When I awoke again, I saw the lion king sitting on his hind legs. His sharp teeth bared in a wolf-like grin. Terrors shot through me, and I gathered my strength to get up, but the same deep golden voice spoke to me.

"Don't be afraid. He is a friend."

My head turned to the source of that voice. The same man, sitting in a lotus position on a flat gray rock, looked at me. His face was serene, aglow from a cozy campfire crackling in a ring of stones. The flames seemed to burn more richly than any ordinary fire.

My eyes studied him in awe. His wavy black hair was long and unruly. Wrapped around his neck was a king cobra. Yet the most striking feature of all was the third eye in the middle of his forehead.

I then remembered who the man was. I had heard numerous tales about the God of Destruction. His neck was blue because he swallowed the poison from the serpent Vasuki to save the world ocean. He had a third eye for his first wife, Parvati, playfully covered two of his eyes. It caused the universe to fall into darkness. The Lord created the third one to restore the light. He gained his name the Destroyer for he destroyed the cities of Asuras. Once he waited for a thousand years until the demon cities, which rotated in the air, were aligned, and he pierced all three with a single arrow.

No one but Shiva.

Now he was right before my eyes!

"Lord Shiva," I breathed and decided it was wise to bow to him. The god sat still and silent. He was as blue as moonlight shining on the meadow.

"Blessed one," he said. "The encounter with the wild king must have rattled you badly."

Gajasimha moved towards me. I recoiled but his long tongue rolled out and reached over to lick the claw wounds on my arm. The skin closed and slowly healed again. I was still in shock, but now it seemed as if the beast posted no harm.

"Does he belong to you?" I said, looking at Gajasimha warily.

"No, my mount is Nandi, the sacred bull," Shiva said. "I sent this friend to bring you to me."

I still found the face of the beast king terrifying, but I gathered the courage to pat the animal's short elephant trunk. He breathed into my hand, and I assumed we had made peace for now. Gajasimha retreated back and began licking his paws before the fire.

I turned to the god in leopard skins.

"May I know why you sent for me?"

"I wanted to see you alone," said the blue-skinned god. "Don't be frightened of me. I wish you no harm. You must have so many questions to ask me."

"Well...er...yes, I do, my lord," I said with a nod. "What is the meaning of all this?"

"I believe Lord Vishnu himself has told you already," he said.

"He did? When?" I said, blinking. "I don't remember anything."

"You had glimpsed the truth of existence that extends beyond the worldly pleasures and sorrows, of course, but you must have forgotten. He is the original cause of all causes," Shiva said and smiled.

"Original cause of all causes?" I looked at him blankly.

To my surprise, the god laughed. His voice was like music.

"Never mind then. You impressed the gods with your deeds. Yet you also angered some. I must not delay the wheel of fate. You must be ready as you shall have the hearts of men to clasp and far-hidden mystery to solve."

"Are you the one who sent me to this world?" I said. "Why did you choose me and not one of the gods' children? Or Issarak, your grandson? He is powerful and deserves the leading role more than I do."

"You have more questions than I expected," Shiva said and chuckled again. He picked up a stick and started poking the fire with it. The flames crackled, sending bright sparks like fireflies into the air.

Gajasimha lay his head down on his front paws and began to snore. The breaths that blew from his trunk caused the fire to roar louder before dimming down again. It went on like this, and for a while, I stared distractedly at the campfire.

"Do you want to hear about your real origin?" the god said at last.

"Oh, I think I know who I am, Great Lord. I'm a girl who got thrown into this realm as a sacrifice to the gods, all because my mother asked them to save the world."

I was unable to keep my sarcasm hidden. I wanted to tell him that I accepted my fate as long as everyone I loved was safe, and I would bear it all, whatever be my state. But the gods still oppressed me, they tortured me with their plots, and they made my life full of pain.

"You don't know who you are very well then," Shiva said.

"So who am I?"

"You are us, the gods," he said. "You're our force, our essence, our creation and all the past lives you've lived."

His words caused my mind to shrink even more.

"What does it mean?" I said. "I thought I was here because of my link to my mother's bloodline."

"Not just that, but also your beloved one's."

"You mean Amarisa?"

"She is your life companion in all your past lives if you must know," he said.

