Your birth on this earth has taken place for a very noble purpose.
You will become one of the greatest and most powerful humans in this world.
The truth is that a demonic force imprisoned me inside the body of this fish.
Since then, I have been living in this form.
Then you asked, "How are you able to speak to me, and how do you ever become free?"
She replied, "Once every week, I can return to my true form, but only for a short time. After that, I am forced to become a fish again.
I request you to help me and free me from this curse.
If you help me, I will grant you such a power that you will become a great king in the entire world, unmatched in sword fighting—whether the sword is magical or an ordinary one.
And I will send you safely from this place back to your own people."
Then I said, "How can I do this? Tell me what I must do."
She said, "You must go ten kilometers deeper from here. There you will find a very small cave.
Near that cave, you will see four paths.
Out of those four paths, one will lead to a pond. In that pond, you will see a blue lotus. You must bring that lotus to me.
But obtaining that lotus will not be easy.
From near the pond, many terrifying sounds can be heard, because a very dreadful demon lives there.
He will ask you several questions, and you must answer all of them correctly. Only then will you be allowed to take the lotus.
The moment you pluck the lotus, a path will open in the middle of the pond, leading deep beneath the ground.
There you will find divine holy water (Gangajal). You must bring it to me and pour it over me so that I may be freed.
You must complete this task with extreme care and caution. Even a single mistake could cost you your life."
I stood there thinking for a while.
Then I said, "Alright. I will return only after bringing that water. I have no other choice."
She warned me, "Listen carefully.
Many people have come here before you, but none of those who went inside ever returned.
So keep your mind calm and proceed carefully.
Follow the path exactly as I have described."
After hearing the words of the fish, I set off toward the forest.
As I kept walking, I became extremely tired. Nearby, under a tree, I sat down to rest for a while.
While resting under the tree, I fell asleep without even realizing it.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that evening was approaching.
In the evening, dangerous animals come out in the forest in search of food.
The same tree under which I had been resting—I climbed up onto it and sat there, waiting for morning.
As night fell, the forest grew darker and darker.
I felt afraid, but I remained calm and stayed seated on the tree.
As soon as midnight arrived, I saw something that made my senses leave me.
I began to tremble with fear, but not even a single sound escaped from my mouth.
I saw a strange creature in the forest, about twelve to fifteen feet tall. It had only two legs like a human, but its face was like that of a dinosaur.
Somehow, morning arrived, and I climbed down from the tree and moved forward.
The image of that night kept spinning in my mind, filling me with fear.
But I gathered my courage and continued deeper into the forest.
Following the path described by the fish, I finally reached the place where four paths diverged.
Out of those four paths, only one was the correct one; the rest were unknown.
First, I marked the four paths with numbers—1, 2, 3, and 4.
After that, I chose the first path and started walking.
I walked along that path for a long time, and after nearly three hours, I reached the same place again.
Only then did I understand that the first path looped back to the starting point.
It became clear that the first path was not the correct one.
After resting for a while, I set out on the second path.
After some time, the same thing happened again—I walked in a circle and returned to the same place.
This meant the second path was also wrong.
I was extremely tired, but I still chose the third path.
Once again, the same thing happened. After walking for a long time, I returned to the same spot.
Now only one path remained—the fourth one.
I felt happy, thinking that although I was exhausted, I had finally found the right path.
With hope in my heart, I started walking along the fourth path.
But once again, the same thing happened.
After walking for some time, I returned to the same place yet again.
By now, I was completely exhausted. I could not understand why I could not see the pond on any of the paths.
I began to panic, wondering which path actually led to the pond.
I stopped forcing my thoughts and decided to rely on my instincts, trying to sense where the pond might be.
Just then, I heard the sound of something splashing into water.
I followed the sound and discovered a fifth path hidden between the others.
The entire path was covered with grass and was almost impossible to see.
I walked along that path, and ahead of me, I finally saw the pond.
When I reached the pond, I saw that it was completely filled with lotus flowers.
At that moment, I noticed a single blue lotus glowing brightly in the center of the pond.
As soon as I tried to move forward to take the lotus, something threw me backward.
I could not even touch the water of the pond.
Some invisible force had pushed me away.