RAM WAS SHOCKED.
The bead was the condensed power of The Institute? And Ram has that bead inside of him?
Just what were the Crazy Twins were thinking? Ram had only met them once. He didn't know them that much, but they seemed to be pretty excited to insert the bead inside of him. They even manipulated him in such a way that he asked them to insert the bead into his own body.
At that time, Ram thought it was something that would be helpful to him. But when he realized that he was fooled by The Twins, he thought the bead was dangerous.
But The Bead was, in a way, The Institute? If others were to know that he had it inside of him, they would skin him alive.
Heck, Veera had a vague guess that Ram had the device and he is doing some crazy mumbo jumbo and jumped into his consciousness to search for it.
Just how was he doing it?
Ram heard the voice again and this time, he felt like someone were shouting louder at him, from afar.
Again and again.
"Soul." The voice said. It was Em, his assistant that they had shut down.
He was not going insane right? This wasn't another illusion of Veera right? If it were, Ram didn't think he could take it any longer.
"Ram."
Em spoke once again with much urgency.
"Stop."
She was talking to him in single word. Even to speak it seemed to seep all the strength out of his voice.
"Soul."
"System."
"Break."
"Seal."
Ram waited for her to continue. But she stopped. He was instantly worried. Was she not able to talk any longer? Had she used all of her powers just to speak with him?
What did she meant?
"Soul Ram Stop Soul System Break Seal."
What does that meant?
Soulful Ram, Stop Veera's soul from breaking into her system that was hid beneath the seal?
Ram didn't know.
As if in response to Ram's thought's Em transmitted again.
"Veera."
"Soul System."
"Bead."
"Stop."
"Guide."
"Seal."
Veera's soul using a system to find the bead. That Ram should stop Veera's soul that was guiding towards the seal?
What a bunch of garbage is that?
'Em, can't you speak any more clearly?" Ram asked.
Em screamed at him. "Veera is using Soul System. Stop him. Guide him away from the Seal," she shouted, before her voice disappeared from Ram's consciousness.
Ram frowned.
What is this Soul System that Veera was using? Ram hadn't heard about it before.
How should Ram stop him? Veera was able to invade his mind, search for the memories that even he didn't remember.
It's as if Veera was using advanced level of hypnosis.
Why is she asking him to guide Veera away from the Seal? What seal was she talking about?
Then he remembered the seal that Elder of Air and others placed on Em, that shut her down. Was The Bead inside the seal? Is that why she was asking Ram to guide Veera away from the seal?
Ram heard Veera's voice inside his head. "It seems that your assistant still alive. I thought they shut her down," he said.
Ram started to worry. Em did not want to meet with Veera, or did not want him to come towards the seal. If Ram were to confirm Veera's suspicion, then she would be in danger. So Ram behaved as if he hadn't heard Veera.
Veera let out a growl and appeared as a giant , the one that reminded Ram of the illusion or projection that Chandra had made him go through as a punishment for kissing Sandhya. Does that meant it was done by Veera and not by Chandra? Ram didn't know. But the giant looked similar enough.
"Where is she?" Veera asked.
Ram shook his head.
Veera was looking even scarier than that giant. If Ram were to be facing this in real world, he would've lost consciousness.
As Veera invaded Ram's mind and they were now speaking to each other there, Ram froze in fear.
Em came to his rescue. She shouted, though this time, her voice was fainter than earlier.
"Move."
"White."
"Room."
"Away."
"White Room? What is she talking about?" Veera asked. When Ram didn't reply, he growled. "Where is it?" he asked, shrinking, back to normal size and stepped in front of Ram and grabbed him.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Ram said.
Veera glared at him. "Stop playing with me. I have been alive for centuries and have experienced almost everything you can think of," he said.
Ram shook his head. He tried to deny. But he frowned. "Wait! You have an assistant with you right? Every user of powers does right?" he asked.
Veera stared at him as if he were looking at a very dumb kid. "Yes I have. But what does that have anything to do with the white room you were talking about with your lovely assistant?" he asked.
Ram gasped. Didn't one get the endless white virtual room inside of their head once they get their powers as well as an assistant?
Veera looked thoughtful for a long time, finally he sighed. "Now I get it. It seems that Elders have access to a pocket dimension inside of their mind. Don't tell me it was where you have kept the bead," he said.
Ram shook his head.
"What? Just because you are denying it meant that I would believe you? You don't know how my hypnotism powers work. Once I invade your mind, I can do anything I want and get anything I want," Veera said.
Ram started to get worried. Did he already find where The White Room was?
"Don't worry, it's still a work in progress. Right now, your lovely assistant seemed to have built a wall, which I am working on destroying. It won't take long. Don't worry. It was a boring task for me. Why don't you entertain me?" Veera asked.
