Chapter 289 - 287: News Reaches Hastinapur & Gandhara... Kandarpaasura The Man Of Desire...

(A/N):

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Meanwhile, the news of Gandhari’s pregnancy did not remain confined to Trivenivrata for long.

Royal messengers soon carried the announcement to neighbouring kingdoms and to the distant courts that maintained friendly relations with Devara.

Wherever the message arrived, it was received with happiness, and before long congratulatory scrolls and gifts began making their way toward Trivenivrata.

Among the first to respond was Gandhara.

When the news reached the Gandhara royal family, the palace immediately came alive with celebration.

Gandhari was not merely the queen of Trivenivrata in their eyes.

She was their daughter, their sister and a beloved member of their own family who had been living far away after her marriage.

The thought that she was now going to become a mother filled the entire household with happiness.

King of Gandhara immediately decided that sending a scroll was not enough.

"I will go myself."

He wanted to see his daughter, congratulate her personally and spend some time with her during this important period of her life.

Preparations for the journey therefore began almost immediately, with the royal family arranging gifts and everything they wished to take for Gandhari and the unborn child.

The celebrations in Gandhara continued throughout the day.

Their people decorated the streets, distributed sweets and offered prayers for the health of the child who would soon be born to their princess.

For them, it felt as though their own daughter had been blessed by fortune, and the happiness spread through the kingdom accordingly.

But Gandhara was not the only kingdom preparing to visit Trivenivrata.

The news had also reached Hastinapur.

The Kuru capital had been mourning the death of Pandu, and the grief surrounding his passing was still fresh.

The people had lost a prince they had once respected deeply, while the royal family was still coming to terms with the fact that five young Pandavas had suddenly been left without their father.

Yet when the news arrived that Devara had returned victorious from the hundred-day war and that Queen Gandhari was now expecting a child, the atmosphere within Hastinapur slowly began to change.

There was another reason the people felt such a strong connection to the news.

Devara was not regarded as an ordinary neighbouring king.

He was Bhishma’s younger brother, the son of Goddess Ganga, and someone whose connection with the Kuru family had grown far beyond ordinary political ties.

Because of his relationship with Bhishma and the respect he had earned through his actions, many in Hastinapur had begun to regard him as one of their own.

So when the news of Gandhari’s pregnancy arrived, the people of Hastinapur celebrated as well.

The palace soon began preparing for a royal visit.

King Dhritarashtra would travel to Trivenivrata with Queen Madri and their children.

Kunti would accompany them along with the five Pandavas, allowing the young boys to see Devara’s kingdom and meet the family members connected to their father.

The decision also carried another meaning.

The Pandavas had only recently returned to Hastinapur after losing Pandu,

And taking them to Trivenivrata would give them an opportunity to spend time with the relatives who had already shown concern for them. More importantly,

Bhishma had spoken warmly about Devara and the place he held within their family.

Preparations therefore continued throughout Hastinapur.

Royal chariots were inspected, horses were prepared, gifts were gathered and attendants were assigned their duties.

The royal family would not be travelling alone.

A considerable procession would accompany them, carrying everything required for the journey.

Among those preparing to travel, the five Pandavas were perhaps the most curious.

They had heard stories about Trivenivrata and about the king who was connected to their family through their mother.

Now they would finally see the kingdom for themselves.

Yudhishthira listened carefully whenever the adults discussed the journey, while Bhima was already curious about what kind of food would be served there.

Arjuna wanted to see the training grounds and warriors, while Nakula and Sahadeva were fascinated by the thought of seeing another royal city.

Kunti watched her sons with a faint smile.

"...."

"...."

"...."

For the first time since Pandu’s death, she could see some of the heaviness beginning to leave their faces.

And soon, two royal families from two very different parts of their world would begin their journeys toward Trivenivrata.

Gandhara was coming to celebrate the happiness of their daughter.

Hastinapur was coming to celebrate the child of one of their own.

And within the walls of Trivenivrata, Devara had no idea just how crowded his palace was about to become.

Patal Lok...

Meanwhile, deep within Patal Lok, far beneath the lands of Bhulok and hidden beneath layers of burning rock, magma and ancient darkness, an entirely different kind of presence had been preparing itself for a very long time.

At the heart of an enormous volcanic cavern sat a strange figure in deep penance.

He hardly resembled a human anymore.

Nor could he properly be called a Rakshasa.

Only the upper half of his body remained complete, while everything below his waist had disappeared long ago, leaving behind nothing but a faint outline of where his legs should have been.

Rather than allowing his condition to weaken him, he had been using his yogic energy to create replacements.

Thick streams of molten magma continuously gathered beneath his body, twisting and hardening into two legs formed entirely from the fiery substance.

The heat surrounding him was unbearable.

Yet the figure remained completely still.

His eyes were closed, his breathing was slow and controlled, and his entire consciousness had been buried deep within his penance.

He had been sitting there for years.

Perhaps even decades.

Then, without warning, a low and sinister laughter echoed through the cavern.

"Hahahahahaha..."

The sound travelled through the enormous underground chamber, bouncing from one volcanic wall to another.

