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"Vidisha." I heard my name being called from the doorway of the control room I was currently in.
Somi stood there with a serious face, something she had learned slowly, over the last few months after losing most of her emotions because of both the Head-Rishika and Kali's actions.
I glanced at the mastermind of the Dushananta army, Kakshith, asking for permission to leave.
"Yes. It is time for you to leave this Vimana and head west." Kakshith mumbled like he usually does, disinterested in most worldly matters. He seems to perk up quite a bit while conversing with Higher Beings though.
I remember the day I first came face to face with him. He was even younger than Somi, apparently around her brother's age, but with a disposition that often sent my skin crawling.
His eyes were not of a human's, being big and black like that of a crow's.
He had heavy bags under his eyes, proof of his lack of sleep, which makes sense considering what he uses his special eyes for.
He declared possession of a section of the Vimana's control room and surrounded himself with makeshift walls that had hundreds of white papers with drawings stuck to them. He would often replace or rearrange the order of those pages as if they were a huge puzzle that showed him what was yet to come.
His drawings had stolen all of my attention. They were beautiful, detailed, and horrifying. His individual pencil marks would express so much of the emotions he was feeling at that time, that it would rub off you, forcing you to feel the same. And all of them had a number ranging between zero and one at the bottom right.
"Probabilities." He explained, "How likely it is for this particular event to happen in our Brahmand. It has been calculated from a sample of infinite Brahmands thriving inside the Preserver's body that I could manage to traverse."
Traversing the different Brahmands unrelated to us was definitely a cool subject but It didn't interest me that much. I was more interested in the drawings themselves. Rarely had something in all my life been able to capture my heart like this.
"How did you learn to draw like this?" I asked and saw his eyebrows perk upwards, surprised that someone showed actual interest in the artistic part of this important process.
"I have done this for thousands of times already. If you go back and look at my very first drawings, you'll be repelled." He was a bit flustered at my sudden compliments. Why did I feel like I needed to tease him a bit?
"Then it's also possible for me to learn all this?" I asked, getting closer to him.
He flinched, taking half a step back.
"Yeah... If you're willing to put in the time. I've heard Kali's been training you quite hard. I won't mind if you come and practice for only an hour every day."
"Hmm...? You've been asking around about me?" I continued with a smile on my face.
"I'm supposed to do that, being the brains of our plans, you know." He defended, but his ears had already become red by then. "You two are pivotal in learning about the secrets of Dwarka's royal family. With whom they are colluding and how they are going forward with their plans. I'll have to be ready to prepare countermeasures accordingly."
"Got it, got it. Don't get embarrassed over the littlest of things." I said, "I'll be coming over every day after dinner. Make sure to keep your schedule free at that time."
His frustrated look had amused me quite a bit back then.
Coming back to the present, I walked with Somi to the Vimana's fourth floor. There's an experimental laboratory dedicated to biological experiments here. After witnessing Kalpa's Spawn, the Dushananta army spread out in search of these mutated beings, bringing back samples whenever they came across one.
I'm sure everyone is nervous since none of us knew how far they had spread out into the Lokas. Even Satya, which is known to not usually contain monsters, now has them scuttling around doing Kalpa knows what.
Two young women, about six to seven years older than us, were standing in the middle of the lab when we arrived. They only resembled humans, but their facial expressions were those of a dead body.
"Kali!! Did you turn them into vegetables?" I apprehended him. "You promised not to involve innocent people in your schemes."
"Chill, Vidisha. These are Kusa Clones... Mannequin of sorts. The owners of their actual bodies are already in league with us, after a bit of threatening. We have to make sure they and their families can safely retreat to a different kingdom." Kali's skin around his empty eye socket trembled quite a bit while he explained the situation, clearly irritated at my direct accusation.
"So? What will these clones be used for?" Somi asked, inspecting the sarees those mannequins were wearing. "If we are to infiltrate as them, we'll need to change our faces and mannerisms."
"Indeed. Wait, I think I'll also need Kakshith's help in this process." Kali went away for a few minutes.
"You're sure about what you said?" I asked Somi, panicking a bit inside, "It isn't a mask, but a face-change?"
