Part 1- The Secret Constituent

“You are a loser…! Not worthy of anything, you don’t deserve to be called a superhero..! You don’t know how to use your powers…! Let go off your powers & become a mortal, you fool..!”

Tanun woke up with a start. Breathing heavily, he looked around. He had the same nightmare again. This demon Kaalnemi is still after me, he thought. But I have no powers to defeat him. Every night he says the right thing in my dreams: I am a Loser…!, he shouted the last line on top of his voice.

Tanun was having a lot of sleepless nights. Every night, the demon Warrior Kaalnemi would come to his dreams to disturb him. Once a Huge muscular man standing 7 ft tall with enormous powers, he had fought battles and saved many people As well as this world. Being the most powerful superhero, after a tragic incident, he had now reduced himself to average height with no confidence in himself at all.

After some days, as he was walking down the subway at night nibbling on a cookie he bought, he saw some goons teasing an old man. At once he got infuriated. Dropping his blanket, he charged towards them, but halfway around, he stopped. I cannot use my powers, he thought, I can’t save him. I am not worth it,no,I don’t deserve it.

“You are a loser…! Not worthy of anything, you don’t deserve to be called a superhero..! You don’t know how to use your powers..!” the harsh words of Kaalnemi echoed in his mind. Fearing his disabilities, he turned back and ran in the other direction.

Running mindlessly, he reached his home. His home was a mess of things scattered around. As he was searching for some water, someone knocked at the door. Least expecting visitors, he opened the door. In front was the old man whom the goons were troubling.

“I have no shelter, no place to stay. Please let me stay with you tonight…” Tanun was about to send him back, but deep down, he felt pity for the poor old man. He allowed him inside & clearing the mess, made a place for him to sleep.

“Loser….That’s what I call you…! Don’t even think of fighting with me…! I am the best warrior ever created in all the three worlds…!”

Tanun again woke up. Remembering Kaalnemi’s voice in the dream, he looked outside. It was morning, & the poor old man was awake, watching him.

“I heard you murmuring in your sleep.” The old man said. “Who’s Kaalnemi? Is it some…..”

“That’s none of your business…!” Tanun scowled at him, “I gave you shelter for a night..! Now leave…!”

“Sometimes even Great people make mistakes. But the idea is to learn from it.” The old man said as he got up. “Often we blame ourselves for the mistakes we unknowingly do. But everyone does get equal chance to improve themselves & to be the hero they have always thought of. Awakening the hero inside you isn’t about a shiny badge or a good uniform. It’s about understanding what you’re capable of so that you can be more effective when you seek to make a difference.” There was a sudden glow in the old man’s eyes. “Allow your mind to settle. Once you awake the hero inside you, then you’ll learn how to use your 11 superpowers..!” Saying this, the old man smiled & left.

Tanun at once jolted on his feet & ran to the door. How come he knew about my 11 superpowers? How come he knew what I am right now going through? He thought to himself. Running outside, he tried to look for him. The old man was nowhere to be found. He tried searching around, looking in lanes & streets, but still he was nowhere to be seen. Tanun even eagerly enquired to various shopkeepers & other beggars in the area, but the old man just vanished out. He continued searching for a few days, but the old man was never to be found.

One day, as he was sleeping, suddenly he heard a voice in his mind “Pidooru…” Terrified, he opened his eyes. What was that? He knew that place. That is a small village in Sri Lanka, surrounded by mountains & inhabited by Tribal People. At first, he neglected it, but when he dreamed of the same place for 2-3 nights, he finally decided that he should go visit that place.

Today, as he reached the remote village in Sri Lanka in the afternoon, he saw it was full of tribal people. Why have I been called here? He wondered. Just then he saw a small road leading up to a mountain range. Tanun felt the instinct to follow it. A small walkway and a trek took him atop one of the mountains. The entire mountain ranges were visible from here. Adoring the scenery, with a cool breeze blowing, he looked around. A short distance away, he saw a small hut. Feeling hungry & thirsty, he walked up till the entrance of the shack. It was the size of a small room & totally empty, but at one end was a carpet neatly placed on ground with a pillow with fruits & water kept at the corner. Delighted, he entered inside, ate the fresh fruits & feeling exhausted, slept down on the carpet.

“Loser….That’s what I call you…! Don’t even think of fighting with me…! I am the best warrior ever created in all the three worlds…!”Kaalnemi’s voice boomed in his dream.

Tanun woke up anxiously. Looking around, he saw it was evening time. A lamp was burning at one corner. Someone was sitting beside the lamp with his eyes closed. As Tanun got up & approached the person, he was shocked to see that it was the same old man whom he had met some days ago.

“Don’t worry my friend…” Smiling, the old man said, opening his eyes, “You brought yourself here. It’s said when the student’s ready, the teacher appears. I know about you. You are a Superhero with...”

“I am not a Superhero…! I am a loser..!” Tanun screamed at top of his voice. “I am Tanun, son of the God of Wind. I have 11 superpowers granted as a boon to me by my father. Since years, I was using my powers to protect a Gold Casket placed atop Mt. Kailash, the holy residing place of Lord Shiva. It was being protected by my forefathers since long.It contains a secret constituent, if known to anyone, will be the supreme lord of this & all the Universes combined. I had saved earth many times from all the evil forces & demons who had tried attacking the mountains for gaining access to the Gold Casket. Everything was well. My powers made me think I am the Greatest in 3 worlds..” Tanun fought back his tears. “One who is worthy of the powers, can attain the supreme powers of that box. Since many years, I’ve been trying to prove myself worthy to the Gods of attaining that box. However, a demon called Kaalnemi is behind that box since the last some years. I fought with him, to keep him away in a battle some months ago. However….” He stopped, swallowing to confess the truth, “While fighting, I used my powers in the wrong way. Due to this, there was a drastic change in the climate of earth, which caused huge typhoons, floods, landslides in many parts of the earth. I managed to keep away Kaalnemi from the casket, but in that process, I destroyed many useful things, many humans lost their lives, many people became homeless, many of them lost their families…all of it…because of me..! I now fear my powers, I fear my abilities. I fear I may kill someone again…!” Tanun couldn’t bear the grief & started crying. “However, Kaalnemi will be back…this time again with full power. But I have no confidence to stop him…I may again use my powers in the wrong way, again killing people, destroying property……disrupting the climate……! How will I stop him..?” he stopped & started crying uncontrollably.

