MIRAGE OF HEARTSTRINGS

DIVULGING OF POWERS

Following the ascetic person, Ashwatthama notice that the sunset is happening and he is entering a dark forest behind that person. Seeing, it is going more dark, he look around, finding a tree branch and a ripped cloth hanging on the tree as he jumped up, pulling the cloth to wrap it around the tree branch before lighting up the fire in the wrapped cloth.

He followed the person until the man stopped in front of a cave as ashwatthama entered the cave with the light up fire in his hand while he look around the cave, finding arts done on the wall of cave and by looking at them carefully, they seem like an art of historic moment which took place, even though ashwatthama couldn't found out about which historic moment it is.

He looked at the arts in dimmed light of fire before he notice the cave going more darker as he turn around finding the cave being closed by a large rock while the ascetic person is outside the cave looking at him making him panick before he ran towards the cave's mouth, wanting to get out before it get closed fully but couldn't, only to find himself trapped inside the cave.

Ashwatthama tried everything to move the large rock from the entrance, even tried to break another wall of cave but nothing worked as he sat down on the ground with his back against the cave's wall and the light up fire on tree branch in between the cave, feeling tired and confused by all the incidents that happened to him after entering Kashi and now being trapped inside the cave with no means of escape.

He again looked at the arts done on cave as he sighs, the hell is happening with him? before leaning his head behind on the wall, not wanting to sleep but travel and exhaustion dodged him into sleep.

IN THE MORNING

Opening the eyes with a small yawn, the smoke grey eyes look around, finding himself trapped in the cave with same darkness as night, as the Archer eyes, looking at the fire which is about to blow off while ripping his angavastram from the end, tying it to the tree branch to keep the fire for longer time before standing up to take a good look at the arts on the cave wall since he couldn't yesterday night.

Scratching his head while seeing the picture, Ashwatthama raise an eyebrow, understanding nothing yet thinking to himself that he understood everything as he stepped back before looking at the corner where a small man's art is drawn making ashwatthama though, it must be the point from where this historic moment start.

He went towards the corner, closely observing the arts craved on the wall of cave, taking his time to understand everything until he straightened up his back, realising he has been bend down from quite a while making him turn back as he notice the fire about to blow off but unfortunately this time, before he could rip his angavastram again, it blow off completely making ashwatthama Sigh muttering "Oh God! Not this too"

Sitting down, Ashwatthama rewind all the arts from starting till the end in his mind, trying to comprehend everything as he whisper to himself about everything he understood.

"so technically, the man on the corner was the King of Kashi but which one? Previous one? Or more before?.......................who cares? And he was the Eldest child of his parents and had one younger brother too and he was quite well known for his kindness and promises which he fulfill always-" humming he turn towards the upward wall while putting his arms behind his head as he continues his understanding of story "-though he hated violence despite knowing how to use weapon and was a excellent warrior but he couldn't brought himself to get interested in fighting and that's why he stayed away from it but his brother was quite opposite, he was interested in warriorship more and yet they both were very close. Unfortunately, when the time came of exposure of the heir of the throne and when the eldest brother got selected, they both started become distant since the younger brother was angry and hurt as he also worked hard for the throne. Realising that he couldn't get the throne, he decided to do yajna to gain power, only to summon a powerful evil force of that time who was in his soul form cause of not having body, though it didn't stopped the young prince from joining hands with the evil force.............." pausing he sat straight before looking at the ground, blinking as he mutters "-wait- why does this story feel like I have heard it?..........or more like seen it?"

Shaking his head ashwatthama again leaned back continuing "-who cares? We did saved duryodhana, didn't we? Even though he almost joined hand but we cut it off since he did it without knowing but the young prince did it on purpose...........so where I was? Ah, yeah! After joining hands with the evil force, the evil force took over young prince's body and started living in it until he ate the young prince's soul completely. Since the evil force got it's own body, he decided to become powerful by doing sacrifices. It kept happening for years until the King who was the eldest prince notice that the absence of citizens in his Rajya as he started investigating about this only to find it is his own brother. Deciding to caught his brother red-handed, he followed his brother until he saw his brother sacrifing a child by his own eyes but before the second prince could throw the unconscious child into the fire, the King revealed himself, stopping his brother on track as he went forward to stop his brother only to get thrown back when his brother kick him. Finding it surprising how much his brother has become powerful, the King contemplated over the fact if he should step back but he couldn't after glancing at the face of unconscious child. Deciding to try again, the King ran towards his brother who grab the King by his neck before throwing the king to the tree before revealing that it is not his brother but the evil force. The King got worried as he watched the evil force in his brother's disguise sacrificing the child making the King ran away from there after finding the chance. After trying to find so many solutions yet couldn't find any, he met a sage who told him the solution of this which was to capture this soul again by destroying his brother's body with the use of divine sword and burn his brother's body since the evil force can only go inside those body which has made contract with him. The King decided to do penance of Mahadev and then got the blessing of the sword as he went to the evil force, stabbing his brother's body after fighting for so much time as the evil force came out of the body making the King capture the soul inside the painting of his brother before he burned down his brother's body, not properly doing last rites as he can't risk. Since he can't give the divine sword to anyone, the king decided to put the sword near himself as not anyone or everyone can use it and it can be dangerous if it reaches in wrong hands and then Kashi again become happy Rajya. But in the last, he still felt bad for his brother and couldn't helped but to feel guilty, remorseful and regretful"

Ashwatthama finished the whole story before sitting straight as he mutter to himself "I think this must be the story, if I understood correctly but................what is my role in this?.........though I can't just turn my head like that too, especially when I have already come here and I can't help but to feel bad for them too but wait-" blinking slightly he look at the ground "-was that dark aura......is it that evil force?.........How did he escaped out of the painting? Did someone did it? On purpose or accidentally?.........................why am I talking to myself though? Not like anyone hear me or see me"

Ashwatthama shrugged to himself before sighing as he laid down on the ground only to sit up straight "I think I am about to lose my mind, need to calm my mind down" saying this he went to do meditation but instead of getting calmed, his mind started wandering more around the story.

He kept thinking about all the phase and who must have made the evil force escape out of this? The questions kept roaming around his mind before his mind got stuck on the painting and sword as he mutter to himself "if that evil force came out of the painting then it can get captured again too by that sword but where is that sword?..............I have to find that even if I am not the person who can use that sword, I hope I can help them" while remembering that kid's eyes whom he helped earlier as he felt a bright light in front of him making him open his eyes but upon opening his eyes, he couldn't see light anywhere making him stand up before walking towards the big rock which is covering the cave's entrance.

Sighing, he look around, chewing his lips as he murmered "first I have to get out of here.........but how?" while leaning against the the rock in front which immediately rolled away making him stumble outside.

"eh? What in the-.....?" Ashwatthama blinked looking at the rock which he couldn't been able to move yesterday and now it immediately rolled away just as he leaned against it, what in the world?

Looking around, Ashwatthama found it is still day as he get up, going to find that ascetic person again. He has to make thing right, can't walk away just like that especially when he has already seen the condition of Rajya and people and now know about the story.

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