"Haha… Chakravartin seed! Then I will sever your path to the Chakravartin!" Darpasura's delirious laughter echoed in Adhiraj's ears.

  The weakened Rahupā?a strike Adhiraj's body. Rahu's curse strikes his body, the ground beneath him fractures with a deep, hollow groan, and before any hand can reach him, the dark abyssal trench born of Rahu's accursed power swallows him. The moonlight aura around him fades, and the illusory chakravartin wheel vanishes. Rain and rubble crash down together as he falls into blackness. His consciousness turns hazy, and the echoes of cries for help fade in his ears.

  A cold sensation envelops him, and the feeling of weightlessness overwhelms him. Before the darkness consumes him, his last vestige of will urges him to grasp at straws. In the overbearing darkness, he stretches his hand and grabs onto the shred of hope.

  Adhiraj's consciousness fades, and he falls into a deep coma. His body falls into a raging river with a violent, merciless current. His body is dragged beneath the surface; his armour scrapes against the stone. The faint glowing eyes of the eagle-shaped pauldron dim down.

  The river carries him far away to an unknown place, dragging him through rocky bends and vast stretches of trees. Countless old and new wounds reopen on his body, washed away by the cold current of the river.

  After an uncertain amount of time, the raging river calms down, turning into a gentle stream.

  Adhiraj's body was finally cast ashore on a muddy riverbank, bruised, buried in reeds and wet sand. His breath is shallow, his skin pale with lingering remnants of Rahu's power, faintly pulsing underneath his skin.

  In his hazy consciousness, Adhiraj hears a few playful, light-hearted chuckles filled with childish innocence.

  A group of children playing near the river's bank notices Adhiraj's floating body.

  The children are stunned and slightly afraid of an unknown person floating in the river.

  "Should we go and check?" One kid asks.

  "What if he is a bad person? The elders in the village told us to be wary of strangers." Another kid hesitates and responds.

  Their steps pause mid-step.

  "But what if this person needs help?" Another kid whispers.

  "I… I am the eldest among us; I… I will go and check." A little girl who seems to be the oldest among them steps forward.

  She gathers her courage and walks closer to the riverbank. Her eyes are wide with fear and wonder, and her steps are slow and cautious.

  Adhiraj suddenly rolls over from the water pressure. His sudden movement gave the little girl a huge fright.

  Ahh… A few timid kids scream in fear and rush towards the village.

  "That… that's a person!" Only a few brave kids inspect Adhiraj with slight curiosity and fear.

  "Don't get too close to him. What if he bites you?" A little boy warns the girl.

  "Then I will check him from afar." The little girl picks up a weak, mouldy wooden stick from the ground and pokes Adhiraj with it.

  Argh… Adhiraj groans in pain, startling the little kids. The kids jump back in fright, but aren't as afraid as they were initially.

  "He's not dead," the little girl whispers, noticing the faint rise and fall of Adhiraj's chest.

  "He… he looks to be hurt…" The little boy edges closer and glances at the bruised and battered body of Adhiraj and mutters.

  A few moments later, several hurried footsteps echoed near the riverbank. Several villagers gather at the riverbank and carefully pull Adhiraj out of the water.

  The villagers notice Adhiraj's severely wounded state but are hesitant to touch him any further.

  "His injuries may worsen if we handle him too roughly." A tall, rough man with an axe, the village's woodcutter mutters.

  "Then what should we do? If left untreated, this person might die." Another man mutters.

  "Looking at his clothes and figure, he seems to be a noble warrior." Another man with a scholarly appearance hinted.

  "Only the lady healer can treat this person." As if remembering something, the woodcutter mutters, a relieved smile on his face.

  "Yes, if it's the lady Aadya, then she can definitely treat this man." The scholar nods in agreement.

  "Uncle Charan, elder sister Gayatri is already on her way to the lady healer's house." The little boy from before steps forward.

  "That's a relief to hear." The woodcutter with the axe nods with a smile.

  A few moments later, a veiled figure arrives at the scene. With calm, graceful steps, she moves towards the unconscious Adhiraj. Her presence is soothing, grounding, causing the commotion to die down instantly. The villagers quickly parted aside to give her way.

  The veiled figure kneels beside Adhiraj. She brushes wet hair from his brow and examines the injuries on his body. Her expression instantly shifts from curiosity to concern.

