Welcome Back to Magic Of Banaras (Part-5).The golden light surrounded Arjun like a living thing. It was warm at first, then hot, then burning. He wanted to scream, to run away, but Vidyut’s voice cut through the pain.
“Don’t fight it! The Eternal Flame is testing you testing your courage, your heart, your will. Show it you’re worthy!”
Arjun gritted his teeth. Images flashed through his mind memories he’d forgotten. Being five years old, seeing his first golden thread and his parents telling him it was just his imagination. Being bullied at school for being “weird.” Sitting alone at lunch, wondering why he was different from everyone else.
All the pain, all the loneliness, all the times he’d wished he was normal.
“No,” Arjun said aloud. “I’m not normal. And that’s okay. That’s what makes me strong.”
The moment he accepted himself, the burning stopped. The golden light rushed into his chest, and Arjun gasped. He could feel it, a flame burning inside his heart, warm and powerful and infinite.
When he opened his eyes, his entire body was glowing. Golden flames danced along his arms, but they didn’t burn him. They felt like an extension of himself.
“Incredible,” Tara breathed. “It usually takes days for the Flame to fully awaken. You did it in minutes.”
“How do you feel?” Vidyut asked.
“I feel… complete,” Arjun said, staring at his glowing hands in wonder. “Like this was always inside me, just waiting.”
“Because it was,” Vidyut explained. “The Eternal Flame is the purest form of magic the light that existed before darkness, the first spark of creation. Only a Roopdarshi can channel it because only you can see magic in its truest form.”
“Now comes the hard part,” Tara said. “Controlling it. The Eternal Flame responds to your emotions. If you lose control, it could consume you and everything around you. That’s why the prophecy says you could either save the world or destroy it.”
They spent hours teaching Arjun to control the Flame. How to make it bigger or smaller, how to shape it into weapons or shields, how to use it to cleanse darkness without harming the person infected by it.
“The key is balance,” Vidyut instructed. “Too much power, and you’ll burn out. Too little, and you’ll be overwhelmed. Feel the Flame, understand it, work with it.”
Arjun practiced on small shadow creatures that Vidyut summoned. At first, he either used too much power completely vaporizing the creatures and leaving scorch marks on the floor or too little, barely affecting them.
But gradually, he found the balance. The Flame became an extension of his will, responding to his thoughts as naturally as moving his own hand.
“Excellent,” Tara said as Arjun successfully cleansed a shadow creature, turning it back into harmless smoke. “You’re a natural.”
“There’s one more thing you need to learn,” Vidyut said seriously. “The most important thing. How to face the Void itself.”
He waved his hand, and the chamber darkened. A small tear appeared in the air a miniature version of the Void Gate Arjun had seen in the pool.
“The Void is not just darkness,” Vidyut explained. “It’s the absence of everything light, hope, life, magic. Looking into it can drive people mad. Fighting it can drain your will to live. But as a Roopdarshi with the Eternal Flame, you have a chance.”
“What do I do?” Arjun asked, staring at the tear. Even this small version made him feel cold and empty inside.
“You fill the emptiness with light. The Eternal Flame is creation itself it can exist even where nothing else can. But you must be strong. The Void will try to break you, to make you believe that nothing matters, that all hope is lost.”
“How do I resist that?”
Tara stepped forward. “By remembering why you fight. Love, friendship, hope these are stronger than any darkness. Hold onto them, and the Void cannot touch you.”
Arjun thought of his grandmother’s warm smile, of Ravi’s laughter, of all the innocent people in Banaras who deserved to live without fear.
He raised his hands, and the Eternal Flame blazed brighter. He directed it at the small Void tear, and the golden fire poured into the emptiness. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the tear began to close, sealed by the light.
When it was done, Arjun collapsed, exhausted but triumphant.
“You did it,” Vidyut said, helping him up. “You actually did it. Arjun, you might actually be ready.”
“Might be?” Arjun managed a weak smile.
“Well, there’s a difference between practice and real battle,” Tara said. “But you’ve exceeded all our expectations. Rest now. You’ll need your strength for tomorrow night.”
As Arjun lay on a soft mat in the corner of the chamber, his mind was too active for sleep. Tomorrow night, he would face real danger. Shadow creatures, possibly a Void Gate, and maybe even the traitor.
“Vidyut?” he called out. “What if I fail? What if I’m not strong enough?”
Vidyut came and sat beside him. “Then you get back up and try again. That’s what heroes do, Arjun. They’re not people who never fail—they’re people who never give up.”
“Were you scared? When you first became a Guardian?”
“Terrified,” Vidyut admitted. “I was sixteen, younger than most Guardians. My first real battle, I froze. A shadow creature nearly killed me. But my teacher saved me, and then she told me something I’ve never forgotten: ‘Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s acting despite the fear.'”
“What happened to your teacher?”
Vidyut’s expression grew sad. “She sacrificed herself to close a Void Gate, twenty years ago. She was the greatest Guardian I ever knew. And she believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.” He looked at Arjun. “Just like I believe in you.”
Those words warmed Arjun more than the Eternal Flame ever could.
Finally, exhaustion overtook him, and he slept. He dreamed of golden light pushing back endless shadows, of standing on the ghats of Banaras with the Eternal Flame blazing in his hands, of a world saved from darkness.
But he also dreamed of a figure in shadows, watching him, waiting. And in the dream, the figure smiled and whispered, “Soon, little Roopdarshi. Soon we’ll meet. And then you’ll understand that some darkness cannot be defeated.”
Arjun woke with a start, his heart pounding. Dawn was breaking. Somewhere above, Banaras was waking up, unaware that tonight would determine its fate.
Vidyut and Tara were already awake, preparing weapons and magical artifacts.
“Today, you go to school as normal,” Vidyut said. “Act natural. We don’t want to alert the traitor that we’re planning to strike tonight. But stay alert, and keep your Raksha Stone close.”
“What about Ravi? And the other infected people?”
“If we stop the Void Gate from opening, the Darkness will weaken. We’ll be able to cleanse them then.” Tara handed him a small vial of glowing liquid. “But take this. If your friend gets worse, one drop on his forehead will hold the Darkness at bay for a few hours.”
Arjun pocketed the vial carefully. “Thank you. Both of you. For believing in me.”
“Thank you for being brave enough to accept your destiny,” Vidyut replied. “Now go. We’ll meet at the abandoned temple at sunset. And Arjun? Whatever happens tonight, remember—you are not alone.”
As Arjun climbed back up to the streets of Banaras, the morning sun felt different. Warmer. Brighter. Or maybe it was just the Eternal Flame inside him, responding to the light.
Tonight, everything would change. Tonight, he would either save his world or watch it fall into darkness.
But he wasn’t afraid anymore. He was ready.
The final battle approaches! What awaits Arjun at the abandoned temple? Who is the mysterious traitor? Discover the shocking truth in the next part of “The Magic of Banaras”!