"Yes. He's been practicing plastic surgery from Sushrut Samhita. We are going to lose our original faces after the procedure." She said as if it was happening to someone else and not her.
"And you have no problem with that? How will your brother recognize you if your face itself changes?" I tried to make her rethink about what was going to happen to us.
"He'll recognize me if I tell him some bits of information that only I'm supposed to know." Her blank expression was starting to piss me off a bit.
"They don't even look that beautiful. I'm gonna take the slightly better-looking one." I finally came to accept my reality. "Where is magic when you're in actual need of it?"
"If it was this easy to enter the royal palace with magic, kings would have been killed every fortnight. They also have identification measures in place unless that's how you actually look." Kakshith said while standing beside Kali.
They have arrived a little too soon. I wasn't done complaining yet.
"Kakshith will draw your current faces to keep a record of your actual faces. After the mission, I'll try my best to restore them." Kali said unapologetically.
"Can't we store two Kusa Clones with our original faces right now?" I asked, clearly finding a loophole in Kali's proposal.
Kakshith and Kali shared glances, using their eyebrows to shift blame among themselves.
I could only smile at their childish nature, getting an idea of what was transpiring here.
This Kakshith guy, he's becoming more cheeky by the day.
"Okay, little guy. Do as you wish." I complied with their request without probing further into the Kusa Clone matter.
"Just to clarify, these Clones are a bit special. They have been made using one of their actual chakras." Kali started giving excuses. Well, I would like to think so.
"So," he continued, "We can replicate their energy signatures in your vessels to make sure you are not differentiable under any circumstances."
"They certainly had to pay quite the price for this whole thing." Somi stated.
"And they've been adequately compensated." Kakshith ended the discussion. "Let me complete my task here for now. One of you, please come and stand before me."
Somi and I took turns to have our faces drawn and then operated. After a tribulation that continued for more than half a dozen hours, we were healed from all the scars that lined across our new faces.
"I hope you remember what you're supposed to do there." Kali asked, working on a twin-centered Chitram that is supposed to exchange our locations with the tagged targets.
"Vidisha and Somi," Kakshith warned, handing us two green-colored orbs "This is the energy extracted from their dormant heart chakras, containing their feelings and memories. Assimilate them and understand why they act like they do. It's a shortcut to adapting their behaviors."
I absorbed the energy from my right hand and got an instant flashback like the ones you're supposed to have before bidding farewell to your life. It was so bizarre and surreal that for a second, I wondered who I actually was.
I wobbled on my feet for a second and found Kakshith supporting me with a hand on my shoulder.
Somi on the other hand was standing still, showing her signature blank face.
"Thanks." I mumbled, straightening myself up and breaking contact with him.
"Use whatever you've learned from my training. Get to the bottom of their plans, by any means possible. Manipulating, hypnotizing, possessing... Use all of the skills at your disposal. And at the end, you know what to do." Kali ordered.
"I wonder how many people are living the same or even worse lives than the ones we are impersonating." Somi's voice was dripping with poison, "I'm going to kill the sixth prince if he tries the same with me."
"Even in my previous life, these corrupt royal Kshatriyas had to be eliminated by the orders of our Guru Parashurama. We'll just be hastening the process this time. Think of yourselves as the apostles of justice, since they were going to go to Naraka sooner or later." Kakshith's voice was surprisingly gentle.
These two guys are adept at twisting words to make it look like their actions are justifiable. In hindsight, Isn't everyone like that though, when they have things that need to be done by others?
"The Chitram is ready. Somi and Vidisha, please stay safe." Kali seemed genuinely caring for a moment.
"Vidisha." Kakshith suddenly caught my arm, pulling me away from the other duo.
"What now? Are you going to put up a death flag or something?" I joked.
"No. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry to force you into these dangerous things. This Brahmand is a bit special because of interference from the Interlopers like me, Kali, and my friends. I've seen your lives in other Brahmands too... And in none of them did you end up like this." He stopped for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. "Stay alive... You're indispensable for this world's future."
His words took me by surprise.
"I'll be fine. Kali himself has praised me a lot of times during training. It's just that I never got a chance to spread my wings. I thank every coincidence that happened to bring me here, at this point in my life. I'm glad to be a part of this." I patted his head, making him pout.
