Chapter 148: Chapter 146: Dwarfs Of Thirst... Elder Seeks Truth...

(A/N):

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The entire clearing fell silent.

Several practitioners stared upward in confusion and panic.

Mahakali’s voice echoed once more as the curse was not finished yet.

"No matter how much water you drink..."

"You shall always feel thirsty."

The words landed like a hammer.

The goddess continued.

"You will know the suffering of endless desire."

"You will understand what greed truly is."

"You will learn the lesson you refused to learn willingly."

The practitioners felt their hearts sink with the each words of the goddess.

The curse was horrifying.

Not because it would kill them.

Because it wouldn’t.

They would have to live with it.

Every day.

Every year.

Every generation.

Mahakali’s final words echoed through the clearing.

"Control your greed."

"Or your greed shall destroy you."

The message was unmistakable.

If they surrendered to their endless thirst and drank recklessly, they would bring ruin upon themselves.

The curse itself would become their teacher.

Whether they learned from it was their choice.

The forest remained silent.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The spirits watched in pin drop silence.

The freed women watched in awe.

Karichathan sat upon a large rock nearby swinging his legs.

Even he looked unusually thoughtful.

Of how powerful this curse was.

It might look like she had given them a curse instead of killing them,

No it was far worse then a simple death.

Then Mahakali slowly turned.

Her dark hair moved like living shadows.

The stars themselves seemed dimmer beside her presence.

For one final moment, her gaze swept across the clearing.

Across the cursed practitioners.

Across the women she had saved.

Across the countless spirits gathered to witness the judgment.

Then—

BOOM!

A tremendous sound echoed through the forest.

A shockwave swept across the clearing.

The torches extinguished.

The fog scattered.

The pressure vanished.

The divine presence disappeared.

Like it had never appeared before them.

And Mahakali was gone. Only silence remained.

A long, heavy silence.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The practitioners slowly lifted their heads.

The goddess had departed.

Yet her judgment remained.

The collars still glowed faintly around their necks.

Their transformed bodies remained unchanged.

Their throats already felt unnaturally dry.

And deep within their hearts, every one of them understood the same thing.

This was not a curse that would fade with time.

This was a lesson they would carry for the rest of their lives.

And for generations yet to come.

They will be the living lesson to the world.

Nearby, Karichathan finally broke the silence.

He looked at the newly transformed practitioners.

Then at the collars around their necks.

Then at their tiny bodies.

The kuttichattan scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"...."

For several moments he appeared to be seriously considering something.

Then he grinned. A very familiar grin.

-Grin!

"Oh."

His yellow eyes sparkled with amusement.

"This is going to make future family portraits very interesting."

The spirits immediately burst into laughter.

And for the first time that night, the cursed practitioners realized that Karichathan was never going to let them forget this.

Even through the spirits were laughing making fun of them the laughter send shiver down the spines of those who listen to it.

The forest had become strangely peaceful after Mahakali’s departure.

The oppressive pressure that had crushed the clearing moments ago was gone.

The fog had begun to thin.

The spirits were slowly dispersing.

Some vanished into the darkness.

Others lingered among the trees, whispering amongst themselves about the events they had witnessed.

The freed women sat together near the edge of the clearing, comforting one another and offering prayers of gratitude.

Meanwhile, the former tantra practitioners remained where they were.

Or rather...

The newly cursed dwarfs.

Many still struggled to accept what had happened.

Their bodies felt unfamiliar.

Their collars still faintly glowed around their necks.

And the strange thirst had already begun.

Not painful. Not yet.

But present.

A constant reminder of Mahakali’s judgment.

The elder slowly rose to his feet.

Or at least attempted to.

His beard had become so long that it nearly dragged along the ground.

The sight would have been amusing under normal circumstances.

Tonight nobody laughed.

Not even Karichathan.

The elder took a deep breath.

Then slowly approached the kuttichattan.

Compared to before, the difference was almost comical.

Karichathan now stood noticeably taller than him.

The former clan leader looked up.

Then folded his hands respectfully.

No arrogance remained.

No pride. No hatred.

Only a sincere desire to understand.

What type of situation they have messed up with.

The other clan leaders gathered nearby.

Their eyes carried the same question.

The elder finally spoke. His voice was quiet.

"Why?"

Karichathan tilted his head.

"...."

The elder continued.

"Why is Goddess Mahakali protecting a human king?"

The question caused several spirits nearby to pause.

Even the forest seemed to listen.

The elder swallowed already feeling thirsty.

"Why would the First Mahavidya personally intervene?"

"Why would a powerful kuttichattan such as yourself guard his kingdom?"

His gaze lowered briefly.

Then returned to Karichathan.

"Who is King Devaratha really?"

The clearing became silent.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The elder’s voice softened in panic of what they have provoked.

"Is he merely a king?"

"Is he a god walking among humans?"

"Is he some divine being born for the welfare of mankind?"

The remaining clan leaders looked toward Karichathan.

Waiting.

Hoping.

Because after everything they had witnessed, they could no longer believe Devara was ordinary.

Not after Goddess Mahakali herself had appeared.

Not after Goddess Varahi.

Even through she had not come. After today’s incident the elder and the clan leader who previously didn’t take the words of the survivor lightly anymore.

And connected she too was involved in it.

Not after Karichathan.

Not after the countless signs.

Karichathan remained silent.

"...."

For once, no joke came from his mouth.

