Svetavastra heard them before he saw them—muted voices that carried through the mist. Two figures slowly emerged from the dense fog, their outlines vague, shifting like ghosts. As the mist parted momentarily, Svetavastra recognized them. Toyesha, the once-dreaded Kapala Chief, who had gone berserk and annihilated an entire city with the power of his corrupted yaksha mani and Lakhan, his ever-loyal comrade.

Instinctively, Svetavastra changed into his male skin and tugged the blindfold back over his eyes. The cosmic form watched this response with interest, her eyes carrying a faint glint.

She prefers the male skin, thought the cosmic form to herself. Interesting.

The preta was silent and kept a vigil. By now, he had learned to patiently watch and judge the situation before making any comments. There was so much he needed to know and learn to gain the enlightenment he needed to get liberated from the preta form.

“Stay here,” said Svetavastra to her cosmic form. “Let me take care of this.”

“Sure,” said the cosmic form.

Svetavastra moved forward, each step cutting through the heavy fog. As he neared, Toyesha turned, recognition flashing in his scarred face—a face hardened by war, guilt, and the deep shadows of the past.

“Cultivator,” Toyesha rasped.

Even in the dim light of the mist, Svetavastra could see it—Toyesha’s face was gaunt with the burden of his sins.

“Cultivator Svetavastra!” Lakhan said and bowed. “We finally found you!”

“How are you two faring?” Svetavastra asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he gestured for them to follow. “Come. Let’s move to a place where we can speak more freely.”

With a wave of his hand, Svetavastra parted the entwined vines of the forest, revealing a hidden path that led them away from the oppressive mist. Sunlight filtered through the trees, and Lakhan visibly relaxed, a small grin of relief spreading across his face.

“Cultivator,” he said. “Our eternal gratitude, you do not know for how long we had been stuck there! I thought we would never get out!”

“That mist is beguiling,” nodded Svetavastra. “Did the yaksha mani help you to locate me, Toyesha?”

Toyesha nodded.

“What place is this?” he asked, glancing around as the sun’s rays cut through the dense forest canopy.

“This is the home of a mystical spring,” said Svetavastra. “It’s somewhat more difficult to locate than the Amarkantak one, you come from. Maybe one day, you can clear the mist here and cleanse yourself in the spring. Might help you channel your powers better.”

“Ohh,” said Toyesha blinking, slightly surprised. “You need cleansing as well, Cultivator?”

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“Of course,” said Svetavastra with a smile. “We all need help from time to time.”

“Hmm,” said Toyesha, he seemed troubled.

“I purified myself at the Amarkantak spring,” he continued. “But while I recovered my physical energy, my conscience… is haunted by the massacre I caused. It fills my every waking moment, I cannot escape it. The massacre… the city I destroyed. Every moment, I see their faces. I hear their screams. There is no peace for me.”

“That is natural,” said Svetavastra. “If it was that easy to absolve the sins we commit, wouldn’t everyone just wash them away by going to one holy spring or the other?”

“Indeed,” said Toyesha. “What should I do cultivator? I feel purposeless. I took up the mantle of Kapala Chief to protect the sidelined Kapala clan but now Prince Aryaman has rehabilitated the remnants of the Kapala Army. They lead a normal life now. There’s no need for a bandit army anymore. Or a bandit chief like me.”

That’s commendable of Aryaman, thought Svetavastra to himself.

“You gave me your word that you would help me fight the darkness,” reminded Svetavastra.

“Yes,” said Toyesha. “I stand by that and for that reason, I return to you.”

“What troubles you, Toyesha,” asked Svetavastra noticing the hesitancy in the former bandit chief’s eyes.

“What if I get consumed by darkness again?” he said. “What if I become their instrument and commit these unpardonable acts of terror.”

Svetavastra was silent for a moment and then he sensed it.

“You have sealed your yaksha powers,” he remarked.

“I cannot take a chance on them,” said Toyesha. “The power is too great if it’s misused. I do not trust myself anymore.”

Svetavastra’s lips tightened.

“Sealing the Yaksha Mani is not the solution. You are simply running from the issue.”

Toyesha’s eyes widened slightly. “I… I can’t—”

“You seek escape,” Svetavastra said. “But there is no escape, Toyesha. Not from the blood on your hands.”

Without warning, he dropped to his knees, the sound muted by the thick grass beneath him. Lakhan, silent as ever, stood a few paces behind, his posture stiff, betraying a tension he couldn’t hide.

“What do I do, Cultivator,” Toyesha said dejected.

“You fear your powers because you have lost the purpose in your life,” Svetavastra said. He crouched so that he was at Toyesha’s eye level.

“Whatever you are going through right now will take time to heal,” said Svetavastra. “You can do a great deal of good when you channel the yaksha mani to protect and to preserve. Learn to be compassionate towards all of humanity, that is the only way to atone for what you did.”

“How do I do that, cultivator?” asked Toyesha feeling helpless.

Svetavastra thought for a moment.

“If you head North, beyond the cliff of Kailashan,” he said. “You will find a brotherhood of monks, they recently were attacked by the demon lord Raktabija and his army that is spreading darkness and wreaking havoc on Bhu-loka. It will take our combined powers to take down Raktabija. I still need to recover some of my powers.”

Toyesha listened with attention.

“But for the time being, the monks can create arrays that can keep the darkness at bay temporarily,” said Svetavastra. “As we speak, they must be travelling from kingdom to kingdom trying to warn people of the impending darkness.”

“Ohh,” said Lakhan remembering something, “We witnessed a mass exodus while we were descending the mountain of Amarkantak. There’s a narrow pass between the mountains and we saw hundreds if not thousands of people - of all ages, migrating southward through it, possibly from the North. They seemed to be escaping something terrible as they had nothing but their clothes and loved ones. They looked scared out of their wits and hopeless.”

“The darkness seems to be spreading faster than I expected,” commented Svetavastra. He looked straight into Toyesha’s eyes, the blindfold notwithstanding. He put his hand on Toyesha’s shoulder,

“Go find the monks and help them on their mission,” Svetavastra said. “Until you can find the purpose you seek, make their purpose yours.”

“I will,” Toyesha said with determination. Svetavastra pulled him up and patted him.

As Toyesha and Lakhan left with their newly found mission, cosmic Svetavastra appeared from the shadows of the forest. Svetavastra’s gaze was distant, troubled.

“We must find Manu,” said Svetavastra, his brows creased.