𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒌𝒉𝒂, a young cheerful girl from Kaliyug, is reborn as the sister of the Pandavas after she dies. She was the apple of their eyes, their soul, their peace.
She was Yudishthir's mind.
She was Bheem's strength.
She was Arjun's eyes.
She...
"I'm awake! I'm fine!" She shouted with a jolt and sat upright for a moment, before realising all eyes were on her and that she had fallen asleep while sitting, again. She loosened up, sighing.
"I'm not sleepy." She stated as the people around her nodded, pretending to believe her.
"Either way, you should sleep." Satya suggested.
"I legally can't."
They sighed, moving on with the conversation.
"Me and Indu will have a talk with the teacher to make sure she isn't over worked." Kanha explained as Smika walked over to sit beside him. She flattened her yellow cloth as she passed him a smile. Madhu, who was already beside Nakul, gave Smika a playful glare for leaving her alone.
"Now that this discussion is over, we're just going to have to increase security around Indu. He can strike at night time, whenever." Sahadev suggested as she nodded.
"And, during the night, I won't be bored and I can talk to them! Perfect." Indu huffed with a smile. Her brothers sighed, nodding nonetheless. What followed next was a series of discussing and talking, Smika cuddling with Kanha, Madhu not letting go of her father's hand, Satyadev laying on the mattress due to his abdomen's injury, Indu passing comforting glances to Karn, Nakul and Sahadev questioning a lot about Indu's "abilities", Bheem worrying about the faint redness he can see around Karn's eyes and Yudishthir falling deep in thought about the circumstances.
After a while, everyone returned to their chambers to rest and Indulekha and Krishna headed out in the open. They stayed in silence for a while, waiting for the supposed instructor who was to teach her how to control this light.
"Sorry—" The woman panted; she'd just run all the way to them, "—I really didn't want to be late! I came as soon as I heard." She was dressed in a pink sari, jewellery minimal and her smile enough as an ornament for her. Her churamani was firm on her head, the moon's light making the stones in it shine. Indu took one look into her eyes and felt all her worries vanish.
"Subhadre, take a breath and then, talk." Kanha smiled, and the younger Yadav obeyed her brother and calmed down. Indu sighed in relief, content upon seeing her teacher be someone none other than her friend whom she adored. Back in Kanyakul, they'd joke about illusions and "magic", but now that one of them can literally cause hallucinations, it all felt like a distant dream. But it made sense to Indu; who else was she to learn maya and yoga from if not Yogmaya herself?
"Alright, I'm fine."
"My little sister, Subhadra, will teach you how to take control over this power. Trust her and her teachings, and you'll be able to bend this light to your wish." Kanha told her, ruffling his sister's hair as she pouted.
"Sis, you'll be able to do it?" He whispered to which she shrugged. He then nodded and feigned an innocent smile towards Indu who looked at the two Yadav siblings in horror. He soon left the two alone to discuss and practice, as they headed towards an open area in between the tents.
The two friends arrived at the place, a few tents around them and the place devoid of soldiers. The ground was compact with dirt, a few weeds here and there and rocks scattered around.
"What are we doing?" Indulekha asked, her voice quiet and soft.
"Training," A reply came as Subhadra sat on the ground, her legs folded.
"You meditated in your vanvas as well, right? It should be easy for you then. You'll meditate everyday before beginning the training."
Indu nodded, taking a breath in as she sat on the dirt, not caring if her sari got dirty. Subhadra simply gave her a wide smile, gesturing her to begin. While Indu started, the YadavKanya drew on the dirt using her left hand's fingers.
Indu began, taking in slow breaths and releasing them, regaining a calm state of mind. Serene thoughts and images of Krishna with his flute passed in her mind, leaving her entranced. She pictured his lush hair, the peacock feather crowning his head and his yellow dhoti adorning his body. It brought a sense of tranquillity in her mind. Each breath played the rhythm of his flute. It felt like diving into an ocean of silence, where all thoughts and worries left her. Her drowsiness was long gone and her freshness made her feel alive.
Meditation made her catch up with her sleep.
"Done?" Subhadra questioned, seeing Chandraputri's dark circles vanish and her sunken cheeks regain their colour.
"Done."
"Let's start then," She urged her to stand up. They stood beside each other. Indu felt a warm feeling arise in her chest after she finished meditating, which the YadavKanya asked her to focus on. Her palms felt tingly as they shivered and yet, no light came out of it. She faced them towards herself, straining the muscles with effort.
"Don't think of anything,"
"What? I was thinking something meaningful, you know, like in the movies."
"This isn't some movie for people's entertainment, Indu. Do not think of a single thing. Make your mind blank, zone out if you must." Subhaddra scolded her, her voice going from chirpy to mother-like in a moment.
Indu did as told, closing her eyes and trying her best to think of nothing. And when she did that, her mind kept repeating 'nothing,'. After a while of straining and long breaths, her mind went empty.
Indu opened her eyes when she felt her palm burn. The creases on her palm emitted a white light, so faint that Indu had to squint to see them. She slightly folded her fingers towards it, as if trying to encase it.
"I guess that's good enough for the first day." Subhadra sighed, not satisfied with the result. "By tomorrow, your palms should completely glow. Later on, we'll focus on how to make you control it without having to blank your mind."
"I sure hope so."
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