Neerav

Neerav stared at the beautiful girl before him. She was breathtaking. Her shining hair, her bright eyes, her lean muscles......

Just minutes ago, Neerav heard a knock on his door. It was very early in the morning, and he lived alone, so he'd been a bit wary to anwer it. However, the knocking persisted, so he'd rolled out of bed and trudged his way to the front door. When he opened it, he was greeted by a smiling old man and the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, even with a scowl on her face. He couldn't stop staring at her.

She of course noticed this, but decided to ignore it. There were pressing matters at hand and Vishwamithra had told her it was her job to explain what was going on to the new recruit. She introduced herself as Kyra, and then began by telling Neerav of the impending arrival of Ravana, a ten-headed asura, and how he was to destroy them all if they didn't gather a team of four mortal heroes to combat him. Then, to try and convince him, she pulled out her sword and told of how she singlehandedly defeated Thataka in the desert. During her retelling, she swelled with pride, and smiled for the first time she'd arrived at Neerav's place. This only served to make Neerav's heart skip a few beats.

After finishing her story, Kyra looked at Neerav expectantly. "You are the next chosen warrior. I was led here by an unknown force, but I'm positive you're who we're looking for." She scowled again. "Even if you are scrawny and gangly looking."

Neerav ignored the jabs, but focused on the warrior part. Him? A chosen warrior? They must be mistaken..... the closest he'd ever come to being a hero was the time he'd saved his cousin from falling into the river, and the water was barely waist deep anyway.....

As if sensing Neerav's apprehension, Vishwamithra spoke up. "If you do not believe us, that is fine, but at least travel with us for a while. Allow us to prove that what we say is true."

Neerav thought that sounded somewhat reasonable, and if they were just really crazy, he could just run away like he always did.....

But something in Kyra's eyes forced Neerav to believe them. He could see a sharpness, like she was almost pleading with him. Why would they come all this way just to lie to him? Plus, if she really was somehow led to him by a supernatural force, then there must be something special within him. Even if she was sarcastic, she seemed to have faith in him. And the old man wouldn't stop warmly grinning, which was creepy, yet oddly comforting.

Looking at the two visitors, Neerav was filled with an energy that he didn't know he possessed. He felt excited and ready to face whatever came his way. He swallowed, squared his shoulders and said, "Alright. I believe you. I will be your second warrior." And hurried off to pack his things.

Image Information: Shu Ouma from Guilty Crown by Yūki Kaji. Source: Pinterest

Author's Note: This portion of the story doesn't necessarily relate to a specific section of the Ramayana. Kyra has found the second warrior, a fearful boy with no confidence in himself. They share an exchange in which you get a glimpse of Neerav's personality and see the difference between him and Kyra. In the next installment, Neerav will prove himself to be a true hero! I want to encompass all of the good traits of Rama into each of the heroes, creating four relatable and unique characters that embody the original Ramayana. This section is basically a prelude into the next section, where we will meet our third warrior and see what Neerav can really do. I wanted to keep the humor of the previous section, but add in a bit of seriousness with Neerav's indecisiveness and hesitation. We never get to see Rama have such "weakness" except perhaps once when Sita wants him to kill the golden deer, so I want to emphasize how perfectly human each of my warriors are by magnifying their vulnerability. All four of them put together embody Rama, but even more so since they have their individual strengths and weaknesses. Each of Rama's encounters (especially the last few involving Sita) show off a little more of Rama's vulnerability, such as his love for Sita that blinds him, and his rashness in battle.

As an added bonus, each of the characters' names were chosen for a reason! As my editing challenge, I am revealing to the readers that Neerav means Silent or Quiet, which indeed is important to Neerav's personality (which will be revealed more in upcoming installments!)

Bibliography. "Ramayana" by R.K. Narayan. Source: Ramayana