"I was just wondering what stage are you at? Seeing you all flying and stuff, you must be quite strong, right?"
"Well, yeah, I'm strong enough to handle my fair share of troubles that come my way. And to answer your question, I've opened till..."
*******************
"... the 4th Chakra, i.e., the Anahata Chakra."
"Really?! Though I don't know how strong that is, but since you are in the later stages of Chakra manipulation, it must be quite a feat."
"Yeah, it is..."
'And they say ignorance is a sin.'
"So when should I start Dad? I want to open my 1st Chakra real fast."
"Woah, Woah! Not so fast, kiddo. It took me 10 years just to open up my Root Chakra. It isn't a simple power-up that you wish for and it happens like Genie has granted your wish. Remember it takes great patience and fortitude to build something."
Boddh had a downcast expression hearing that.
"...But, since the Great Cataclysm is supposed to happen in the next 5 years, we won't have enough time to prepare you for it. So, there is a way, an unorthodox one, to shorten the process."
"Really?! What is it?", Boddh had a deep thirst for growing strong because he still wanted revenge for his mother and to make the 'Outsiders' pay for what they have done.
"It's opening up your 'Kundalini' before opening your Root Chakra."
"What is Kundalini?", Boddh asked while tilting his head a little, he had never heard of the word Kundalini.
"Kundalini shakti(power) is the coiled-up energy that lies dormant at the base of the spinal column. It rises naturally when you first open up your Root Chakra, Muladhara, and goes under three major changes throughout the period you open all your Chakras."
"No one has tried this method before since it is so painful, suffering, and agony-filled that you wish you would have died before then going through this pain."
*gulp*
There was a gulping sound from Boddh's side as he heard his father's words. But with great resolve, he shook his head and said, "I-I'll do it if it makes me stronger."
"I knew you would say so. So shall we start the first part of your training then?"
"....", Boddh sensed a chill seeing the grin on his father's face.
"What? I didn't hear what you said."
"Sure, what should I do? What elixir or meditation should I use?"
"What are you talking about? The first part of your training is... Running. Run 50 laps of this field and come back then."
"... Is that it?"
"Yeah, so? You want to straight-up open up your Kundalini when your body is all bones and has no endurance. Do you believe you can survive the hell that will unfold when you go through that with such a feeble body? So, don't waste your time and go run first."
*sigh* '
Gotta say, this wasn't what I had in my mind when he said all that stuff about supernatural powers and Chakra training. Whatever, let's start, shall we?'
Boddh started running as instructed and was fine until the 10th lap but after that, his running speed slowed down a little bit. Even though he was not muscular or anything, Boddh had great stamina which was a necessity since he had to survive the slums where every day was a struggle. After around 20 laps, instead of running, he started jogging in little steps and when he was at his 40th lap all he could do was just walk the mountain field and nothing else. With his heavy breathing and mind on the verge of giving up, he did not step down as the only thing he could think of was one word 'Strong'.
'Strong... Strong.... Strong..... Strong...'
When he completed his 50th lap, he let out a long breath and sprawled on the ground while taking huge and heavy breaths through his mouth.
*haaa haaa haaah*
"Here, some after-drink to rejuvenate yourself.", Anurak came and offered him a drink in a wooden bowl. When he brought the bowl to his mouth, he could see a green-colored liquid and an appalling came through his nostrils but even though Boddh wanted to put away the drink, he couldn't do so since what he desperately needed right now was to get hydrated. Thus, he gulped down the content of the bowl in one go and had a terrible look on his face. 'ughhhh... for the love of God, what is this horrifically disgusting thing.'
"Something to provide stamina boost."
"What?!"
"I said, it's something to remove your lethargy and get you all up and running for your next exercise like a well-oiled machine."
"Is that so?"
'Did he read my mind?'
"And no, I can't read your mind. It was predictable what you were thinking seeing your expression when you drank it."
"Now for your next training, here are some weights, put them on and do 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, and 100 sit-ups. After each exercise, you will take a 20 minutes break and drink the same drink each time."
"By the way, what's the name of that...", Boddh asked.
Anurak had a smirk on his face as he said, "Hell's Taste."
'It truly lives up to its name.'
After taking the 20-minute break, Boddh got up and started his training.
