I met Saiyan on my way back. He had red eyes, which was understandable, so I didn't poke further. We walked silently with other students and followed one of the wardens to the dining hall. It was an old building with wash basins on either side of the entryway. And inside were tin plated tables with benches that lined the walls of the hall. There were two rows that ran from left to right through the middle part of this hall. As we occupied the seats randomly in the further two rows, our seniors entered the hall and sat in the rows closer to the door. There were three students that stood on the left of the hall talking with two of the wardens. The three looked like they held some amount of authority among the students. Then another set of seniors arrived and started distributing the food table by table. There was an egg wrap, with milk and some biscuits. The food was a bit bland but it felt bad to waste it. Right on the last bite i crunched onto some egg shells as a weird taste filled my mouth. I was at an impasse, I couldn't bite, couldn't spit it back out, couldn't walk out suddenly in the middle while everyone was sitting and eating silently.
"Use your wrap paper!" Saiyan whispered from the side. My face told enough about my situation I guess. The egg wrap came with a transparent paper to hold it together in a rolled position. I had taken it apart strip by strip to reveal the egg roll inside. Gathering them back, I slowly started to empty my mouth bit by bit stealthily, looking around to make sure no one was staring at me. I was only half way done when the three seniors came up to the middle of the hall and started praying to the Gods thanking them for a wonderful meal. I tried to maintain my poker face throughout the ordeal and was about to get up when one of the two wardens came up next and started talking. He looked like all the worries of the world were crushing him to a pulp. I bet people were thinking whether he was constipated. He had a thick moustache and a pot belly, the typical model of an unfit body. But his voice was surprisingly deep.
"I'm Baagh, your chief warden. I know you all are excited for the synchronisation ritual but listen to a few things before hand that you need to keep in mind. I'm aware many of your seniors have already found loop holes to talk about it outside the Ashrama, and that many of you already know bits and pieces of information that will speed up your awakening. I still want to forbid you from talking about it in your classrooms where the teachers present are not from Satya Marta. For now just follow what your mentors are telling you, you'll soon get familiar with everything. There is always enough time in the Ashrama. Try to learn as much as you can in the first four days. Your seniors will appreciate even a little bit of help. Don't forget to be grateful, since 'they' are coming for you young bloods." He dropped bombs and left the hall. This Baagh gets down to business right from the beginning.
I couldn't control the grin that appeared in my face. This was crazy, I knew something was wrong... Something definitely wasn't adding up. I looked around fast to see if there was anyone who was missing information just like me. A few seconds after checking my surroundings it dawned upon me that something was really wrong. No, I was the only outlier here. Lots of questions flooded into my mind, if they only allow people who know about these in this Gurukul then how was I able to enter? Satya Marta? From Marta Loka? The world between heaven and hell? There's a real and a fake version of that? Marta Loka meant the world for humans, so the teachers are not from this real version? That means I'm also not from the real version. Is this what they were talking about when they meant that the world was a simulation? What was this synchronisation ritual? He also mentioned awakening... Is this some fast shortcut method to bypass all the training you need to do for becoming an awakened? I needed details about awakening and synchronisation since from Baagh's speech it felt like they were the first things that I'll face right now. There was also the matter about 'they who are coming for us new bloods'. I decided not to dwell on that since the seniors were already involved in that case. If they can appreciate a little help then they can go by without any.
"Hey, it's our time to leave." Saiyan nudged me with his elbow, pulling me up from the bench. They were sending out the students sitting in each bench one at a time to prevent crowding. The three student authorities were basically traffic police men then.
"You don't look okay." Saiyan inspected.
"Yeah, just an overload of information. I'm fine right now." I tried to give an excuse after rinsing my mouth at the washbasins outside. Saiyan walked silently beside me until we arrived right outside our room.
"You seemed like you didn't understand a thing, didnt you?" His face suddenly went serious. "Who attended the Ashrama before in your family? I was mildly surprised when you were the only one who kept talking about mundane things while everybody used cryptic terms for discussing about Ashrama. Wait, you really don't know anything??" He saw my clueless face and understood at once. He looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds with such intensity that it made me wonder whether he was trying to remember his grocery list items from his first errand ever.
"For now, think about what you can do best in front of the mobile tower. I can't say anymore outside Marta. There's some kind of binding Maya that prevents us from taking the names. Meet me at once after the ritual. I'll give you some pills for instant sleep, you can't come late in your condition." He whispered scanning our surroundings.
My heart was about to burst in excitement. Who attended in my family? The only answer can be my grandfather. I now needed to think about what I can do best in front of some mobile tower? I remembered those transmission towers that were present in every locality responsible for better network connections. I need to get rid of one riddle at a time. Worrying too much will only exhaust my brain. As I entered my room I finally met the other two guys who were supposed to be my roommates. We exchanged pleasantries after which I tried to throw a pilot question to judge their knowledge on this synchronisation ritual.
