Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable

(A/N):

Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.

Guys I hope you put more comments and power stones... Which will encourage me...

-------------------------------------------------

The three Rakshasas looked at the old sage with amused expressions.

The tallest among them slowly rested his executioner’s sword upon his shoulder before grinning.

"So..."

"You’ve finally accepted that you cannot defeat us."

Veenadhara gently smiled.

"I accepted that the moment I saw the three of you."

The answer caught them slightly off guard.

The second Rakshasa frowned.

"What are you trying to say, old man?"

Veenadhara calmly rested both hands upon his wooden staff.

"I am merely saying that every battle does not require a weapon."

"There are battles won through strength."

"There are battles won through skill."

"And there are battles won through wisdom."

The three Rakshasas exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

"Wisdom?"

"You intend to defeat us with words?"

Veenadhara nodded peacefully.

"I propose a challenge."

The tallest Rakshasa folded his arms.

"What kind of challenge?"

"A contest of intellect."

"I shall ask each of you a question."

"If even one of you answers correctly... I shall willingly step aside."

"And none of us shall resist."

"But... If all three of you fail... You will leave this sanctuary peacefully."

The Rakshasas looked at one another.

Then laughed again.

The tallest one pointed at the sage.

"Old fool."

"You wish to compete against Rakshasas?"

"We’ve lived for centuries."

"What question could possibly trouble us?"

The second Rakshasa smirked.

"Very well. We accept. Ask."

Veenadhara nodded. His old eyes remained calm.

He slowly began.

"What becomes lighter... the more of it you share with others?"

The three Rakshasas immediately frowned.

They looked at one another.

"Fire?"

"No."

"Wealth?"

"No."

"Food?"

The third Rakshasa scratched his head.

"What kind of question is that?"

Several moments passed.

None of them answered.

The sage smiled gently.

"The answer... is knowledge."

"The more one shares it... the lighter the burden of ignorance becomes."

The three remained silent.

Veenadhara continued.

"The second question."

"What weapon... grows sharper every time it is used... yet never sheds blood?"

Again...

Silence.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The Rakshasas frowned harder than before.

One muttered,

"A divine weapon?"

Another guessed,

"A curse?"

The third finally growled.

"We don’t know."

The sage nodded hearing them.

"The answer... is the mind."

"The more it is exercised... the sharper it becomes."

The smiles had completely disappeared from the Rakshasas’ faces.

The old sage asked his final question.

"What is stronger than physical strength... More enduring than iron... And yet can be broken by one’s own arrogance?"

The chamber became completely silent.

The three Rakshasas thought for a long time.

One after another...

Their expressions became increasingly frustrated.

Finally the tallest one clenched his teeth.

"...Speak."

Veenadhara looked directly into his eyes.

"The answer... is wisdom."

"It survives where strength fails."

"But arrogance blinds one to it."

Silence lingered.

Behind the sage...

Several civilians slowly began smiling.

Even the frightened children looked at the old man with admiration.

Veenadhara gently lowered his staff.

"You accepted the challenge. You have failed."

"According to your own word..."

"Leave."

The old sage pointed calmly towards the passage.

"You have lost."

For a heartbeat...

The three Rakshasas simply stared at him.

Then...

The tallest one slowly began laughing.

It started as a chuckle.

Soon...

All three burst into loud, mocking laughter.

"Old man..."

He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

"Did you truly believe... we Rakshasas keep our promises?"

The second Rakshasa sneered.

"We accepted because it amused us."

"We never intended to leave."

The third slowly raised his spear.

"The only reward you’ve earned... is dying before everyone else."

The smiles vanished from every civilian’s face.

Veenadhara quietly sighed.

"So... You possess neither wisdom... nor honour."

The tallest Rakshasa grinned.

"Exactly. We’re Rakshasas."

"We take. We don’t bargain."

Before anyone could react...

Kumaravarma suddenly stepped forward.

His legs were visibly trembling.

Even so...

He forced himself to stand between the Rakshasas and the civilians.

"This..."

His voice shook.

"...This isn’t fair."

Everyone looked at him.

Even Queen Devayani widened her eyes.

Kumaravarma swallowed hard before continuing.

"You accepted his challenge."

"You lost."

"If you refuse to honour your own word..."

"Then what value do your boasts have?"

The tallest Rakshasa slowly turned his head.

He looked at Kumaravarma as though staring at an insect.

"A coward... is lecturing me?"

His grin widened.

"I’ll reward your courage."

He suddenly swung his enormous sword.

The attack slammed into the protective barrier surrounding the civilians.

BOOOOOOM!!

The barrier rippled violently.

