Netan immediately stepped back from the black being in front of him. He turned around and started running. The being was so huge and looked very strong. Netan wouldn't be able to win a fight with it even if there were five of him.
"Haha start running. I'll even give you a headstart," the monster sneered. Netan was running towards the temple with all his strength.
After ten minutes of running Netan started feeling exhausted. He looked back and didn't find anyone behind him. When he turned forward he suddenly saw the monster appear in front of him. Netan immediately jumped back. He was startled so he fell to the ground because of the excessive force he used.
"Hehe I found you," the monster laughed. "You don't worry. I will use your entire body properly. I will first eat your brains. Then your lungs. And finally your heart. Oh you smell so wonderful!"
Netan took out a string that had many beads strung to it. This was a rudraksha. He started chanting prayers to the good saketh while keeping count with the rudraksha. The monster looked at the rudraksha with disgust.
"You are a temple boy?! Your luck is very bad. You must die though. I despise people who pray everyday," the monster said.
The monster clawed at the rudraksha, snatching it off Netan's hands. However, when the claws of the monster collided with the rudraksha, a loud sound emanated. It was a very unpleasant sound that could be heard from very far away.
The monster was knocked back, as was Netan. Netan crashed into the road several meters away. He felt weak and his left arm hurt very much. He had used it as a cushion and had sprained it.
The monster stood up without much effort and looked at Netan with more disgust in its eyes. It lunged for Netan with its claws. Netan tried to escape but the long arms of the monster gripped Netan's send tightly, not allowing him to escape.
Netan looked as the monster raised it's around, ready to finish him off. He heard a slight sound of a swoosh. He saw an arrow lodged between the eyes of the monster almost reaching him.
Netan quickly pushed the monster off his body. He looked around for the source of the arrow. He found the person who seemingly shot the arrow walking towards him.
It was an old man with a long beard and long hair tied on top of his head. He had a bow in his right hand but no arrows anywhere. The man walked towards Netan. He saw that Netan was injured and changed a small mantra.
Netan miraculously felt better. He no longer felt his arm hurt. Netan got up and looked at the man in front of me.
"You have such bad luck, encountering a rakshasa. But your rudraksha brought me here. You have seen things that will implicate you, so it is better for you to no longer remember anything that happened to you here," the man said to Netan. He then tapped Netan's head and uttered a mantra. Netan suddenly felt light headed and stumbled back a bit. When he looked up towards the old man he was nowhere to be found.
Netan sat down for a while as if to process what happened. It was also because he was dizzy and needed to regain control if he wanted to walk to the temple. After 5 minutes Netan stood up and started walking to the temple like nothing was wrong.
After reaching the temple, he dropped his luggage at his hut and went to Acharya's office. He knocked on the door and waited.
"Come in," Acharya said.
Netan went inside. He looked around a bit and then looked at Acharya. He took out the remnants of his rudraksha.
"Are rakshasas real?" Netan asked Acharya.
Acharya was taken aback. He sat there quietly for a while. He then took a deep breath and said, "Netan, we worship the good Saketh at this temple. If Saketh indeed exists, then rakshasas too could exist. In the holy scriptures we see good and rakshasas fighting. Doesn't that prove that they exist? Why, however, did you get this doubt? You never asked anything when you were learning the holy scriptures."
Netan took in everything that Acharya said. Then he told Acharya why he asked this question. "I encountered one today. A rakshasa."
Acharya's eyes widened slightly. He was about to say that Netan was lying but he stopped himself. Netan never lied. He only spoke ever so often, but every word was true.
Acharya stood up. He went to the side of his office and took out another rudraksha.
"You will need this as you brought your previous one. You can go now," Acharya said to Netan.
Netan turned around and was about to leave.
"Wait. Netan, who saved you from this rakshasa?" Acharya asked.
"He looked like a Rishi* from the scripts," Netan answered.
[*Rishi is a master who has meditated for long periods of time]
Acharya nodded at Netan. Netan left the office. After Netan left, Acharya sat at his table, deep in thought. He received so much information and had to process all of it.
After some time he opened the drawer in his desk and took out some paper. He then started to write a letter.
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The celestials are awakening.
-Acharya