I stayed where I was, waiting for Somi and Kali's conversation to end.
"Take this." Kakshith suddenly handed me a feather, "Keep up with your drawing every day. I'll give you a test after you return."
"Okay." I felt a warm feeling inside. "Happy dimension hopping."
He laughed, "Happy infiltrating."
We wore the same dresses as the Kusa Clones and stood at the two centers of the Chitram.
"I'm deploying Maya around you to make you seem older. Make sure not to cross paths with the Munis or Munikas that often stay near the King." Kali started chanting in his Asuran tongue.
After it was done, Kali nodded once, and an intense rushing sound like the crashing waves of an ocean assaulted my eardrums. My body started floating as the ground beneath me disappeared and at the very end, my vision went dark.
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"Vidisha, we are in deep trouble." I heard Somi's monotonous voice trembling.
As soon as my vision and other senses returned, a horrifying scene awaited me.
"Well, shit. She already did what you were thinking about." I inspected the gruesome murder scene in front of me.
A half-naked man with a fairly muscular body lay dead on his chest over the lush carpet of a royal room. Red blood was gushing out from his neck which had a needle-like hairpin sticking out.
"They retaliated knowing they would be safe by the time our news reached Kali." Somi stood like a stone, her eyes burning in anger. Her dress was drenched in blood, indicating that she had been teleported a little too close to the dead guy.
"If only we could communicate instantly through the vessels we share with Kali like the Rakshaks use KalpaYaal." I started using water-based Kundalini to clear away the fresh blood stains without wasting time.
"You know we can't...The Shukracharya of our world will be able to eavesdrop on it all. Our vessels might come from a different dimension, but the original signature belongs to him only." Somi also got down to business, summoning a transparent Bhoota to tame and take over the dead body. So we were going forward with the possession route for clearing this mission.
A series of knocks on the door stopped us in our tracks for a millisecond.
"Make some sounds!! They'll think the prince is busy!" Somi ordered, pulling out the hairpin and imbuing it with an enchantment.
"What else are you going to make me do!!" I whispered, complaining in frustration.
Her monotonous voice acting would not make a strong case at all.
But there was another problem.
"I don't even know what one sounds like while doing that!!" I whispered back in urgency.
We both stared at each other, with the knocks getting stronger in the background.
"Decent argument indeed." Somi agreed.
She again stabbed the enchanted hairpin in the lifeless body's chest and fed it a high-quality medicinal potion. The symbols on the hairpin started pulsing, making it glow with a deep blue color.
"Kalinda! Open up the door." I heard the voice of an older woman, "Your father, the Maharaja, wishes to meet you!"
I exchanged glances with Somi and ran up to the door, holding it open only by a bit and peeking out.
The once-dead body got up on its arms and knees, wobbling as it finally stood straight up.
"Where is he?" An older woman, presumably the fourth consort from my memories stood on the other side of the door.
"I'm sorry, he isn't in a condition to be seen by his mother." I pretended to adjust my robes absent-mindedly and said the truth technically.
"An absolute swine. Why did I even bother asking? Tell him to meet the king in ten minutes. We've got news for him." She walked away accompanied by two of her attendees, one male and a female.
She suddenly stopped. "Aren't you the servant of Princess Lavanya? What are you doing here?"
"I... I was summoned here. How can I reject the order of a person with a status as high as the Prince?" I acted like a nervous wreck.
"Tsk. Stick to your duties as a servant of the Princess. Or did you think the prince would treat you with nice things if you sold yourself out to him?" The condescending way she treated me ignited the killing instinct inside me for a second.
Her two light-armored attendees brought out Kundalini weapons from their scabbards, pointing them at me.
"Don't act like these bottom feeders. Control yourself." One order from their master calmed them down, but they still continued glaring daggers at me.
I closed the door without giving another glance, trying to control my emotions.
Getting insulted for no reason really does mess you up in the head.
"Good job, Vidisha!!" A deep voice came from the dead body, while Somi gave a thumbs up. "Let me practice for a while before sending this guy off. Make sure not to leave a single evidence of what might've happened here."
"They already saw me, you pervert girl!" I protested, "Why was 'that' the first thing to come to your mind when the question of diversion came up??"
