Standing before that pitch-black darkness and the solid stone door of the cave, Prafulla's mind suddenly seemed to stop working. As he groped along the surrounding walls, an ancient, long-forgotten chapter suddenly flashed across his mind. Letting out a deep sigh, he slumped heavily against the wall.
Firmly gripping Prabhasha's hand in the darkness, Prafulla began to say, "Uff, Prabha! We wouldn't be in this miserable state today if I hadn't made such a monumental mistake. You don't know this, but during our childhood, Snigdha and I—both of us had learned a divine, mystical art from the ashram of our deeply revered Guru. Our Guru had bestowed upon us a strange celestial power. By virtue of that power, we could look into the eyes of any human and read exactly what sinister plots or wicked thoughts were brewing in their minds. Not only that, but we also possessed the strength to fiercely fight against any evil force."
Striking his forehead hard in a fit of rage and sorrow, Prafulla burst out, "But look, Prabha, what happened to me today? Why couldn't I use that magical power? I suspected that wretched old woman the moment we entered the forest! Why didn't my intuition warn me? If only I had used my divine power back then to read Snigdha's mind just once, we wouldn't have to rot in this dark cave today. Cave? Far from it—we wouldn't have even reached the boundary of this forest! I would have stopped that ogress beforehand. But why did that mystical art fail to work at this hour of peril?"
Hearing her brother's bizarre revelation in the darkness, Prabhasha was left astonished. She said, "But Brother, why would the divine power granted by the Guru vanish all of a sudden? Have you made some mistake?"
Like a flash of lightning, the final words of their Guru sparkled inside Prafulla's mind. The grave, warning voice of the Guru began to echo in his ears— "Remember Prafulla, remember Snigdha... this celestial power thrives solely on the bond of your pure souls. If even one of you ever becomes dishonest, extremely selfish, greedy, or malicious—at that very moment, all divine powers of both of you will be destroyed forever!"
The moment he recalled this, the ground slipped beneath Prafulla's feet. He screamed in the darkness, "Does that mean? It means the Guru can never speak a lie! Has Snigdha truly become utterly selfish and greedy then? Did she intentionally abandon us in this death snare, this hellhole, and escape alone just to save her own skin and fulfill her filthy interest? No, no, what disgusting thoughts am I harboring! How can I think such things about my own twin sister? But there is no other logic besides this, Prabha! Because she became corrupt, my inner divine power also turned to dust in a single moment!"
In a fit of rage and disgust, Prafulla punched the stone wall violently. His knuckles split open and began to bleed, but that injury was nothing compared to the agony inside his heart. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "In fact, her downfall is nothing new! Ever since the day she entangled herself in a vile affair with another stranger despite having Rupanjan, indulging in dishonest paths with a man in the dead of night like that, it was obvious how low and cheap her mindset had become! She is nothing but a filthy sewer-worm wearing the mask of nobility! But I never dreamed even in my nightmares that she would sink so low as to abandon her own blood brother and sister to face death and flee like a thief!"
Prafulla now pulled Prabhasha into a tight embrace and wept loudly. Filled with a chest full of despair and tears, he said, "What will I do now, Prabha? How will I break through this solid stone door in this pitch-black darkness and get you out? Where will I go with this little sister of mine? And that witch... if she is truly alive, the moment I get out of here, I will go straight to Junagarh Palace. I will go to the palace and see if that devil is hiding there! If she is there, I will shatter her filthy arrogance with my own hands!"
In that suffocating, airless darkness of the cave, the fire of Prafulla's vow and the sound of Prabhasha's weeping blended to assume a terrifying form. This extreme betrayal by Snigdha might have imprisoned their bodies, but it kindled the fire of revenge inside Prafulla's heart a thousand times more. Inside the suffocating darkness of the cave, while Prafulla was banging his head against the wall in grief over losing his divine powers and in rage at Snigdha's extreme betrayal, Prabhasha did not break down. The pain from the blow to her head was there, and her body was exhausted, but her intense curiosity and sharp intellect remained alert even in this dire peril. While Prafulla's blood from his hand smeared the wall and dripped onto the ground, Prabhasha tried to accustom her eyes to the darkness.
