We sat outside the cave for some time, letting our bodies rest. A little while later, I noticed a man stepping out of the cave. By evening, Shivam and I were still there, our strength fading. Tired, we climbed a tree and soon drifted into sleep.
But the night did not allow us peace. A sudden noise startled us awake. We rubbed our eyes and looked toward the cave. What we saw left us speechless.
The stone figures inside—the ones cursed into statues—were now turning into living humans again. The medicine had worked. It was as if true magic had awakened in that place.
Slowly, more and more people began to emerge from the cave. Ten thousand men and women stepped into the open, as if an army had just been unleashed. Free at last, they gathered in groups, talking with relief and joy. Some of them came from the nearby forest village, their faces shining with gratitude.
Shivam and I decided that we, too, would go meet Rishabha. But exhaustion weighed heavily on us.
"Brother," Shivam said, "let's go to the lake first. We'll bathe, drink some water, and rest a while."
I nodded. "Alright, let's go."
We climbed down from the tree and headed toward the lake, speaking as we walked slowly.
"It was fun, wasn't it?" I said with a smile. "But I got hurt too. You're saying it was enjoyable because you didn't feel the pain."
"Then tonight, let's stop at the lake," Shivam replied. "You need the rest."
Soon, we reached the still waters of the lake.
"You sit here," I told him. "I'll go fetch firewood. We'll need it tonight. Remember how badly the mosquitoes bit us last time when we slept on the tree? Tonight, we'll burn wood. The smoke will drive them away."
Shivam chuckled. "Yes, I remember. They were fierce. If it had been an ordinary man, he would not have survived such bites. These mosquitoes are deadly."
Leaving him by the lake, I wandered into the forest. Humming to myself, I reached the same mango tree we had once stolen fruit from. I plucked several ripe mangoes and gathered some branches, tying them together before heading back.
When I returned, Shivam was fast asleep beside the water. Smiling, I set the mangoes and firewood down. Then I shook him.
"Wake up, lazy one. Look—I brought mangoes. Sweet and juicy. Eat before you sleep again."
When he still didn't stir, I splashed water onto his face. Shivam jumped up in shock.
"You idiot! What if I had drowned?!"
"Stop overreacting," I scolded. "Go bathe in the lake. Your fatigue will fade away."
Grumbling, Shivam stretched and reluctantly walked toward the lake. Just as he bent down, I shoved him from behind.
"Damn you!" he shouted as he fell into the water. "What if I had sunk?"
I laughed. "Don't act like a child. Bathe properly, then come eat. After that, we'll light a fire so no wild animals or poisonous insects come near."
Shivam swam for a while and then sighed with relief. "You were right. The water feels good. My body feels lighter."
We both bathed, then sat by the fire I lit by striking stones together. The flames crackled, keeping the insects away. Shivam mocked me, "Careful, or you'll spend your whole life rubbing stones together." I laughed it off.
After eating mangoes, we splashed and played in the lake again. We even competed in jumps.
"Watch this!" Shivam boasted, running and leaping. But his foot slipped, and he landed flat on his back. I burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! What a magnificent jump, brother!"
"Shut up," he growled, wincing. "It hurt."
Despite his pain, we laughed until tears came. For a moment, in that wild jungle, we felt like children again.
That night, we slept beside the fire. At dawn, I rose, stretched, and spent thirty minutes in meditation. Then we prepared to leave. Before moving on, I carefully collected more of the precious medicine—the same one that had freed the statues.
Through the jungle, we soon reached the village we had once seen lifeless and abandoned. Now it was alive—people laughing, children playing, families together. It was hard to believe it was the same place. Smiling, we continued our journey.
On the road, we encountered the dragon we had once defeated. He bowed deeply.
"Master, you're still here? I thought you had left. I have been waiting for your call."
"There's no need to wait," I told him kindly. "You can come to us anytime."
"Then I shall come with you," the dragon replied with devotion.
By noon, Shivam and I grew playful again.
"Let's see who reaches Rishabha first," I challenged.
"A race? Fine!" Shivam grinned.
"One… two… three—Go!"
I used my mind-speed, vanishing ahead instantly. Shivam pushed himself with every ounce of power, running as fast as he could. But my thought carried me faster.
In a heartbeat, I was there. Shivam arrived nearly an hour later, panting but smiling.
When I reached Rishabha's place, he was not there. I called out, and after a while, he came. Nearby, I noticed the princess statues he had once brought. Grass and leaves had been placed over them, as though he had tried to hide them.
I stepped closer, brushed the grass away, and cleaned the statues carefully. Then I turned to Shivam.
"Give me the medicine."
He handed it over, and I poured the potion onto both statues. For a while, nothing happened. But as night fell, and the half-moon rose into the sky, the statues began to glow faintly, as though someone had lit a lantern within them.
After some time I saw that the statues started turning into humans with the moonlight, I could not believe my eyes that I was seeing a statue turning into a human being.
I did not even see all these ten thousand dicks turning into humans in the forest, but here we definitely get to see them in the moonlight. I am a small child and someone has brought me here to show me magic.