SYAMANTAKA: THE LOST GEM

CHAPTER-16

"Call? I came to give you a surprise. What happened to you? again you are thinking so deeply." Ritu asked.

"Nothing, it's just I don't like the idea of you being dragged into this."

"Look at me," Ritu says. "It's our job and we are doing our job. OK. some people might get hurt but this is our way to earn money. Our only way to live in the outside world. There is no place for creativity any more. Robots and their thinking patterns steal everything. This is our way to survive."

"Why can't robots do our work? like drones"

"We are there to hurt people. I know it doesn't sound good but that's how we are living now. We play with people and believe in people because feelings are one thing a robot won't understand or cannot classify. A human can. You are a refugee yourself. Don't you want revenge?"

"But I feel bad for them," Kranti explains

"It's okay to feel bad. We are humans. We have feelings. If they get to know, we do them a favour by letting them know how the world works. We are helping them to create a better world."

"Fine," Kranti replies in a quiet voice.

"I love you," Ritu replies with a smile.

"Same to you."

"Same to you it seems." Ritu laughs "Come lay for some time on the bed. you are tired."

****

Luz stepped down from the ship after her tiring martial arts practice with Subbu. She saw a temple a little far away. Gajendra Baba caught Luz looking at the temple. 

"Go inside and meditate, Luz. You will find truth through devotion." Gajendra said.

"But, I must prepare myself to fight for the gem," Luz replied tiringly.

"Look, Wherever you are, He will be with you. The whole thing is pointless without you. Now, you need to know how to get him off your hook. Take some rest by meditating. Your mind will be cool."  

"But..."

"Listen, to your elders, Luz. For Once." 

Luz bowed down to Gajendra Baba and left for the temple. The temple had a huge Shikhara tapering towards the top with a flag waving. The flag on top was blue with the symbol of a peacock feather in the centre. She entered through the huge entrance with two long gates to the side. Inside was a square-shaped smaller temple with the Krishna idol holding the flute. The temple had a square-like space for the devotees to take turns around the main temple. Luz sat on the higher stone platform at the left end of the temple. She slowly started to breathe in and breathe out. Breathe in... Breathe out... Within seconds, Her mind became blank. 

She could hear the pujari's hymnic chants, the birds and the voices of the seashores. It all seemed to be soothing her. She felt like a ball of energy from her chest was slowly moving down to her hands, and legs and it went away. As she continued, She could feel tiny vibrations emanating from all her body parts. She smiled lightly. 

"Beneath the Oceans... A new land"

"What?" 

She opened her eyes to look around. No one was there standing next to her. *What was the voice?* She thought.

She closed her eyes again back to her meditation. She felt the same feeling again. Her body was feeling a little cold with the air. She started to feel more lighter. Her eyes were closed like she was staring at complete darkness. Just black space. complete black space. Her body started to feel lighter. She felt like she was in the clouds. She started to feel something suspicious. She slowly opened her eyes. She felt the platform was a little lower compared to before. She turned to the side to see a bizarre sight. She was levitating. As soon as she saw it, she fell on the stone platform. Her folded legs were above the floor by an inch.

"Wow, I have to tell Subbu this. Feels completely weird."

****

Kurtin is sitting on a chair in his room balcony sipping the coffee from his blue mug. He was looking at the blue stars in the ocean from his beach-view villa. The round moon in the dark sky. The cool sea breeze flowed throw his shirt. Just him and the ocean. There was a slight knock on the door. He turned to find Kingsley standing next to the door. Kurtin turns his head back to look at the blue ocean. 

"What are you doing here, Kurtin?" Kingsley asks politely.

"Just spending some time alone with nature. Sometimes feeling the quiet bliss of nature makes you forget your identity and role in this world. Just forgetting all thoughts and accepting the world the way it is."

"Wow... you have become very spiritual. Also, I wanted to say sorry for what happened yesterday. I didn't mean to insult you. It was just the slip of a tongue."

" What did Dad tell you about my adoption?" 

"Let's not talk..." 

"Please just tell me." Kurtin pleaded.

"He told me that he went hunting with his friends. He found you in the forest. There was a tiger about to hunt you but Dad killed it before anything happened You were around 3 years old tied with a cloth around your hands. Alone. He tried to look around if someone left him but no one was there nearby. So he thought of adopting you. Then, He left with his friends and brought you home. He told me this is your new younger brother and we had to take care of and love you equally to how much I love Robert. That's it I remember."

"Only that much?" Kurtin asked.

"I only remember that much." 

Kurtin takes out his car keys from his pocket and stabs him in the throat twice. Kingsley spits blood out of his mouth. His head falls on Kurtin's shoulder slowly sliding off his shirt. Kurtin holds him by the collar and pulls him up.

"Next time, you accuse someone. Accuse them by telling the truth. You barely even knew half the story. That tiger didn't hurt me, Idiot. It was protecting me. I am Larry Johnson's real heir. The one person who your father tried to kill to get your family on the Civil World Order throne."

"It... can't... be."

"Well, It is. I have taken enough of your mistakes, brother. Next time don't argue for more. Accept things the way they are."

Kurtin drags him by the collar by jumping from the balcony railings. Kingsley's throat was bleeding profusely on the sand. Kurtin hurled his body onto the ocean. His rigid dead body was floating across the ocean. 

"Bye, Kingsley."