The Story So Far: From not knowing what my power was to knowing the limitations of my powers, I had come on a long journey. And yet, there was no end in sight for I now embark on yet another new one, and hopefully, a conclusive one. How can I do that?
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Mother Earth, Shakti, made me sit in front of the Sacred Shell. She removed the platinum ring and placed it on my head with a chant under her breath. I felt transformed, energised. Something of the red aura of the Dait king the ring had absorbed in Mars started flowing through me, for I felt a sort of strength that I had never experienced before. Shakti continued without letting on whether she had noticed the change.
Next, she handed me my friend, Tiara, the star, which twinkled and started rotating like a discus, throwing a white light around me. Finally, Shakti handed me the Sacred Shell and said, "This is for you to preserve henceforth. The prince is no longer capable of doing that. So the mantle passes on to you. From this moment, you are Maharagyi, the Supreme Queen, of the Prabhas."
I was stunned. But there was no time to react as she let go of the Shell and I felt its weight settling heavily on me. Slowly, a golden light suffused with the white and red such that even I could see the beautiful mingling of the three shades around me. The Shell glowed and I felt my body vibration synchronising with that of the Shell.
I heard a sound that evoked something deep inside me. I realised my eyes were welling up and tears rolling down my cheeks. I was also chanting the primordial sound, 'Om' as Ma Shakti continued her chanting. My energy levels rose so high that I felt my body would crumble and the light and heat from within would spread in all directions. I had to will myself to sit still though the only thing I wanted was to move, to jump, to dance... I truly felt like a bundle of energy and for the first time understood the meaning of Shakti and why dance was associated with her.
Slowly, as I tried hard to control the urge, the power gathered around my heart, in the centre of my being, and I felt myself glowing from within as if a lamp had been lit.
Ma Shakti stopped chanting and looked at me with a warm smile. "You make me feel proud," she said softly. She stretched her hand and I clasped it, feeling grateful for her love and presence. I got up and she led me out to where the king, his courtiers and the Rajguru stood waiting for me. If I expected resentment, I was in for a surprise. The king seemed relieved. "Our future is safe," he said and blessed me as I fell at his feet. Then, when I stood up facing him, he embraced me for a moment longer than was necessary and I felt yet another infusion of energy. He was transferring his energy to me! His multicoloured aura slowly faded and embellished the light glowing around me. All the blessings he had received from more powerful beings were now mine. It humbled me and made me feel scared.
"We still need you, king!" I murmured, my voice choking.
"I am here to guide you. But now, the battle is in your hands," he said and smiled.
The Rajguru's joy knew no bounds. His embrace was warm and full of love. The courtiers were cheered and the army head seemed as if he had been given an energy booster. "Guide us, Lady," he said.
Dawn broke and I looked at the horizon with renewed hope. I felt the universe belonged to me.
Ma Shakti's gentle touch reminded me that we still had a war to win. My eyes sought my parents. A gentle nudge from Ma Shakti was all I needed to seek them out. They were standing behind the soldiers. But as if everybody understood who I was seeking, they parted to let me run up to them embrace them.
My mother was crying and my father seemed ready to any moment. Well, I was no better, crying pretty much openly for all to see. Shakti or no Shakti, I was still a child needing my mother's love and approval.
"How silly I had been, worrying and fretting that you had no powers!" she said candidly as she kissed me. "And now I am worried you are no longer my little girl! I won't be able to tell you what to do anymore!" We laughed at this feeble joke.
The sun was climbing up mercilessly and we had to face the enemy. Neither the war nor the enemy worried me. What worried me was the responsibility of all these soldiers lay with me. That directing them and minimising losses fell on my feeble, inexperienced shoulders.
As if in response to my fears, lightning flashed, the star spun, the ring glowed. Oh, the cheer that went up from the soldiers, their hopes and the expectations all loaded heavily in that one sound they let out in unison!
I looked down, tuning everything else out for a moment, expressing gratitude to my new companions for being with me and empowering me.
Then I looked up, surer of what I wanted and what I needed to do.
"May Truth win. May we be on the side of Truth."
We faced the enemy. The look on the Dait king's face when he saw me was unmistakable. What shocked me was when he went down on his knees and bowed. His army followed suit. I trembled not knowing how to interpret this. He stood up and said, "I am blessed to witness this transformation in you. To fight with a divine being is a privilege and defeating you will only be an honour."
I started laughing, admiring his confidence and courage. He instantly tried to enter my mind, but the ring was no mere ornament. It acted as a shield and the battle began in right earnest.
It was long and weary. My power had increased manifold and the shield I created kept my army safe. But the Daits, knowing the stakes were higher, instead of being deterred, fought with redoubled effort.
Several times, we had to snatch victory from the jaws of death. Some times, we had to yield some ground to secure larger wins. The next few days saw the earth trembling from the fierce battle.
The Dait king proved to be a leader with many capabilities. In times of peace, I would have loved to learn from him. Many times soldiers reported killing the Dait king, only to find him fighting in another quarter. It was some time before we realised that he was a master of illusions. I myself felt I had wounded him severely once or twice, and then he would emerge from another fight without any signs of the latest wound.
Truth, at least the Prabhas one, could never win at this rate. I had to think of some way of defeating the Daits, even if it meant killing or imprisoning the Dait king with cunning. What could I do?
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