Chapter 284 - 282: Indra’s Rare Chance... Sage Naradha Visit’s Vaikunda...

(A/N):

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Narada finally realized that there was no point trying to reason with either of them.

Indra wasn’t going to help him.

The young woman clearly wasn’t going to leave him alone.

And every explanation he gave only seemed to make the situation more amusing for everyone involved.

Narada looked at the woman for a long moment before letting out a tired sigh.

"Fine."

Indra raised an eyebrow.

"Fine?"

Narada adjusted the veena hanging from his shoulder.

"I have decided what I am going to do."

The young woman smiled.

"And what is that?"

Narada looked toward the open balcony of Indra’s palace.

"I’m leaving."

Indra blinked caught off guard.

"Leaving? Where?"

"Anywhere that isn’t here."

Before either of them could say anything else, Narada disappeared in a flash of divine energy.

The young woman stared at the empty space where he had been standing.

Then she chuckled.

"He really thought running away would solve this."

Indra looked at her.

"You aren’t planning to follow him, are you?"

She turned toward him with an amused smile.

"Of course I am."

Indra sighed as he looked at her curiously.

"Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Because no matter where he goes, he is still my father."

Indra’s eyebrows rose.

"You seem very confident about that."

"I am."

She looked toward the direction in which Narada had disappeared.

"I don’t care how many realms he travels through or how many times he tries to disappear. Eventually, I’m going to make him accept me."

With that, she too vanished.

Indra was left standing alone in the middle of his chamber.

For several moments, he simply stared at the empty space.

Then something slowly occurred to him.

His expression changed.

A smile began forming on his face.

He remembered something.

Narada had spent ages travelling across the realms, collecting stories, secrets and rumours from gods, sages, kings and ordinary mortals.

Whenever Indra had accidentally said something embarrassing,

Narada had somehow managed to make sure half of creation knew about it before the day was over.

There had been the incident involving Indra’s argument with a certain sage.

The time Narada had deliberately carried a piece of gossip from one divine court to another and then sat back to watch the chaos.

And countless other occasions where the sage had appeared with his innocent smile and that familiar,

"Narayan, Narayan,"

while everyone else slowly realized that he had just exposed something they had desperately wanted to keep secret.

Indra had endured all of it.

For centuries. Perhaps even longer.

But now...

Narada had a problem. A very unusual problem.

And for once, Indra wasn’t the one being embarrassed.

He slowly sat back down upon his throne.

A grin spread across his face.

"This..."

He leaned back comfortably.

"...might be the best opportunity I’ve had in centuries."

The guards nearby looked at him curiously.

Indra ignored them.

He was already imagining what would happen when the story began spreading through the celestial realms.

Sage Narada, the eternal Brahmachari, had suddenly acquired a daughter.

And apparently, he was desperately running away from her.

Indra’s grin widened.

For once, he wouldn’t have to create the gossip.

He merely had to repeat what he had personally witnessed.

And if there was one thing Indra had learned from Narada over the ages...

A good story never stayed in one realm for long.

Meanwhile, Sage Narada had already left Indra Lok behind.

He had no intention of waiting around long enough for Indra to make the situation even more embarrassing.

If anything, knowing Indra as well as he did,

Narada was certain that the moment he disappeared from the celestial court, the story would somehow become entertainment for the entire realm.

So he chose the one place where he believed he could actually get an answer.

Vaikuntha...

The very realm of the Lord whose name he had spent countless ages uttering with every other breath.

"Narayan... Narayan..."

Narada appeared near the magnificent gates of Vaikuntha and immediately felt the familiar calm of the divine realm settle around him.

The peaceful atmosphere was a complete contrast to the chaos he had just escaped from.

The golden pathways, the divine gardens and the brilliant architecture of Vaikuntha all carried the same serenity that had always made Narada feel at home whenever he visited.

He walked through the gates without hesitation.

The attendants recognized him immediately and offered their respects as he passed.

Narada returned their greetings with a distracted smile, his mind still occupied by the strange young woman who had somehow decided that he was her father.

He had travelled across realms trying to understand what was happening.

Nothing made sense.

And now he had come to the one being he believed might actually know the truth.

Eventually, Narada reached the inner chamber.

There, upon the enormous coils of Sheshnag, Lord Vishnu was resting peacefully.

Goddess Lakshmi was seated beside him, her attention initially focused upon the Lord before she noticed the approaching sage.

Vishnu opened his eyes.

The moment he saw Narada’s expression, a playful smile appeared on his face.

"Narada."

Narada immediately stopped.

Vishnu’s smile widened.

"You seem to have travelled quite a distance."

Narada narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Prabhu..."

Vishnu gave a quiet chuckle.

"Welcome to Vaikuntha."

Lakshmi looked between them.

"Is something wrong?"

Narada immediately folded his hands and bowed deeply.

"Prabhu, I have come seeking an answer."

Vishnu’s playful expression remained.

"An answer?"

"Yes."

Narada straightened.

"I have encountered a rather unusual problem."

Lakshmi raised an eyebrow.

"Unusual even for you?"

Narada sighed.

"Very much so."

Vishnu chuckled again.

"Then tell me."

Narada took a breath.

