Chapter 238

"Yes, after all, the Jalandhara is just a wave in Shiva's ocean. Although every wave in the ocean has its own joys and sorrows, they are all ultimately part of the ocean..."

Unbeknownst to many, the edges of the verdant mountains have already turned crimson, and the Rising Sun's rays illuminate this memorial site adorned with wildflowers.

Even the Jalandhara, who was finally heading towards her destined end from the Lila, was gently illuminated by this radiance.

In an instant, an incongruous scene unfolded before Jalandhara's eyes, seemingly leading to another world where strange things happened. There was the story of his mother, who was attacked and killed by Indra while protecting him when he was young, and similar stories, such as his lover Virochana, who was deceived by Vishnu and ultimately committed suicide.

Jalandhara was a little taken aback at first, but quickly put on a gentle smile.

Oh dear, I should have done this a long time ago.

This is something to be happy about; it's only natural to return to one's original self as a part of it. But why can't I stop crying?

To the God of Kavia, whom I have always revered, to you who gave me my name, to you who cared for me and my mother when I was young, to you who comforted me, to you who blessed me and Virochana, to you who accompanied me, to you whom I admire most.

Thank you for letting me have such a beautiful dream in the end.

With tears streaming down his face, Jalandhara threw away the Trident that was stuck in his chest, opened his arms and walked toward Shiva, but halfway there he Self-Immolation. His uncontrollable power finally brought him back to his primordial state.

Then, Jalandhara, whose entire body was completely engulfed in flames, uttered his last words to someone unknown:

"I'm so sorry, I can't forgive myself for what I did to you... But despite everything that happened, because of you, I never thought this world was Hell... Really... Thank you..."

The Jalandhara's body turned to ashes, while its soul transformed into a flame, returning to the place of its birth—

The third eye on Shiva's forehead.

From fire, back to fire.

"... It's finished."

"Brahma, the Aspected God least connected to this matter, who murmured."

Then, as if to break the silence of that moment, Kavia picked up the Veena, the musical instrument that she had given to Jalandhara Spirit years ago, which had been left on the ground where Water Jalandhara had disappeared. Although it had been in Jalandhara's hands for countless years, its mechanism still functioned smoothly as expected, producing a clear, delicate sound, like the sound of striking a crystal artifact, which spread through the air mixed with flames.

A simple and unadorned melody.

Serenity, dreamlike prayer.

"What piece is this? Kavia."

Brahma asked a question out of curiosity, Kavia paused slightly before replying.

"This is what I just created."

"I see, no wonder I've never heard of it before, which prevented me from starting to dance to it."

"Indeed, if I knew the title of the piece, I would have no choice but to transform into Mohini and dance if I saw you play it."

Vishnu, unusually, shared the same thought as Brahma: "By the way, Kasyapa, what's the name of this piece you composed?"

The melody is short because the people it depicts are also brief, so the lyrics are few, and the title translates to "one by one".

"Goodbye, one day (??????,????????????) Jalandhara (??????)."

With the Jalandhara incident concluded, Indra once again ascended to the position of Lord of the Three Worlds.

Then, Daksha, who was in charge of the Fire Sacrifice, sent invitations to all the gods and Aspected God to celebrate this moment.

But Shiva and Sati are missing.

Chapter 303 The reincarnation of Kasyapa, the destruction of the world by Shiva.

Daksha's grand Fire Sacrifice invited all living beings from the world.

Shiva was not invited, nor was Sati, his daughter.

This can be considered a more severe insult to Shiva by Daksha, and Sati also suffers as a result, which can be seen as a complete rejection of Sati as his daughter.

However--

"I want to go to my father's house and participate in the Fire Sacrifice he holds."

In the dead of night, somewhere in the Forest, Sati spoke these words to Shiva.

Sati had such a wish because her mother, out of kindness, sent one of her sisters to invite Sati to bring Shiva to the Fire Sacrifice at Daksha.

In Sati's mother's view, if Sati could come uninvited, Daksha's pride would be satisfied, and he would feel in his heart that his beloved youngest daughter Sati still respected him as her father and still loved him. In this way, no matter what, Sati was still connected to Daksha by blood, and thus Daksha's love for his child would be rekindled.

However, the mother's well-intentioned actions will have irreversible consequences, because she underestimated Daksha's Wrath.

"... What's wrong? Is it not allowed...?"

Faced with Shiva's renewed silence, Sati pressed for an answer.

"Of course I'd like to go, Sati, but..."

"But what?"

"But your father didn't invite us, how can we go uninvited?"

"Why, Lord Shiva, won't you go...?"

Sati pleaded in Sorrow voice, her tone tinged with regret, "Just like that child, the Jalandhara Spirit, if only you had listened to Kavia and visited him more often when he was little, things wouldn't have turned out that way..."

"I..."

"Lord Shiva, why won't you accept my family and relatives? Why...?"

She didn't understand that Daksha's Wrath stemmed from Brahma's severed head by Shiva, and she didn't understand why the taciturn Shiva couldn't reconcile with her father.

In Sati's view, one was her father, and the other was her lover; she had to ensure that the two could get along harmoniously.

"God's mercy also originates from Love of God. Mercy and love are different for mortals, but they are the same for God, Sati."

Shiva actually understood Sati's pleas quite well. To this day, she still hoped that her father Daksha, would reconcile with her. This was her greatest human desire and selfishness. If she could, wouldn't she want to as well? However, Daksha would not.