"Why do you think he brought the two girls here?" She got genuinely angry, "He's been already taking advantage of the girl I exchanged places with for a while by putting her family on the line."
"What a bastard..." I sighed, "These two girls joined hands together to take revenge before leaving this place, despite knowing that it could jeopardize our positions. What idiots." I mumbled.
"What do you expect from people who got so easily manipulated by our side? They've been looking for a way out for a long time." It seemed the girl Somi took memories from was planning things for a while.
"Okay. I have strengthened the connection." She pulled out the hairpin from his chest in a swift tug, "Let's go back and control this body remotely. Hopefully, the Muni or Munikas won't be there for a private family conversation to blow its cover."
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"Even the servant's quarters look luxurious." I marveled after we arrived at our chambers following memories we received from the girls.
"Let me concentrate. This guy gets zero respect from the whole castle. Every turn he's being stopped and being questioned. What a drag..." Somi kept complaining, which was a rare event in itself.
She had changed into a new set of robes, stealthily returning to the room and burning away her blood-stained clothes in an isolated barrier to get rid of evidence.
"We're in the audience room. Let's see what the whole family looks like."
While meditating on her bed, she stayed silent for a long while after that. The expressions on her face stayed unchanged throughout the ordeal, giving me not a single idea about her condition on the other side.
She finally opened her eyes after forty minutes, breathing out a sigh of relief and exhaustion.
"He's being sent out to the south with invitations to Princess Lavanya's Swayamvara. That's the gist of it all. Don't ask me to recount what happened there. Their behavior actually made me feel pity for the bastard." She said and walked out to the balcony.
Marble buildings and granitic forts that were no less than architectural marvels jutted out of the shallow sea like hilly islands.
Trapezoidal and pyramid-like structures, waving red and blue flags at their pointed tops defined the seascape, creating a beautiful piece of art. Kakshith would have loved to draw such a scene. Aesthetic and beautifully carved boats with colorful sails dotted the vast expanse of the scenery before me, lazily making trips between the spread-out islands.
The sea wind brought in the saline taste of the ocean, and the harmonious cries of seagulls flying around in groups calmed my mind. Each island looked like they served a particular purpose, and most of them were bustling with people.
"So that's Krishna-Koti. Impressive." Hearing Somi say it, I followed her eyes and gasped.
I had been looking down at the city, islands, and the humans milling about below, but further at the horizon stood a marvelous sight that I had somehow ignored.
An enormous seventy-foot tsunami wave seemed to be standing still, frozen in time because of an ancient spell. This city will be going down in a second if that barrier ever broke.
Anticipating my thoughts Somi mumbled, "What you're thinking about actually happened in Alik. The massive wave had obliterated the city successfully. We don't have a copy of the ancient city of Dwaraka there." Somi's voice had a hint of sorrow. "I'd always wanted to see this since childhood. Who knew I would finally be able to witness it like this?"
I patted her shoulder thrice in quick succession making sure not to stay in contact for more than a few seconds overall.
"I'm here right beside you. I don't know how you had imagined visiting this place but think of it like taking a vacation with a close friend." I consoled her.
"A trip with friends..." Somi sighed and kept gazing at the sea wall, "It's time to go to the Princess. Get ready."
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Princess Lavanya's room was like a mansion itself. Silk curtains, lavish furnitures, gemstone showpieces, a massive dressing table, a king's bed, and even a bathtub adorned her penthouse, overlooking the ocean.
Her dressing table was a treasure trove of rare items, sent as gifts from the princes of multiple kingdoms. They all lay there untouched since she used only the accessories and makeup given to her by the King, her father.
Her shoulders kept trembling as soon as we entered the room. Judging from our memories, she often showed her true vulnerable self to these two servants. Something must have happened today.
"Is this about the Swayamvara?" Somi walked up to the princess' side making her flinch a bit.
Lavanya was sitting at the dressing table, her eyes constantly shifting between us and the balcony. Something's terribly wrong.
"We are not here to hurt you, princess. You can relax." Somi let it slip out. Guess our cover was blown the moment we had entered. How often are things going to go wrong?
"What happened to my two attendants?" She asked. "Are they safe or..."
