Brahmastra

The most potent weapon on the planet Brahmastra was housed in a magical cave created by Lord Brahma himself. Many had tried their best to get their hands on the most coveted weapon but multiple impediments that came their way consumed their lives thereby rendering them motionless. Anybody who can come in contact with the weapon by overcoming all the obstacles will become immensely powerful and can use that weapon to cause large-scale destruction. Some demons made a desperate attempt to win Brahmastra so that they could destroy the human world but their desires were quelled by the impediments offered by the testing areas. As they couldn't grab the weapon, they did not want any human being to get access to the weapon so they killed anyone who went in pursuit of Brahmastra.

Only a few human beings tried their luck to acquire Brahmastra but fell prey to the brutal games played by the demons. Anyone who goes in quest of Brahmastra has to pass through three testing areas before they could get qualified to grab the most precious weapon in the universe. First, they will have to survive in the forest(land) which will hurl its impediments, if, at all they survive, they will get promoted to sea(water) and later to the sky(air). If they somehow survive through these three stages, then they will automatically be catapulted to the magical cave in the Deva Loka wherein they can get access to Brahmastra. Currently, no one in the human world dared to go in pursuit of Brahmastra because they had made up their mind that they wouldn't be able to brave the storms that would come their way.

A fifteen-year-old boy named Arjun learnt about the magical effects of Brahmastra. He had always loved and admired mythological stories and his happiness knew no bounds when he learnt that anyone could go in pursuit of Brahmastra. When no human being on the planet was ready to take the risk, this boy dared to do the unthinkable. His parents tried every trick in the book to dissuade their son from embarking on an adverse mission but their son was hell-bent on getting Brahmastra and vowed that he would use it to destroy the demons. The news circulated across the world and the media houses praised the boy for manifesting such bravery hitherto never seen before. The demons couldn't believe that a boy was coming after Brahmastra to destroy their family which was unprecedented. By hook or by crook, they will have to step up to stop the boy or else the demons breed will be wiped out of the universe forever. Seers across the world wished the boy from their hearts and they believed he was a special soul who had a special power but will that help him in any way? Only time had the answer.

Arjun prostrated before the almighty to seek his blessings and later took blessings from his parents who had tears welled up in their eyes. They anointed their son's forehead with vermilion which they deemed was a good fortune before undertaking any ritual. They offered prayers to the Lord to protect their son so that he would return home unscathed. Destiny was not in their hands and would depend on the boy's karma. The entire world was on its toes to see the boy venture into unknown territory with perils hidden beneath its cloak. The boy disappeared as soon as he touched the door which was the starting point of his mission. His parents couldn't resist the overwhelming emotions that threatened to tear them apart but in one corner of their minds, they believed their special child would churn a miracle to come out unscathed.

Arjun materialized on an unknown territory which was a dense forest, the first testing area which he has to pass through before moving to the next level. The dense thicket was ubiquitous. Raindrops fell occasionally from the tree leaves. A diverse set of birds was on a music-churning spree. There was peace and tranquillity embedded in his mind since it was in perfect harmony with the evergreen lush forest. He thought he would be able to sail through this first level with ease thanks to the amicable elements in the forest that refused to threaten his existence in their yard. All of a sudden, his lost friend appeared out of nowhere.

"Madan, where were you all these days?" Arjun asked surprisingly.

"How come you here?" Madan looked surprised to see his friend. "I secretly chose to chase Brahmastra so nobody outside know about my whereabouts. Unfortunately, I got stuck in this forest area and have no idea how to move to the next level. Perhaps, God might have urged you to render me company so that this lonely plight could be ceased through your ingenuity."

"I can't believe it! Your parents and relatives are worried about your sudden absence and you seem to be locked here."

"This forest is not as beautiful as it looks to be. There is more than what meets the eye. Beneath the camouflage of beauty, some demons work in cahoots with each other to kill those who come in pursuit of Brahmastra. Fortunately, I have survived those grave encounters I had with those demons, probably due to my good karma. Let us be careful, I truly believe, that if we join together we can create a synergy to brave all the storms and move to the next level."

"Sure, let's be optimistic."