----------
It was 10 at night when he finished his workout and got back to the house. He was utterly exhausted and slumped on the nearest sofa. Anurak came and handed him the "Hell's Taste".
'ughhhh... I can handle the training better than this.'
*gulp gulp gulp*
"Haaah... what's next?"
"Ohhh! Fired up, ain't we? The next part of the training will be the most difficult and you will do it from tomorrow. But let me tell you what you need to do, it's... 'Meditation'."
"Huh? Just meditation and you say that's the hardest training?"
"I'm not talking about the meditation where you just sit down and let your mind wander around in thoughts that have no relation to what you are doing at that time like thinking 'Oh!! what a disgusting drink Hell's Taste is' but meaningful meditation that will actually bring results. Come let's go outside and I'll show you."
Anurak went outside and Boddh followed him from the back while tripping on his foot.
"Come sit down next to me on the grass, in the same manner, that I am. Yes, like that. Now, first, touch the tip of your index finger with your thumb and rest both your hands on your knees in a straight manner. Be alert, your spine should also be straight. Now, close your eyes and focus on the central part between your eyebrows and forget everything else. Take 20 short breaths in and 40 breaths out in regular intervals, neither too fast nor too slow, relax every part of your body, now spread your senses to the surroundings, and also at the same time don't remove your focus from the centre of your eyebrows part. Now when this part of breathing is done, touch your middle finger's tip with your thumb and keep the other fingers straight. Now, take 40 short breaths in and 20 short breaths out."
"When this is done, do the same you did with your index finger and thumb but now with your ring finger and then your little finger the same as the middle finger. Remember, never lose focus between the eyebrow's center part and also feel the surrounding area like - the wind blowing, little grass swaying, the smell coming from the wet ground. Take in everything and try to be one with the world."
"This technique is called 'Puratana Breathing Technique' and was developed by our ancestor Bodhidharma during his last days to gather and absorb the World Energy more freely. You with me till now, Boddh?"
Anurak looked sideways and saw Boddh in deep meditation, 'He's got great focus and mindset.'
The next moment,
*snoore*
"khhhh..."
There, Boddh was sleeping while sitting in the same position and snoring loudly. Anurak had a slight smile on his face as he saw that.
'He must have been tired since the training he started with was heavy enough to be fainted from even for adults.'
Anurak then got up and instead of hovering Boddh in the air using his power, lifted him in his arms and took him to the bed, and put a blanket over him as Boddh slept peacefully. Then one last time, before leaving the room, he said,
"Good night, my son, have sweet dreams." and then Anurak also went to sleep.
----------
That night, Anurak had a dream. A dream where he and Yona were playing with Boddh when he was 2 years old. Boddh had used a marker to draw on his face and he laughed heartily while looking at his father's face. Anurak also made funny faces to keep the smile on Boddh's face and Yona was making a video of both of them playing with each other. It was after such a long time that he had a good night's sleep away from all the war and bloodshed he had to indulge in.
----------
Early morning the next day at 4 AM. When Anurak went to see the scenery outside after waking up, he could see Boddh in a deep state of meditation, sitting at the edge of the waterfall. 'Good.'
---------
Half a year had gone by since Boddh started his training and now his body had gone an unbelievable transformation. When he got out after the bath from the pool of the waterfall, one could see a well-balanced chiselled body. He had well-formed muscles, with eight packs clearly visible, and his height had also increased a little body. He was already 5'8" before but now he stood 6 feet tall. As he wore his clothes and went to sit at the dining table in the open field outside his house, his father asked, "How does this 'Croque Madame' taste?"
Croque Madame is a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top.
"Quite good actually, you going to teach me how to cook it, later on, right?"
Boddh had gotten a new hobby of cooking recently, seeing his father cooking new dishes each day that tasted equally good every time. Sometimes, he would cook him traditional Indian food, sometimes French, sometimes Italian. It was like he was a professional cook who made his living through it and had every recipe noted down in his mind.
"Why did you learn it, Dad?"
*smirk*
"To impress your mother. It's as simple as that. No woman can resist the charm of a man who knows his kitchen well."
"That aside, now that you have got a healthy body and a more focused mind, your next part of training would be 'Pressure Point Mastery' and a martial art called 'Kalaripayattu'."