Chapter 15. Light Is Where The Trouble Is Waiting For Him

A big temple made of gray stone stood in front of Advik's surprised eyes.  It was surrounded by thick and high walls. His sight lay on the big words written over the top of the gate, eyes suspicious, "Mahakali Mandir!?" he read. 

"Woah! What a huge temple!" an enthusiastic voice shouted.  Advik's shocked eyes looked at the excited guy. The older man smiled realizing that the kid is still a kid from somewhere inside. 

Advik jest, "Are you a kid?"

"You--!!" Samay howled but was cut off by a voice. "Advik can we focus on the problem ahead of us, please?" Vismay said slowly with a sigh. 

Advik glanced at the Temple's gate again, "Oh, haha, yes."

Samay rolled his eyes, "God!" and crossed his arms.

Advik remembered something, with lines over his forehead, he asked, "Where is that guard we were stalking?" His sight glanced everywhere, however, the guard was not there. 

"Actually we were just following him not stalking," Vismay tried to correct with an assuring tone. 

"Yeah, yeah, following someone without their permission," the teenager sighed. 

"That Guard went inside this Temple," Vismay informed, "and since he left I couldn't feel his spiritual life at all. It's like he disappeared in thin air."

Advik scanned the gate ahead of him. He took his first step on the stairs which ascended to the Temple's Gate, "Let's see what's inside for us." Everyone was confused about what he was doing but followed him.

His feet froze in front of the gate. He put up his hands on the gate's handle and slowly and cautiously opened it without making any noise.

Advik looked at Samay and gave him a big smile, "Let's go," he just paced inside the Temple without any other word.

"And there he goes again," Samay facepalmed and went inside behind Advik. The Fireball and the Firefly also rushed with him. Helpless, Samay also stepped forward. 

The first thing they all noticed was the brightness and the warmth spreading throughout the courtyard of the temple. The entire temple glowed under the golden light of thousands of Diyas. It made the Mahakali Temple even more splendid. In every corner and every wall, the Diyas were placed. 

The flowering warm and golden light reflected in the eyes of Advik and Samay, both were so astonished by the entrancing view that for a second they stopped breathing.

"So many Diyas but not even one person," Advik suspiciously mumbled as he didn't want to be heard by many. 

"There is no spiritual energy flowing other than Samay," Vismay's voice chimed lightly.

"But we did see that guard coming inside this Temple," Samay's eyes frowned. 

"So many Diyas," studying the area with narrowed eyes, Advik spoke, "Samay and Vismay, can you guys go and check all these Diya's oil for me. I want to see how much oil is still left in them."

"Why would I check these Diyas for you?" Samay gave him a rebellious look, "Are you out of your mind?"

Advik wasn't bothered by the boy's words, instead, he smiled, "Because normally humans or human's soul who are non-cultivators aren't capable of igniting this many Diyas all together in a small amount of time. Even if they can, it would take a long while to do so and when they would finish doing their job, the first Diya's oil which was first ignited by them would've been fully consumed."

—"Even if many humans or many human's souls did it together," Vismay interfered, "it certainly will take much time and in the end, the oil of some Diyas would still be consumed. So, if some of them are still blazing without losing even a drop of oil then it means—"

—"It means, all these Diyas are ignited by a person who is capable enough to light them all at the same time with their cultivation energy, right?" with a bright glow over his face Samay realized something and completed Vismay's words. 

Samay heard the sound of Advik's clapping, the man was beaming as if he really appreciated what Samay said, "Well examined, you're right, Samay." 

"Now, go and check if these Diyas are still full or empty. I'll go that way, you go that side," Advik pointed in different directions and showed Samay the way. 

The youth nodded before disappearing. They all went in different directions to check and study the place. No one was surprised when they found those Diyas were full of oil. After checking a good amount of those Diya and assuring their doubts, they all gathered where they were before. 

"You were right. They all are ignited by someone who is a high-class cultivator. Even the light of those diyas is fierce and powerful energy is lingering around them," Samay commented while taking some heavy breaths.

"I am always right, Kid," Advik replied with a glorious smile.

This idiot. Samay rolled his eyes seeing that. 

"So, now we are certain that these Diyas are ignited by a high-ranked cultivator or someone really strong," Vismay said. 

"And if not even a drop of the oil is consumed by these Diyas, that means, it's not too long ago since they all have been ignited," Advik crosses his arms, glancing at the gray-stoned place. 

"Also, the oil used in the Diyas is magical. I've sensed it. Hence, these Diyas can stay illuminated for more than a few hours," Samay commented, "What now?"

"What else, we have to go inside and check but stay careful," Vismay flew ahead and everyone followed it with heavy legs.

Samay carefully opened the gate of the Mahakali Temple. His breaths were low so that no one could hear it, he was alerted to not make any mistake as if he could be caught by someone. He peeked at Advik who, to his shock, for the first time seemed serious. He didn't make eye contact with Advik and nonchalantly said, "Why are you so serious?" 

Big eyes glanced at Samay as if he was discovered doing something wrong. Advik's lips curved into a smile but his eyes were deep, "Honestly, I don't know myself but I'm feeling really strange like-like—"

—"like many butterflies are flying in your stomach, right?" Samay completed his words.

