The room was eeirily silent, everyone stared at the newcomer, not daring to be the one who breaks the stillness. Then Silas opened his mouth, “Die?”

“Yes, of course, I don’t think your…friend here cares much for your life,” Andhaka said, moving closer. Slow, and metodically, he put himself inbetween Silas and Amos, like to protect the young man from the older one.

Amos narrowed his eyes, watching Andhaka with suspicion. Amara could see his finger twitch, like he wanted to hit the asura but Amos was not foolish enough to do so. “All asuras lie.”

“Oh? You have met many then?” Andhaka said, a smirk crept onto his face. It faded a bit when his third eye landed on Amara, she could feel him perusing her. Maybe even seeing what humans could not in her soul.

“Asuras have not the best of reputation.”

“Neither does your kind, witch.”

“You know nothing of mykind.”

“And you know nothing of mine, so I would suggest you don’t spout foolishness such as all asuras lie.”

“What do you want?” asked Amara, stopping this foolish posturing of manhood.

Andhaka was silence for a while, before he finally answered, almost reluctantly. “I will chant the mantra as the asura.”

“Why?” asked Amos, his eyes showing clear suspicion. Amara felt the need to hit him. Why must the man always question a gift presenting itself?

Andhaka gestured toward Silas. “To protect him. I will not have him risk his life for your foolish pursuit.”

“It’s not foolish. Prahlada sent me to protect the artifacts.”

“And he is a fool,” Andhaka turned toward the statue, tilting his head. “This safe was constructed in such a way that only a deva and a asura working together could open it. A failsafe from Vishnu and Prahlada no doubt.”

Andhaka’s eye turned toward Amara. “How many asuras and devas would work together? If you just left this place, then the risk of anyone else being able to retrieve the artifact is nonexistant.”

“What are-“

“What I’m saying, little girl is that the only risk the artifacts are of being stolen is from you. None other can do it.”

Amara stared at him, slowly starting to wonder if that is true. “Prahlada said that someone else is looking for it.”

“Looking for it, but cannot retrieve it. Well, not until you and the boy-“ Andhaka gestured toward Silas,”entered this place.”

“Are you saying that someone purposely made us enter Tripura?”

“Who knows, but I would consider it very carefully,” Andhaka responded, his voice low.

Frowning, Amara felt insecure. Would Prahlada send them to retrieve it, knowing that only they can do it. “This-“

“We have little choice,” Amos said. “If someone can arrange for two people of asura and deva connections to come here then what is to say that they can’t do it again. Godly artifacts are not to be tampered with but I see that we don’t have a choice.”

“I agree,” said Silas, watching Andhaka with a frown. His eyes were not as cold as they had been a while ago, but they were confused and for a second, Amara thought he almost looked like a lost child.

“Then I will play the part of the asura,” Andhaka smirked,”I think I can play it convincingly.”

His eyes then turned to Amara. “Since you are the only one here who has any connections to a deva or devi so I’m guessing you are the only one who can play this part, though I must admit… I did not think I would ever see you again, your soul should have perished.”

“Dadaami Maamikaam Paramaatmanh Punsaam.” (I give my soul to all.) Amara couldn’t stop the words from being uttered from her mouth. As they where uttered, her heart almost stopped as what came out was not her voice but a deep and gentle voice. The voice of Shiva.

All stared at her in chock, all but Andhaka who just sighed. “You said the same when I asked why you gave me away. I didn’t care for sharing your soul along with the foolish mortals who worshipped you. I wanted a father.”

Not saying anything more, Andhaka jumped up, standing on the left shoulder of Brahma. “Let’s get this over with.”

Amara climbed up on the right shoulder, not sure what else to say. She looked down to see the mantra clearly from where she stood. The text clearly visible for those who are intended to read it.

With a deep breath, finding her calm, Amara raised her Mala beads. Wrapping them around her hands while focusing on the mantra. In the corner of her eye, she saw Amos pick up the spoon and throw the oil into the bonfire. The fire sparkled, flaming up before settling down. As in a trans, Amara opened her mouth, foreign words poured out of her mouth like they were known to her. “Oṃ vedātmanāya vidmahe hiraṇyagarbhāya dhīmahī tanno brahmā prachodayaṭ.”