  "His injuries aren't ordinary. He requires immediate care, or else he won't survive another day. It's a miracle he has survived so far." She says in a soft but urgent tone.

  The figure takes out a small metal box from her satchel. She pries open the box with her tender fingers, and a strong medicinal scent wafts through the air. The medicinal smell of herbs and roots quickly spread outward. The box contains a thick green medicinal paste, Jadibuti—a complex paste of specific herbs, roots, and other plant parts with strong medicinal and healing properties.

  She applied the green medicinal paste over Adhiraj's open wounds. After rubbing the Jadibuti, she lifts her hand and brings it closer to Adhiraj's body.

  She opens her mouth; her lips quiver slightly; rapid chants of ancient texts flow from her mouth.

  "O? o? ra? ra? rī? rī? pha? pha? daha daha hana hana bhī?aya bhī?aya nama?…"

  [Vaidya Tantra: Pra?amana]

  As she chanted, her palm glowed faintly. A soft, warm, green light full of vitality radiated from her palm and spread across Adhiraj's body.

  The wounds closed, and the torn flesh stitches itself slowly but gently. The soft glow seeped deeper, tracing faint lines of light through Adhiraj's veins. However, a faint line of black energy erupts from within Adhiraj's body and swallows the green light, halting the healing prince.

  "This is… a curse!" she frowned, her brows tightly knit together.

  The healer turns to the villager.

  "His injuries are quite serious, and he needs urgent medical attention. Please carry him to the infirmary for further treatment."

  With practised care, she directs the villagers to lift him and carry him into the village.

  * * *

  Several days pass by in the blink of an eye.

  The villagers moved the unconscious Adhiraj to Aadya's clinic. At her clinic, she would meticulously treat Adhiraj's wounds every day.

  Rahu's powerful curse was slowly consuming his vitality and prana, making recovery difficult. Adhiraj was trapped in a comatose state. His body could sense the gentle medical treatment of someone, and his consciousness was aware that he was far from his kingdom, and kind strangers attended to his broken body. But he lacked the strength to open his eyes, much less pay gratitude to his saviour.

  He could only lie down and helplessly let the villagers and the healer tend to him. Aadya was also aware of his state and thus continued her treatment with more precision and intensity.

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  Every day at dawn, she would climb the mountain to fetch precious herbs to make medicine. She would spend most of her time tending to Adhiraj's while also occasionally treating the villagers' ailments.

  The villagers will respond to her kindness in their own ways. The village hunter would share his prey with her. Farmers would deliver their fresh fruits, vegetables, and other produce to her to repay her kindness. The village woodcutter would deliver chopped firewood, and the seamstress would prepare clothes, curtains, and other clothing for the clinic. The village blacksmith would carefully craft surgical tools on her request, and many villagers would deliver food to her every day.

  The village kids would regularly visit the clinic to play with the kind healer lady. The village chief, who came to deliver fruits and check on Adhiraj, smiles as he sees Aadya playing with the kids.

  In his eyes, Lady Aadya had an ethereal, otherworldly presence of a divine figure. She was a gentle, compassionate and noble saviour.

  She was a kind stranger who appeared in their village two years ago. Two years ago, a strange plague spread across their small town. Children, youngsters, old folks, and even adults fell prey to this plague. The plague was horrifying; several swollen, rotten, pus-filled pustules spread across the victim's body.

  High fever, intense chills, headache, and severe weakness became common. Their small settlement was isolated in the mountains, away from any major town. Thus, there was no outside help, and the villagers had to rely on themselves.

  Children and the weak old folks were the first to fall ill. The villagers were startled and immediately performed a purifying Yajna to purge the plague, but the plague was too strong, and they were helpless against its power. Soon, even adults fell prey to it.

  Left untreated for too long, the plague festered, and the pustules ruptured, oozing malodorous, infected fluid that emitted the stench of decay. Even the village cattle and other domestic animals fell prey to this plague and began dying.

  The rotting, dead carcass poisoned the air and water, turning the situation grim. Soon, deaths occurred, and several weak children and old folks lost their lives.

  Just as the plague reached its most ferocious state, Lady Aadya descended on their village on a white horse. She was like a celestial deity, ethereal and untouchable by worldly filth. Yet she carried an aura of purity and coolness that dispelled all evil. She held a small medicinal earthen pot in one hand and a small broom in the other.

