THE DIVINE ASTRAS

Chapter 9

What he heard, made him numb. He didn't know what to do, he just wanted to grab a hold of him and beat him up.
Suddenly, everything switched.
Now, everything was dark. Thunder could be heard everywhere. This wasn't weird like before, but it was weird, everything seemed normal but it was still weird.
He looked around, somewhere around 100-200 metres away from him, someone was holding a person with what seemed like black goo in the air, the goo was emanating from the person in control and it went right through the chest of the other one.
In a second, the goo engulfed the person who was trapped and seemed to shrink. And it shrank and shrank until it became a dot, a small sphere.
'What the fuck? Am I dreaming? Am I in an anime sequence of some sorts? I've got to stop watching so much anime!'
The person who was left, started laughing, it sounded like a woman, the tiny sphere went back towards her and somehow merged with her.
She shouted, "I have won, darkness has won, light can never defeat darkness! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Almost instantly, another voice boomed from the sky, it was laughing?
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The woman stopped. If the woman was darkness why did the laugh from the sky seem evil?
"....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STUPID CREATION! You think you can defeat me? Don't you understand the concept of God? I am the darkness and the light, I am good and evil, I am the Yin and the Yang."
'I don't know about good, but you sure seem evil. This woman is done for.'
Almost instantly, everything became goo, the same black, dark goo.
Everything was dark.
Almost immediately, he was back under the tree's shade.
'This was weird. W. E. I. R. D. WEIRD! What the hell was that? I could see who the kidnappers were and then that...what was that anyway? I think I'm imagining things. What will I do? Kartik! My dear little brother! Please be okay.'
Rudra started sobbing.

*

"Interesting this guy." said Shiva.
"He is supposed to be interesting." said Pārvati.
"How so?"
"Now you are joking around with me aren't you?"
"Hahaha! You know it! Should I help him? I mean, a little bit?"
"You know it is not right, what you are thinking about doing! There is no struggle in that way, you know that he'll find his way eventually. Just let him learn the things he is supposed to learn."
"Well, let him learn the things he is supposed to learn through the humans! They have a lot of our lore, maybe they can help him out."
"What nonsense! These humans have made businesses in our name! You know this would be wrong!"
"You only said right now that he should struggle! Anyways I wouldn't put him on the wrong path, I'll send someone of my own! I don't want him to struggle too much. He's not human anyways, he'll learn quickly."
"Whatever."
"Now who is exhibiting typical human behaviour?"
"What human behaviour?" she said glaring at him.
"This whatever business!"
"Will you stop joking around?"
"It gets so boring around here Parvati, can't I joke sometimes?"
"Sorry, love, say what you wanted to say, but this time use your legendary style of announcement!"
"Okay...umm..what the....what style of....what?"
"You know, the way you say things, that epic way!"
"Oh yes! Ummm..umhmm...okay."
"Yes!"
"HE SHALL BE HELPED BY OUR TRUEST DEVOTEES. HE IS PART OF US, YET NOT LESSER THAN US, HE HAS EVERYTHING, YET, NOTHING. HE SHALL KNOW THIS WITH TIME. HEREON, I COMMAND THE DIVINE SAINTS AND ASTRAS TO HELP HIM OUT! THE PLAN IS IN MOTION. ॐ!"
"Nailed it!"

*

Rudra was sitting under the shade of the tree and sobbing uncontrollably. Unknown to him, a man approached him,
"All hail the omniscient, omnipotent and ever present one. God is everywhere, in everyone, in everything, in each second, in each hour, in each day, in each year, in each yuga. Jai Māhākāl!"
Rudra didn't budge.
"Child, I come by command, sent by someone I cannot meet, and who you have met, I am blessed due to you, I need to guide you, help you get back your brother...."
That got his attention.
Rudra looked up instantaneously, "How'd you know...."
It was a sādhu. He was dressed in a white kurtā and white pajamā, a janehu on his shoulder, visibile through his kurtā, a vibhuti mark on his forehead, and he had a serene look on his face.
"...Who did I meet?"
"You saw who the kidnappers were, am I right?"
"Yes, umm. What? How...."
"You are blessed by him. I can see rightly so, listen O holy one, for countless generations, we, the human descendants of Brahma have helped warriors face their wars, now, this one shall help you in whatever way to achieve that is needed."
"Guruji. Namaste...."
Rudra stood up.
"....you look like that sādhu I saw that day. I don't want to ask a lot of questions right now, but I am very confused and I want to find Kartik soon. Can you please shed some light on how to find my brother?"
"You don't need to actually be taught these things, just reminded, I cannot teach you anything, maybe, just guide you, for how can an estuary teach an ocean to be full of water? You my divine student, need the help of the divine astras! And never give up hope. For you and only you can find your brother. He is your family and never should one give up on family. Do you understand?"
"Yes guruji! My father taught me this. When you are trying to achieve something, never give up, that has become me way since then."
"For now, let's leave from here and go towards my humble abode."
"Yes guruji."