The long wait of Richerd was about to end. He had been waiting patiently outside the mansion, leaning beneath an old tree. Inside, the air grew heavier with every passing moment.
Nasatya and Dashra had already begun their work, the old lady Pravisha grinding herbs for a healing paste. Nasatya focused on Rudra's Manipura, which had been almost completely destroyed. His task was nothing short of reconstruction.
Inside the silent chamber, the atmosphere thickened as the Ashwini Kumaras took their places beside Rudra's frail body.
Nasatya closed his eyes, his palms glowing with golden fire that pulsed like a miniature sun.
"I will reconstruct the Manipura, the fire center," he said. "But it will resist. His flame is not ordinary."
Dashra knelt by Rudra's side, pressing his hands gently over the boy's wounds, channeling streams of silvery light that seeped into torn flesh. Each wound hissed and writhed, black smoke curling upward as if the injuries themselves were alive and unwilling to close.
"Something in him fights against healing," Dashra muttered. "Not a curse… his very essence."
Rudra's body jolted violently, his back arching as if unseen chains pulled at his spine. His breathing grew ragged, his lips whispering fragments of words in a voice that wasn't his own.
Nasatya's voice thundered:
"Hold him! If his spirit breaks, his body will follow!"
Pravisha, trembling, placed the herbal paste across Rudra's chest. The sharp scent of redwood and turmeric filled the chamber, anchoring the ritual. Yet still, Rudra's skin began to burn, strange blue flames erupting across him, licking the walls though they consumed nothing.
The twins exchanged grim looks.
Dashra whispered, "This flame… it is not mortal fire. It resists us. Help me, brother—I can't hold it alone. We must use our full power to seal it back inside."
Nasatya and Dashra pressed harder, chanting together in a language older than the stars:
"Agni within, return to your seat.
Fire of life, awaken, not destroy.
By the will of the Sun, I command you—
Burn as strength, not as ruin."
Their combined aura forced its way into Rudra's navel, weaving through broken channels, reshaping the shattered Manipura chakra.
Rudra screamed. His voice cracked into a guttural roar that shook the chamber, like something ancient inside him was waking. For an instant, his eyes snapped open—glowing not blue, not human, but something vast and terrifying.
Dashra gasped. "Brother… what is this child?"
The fire circle around Rudra pulsed, threatening to explode. Pravisha fell to her knees, shielding her face, whispering prayers.
But the twins did not falter. Nasatya's hands glowed brighter, while Dashra infused Rudra's veins with silver streams, forcing the torn body to knit back together. Their light clashed against Rudra's dark-blue flames, each surge rattling the walls like thunder.
At last, the room was drowned in blinding brilliance.
Then, suddenly—a fierce eruption. A wild storm of fire tore loose.
Nasatya shouted: "Dashra! Use divine protection to save us!"
Dashra extended his arms, summoning divine protection. A radiant yellow light of the Sun rose up, clashing against the blue flames. The two fires fought, golden brilliance against azure fury. Yet Rudra's flames expanded, engulfing the entire mansion in searing blue fire.
Outside, Richerd's eyes widened in horror. His body trembled, hands shaking. Never before had he known fear like this—fear born not from a man, but from the very sight of those merciless flames.
Inside, Dashra struggled. "What was that, brother? Such intense fire—it is impossible for any human to wield such a Manipura!"
Nasatya's face was grim. "You are right. But the most shocking part is… that was only a fraction of his power."
Dashra and Pravisha spoke together in disbelief: "Only a fraction…?"
Nasatya nodded. "Yes. Barely one ten-thousandth of it. Even that much could have erased all of us—and the entire city—in an instant. That is why I have decided something."
Dashra turned toward him. "What will you do?"
Nasatya's eyes burned with resolve. "I realized these flames are tied to his anger. To save this world, I will separate his soul into two parts—one calm, the other anger."
Dashra's eyes widened in shock. "We cannot! That goes against the laws of nature!"
Nasatya's voice thundered with finality. "If this boy truly belongs to that bloodline… if his true fire awakens, there will be no world left to argue about. We must seal his anger. Alone, I cannot—but with your help, brother, we can."
Dashra clenched his fists, then nodded. "You are right. We cannot allow this world to burn."
The twins clasped hands and began their chant:
"O mighty Sun, source of all light,
Grant us your radiant chains.
Restrain this flame, that it may not devour creation!"
A blazing Sun appeared in the chamber, its brilliance too great for mortal eyes. From its heart, golden chains poured forth, vast and unyielding. They pierced Rudra's body—not to wound, but to bind.