Ram glared at Veera. "You were talking about Em as if she was not important," he said.
"Of course she is. If she isn't, would you have allowed her to be shutdown like it had happened?"
"You tricked me and others into doing that."
"I really did. But I am not to blame here. You were the ones who were weak enough, or rather, not strong enough to go against me. You deserve to be destroyed under my hands, like The Whole Institute is destroying themselves right now, I will also destroy you," Veera said.
Ram no longer wanted to know why Veera despised him so much. It was because of The Bead. Ram had a rough understanding of Veera and he will use everything that he know about him to take him down. He spat at him. "You are a coward. That's why you are running everything from behind using cheap tricks. If you were really powerful, you would have faced all of us through your own power," he said.
Veera grinned at him. "Don't worry. I am using my own power. And I am not a coward. I am smart. I don't get to live longer by acting like you were doing now. Just because you don't know what sort of power I am using doesn't mean they are cheap tricks. I believe if you were to use the power for yourself, you would also agree with me," he said, then creased his brows. His eyes lit up and he continued. "Wait! You have already used same power, or rather others used the powers on you," he said.
"What are you talking about?"
"Elder of Time and Elder of Water transferred their powers and memories to you right? They did it using a secret technique that got leaked generations ago, a technique that belongs to the one I use. Also, the thought reader your Aunt El used to hear your thoughts also had been built upon the principles of the power I am using. You have experienced them again and again. It's just that you didn't know they exist at all. Really, haven't your so called friends and family didn't teach you anything? Don't you see why I hate friends and families? If you think about it carefully, you can realize that they are your biggest liabilities," Veera said.
Ram was amazed to find that such a power existed. He was even more amazed of the leaked technique that belonged to the power that Veera uses. Just what sort of crazy power was that? Can he learn it? Is it different form the one he heard about in The Institute? Does it also require reactors?
Ram thought about it for long and realized that it couldn't be the case. It belonged to powers of mind. Not dependent on technology.
Since Veera had been living for centuries, that explained why he was able to master them, why he was able to handle and hypnotize the entire crowd at The Institute today.
Veera was too much to handle by himself. Ram wished he had the powers that Veera was using on everyone right now. If he had, he could protect his friends and family. He had to protect them from this monster. But how?
"You see, you are already worried about them. Don't worry. I will keep you alive long enough to see me killing them one by one. Don't you agree with me now? That they are a liability for you?" Veera asked.
If friends and family were liability, then this whole world wouldn't have survived till now. Ram chuckled. "You are wrong. They are the ones that drives me to progress, drive me to learn something new so that I could protect them. They are the one that give me power to persevere in face of challenges," he said.
Veera sighed. "You are really a fool. They don't give you power. Let me prove it to you. Like I said to you, I will kill all your friends and family one by one, starting with your lovely assistant Em," he said, then walked away from Ram.
Ram crouched, then pounced on Veera's back while shouting, "I will not let you get anywhere near Em."
Veera turned in mid-air, probably he was increasing the flow of time for himself, catching Ram's hands and kicked him in the stomach.
Pain flashed in Ram's eyes as Ram was flying endlessly. Why the hell wasn't he stopping.
He turned to see Veera grinning at him. Veera was playing games with him again.
What was happening?
But this felt similar. Where had he felt it?
After god knows how long, Ram got it.
Em.
When Em enabled him to act like an Iron Man, flying in the sky, amidst all the clouds, what he felt then was similar to what he was feeling now.
Does that meant all the projection that Em did was inside of his mind, replicated everything outside?
How did she do it for others?
Ram didn't know. But he will use everything he can to defeat Veera.
Ram grit his teeth and brought the hands by his side with the palms down and stretched his legs out just like Iron Man would do while he was flying and wanted to stop suddenly. He then flew straight towards Veera, just like he did on his first simulation with Em. At that time, he was alone, but this time, he wanted to take out Veera.
He stretched his hands in front of him and imagined a fireball was building in each of his hands, slowly increasing in density and when he couldn't hold it anymore, he sent them towards Veera, again and again.
Veera was momentarily surprised, before raising a wall of shield, taking on Ram's attacks. "You are really picking up faster, aren't you? Where did you learn you could summon anything and use it when you were in your mind world?" he asked.
Mind world? What was he talking about? Ram shook his head. "I learned it from Em, whom you thought as a liability. Now did you get why having friends and family is not a liability?" Ram asked.
Veera gave him an amused smile. "Just because you remembered one of such power doesn't mean you are worthy to take me down. I will show you what true power means," he said, then changed himself into a giant monster and pounced on Ram.