"Hmm… maybe, but it's a little different, like if I stepped inside, my whole life, whatever I've done, seen, or knew would be changed forever."

"Sometimes changes are good," the Fireball's tone was soft and warm. 

Advik bitterly smiled, "And sometimes they aren't." 

Seeing an unfamiliar expression on Advik,  Samay stared at him. After a while, he added, "We should see what is inside first."

They stopped their talk and stepped in. Temple was filled with gold and glitter. The ceiling was high. There were many Diyas and brass oil lamps placed everywhere. Their mesmerizing eyes glanced everywhere. Every corner was submerged into the divine and spiritual life, it felt like heaven itself. Advik's keen sight glued on the humongous statue of Goddess Mahakali. 

He paced ahead with a single focus on the Mahakali statue. He gazed in awe at the Goddess. His legs froze just some inches away from the altar which was full of many offerings and a big brass lamp lighting the place fiercely.

Samay was delighted at seeing the fierce but also the divine statue of Goddess Mahakali. They couldn't move their attention away from the statue. Everything was immersed in gold and glitter along with the finest carvings over every wall that they have stopped breathing for a moment. There was an unknown pressure in the air surrounding them. It pleased their eyes deeply but still, a question stuck in Advik's mind. Why is a temple as heavenly as this one is here in this abandoned and demonic place which looks not abandoned at all?

"This is unreal," amused Samay said while turning his eyes and body in all directions to capture this image and seal it in his mind. 

Tara buzzed rapturously, fluttering up-down.

"I am having a really bad feeling about this!" Advik was looking around when he sensed something. He saw the brat was going to touch one of the offerings placed on the altar and warned him, "Stop!!" Samay flinched hearing a sudden shout but stopped and retracted his hand. "Don't touch anything for god's sake." Advik was serious.

The teenager was puzzled by the man, he turned his face toward Advik. Twisting his expressions, "What the hell do you want?"

"Your safety. Stay still, please."

The sound of clicking tongue is all Advik got as an answer from Samay.  

The Fireball came near the man who somehow seemed troubled. "What happened, son, you look strange."

"When I don't?" Advik gleamed a little. "It's nothing. It's just that I'm smelling the ingredients used in Yajna but I cannot seem to find them anywhere here and that is troubling me."

Abruptly the little Firefly moved and flew upward a small window, hanging on the wall behind the Goddess's statue.

Seeing Tara flying up to the window Advik followed her casually. However, he was surprised to see some gap behind the Mahakali statue. 

He had a hunch when he saw Tara move like that, "One more hidden door, I guess?" He glanced at the Firefly as though he was questioning it. 

"What? Where?" Samay dimly asked. Scanning the surroundings he marched ahead where Advik stood. 

"Can you see it?" Vismay doubted. 

"No. I am just wondering if there is one for real because I've encountered many for a day," he sighed. Advik touched the wall which was ahead of his eyes with his index finger. It started to ripple like water just after a small contact with his fingertip. The kid next to him remained speechless after that show. Advik raised an eyebrow, amused, "Now… this is interesting." Tara started to jump in the air again.

"Should we check what is inside?" Vismay asked but it felt more like it was telling them to do so. 

"We don't have any other choice, do we?" Samay rolled his eyes before stepping in first. 

"Oh, this kid could be daring too," Advik proudly stated and followed him with Vismay and Tara. 

And once again Advik encountered a dark and silent room or a place? He could not tell because of the lack of light. How big or small the place could be was unknown to them but they were able to see each other because of the dim light of their tiny helpful friends. They all stood close to each other so that they could at least see each other.

It was strange to find a pitch-black place like that behind a temple that was so much brighter than this. This is a dangerous place. A thought stung into Advik's mind. He was alert but his all attention was grabbed by some small fingers which held his hand firmly. Those fingers were trembling slightly. Looking at his hand he giggled lowly and slowly glanced at the face of the owner of those fingers. Samay seemed pale with fear crawling in his eyes. 

Resisting his urge to tease the prideful kid who was clenching his hand which was getting tighter and tighter by every passing moment. In the end, he let the kid hold his hand thinking he was really scared. Advik focused on the matter in front of him, that was, the dark place that was somehow overflowed with ancient divine and spiritual energy. 

"Why is this place so dark while the temple outside was so bright?" Vismay's voice echoed a little.

"We can tell you why!" A womanly voice raged at them. 

Unconsciously Vismay sighed, thinking, Light is where the trouble is waiting for him.

…

Dictionary:

Diya: A diya, diyo, deya, divaa, deepa, deepam, or deepak is an oil lamp usually made from clay, with a cotton wick dipped in ghee or vegetable oils. Diyas are native to the Indian subcontinent often used in Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Zoroastrian religious festivals such as Diwali[2] or the Kushti ceremony.

Yajna: Yajna (Sanskrit: यज्ञ, romanized: yajña, lit. 'sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering') refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature called Brahmanas, as well as Yajurveda. The tradition has evolved from offering oblations and libations into sacred fire to symbolic offerings in the presence of sacred fire (Agni).