"What kind of changes are you guys expecting after the ritual? I have been waiting years for this!" I said feigning a bit of enthusiasm. Saiyan smirked by himself at my sudden question.
"Exactly" the guy named Anik joined in. I had no idea one can be that fair skinned considering the weather and heat here. Anik was scrawny and looked like he never got any Vitamin D from the Sun, considering how pale he was. His face was unfortunately filled with acne otherwise he could have easily been called a good looking dude. "I heard about it 5 years ago. Hopefully my skin gets better after awakening. I can finally see what my stats are after the training I got from my father for all these years." He revealed casually.
These people were getting personalised training? I need to catch up a lot. I have only been fooling around all this time... My grandpa in Swarga, why did you have to leave early? Wait, that's why he had been teaching chanting to my mother... She was 11 when he passed away, so she couldn't get through the proper procedures to enter Ashrama. Wait again, what is the Ashrama?? From clues it seems like it is a different place located within Satya Marta that they keep mentioning. That means there are different entry points to Satya Marta and this Gurukul is only one of them? Why didn't my grandfather teach his eldest daughter? Is there some kind of compatibility checking that takes place before it is decided whether a child is taught or not? My grandmother also said that she only experimented on me after seeing my steady hands. It was an experiment, not a deterministic approach. Our connection to this Ashrama could have gone cold if not for my grandmother's whims. The experiment she did was based on Chitram, is it also some kind of training? Where did she learn it from? I remember her mentioning that my grandpa had taught her the correct way to chant only once. And the one that he taught my mother was a simpler version. Doesn't this mean that whatever grandfather managed to pass on were just inferior versions? A feeling of anxiety started building within me suddenly. What if I am deemed incompatible and forced to leave this Gurukul? All my hard work till now will be in vain. What if they find out all I have learnt are just mere imitations?
Saiyan suddenly grasped my shoulder. "Calm down!" He whispered but his emotions within his words had a deep urgency. He pulled me outside and started rambling, "You can't lose your mind over this. Calm down, we only know these things because they were communicated to us illegally. Being a clean slate is the ideal condition. The moment we started training before hand, our paths were set according to what our parents wanted us to be. On the other hand you have been given a freedom, to become whatever you want. Once you arrive here they won't send you back. There are 108 students every batch in total. You'll need all of them to complete the ritual of transmigration to Satya Marta. Not more not less. So relax!!!"
"Are you reading my mind?" I asked horrified, hoping it was not true."How did you know I was terrified thinking they'll send me away?"
He put a hand to cover his expression ridden with guilt. "I'm sorry, I did it without thinking..."
You were reading my mind then!!!! I wanted to die.
Did he also hear those inner monologues where I kept describing people??
"Don't worry, I can't hear everything. Only when someone gets overly emotional like you did some moments ago their emotions tickle me like a bug. Rest I can figure it out from the situation. I was taught this to predict what my opponents are thinking. Usually emotions burst out with different intent when you fight others." He kept defending himself.
Fight? Opponents? The package is now finally complete. If I have to go to some battlefield with my level of preparation, I would die within the first few minutes. "How long have you prepared for?" I asked, "What was the path your parents chose for you?"
He looked embarrassed, " I have to become a Rathi for now. I'm still at the normal disciple stage. I started from when I was four years old."
"OK." I said as a awkward silence followed. There are seven warrior stages in the myths. The first stage is disciple. Then warrior. After that comes Rathi, AtiRathi, MahaRathi, AtiMahaRathi and finally MahaMahaRathi which was at the realm of the three Great Gods. It is said that a Rathi can take on 60 thousand normal warriors, and numbers just get crazy and unbelievable after that. He has got a long and hard path in front of him. I wonder what stage he needs to be in the future to take down huge snakes like the one in my dreams solo?
"You have a bright future." I said without excitement. Remembering him all alone in that dim wasteland made me sad. But who planted those future memories within me? I refuse to take them casually thinking they are only dreams after all this. I need to remember exact details of what I heard or saw there. Who were the people that were talking to me? Usually what I have seen whenever this past-present-future concepts come into play is that I myself might be the person who sent this back to me to make sure I was on the correct path. But my dreams looked as if it was synced to different people. Like they were using some device to talk with me. Remembering my dream i got a hunch that the place with twin waterfalls surrounded by mountains was the Ashrama everyone keeps talking about. Someone said that they have something even better than internet there. Things were slowly falling into place. I need to gather as much info I can get as soon as possible. I am already way behind other people. I can't stop using my brain and miss clues getting surprised at every little thing that anybody with common sense can see coming from a few miles away.
"Since I can read emotions, I know you're someone I can trust. I rarely feel negative emotions towards others from you. They only seem to be directed at yourself which I think is admirable. I got my own things to do but I won't turn you away if you ever need help. Maybe one day you can also view me as someone you can trust." Saiyan stated sternly.
