บท 9: Chapter 9: The Awakening of Garudastra
Eight months. Eight long, frustrating months of caring for a bird, feeding it, watching it grow, and trying not to lose my mind. I had been raising this eagle, hoping that the whole time, something would click.
Then one day, everything changed.
I was sitting outside near the training grounds, watching the eagle stretch its wings. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the field.
The bird had tried so many times to fly, only to fail miserably, its wings flapping uselessly as it tumbled back to the ground. I had seen it fall so many times, it had almost stopped bothering me.
But this time was different.
The eagle hopped off the ground and flapped its wings hard. The air caught beneath them, and instead of falling, the bird began to lift.
Slowly, at first, but then, as if realizing it could finally do what it was born to do, it took off into the sky.
I stood there, frozen for a moment, watching in disbelief. After all the months of struggle, it was finally flying. The bird rose higher and higher, wings beating gracefully against the wind.
A rush of joy surged through me, and before I knew it, I was running alongside it, laughing out loud. My heart pounded in my chest, but it wasn't from running—it was from something much deeper.
As I ran, I remembered the story of how Garuda Dev has liberated his mother from his stepmom and thinking of this something inside me shifted.
It was like a door I didn't even know existed suddenly swung open. And then, out of nowhere, the world around me seemed to blur, and I wasn't in the training grounds anymore. I wasn't running. I was… somewhere else.
That's when I saw him.
Garuda Dev.
I had heard of him in legends, but seeing him—feeling him—was something else entirely. He wasn't just a myth or a story. He was real. And he was magnificent.
He towered in the sky, larger than earth itself, his golden wings spread so wide they seemed to touch the edges of the horizon. His feathers glowed with an intense, fiery light, like they had been kissed by the sun itself. But they weren't just feathers.
Each one was inscribed with ancient runes—runes that pulsed with energy, as if they were alive, vibrating with the power of the universe. They shimmered and danced, moving in time with the beat of his wings, creating a rhythm that felt both chaotic and harmonious at once.
Behind him, the sun blazed, but its light paled in comparison to the glow that radiated from Garuda himself. His presence was all-consuming, filling the sky with his power. Below him, the earth seemed so small, so insignificant.
It was like he stood above the entire world, and everything—the land, the seas, the mountains—bent to his will. The earth itself seemed to bow before him, acknowledging his might.
And those wings… they weren't just for flying. They were the embodiment of freedom. Each feather, each rune, whispered of ancient secrets, of the kind of liberty that no chains could ever bind.
They stretched across the sky like an endless tapestry, covering everything in their path with the promise of freedom, of breaking every shackle.
His body was adorned with intricate patterns, almost like armor, but made of pure light. They flowed and shifted with him, glowing with a divine energy that made me feel like I was staring into the heart of creation itself.
His chest bore symbols that seemed to radiate warmth and strength, each one telling a story that was beyond my understanding but still felt so… familiar.
His eyes. Those eyes were unlike anything I had ever seen. Sharp, piercing, like they could see right through me. But at the same time, there was a warmth to them, a kind of ancient wisdom mixed with a kindness that made me feel… seen. Really seen.
Like he knew exactly who I was and what I wanted, and it wasn't just some distant, god-like figure.
As I stared at him, the realization hit me hard—this was what Garudastra was. This power, this freedom, this untouchable presence. Garuda Dev wasn't just some mythological bird. He was the embodiment of everything I had been struggling to understand.
Suddenly, something inside me snapped. It was like a floodgate had opened, and power rushed through me, filling me from head to toe.
I looked down, and to my shock, wings—wings of pure, radiant energy—sprouted from my back. They weren't physical, but they felt real. They shimmered with the same golden light as Garuda's wings, covered in the same ancient runes that pulsed with life.
Each feather vibrated with energy, as if they were tied to the very essence of the sky itself.
It felt like I had tapped into something much greater than myself. My body thrummed with power, and I instinctively tried to flap the wings. But the energy was overwhelming. My head spun, and before I could do anything else, the world went black.
And then the vision ends and there was darkness and suddenly a light appeared and then I woke up to the sound of voices.
Everything was hazy at first, like I was coming out of a dream. My body ached, and my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Slowly, the blurry world around me came into focus.
"Did he really…?"
"Impossible. Wings?"
I blinked, trying to sit up, but my limbs felt like they were made of lead. There were people standing around me—students, mostly—but the real surprise was the look on the Gurus' faces. Guru Krishna stood at my side, but unlike his usual calm, stoic expression, there was an undeniable look of shock on his face.
His eyes were wide, and he looked like he couldn't quite believe what he had just seen.
"You're awake," he said, his voice soft but filled with an emotion I couldn't quite place?
"What happened?" I croaked, still feeling like I had been hit by a freight train. "I saw… Garuda dev. And then… wings. I had wings."
Guru Krishna nodded, but his expression remained one of disbelief. "You didn't just have wings, Anuj. You awakened Garudastra, but not in the way anyone expected."
He paused, glancing over his shoulder where the other Gurus were gathered, all of them exchanging stunned looks. Even Guru Vishran, normally as composed as a stone, had his brows furrowed in disbelief.
Most people who awakened Garudastra started with the talent of the eagle eye—the ability to see far beyond human limits and accurately judge the situation. This is the reason that this astra was called as a low tier as just this ability is not something very useful.
Wings, on the other hand, were something that came much later—years of training, discipline, and a deep connection with the Astra. But it was rare for someone to fly for a few minutes, many can only fly upto 2 minutes and then their aura reserves dwindle. The tranning is clearly not proportional to the result and this is the reason many don't like having this astra.