"They were not safe here before. That's why we had to replace them." Somi said instead, clearly starting to heat the oil to cook something up.
"What do you mean?" Lavanya's voice grew bolder, "I never treated them as outsiders or servants. I considered them my friends."
"Yet you never bothered checking whether they were being bothered by the people around you." Somi increased the amplification of her voice, but her voice stayed as monotone as ever.
"The sixth prince had been taking advantage of both your so-called friends. You always treated them as a medium to vent your pent-up frustration but you never checked up on them. You have been acting like the same hypocrite you've been trying so hard not to be." I added, understanding Somi's intentions. Guilt-tripping has always been an effective method.
"They had no choice other than seeking external help." Somi continued.
"They begged us to free them from this prison, knowing their master had no real power that could save them from their misery." I followed through.
Reminding Lavanya of her powerlessness, made her tear up.
"I'm sorry..." She sobbed silently. "The sixth prince you said? What about their families? How could they leave me alone... Like this."
"Your words itself show how you've taken them for granted. Guess you do deserve what's going to happen to you soon." Somi said, referring to something I didn't know of.
Lavanya went quiet after hearing that.
"Even after everything they went through... Do you know what they told me before leaving?" Somi kept attacking the huge hole that had already appeared in Lavanya's psyche. "To keep you safe. We'll take care of their families and give them a better life, something you could never do. We'll also keep you safe to keep our promise to them. But we also hold them hostage in a way. If you really consider them your friends, I hope you understand what I am asking of you. One message through the KalpaYaal will instantly decide their fates..." Somi lied through her teeth.
"Makes sense. Only people from the Ashrama have the balls to execute something like this. When did you guys decide to play active roles in the politics of Satya?" Lavanya's voice became flat, acknowledging her current standing.
She started brushing her hair, trying to alleviate her nervousness.
"Allow me to." Somi snatched away the gem-studded hair brush and started running it through Lavanya's lush almond-colored hair.
Her every feature screamed of superior genetics. I stepped forward to her side to get a better look at her face.
"You guys must be sending your own representatives from the Ashrama. But father has already decided on whom I'll have to choose during the Swayamvara." Lavanya applied moisturizer on her face and arms while Somi kept brushing her hair.
I only stood there like an idiot, examining her graceful movements and feeling envious of her looks.
"An irony isn't it? From outside it'll look like I have the power to choose my own husband, but in reality, it's all rigged from the beginning." Lavanya mumbled. "Father wants an alliance with Kishkindha, the kingdom we share our eastern borders with."
Wow. She gave us information before we needed to ask. Not just a princess for show. She seems quite perceptible about the affairs and foreign relations of her country.
"What is your actual goal of coming here?" Lavanya asked, meeting my eyes.
"Getting more information like the one you gave out just now." Somi gave a curt reply.
"Tell me who else was bothering my friends first." Lavanya said instead, "I believe it will be beneficial for both of us to exchange information instead."
"We have taken care of them already." I said from the side, "It is up to our own discretion whether to share a particular information with you or not. But I don't think you have the same leverage over us."
Lavanya kept quiet without moving.
"That is true. But without getting a clear understanding of your goals, I won't be able to extract information from the concerned people effectively." She finally said after a while.
"We'll let you know what to ask and to whom. Don't think about it too much." Somi clarified.
"Most things will be manageable, but please, don't make me do something that'll endanger the citizens of Dwaraka..." The princess almost pleaded.
"We have changed our ways in recent times. If you don't do your job properly, we might have to resort to that." Somi snapped back mercilessly.
"You're asking me too much in return for the lives of two families." Lavanya pressed Somi logically.
"We can do a lot more but we don't want to bring attention to ourselves yet. If you don't want half of your family to turn into undead puppets dancing to our whims, you better think before talking." Somi retaliated.
"You can do that?" Lavanya's voice suddenly changed to being expectant. "Can you go head to head against the attendees of other princes and princesses of my family and still win?"
Somi exchanged glances with me, indicating that it was a rather interesting development.
"We can." I affirmed.
"Since you already have me, the princess of a kingdom in your grasp, why not have a Queen instead?"
"It seems you have been hiding your fangs, waiting for an opportunity." I smirked.