The meditating figure immediately opened his eyes.

The magma surrounding him suddenly began behaving strangely.

Instead of flowing toward him, the molten river began moving away.

It separated from his body as though some invisible force was pushing it back, creating a circular space around him.

The burning liquid rose along the edges of the cavern and formed what almost looked like walls, leaving the centre of the chamber strangely clear.

The figure slowly lifted his head.

Something was moving above the magma.

A shadow had formed upon its glowing surface.

At first, it looked like nothing more than a distortion created by the flames.

Then it became clearer.

A human skull appeared within the darkness, its hollow eyes glowing faintly while two long, curved horns rose from the top of its head, resembling the horns of a ram.

The skull smiled.

"Kandarpaasura..."

The strange ascetic immediately lowered his head.

"Lord."

The skull-like shadow laughed again.

The figure remained bowed.

His name was Kandarpaasura, though those who knew the darker legends of Patal Lok sometimes referred to him as the Embodiment of Unrestrained Desire.

He was not a Rakshasa.

He belonged to an older and far more unusual lineage, one born from the darker side of desire itself.

Lust, obsession, temptation and the hunger to possess what one could not have were the forces that had shaped his existence.

His powers had once made him feared even among beings who considered themselves beyond temptation.

But whatever had happened to him in the distant past had left his body incomplete.

His lower body had been destroyed, and since then he had devoted himself entirely to penance, patiently rebuilding himself through yogic power and the energy of the volcanic realm.

Kandarpaasura slowly raised his head.

"You have come."

The horned skull floating upon the magma gave another low laugh.

"I have been watching your penance."

Kandarpaasura remained silent.

The shadow continued.

"You have spent years trying to rebuild what was taken from you, controlling your desires, restraining your instincts and forcing yourself to remain still."

A pause.

"And yet you still carry the same hunger within you."

Kandarpaasura’s eyes narrowed.

"Why have you come to me?"

The skull tilted slightly.

"Because your penance is almost complete."

Kandarpaasura’s expression changed.

The magma beneath his newly formed legs began to glow brighter.

The horned shadow smiled.

"And when you finally rise from this place, there is someone I want you to meet."

Kandarpaasura slowly stood.

The magma forming his legs shifted beneath him, responding to his yogic energy.

"Who?"

The skull’s hollow eyes glowed brighter.

"Someone whose existence will make your deepest desire far more interesting."

A sinister laugh once again echoed through the volcanic cavern.

And Kandarpaasura, who had spent years suppressing the very nature from which his power had been born, slowly smiled.

The horned skull remained suspended above the molten surface, its hollow eyes fixed upon Kandarpaasura as the magma continued to flow around the chamber.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, until the shadow finally broke the silence.

"Do not mistake your power for permission, Kandarpaasura. Your time has not yet come. Whatever you are planning, you must restrain yourself, especially your desires. If you lose control now, you may ruin everything before the opportunity even presents itself."

Kandarpaasura listened quietly before a low chuckle escaped from him.

"Restrain myself?"

He slowly looked up at the skull, and there was amusement rather than fear in his eyes.

"Have you forgotten who I am?"

The magma beneath his feet began to bubble as his yogic energy stirred through it.

"I am Kandarpaasura. I did not spend all these years sitting inside this burning pit merely to become frightened of my own nature. Shukracharya himself gave me the boon that made my desire into my greatest weapon."

His smile widened as he remembered the day he had received the blessing.

"As long as my desire burns within me, I can spread darkness across an entire realm."

"When that darkness takes hold, even the gods who rule that realm will find their divine strength slipping away from them."

"Their powers will weaken, their minds will become clouded, and the very realm they command will become vulnerable."

The skull remained silent.

Kandarpaasura continued, his confidence growing with every word.

"And there was another condition to that boon, wasn’t there? As long as I do not raise my hand against the gods themselves... I mean... kill one of them, the Trimurti will not interfere in my affairs."

He gave a quiet laugh.

"So tell me, why should I be afraid?"

The horned skull’s expression did not change.

"Because power is not the same thing as invincibility."

Kandarpaasura’s smile faded slightly.

The shadow continued.

"Shukracharya’s boon protects you from certain consequences. It does not make you immune to the consequences of your own actions."

"If your desire becomes uncontrolled, you may reveal yourself before the proper moment, and once that happens, even a boon can become a chain around your neck."

Kandarpaasura stared at the skull for several seconds before another smile slowly returned to his face.

"You speak as though I am some foolish youngling who cannot control himself."

"You are a creature born from desire itself."

"And that is precisely why I understand it better than anyone."

The magma around him suddenly rose several feet before settling again.

Kandarpaasura looked toward the darkness beyond the chamber.

"I know when to wait."

He paused.

"And I know when to take what I want."

The skull remained silent, its hollow eyes watching him carefully.

Kandarpaasura’s expression became calmer.

"Do not worry. I will not waste the opportunity you have brought before me."

He then looked directly at the horned shadow.

"But when my time does come..."

His smile became darker.

"...I will make sure the entire realm remembers the name Kandarpaasura."

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(Author note:)

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