Raghuveer picks up the sword from the ground, places it in the sheath, and begins to walk away. But while leaving, he looks at Manas. Manas was surrounded by people from all sides. Everyone's face was filled with joy. Manas too was very happy. His anger had calmed.
Raghuveer, you're with me, aren't you? Yes Raghuveer, I'm with you. Then if you're with me, I don't need anyone else, Raghuveer tells himself.
Raghuveer now starts walking out of the arena. Pratiksha was watching him. All the ministers were clapping too. Raghuveer comes out of the stadium. Bharat, who was on guard duty, had fallen asleep. Next to Bharat stood Madhav's father. He too was guarding with Bharat.
"Thank you…" said Madhav's father.
Raghuveer stops. But says nothing.
"Because of you, my son is working harder," Madhav's father continues.
Raghuveer starts walking again. The stadium was now behind him. The sound of clapping, the voices of curses — all of it had been left behind. Around Raghuveer were tall trees. It was a forest. After walking a little further, Raghuveer stops. In front of him were two paths. The right path led to Bhaghyavati. The left path went through the forest. Raghuveer turns left and enters the forest.
There was silence everywhere. No sound of birds, no rustling of leaves — only his breath and the crunching sound beneath his feet. He went deeper into the forest. Night had fallen. The sky was dark, but filled with stars. Some stars were twinkling. The cold wind touched Raghuveer's skin. Raghuveer kept walking forward. Moonlight was falling through the trees. Raghuveer hears the sound of water.
River… Raghuveer tells himself.
Raghuveer walks in the direction of the sound. After walking a short distance, he sees the river. Raghuveer goes near the water. He kneels down. He sees his own reflection in the water.
"Raghuveer, are you a demon?" he asks the reflection.
Only silence. The sound of flowing water could be heard. His reflection too was flowing in that water. He dips his hand into the water. The water was cold.
I've killed so many people. I don't even know how many, Raghuveer tells himself.
He splashes water on his face.
"You know, Raghuveer, I even killed my own teacher," Raghuveer tells the reflection.
He stands up. Takes the sword from his back. Steps into the water and catches a fish. One fish gets stuck on the sword. He removes the fish from the sword. Places the sword back into the sheath on his back and goes to sit near a bent tree by the riverbank.
He gathers fallen sticks around him and rubs stones against them. The friction of the stones causes the sticks to catch fire. Raghuveer traps the fish on one of the sticks and cooks it over the fire. After cooking, he eats it. After eating, he removes the sword from his back, places it near the tree, and sits leaning against the tree. The sound of flowing water was audible to him.
"Raghuveer, do you think I'm bad?" Raghuveer asks himself.
No, absolutely not. You… you're a hero for me, Raghuveer tells himself.
"Then why do I kill people?" Raghuveer asks.
Because they are bad. No one in this world is truly good. When a soldier from one kingdom kills a soldier from another kingdom, the loved ones of the dead soldier call the killer a demon. They see him as the enemy. Even if that soldier is a hero for his own kingdom, for the other kingdom he's a villain, Raghuveer tells himself.
Raghuveer looks at the moon.
Tell me, Raghuveer, why didn't you destroy that Mukt Kingdom? Raghuveer asks himself.
"Let it be… I don't want to destroy another kingdom," Raghuveer says.
But people were talking too much. How could they call me a demon? I won't sit quietly without killing them.
"I'll kill them when the time comes," he says.
Raghuveer looks at the fire. He mostly talks to himself. Loneliness had started eating him from within. So he had to make himself his own friend. The darkness of the night, the glow of the fire. Raghuveer doesn't sleep. He keeps looking at the fire.