A mysterious man stood at a distance on a tall tower.
The tower was tall and looked ancient, with intricate engravings.
Watching the events unfolding in front of his eyes.
His face was tight with tension, as if he were struggling to form a decision.
A kid walking, he was no more than ten years old.
When he glanced up, he saw someone standing at the top of the tower.
He froze in shock as there were no stairs, no ladders, nothing that could take a person that high.
He tugged his father's sleeve, who was beside him, to show him the figure at the top of the tower, But when they both looked up again, the man was gone.
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Arjun was sitting inside the cart with more than four yodhas on each side.
This cart looked different from others,
Its wooden panels carried the symbol of a Shankh, carved deeply and polished.
It was moving at a high speed, even through the residential area.
Many people saw it pass, but no one complained or showed any dissatisfaction.
It was as if the Shankh symbol alone gave the cart full permission to do whatever it wanted.
The yodhas were fully armed—some holding talwars, others spears and bows.
Their armour shone under the light, each plate marked with the symbol of Shankh.
Arjun's expression showed he still couldn't fully understand what was going on.
When he had stepped out of the palace gate, a whole line of yodhas had been waiting for him.
Fighting them made no sense because they were on their land, and even if he defeated one group, another would come.
So he went along with whatever they told him.
They locked handcuffs on him and told him to get on the cart.
Subha stood there with worry written all over her face, unable to say a single word.
Arjun forced a small smile and said,
"I will be fine."
But deep down, he knew things were not going to be fine.
Inside the cart, the air felt heavy.
No one spoke.
No one even moved a single muscle.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Arjun as if they were waiting for him to escape or take an impulsive decision.
The man who had fought with him earlier sat there too, silent, sinking into his thoughts..
Arjun slowly connected the pieces.
The man had seen the Sudarshan Chakra marking on his forehead and immediately asked if he was a Varis.
When Arjun denied it, the man accused him of stealing the mantra.
As if only a Varis was allowed to practice that mantra.
"It is just questioning… right?" Arjun finally asked, hoping for at least one friendly face.
Nobody replied.
After a long moment, the yodha sitting opposite him said sharply,
"Don't speak unless you are asked to."
Arjun was stunned by his response; he just blankly stared at the person who had replied.
Now the weight of the situation truly sank in.
This wasn't some normal misunderstanding.
Things were much more serious than he had imagined.
He looked outside the cart—beautiful houses, carved pillars, clean stone pathways.
Even in this tense moment, Dwarka felt unreal to him.
The cart attracted everyone's eyes on the roads, as if these carts were rarely seen on the roads.
For a second, he thought of escaping.
He tried to gather his Shakti, but the moment he tried, his body felt heavy and empty.
Nothing responded.
The handcuff..
He felt it clearly now.
Handcuff infused with karma,
He thought he sighed.
They were stopping his Shakti completely.
The cart kept moving.
Minutes felt like hours.
No one spoke, no one even blinked.
The silence itself felt like a punishment.
After nearly an hour, the cart finally slowed down.
The wheels stopped. They got off.
Arjun raised his head and saw a massive palace shining like gold.
He barely got a second to analyse it before a cloth was wrapped over his eyes.
His shakti was already sealed.
Blindfolded, he couldn't sense anything—no direction, no sensing, nothing.
At least show me where you're taking me, he complained in his mind.
After a few minutes of walking, the blindfold came off.
Three men sat in front of him.
All bald. All around fifty.
The room was plain—nothing special, almost too normal.
A few yodha stood behind Arjun.
They forced him to his knees.
He resisted.
"This is just questioning, right?" he said in a harsh tone.
Silence.
One of the elders spoke,
"You are charged with unlawful possession of the Ashtapada mantra."
He continued,
"This is the bench of three Rishi. If you are found guilty, you may appeal to the five-Rishi bench."
He was inside a sabha.
It can be considered one of the highest authorities in a town.
Arjun replied immediately,
"I arrived today only. How can I steal anything?
And I have evidence, Som the cart driver was with me the entire time."
The three of them nodded slightly.
Then one of them asked,
"Then explain why you possess the Sudarshan Chakra mantra."
Arjun froze for a moment, then said,"
It is not a mantra."
The old man said in frustration,
"Then what is it, if not mantra?"
Should I tell them I own the Astra itself?
His thoughts scattered—
One of the old men signalled and
Suddenly, a soft musical sound filled the room.
Not loud. Pleasant.
A girl walked in, playing a shankha elegantly.
A symbol of the shankha flickered on her forehead.
Arjun's tattoo glowed at the same moment.
He understood—they were triggering his astra on purpose, misunderstanding his astra for their mantra.
The first old man said,
"Can you explain this? Only someone with the mantra can have this effect."
The second said,
"This glowing effect can only be obtained when the user can use it at ashtapada"
his voice slightly trembling,
The third nodded and said,
"So you must have got it a long time back, stolen or purchased at auction, none of that matters."
He looked at the other two and added
"So execution it is, right?"
After hearing, a chilling sensation went down his spine.
Arjun tried to speak—but his mouth wouldn't open.
A mantra, he thought and looked at the girl beside him.
The girl looked at him with pity.
She was the one silencing him through the mantra.
Arjun realised there was nothing he could do to prove his innocence.
He decided to use the astra of Sudarshan Chakra.
Knowing it would be dangerous.
But because of the handcuff blocking his shakti, it was not used.
But now,
His body felt heavier.
His vision dimmed.
He felt as if someone was occupying his consciousness.
His usual fainting condition hit harder under the suppression of shakti.
He collapsed.
Nobody even bothered to check him.
Nobody noticed his handcuff had snapped open on its own.
How did it break?
No one knew.
The elders continued their discussion calmly.
"He will be executed privately. No need for public fuss."
They stood together.
"Pierce his heart immediately."
They were rushing—A stolen Ashtpada mantra would be a humiliation for them.
And as he caught in their town, they would also have to go through questioning.
A yodha stepped forward, raising his talwar.
His facial expression remained calm as if killing was not something new for him.
He stabbed toward Arjun's heart.
The moment the metal touched him—
The talwar melted.
Silence.
Complete shock.
No one understood what happened.
Then a voice echoed through the hall:
"You should not take immediate decisions, Kaje."
The elder in the middle stiffened.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
Arjun's eyes fluttered.
Barely conscious, he murmured,
"…Guru's voice?"