"There is a young woman who has appeared before me and claims that I am her father."

Lakshmi blinked.

Vishnu remained completely calm.

Too calm.

Narada noticed his lord’s reaction.

"Prabhu..."

Vishnu smiled innocently.

"What?"

"You aren’t surprised."

Lakshmi looked toward Vishnu.

The Lord’s smile only grew wider.

Narada stared at him.

"I have spent the last several hour trying to understand how this is possible. I have never married. I have never had children. I have followed the path of a Brahmachari for ages, and yet this woman simply appears and tells me that she is my daughter."

Vishnu nodded thoughtfully.

"I see."

Narada waited for the answer.

Vishnu said nothing.

"Prabhu?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know something?"

Vishnu’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Perhaps."

Narada’s face immediately tightened.

"Then please tell me."

Vishnu shifted slightly upon Sheshnag and looked at Lakshmi.

Lakshmi was already smiling.

Narada noticed that too.

"Why are both of you smiling?"

Vishnu gave a small laugh.

"Because, Narada..."

He paused deliberately.

"...you have finally found yourself on the other side of one of your own stories."

Narada stared at him.

"I don’t understand."

Vishnu’s smile became even more playful.

"You spend so much of your time carrying stories from one person to another. You reveal secrets, create misunderstandings, ask questions that nobody wants asked and then stand nearby chanting ’Narayan, Narayan’ while everyone else deals with the consequences."

Lakshmi covered a small smile.

Vishnu continued.

"And now you have arrived in Vaikuntha asking me to explain why someone has appeared in your life and turned everything upside down."

Narada’s expression became increasingly suspicious.

"Prabhu..."

Vishnu laughed softly.

"I think you should sit down."

Narada remained standing.

"I would rather have the answer first."

Lakshmi glanced at Vishnu.

"This may take some time."

Narada looked between them.

"What exactly are you two hiding from me?"

Vishnu’s playful smile remained as he finally sat upright upon Sheshnag.

"Nothing, Narada."

He paused.

"At least, not anymore."

Narada’s eyes widened.

"Not anymore?"

Vishnu simply smiled.

And for the first time since arriving in Vaikuntha,

Narada began to suspect that perhaps running away from that mysterious young woman had been the easy part.

Finding out who she really was was going to be considerably more complicated.

Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for the young woman to track Narada down to Vaikuntha.

She eventually arrived before the magnificent gates of the divine realm, only to be stopped by the guards stationed at the entrance.

They immediately raised their weapons, blocking her path before she could enter.

"Stop. No one enters Vaikuntha without permission."

The young woman looked at them, slightly annoyed but not frightened.

"I am not here to cause trouble. I only want to meet someone who is already inside."

"Who?"

She took a breath before answering with complete confidence.

"My father."

The guards exchanged confused looks.

One of them frowned.

"Your father?"

"Yes."

"And who is your father?"

The young woman smiled.

"Sage Narada."

The guards looked at one another again.

For a moment, neither seemed to know what to say.

Finally, one of them shook his head.

"Regardless of who you claim to be, you cannot enter without permission from Lord Vishnu."

The young woman nodded.

"Then ask Lord Vishnu."

She stepped back slightly before raising her voice toward the gates.

"Lord Vishnu!"

Her voice travelled through the entrance and into the inner regions of Vaikuntha.

"I have come to meet my father. I request permission to enter."

She then folded her hands and bowed respectfully toward the divine realm.

Inside the palace, Narada immediately froze.

He had been standing before Vishnu and Lakshmi, still trying to understand what the two of them seemed to know about his strange situation, when the woman’s voice reached them.

Narada slowly turned toward the entrance.

"No..."

Lakshmi glanced at him.

"That sounds like her."

Narada looked at Vishnu.

"Prabhu, please don’t let her in."

Vishnu’s lips curled into a playful smile.

Narada immediately became suspicious.

"Why are you smiling?"

Vishnu didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked toward the attendants.

"Let her enter."

Narada’s eyes widened.

"Prabhu!"

Lakshmi couldn’t help smiling.

The guards at the entrance immediately received the divine command and lowered their weapons.

"You have Lord Vishnu’s permission. You may enter."

The young woman smiled.

"Thank you."

She once again folded her hands toward the gates.

"May Lord Vishnu’s blessings remain upon you."

She then walked through the gates and entered Vaikuntha.

Meanwhile, Narada stared at Vishnu with an expression of complete betrayal.

"I came here seeking refuge."

Vishnu chuckled hearing him.

"And I have given you an opportunity to finally speak with her."

"That is not what I meant by refuge."

Lakshmi laughed softly.

"Narada, perhaps you should stop running and actually ask her who she is."

Narada sighed.

"I have been trying to do exactly that."

Vishnu smiled.

"Then perhaps today you will finally get your answer."

The sound of approaching footsteps could now be heard from the corridor.

Narada turned toward the entrance.

The young woman soon appeared.

She looked at Narada.

Narada looked at her.

Neither spoke for several seconds.

Then she smiled.

"Father."

Narada closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Narayan..."

Vishnu’s smile widened.

Lakshmi quietly covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

For once, even Narada’s beloved chant sounded less like a prayer and more like a man asking the universe for patience.

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(Author note:)

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