Drauni Chapter 1: REAPPEARANCE

A slim yet a well build man was sitting on a chair in middle of a dark room with source of light just focused on him surrounded by darkness, with both of his arms strapped to the arms of chair, his waist tied to the body of chair and his head hanging from neck signaling he was unconscious with his long hairs suspended in front. His chair was surrounded by the people standing in the dark all looking at him. He was in Indian traditional attire, dhoti and kurta both being torn on multiple places. His body looked ragged and worn out like an old piece of garment yet it had a glow of youth. It had wounds and scars of injuries yet it was still intact and he still looked ripped.

“Wake him up!” a calm voice came from the darkness.

Water was thrown at him all of sudden from the dark side of the room. Water did wake him up a little, drenching his upper body. He gained a little consciousness, he opened his eyes very little and lifted his head up to see what was happening. He could not sustain his head up properly, it was still shaking a little. His eyes were closing on their own, it was hard for him to keep it open and pay attention in his conditions. Sensing he was tied to the chair he moved violently in all directions trying to escape from it. But was overpowered by his stuporness.

“Let's get started then?” The same voice came from darkness. “Let's start with simple questions. What is your name?”

“And why should I give you my name?” Tied guy questioned back.

“Oh I don’t know, because you are unconscious, tied to the chair and I’m incharge.”

He smiled a little beneath all his dense wall of hairs and nodded a little.

“Drauni, son of Dronacharya.”

“You know what age it is?”

“It’s ‘Kaliyug’, Age of Demons.”

He was answering very slowly with more pauses and was whispering the answer. 

“You were in isolation for more than a thousand years, why come out of it now?”

“It was about time.” Drauni mumbled.

“You could have come out way before too, but why now?”

“Because I wanted to.”

Drauni was gaining his consciousness back and was getting energetic enough to answer the questions properly, even his head had stopped shaking. He now was able to sustain it properly above his neck.

“And this seems to be the perfect time.” Drauni answered, he murmured a little but answered it perfectly.

“But still you haven't stated your motives yet.”

“There is only one reason for me to come into the living world and you know it.”

“I really don’t think you can do it and even if it becomes possible somehow, you are not capable of doing it.” He interrogated Drauni trying to provoke him to observe react to the statement and analyse his mental and physical health.

“You underestimate me, but you always underestimated me.” Drauni answered calmly.

“Why wouldn't I? You were way overvalued and all you could do was swing the sword properly and you were the son of Dronacharya..”

“I’ll take it as a compliment coming from you.” Drauni smiled again and nodded horizontally to remark that statement as a sarcasm.

“Do you still remember me? Surprising.”

Now Drauni had fully gained his consciousness and had started actively answering the questions. He was even able to look directly in darkness without shivering too and without drowsing off.

“Of course I remember you. You are Jarasandh.”

This answer compelled the man to come out of darkness into the light in the middle of the room. He was also a man who looked like he survived thousands of years with scars and healed injuries. But he was up to date when it came to attire. He was more muscular and more well built than Drauni himself. He had a sword in scabbard in his hand.

“Why do you have a sword with you when I’m clearly tied up and exhausted?” Drauni asked sarcastically.

“Just in case you know, knowing your temperament.” Jarasandh answered

“Out of isolation, you approach me. Why me? You could have directly gone for your target and could have gotten over it.” Jarasandh asked, his tone was condescending, still trying to provoke him.

“Because you are my enemy. Not my friend, but enemy of enemy.” Drauni said with a simple face, he continued “I know, you need my help more than I need your help to get things done here.” His last statement was a taunt more than just a help to Jarasandh. This statement finally gave a chance for Jarasandha to analyse what he actually was looking for.

“Does it hurt?” Jarasandh asked to divert his attention and get more ground covered for his overall status.

“What?” Drauni asked back confused.

“Your forehead, does it still hurt?”