Let me meditate on the God who is the soul of Vedas, Oh God, who holds the entire world within you, give me higher intellect, and let the Lord Brahma illuminate my mind. She understood the words perfectly, like she had always known them. Their meaning echoing inside of her as she repeated the mantra again and again, in unison with Andhaka who neither seemed surprised or that invested in the outcome.

For each time the mantra was uttered, a gong sounded as Amos threw oil into the flame. Sacrificing it to Brahma. Amara had no idea how long they kept it up, then suddenly she felt it. The presence of a powerful being, as vast as the space and as deep as the ocean. Something brushed through her soul, walking passed it to reach Amos who suddenly froze. His eyes starting to glow and a red spot appearing on his forehead, burned into his flesh.

The mantra faded away, and Amara watched the man who had raised her with worry filling her very being. She wanted to rush toward him but he just stood there, unmoving.

“Am-“

“Quiet,” Andhaka interrupted her. “He is conversing with Brahma. Don’t make him loose his focus or his soul might be scattered.”

“His… Soul?”

“Yes, there is a reason why only gods normally converse with Brahma. We normally don’t have a soul to scatter.”

“Normally?”

“Yes, when the gods where banished by the archon Elyon banished the gods, he also decreed that the gods may enter the mortal realm if they relinquish their power and make them mortal. Of course, that would be a risk to the gods life as they were bound by the life and death of a mortal as well. The Devas found another way, they created a kind of source similar to a soul that could be returned to Brahma when we die in the mortal realm. In order for this to work we would need to be born into the realm to bypass the banishment, but we would have our powers in our mortal bodies. Hence the first Avatars were created. Other gods followed suite but few where able to prefect the art of creating Avatars. At most, the other gods could only possess a mortal body. Sharing it with the humans while we where born into bodies of our own.”

“So only those with souls can reincarnate?”

“Yes, the soul is a storage holding the experience and memories of the life the being lived and it is what will be passed down to the next generation. Gods only have one life, but an immortal one. If, with great difficulty I might add, we would perish. Everything we where and what we have experienced will perish with us.”

“That sound sad,” Amara replied. Andhaka’s eye turned to her, his face still neutral but Amara could see something fornlorn in his features.

“I wondered how Shiva’s essence could still be around, but hearing you talk I wonder if it really is,” Andhaka finally said, removing his gaze from her face.

“What-“

“My father would not be sad. He knew and was a guardian of the natural order. He would understand that all things must adhere to the balance of the world. To Brahma. Gods may be outside of time but there must be a counterbalance to that gift. In this case, we aren’t reincarnate. Humans are slaves to time, but they can live again and again. Experiencing many different lifes.”

“If that is so, then didn’t the devas break the natural order, the balance of Brahma, when they created their reincarnation cycle?” Silas suddenly asked, having been listening to them with keen ears. Adhaka’s eyes turned to him, for a moment he looked gentle before returning to his neutral state.

“Yes, they did and that is why the devas are hypocrites claiming that the Asura’s broke the balance when they were the ones ripped it to pieces. We asuras know how to reincarnate, we just don’t do it since we consider it an abomination to Brahma. The deva just pretended it was balance while pointing fingers at us.”

“That… sounds petty,” Amara muttered, having a hard time imagine gods acting like that.

Andhaka let out a burst of humorless laughter,”That is a fine description of gods.”

Amara could suddenly feel a presence, Brahma was once again going through her but unlike the other time. He stayed in her. She let out gasps as she closed her eyes, when she opened them again she was floating a dark empty space, stars swirled around her to finally gather into a shape. An ungendered being with four arms and three heads stood before her.

He raised his arms, opening his right hand. A swirl of stars formed the Khadga of Kali floating above his palm. Amara eagerly reached out to grab it, but the stars suddenly whisped away. She tried to capture the little wisps but they avoided her.

Turning her eyes toward Brahma, she was about to ask what was going on, but no sound ever left her lips. It was like the void devoured all sounds, making her feel uncomfortable.

Brahma lifted his left hand, and once again opened his palm. This time the stars formed something else. A bow?

A rush of nostalgia came through Amara, and she could barely breathe. She what that was. It had once been hers. Been his. She was just about to reach out for it when she suddenly felt a tug, with a shout she was pulled away. Her vision going blurry as the sight of Brahma fading, leaving only darkness in its wake.