It was the day when Arjun would again stand before the rishis.
Arjun stood in front of the gate, taking a slow breath.
"I just have to explain about my astra," he murmured and entered the room.
The room was far larger than Arjun had imagined.
At the very front stood a long, elevated bench where the seven rishis sat in a single row, their faces calm but stern as they watched everything.
In front of them, after a wide stretch of empty floor, was a box-shaped platform meant for the accused to stand on.
Beyond that, separated by another open space, rows of seats were arranged for the public.
Many people were already sitting there—silent, tense, eyes fixed on the centre of the hall.
A public sabha?
he thought.
He was signalled to stand in the box-shaped structure.
When he finally stood there, within a second, one of the rishis spoke.
"We are sorry for what you had to go through that day.
Deciding on an execution was an impulsive decision…, but the fear of a stolen mantra forces strict measures for the safety of Dwarka."
Like a sorry would fix anything,
Arjun thought.
But he still said,
"So… you all want to know the mantra?
How I got out, right?"
All of them nodded.
Arjun continued,
"It is not a mantra.
It is the astra itself.
I own the Sudarshan Chakra."
His words made everyone serious.
Someone in the public chuckled to mock him,
but immediately stopped when he realised Arjun wasn't joking.
For a moment, the entire hall turned still.
The rishis exchanged glances, whispered among themselves,
and one of them finally said,
"We can't accept this claim without proof."
Arjun hesitated for a moment—
But then placed his hand on his forehead and murmured something.
The air split open.
A small portion of the world was torn apart,
Golden light flooded the entire hall.
And the astra appeared from the void.
The small statue that had granted him the astra also emerged beside it.
Breathing stopped.
No one dared speak.
The statue spoke first, irritated:
"Don't call me again just for flexing.
I'm the caretaker of the weapon—not you."
Its small eyes narrowed at Arjun.
It stayed for a second,
and then vanished—along with the astra.
Arjun exhaled and asked in an arrogant tone,
"Need more proof?"
He used an arrogant voice,
but deep inside, he was nervous.
He was only able to summon the statue because the granth he received along with the astra and the ansi.
The granth contained a mantra to do so—
a method used only when passing the astra to someone else.
The rishis exchanged long glances again, whispering among themselves—their expressions shifting from doubt…to realisation…to acceptance.
Finally, they nodded.
They declared him not guilty.
A wave of murmurs spread among the public behind him—some were shocked, some terrified,
Some were simply unable to believe what they had witnessed.
One of the rishis spoke politely:
"As we now know, you were not the thief… but someone chosen.
The Sudarshan Chakra is the astra used by Lord Krishna, the god we pray to.
Anyone who holds it becomes one of the most important figures in all of Dwarka."
He continued,
"Can you meet the ruler of Dwarka?
You won't be disappointed."
He added,
"Everyone in Dwarka will be grateful to you for revealing the presence of the Sudarshan Chakra."
Arjun didn't say much.
He simply nodded.
As he turned to leave, he felt dozens of eyes fixed on him—not with suspicion anymore,
but with a strange mixture of fear and respect.
It was because this was the astra of the god these people prayed to.
Arjun left the sabha room and spotted Subha by a cart, curiosity flickering in his mind.
He approached,
but before he could ask anything,
She flashed a quick smile and said,
"Hop in quickly."
He climbed into the cart, noticing Som was the one driving the cart.
Som gave a slight nod, but kept quiet as they started moving.
"Where are we going?"
Arjun asked.
Subha replied with a mysterious smile,
"Where you're supposed to go today."
Arjun blinked, half-amused.
"The king's palace?"
She nodded.
"You were already invited by your guru. The rishis just made it official."
As they continued talking, the cart came to a halt.
Before they stepped out, Arjun turned to Som and handed him a small pouch.
"Here, for your trouble."
Inside were 70 Nikhsas, a generous sum for the ride.
Som smiled appreciatively, offering a respectful nod in return.
When Arjun stepped out of the cart,
The world before him didn't make sense for a moment.
It was night… yet the entire area glowed as if the sun had descended just for Dwarka.
Soft golden light shimmered across the vast canal in front of them, its currents rushing with a tremendously fast speed.
Arjun's eyes slowly lifted upward.
That's when he saw it.
The king's palace wasn't built on water; it was built with water.
A colossal pillar rose from the centre of the palace — a perfectly round, glass-like structure.
Inside it, a massive flow of water spiralled upward, endlessly rising as if pulled from some hidden well beneath the palace.
This pillar wasn't connected to the outer canal directly.
The canal was the boundary you crossed to reach the palace area.
The pillar's water flowed inside the palace grounds,
cascading down the stair-shaped rooms built around it.
Those rooms clung to the pillar like steps of a staircase, each one catching the falling water and guiding it downward through channels before the water finally disappeared into an unseen reservoir below.It was a closed system — self-contained, precise, and sacred.
The water glowed faintly under the moon, giving the entire structure a breathing, living aura.
Arjun had heard stories… but this was something else entirely.
Subha's expression remained calm, as if none of this had surprised her.
Arjun joked,
"So… are we supposed to jump to the other side?"
Without missing a beat, Subha replied,
"Try it. It's not that dangerous. At worst, you'll die. Or become crippled."
Arjun's smile froze.
She added,
"A mantra is required to enter the palace, just like entering Dwarka's mainland.
The barrier won't tolerate forceful entry."
"This is why Dwarka doesn't need guards," she said with a shrug.
Arjun blinked.Right. The palace itself was the guard.
Subha began reciting the mantra, and Arjun hurried to copy her.They chanted together.
Nothing happened.
Then Subha stepped forward.
The air beneath her foot rippled — and a glowing bridge of Shakti formed under her sole.
Step by step, the bridge extended only where she walked, as if Dwarka itself examined and approved each footstep.
Arjun followed, and the Shakti bloomed beneath him like petals of light.
As they neared the palace platform, the water falling from the pillar created a shimmering curtain in front of them — yet not a single drop touched their bodies.
The bridge parted the flow as if an invisible shield walked with them.
Then the curtain opened.
A silhouette stood in front of them.
Someone was waiting at the entrance.