The morning sun had barely risen, casting a pale, yellowish glow.
We see a figure entering a cave—it is none other than Dante. When Rayasu saw him, his rage knew no bounds.
He screamed violently: "You scoundrel! What are you doing here? You traitor! My condition is your fault!"
Dante offered a faint smile and replied: "It has always been your weakness to trust people blindly. After all, how is that my fault? I merely took advantage of your foolishness."
At that moment, Rayasu breathed a torrent of flames at him. The attack struck the spot where Dante stood, but Dante had already evaded it and was standing right behind Rayasu.
Dante delivered a powerful kick to Rayasu's back, causing Rayasu to shriek in pain. Following up, he clasped both hands together and brought them down hard on Rayasu's head, sending him crashing to the ground. Rayasu tried to get up, but the impact had left him half-unconscious.
"I'm fully aware that you hate me, and I suppose anyone else in your shoes would do the exact same thing. But to be frank, I couldn't care less."
I know that the curse keeps you trapped in this cave and that boy is your last hope of getting out of this cave, but you must stop summoning him here."
"On a separate note..."
I know you want your item back but you will never get it back.
We are developing a method to fuse it with the user's body. Once that happens, you will never get it again."
*Before he left, he smiled and added: "When he arrives, tell him if he doesn't come to me, I might just get angry."
He was just about to leave when Rayasu stood up and shouted, 'I won't do it!'"
Rayasu didn't even get to finish his sentence.
Before the blink of an eye, Dante struck him hard in the stomach.
Dante landed a punch that opened a nasty gash in his abdomen, and the blood began to pour out profusely. The attack was so brutal that Rayasu fell to the floor and passed out.
Blood spurted from his mouth, splattering Dante's coat and face.
"See what you made me do?" Dante said. "This suit is very expensive."
Dante looked down at the barely-conscious Rayasu. Just then, he felt a jolt.
"Looks like something interesting is happening," he muttered.
As he walked out, he added: "That's what happens when you don't follow my orders.
When nayak entered the cave, the sight within was terrifying (or ghastly).
Rayasu lay motionless on the ground. There was no sign of life in him whatsoever.
Nayak rushed to his side and tried to lift him, but he couldn't be roused.
Meanwhile, Inspector Anil Mahajan was making his way inside from the cave's entrance, panting.
"That boy is so fast and agile!" he muttered breathlessly.
But when his eyes fell upon the scene inside the cave, he froze in astonishment. A gigantic, serpentine monster lay sprawled on the floor.
Nayak was desperately trying to lift the body. The Inspector rushed over and asked:
"What is this?" This is my friend!
"Th-this is your friend?" Anil Mahajan's voice trembled (or stuttered).
He simply couldn't believe his eyes. Anyone who witnessed such a scene would have been equally shocked.
Nayak composed himself and stood up. He pulled a thread tied around his hand, which had a small iron piece attached to it.
Then, a voice echoed in his mind, "Remember, son, only one time."
After that, Nayak pulled a blade from the thread and cut his own hand.
When the blood flowed out and landed on Rayasu, Rayasu's wound—one that would normally take a month to heal—was completely closed in a matter of moments, just by a few drops of Nayak's blood.
Anil Mahajan, who had witnessed everything so far, was seeing a sight that left his eyes wide with utter astonishment.
First, there was an immense pressure, and now, a boy whose blood could heal people.
He stumbled and asked, "How?"
Rayasu opened his eyes. "What have you done? You shouldn't have done that." Rayasu's voice was filled with pain.
"Just rest," Nayak said.
And Rayasu closed his eyes.
Anil Mahajan, who witnessed the entire scene, was in shock. He asked, "What was all that? How did you manage to do something like that? Tell me, Nayak, how are you capable of this?"
Nayak and his father, Indrajeet, were walking—Nayak trailing behind, his father leading the way.
Indrajeet was a lean man, but his body was incredibly well-built and strong. Nayak must have been about seven years old.
He asked his father, "Where are we going?"
"Son, we are going far to the North," his father replied.
