Chapter 29

Demon’s War

The old man’s head was still on Chandra’s lap. Blood was flowing from his wound and Chandra’s legs were getting drenched in it. Chandra did not know what to do or say. So, he just kept looking at the dying man’s face, which kept staring back at him, with whatever little life was left in his eyes.

There was a battle raging in the hall, but Chandra was lost in the man dying in front of him. He did not see Acharya until he put a hand on his shoulder.

Acharya sat by Chandra’s side. Chandra looked at him with a blank expression as if he did not know what to do next. The old man was dying slowly, bleeding to death and Chandra was feeling helpless.

Acharya looked empathetic.

“I know there are a lot of questions in your mind. The things that you have heard today, and I know that you have heard them, can change people’s lives. And your life will change in due course of time. But right now, my son, is not the time to dwell on questions. You will get your answers when this is over. But before that, you will have to save your friends.”

Acharya pointed ahead. The villager had gone berserk. He had already killed the remaining guards and was playing with Pancham. As they watched, he hit Pancham in the belly just once. Pancham fell on the floor and did not move again. The villager then stepped over him and moved towards Kaalkesh. But the giant let go of a bleeding Vidyut and Ramya and came in between them. He swung his weapons on the villager who just dodged them and laughed.

“If you do not stop him, he will kill everyone in this room,” Acharya said calmly, as if he was discussing the weather. There was no tension or fear on his face.

A distraught Chandra managed just one word, “How?”

He was expecting an answer from Acharya but it was the dying old man who answered in a broken voice. “Stab… him… On the back.”

Chandra looked at the old man and then Acharya, who nodded.

“How can I attack from behind? It’s against my uncle’s teachings.”

“The path you are on, my son, will test you in many ways. It is upon you, how you answer back,” said Acharya and pointed towards the man. “If you want to save all of us and get the answer to your questions, you have to kill that man. He is an enemy and right now he has the power to kill every member of Raktsena in this city. Go, do your duty. Save them.”

Chandra saw the dying man. He nodded as he coughed some more blood.

Acharya took the old man’s head from Chandra’s lap and shifted it on his. Chandra looked up and what he saw sent a chill down his spine.

The villager was throttling the giant with his bare hands and his laughter was echoing through the hall. Everyone was still and watching the scene in front of them. There was true fear in their eyes. Everyone’s but the Demon’s.

Kaalkesh was smiling as if he had found what he had been looking for. His face showed, for the first time, that his day was going the way he wanted.

Chandra stood there looking for his swords. He had thrown them somewhere when he was running. He saw them fallen where one of the guards lay dead. He quickly picked them up. By this time, the villager had killed the giant and Vidyut and Ramya were standing in front of him. He heard the villager’s voice.

“I saw you at the ashram, killing the Mrityusena sheep. Get out of my way and I will give you an easy death later.”

Chandra looked up just in time to hear Vidyut reply. “You have killed my friend,” he pointed to Pancham. To Chandra’s horror, Pancham was not moving anymore. “First, you answer me!” said Vidyut.

Vidyut and Ramya attacked together but the man was moving faster than them. He was dodging their well-aimed strikes easily. Aditi also looked ready to join the fight, but Chandra reached her first.

“We will not be able to kill him if we fight him face to face,” said Chandra.

“What do you propose?” asked Aditi.

“We have to distract him, quickly, or else he will kill Vidyut and Ramya.”

He pointed his sword at the villager’s legs. “Aim at his legs. Shoot as many arrows on them as you can.”

“Why not aim at his heart?” asked Jayant. He had pulled himself up and was limping towards Aditi and Chandra. “I would love see him die right now.”

Just then, the villager picked up the dead giant above his head and threw him at Vidyut. It was Vidyut’s speed that saved his life.

“If that is even possible!” said Aditi.

“Yes, it is possible. But I will be the one to do it,” said Chandra. “You do as I say and distract him towards yourself. Just make sure he notices you and runs towards you.”

Chandra looked directly into Aditi’s eyes. “Do not worry if he charges towards you. I will not anything happen to you.”

A smile appeared on Aditi’s lips. “I trust you, Chandra. Now go and do what you need to do.”

Chandra disappeared in the darkness somewhere behind them.

Vidyut saw it before it happened. He saw Aditi aiming from far behind. And then, an arrow flew neatly in the air and entered the man’s left leg from behind. The man did not even flinch at the pain and kept swinging at Vidyut and Ramya.