  The medicinal water from her pot relieved them of their pain, suffering, and diseases. Her medicine nursed them back to health, and the swing of her broom wiped away the plague from their land. Her auspicious presence rejuvenated the village. Since her visit, no famine, drought, or ailment has plagued the small village.

  The villagers treated her like a deity and worshipped her. They regarded her as the incarnation of a goddess who descended to the mortal world to relieve their suffering.

  "Lady Aadya, here are today's offerings." The old village chief respectfully bowed his head.

  He places a burlap sack full of fruits and vegetables in the yard.

  "Uncle Bidur!" Aadya greets the old village chief with a smile and helplessly accepts the offering.

  In the past, she attempted to refuse them, but looking at these villagers' pure, grateful eyes, she could only helplessly accept their kindness.

  She smiles cheerfully and distributes most of the fruit among the little kids playing in the yard. The kids happily munch on the fruit, chatter, and play with radiant smiles.

  After playing with the kids, she returned to her cottage. She carefully placed the remaining fruit into a basket and picked up herbs and other medicinal plants.

  She carefully ground them into a paste and mixed them with other ingredients to create medicine. After grinding the herbs, she sorted them into different jars.

  "It has been almost two years since I came to this village."

  As a wandering healer who is on a journey to hone her skills and seek the blessing of the Great Goddess in her trial, she came across this remote village out of sheer luck. Perhaps it was the Goddess's guidance that led her here.

  When she first arrived, the village was struck by a powerful plague, and its people were miserable. With no outside help, this small place was almost extinct.

  So, with her knowledge and medicine in hand, she cured the plague in this place. She purified the drinking water, burned the festering corpses and carcasses, and brewed medicinal herbs to treat the villagers.

  With her constant efforts in treatment and purification, and the villagers' cooperation, the plague took her almost two years to eradicate. This plague was no ordinary plague; it was more like a curse born from the powers of an ancient malefic demon, Ketū.

  The villagers renovated an empty house to turn it into a clinic. Since then, the clinic has become her home and a place for villagers to seek treatment.

  But she couldn't stay in this place forever. So, before her departure, she hoped to prepare enough medicines for the villagers to be self-sufficient. During these two years, she took an apprentice and taught the young girl most of her common medicinal recipes, basic healing arts and tantras.

  The young girl, Nandini, was quite a quick learner. She quickly picked up her teachings and became proficient in recognising the symptoms of the most common diseases.

  Under her guidance, Nandini quickly learned treatment methods, remedies, and basic surgeries. Now, she handles most of the patients in the clinic, leaving Aadya with enough time to make preparations.

  After sorting the herbs, Aadya picked up a bamboo quill. She dipped it into ink made of charcoal soot and ashes and wrote on parchment.

  Within the past two years, she has compiled most of her knowledge into different books. After her departure, these books, alongside the small clinic, will become Nandini's inheritance.

  Nandini is an orphan. Her parents passed away at a very young age, leaving her with an elderly grandmother. Before Aadya's arrival, her grandmother was the village's chief healer. She wasn't as proficient as Aadya in medical arts, but her knowledge and experience were bountiful.

  The old lady fostered Nandini as her successor, teaching her most of her knowledge and herbal remedies. However, despite her experience, her healing prowess was insufficient to handle such a powerful plague born from Ketū's curse.

  The old lady also fell ill because of frequent contact with the sick villagers. And she passed away before Aadya's arrival, leaving the entire village in a grim condition. Nandini took over her grandmother's responsibilities to treat the sick people, but her experience and knowledge were lacking, and a demonic deity's curse was too much for her to handle.

  When Aadya arrived, she found Nandini exhausted and overworked despite being afflicted with plague. Aadya quickly took over the healing, and Nandini became her assistant.

  Impressed by the young girl's persistence and hunger for knowledge, Aadya took her in as her disciple. She taught her everything, withholding nothing back, and the girl, like a sponge, absorbed almost all of Aadya's knowledge.

  With Nandini holding the reins in the village, Aadya felt assured to depart and continue her journey to heal more ailments throughout the world.

  However, just as she was about to bid farewell to the villagers and depart this remote mountain, the villagers found an unconscious man washed up by the stream.

  Aadya sighs and glances at the unconscious Adhiraj on the cot.