"But why?" Nayak pressed.
"Because we need something special that can make your mother well again."
"Really?" Nayak asked, his eyes wide with hope.
"Yes, really," Indrajeet answered.
"Then let's go, let's go! Don't delay! Mumma will get better!" he exclaimed, widening his eyes excitedly.
"Yes, she will be fine," Indrajeet said in a muffled voice.
The two continued on; it was daytime. Indrajeet informed Nayak that they needed to go up that specific mountain.
Excitement bubbled up within Nayak.
Indrajeet, however, was overcome with worry for Samiksha. It was clearly visible on his face that Samiksha's condition was very bad.
Placing Nayak on his shoulders, they both began to climb the mountain.
Indrajeet scanned for danger but saw nothing that resembled a threat. He then set Nayak down.
Nayak gazed at a natural garden that was more beautiful than any cultivated human garden. Yellow, blue, white, pink—flowers of countless varieties bloomed there. Strangely, the trees were all very small; even the tallest tree was only seven or eight feet high. Nayak began to play.
Indrajeet inspected the surroundings. He was searching for a flower of a particular color, one that held a very special power. It was so fragrant that its scent could mesmerize people.
It should have been easy to find this flower in the garden, but there wasn't just one garden; the mountain held many. And within those many gardens were countless flowers.
Indrajeet began his search, and Nayak followed close behind him.
Before they knew it, day had turned into evening. The moon, shaped like a bowl, had replaced the sun in the sky. And above that moon, a solitary star appeared.
They were the sole rulers of the evening.
It had been a very long search for the flower; night had fallen, yet Indrajeet still hadn't found it.
Just then, a call came through on his mobile phone. When he answered, his face went white with shock. He collapsed to his knees, his eyes filling with pain and utter disbelief. Tears streamed down his face. He punched the ground in anguish. A mountain of sorrow had crashed down upon his chest.
A few moments passed. When his tears finally dried, he tried to search for Nayak with his eyes, looking around. Nayak was nowhere to be seen. A terrible premonition struck him.
Indrajeet immediately set off to find him.
Nayak was chasing a butterfly, trying to catch it.
Suddenly, he tripped and fell, and started to cry. Just then, a sweet aroma reached him. He inhaled the scent, and it was so captivating that he became almost entranced, as if the fragrance was beckoning him forward.
In the center of the garden was a single lotus that was just beginning to bloom. The flower was primarily blue, but not entirely; its petals were striped with delicate streaks of pink. Even more remarkably, the base of the flower—the leaf that supported it—was not green, but shimmered with a radiant golden hue.
The Blue Lotus was situated right in the center of the pond.
Nayak was drawn toward it and walked up to the edge of the water. He paused for just a moment, and then plunged into the pond. He began swimming toward the flower. The pond wasn't particularly deep, but for Nayak, it felt quite profound.
He finally reached the lotus and leaned in to smell it. But as soon as he smelled the flower, he ate it. The moment he consumed the lotus, the color of his face turned a vibrant blue.
Just then, Indrajeet arrived, quickly pulling him out of the pond and onto the bank.
Nayak's entire body had turned a lighter shade of blue, and he was laughing. Indrajeet, however, was filled with grief over the loss of his wife. Seeing his son in such a strange state, however, distracted him from his sorrow and focused his attention entirely on the boy.
He tried to rouse the unconscious Nayak, but failed. Indrajeet then scooped him up in his arms and ran. Nearby was a small village.
The village had only a handful of inhabitants. When he reached it, he urgently searched for a physician, but found none. Then, a villager told him: "At the end of the village lives a Baba (wise old man) who heals people using Ayurvedic herbs and remedies."
Indrajeet sprinted in that direction and reached the house. He knocked on the door. A half-old man with long, flowing hair opened it. In one moment, he saw Indrajeet, who was frantically pleading; in the next, he saw the unconscious blue boy. "Come inside," the Baba said.
The Baba laid Nayak on a simple bed of stone and grass, then checked his eyes and pulse.