“Keep fighting,” whispered Vidyut. He had seen Chandra talk to Aditi. He knew the boy had a plan. Ramya and Vidyut kept up the fight, even though they were now bleeding from the many wounds that were inflicted upon them by the giant first and then the monster. But he trusted Chandra.

And one by one, Aditi’s arrows kept finding their mark. Soon the legs of the man were pierced by at least ten arrows. Blood had started flowing, but he was not stopping. He realised his condition a little too late.

Vidyut and Ramya stepped back and he turned to see his legs first and then Aditi, with the bow and arrow, standing far behind. Roaring like a lion, he left the fight and ran towards Aditi.

***

Prastar saw the girl aiming at him. His leg was pierced with many arrows and was bleeding profusely. He was in a lot of pain, but Prastar was suppressing it and running. He intended to snap the little girl’s neck. But the girl just turned back and ran away from him. “Dishonourable girl!” he thought, “First shoots a man in the back and then runs away.”

“I will find you,” he roared and followed her behind a huge mountain of gold ornaments.

Within moments, Prastar was engulfed in darkness. The light in this area was less than the light in the place where he was fighting before. His eyes were straining to find Aditi. In the darkness, he could see the outline of a huge stash of gold, silver and other metallic ornaments, weapons and what not!

“Where are you? Come out and face me, you treacherous little girl!” he said and punched wildly in the dark.

“Why don’t you come and find me? You are good at finding people in the dark, aren’t you?” A voice called out. It was of a boy. A voice that he had heard many times in the past few days.

Prastar ran towards the voice, but he did not see anyone.

“Come out and fight, you little cowards!” he roared again.

“Are you sure you want me to come out?” the voice taunted again. “Last time when we met, I remember a similar scenario.”

Prastar punched something in the dark and there was a huge clatter.

“Getting agitated, are we?” the voice called out again.

And then from the dark, a sword flashed. It cut deep on Prastar’s right arm. Prastar put a hand on the cut to prevent the bleeding and ran towards the attacker who was running. He again found himself surrounded by darkness.

“You like hunting, don’t you?”

“Come out and fight, boy!” Prastar was now panicking. He knew he was deep inside and trapped but he did not want to run.

“Why? I thought this is the way you like to fight,” the voice said, “In the dark and from behind!”

The sword slashed again and another deep cut appeared on his left hand. Blood was now flowing from his hands and legs.

The second cut made Prastar understand the hopelessness of his situation. All the power that he felt inside him seemed useless. He started moving as fast as he could towards the lit-up area.

***

“Where are you running away? Don’t you want to fight anymore?” said Chandra, as he saw the figure run away from where he was.

Chandra had been standing on the edge and had seen him enter the area, which he had already chosen to hunt down the hunter.

The moment Aditi got out of the view, Jayant had whisked her away from the fight and Chandra had followed the blood falling from the villager’s legs.

The hunt was almost over now. The man with the power was running for his life, but Chandra had no intention of letting this killer go away. He had no idea what his power could do and he did not want to know it the wrong way.

Chandra knew where the man was running. When Aditi was attracting his attention, Chandra was running through the area, memorising his way through it and marking the short routes.

The moment the villager started to run, Chandra turned left. He knew the man was too disoriented to find his way out. He was running towards the light but Chandra was running faster than him. Soon he was standing at the edge of darkness, his swords ready to strike.

And when Chandra saw the man he hated more than anyone else, since the time he had seen him killing in the grass patch, an animal awakened inside him. It was vicious, terrifying and thirsty for vengeance. He ran towards his incoming enemy, who was looking behind in fear of an attack.

The man turned just in time to see Chandra coming from the front but he was too late. Chandra’s double swords entered the man’s chest almost at the same time. The thrust was so strong that the swords entered till the hilt and came out through the other side.

Chandra looked in the man’s black eyes full of fear. He kept looking at them until he died. He had avenged the men who had died by this man’s hand.

And then it happened. As Chandra pulled out his swords, a bright ray of light emerged from the dead man’s chest and entered Chandra’s.

The force was so much that Chandra was thrown back. He fell flat on his back. But he did not feel any pain. A strange sensation was filling his body from the point where the light had entered. He felt his muscles tighten. A strength, unknown to him, was surging through his whole body.

Chandra got up slowly, first on his knees and then he straightened up. He looked around for his swords but it was too dark to find them. Before he could do anything, a voice called out his name.

“Chandra? Chandra?” The voice was full of panic. Chandra recognised Aditi’s voice and abandoned the search for his swords. He ran outside the dark, unlit area of the treasure chamber. He knew that without killing the Demon, the war was not going to be over. The scene that he saw as he emerged out of the darkness was not what he had expected.