The chains coiled around his very soul, shackling the raging fire within.
Rudra screamed, his voice breaking the silence, but then slowly fell still. The blue flames flickered once, then sank deep into his body, leaving faint glowing cracks across his veins.
The Ashwini Kumaras, their foreheads beaded with divine sweat, exhaled heavily.
Dashra murmured: "We have mended his body… and restored the Manipura. But the fire within him… that is not ours to tame."
Nasatya's gaze hardened. "No. That flame belongs to his fate. One day it will either save this world… or end it."
The brothers turned to Pravisha.
Dashra spoke: "On your request, we healed him. But we cannot say when he will wake. We used much of our strength, and our time in mortal form is ending. The rest is up to you."
Pravisha bowed deeply. "My lords, you have helped this poor soul. I am grateful beyond words. You have blessed an unworthy person like me with your grace."
Nasatya gave her a final instruction. "Take care of him. Tell his parents this: the boy must one day journey to Shambhala."
Pravisha's eyes widened. "Shambhala? But that place is not meant for any living human!"
Dashra's tone was grave. "That boy is not ordinary. From this day forward, nothing in his life will ever be ordinary. If you want this world to flourish, deliver the message."
Pravisha pressed her forehead to the floor. "As you command, great lords. Even if I do not understand, I will obey."
Nasatya nodded. "Come, brother. It is time to leave."
The mythical gate of heaven opened once more, flooding the chamber with golden light. The Ashwini Kumaras stepped into it, their radiant forms dissolving into the brilliance. Slowly, the gate faded into the air, vanishing as though it had never existed.
Pravisha rose, covering Rudra's body with a blanket. She stepped outside.
Richerd, who had been waiting, rushed forward with Victoria. Both their faces were pale with fear.
Richerd cried out, "Lady Pravisha! Is Rudra safe? And what were those flames? They surrounded the mansion!"
The old woman's expression was unreadable. "I told you before—I will not answer all your questions. But hear me: the boy is alive. He will recover. And when he does, you must send him on a journey."
Victoria clutched her chest, shaking her head violently. "No! When he wakes, he will not leave my sight—not under any condition!"
Pravisha's gaze sharpened. "If you want him to avoid such a fate again, you must. The boy's life will never be normal now. For his sake—you must."
Richerd hesitated, then asked, "And… his memories? Will he be the same?"
The old woman's eyes darkened. "Your memory-erasing spell has damaged him. When I treated him, I saw the fragments missing. Do not be afraid—he may act strangely, but it is not corruption. Only consequence."
Richerd's voice trembled. "You… you knew even about that?"
Pravisha gave a thin smile. "You are not the only one who watches from the shadows. You have noticed it too, haven't you? That you were not alone?"
Richerd narrowed his eyes. "…I did. But I refused to make a scene in the middle of the city."
"You are a keen man," Pravisha said softly. "That will serve you well. Take care of the boy."
And with that, she turned and walked away.
Richerd stood frozen.
Victoria clutched Richerd's arm, her voice trembling.
"What happened, honey? Everything is becoming normal at last."
Richerd shook his head slowly. "Nothing… it's just… I feel like I have met her somewhere before."
Victoria tried to soothe him, though doubt lingered in her eyes.
"You've traveled most of the world. Maybe you encountered her before, somewhere along the way."
Richerd gave a faint nod. "Yes… you are right."
Talking quietly with Victoria, they both entered the mansion. But as Richerd stepped across the threshold, a sudden realization struck him like lightning. His eyes widened.
"That woman…" he whispered. "She was the same one who helped me find the rare blue lotus—the very flower I used to heal Rudra when I first found him in the Indica Kingdom."
Richerd turned sharply to Victoria.
"I remembered! I have to get answers. Go to Rudra—I will be there soon."
Before she could protest, he stepped back out of the mansion and hurried into the street, following the path where the old lady had vanished. He searched desperately, asking around, but no one had seen a woman like her. It was as though she had dissolved into thin air.
Richerd muttered under his breath, his voice heavy with frustration.
"What a shame… I never forget a face. Maybe my old age is affecting my memory. But no… this isn't the end. It is not our last encounter."
With a long sigh, he turned back.
"Now Victoria needs me. I must be there for her."
He walked once more toward the mansion, his shadow stretching long in the torchlight.
Inside, Rudra's body lay still, his breath faint but steady. Blue cracks pulsed faintly across his veins, glowing in the dimness like whispers of a storm yet to come.
The new chapter of Rudra's life was about to begin. A new destination awaited him. And in the distance, many others—who had been following him from the very first day—still watched, hidden in the shadows.