(Neer goes behind the tree and wakes Agni. Agni regains consciousness— but as soon as he awakens,he attacks Neer!)
Neer (Shocked): "Agni!What are you doing? Why are you attacking me?"
Betal (Maliciously): "This is the real test for you two,Neer. Now let's see—who wins… and who loses."
Neer: "Wait,Agni… I don't want to fight you!"
Agni (Angry): "But I do! I will take your life!"
(Neer defends himself, then knocks Agni's sword down with his own.)
Neer: "Enough now,Agni! If I wanted,I could sever your head from your body— But no…I cannot do that."
Agni: "Then don't— but I am not going to stop!"
(Agni attacks again. Neer fights for some time,then throws his sword down.)
Neer: "If you must kill me,then take them… I offer my life to you. But I cannot slay you…"
(Just as Agni is about to strike…)
Betal (Roars): "Stop,Agni!"
(And he frees Agni from his illusion. Agni wakes as if from sleep— sword in hand,and Neer kneeling before him…)
Agni (Astonished): "Neer…?What is all this…?"
Betal (In a calm voice): "Neer… You understood the depth of all three of my questions— You chose truth. You chose your duty. You made your sacrifice…and chose Agni's life. In the last 500 years,no one had ever given up anything for anyone else. You… made me believe in love,friendship, and truth once again."
Neer: "We knew of your sorrow,Betal. We knew that your liberation was only possible through truth and love."
Betal: "And I knew everything too… About you as well. Who you are,Neer… You yourself do not know. And Agni does not know either. But now… I have attained liberation. But remember— The time to come will bring your next test. Never become separated from your karma and your soul…"
Neer: "What test? What do you mean?"
Betal: "I cannot tell. Just listen to your conscience. And for my liberation… perform my Pind Daan and last rites. This is my final wish…"
(And the Betal dissolves into the air. The 500-year-old Banyan tree falls and breaks…)
Liberation and a New Journey
Agni (Looking at Neer): "Neer… Are you okay? Why were you on your knees? And the sword in my hands…what was all that? What sacrifice did you make?"
Neer (In a calm voice): "Calm down,Agni. I will tell you everything… First,we must perform the Pind Daan for the Betal's liberation."
Agni: "Alright,Neer."
(Both return to the village, perform all the final rites for the Betal with the help of the old Baba. Then they take their leave and depart towards the temple…)
Agni: (After hearing the whole account,he looks into Neer's eyes and puts a hand on his shoulder…) "Thankyou neer truly
As peace settled after the Betal's liberation, one question kept echoing in Neer's mind - "You yourself don't know who you are..."
When Agni gently put a hand on his shoulder and said "Thank you, Neer," Neer looked into his eyes. In that moment, he truly understood the meaning behind the Betal's words.
Neer thought to himself, "Agni... you truly don't know who you're thanking. You don't know that the person standing before you... isn't the Neer you know."
He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go, Agni," as they moved toward the temple. But his steps now carried a new weight - the awareness of the coming storm.
The Betal's final warning was about to come true - and only Neer knew that the real test would begin when he would face his own true identity.