No teasing. No laughter.

No playful grin.

The kuttichattan simply stood there.

Looking toward the distant direction of Trivenivrata.

"....."

A gentle breeze passed through the clearing and past him as his curly hair lightly moved.

His yellow eyes reflected the moonlight.

Then something unusual happened.

The playful expression that always seemed glued to his face slowly disappeared.

The spirits immediately noticed.

Several stopped what they were doing.

Because this was rare. Very rare.

Karichathan became serious. Truly serious.

The kind of seriousness that appeared only when speaking of things older than kingdoms.

Older than dynasties. Older than memory.

The elder felt his heart quicken.

"...."

The other clan leaders held their breath.

Karichathan folded his arms.

Then looked toward the sky.

For a long moment he said nothing.

As though carefully choosing his words.

As though speaking carelessly would diminish something important.

Finally... He chuckled. Not his usual laughter.

A softer one. Almost nostalgic.

-Chuckle!

Then he looked at the elder.

"You’re asking the wrong question."

The elder blinked hearing the words of Karichathan.

Karichathan continued to explain.

"You ask who Lord Devaratha is."

The kuttichattan shook his head.

"The better question is..."

His gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.

"...what does he become?"

The former practitioners exchanged confused looks.

Karichathan smiled faintly.

"Is he a god?"

"No."

The answer came immediately.

The elder frowned hearing it.

-Frown!

Karichathan continued with his words.

"Is he human?"

"Yes."

Again the answer came without hesitation.

The clan leaders became even more confused.

Then why? Why all this protection? Why all this attention?

Why would beings such as Goddess Mahakali concern themselves with one human king?

The question must have been visible on their faces.

Because Karichathan laughed softly.

"-Hehe!!!"

Then pointed at them.

"That right there."

The elder blinked clearly even more confused.

Karichathan grinned at them.

"That confusion."

The kuttichattan slowly sat upon a nearby rock.

Then rested his chin upon his palm.

"You think divinity only values gods."

The former practitioners remained silent.

Karichathan shook his head.

"You think greatness comes from birth."

"From power."

"From bloodlines."

"From heavenly origins."

His yellow eyes narrowed for a second.

"And that is why all of you failed."

The words struck harder than expected.

Karichathan looked toward the direction of the location of Trivenivrata again.

His expression softened.

"You know what makes King Devaratha special?"

Nobody answered this question.

The kuttichattan smiled.

"He never asks for any of it."

The clearing remained silent.

"He never asked for Goddess Mahakali’s protection."

"He never asked for Goddess Varahi’s protection."

"He never asked for blessings."

"He never asked for destiny."

The elder listened carefully.

Karichathan continued to speak excitedly as if he was telling the story of a famous hero.

"When people suffer..."

"He helps."

"When people are lost..."

"He guides."

"When people fall..."

"He lifts them."

The kuttichattan’s smile widened slightly.

"Even when nobody is watching."

That sentence lingered in the air.

The former practitioners lowered their heads.

Because they understood.

Karichathan pointed toward the freed women.

"Tonight Goddess Mahakali appeared because innocent lives were threatened and a divine reason behind it."

Then toward the forest.

"Varahi protects because she was entrusted with him."

Then toward himself.

"And me?"

The familiar grin slowly returned.

The spirits immediately relaxed.

Karichathan scratched his cheek.

"I protect him because I want to."

The elder blinked hearing the vague answer.

"That’s all?"

The kuttichattan nodded his head.

-Nod!

"That’s all."

Then he looked away.

Almost as if hiding something.

Something he had no intention of revealing.

The elder noticed.

So did the spirits.

So did everyone else.

Yet nobody pushed further.

"...."

"...."

"...."

Because Karichathan’s next words carried unusual weight.

"One day..."

His gaze fixed upon the distant horizon.

"The world will understand why so many eyes watch over him."

The elder felt a chill run down his spine.

The kuttichattan’s smile slowly returned in full.

Bright.

Mischievous.

Dangerous.

Yet somehow filled with pride.

"Until then..."

He jumped off the rock.

Then pointed toward the dwarfs.

"Try not to die from drinking too much water."

The seriousness vanished instantly.

Several spirits burst into laughter.

The former practitioners groaned.

And just like that, Karichathan was Karichathan once more.

Yet none of them forgot the brief moment when the kuttichattan had looked toward Trivenivrata.

And spoken as though he knew a future that nobody else could see.

For a few moments after speaking, Karichathan simply stood there.

The moonlight filtered through the thinning fog.

The forest had finally begun returning to normal.

The terrifying pressure left behind by Mahakali had disappeared.

Only the consequences of her judgment remained.

The kuttichattan looked toward the distant horizon.

Toward the direction of Trivenivrata.

A familiar grin slowly appeared on his face.

-Grin!

Then without warning, his body dissolved into darkness.

Not smoke.

Not mist.

Shadows.

The darkness beneath his feet rose like living water.

His form slowly sank into it.

Golden eyes. A wide smile.

Then nothing.

The shadows swallowed him completely.

Gone.

Several spirits immediately bowed in the direction he had vanished.

The remaining practitioners simply stared.

None of them possessed the courage to ask where he had gone.

Though most of them reached the same conclusion.

Trivenivrata.

If there was one place Karichathan would return to after all this, it would be the kingdom he seemed so fond of.

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(Author note:)

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Guys I have a new fic which named: Karuppan: King of Openings.