Drauni had a dent on his forehead like the flesh of his forehead was ripped forcefully. It was noticeable even beneath the dense hair suspended in front of his face. Dent was red like it was freshly wounded. It was not overflowing but it looked like the blood would start flowing down his forehead wound anytime now.

“No. It does not hurt.”

“But it still looks fresh.”

“Actually it does hurt but it’s barely noticeable now.” Drauni tried giving a smile.

“Do you know where your sacred crown jewel is now?”

“I’m not sure but legend has it, he took it to heaven with him. But some suggest it is still on earth somewhere buried in sands of time, waiting to be discovered again. While I heard rumours it on crown of King Of Demons as one of his prized possession.”

“So, you want it back?” ‘And now we get into the juicy part. Now we can evaluate him on his actual answers.’ Jarasandh thought to himself.

“Oh, I want way more than that.” Drauni answered with a wicked grin on his face.

This answer and his facial expression alerted Jarasandh, because it was not the answer it was the tone to be focused on. There was something big in his mind and looked like much of it was actually planned way before

“What do you mean?” Jarasandh asked the followup question cautiously. The answer to this question was going to be the key to what their future would hold. Everyone in darkness now was listening very carefully and closely. There was total silence in the room for about a minute.

“Oh I will be the one that takes the King of Demons before he does. Denying him the last avatar and falsifying the prophecy.”

This answer stamped the certificate that Drauni had gone insane. Everyone in darkness just freaked out at his answer because it was not expected by him or anyone else in existence.

“I think you lost your mind in isolation.” Jarasandh said calmly trying to hide his panic.

“That is why, I came to you. And I don’t think anyone would be more invested in destroying his legacy than you do.”

“You are either too brave to do it or insane to even think about it. And come to me with such ridiculous proposal knowing I can’t do anything is preposterous”

“Let’s go with bravery.”

“What will you actually gain from it?”

“Everything I lost.”

“And not to mention change everything absurdly.Listen to me let bygones be bygone and move on. Go back in isolation and let everything go how it is going now.”

“After all I lost and what you lost. Don’t you think we didn’t deserve all that harsh treatment. I thought you would be more empathetic than that. I thought you know the pain of losing someone.”

“You think, the greater hand above all of us will be a bystander watching everything quietly?”

“He is residing in heaven now and has vowed not to take part in any of it till the end of time, hasn’t he?”

“Yes until you decide to show up. You need to understand one thing, you are the wild card even for him. He will intervene one way or another, knowing you have entered the play.”

“I don't think it changes anything. Even if it means me surfacing up in the living world.”

“Oh but unfortunately it does. It changes the whole game and complicates the multiple equations.”

Drauni sensed the anxiety beneath the peaceful composure of Jarasandh. Even when he was smiling or he was with no expression, Drauni sensed the nervousness his face was trying to hide.

“Then it becomes simple, when he intervenes, we’ll consider it as the end of time for us.”

“Your answer does not help our case in any way possible. Instead it just made all of us more anxious”

“I know, I cannot help you with this one. You are just roped in the game that is going to play out in future.”

The cats were finally out of the bag. Jarasandh recognized the bigger play was just carved out of the future and there was no use to stay in denial. Best he could do now was to play his part and stay out of trouble and cause minimum ruckus and attract less attention to himself. This was the only way in front of him now.

“So tales of Isolation, how did you spend all these years?”

“Let's keep that story for some other day.”

“I’m interested, what can a person do for thousands of years that too alone wandering without anyone’s company. I heard rumours that you used to sneak back into the living world and many people spotted you and recognized you.”

“Enough of circling round and round, why don’t you come straight to the point?”

“We need to check whether you are in the right mind before we can even think about discussing it.”

“For last time I have not lost my mind, I’m more sane than ever considering I had the world's time to think about it and plan it and I know the risk.” Drauni answered and now the tone was shifting towards frustration.

“Oh I don’t think you know the risk at all.”

“I have spent thousands of years alone in isolation, what is a bad thing that can happen to us?”

“We all could die for one.” Jarasandh answered sarcastically trying to cool the atmosphere.