He continued:

"God has nothing in his heart but love and mercy for the world, so how could I love only you and not your Father? I love everyone."

"If that's the case, then why do you insist on having an invitation to attend the Fire Sacrifice? Tell me, can you answer that question?"

"Okay, Sati, if you want to know, I'll tell you."

Shiva nodded, "As your beloved, I am willing to try my best to explain this to you; it is my duty—"

All I want to hear is you say 'okay'...

Sati sighed. "But tell me, what do you want to say?"

"I do not wish to participate in Daksha's Fire Sacrifice because of my love for him. He did not invite us, so it is obvious that he does not want us to Fire Sacrifice. If we go there, he will be angry when he sees us, and because of this anger, his Fire Sacrifice will fail. To obtain the results of the Fire Sacrifice, one must maintain a calm and peaceful mind during the ceremony. Why should we provoke Daksha to lose his composure?"

Shiva's words made a lot of sense, and his tone was very gentle, but this did not convince Sati.

Therefore, she retorted:

"... Lord Shiva, I am but a mortal, and I cannot refute your words. What I do know is that my father Daksha, harbors some misunderstandings about you, which is why he did not invite us. If we go to my father and change his mind, then he will be more at peace with you..."

"No, Sati."

Shiva shook his head again, this time with unusual firmness, "This is not good for him, and it is against propriety for us to go there—"

Shiva was interrupted by the anxious Sati before he could finish speaking.

How could it be improper for me to visit my own father's house?

"I'm referring to the social customs of your society, Sati. After a daughter gets married, she's considered a guest when she returns to her father's house."

Shiva tried to make his expression look slightly happier, just like the expression Kavia had made him make at the wedding held in Daksha back then.

"After marriage, one must go to one's father's house. This woman should uphold the dignity of herself and her husband. If Daksha believed we deserved respect, he would have invited us, but he did not. Therefore, those he considered worthy of respect will join him in the Fire Sacrifice."

Shiva, holding Trident, continued.

"Remember, Sati, those who go to someone's house uninvited must endure an insult worse than death, but as your husband, I will not let you suffer such torment."

"These are your true feelings, Lord Shiva... But my father couldn't possibly be an outsider... It's just that you, Lord Shiva, have never considered him one of your own..."

Seeing Sati with tears in her eyes, Shiva continued to smile and said:

"Ignorance and Wrath will never lead us to the truth. Try to calm down and understand my words, Sati."

"I don't understand anything... I should have known long ago that you wouldn't go."

Sati paused, then looked at Shiva with a resolute expression. "You must come with me to the Father's Fire Sacrifice, do you hear me, Great God?"

"A woman's stubbornness leads to destruction, Sati, don't be stubborn."

"No matter the cost, I promised my mother we would go, and we will go! Please come with me, Lord Shiva!"

"It would be inappropriate for us to go without knowing the situation."

Shiva's smile vanished, his expression turning indifferent. "Sati, you will be insulted there, Daksha— "

"Stop talking, stop criticizing my father! Daksha is my father. What could possibly happen to me where I go? How could anything happen to me in the place where I was born and raised!"

"Was I not clear enough, Sati?"

"No."

Sati's eyes widened, and unusually, a clear expression of Sorrow appeared on her face.

"It's not you, it's your hostility towards Father that's been the talk. Don't worry, Great God, I'll be fine. I'll be back."

"No, you must listen to me. We cannot participate in the Fire Sacrifice; going there will only bring you misfortune."

"Unfortunate, unfortunate, unfortunate..."

Sati gave a self-deprecating laugh. "You make it sound like he's not my father, but my enemy. Great God, if you don't want to come with me, then I'll go by myself!"

Upon hearing this, Shiva moved swiftly, gripping his Trident, and rose from the large rock, charging towards Sati.

"No, Sati, I won't let you go alone."

This might be one of the rare instances in Shiva's life, the god of destruction, that he lost his composure.

However, Sati still couldn't understand, and she simply said to Shiva:

I swear to you, don't stop me!

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, Shiva murmured in disbelief:

"What kind of vow did you make... Sati... What's the point of me coming after what happened to you... What's done is done, Sati..."

At this point, Shiva's expression turned serious.

You must immediately retract your vow.

I know, I know you love me very much.

Sati shook her head. "But Daksha is my father, and of all his children, I am his favorite. I will be fine there, Great God. Don't worry, I will be alright."

Shiva, looking at the unwavering Sati, answered with immense sorrow:

"Fate is calling you... This is your delusion, and your delusion is so deeply ingrained that everything I say sounds like Delusion to you. But the truth is that Daksha's Fire Sacrifice will only bring you harm."

Sati knew that Shiva loved her very much, but she could not understand Shiva's words.

She simply continued firmly:

"Very well, if I am hurt by my own father, then I am willing to bear it. Today I will go to Kanara alone; my mind is made up."

After saying that, Sati left without looking back.

"My Lord..."

At this point, Nandi, who had witnessed the entire process, spoke up.

Shiva then gently said to Nandi, "Nandi, take Sati to her father's house. Your duty is to ensure Sati's safety."

Upon hearing this, Nandi immediately ran in the direction Sati had gone.

After the two disappeared, Shiva, who was always indifferent, shed tears, as if he were crying like a human being.

After a while, a flash of light appeared, and Shiva's face instantly returned to its initial indifference. From the flash, the figures of Vishnu and Brahma were revealed.

Shiva nodded slightly to the two of them.

"Great God, how could you allow such a calamity to occur?"

Vishnu said.