had entered from, the southern gate. He walked ahead towards the counter where he had registered his entry. This place was not lit up like the rest of the city. Only a single Yàntrà, which was inscribed on the arch of the gate as circular and triangular geometrical patterns was lighting up the area.
Sharv went and stood up in front of the registration window. In the shadowy night, his coned hat, black clothing and flowing black hair covered everything about him. Only the embers of his eyes were visible, glowing like a predator's eyes.
"Who is there?" A sleepy voice asked from the inside.
"Sir, I am a visitor and someone I know has gone missing."
"A visitor? Oh you mean tourist…. someone has gone missing…. then " The voice didn't seem to care much and was still as drowsy as it can be. But then something clicked. "Wait…. a tourist… missing?"
Suddenly a young man stood up behind the window as the room behind the window lit up in yellowish light.
The young man was around the same age as Sharv and was wearing a simple white cotton tunic. He seemed to have a lot going on in his mind.
'They kidnapped a tourist. It's getting out of hand. I can't ignore this.' The young man's mind was racing but he calmed down and spoke, " I am so sorry for your inconvenience. Even though this is not the guard house for complaints I can let you meet the head guard here."
"Please, It would mean a lot. My sister has gone missing and I can't think straight. Where do I need to go now?" Sharv spoke in a panicked voice, his sentences uneven and unrelated.
"Nowhere else, just follow me." The young guard said and touched the wall to his right. The wall below the window sank down, opening a door out of the window.
Sharv had to bend down a little as the door created was just six feet high.
'Good performance.' Aadya praised him in his mind.
'Thanks Good lady, but the act is still ongoing and the night is still on.' Sharv answered in an excited voice.
Aadya didn't reply.
The guard led them to the right wall in the room, which also sank down after he slid his palm down at a vertical slit in the wall. It revealed well lit stairs going downwards. "Follow me." He said. "Don't worry, our head is a good man. He sometimes even takes on our duties to help and see the difficulties for himself. He will surely help you."
Sharv just nodded and descended the stairs, which then turned into a hallway with rooms on both sides. It had a golden luster with an arched roof. At certain distances many other hallways were going outwards from this hallway. After walking for a minute or two, they were in a big hall. There were rows of tables and chairs on both sides of the hall. In the center there were many couches, and sofas. On the far side, there was an old man working on some papers sitting on his table.
"That is our head guard," The young guard informed Sharv and before he could call to the old man, Sharv's deep voice echoed in the large hall.
"Well hello, Old Man. I heard you know some snake eyed vultures."