The old man got up & placed a hand on his shoulder. “Never think of yourself as a mere mortal with limited powers. You have superpowers that a generation ago would have been not only legendary, but even absurd. You had a good beginning, but now, you are in tough times. Bad days teach us a lot of good things. Today, you may have a bad story, but that does not make you who you are, it is the rest of it- who you choose to be. Remember, there are no coincidences, no accidents. Everything happens for a proper reason. You committed a mistake, but that doesn’t mean you cannot improve. And to improve, you must believe in yourself..! Believing is the key. Don't let others put thoughts into your mind that takes away your self-confidence. Focus on your mind. Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear. Minds are like flowers, they only open when the time is right. Let your mind settle. You’ll get all the answers to your questions.” Saying this, the old master sat down for meditation.

Tanun decided to leave, but his instincts told him to wait. My mind needs to settle, he thought.

Staying back, he started practising meditation. Bad dreams, bad thoughts kept creeping his mind, but he stayed focused. He kept his mind steady.

“Remember your duties. Remember your responsibilities. There is just one thing that makes you become impossible: the fear of failure. Remove that fear from your mind. Remember who you are. Remember what you were.” The old master told him.

Slowly, Tanun started improving. Practising Yoga & meditation, slowly started healing him. Gradually he regained his powers as well as his self-confidence. Deep down inside, he still was worried regarding how he will defeat the warrior Kaalnemi.

Tanun practised his skills in the guidance of the old master. Gaining his confidence, he now started feeling the energy surge inside his body. Soon he became what he was. He realised the powers of his mind, and how to use all of them at the right time.

One day, early morning, the old master saw Tanun meditating in the front yard.

“Now I know you have gained back your powers. What are your superpowers, my friend?”

“I can become smaller than the smallest & larger than the largest in size. I can become very heavy & very light in weight. I can acquire anything, anywhere at any time. I can control Fire, Water, Wind & sun. I can fly at distances faster than light. I can see in three worlds without going there. I can see in past, present & future. I can resist attack & injuries from all the weapons. I can be at different locations in different timelines at any given time. I can become stronger than the strongest element in the universe. I can turn one material into another & change the minds of people…!”

The old master smiled. “I know what you have done. You used your power of travelling in time & sent your other form centuries back & changed the mind of Kaalnemi when he was a small boy. Now he is no longer a demon warrior. You changed his mind, you changed his entire behaviour, changed his mentality totally…! Ability to change the mind & be present at different times…. That’s a good power.” The old master again smiled. “This also helped you to regain all the loss that you had done in the previous battle with him. Now all the destruction has been undone. All the lives that have lost are back. All the property that is damaged is back to normal.” The old master patted on his shoulders.

Tanun smiled. “I finally found how to use my powers. Using them rightly with minimum damage is always the real power. This is what makes a real Superhero…!”

As he old master blessed him, Tanun entered the cottage. It was time for him to return back & do what he was doing. He packed his sack & started to leave.

“Thank you old master…!” Tanun folded his hands & said, “Or rather I should say, Thank You, Father…!”

The old master gave a pleasant smile. “I knew you will recognise me son. Your powers have grown much stronger than what I had. I am always watching over you. I had to come to enlighten you again, to help you realise the truth & to awaken you from the dark.” Blessing him with his hands, he said “I think I should return to my penance…”

As Tanun looked up at his father, both of them smiled. Tanun then got up & as he turned behind to look, his father had vanished.

Tanun then returned back to his home. As he was unpacking, he saw a something in the corner. As he approached, he couldn't believe his eyes.

“It’s the Gold Casket..!” Tanun almost screamed as he lifted the Box.” But how come I…?” he stopped short as he read what was written on the Casket, “Whomsoever is worthy shall possess this power.” Well I think I proved myself worthy to the Gods, Tanun thought as he opened the box carefully. It contained a small sheet of handmade paper placed on a small stand. Tanun lifted the paper & read it.

“THERE IS NO SECRET CONSTITUENT”

Puzzled, Tanun turned the paper in light. It still read the same. Did I fought with all my powers just to protect an empty box? He couldn’t understand anything. He tried searching & opening the bottom, but nothing came out. How come the Gods could do this..?

However, after some time, he got the answer. There is no secret ingredient. All the superpowers lie within yourself. If you believe yourself as special, if you believe yourself to be the superhero, then you are the hero..! The Secret needed to achieve great things is nothing but just believing yourself that you can get through it. Achieving Great thing requires putting small things with perfection in order with confidence and belief. If you feel you can rule the Universe, then you can…! If you feel that you can be the Supreme lord of all the three Universes, then you can…! Just believe you can do it, & you are already there….!

Tanun smiled at himself. Great Job by the Gods & well…That’s the reason they are the Gods.

As he sat down to meditate, he got a feeling that another quest will be soon waiting for him.

THE END