King Takshak and Guru Rambh were very pleased after obtaining the Neelmani of Kusumdhwaj, and they were now preparing to acquire the full power of the Prakashpunj.
"Gurudev, today I am extremely happy. Our dream of many years has finally been fulfilled. It all feels like a dream."
"You are right, Maharaj Takshak. But this is not a dream—it is reality. Today, we possess both the Neelmani of Kusumdhwaj and the Prakashpunj, which King Drishtdum received as a boon from Dhrutdev."
"Now we must obtain the full energy of the Prakashpunj as soon as possible, because our enemy, Drishtdum, is not yet defeated."
"You are right, Gurudev. But there is something I don't understand."
"What is it, Maharaj?"
"We both know that Drishtdum is not a coward. He is the bravest of warriors—even fear fears to reside in his heart. Then why did he retreat instead of fighting?"
"That is because, Maharaj, along with being brave, he is also extremely intelligent. Perhaps he realized that fighting Princess Ratri would ultimately lead to the destruction of Kusumdhwaj, and that neither he nor his entire army had the power to defeat her."
"Perhaps that is why he chose to retreat and wait for the right opportunity. I am certain that wherever he is, he is waiting for the perfect moment."
"This truth may be bitter, Gurudev, but there is not even a trace of doubt in what you have said."
"So begin the preparations to separate the Prakashpunj from its energy as soon as possible."
"Yes, Maharaj. I will begin the preparations, and you should prepare to find your enemies and grant them death."
"Very well."
With that, both of them departed to carry out their respective tasks.
Meanwhile, Prince Susim continued living in the queen's palace, burdened with guilt.
A few days passed like this.
One day, Susim approached Princess Ratri and, during casual conversation, tried to learn about the Prakashpunj.
"Greetings, Princess."
"Greetings, Purva. Come, sit beside me."
"Yes."
"Princess… if you don't mind, may I ask you something?"
"Purva, you are my friend. You don't need permission to ask me anything. Go ahead."
"Princess, you have conquered many realms and taken control of their Neelmani. Have you ever heard of something called the Prakashpunj?"
"Prakashpunj!? What is that?"
"I am hearing this name for the first time. I have never heard of it in any realm. What is it?"
"Princess, the Prakashpunj is a very powerful entity, filled with infinite energy. I have heard that the amount of energy it contains exists only with Dhrutdev in the entire universe."
Hearing this, Princess Ratri burst into laughter.
"Purva, you are so innocent. Such things exist only in ancient legends. In reality, there is no such object. Where did you even hear about this?"
"I have never seen or heard of anything like this before. Perhaps someone was making fun of you."
Just then—
"It does exist, Ratri."
Both turned around and saw Kumar standing there.
He came closer and said,
"I have also heard about the Prakashpunj from my father—how powerful and full of energy it is. But where it actually is, or who possesses it, I cannot say. Still, I am certain that it does exist somewhere."
"Is that so?"
"Kumar, I know why you are saying all this."
"I don't understand."
Ratri teased him,
"Oh, someone is trying to impress someone… that's why you're supporting her so much."
"No, Ratri, it's not like that—I was just—"
"Alright, alright. Enough about this Prakashpunj. Whether it exists or not doesn't matter. I am very hungry. Let's go eat."
"Yes, Ratri, I'm hungry too."
Both of them got up and started heading toward the dining hall.
But Prince Susim remained seated there, looking sad and lost in thoughts about the Prakashpunj.
Seeing him like this made both Ratri and Kumar feel bad.
Ratri walked up to him, gently lifting his face with both her hands.
"Purva, you are my friend. That means your problems are my problems."
"And mine too," Kumar added quickly.
"We are your friends as well."
"So you can tell us what's troubling you."
"Ever since we met you, we've only seen you sad and unhappy. Many times we wanted to ask, but we weren't sure if you would share it."
"But for the past few days, both of us have noticed how deeply worried you are."
"Yes, Purva, what's the matter? Why are you always so sad? Tell us—we will definitely find a solution together."
After their repeated requests, Susim began to recall everything that had happened in his own world. He became emotional, and tears filled his eyes.
Seeing this, Kumar quickly changed the topic.
"Hey Ratri, did you hear?"
"What?"
"That today, the King has organized a grand celebration in the market. Since the state of emergency has ended after so long, the people are very happy. So the King has arranged this festival as a gift for them."
"Let's go and enjoy the celebration in disguise. That way, we can move freely and truly enjoy it."
"You're right, Kumar. I completely forgot about it."
"Come, Purva, you should come with us too. It will be fun."
"Yes."