The corridors of the Ashram were unusually quiet.
Soft lamps carved long shadows along the stone walls as Skanda walked through the passage with relaxed steps, his cloak swaying lightly behind him. Despite the calm surroundings, his mind was far from still.
He was still wearing that weird mask.
He had just passed the junction leading to the Dimensional Chamber when a familiar voice stopped him.
"Skanda."
He turned.
Mukhi stood there, holding a small stack of scrolls, his expression curious but cautious.
"How is their training going?" Mukhi asked. "Everything going well?"
Skanda paused for a moment… then smiled.
"Very well," he said casually. "In fact, I'd say they're having fun."
Mukhi narrowed his eyes. "You're lying."
Skanda laughed. "Maybe just a little."
Aishwarya's Container — The Desert of Fire
Heat pressed down from every direction.
Endless golden dunes stretched beneath a merciless sun, the air shimmering with distortion. Sweat rolled down Aishwarya's temple as she struggled to hold a position that felt completely unnatural to her body.
"So…" she muttered through clenched teeth, reading from the paper Skanda had given her.
"Stand with feet wider than hip-width. Turn heels in and toes out."
She adjusted her stance, wobbling slightly.
"Bend the knees so they are directly over the heels… not past the ankles."
Her legs trembled.
"Lengthen the spine. Lift the crown of the head upward… tailbone down toward the ground."
Aishwarya's face twisted in frustration.
"And finally—" she continued, breath uneven, "open the arms out into a T… bend the elbows… palms open."
She froze.
Her body looked… ridiculous.
"This," she read again, disbelief creeping in, "is called Utkata Konasana?"
Her knees shook violently.
Her shoulders burned.
Her pride screamed.
"…NO."
She lost balance, stumbling forward before barely regaining her stance.
"This is so embarrassing!" she shouted, her voice echoing across the desert.
She glared at the horizon.
"I know you did this on purpose, Skanda," she growled. "Just wait. I'll make you pay for this."
But beneath her irritation… something else stirred.
Her Prāṇa flickered faintly.
Sharin's Container — The Embrace of Darkness
Total darkness.
No sky.
No ground.
No horizon.
Sharin stood frozen, relying entirely on his breath to tell him he still existed.
"O-Okay…" he whispered nervously, reading the paper by memory.
"Lower into a deep squat… feet grounded… chest lifted… crown of the head rising upward."
His body slowly sank.
His knees bent deeply.
His heels pressed into the unseen ground.
"Bring palms together at the heart… elbows pressing gently into the knees."
Sharin swallowed.
"And… done."
He exhaled sharply.
"This is Malasana."
Silence answered him.
The pose felt intimate. Vulnerable.
His body trembled—not from strain, but from awareness.
"I… I have to do this for six months?" he cried suddenly.
"NOOOOO!"
His voice vanished into the darkness.
Yet as seconds passed, something strange happened.
In the absence of sight… his senses sharpened.
He felt his heartbeat.
His breath.
The subtle flow of Prāṇa within him.
The darkness wasn't empty.
It was listening.
Lioran's Container — The Frozen Heights
The wind screamed.
Snow whipped violently across jagged terrain, the cold biting straight through Lioran's skin. His breath came out in sharp white clouds as his body twisted into a position no human should naturally achieve.
"Aa—Aa—Uu—Ii—Ya—Ki—Ayi—!"
His strained voice echoed through the Himalayas.
"Finally!" he gasped. "I did it!"
He glanced at the paper again.
"Eka… Pada… Sirsasana?"
His leg was locked behind his head.
Hands joined in prayer.
His artificial arm creaked slightly as he tried to maintain balance.
"This is insane!" he shouted. "Why do I have to do this?!"
The wind howled louder.
Yet inside him… something was changing.
The cold forced stillness.
The stillness forced awareness.
And awareness forced honesty.
Ashram Corridor
Skanda walked leisurely, hands behind his head, clearly enjoying himself.
Mukhi sighed. "You did this intentionally, didn't you?"
"So what?" Skanda replied. "Isn't it a senior's duty to tease his juniors?"
"You never take anything seriously," Mukhi muttered.
"Don't praise me that much," Skanda said smugly.
"I'm not praising you," Mukhi replied flatly.
Skanda laughed.
"By the way," he asked, "where's Master?"
"He left for the monthly meeting," Mukhi answered.
"Oh. Today's the day," Skanda said thoughtfully.
"Yes… and when he left," Mukhi added, "he looked angry."
Skanda's smile faded slightly.
"He still can't forget what happened to his students during the Kroor incident," he said quietly.
"Let's just pray he doesn't let that anger explode there."
Mukhi nodded.
"Where's the meeting being held this time?" Skanda asked.
"At the Ashram of Korea."
Ashram of Korea — Beneath the Forest Canopy
Hidden deep within a dense forest, the Korean Ashram stood tall—its architecture ancient yet powerful. Warriors trained across open courtyards as Prāṇa shimmered faintly in the air.
Inside the main hall, twenty-nine masters sat in a wide circle.
Shourya sat with them.
The atmosphere was tense.
"Let us begin the meeting," said Sweyon, Master of the Korean Ashram.
Before anyone else could speak—
Shourya stood.
"Before we begin," he said, voice cold and controlled, "I want an answer."
The room went silent.
"Tell me," Shourya continued, his gaze burning,
"who plotted the murder of Lioran."
Shock rippled through the room.
"Tell me who is responsible," he said, fists clenched.
"And I swear—whoever it is—I will show them hell."
Back in the Dimensional Chamber
Sweat dripped from Aishwarya's chin as she held her meditation.
Her muscles screamed.
Her mind wavered.
Yet she didn't stop.
Mukhi entered quietly, carrying food.
"Time for dinner," he said gently.
"Oh thank God," Aishwarya sighed. "I'm starving."
"I know," Mukhi said, handing her chapati. "You haven't eaten since morning."
They sat.
"By the way," Aishwarya asked, chewing, "how's everyone else doing?"
Mukhi smiled. "When I went to give them food, they suddenly started complaining about how Skanda intentionally gave them those poses to tease them."
Aishwarya laughed.
"Lioran said his leg got stuck behind his neck," Mukhi added.
"He struggled for hours to unlock it."
Aishwarya burst out laughing.
"Oh that idiot," she said fondly.
Mukhi watched her quietly.
"You're struggling too, aren't you?" he asked.
"Yes," she admitted. "It's so weird. But… important."
She paused.
"Earlier, I just wanted to prove myself to Gramps," she said softly.
"But now… I want to meet Lioran's expectations too."
Mukhi looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
Aishwarya's gaze drifted toward the desert horizon.
"Do you remember when Bheem attacked us?" she asked.
"Yes," Mukhi replied.
"That was the moment I realized something about Lioran," she said.
Her voice lowered.
TO BE CONTINUED…