Queen Takshika was very happy after receiving Princess Ratri, because she had no child of her own.
The entire kingdom believed that the child was the daughter of King Takshak, and everyone in the kingdom celebrated the news with great joy.
Meanwhile, Guru Rambh returned to his monastery and began preparing a magical mask for the princess using his mystical powers. After completing it, Guru Rambh took the mask to King Takshak and said,
"Your Majesty, I have prepared this mask using my sacred mantras. Please make the princess wear it so that we all may be freed from the curse of Dhrutdev."
"Yes, Gurudev."
The king placed the mask on Princess Ratri's face.
Then Guru Rambh said,
"Your Majesty, now you must create the Vijayvahini Army."
"Vijayvahini Army?" the king asked in surprise.
"Yes, Maharaj. The Vijayvahini Army will be created through the sacred mantras we have performed. This army will help us conquer the seven realms, especially the realm of Kusumdhwaj. As you know, King Drishtadum is extremely brave and powerful. Defeating him will not be easy."
"But Gurudev," the king replied, "we possess the Prakashpunj, which is the most powerful force in the entire universe. Why would we need such an army?"
"Maharaj," Guru Rambh answered, "you are forgetting that we have placed the mask upon the Prakashpunj. The mask will control her powers, and because of it she will not be able to use her full abilities for twenty-two years. Moreover, Prakashpunj is ultimately a part of King Drishtadum himself."
"You are absolutely right, Gurudev. We must not leave even the smallest weakness in our preparations. Do not worry. I will begin preparations for the Vijayvahini Army immediately."
"Very good, Maharaj."
Later, when Queen Takshika saw the strange mask on Princess Ratri's face, she asked the king,
"My lord, what is this white substance on our child's face?"
"Maharani, it is a protective shield placed there for the princess's safety. Please never remove it."
"A protective shield?"
"Yes, Maharani. Our daughter is not an ordinary child. She possesses immense power, and the radiance of that power cannot be endured by ordinary humans. Our enemies wish to use that power for their selfish desires. Therefore, I do not want any danger to come upon our daughter."
"You have done the right thing, Maharaj. I will take great care that this protective shield is never removed."
"Very good."
Queen Takshika accepted the king's words and lovingly raised Princess Ratri.
Thus, fifteen years passed.
Princess Ratri had now grown up. King Takshak had personally trained her in all kinds of weapons and combat skills.
One day, the king called Princess Ratri to him and said,
"Ratri, today I want to tell you something very important."
"What is it, Baba?"
"Ratri… I am suffering from Charuk disease."
"What? Charuk disease? But Baba, that disease…"
"You are thinking correctly. This disease will soon take my life. I only have a few months left. But I am not worried about my death. I am worried about how we will obtain the seven Blue Gems (Neel Manis) that are necessary to protect our realm."
"Baba, I don't understand what you mean."
"Our enemy is the king of the Kusumdhwaj realm, King Drishtadum. Through deceit he has weakened the protective shield of our Takshak realm. Because of this, our world is in great danger. Our enemies are waiting for the moment when the shield disappears completely so they can destroy our realm."
"But Guru Rambh has suggested a way to prevent this disaster."
"We must obtain the seven Blue Gems from the seven realms. With their power we can strengthen our fading protective shield again."
"Because of my illness, I cannot accomplish this task. That is why I wish to entrust this responsibility to you."
"Do not worry, Baba. I will bring those seven gems for the safety of our realm. But before that, we must find a cure for your disease."
"There is a cure, my child."
At that moment Guru Rambh arrived.
"Greetings, Gurudev," said Princess Ratri.
"Greetings, Maharaj."
Ratri asked him angrily,
"If there is a cure, why hasn't it been done until now? What are you waiting for? If you know the treatment, why didn't you cure my father earlier?"
"Ratri, child, we do not speak to Gurudev in such a manner," the king said.
"Forgive me, Princess," Guru Rambh replied calmly. "If I were capable of curing him, I would have done it long ago. But I am helpless."
"What do you mean?"
"It means that your father can only be cured with the help of those seven gems. But obtaining them will not be easy."
"You need not worry about that," Ratri said firmly. "Just tell me how, when, and where I can find them."
"Yes, Princess. Tomorrow I will give you the complete details."
"Very well. You may leave now."
"Yes, Princess."
After Guru Rambh left, the king said,
"Ratri, child, why were you so rude to Gurudev?"
"Because I do not trust him, Baba. He is a cunning and hypocritical guru. Many times I have seen him behave badly with our people. Each time I forgive him only because of you. Otherwise, I would have cut off his head long ago and offered it to Dhrutdev."
"Baba, you should rest now. I will begin preparing for my journey."
"Pranam."
After saying this, Princess Ratri left.
She went to Queen Takshika and told her about her journey, but she did not reveal anything about her father's illness.
The queen asked,
"My child, this journey will take a long time. Will you go alone?"
Ratri replied playfully,
"Of course, Mother. I'm not going there to organize a grand feast for everyone, so why would I take the whole market with me? I only need to visit the realms and politely request the gems from them. It's not like I'm going to fight a war."
"I will return soon."
"Alright, take care of yourself."
"As you command, Maharani," Ratri said with a smile.