The next morning, Guru Rambh came to King Takshak carrying a mystical device that would help Princess Ratri find the Blue Gems of the different realms.
"Greetings, Maharaj."
"Greetings, Gurudev. Please come in."
"Maharaj, here is the device that will help Princess Ratri locate the gems. Please give it to her."
"Yes, Gurudev."
King Takshak called Princess Ratri to his chamber and handed her the device, telling her that it would guide her in finding the gems. Ratri took the device and left.
On her way, when she reached the market of her kingdom, she noticed a crowd beating someone.
Curious, she moved closer and saw a young man lying in the dust, dirty and injured. Ratri stopped the crowd and asked why they were beating him.
One of the men stepped forward and said,
"Princess, this man is a disguised trickster. For several days he has been entering our kingdom in different disguises and cheating people."
Just then the young man stood up, bowed to the princess, and said,
"No, Princess. I am not a trickster. I came here to meet King Takshak. But when I told your soldiers this, they did not take me to the king. Instead, they took me to Guru Rambh."
"When he asked why I wanted to meet the king, I said that I would reveal that only to King Takshak. Hearing this, he became angry. He demanded that I tell him first before meeting the king. But I refused."
"Because of this, Guru Rambh had me thrown out of the palace and ordered his soldiers to kill me if I was seen anywhere again. Since then, I have been trying to meet the king by disguising myself in different forms, but I have not succeeded."
After hearing the young man's story, Princess Ratri ordered the crowd to disperse. She then instructed a soldier to take the young man to King Takshak.
The young man was very happy and thanked the princess.
The soldiers took him to the king.
King Takshak asked them,
"Who is this man? Why have you brought him here?"
The soldiers bowed their heads and replied,
"Maharaj, we do not know who he is. The princess ordered us to bring him to you."
They then explained everything that had happened in the market.
"Very well. You may leave," the king said.
"Yes, Maharaj."
After they left, the king asked the young man,
"Who are you, and why do you wish to meet me?"
"Maharaj, my name is Prince Susim. I come from the realm of Tuluv. I am searching for the Prakashpunj."
"Prakashpunj? Why do you need it?"
"Maharaj, our realm has been attacked by the demon Nalish. Because of his power, all the people of our realm have fallen into a deep sleep. To awaken them, we need the power of the Prakashpunj."
"We have visited every realm asking about it, except yours. If you know anything about the Prakashpunj, please tell me."
King Takshak replied calmly,
"I can give you knowledge about the Prakashpunj. But why should I help you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You are a prince. Surely you understand that no ruler helps another ruler without receiving something in return."
"I understand your meaning, Maharaj."
"Then tell me—what do you want?"
"I want the Blue Gem of your realm."
Prince Susim was shocked.
"Maharaj, are you in your senses? If I give you our Blue Gem, the protective shield of our realm will disappear. After that, not only the demon Nalish but many other enemies may destroy our world."
"I know that," said the king coldly. "But I must also rule my kingdom. Do not worry about your realm. We will take care of it."
"And as for obtaining your gem… we will simply take it from you."
"Soldiers!"
"Yes, Maharaj!"
"Arrest him and throw him into the prison.""Yes, Maharaj."
The soldiers captured the prince and took him toward the dungeon.
Meanwhile, Princess Ratri set out with a few soldiers for the realm of Shohadr. When she used the device given by Guru Rambh, she reached Shohadr in a single moment.
The king of Shohadr was King Chandrabhan, a calm and gentle ruler. A grand festival was taking place in his kingdom.
Princess Ratri ordered one of her soldiers to ask a young woman for the way to the palace.
The soldier asked,
"Excuse me, where is the road to the palace?"
The young woman did not answer.
He asked again,
"Where is the road to the palace?"
But she still said nothing and simply walked away.
Seeing this, Ratri felt that something was strange.
She got down from her horse and stood in front of another young woman, carefully looking into her eyes. After a moment she returned to her horse and said to her soldiers,
"Come back here. These people cannot see us. We will have to find the way ourselves."
"Yes, Princess."
As they moved ahead, they saw a beautifully decorated road.
Ratri said,
"It seems this is the road to the palace. Let's go."
"Yes, Princess."
But as soon as they proceeded further along the path, one by one her soldiers began to disappear.
"What is happening?" she wondered.
"Where have all my soldiers vanished? Something is definitely wrong."
"Still, there is no point in stopping here. Let's move forward."
Suddenly, an arrow struck her leg.
Within moments, Princess Ratri fell unconscious.