"What has happened to him, Baba ji?" Indrajeet asked.
"Don't worry," the Baba replied with a smile. "Sit down here and drink this water."
The Baba explained, "Your son has consumed an elixir—the Neelkamal (Blue Lotus)," he stressed. "This is a very rare flower that blooms only once a year. It seems he ate the whole thing."
"What will happen now, Baba?"
"Nothing, we shall see. It is not poisonous, so don't worry about him too much."
"But what if something happens to him?"
"Nothing will happen. I am right here."
"But look at his condition!"
"I know. Just relax," the Baba said.
Indrajeet stood there, unable to rest. The Baba had fallen asleep, and so had Nayak, but Indrajeet was racked with anxiety. And why wouldn't he be? His beloved wife was gone, and now his only remaining connection—his son—was in danger. He stood vigil the entire night.
When the Baba awoke, Indrajeet was sitting next to Nayak, his eyes red from lack of sleep. Just then, Nayak also woke up. Seeing him conscious, Indrajeet was overcome with relief.
The Baba touched Nayak's face and checked his eyes. "There, he is completely fine," he said, "Better than before." With that, the Baba helped Nayak off the bed.
"Say thank you to the Baba," Indrajeet prompted.
"Thank you," Nayak said.
"Oh, it was nothing. I did very little. It was just the intoxication of the lotus that caused him to become unconscious. He is well now."
"Baba ji, how did you know Nayak ate the lotus flower?" Indrajeet asked.
The Baba chuckled and replied, "Because this is the effect of that very same lotus. And as far as the lotus is concerned, I, too, mistakenly ate it when I was a child."
"Amazing! But he ate the flower whose essence I was going to use to heal my wife," Indrajeet said with a sigh of deep sorrow. "But alas, he has consumed it now. What happens next?"
The wise old man asked Nayak to stay put, and Indrajeet and the Baba walked a short distance away to talk privately.
"I ate that flower, and now your child has as well. Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you."
What he heard astonished Indrajeet. "Is that truly possible?"
"Yes, it is what has happened," the Baba confirmed. "Now, stop worrying."
As they talked, Indrajeet was suddenly overwhelmed by the memory of his wife. "Baba, can you do something for me?"
"Tell me what you need."
"Could you keep Nayak here for two days?" he whispered the request into the Baba's ear.
"Oh, you poor thing," the Baba said. "Don't worry, I will take care of him."
When Nayak learned that his father was leaving, he began to cry loudly. But the Baba said, "Son, I am going to teach you something. You must pay close attention."
"I wanted to go with Papa to see Mummy!"
"Look, Papa will return soon. First, you must listen to this."
Meanwhile, Indrajeet reached his home in the daytime. An atmosphere of sorrow prevailed; people were sitting and standing, and his wife's funeral pyre was prepared. Indrajeet's heart grew heavy, and he broke down weeping.
Three days had now passed. Indrajeet hadn't returned. Nayak was beside himself, tearful and angry that his father hadn't come back.
"I miss Mummy," he cried.
The Baba told him his father would arrive soon. A little later, when Nayak looked out, his father was standing before him. Nayak ran to Indrajeet and hugged him, crying, "You are so mean! Why didn't you come for so many days? I was so worried and scared you wouldn't come back!"
"But I am here now, so don't be afraid," Indrajeet soothed him.
Nayak wiped his tears and said, "Now, don't ever leave again."
"Alright, I won't," Indrajeet promised.
The Baba walked over and said, "The ability Nayak has now can only be used once a year. No more. If he exceeds that limit, the consequences could be dangerous. Remember that."
"I will keep it in mind. Don't worry," Indrajeet assured him.
As they started to leave, Nayak asked, "And how is Mummy now?"
The question made Indrajeet tremble. He was unable to speak a single word. He finally managed, "We will reach home soon. You will meet your mother there."
Nayak was thrilled. He danced with joy and said, "Hurry, Papa! We need to get there fast!"
When Anil Mahajan heard all this, he couldn't believe it. But what he had witnessed today made the story sound more believable than ever.