The day bid adieu to welcome the night which was deadly in contrast to the day which looked beautiful and pleasant. Madan looked at a blanket covered over a body and without wasting a minute, he set about stabbing the blanket but no sound emanated inside it. He pulled out the sheet only to see a lifeless dummy peppered with holes.

"You are not a friend, are you?", a voice waved from behind to stir his ears.

" You are a clever boy. Aren't you? But you are caught amid chaos and nobody can save you."

He swung his elbow but Arjun ducked to evade the blow. Arjun had seen a mark on his body that read, "J destroy" His intuition muscle activated to urge him to write J on the monster's body. He knew that if he failed to act on his intuition, he would be inviting colossal destruction which would certainly render him helpless. Cleverly, he moved behind the demon who until now had been pretending to be his friend. He stuck out his forefinger and drew J on the body of the demon which immediately had a devastating impact on his body. The body cracked upon the onset of fire which seemed to have appeared out of his heart and set him ablaze leading to his death. Arjun heaved a sigh of relief. His peace was short-lived as the lightning hit the sky and rain lashed out at the forest without any mercy. The boy was fully drenched and he had no idea where to navigate. In a sudden turn of events, the land started to crack and open behind him persuading him to sprint in the front. Trees fell off unable to withstand the blow churned out by the rain. He ran as fast as he could and the land behind him continued to collapse to warn him that it would swallow him alive but he didn't give in to the threat rather sprinted like a cheetah. Even mountains gave into the wrath of the rain as they fell with greater force, debris formed everywhere and it looked as if the forest would blow off in some time. Arjun found a green door which became larger as he sprinted towards it. Before the earth could pull him in its arms, he managed to pull open the door which freed him from the first testing area.

Arjun had managed to survive in the land amidst a conspiracy hatched to kill him. He had now materialized inside a sea which had its world shrouded with perils. The experience in the forest taught him that, it would be a herculean task to get his hands on Brahmastra. He also understood that if he could find a green door that would be the way out of the sea. All of a sudden, a self-proclaimed snake queen appeared in front of him. She tried to impress him with her incredible dance skills so that she could take him to the snake world to render him hospitality. A demon in the disguise of Madan had tried to trick him in the forest and he was pretty much sure that some demon had donned the queen's persona to trick him. He refrained from talking to the snake queen irrespective of the latter's persistent attempt to lure him. Eventually, the music churned by the ankles worn by the Queen faded into oblivion. Arjun stopped and swivelled back and there was no trace of anyone but he believed the demon might trick him again. As he strolled through the sea, he happened to see a sage who seemed to be in meditation. He was in the pursuit of finding the green door so that he could find a way out of the sea which means closer to Brahmastra.

"Can you please let me know where the green door of the sea is located?" he asked.

The sage intoned something as a token of respect to the Lord and then gave a smile.

"Many come here in pursuit of Brahmastra but they fall to the tricks played by demons. If the almighty has chosen you to access his weapon, nobody can stop you."

The sage pointed his forefinger towards the green door that was located a few metres away from them. The boy sought blessings from the sage before venturing towards the green door in delight. He opened the door and entered inside but nothing magic materialised to take him to the sky rather the door closed. The dark sea room had robbed his vision; he stumbled upon the unknown objects as the door behind him closed. The fiery darkness conspired to hallucinate him. The snake queen appeared out of nowhere and changed herself into a poisonous snake. Things took an unexpected turn since many poisonous snakes emerged out of holes and protruded their tongue.

"Who are you?" the boy was trapped by the old man who in the first place was not a sage at all.

Unfortunately, he couldn't see any way out because the darkness had consumed his vision. The poisonous snakes crawled everywhere and then appeared towards him extending their hood out. Just like that, they all began to strike at him injecting venom into his body. The boy screamed in agony but to no avail. He tried to punch and contort the snakes that crawled over him but very soon gave in to the excruciating pain generated by the snake bites. He fell thud on the floor motionless. The demon snakes had managed to kill the boy thereby stopping his progress towards Brahmastra. They took his body laden with poison out of the door which was painted green but in reality, was a red door which resembled danger. His body was there out for the animals to feast. Some of the alligators slipped toward him upon detecting his presence. The stupid alligators couldn't smell the poison and they went after to consume his flesh.