Golden light spread across its surface.

The Rakshasa struck again.

And again.

Each blow caused larger cracks to appear.

Finally...

With a deafening sound...

The barrier shattered into countless fragments of light.

Kumaravarma froze. His face lost every trace of colour.

"...."

The Rakshasa slowly walked towards him.

"No barrier now."

He raised the sword high above his head.

"Let’s see whether your courage survives."

Kumaravarma couldn’t move.

His legs refused to obey him.

Fear rooted him to the spot.

The massive blade descended.

At that very instant...

A figure suddenly stepped between them.

Slash!

Blood splashed across the stone floor.

The sword had pierced straight through Sage Veenadhara.

The old sage staggered.

His wooden staff slipped from his hands.

Slowly...

His body collapsed backwards.

Kumaravarma instinctively caught him before he struck the ground.

The sage now rested upon the young prince’s lap.

Blood rapidly stained Kumaravarma’s clothes.

"N-No..."

Kumaravarma’s voice trembled.

"Revered Sage..."

"No... Please..."

Veenadhara smiled weakly.

Even as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth...

His eyes remained peaceful.

He slowly raised a trembling hand and placed it upon Kumaravarma’s cheek.

"Do not... be afraid."

His voice had become barely audible.

"Courage... is not... the absence of fear."

"It is... protecting others..."

"...despite it."

He coughed.

More blood stained his robes.

Then he smiled once more.

Looking directly into Kumaravarma’s eyes.

"You asked... what was fair."

"Now... show them..."

"...what is righteous."

His breathing became slower.

"The innocent..."

"...are behind you."

"They..."

"...cannot protect themselves."

"So..."

"...you must."

His hand slowly slipped away.

"Be..."

"...brave..."

"...my child."

The light gradually faded from his eyes.

His body became still.

Kumaravarma simply stared.

"...."

Unable to believe what had just happened.

The old sage who had saved everyone...

Had died protecting him.

Around him...

The remaining guards desperately fought the three Rakshasas.

Yet they were completely overwhelmed.

One after another they fell.

Blood covered the stone floor.

The screams of frightened civilians echoed through the sanctuary.

Something inside Kumaravarma...

Finally broke.

Or perhaps...

Something awakened.

His grief swallowed his fear. His trembling stopped.

He slowly lowered Veenadhara’s body onto the ground.

Then...

He stood. Very slowly.

His head remained lowered.

His entire body trembled.

Not from fear anymore. But from uncontrollable rage.

The tallest Rakshasa laughed.

"Another fool?"

Before he could finish...

Kumaravarma vanished.

He appeared directly before the three Rakshasas.

His fist drove forward with all the grief and fury burning inside him.

BOOOOOOM!!

The impact echoed throughout the underground chamber.

All three Rakshasas were launched backwards simultaneously.

They crashed through stone pillars before slamming violently into the far wall.

The entire sanctuary shook.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

The three Rakshasas looked up in complete disbelief.

"W-What...? How...?"

Kumaravarma slowly picked up a fallen sword.

His face no longer showed fear.

Only rage. Only resolve.

He began walking towards them.

Step. By step. By step.

The tallest Rakshasa hurriedly tried to stand.

"You..."

"You were trembling just now!"

Kumaravarma didn’t answer.

His sword rose. Then descended.

One clean strike.

The Rakshasa’s head rolled across the stone floor.

Before the remaining two could react... He turned.

His blade flashed once.

Then again.

Two more heads fell.

Silence.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The three terrifying Rakshasas who had moments ago dominated everyone...

Now lay dead upon the bloodstained floor.

The underground chamber became eerily quiet.

No one moved. No one spoke.

Queen Devayani stood rooted to the spot.

She looked at her younger brother with utter disbelief.

This...

Was the same Kumaravarma who had always hidden behind others.

The same prince everyone believed lacked courage.

Princess Indhumati’s lips parted slightly.

She had never seen such determination in her uncle’s eyes.

The remaining guards slowly lowered their weapons.

Even they stood stunned.

Kumaravarma remained motionless.

The sword still dripped with Rakshasa blood.

Yet his eyes weren’t on the enemies.

They slowly turned back...

Towards the lifeless body of Sage Veenadhara.

The old sage had not defeated the Rakshasas with strength.

He had awakened the courage hidden inside the one person who had spent his entire life believing he possessed none.

Meanwhile inside Devara’s mind...

The endless field of flowers had begun losing its brilliance.

The sky above was no longer clear.

Thin cracks continued spreading across it like shattered glass, each one allowing streaks of golden light from the real world to seep into the illusion.

