Brinda: “Why? Why would you do that?”
Kritartha: “Because I love you.”
Brinda: “What…?”
Kritartha: “Yes! I adore you, I care for you, I admire you, and I love you so much…”
Brinda: “Wait…”
But Kritartha didn't stop. His heart was overflowing with emotions, and he couldn't hold them back any longer.
Kritartha: “I'll take good care of you. I'll let you live however you want. I want to spend the rest of my life with you…”
Brinda: “You don't know anything about me. How could you say that?”
Kritartha: “I don't need to know everything about you. All I know is that my heart wants you. I want to rip my heart out of my chest for you!”
Brinda looked at him in disbelief.
Brinda: “Don't you think that's too much? Why? Why do you love me so much?”
Kritartha: “Isn't it obvious? You saved my life. Because of you, my heart began to beat again. And now, it wants you.”
Brinda's expression slowly hardened. The confusion in her eyes gave way to a firm resolve.
Brinda: “Kritartha, I can't love you.”
Kritartha's face fell. The light in his eyes faded, replaced by a deep disappointment he couldn't hide.
Kritartha: “Why? Do you feel that I'm not good enough for you?”
Brinda: “No. There's no comparison between you and me to make in the first place.”
Kritartha: “Then why…? Why can't you love me?”
Brinda: “Not just you. I can't love anyone.”
Kritartha: “You don't believe in love?”
Brinda: “You said your heart wants me, right? But I'll never know what it feels like to want someone from the bottom of my heart.”
Kritartha stared at her, struggling to understand.
Kritartha: “I don't understand. You don't like me?”
Brinda: “I don't have a heart, Kritartha. Not a heart like yours. Not like humans have.”
Kritartha grew confused. At the same time, an unfamiliar fear began to creep into his heart.
Kritartha: “What? I don't understand what you're saying.”
Brinda: “I'm not a human like you, Kritartha. This isn't my real form. Do you want to see the real me?”
Before Kritartha could answer, Brinda's human form began to change.
A deep crimson glow spread across her skin as it transformed into a rich, blood-red hue. Two curved horns slowly emerged from her forehead, while dark golden lines appeared across her entire body, glowing like ancient symbols carved by divine fire. Her eyes grew larger, turning into beautiful, endless pools of black.
Kritartha stood frozen.
His eyes widened in shock. His hands began to tremble, and he instinctively took two steps backward while staring at her. His legs could no longer support him, and he suddenly fell to his knees.
Brinda: “Now tell me, Kritartha. Do you still love me?”
Kritartha struggled to find his voice.
Kritartha: “I… I don't know what to say.”
Brinda: “I know. No ordinary human has ever seen a demon this close and lived to describe it. But I don't want to kill you. It's better for you to leave now.”
Kritartha slowly raised his head and looked at her.
Kritartha: “I can't. It's not about looks. You're as beautiful as you were when I first saw you. You're even more beautiful now. But demons are sworn enemies of the Gods, Devas, and humans. I should have been born like you, or you should have been born like me. I don't know why we're the way we are. But I don't want to leave you.”
Brinda: “Kritartha, do you even understand what you're saying? I'm a demon. My race of Asuras doesn't even have a heart like some other demons do. We can't be together. You should leave before I change my mind and kill you.”
Kritartha looked straight into her dark eyes.
Kritartha: “If I can't have you, then it means death to me. It's better if I die in your hands.”
With that, Kritartha closed his eyes and spread his arms wide, waiting for her to strike.
Silence.
Nothing happened.
After waiting for a few moments, Kritartha slowly opened his eyes.
Brinda was gone.
He looked around, searching desperately for her, but there was no sign of her anywhere.
She had left him.
Kritartha lowered his arms. His heart felt heavier than ever as he slowly made his way back home.
---
As soon as Kritartha entered the house, his father noticed his gloomy expression.
Kritartha's Father: “What happened, Kritu? Why do you look so dull? Did something happen between you and Kalindi?”
Kritartha: “No, Father. I'm not even talking to Kalindi these days.”
Kritartha's Father: “So, finally, you've come back to your senses. See, Kritu, if you truly love someone, even death cannot separate you. If she abandons you when you're facing death, then she isn't in love with you. She only needs you.”
Kritartha: “I know, Father. It's not about her.”
Kritartha's father looked at him for a moment, noticing the sadness that still lingered on his face.