The genuine sage viewed the alligators that were about to feast upon him. He intoned something which feared the alligators. They ran away to save themselves from the oncoming onslaught. The moment the sage glanced at the boy, his past life flashed before his eyes.

"Oh, my saviour! You had saved me from the wild animals in my previous costume. If it wasn't for you, I would have been ripped apart by the hungry lions. I believe God had accorded me this opportunity to save you in this life," he opened his mouth and sucked the venom onto his body.

The boy jolted back to his consciousness thanks to the sage who saved him owing to his good karma in the past. Finally, he managed to find the green door which brought curtains down on his sea life.

Arjun couldn't believe his eyes because he was now armed with wings which were needed to survive in the sky life. He survived from the jaws of death in the forest; he died in the sea only to be saved by his past karma. Now, the last testing area welcomed him with open arms. The beautiful sky was indeed a vision to behold. He was flapping his wings as he navigated forward. All of a sudden, the beautiful atmosphere turned hostile with the appearance of black eagles. They thought some intruder had intruded on their world and they deemed it responsible to pluck him out of their world. His ears stirred as the eagles approached him to encircle him. He now looked like a trapped rabbit with nowhere to go. The Eagles looked disturbed by his presence and they were now ready to disrupt his peace. The threat of a dangerous attack loomed largely. How could he evade the eyes of vigilant eagles that are ready to pounce upon him? They squeaked and shrilled to kill the lone enemy on their battlefield. They began to bite his wings which were necessary to survive in the sky.

His mind became clouded unable to think through and he gestured the eagles to move away which only irked them. He looked incongruous in a place only filled with black eagles. How can he survive this onslaught? His gaze darted towards the design of the clouds over the sky.

Om! I am not an intruder. I love and worship eagles.

Could these words prove to be magical? At this helpless juncture, reciting those words was the only option left in his mind. He recited them repeatedly and it worked like a magic. The same eagles which attacked him for being an intruder, retreated away in silence as if they never encountered him. Magic conjured by the clouds saved him from the eagles. But his joy was short-lived because a monster approached him with his disgusting wings. His name was SkyRakshas. He broke into deadly laughter that reverberated around. Arjun had never seen such a man in his lifetime. He looked disgusting with white pus seeping through his body. His wings looked like rotten elephant ears. The stink manufactured from his body could stir nausea in anyone. All in all, he was not a person anyone would like to confront but the boy had no other option. He had to confront the monster who craved his flesh. The inevitable fight ensued between the boy and the SkyRakshas. The boy was surprised because the demon remained unnerved by his hard blows. He tried his best to kill the demon but the strength of the demon only increased much to his surprise. The demon hit the boy and the blow lingered in his mind for some time. His heart throbbed as if to alert him not to fight against the demon. The boy seemed to have lost steam, as the demon had the upper hand. Without any iota of compassion, he cut the wings of the boy which fell off. Arjun's dream to access Brahmastra to destroy the demon world seemed to slowly fade off. He had survived on the land and the sea but the sky seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. His parent's pictures flashed before his eyes as he was going down straight towards the black hole. The wicked laughter of the demon vibrated the sky world.

"No one can touch Brahmastra," he shouted.

He looked down only to get shivers down his spine. The black eagles weaved their wings meticulously together to appear as mattresses thereby averting the boy's death. The boy was then taken up thanks to the collective strength of their wings. Hitherto, the black eagles had never confronted the demon but now an unprecedented scene unfolded. They acted as the boy's wings. The boy discerned the fear that enveloped the demon's mind and he used it to his advantage. He tore the wings of the demon who screamed in agony before falling into a black hole. The Eagles had become his devotee thanks to the mantra he recited earlier which imparted devotion in them thereby freeing them of their bad karma. They still acted as a mattress on which he sat and the shining green door was meeting his eyes. Arjun thanked the eagles for their laudable support and then opened the green door which took him towards the coveted Brahmastra.

Could you believe it? Arjun had managed to overcome all the deadly obstacles that had conspired to cease his progress but here he was. The Brahmastra shone like a Sun God. There was a button which read, "Destruction of demons". He wore a divine smile on his face before pressing the button that put the demon world into shambles. He came out unscathed to join with his parents who seemed to have resuscitated themselves following their son's triumph. The entire world lauded the brave act of the boy which was etched into the history books.