Negative emotions towards myself? Yeah for the last few hours I have only been thinking how inferior i was compared to the others here. All my achievements before coming here, which I were quite proud of suddenly didn't matter in this world I deliberately stepped in. I just need to get better, adapt and keep self reflecting. That's what I have done before and what I'll keep continuing. I also felt a warm feeling inside me when I heard that someone trusted me and wanted to be trusted back. He surprisingly has a way with words. He will definitely be popular with the ladies in future.
"I think it was my grandfather." I answered a question asked by him hours ago."The one who attended Ashrama before. Things are actually slowly falling into place for me. I'll tell you all about it after we get enough time. I think you will be able to fill the gaps iny understanding. Just a question, don't think too much about it. Did you guys dream about the Ashrama and talked with someone?"
"Ohh, that? Yeah everybody did. Lord Ashwatthama and the other immortals often use the mobile tower to take a look at the new students. As you can guess, we get teachings from one immortal every year. The Ashrama looked awesome didn't it? Can't wait to visit it tonight. Remind me to give you the pills before going to sleep, okay?" He tapped my shoulder and went inside to wear his traditional clothing for the ritual. Suddenly a bunch of seniors entered our corridor holding white papers. I followed four of them inside our room as they started calling names. I went to the senior who called mine.
"Let's get you ready for your big day. I'm Roop. Don't get me into trouble okay?" He smiled and beckoned me to bring out my traditional wear. There were two pieces of long white cloth. The first one went around my waist with me in the middle. Two knots were made at my waist, followed by bunch of folds on the left side that went between my legs towards the back and the right side was also made into folds to be tucked at my front. The other piece of cloth was wrapped from the shoulder to my waist and went around twice over my body with a free end at the left side. It reminded my of the Sages that were depicted in carvings or murals in ancient temples. All the seniors made us follow them to the third floor of our Bhavana where a huge corridor which was supposed to contain 6 to 7 rooms was made into a hall by removing the walls between. Orange carpets lay on the floor with a tree like sculpture at the furthest end of the hall made out of a bluish stone. Its trunk was hollow with a Shiv Ling inside, which looked like a geometrical cylinder with a hemisphere on top of it made out of solid black granite. We sat in columns on the left side of the hall till the middle and our seniors occupied the right side. After conches were blowed thrice the seniors started chanting realising my fears till now. It was nothing like the chanting I had learnt. Each of the pronunciations I knew were correct but the frequencies... Wait, the frequencies were about a few levels lower than the one I had learnt. I heard for a while to make out known words and compared the difference between the two frequencies, the one I knew and the one being chanted right now. Soon I understood that my chants are a few frequencies higher than the actual ones. Was it because it was taught to me by my mother? Women usually have a higher pitch than males, so maybe the method got modified accordingly as it was passed down. Thank you Mom, for teaching me the correct pronunciations. I can take care of the frequencies myself. One of the problems that were plaguing me was now solved. I need to see the skill sets of the other students here. How many of them were possible to learn starting now and how many were impossible. That mind reading skill of Saiyan was probably impossible to learn. There might be some skills that only select families knew and kept them secrets. Other skills might arise from their bloodlines. I need to gather a list of skills to learn that will arm me with enough options to guarantee my survival. If what Saiyan said was true, we might be fighting some entities, whether humans of Marta Loka or evils from the myths. As the chanting ended, my batch mates who were sitting in 6 columns and 9 rows got up one by one from the first row. They went up to the tree sculpture and touched the base of the Shiv Ling. Some fell down right after touching it, looking around dazed as if they lost their bearings garnering snickers from our seniors. They themselves might have done the same thing last year I'm sure. Some jerked away their hands as if a bee had stung them or some outright fainted and had to be carried back by the seniors to the back of the hall towards the entrance. This is fun, I thought wondering what kind of reaction I'll have. Right on time as if to make things worse, I felt the need to relieve myself as I suddenly got nervous from worrying. Just don't release it all in the hall, I'll have wear to a mask for the rest of my life otherwise. I wished luck to Saiyan as he got up from my right and walked up to the shrine. As soon as he touched the black stone it shone with a golden light enveloping the inner part of the hollow. Surprised reactions burst out from the students and wardens.
"Silence!" Baagh roared like a Tiger as his name suggests and told Saiyan to meet him after the ritual ends.
"What was that?" I asked Saiyan as I got up while he sat down embarrassed. "Tell me later."
As I walked up to the shrine i remembered his words. Think what you can do best. Think what you can do best... I kept repeating. I took a deep breath and touched the base of the black stone that was cold as ice. As I braced myself waiting for whatever mobile tower to arrive in my vision I was suddenly transported to a mango grove that filled me with nostalgia. Okay, there are no mobile towers around. I thought while scanning my new surroundings. I suddenly heard a soft voice coming from my right. Following the whispers, I arrived in front of a little sapling, that had just broken through the earth and spread its first two little leaves.
"We finally meet!" The sapling whispered right into my head."We don't have much time. Quickly follow what I tell you to and never mention about my existence to anybody. It will be better for both us."
