Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable

(A/N):

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Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the forest, Kandarpaasura had been having a considerably less pleasant journey.

What had initially seemed like a simple race through a beautiful forest had turned into a succession of traps, predators and hazards that had pushed even his patience to its limits.

Every time he believed he had finally found a clear path, the forest seemed to produce something else capable of slowing him down.

The corrosive flowers had nearly eaten through his flesh and damaged his wings, forcing him to fly through the air while avoiding the drifting flowers that had turned the entire valley into a field of floating traps.

After that, he had encountered strange creatures hiding beneath beautiful vegetation, plants that appeared harmless until they revealed themselves to be predators, and beasts that seemed determined to make his journey as unpleasant as possible.

By the time Kandarpaasura finally broke through another wall of pink foliage, his expression had become one of deep irritation.

He landed heavily on the ground and looked around.

"Enough!"

His voice echoed through the trees.

He looked down at his partially damaged arm, then at his wings, some portions of which still bore the faint marks left behind by the corrosive pollen.

His eyes narrowed.

"That Vishnu..."

The thought had been growing inside him for some time.

When Vishnu had explained the rules of this stage, he had described the forest as a place where beauty concealed danger and where the entrants could become lazy if they lowered their guard.

Kandarpaasura had understood the warning, but now, after everything he had endured, another possibility had begun to form in his mind.

Perhaps Vishnu had deliberately designed the forest to favor Devara.

Perhaps the mortal had somehow been given an easier path.

Kandarpaasura’s lip curled.

"Of course."

He clenched his fist.

"The gods have already chosen their favorite."

His suspicion only deepened when he remembered Devara’s performance during the River of Sin.

The mortal had somehow crossed the river without being dragged under, had turned an undead shark into a mount using that strange divine chain, and had even freed the souls instead of simply cutting his way through them.

Kandarpaasura had accepted Vishnu’s explanation publicly.

But privately, he remained convinced that there was more to it.

Now he wondered whether the same thing was happening here.

"Let us see how much luck you have this time, Devara."

A distant sound suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Neigh!

Kandarpaasura’s head snapped toward the sound.

His irritation vanished as his eyes widened.

Another neigh echoed through the forest, followed by several more.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"The horses..."

He immediately moved toward the sound.

The trees began thinning as he approached, and soon a brilliant golden glow appeared between the trunks. Kandarpaasura stepped through the final curtain of foliage and stopped.

Before him stretched a magnificent golden lake.

Its surface shimmered beneath the strange light of the forest, every ripple appearing to contain molten sunlight.

Around the lake stood numerous celestial horses, each one more extraordinary than the last.

Unicorns drank peacefully from the golden water, pegasi stood with their magnificent wings folded against their bodies, and other strange breeds grazed along the shoreline.

But then the lake itself began to move.

Kandarpaasura’s grin widened.

The golden water began forming large circular ripples.

Something was rising from beneath it.

One enormous golden hoof broke through the surface.

Then another.

A majestic golden stallion emerged from the lake, water cascading from its body before transforming into glittering droplets of light.

Another followed behind it, then another, until an entire herd of magnificent golden horses stepped out of the lake as though the depths themselves were their home.

Kandarpaasura stared at them.

Their bodies were powerful, their golden coats radiant, and their eyes carried an intelligence that immediately told him these were no ordinary animals.

His grin became enormous.

"So this is the horse I need."

He looked toward the herd, already imagining himself sitting upon the back of one of those magnificent creatures while Devara struggled somewhere behind him.

The thought pleased him greatly.

For the first time since entering the forest, Kandarpaasura felt certain that victory was within his grasp.

He rolled his shoulders and began walking toward the herd.

"Come here, little horse."

One of the golden stallions raised its head.

Its ears turned toward him.

Kandarpaasura continued forward.

But the stallion’s eyes narrowed.

And somewhere across the golden lake, hidden among the trees on the opposite side, Devara was watching the same herd.

Neither contestant knew it yet.

Both had finally reached the same destination.

And both were about to discover that catching a golden horse was going to be considerably harder than simply finding one.

The golden stallions remained perfectly still for several moments, their massive bodies standing half in the golden water while their flowing manes moved gently with the breeze.

Their ears suddenly twitched.

A sound.

It was faint, barely more than a few words carried across the lake, but the stallions heard it.

Every golden eye turned toward the same direction.

The exact direction from which Kandarpaasura’s excited voice had come.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then the entire herd became unnaturally silent.

Kandarpaasura, still approaching through the trees, noticed the sudden change and slowed down.

"What?"

The largest stallion lowered its head.

Its nostrils flared.

A deep rumbling sound emerged from its chest.

Then another stallion beside it did the same.

Kandarpaasura’s grin slowly disappeared.

"What are you doing?"

He took another step.

That was enough.

The entire herd suddenly turned toward him.