But me? I had skipped all that.
"You awakened wings on your first try," Guru Krishna continued, still clearly wrapping his head around the idea.
"That's… it's unheard of. Most warriors take years to even consider manifesting wings. Yet here you are, with wings in your very first awakening. It's—"
"Unbelievable," Guru Suryakant muttered from the back, but his voice was tinged with confusion.
I tried to process what they were saying, but my brain felt sluggish. "But… I didn't even fly. I couldn't control it."
"Of course you couldn't," Guru Krishna said, a small smile finally breaking through the shock on his face. "You've only just scratched the surface of your astra's power. You've achieved extraordinary, but your body and mind aren't ready for it yet. That's why you fainted. The aura it takes to manifest wings is far beyond what you can handle right now."
He glanced at the other Gurus, who were all nodding in agreement, still amazed. "What you did is remarkable, Anuj. Truly remarkable. But it's also dangerous. You used up all your aura trying to manifest the wings. That's why your body couldn't handle it."
I sat up a little straighter, my head starting to get clear. "So… how do I stop that from happening again?"
"You need to increase your aura reserves," Guru Krishna explained. "When you awaken an Astra, you also awaken the energy tied to it. We termed this energy as aura. The more aura you have, the more of your Astra's power you can control. Right now, your reserves are low because you have just awakened. That's why you fainted—you used up everything you had in that one moment."
"How do I increase my aura reserves?" I asked, still feeling the weight of exhaustion in my bones.
"Through meditation, training, and exercise," he said, his tone returning to its usual calm authority. "Aura isn't something that comes easily or quickly," Guru Krishna continued, his voice steady but filled with a quiet intensity.
"You have to build it. Strengthen it. That's why meditation and physical training are so important. The more you meditate and focus on your Astra, the stronger your connection becomes. With time, you'll be able to harness more of your astra power without exhausting yourself."
I rubbed my temples, trying to process everything. My head still felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer, but one thing was becoming clear—this wasn't just about having an Astra. It was about growing with it.
"You're saying I overdid it," I said, half as a statement, half as a question as a means to understand my situation.
"Exactly," Guru Krishna replied. "But that's what's so remarkable. The amount of energy you displayed today… that's the kind of power we expect from warriors who have been training for months, if not years. For you to display such energy in your first awakening—I have not seen in my period in this Brahmastra society. You're a natural, Anuj."
I looked around at the other Gurus, their faces still reflecting a mix of shock and happiness. Even Guru Vishran, who was usually calm to the point of being unreadable, seemed caught off guard.
"Anuj," Guru Vishran said, stepping forward, "I've seen many warriors over the years, but very few have shown this level of compatibility with their Astra so early on. The fact that you skipped the first ability and went straight to wings… It's a sign that you are going to go very far in control of your astra."
"Anuj do you have any idea about how you were able to unlock the potential of Garudastra so early on" other Guru asked
I paused, thinking back to the vision of Lord Garuda. The vastness of the sky, the wings that stretched across the horizon, the way he seemed to rise above everything—untouchable, unchained.
Freedom.
That's what Garuda had shown me. That's what I had been feeling ever since I watched the eagle finally take flight.
"I think I do," I said quietly, my voice barely more than a whisper. "It's about freedom, Garudastra… it's not just about power. It's about being free. Above it all."
I thought about it, feeling the truth of this words settle deep within me. I had always wanted freedom. Freedom from the limitations of the world, from expectations, from anything that tried to control me. It wasn't just about flying—it was about being free.
"And what about my wings?" I asked, looking down at my back, half expecting the energy wings to sprout again. "Will I be able to use them again?"
"With time," Guru Krishna said. "Right now, you've only unlocked the potential. The wings are there, but until you strengthen your energy reserves and learn how to control them, they'll remain unstable. I advised you not to use them yet and start from the basic ability of your astra."
" The ability of eagle eye. As you command more of your energy the more stable your energy will become and it is also the reason you fainted—your body isn't ready to handle that much power yet. But if you continue to train, to meditate, you'll eventually be able to summon them at will."
He placed a hand on my shoulder, his gaze steady. "You've been given a rare gift, Anuj. Garudastra is not an Astra that many can unlock full potential off. The fact that you've already shown such a deep connection with it means you're on the right path."
As the Gurus finally left, and the other students and my freinds wandered off after checking my condition, still whispering about what had just happened, I sat in silence, my mind replaying everything I had experienced.
The vision of Lord Garuda still lingered in my mind, vivid and overpowering. The vastness of his wings, the way he commanded the sky, the earth bowing beneath him. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. It wasn't just power—it was freedom, on a scale I hadn't even imagined possible.
That's what Garudastra was. That's why it had chosen me.
It wasn't just about being powerful. It wasn't about mastering some mythical weapon. It was about freedom—freedom to go where I wanted, to do what I wanted, without anyone else telling me how to live my life.
Garuda had shown me that.
As I sat there, the weight of the realization settled over me like a warm blanket. Garudastra wasn't just some weapon I had to master. It was part of me, part of what I wanted for myself. And now, more than ever, I was determined to master it.
I wasn't going to be bound by anyone's expectations. Not the Gurus. Not society. Not anyone. I would forge my own path, fly my own way.
As the sky darkened and the first stars began to twinkle overhead, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on the energy that still pulsed faintly inside me.
I would get stronger.
I would master Garudastra.
And one day, I would soar higher than anyone had ever thought possible.
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