  This man is severely injured with several deep wounds, most likely from battle. He needs immediate medical attention to survive. His life is hanging by a thread, and without proper treatment, he would most likely pass away.

  As a healer, she couldn't watch an injured person suffer. So, she requested the villagers to transfer him to her clinic.

  With the addition of a new patient, her stay in the village became indefinite. The injured man had several wounds on his body, old and new. With just a glance, she could recognise the nature of these wounds. Most of his old wounds from battle and the new wounds and bruises were from a fall, likely on rocks.

  The external wounds are minor, but the internal injuries are more severe. Several of his internal organs were ruptured, likely a result of foreign prana. Given time, with a warrior's powerful physique and regeneration, these injuries should have healed a long time ago. However, a powerful curse was interfering with his healing. The curse not only slowed down the healing to almost a halt, but it even festered within the internal wounds, feeding upon the warrior's prana to sustain itself.

  "The curse cast on him is too powerful. I am afraid even if my teacher were here, she too wouldn't be able to dispel this course completely. It's rooted too deep within his body, soul, and it even intertwines with his destiny and fate."

  Prana swirls around Aadya's body and gathers in her eyes. Her eyes flicker with a verdant glow.

  [Vaidya Tantra: Roganidāna]

  In her divine sight, flesh becomes translucent; layers of muscle and bone flicker with currents of prā?a and life force. The prince's life-force appears before her like a river, strong, youthful, and full of vitality.

  Yet at the centre of his chest, she sees it: Rahu's curse.

  The curse coils within his body like a living shadow; the black curse squirms, gnawing at his essence. Black tendrils burrow through his prana channels, siphoning his life force and prana. Internal organs, nerves, veins, prana channels, and blood vessels all wither under its presence.

  Under her constant care, the patient's body has healed completely. There is no trace of wounds left by nature or weapons. Only the faint traces of the curse remain; its malice feeds on the patient's body to sustain itself.

  The curse has already anchored itself, binding to his blood. If left unchecked, it will not kill him swiftly. It will erode him, stripping away his essence, until only a hollow shell remains.

  "With the limited means in this place, I can't remove the curse, but I can seal it."

  Finalising her thoughts, she informed the village chief to arrange for a purifying yāj?a. The village priest divines a suitable day and informs her.

  The entire village prepares for the

  On the ritual day, the priest cleanses the space, sprinkles sanctified water in a careful circle, and lays Adhiraj's unconscious body within it.

  "Om Hreem Shreem Sheetalyai Namah…"

  At the centre of the ritual site, she kindles a small ritual fire. The ritual fire burns with a pale-gold flame. The ritual begins.

  While chanting mantras, she feeds the fire with sacred offerings: clarified butter, moon-blessed grains, and powdered herbs. The chants of her mantra resonate with heaven and earth. Her calm, unwavering voice seeks the Great Goddess of Healing's blessing.

  "Om Hreem Shreem Sheetalyai Namah…"

  The flames respond to her chants. They rise and fall in measured rhythm, carrying her prayers upward on threads of smoke and light.

  As the yāj?a deepens, she places one hand over the prince's heart and the other toward the fire, becoming a living conduit.

  "Let the flames of purification wash the curse of filth and malice," she intones softly

  The pale-red flames travelled across her arms and enveloped the prince's body.

  Wails of wrath, malice, and hunger scream in fury as the curse resists the purifying light. However, under the Goddess's divine power, the curse recoils, and the purifying essence of the fire spreads through the prince's internal organs, blood vessels, and prana channels.

  Silver-gold light flows outward from the ritual fire, weaving itself into a lattice around the black tendrils of Rahu's curse. The curse thrashes in resistance, darkness screeches, and shadows snap into serpentine constructs for a last resistance. But its resistance is futile.

  Layer by layer, the malefic energy wraps within a cocoon of purifying energy, isolating it from the prince's life force. A golden-red mark of fire settles on the prince's chest in a sigil, sealing Rahu's curse within it.

  Aadya observes the prince's body with her divine sight. The black veins fade from her view, sealed deep within the purifying flames born of the Goddess's power.

  [Sa??odhana Tantra – Shūddikārān]

  The purification ritual is complete. The air feels lighter, warmer, and the unnatural cold in the surrounding recedes, replaced by a warm, rejuvenating breeze.

  The prince's breath deepens. Colour returns faintly to his face.

  "He should wake up soon!" Aadya mutters.