Kritartha's Father: “I don't know why you're feeling so low. But as your father, I'm telling you these things for your future, in case you ever need them.”
Kritartha remained silent for a moment before asking a question that had been troubling him.
Kritartha: “Father, have you ever seen a Rakshasa? A real Asura?”
His father immediately turned toward him, startled by the question.
Kritartha's Father: “What? Why are you asking this? Did you see one? Did it hurt you? Did it see you?”
Kritartha: “Father, don't worry. I'm fine. I'm just asking. There are so many species in this beautiful world—Kinneras, Gandharvas, Devas, Vanaras, and humans. Why does everyone fear and hate Rakshasas?”
His father considered the question before answering.
Kritartha's Father: “It was never about the race, Kritu. It's about their intentions. If a human wants to kill people, burn houses, and torture women, then he's a demon too.”
Kritartha: “So, you're saying that if a demon doesn't kill and eat people, and instead treats humans kindly, then that demon is also like a human?”
Kritartha's father let out a small sigh.
Kritartha's Father: “A demon would never want to live like that, Kritu. Do you remember what I've told you about demons?”
Kritartha: “Yes, Father. If I ever see one, I should run as if my life depends on it.”
Kritartha's Father: “Exactly. Don't think too much about it. These days, it's become rare to see Rakshasas in person.”
Kritartha nodded, but his mind remained elsewhere.
---
That night, Kritartha couldn't sleep.
He lay awake, staring into the darkness as his father's words echoed repeatedly in his mind.
“It was never about the race, Kritu. It's about their intentions.”
Then another memory surfaced.
“If you truly love someone, even death cannot separate you.”
Kritartha turned to his side, but sleep refused to come.
His thoughts returned to Brinda—her eyes, her words, and the moment she had revealed her true form.
He remembered the fear that had seized him when he first saw her transformation. Yet, even after witnessing something he had been taught to fear all his life, his feelings for her hadn't disappeared.
Instead, he had wanted to stay.
He had wanted to understand her.
And now, she was gone.
Kritartha slowly sat up.
He had made his decision.
---
The next morning, shortly after sunrise, Kritartha quickly gathered his tools and hurried into the forest.
He searched everywhere, visiting all the places where he and Brinda had met before.
But she was nowhere to be found.
He searched deeper into the forest, moving through the thick vegetation and looking behind trees and rocks, hoping to catch even a glimpse of her.
Hours passed.
The morning sun climbed high before slowly beginning its descent. The daylight grew dim, and long shadows stretched across the forest floor.
Yet Kritartha refused to return home.
He continued walking through the vast forest, calling out her name again and again.
Kritartha: “Brinda! Brinda, where are you?”
Only the sounds of the forest answered him.
He was exhausted. His legs ached, and his throat had grown dry from calling her name. He knew how dangerous it was for a human to wander so deep into the forest, especially when Rakshasas might be lurking nearby.
But he couldn't bring himself to leave without finding her.
As evening approached, Kritartha finally decided to stop and make a fire before darkness swallowed the forest.
He sat beneath a tree and gathered some dry wooden sticks. Taking two of them, he began rubbing them together, trying to produce a spark.
Just then, a strange voice emerged from somewhere in the distance.
Rakshasa: “Hmm… A human. It's been a while since I last ate a human.”
Kritartha froze.
His heart began to pound.
He immediately reached for his axe, the same tool he had brought to cut firewood, and gripped it tightly.
Kritartha: “Who's there? Come out!”
The strange voice grew louder, filled with hunger and amusement.
Rakshasa: “I want to swallow you in one bite!”
Fear crept through Kritartha's body, but he refused to back down.
Kritartha: “Come out! We'll see who's going to swallow whom!”
Suddenly, a huge figure emerged from the darkness and rushed straight toward him.
Kritartha reacted instantly, jumping to the side just in time to avoid the charging creature.
He turned to face it.
The Rakshasa was nearly twice the height of an ordinary man, with light pinkish-brown skin, a massive muscular body, broad shoulders, and thick arms. Two large, curved tusks protruded from his lower jaw, giving his brutish face
Kritartha's eyes widened with terror.
His hands trembled, but he firmly tightened his grip on his axe. With his other hand, he picked up a rock from the ground, preparing to defend himself.
He stared at the monstrous creature standing before him.
Kritartha: “Today, it's either me or this demon!”
