The Tranquil Three

14. The Dark Side

"What happened to Kanishth 6 and Kanishth 5? How were they killed? We had sent so many soldiers, yet how did we lose?" She asked in anger. The minister said in a scared voice, "My... My lady... the elemental... the elemental sages' Grandchildren were the ones who defeated the army. And the Grandson of the Water Sage killed Kanishth 6 and Kanishth 5." Her anger was on cloud nine.

It was the Dark Queen. She was very furious. She asked her minister to summon Kanishth 3 and Kanishth 4. They both were summoned. Dark Queen said, "You both are now the incharges to defeat those Three."

The Dark Queen ruled over the land of Tamaslok, which was the complete opposite of Mayalok. All the beings living in Tamaslok were known for their cruel, greedy, wicked, evil and dishonest ways. The soil in Tamaslok was black, the trees were purple, the sky was dark and there was an overall feeling of darkness everywhere. The Dark Queen had vowed to avenge her grandfather, who was once a friend of the Three Sages.

"I would never spare those three Sages for killing my Gramps. And I would finish everyone who would come in my way" she said and suddenly burst out in tears. Her husband came to calm her down. She was so raged, that she killed her husband with her Dark magic.

The Dark Queen had become consumed by her pledge, losing sight of what was right and wrong. Her actions and decisions were clouded, leaving her blind to the consequences of her actions. Even the murder of her husband did not elicit any remorse from her, as she had become as cold and ruthless as the darkness that surrounded her.

She had 12 ministers who were the masters of dark elements - powerful and intimidating. She reminisced, "Many decades ago, Mayalok's sages killed my grandpa. He was the only one who understood the true power of darkness and had created an army to conquer all dimensions, but he never accomplished it. I swear on all the dark elements that I will fulfil my grandpa's wish by conquering all the dimensions." She had sworn the Revenge and she asked her ministers to attack the other dimensions except Mayalok. Her Ministers asked her why to spared Mayalok, to which she replied that they would start a Big war upon them. Her Ministers agreed.

Two days after the Dark Queen's army was ready to attack, they began their assault on the first dimension. Out of the 100 dimensions, they chose the Bhutlok (Realm of Ghosts). The army was merciless and killed every single ghost in that dimension. After the attack, the Dark Queen stationed 200 guards to keep watch over the now-empty dimension.

Over the next six months, the Dark Queen's army continued their campaign of destruction, attacking 25 more dimensions without mercy. Even children were not spared. As a result, every dimension began to fear for their existence.

""What? What are you saying, Mriganaresh? How is this possible?" Vikram exclaimed in disbelief.

"My lord, my intel sources indicate that over the past 6 months, the dark queen has killed the inhabitants of 25 other dimensions, amounting to approximately 2.5 million people," Ahivati reported with sadness. "We must act quickly to assist those dimensions that are still at risk. What do you suggest we do?"

Vikram and Ahivati were both deeply troubled by the news of the massive loss of innocent lives. Mrignaresh asked for permission to leave, and after receiving it, he departed. Ahivati expressed her concern to Vikram, "My love, I am worried. What if the Dark Queen attacks us again? We suffered casualties during the last attack." Vikram reassured her, "Ahi, don't worry. I, along with Pavitra, Kadambari and the Great Sages, will protect Mayalok from the Dark Queen. You can train with me to become a fine warrior. You must possess Serpent powers, don't you?" Ahivati nodded and Vikram asked her to demonstrate her powers. Together, they went to the Palace training ground where he stood at a safe distance. He asked her to attack him with full force, despite her concerns about causing serious harm to him.

She stood upright and closed her eyes, interlocking her fingers. Her tail emitted a white blaze while her jawline revealed white scales similar to those on her lower body. As she opened her eyes, her pupils were as sharp as needles, and her hands were engulfed in snake-headed flames. In a flash, she rushed towards her opponent and shouted, "Serpent style: The Fangs of Venom," unleashing a powerful attack that landed on his right chest. He had two fang marks and became dizzy, then fainted. She quickly caught him and realized her mistake. She placed her right palm on the wound and healing flames of cyan color emanated from it. He regained consciousness and she cried, "Vikram, I'm sorry. I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you."

He gently caressed her cheeks and reassured her, "Don't worry, my love. I would never leave you. But what caused me to lose consciousness? Was it your venom?" She nodded and replied, "Yes, the venom is the most potent weapon of our lineage. It can kill any normal person within a fraction of a second upon contact. However, there is something special about you. Pitashri had mentioned that only the greatest sage Ramaraman Khedekar was immune to our venom. No one else can resist its deadly effects."

How was Vikramaditya immune to Ahivati's venom? Did they share any more relations other than lineage? Would he be going to know something that would awe him?

To be continued...