Kaalkesh was standing over the bodies of Vidyut and Ramya. He did not have any weapons in his hand but he looked in charge of the situation.

Chandra ran towards Vidyut and Ramya but stopped midway. Kaalkesh was walking between his friend and him.

“Do not worry, they are not dead yet,” he said in a rough voice. “I wanted to kill them but I stopped after knocking some sense into them. They should know better than to attack the Demon.”

“You are not a demon, you are just a vile man who has had his time. It is about to end,” said Chandra, as a cloud of relief spread across him. Vidyut and Ramya were still alive.

“I am the Demon and everyone knows it. The ones who know my reality will never reveal it. Some fear me, and the rest,” he said, pointing to the people in the room, “will die by my hands tonight.”

“You will never get out of here alive even if you kill us,” said Chandra. “The Raktsena is outside and waiting for you to come out.”

“Are they really?” Kaalkesh looked at Rambh, who was sitting not far away from him, clutching his bleeding leg.

Rambh was cowering in fear.

“Rambh will pay for this mistake. I will deal with him later,” said Kaalkesh, as he walked towards Chandra. “But do you really think that the way you came in is the only way out of this chamber? I can escape anytime I want, child, and you cannot do anything to stop me.”

Kaalkesh stood right in front of Chandra, barely two steps away from him. For the first time, Chandra saw why people called him the Demon. He was easily twice the size of Vidyut. Tall as an elephant and built like an ox, the man was enormous. His black hair spread carelessly across his shoulders. Though he did not have any beard, his facial hair was a little overgrown and it made him look really menacing. When he spoke again, Chandra was a little taken aback.

“Do you know who the man you just killed was?”

“He was a villager whose village you attacked,” said Chandra confidently.

Kaalkesh laughed loud again. “You are a child still. You have no idea what is going on around you.”

“The man you just killed was a Suryagarh hunter. His name was Prastar. I had seen him many times in my previous visits to the capital.”

Kaalkesh started walking casually around Chandra, his hands folded behind him. “You see, I was a little surprised when you shouted your name. I hadn’t expected that the Chandra who that old man was talking about had walked so conveniently into my home.”

He completed half a circle and stood again. “So, when I saw Prastar walk in, I thought he must be here for you. Then something else happened. He killed that old man, got his power, which was another surprise, mind you. But then, he ignored you completely. That got me thinking. They don’t know who you are.”

Chandra was standing there but Kaalkesh was talking more to himself than Chandra. It was as if he was thinking aloud.

Chandra looked around. Jayant and Aditi were standing with Shishya near Acharya. Ramya was still lying on the ground but Vidyut was coming back to his senses. Rambh was not moving, whether he was too scared or too weak, it was hard to tell.

“Now, I don’t know whether they know about you or not. But I am sure they will find out sooner rather than later. And now that you have his power,” he said and looked up as if he was seeing what was happening, “he will hunt you down.”

“Who are you talking about?” Chandra asked.

“I am talking about the man I helped bring back from the dead,” said Kaalkesh and smiled.

“Have you gone mad? You are losing everything you have built and you are talking about fairy tales,” Chandra shouted.

Kaalkesh’s smile faltered. “Not a fairy tale boy, a myth. It was a myth until I brought it back to life.”

“You see, all those years ago, when I was asked to kidnap you, I was told that they were going to use you to kill King Raghavendra and take over Suryagarh. But they told me to bring you to the old temple in forest. That got me thinking. If I could kidnap you, I could kill the king too, and they knew this. So, why bring you to the temple and then lure the king there? So, I paid a man to keep an eye on the state of things.”

He continued his story without stopping.

“He informed me about a ritual that was going to take place in the temple, and your father was the key to it. That is why they needed you to lure him inside. There was no other way they could have gotten the King of Suryagarh inside the Temple of the Cursed.”

Chandra looked all around as Kaalkesh continued. There was no one new in the chamber. Chandra took his chance and jerked his head towards Aditi who was looking at him. She understood what Chandra meant and slowly got up and left for the main gate.

Kaalkesh missed it all. He was busy with his story.

“I tried to get inside the temple to see the ritual but it was impossible. The man who had employed me was too clever. So, I had my man watch everything. He was the one who told me what happened there. He told me how my employer, who calls himself Gurudev, brought the dead back to life.”

Chandra started listening to the Demon more intently now. He wanted to keep him engaged as long as possible.

