An interlude to Sunset

The Part where The Lord seeks answers and fights back - Krishna

Yudhistira started to direct his brothers but the Aswinikumars were already back to mixing the medicines and even as Krishna watched, with increasing pride, the wounds on Arjun's body started closing up. But what was worrying him was that newer ones kept forming even as the older wounds healed.

Pitamah Bhisma and Guru Drone were both transferring as much energy as Parth's body would receive but it seemed to make no perceivable difference. Bhrata Bheema was also standing next to Arjun's bed with tear marks staining his face.

Once he caught sight of Nakul and his wounded cheek, he moved over, gently held his brother's chin and asked, "Who?" There was no anger in Bheem's voice, only grief.

Nakul shook his head but Bheem understood.

"Jyestha. Jyestha lost his cool!" He murmured. "What did you do to provoke him?"

Picking up a jar containing healing balm, he placed a tiny bit on Nakul's wound and it closed up, leaving behind just a faint bruise.

"Later?" Was Nakul's plaintive request and Bheem acquiesced, dropping the question. "Do we know how to help Arjun?" He asked instead.

Overlooking the happenings around, Krishna made his way back towards Arjun and picked up his prone friend's hand. His fingers found and pressed upon the pulse point and found it to be worryingly slow; Parth's heart was giving up bit by bit.

Krishna again felt the back of his eyes burn and he tightened his grip. With little thought to anything else, he started to slip into a trance, needing to connect back to Arjun.

Gradually, he blinded himself to the surroundings, little by little he started shutting out the voices...

The thoughts....

The constant flow of energy...

The darkness seeping from Parth but unable to cloud his purity...

Parth's pulse beats...his heart labouring for each sluggish pump of blood...

And yet there was so much clarity within his mind.... His mind....

"Parth..." Krishna called out, yet no words were heard. Krishna was again trying to find that barely present link back to Arjun's mind.

"Parth...? Listen to my voice, Parth...My dear friend..." Krishna fell deeper into his trance. He could now only barely hear the others.

From Yudhistira... "Shouldn't we test Arjun's blood from somewhere other than the site of the wound?"

"Good idea, Jyestha." Nakul's reply.

"Maharishi Ved Vyas should be here soon..." From Guru Drone.

Bhrata Bheem's voice..."...should be good...Jyestha you hit my poor brother so hard..."

"...I am sorry...but ..."

"....deserved it...I deserved...."

"...no child..." Jyestha

"...probably did..." Bhrata Bheem

And suddenly there was absolute silence... His ears started ringing...He could hear his own heartbeats...he could hear his own thoughts magnified several times...he could feel his ears burn...

Krishna opened his eyes and almost gasped.

He stood in his own chambers, at his very own Dwaraka.

He stood on the balcony overlooking the dark ocean line; it was night time. The ocean looked dark and mysterious; teeming with life and yet, at a glance, it looks so dead. It looked very different from what the ocean at Dwaraka actually looked like.