Quickly like a lightning strike, I remembered all the stories I was told. Now it all began to make sense. This world around me with its beauties and terrors seemed to hold me far too firmly in its grip.

"So Amarisa and I were both reincarnated lovers?" I breathed. "I thought I was merely the future daughter of Queen Jayarajadevi."

"Indeed, child. Just as worn clothes you will cast off and wear new ones, you are in the Great Circle. That is the nature of Samsara." The lord beamed. "Everything happens for a reason. Your being born a girl was also predestined. But I didn't come here to speak of the inner work of your destiny. The things you don't know could fill the Ocean of Milk to the brim!"

He poked the fire again, and we were silent for a time. The lion king yawned. His teeth made me gulp.

"So, my lord," I started. "What should I do next?"

"Hear me, young one, your true danger is near," Shiva said in a solemn tone. "Ravana, the King of Asuras, has reincarnated into the world once again. His wicked plan is to reclaim the blade you shall possess. If he succeeds, his reign of terror will begin."

"Ravana has returned?" I said in sheer surprise. Shiva inclined his head. The news of the demon's reincarnation sent me a chill through my spine. I had heard many things about the demon lord. Ravana had conquered humans, celestial beings, and other demons in his past life.

He once ruled the Heavens, the Netherworld and the Earth. Proclaiming himself Emperor of the Three Worlds, Ravana terrorized the gods and gained command them and even the Naga race. His power dominated so much so that he could command the sun's setting and rising.

"That is true," Shiva said as if he was reading my mind. "The demon king is coming for you."

"But how am I supposed to stop him?" I said. "Can you not see? I am powerless and weak. How could I defeat such a powerful being!"

"Ravana obtained a boon from me long ago. The boon guaranteed him that no one, gods or demons, could defeat him. Yet he forgot about the humans. Lord Vishnu sent his avatar to earth, the fair prince Rama. Born a mortal, he could slay the vicious king. In this age, the demon lord has learned his mistake. He vowed that no one could defeat him again -  not even men."

"So it's clear that we cannot win!" I said again, trying to make the god see my point.

"That is why your rebirth is necessary. You shall wield the sacred Chandrahas which I had once granted to Ravana. You shall slay him with his own weapon."

With my mind still trying to wrap itself around everything, I remembered the time Amarisa and I were flying over the city. She had told me the history of the holy sword. I had promised her not to touch the divine blade. Now Ravana wanted to reclaim it and use it to destroy the world.

"Where there is light, there is darkness and the other way around," Shiva began again. "The battle of evil and good has no end. The seeds of this war have been sown for many lifetimes. You're only here to reap its fruition."

I finally understood. The gods used the holy city as bait so that I could be brought back in time to kill the fiercest demon of all.

"Tell me, my lord, if your knowledge exceeds all boundaries, what becomes of me in the end?" I asked in desperation.

"Why do you ask the writer to give away the climax of the story before you read it?" said the blue-skinned man with a smile. "But for your selflessness and bravery, I shall grant you two things."

"I thank you for your kindness, but I have no need of them," I said bitterly. I was upset and furious, but I was also aware that I could be blasted to powdery dust if I angered the three-eyed god.

Shiva simply rose and walked towards me with panther grace, light and assured on the balls of his feet. I drew in a jagged breath, recoiling from the mystery of his intents.

"Child of Prophecy, Protector of the Creation, whether you wish for it or not, you must take this boon." He stretched out his arm to touch my forehead on the spot where the third eye was supposed to lie. I braced myself—for what? I didn't quite know.

Perhaps a burst of heavenly music, or a gust of wind and lightning flash. But his touch disappeared with no dramatic sensation than the brush of a bird's wing. I looked around myself. Everything was the same as before.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Keep in mind that the wise grieve neither for the living nor the dead," Shiva said.

I was about to ask more questions when the lord stood again and backed away.

"I shall leave you now."

Then his body shimmered and slowly disappeared in a burst of light.

"Lord Shiva, wait!" I cried, but the god was already gone. The fire died and darkness descended.

But the lion king was still sleeping beside me. Shiva said he would give me two things. Then I realized Gajasimha was one of them. The lion king's ears perked up and raised his head to attention. Suddenly, I heard my friends' voices from far away.

"Nikita!" Vorac and Tepi yelled through the dark forest. "Where are you?"

I knew I had to return to them, but this time with a new four-legged friend.