Kaalkesh continued, “You should have died that night. I think it was your father who saved you. Everyone thought that you died in the forest. No one cared about you. Everyone from Gurukul to Suryagarh wanted that man whom I had paid to keep an eye on Gurudev. Imagine my surprise when I saw him in this old sage’s ashram. He was a spy in Suryagarh doing my bidding and the King of Suryagarh sent me to retrieve him. What a fool! When I talked to him in the ashram, he told me that the old sage knew more than anyone about everything that happened all those years ago. So, I killed him and brought these men here. But now I know that this one knows nothing more than I do. But bringing him here brought you too and now that I have you, it changes everything.”

He raised a hand towards Chandra as if extending an invitation.

“I have a proposal for you. The power you have obtained by killing Prastar is yours for keeping. If you accept it and master it, it will make you more powerful than you can ever imagine. If you reject it, it will slowly eat you from inside and rot your body. I can help you master it. Take Rambh’s place by my side. Be my right hand and together we can destroy Suryagarh and bring vengeance upon them who destroyed your family and your life.”

Chandra had no idea what was going on. This man was surely out of his mind. Bringing back the dead, ruling Aryavart? Was it even possible?

“I will never work for you,” Chandra replied. “You are a vile man who has brought misery upon countless people. I don’t know what family you are talking about and I don’t care. All I care is you deserve to die and I will end your life here in this very room.”

Kaalkesh was taken by surprise by Chandra’s sudden response. He had not expected it. Chandra’s right hand swung hard and, before Kaalkesh could get out of the way completely, his fist struck him in the chest. The strike was not perfect but it knocked the breath out of the Demon. Chandra’s new-found power was too much. Kaalkesh roared with anger and ran towards Chandra. With his huge hands, Kaalkesh picked up Chandra and threw him against a nearby pillar.

The pillar cracked. Everyone including Chandra looked at its state. Even the Demon was overawed. He stood there looking at the cracked pillar for a moment and then ran towards the temple-like structure that had been built inside the chamber. Chandra started to run behind him but Acharya shouted, “Chandra, be careful, you are vulnerable to swords and spears.”

Chandra paused to listen to Acharya and that was more than enough time that Kaalkesh needed. He appeared soon, with a weapon, which looked like a gigantic hammer.

“I knew I would meet someone like that,” he said, holding the huge weapon in one hand. “The problem is I cannot kill you. If I do, the power that is inside you will enter my body. And I will not be able to sustain it for more than a day.” Chandra was not listening. His eyes were fixed on the hammer. One strike from it could make him unconscious. The Demon continued nonetheless.

“This,” he pointed at his hammer, “has been built to strike down people like you. Once you are unconscious, I will take you with me and make you understand why you should have come with me willingly.”

Kaalkesh nearly screamed the last few words as he swung the big hammer. Chandra just jumped back to avoid the blow and the hammer cracked the floor. The sound echoed through the hall like thunder.

Chandra looked at the hole on the floor, which the hammer had made. When facing someone like Kaalkesh, it was a big mistake to take his eyes off him. Chandra was going to understand why he had survived this long in the wild. Why was he feared across three kingdoms? How had he been able to shake the foundations of one kingdom and destroy another completely? Why did people call him the Demon Incarnate?

Before Chandra could take his eyes off that point, a heavy fist hit his face like a log of tree. His head snapped back and he was thrown backward. Even with his size, Kaalkesh was very quick with his moves. Had it not been for the power surging through his body, his neck might have been broken by that blow.

But he understood his mistake. Kaalkesh did not stop at the punch but continued in full swing. He pulled the hammer off the floor and swung it at Chandra, aiming directly at his head. Chandra ducked just in time and the hammer flew over his head. But Chandra was not just trying to save himself. He jumped back from the crouching position and his fist hit Kaalkesh in the jaw. Kaalkesh moved back a few steps and came back swinging again. Chandra kept moving back and avoided getting struck in the head. He moved fast and ducked and danced all around, trying to avoid the hammer but Kaalkesh wasn’t letting him get near.

“You can’t avoid it much longer, boy,” roared Kaalkesh.

Chandra said nothing. He was waiting for a single break in Kaalkesh’s flow, but there was none. Even with the heavy hammer, the Demon was so fast and accurate that Chandra was not able to find a single opening.

Soon both of them were tired from the dance. Chandra had been fighting since morning. It was the power within him that was keeping him standing. Now his whole body was aching. His tired legs stopped for a moment after Kaalkesh’s swing missed his head barely. Kaalkesh moved forward and punched him hard in his belly. Chandra’s feet were lifted off the ground and Kaalkesh dropped the hammer. His left hook caught Chandra in the face again. He was thrown on the ground. His ears were ringing after the blow. He looked up and saw Kaalkesh going back to the hammer. He knew that this was his only chance.