"I think fate brought us together for some reason. If we are going to use each other anyway, why not shake things up while we are at it? If you're truly as skillful as you are pretending to be, then we can slowly gather power without having the fight spill into the common citizens." Lavanya's voice was a mix of emotions.
What is she thinking? Is she pretending to be allied with us and later take advantage of it?
"Why now? You could've appointed your own powerful attendees long ago." Somi asked, trying to get a better understanding of Lavanya's thinking.
"As you already know, I'm the daughter of the second queen. Every step of my life, the first queen has been setting up obstacles in my path. This Swayamvara is also her conspiracy, forcing me and my father to make me choose the Second prince of Kishkindha as a husband. He has already taken five wives, and me being the sixth will destroy any hopes for gaining power in my life."
"Why is your father not protecting you?" I asked, not feeling envious of her anymore.
"Father is a lost case by now. Everyone in the family knows that. The first queen holds all the power in this Kingdom... I've already lost all my love for them a long time ago. I was thinking of changing things up a bit during the Swayamvara and escaping with someone who can protect me from this kingdom, but Lord Vishnu has answered my prayers in a different way. I'm not sure if Mother can be cured or not, but with you guys, I can probably gain substantial power in this Kingdom."
"What do you think, Somi?" I asked, using our real names.
"Our goals align quite a bit. Instead of destroying the kingdom at the end, we'll have one of the seven kingdoms as an ally." Somi said.
"So you guys were indeed planning to kill all of us."
"You just saved your kingdom. Rejoice." Did Somi exhibit a bit of sarcasm?
We shook hands with each other.
The amount of lies in the whole conversation that escaped Somi's lips was unprecedented. If we wanted to destroy the kingdom, there was no use sending us undercover like this.
Kali could arrive and easily raze this whole kingdom to the ground.
I'm not even sure whether we can take on the attendees of the other royal bloods. But we need to know how far Kalpa's influence stretches into the Kingdoms and what her plans are. If that is even the case. The Manavas might also be secretly teaming up for a different agenda exclusive to Kalpa's plan. Lots of variables need to be unraveled as soon as possible.
Our alliance with Lavanya will be like Kali's alliance with Dushananta. Kakshith and Kali want to take out Kalpa, and the Dushananta army wants to overthrow the current royals who might be working for Kalpa. Win-win for both.
"Let's start with postponing the Swayamvara by a bit, shall we?" I suggested, getting nods of approval from the other two.
With a swift motion of my hands cloaked with Kundalini, I cut off a huge chunk of hair from the Princess' head, exposing her bare scalp.
Somi looked mildly surprised, and Lavanya wanted to faint.
"It'll take at least six months to regrow this to an acceptable length. No King will present their daughter in a half-bald state." I tried my best to keep myself from laughing out loud.
"You're going to be beheaded you know?" Somi sighed in exasperation, covering her face with her hands.
"It's her responsibility to find an appropriate excuse. Good luck, Princess~" I smirked but secretly dreaded being actually beheaded for my transgression.
"Well, who should we take control of next?" Somi asked Lavanya changing the topic, sending the despairing princess into deep thought.
"Let's take out the ones who have already been crippled by the first queen like me." Lavanya suggested, touching her bald spot with tears filming her eyes.
"You certainly changed colors faster than anticipated. Who knew you were cultivating so much poison inside?" I noted, surprised at her rapidly shifting demeanor.
"What can I do? Becoming evil these days is easier and more rewarding these days. Very rarely have I seen true villains getting the punishment they deserve. Maybe the Gods themselves want me to act as their instrument of justice." Lavanya grumbled, her eyes shining with a crazy psychopathic light.
Those were the eyes of someone who's been deprived of opportunities all their life, of someone who's finally experienced power beyond their means, a power they've dreamed all their life to acquire.
Somi had successfully converted a vulnerable and naive girl into a corrupted being.
This was just the beginning. Soon, all seven major kingdoms are going to fall into the hands of the Dushananta Army, giving Kali the necessary instruments to enact his duty bestowed by the Preserver and to carry out his revenge—To take over the role of the Avatar of Adharma, by vanquishing Kalpa Vrikshya and foiling her plans.