The fragrance that had once clouded Devaratha’s senses had also begun fading.

The prison of the mind was weakening.

Devaratha stood quietly beside Yami, looking around at the world that had trapped him for so many days.

"This place is falling apart."

Yami nodded gently.

"It has already lost its hold over you."

"The moment you accepted the truth... the illusion could no longer sustain itself."

She smiled faintly.

"We should leave before it completely collapses."

Devaratha looked towards the endless horizon one last time.

Somewhere beyond those flowers, the palace, the children and the peaceful life they had shared had already disappeared.

Only memories remained.

Borrowed memories.

Yet...

They had changed both of them forever.

He let out a slow breath.

"I suppose... it’s time to wake up."

Yami nodded hearing him.

"Everyone is waiting. Hanuman. Lord Parashurama. Your friends Ashwatthama, Karna. Your brother Bhishma."

"Your people."

"They’ve all been waiting for you."

Devaratha smiled hearing her.

"And they’ve probably been worrying far more than necessary."

Yami couldn’t help smiling as well.

"That much is certainly true."

Just as both of them prepared to leave the crumbling illusion...

A familiar sound echoed inside Devaratha’s mind.

[-Dum!-Dum!-]

A translucent blue screen materialized before him.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[Hidden Quest Completed

Quest: Guide the Lost Sage back onto the path of Dharma.

Status: Completed

Recipient: Sage Veenadhara

Evaluation: Exceptional

Reward:

+32 Karma Points, New Character Template Unlocked]

[Would you like to open the newly unlocked template?]

[YES] [NO]

Devaratha blinked in surprise.

"A hidden quest?"

He hadn’t expected that.

He remembered the old sage only briefly.

The guidance he had offered.

The respect he had shown.

He hadn’t even realized the system had been tracking something like that.

Without any hesitation...

He selected YES.

Immediately...

The system screen dissolved into countless streams of golden light.

They began gathering together before him.

Just like every previous template he had unlocked...

A dark silhouette slowly began taking shape.

The outline was still incomplete.

Only a vague humanoid figure could be seen.

Golden lines continued drawing its form little by little.

The system’s voice echoed once again.

[Synchronizing New Template...

Calculating Compatibility...

Downloading Template Data...]

The silhouette gradually became clearer.

Only a little longer...

And the identity of the new template would finally be revealed.

...

Far away...

Beyond the collapsing illusion...

Deep within the Malikavana Forest surrounding Devaratha’s unconscious body...

Something stirred.

It had been waiting. Watching.

Silent.

Patient.

Like a predator hiding in tall grass, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

It had not acted while the illusion remained intact.

Nor while Yami’s consciousness had entered.

It had simply observed.

Waiting.

For this exact moment.

Now...

The barrier protecting Devaratha’s consciousness had weakened.

The illusion was collapsing.

His mind had become exposed for the briefest instant.

The shadow moved.

It possessed no definite shape.

Sometimes it resembled smoke.

Sometimes flowing darkness.

Sometimes nothing more than a pair of crimson eyes hidden within an endless void.

Without making the slightest sound...

The shadow shot forward.

It slipped through the tangled black veins imprisoning Devaratha beneath the earth as though they weren’t even there.

Then...

Like a stream of black mist...

It entered directly into Devaratha’s body.

Not a single person outside noticed.

The intrusion was so subtle... It escaped every eye.

Inside Devaratha’s mind...

The system suddenly reacted.

The golden silhouette that had almost finished taking shape abruptly flickered.

The smooth synchronization halted.

The countless streams of light became unstable.

Warning symbols flashed across the transparent screen.

[Synchronizing...]

[Synchronizing...]

[...]

[ERROR]

[Foreign Existence Detected.]

The silhouette that had been forming suddenly dissolved.

Instead of completing itself...

It slid sideways.

Almost as though an invisible force had pushed it away.

The golden light scattered, making room for something else.

The system itself appeared momentarily confused.

[Recalculating...]

[Unknown Variable Detected...]

[Searching...]

[Priority Override Initiated...]

The streams of light that had been creating the original template suddenly changed direction.

They no longer followed the original pattern.

Instead...

An entirely different outline slowly began emerging.

The aura surrounding it felt completely different from before.

Devaratha frowned seeing it.

"...That’s strange."

The outline remained hidden beneath layers of brilliant light.

Its identity was still impossible to make out.

Yet...

For some reason...

Even before seeing its face...

Devaratha felt that whatever was about to appear...

Had not been the reward the system originally intended to give him.

*******************************

(Author note:)

I hope you guys give me your opinion and idea’s.

-->

Don’t forget to review guys...

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!