Suddenly, Prabhasha's gaze fell upon the extinguished sacrificial pit. Although the fire of the ritual had completely died out, a strange, arch-like structure was protruding from beneath its ashes. Groping through the dark, Prabhasha went to Prafulla and held his hand. She whispered, "Brother! Stop crying. There is no use in weeping. That witch has indeed abandoned us to die, but we won't die that easily. Come over here for a moment!"
Wiping his tears, Prafulla said, "What happened, Prabha? There is no way out of this dark dungeon."
Prabhasha replied, "There is a way, Brother, look carefully. That sacrificial pit over there—the stone at its base is a bit different. The stones in the rest of the cave are rough, but the stone there is smooth. And a circular snake-like pattern is carved upon it. I think this is no ordinary sacrificial pit; it is the key to opening the secret door of this cave!"
Hearing Prabhasha's words, a ray of hope ignited in Prafulla's heart. He rushed to the sacrificial pit and began clearing the hot ashes with both hands. As the ashes were removed, Prabhasha's prediction was proven true! A massive stone wheel or handle was hidden there, with ancient scriptures engraved upon its surface.
Prafulla said, "Prabha, you are truly a genius! But turning this heavy stone wheel is impossible for one person alone."
Prabhasha said, "We will try together, Brother. Unity is strength!"
The brother and sister firmly gripped that stone handle together. Then, pooling all the strength of their lives, they twisted it. At first, the stone did not budge, but when Prafulla roared like a lion and applied his ultimate strength, a terrifying sound echoed—rattle, crash!
With the friction of the heavy stone, one side of the cave wall began to slide away in a mystical manner. However, the main door did not open; instead, a narrow, dark tunnel leading into the subterranean depths was unveiled. The sound of a rushing stream of cold water and a howling wind drifted from there.
Embracing Prabhasha in joy, Prafulla said, "My sister, you saved our lives today! Come, not a single moment more."
The two of them groped their way through the darkness along that tunnel. In some places, there was knee-deep cold water (jol); in others, sharp rocks. Protecting Prabhasha, Prafulla continued to forge ahead. After walking through that labyrinth for a considerable time, they finally emerged outside through the cover of a massive thicket on the other side of the forest.
As they stepped outside, they saw that afternoon had faded, and a pitch-black night had descended. The forest sky was filled with the light of the stars, but the atmosphere inside the woods was somber and terrifying. Free from the cave, Prabhasha collapsed onto the ground in sheer exhaustion and the pangs of hunger. A severe fever all day and night yesterday, followed by a blow to the head, and now walking this long distance—her small body could take no more.
Placing her hand on her stomach, she almost cried and said, "Brother... I am terribly hungry. It feels like a fire is burning inside my stomach. I don't have the strength to take even a single step anymore."
Seeing his sister in this condition, Prafulla became deeply distressed. Returning to the palace in the dead of night was not safe, because they didn't know what plot Snigdha had hatched there. Scanning the surroundings, Prafulla found a small, safe tree hollow or cave-like spot in a corner of the forest. He said to Prabhasha, "Sit here for a while, sister. Let me see if I can find something."
Keeping his hunter's eyes alert in the darkness of the forest, Prafulla gathered some wild sweet fruits and clean, sweet water (jol). Approaching Prabhasha, he fed the wild fruits to her with utmost tenderness. Hungry Prabhasha chewed those fruits like nectar and drank water (jol) to her heart's content.
After eating, Prabhasha's eyelids began to grow heavy. Prafulla untied his royal veil, spread it on the ground, and laid Prabhasha down there. Stroking her head, he said, "Go to sleep, sister. You have to spend this night in this forest. Tomorrow morning, we will go to the palace and strip away the mask of that traitorous Snigdha before everyone."
Oscillating between the extreme injustice of her Didi and this selfless love of her Brother, innocent Prabhasha drifted into a deep sleep, resting her head on Prafulla's lap. And Prafulla, staring into the darkness, gritted his teeth and vowed to himself that he would give Snigdha a punishment the likes of which no one had ever witnessed in the history of Junagarh.