Originally posted by: CogitoErgoSum
Un-Res for Chapter 10. Chapter 11 will follow in my next post. 😊
A masterfully crafted chapter, Saku my dear. You description of the Elven blade Aithne was beautiful yet terrible. It really seems like a malignant weapon, gleefully feeding off the extreme emotions of rage, anger and frustration. It works best with wielders who thirst for power, bear some or more degree of malice. Or rather, it is able to feed off those emotions, and further its own strength. No wonder it feels so intrigued by Sanskaar---whose mind is too complex, too layered to be circumscribed within the narrow walls of these basic, primeval emotions.
That whole section about how Aithne was tantalized by Sanskaar, wondering what his wrath would feel like---it sent a convulsive shudder down my spine. It really seems a most bloodthirsty and maleficent weapon.
Sanskaar the master fencer...😳 So adept at wielding blades that his fencing almost seems like a dance. So he floats like a butterfly and stings like a wasp huh? 😉 Saku, you are completely captured by Sanskaar's magic my dear. 😛 😆 And you have created such an aura and grace around him her, well what do I say. Just splendid.
I found it fascinating how Sanskaar is rather repelled by Aithne. He has no intentions of letting it meddle with his thoughts and emotions, in fact, he is conscious at the connection the sword has been trying to build, and doesn't like even the rudimentary connection with his psyche that Aithne had managed to build.
It speaks a lot of Sanskaar's iron resolve, that only when he was in such a frustrated, disturbed mood, that the blade could dip deeper into his throughts, inflaming and blemishing them. But he managed to fight that off too, nevertheless.
So Sanskaar is reflecting on the cards Shobha drew, 😊 despite his ostensible disbelief and disinterest in the tarot cards. But as yet, he cannot imagine how his path is the wrong one, and why he should alter it. He still seeks to bring justice to all those he considers involved in the heinous plot. But there is a seed of doubt there now somewhere isn't there? The germ of an idea, that perhaps the Eye did not know after all, did not connive? Because he has certainly started running that debate in his head! 😉
And he thinks he would be very interested in meeting the person who is to show him the light, bring him the new perspective of things that the Hermit card foretold. And just then, poetically almost, enters the object of his fascination, the very person whose intricate and vivid dreams he has been trying in vain to get out of his head. 😉 Errmmm Saku...is this another one of your fantasies regarding Sanskaar? 😳☺️ A strong, determined man trying his best to get rid of his overwhelming feelings for a girl, (misunderstandings clouding his mind), but then unable to resist the call of his heart? 😃 I think you are embodying Vajra with a whole lot of intense admiration (well deserved) for Sanskaar here. 😳
It goes without saying that I loved the SwaSan scene, with Sanskaar unable to hold back his very genuine concern for Swara. He might still doubt her, but I think his heart knows at some level that she is innocent of the guile and deception she stands accused of, by Annapurna & Aryaman.
So Swara recognizes the blade from her nightmares. 😕 Aithne certainly is a wicked instrument of fate, it was delighting in the chance of inflicting pain, in bloodshed and the possible taking of life. Was it always like this? Or did it get corrupted as it passed through hands of various Vajra Emperors (especialy when it was wielded by Pratula, who used it to slay Sanskaar's father)?
I guess what I am asking is, is the weapon malignant in and of itself, or is it that Pratula poured into it his malice and desire to dominate and overpower? (Much as Sauron poured his malice into the one ring? ) And how powerful must the weapon be, that its venom could even dull the Eye's powers for a time, with that cut!
If I've understood Swara's nightmares correctly, she reads her future as being stabbed to death by a Vajra Royal (Lakshya), wielding Aithne. The nightmare is so vivid, she can even feel the burning agony coursing through her, and Sanskaar's inadvertent wound inflicted on her palm, brings back the memory of that pain. So much so, that it seems familiar...😕 God, once again, I had shudders running down my backbone. Portentous indeed...for unlike Sanskaar, Lakshya has no strength and complexity of character to withstand Aithne's maleficent manipulations. He is just so easy to misguide! 🤢
Lakshya's whole interaction with Ragini seemed so---well I don't know---off? He seems to be rather clueless and naive...but his actions of flattering Ragini, trying to get close to her, seem rather calculated. Or am I reading too much into the situation?
Lakshya seemed to be missing Swara much more than Ragini did. 😆 😉 When he asked Ragini if she was missing Swara, she was completely blank! And then came that rather meaningful dialogue...a very sensible message from Lakshya to Ragini actually, but one which she surely is not going to follow. Being happy with what one has, and letting go of what one cannot have. A hint perhaps, that Ragini would be better of letting go of Lakshya. 😉 But my sympathies are a bit with Ragini here---she is so starved for love, she is going to choose the wrong path without the shadow of a doubt, but she is a borderline unhinged character, with definite schizophrenic issues. And Lakshya is only fueling her infatuation (knowingly or otherwise), with this talk of how beautiful and adorable she is. Once again, I am unable to fully shake off my suspicions of Lakshya. He seems all artless and goofy---like an overgrown version of a little, skipping lamb. 😃 But there certainly seem flashes of calculated, even Machiavellian action? Not sure...only you can tell us. 😉
Suvanna's part was chilling. Just so overwhelming, the way her vestiges of conscience and empathy are being eroded. Te High Priestess asks her to choose: justice or revenge? Urges her to shed the blood of an innocent child, and thereby the last remnants of her innocence and conscience. Really spine chilling. I wish she would have backed off, but knowing her, she must have gone ahead, thereby shedding what little chance she had of clinging to the goodness within her. I used to think she could be redeemed, but after such a heinous act, I'm not sure anymore. 🤢
Kumkum Bhagya
Tu Dhadkan Main Dil
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