He ignored his aching head and ringing ears. He got up on his knee and, with one hand, caught Kaalkesh’s left leg.

Without his new power, Chandra would never have been able to do what he did next. With all the strength he could muster, he pulled hard and the Demon was swept off his feet. Before he could reach his hammer, Chandra pulled the big man. As though he was a broken twig, Chandra swung him and threw him away. Kaalkesh flew in the air and fell close to Acharya and the old man.

For the first time, Kaalkesh understood what he was up against. The power inside Chandra was more than a single man could handle. But the Demon was not to be cowed down. He got up. And like an ox, he ran towards Chandra. Chandra was ready this time. Just as the Demon closed in, Chandra jumped sideways. Kaalkesh saw it and tried to stop him by putting his arm around Chandra.

That was a terrible move. With the last ounce of energy left in him, Chandra caught Kaalkesh’s arm and struck his elbow on Kaalkesh’s shoulder. The blow was so hard that Kaalkesh’s right arm was dislocated and hung by his side. Kaalkesh’s scream echoed through the hall. Just then, there were footsteps of people arriving. Chandra looked towards the gate and saw Aditi arriving with his uncle, Parth, Shwet Guru, Rakt Guru and some more people whom he could not see properly. His vision was getting clouded after that last blow by Kaalkesh.

He did not care. The Demon’s time had come. His days of destroying people’s lives were over.

Not one to back off from a fight, Kaalkesh swung his left hand at Chandra. But there was not much force in that swing. Chandra blocked it easily and his left fist hit Kaalkesh’s left shoulder. Everyone heard the sharp cracking sound of a bone breaking and Kaalkesh’s scream that followed it.

Kaalkesh now understood that he had lost the battle. He said, “I can help you, boy. I can tell you everything you need to know.” But Chandra was not listening. He was not interested in anything but the monster that lay pleading in front of him. He swiftly moved forward and held Kaalkesh’s neck with both hands. He then kicked his left knee. Another loud scream filled the chamber as Kaalkesh fell on the ground. He wasn’t even able to move. He was now pleading hard. “Please, let me help you. Let me tell you your enemy’s secret.”

Chandra looked around. The hammer was not far away. He went towards it. As his hand gripped the handle, Kaalkesh shouted, “No, please, no. I can help you defeat him. I know everything about him.”

Chandra carelessly pulled the hammer with one hand, its movement making a scratching sound. He came close to Kaalkesh, positioned himself over him, and pulled the hammer above his head. The stroke could squash Kaalkesh’s head.

Everyone was looking at the scene. Vidyut and Ramya were up too. Pradyuman and the rest were standing still. Acharya Ramashisht was looking at the angry boy, hoping that he would do the hard thing. Jayant stood frozen. Everyone was still but someone moved and shouted.

Kaalkesh pleaded one last time, “I can help you save your father, boy. Your father is still alive.”

Chandra’s hand moved as the hammer started to fall. But the voice that shouted “no” had reached his ears before that fatal strike. The moment he heard Aditi’s voice, the hammer’s direction changed and it fell by Kaalkesh’s side, breaking the floor with a deafening crack.

He turned to see the girl standing very close to her. There were tears in her eyes.

“You have already defeated him, Chandra. You are not a murderer. Don’t become one due to this filthy man.”

And then Chandra started crying too. Tears started falling from his eyes, as if a barrier had been broken. The feeling of being alone, which he had kept hidden inside all these years, was flowing out now. The reason behind his feeling had been revealed and Chandra did not know what to do. He kept crying until the man who had always been a father to him put a hand on his shoulder.

“Come, my son,” Pradyuman said. “We have lot to talk about but there will be a time for that.”

Chandra looked up. Without thinking, he embraced his uncle.

Soon, Chandra, along with Pradyuman, Aditi, Jayant and Parth, left the treasure chamber leaving a bewildered and shocked Elders’ army behind. The man responsible for the destruction of the once great city of Sindhudurg lay destroyed and broken beneath its very foundations.

The war that he had waged over the common defenceless people of Aryavart for over two decades was over. Kaalkesh had lost what he himself called the Demon’s War.

There was a satisfied smile on Acharya’s face. He looked at the man on his lap who had died some time ago during Chandra’s fight. He closed his eyes and said, “Your descendent is a man of golden heart. You can rest in peace.”