Their eyes burned with a brilliant golden light.

Kandarpaasura’s expression changed.

"Wait..."

The stallions reared simultaneously.

Their front hooves struck the air, and an enormous neigh erupted across the forest.

The sound shook the branches and sent the smaller celestial horses scrambling away from the shoreline.

Then every stallion opened its mouth.

FWOOM!

Golden fire exploded from their mouths.

Streams of brilliant flame shot across the forest toward Kandarpaasura.

The fire was unlike anything he had encountered before.

It did not merely glow yellow.

It possessed the radiance of concentrated sunlight, burning so brightly that the surrounding trees appeared almost black against it.

Kandarpaasura’s eyes widened.

"YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

He immediately threw himself sideways.

The first torrent of golden fire tore through the place where he had been standing only an instant earlier.

Trees vanished beneath the flames, their trunks turning white-hot before disintegrating into glowing fragments.

Kandarpaasura rolled across the ground and sprang back onto his feet.

Another blast came.

He jumped upward.

The fire passed beneath him and struck the forest floor, sending a wave of golden heat across the ground.

Kandarpaasura spread his wings and shot into the air.

"All I did was talk!"

The golden stallions answered with another synchronized roar.

Their mouths opened once more.

Kandarpaasura’s eyes widened.

"Oh, no."

A barrage of golden flames erupted toward him.

He twisted violently through the air, dodging one stream after another as the beams crossed behind him.

One blast grazed his damaged wing, causing him to wince as the golden fire burned through several feathers.

He immediately gained altitude.

"These aren’t horses!"

He looked down at the herd in disbelief.

"These are walking furnaces!"

The stallions continued charging toward him, their hooves pounding across the shoreline while golden flames erupted from their mouths.

Kandarpaasura finally understood Vishnu’s warning.

The forest was not simply beautiful.

Everything here had teeth.

And apparently, even the horses breathed fire.

Kandarpaasura barely managed to avoid another stream of golden fire as he twisted through the air, his expression changing from surprise to outright disbelief.

He had expected the golden horses to be difficult to catch, perhaps fast enough to outrun him or strong enough to throw him from their backs.

He had not expected them to attack him with the ferocity of seasoned warriors.

He landed heavily near the edge of the lake, digging his claws into the golden soil to steady himself as another blast of fire swept past his shoulder.

"These creatures are far more aggressive than they look!"

His eyes hardened.

Enough.

If they wanted a fight, then he would give them one.

Kandarpaasura’s hand instinctively moved toward his side, and dark energy immediately began gathering around his fingers.

His weapons were already within reach, ready to be summoned.

One command from him would bring them into his hands, and with his strength, dealing with these creatures would become considerably easier.

His lips curled into a confident smile.

"Let’s see how brave you are when..."

Then he stopped.

The words of Lord Vishnu suddenly echoed through his mind.

"No mount and no weapons. You must catch the golden horse and subdue it without using either. If you use a weapon, you will immediately lose this stage."

Kandarpaasura’s expression froze.

His fingers remained raised for a moment before the dark energy around them slowly disappeared.

"Damn it."

Another golden flame shot toward him.

He jumped aside, the blast passing dangerously close to his face.

He landed and glared at the herd.

"You cannot be serious."

The stallions stamped their hooves against the ground as their golden manes moved in the heated air. Several of them lowered their heads, preparing to charge.

Kandarpaasura looked at his empty hands.

For the first time, his enormous strength felt almost inconvenient.

He could destroy mountains.

He could tear apart armies.

He could command darkness powerful enough to plunge an entire realm into night.

Yet here he was, standing in front of a herd of horses and forbidden from using the easiest tools at his disposal.

He clenched his fists.

"Fine."

His grin slowly returned.

"If weapons are forbidden, then I will use my hands."

One of the largest golden stallions suddenly charged.

The ground shook beneath its hooves.

Kandarpaasura planted his feet.

The stallion lowered its head, golden fire gathering inside its mouth.

Kandarpaasura’s eyes narrowed.

"Come!"

The stallion unleashed another torrent of golden flames while simultaneously charging straight toward him.

Kandarpaasura did not retreat.

Instead, he waited.

At the last possible moment, he threw himself sideways, narrowly avoiding the flames, and reached toward the stallion’s neck as it thundered past.

His fingers almost caught its mane.

Almost.

The stallion jerked its body violently and escaped his grasp.

Kandarpaasura landed on his feet and looked back at it.

The horse turned around.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, there was a strange silence between them.

Kandarpaasura’s grin widened.

"So that’s how you want to play?"

The stallion pawed at the ground.

Kandarpaasura lowered his stance.

"Then come and try again."

Around him, the rest of the golden herd began moving.

One by one, they turned toward him.

Kandarpaasura’s grin slowly faded.

"...All of you?"

The golden stallions charged together.

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(Author note:)

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