“Or we could cleanse this age for one and claim back what is ours.”

“We lost, we fought and lost. Nothing good can come from it and again nothing good will ever come from what you are thinking.”

“I don’t care until it brings me my vengeance.” This answer freaked everyone out again.

“So this is it all about, getting your vengeance?” Jarasandh asked with great concern

“What don't you trust me anymore?”

“No, and I never trusted anyway even back in the day.”

“I was one of the best warriors and you know it no matter how many times you deny it.”

“That was before your isolation.”

“And you think isolation changes anything. Also I was not sitting idle in isolation, I was sharpening my skills.”

“Not to forget poisoning your mind with vengeance.” Jarasandh taunted. “I don’t think its a good decision to go down with a poisoned mind. You’ve gone crazy in isolation.” He continued.

Drauni was getting exasperated with every sentence that was wasting his time and he finally lost it.

“Yes I’ve gone crazy. Crazy with the pain of guilt I’ve been carrying on my shoulders this whole time. Pain of isolation away from humanity, evolution and mankind. Pain of curse that I carry on my forehead. Pain of my body that I dragged with me for all this long time.” Drauni finally snapped.

“I think you are missing your crime before isolation.”

These words made him more furious than earlier, that the dent in his forehead started glowing red.

“You think I’m fond or proud of what I did. I’ve been buried in my deeds that I can never climb up from the crimes of it. And I can never forgive myself for my past life. I’ve been haunted by the past to till the date, I hear the cries and pain. But what they did was wrong too. They were more deceitful and cunning than me. They killed my father deviously.”

“But your crime was much more bigger than their combined.”

This angered him much more, that his forehead dent was glowing more red than earlier and you could sense anger in his eyes even if they were covered by his hair. Sensing the anger, Jarasandh drew his sword from scabbard. He knew it would come handy when the conversation would heat up. Everyone in the darkness also picked up their respective weapons and were in defensive mode.

“Calm down, you are distressing everyone present here.”

These words calmed him down immediately like it brought him back to his senses. “Sorry for my tone and behaviour, just went with the flow” Drauni said while the glow in the dent was fading away.

“It’s okay, let your anger flow out. It will heal you better.” Man smiled. “You still haven’t lost your glow in you.” he continued.

“It’s just anger that piled up over the course of a thousand years.”

“Loose him up.” he gestured to one of his aides.

One of the aides emerged from the darkness and walked towards his chair in the middle. He untied his arms first and then the body while Drauni helped him too. Once untied, Drauni got up and cracked his knuckles while walking towards Jarasandh with a smile on his face. As soon Drauni reached near Jarasandh, he punched him so hard in his face that Jarasandh fell down on the ground. Everyone in the darkness was alert again with weapons ready in hand if they needed to attack.

“This is for earlier.” Drauni said calmly, Jarasandh smiled at him.

“You could have broken the ties and freed yourself when you fully gained your consciousness.”

“Yeah, I had to prove I am sane and still in control of my actions.”

“Fair enough.” he gestured to his aides to stand down.

Drauni smiled and extended his hands towards the Jarasandh, with the help of extended hand and got up on his feet.

“So what is the first step in your master plan?” Man asked, dusting his pants.

“On my way out of isolation, one name made its way to my ear.”

“Whose?” Jarasandh asked curiously.

“Bhasmasur.”

Everyone standing started looking at each other with uneasiness on their face. They knew Bhasmasur meant business, he was the big game and it wouldn't be easy to take him down even with whatever man power they had currently.

“I Heard he was resurrected by the ‘Kali’ and has regained his old powers.” Drauni continued.

“The name you just took is not a small pawn, he is one of the big games now in this age. He has earned his name back and the terror with it. He has grown tremendously powerful and holds major influence over everyone. Defeating him will not be an easy task.”

“Yes, but it will send the message to everyone about my arrival. Whole age is about to be turned upside down.”

A wicked grin came naturally on Drauni’s face.