Bhima and the Nagas - Underwater Awakening

He woke up underwater, which should have been impossible.

Bhima: "Breathe, The water here obeys different rules."

Bhima inhaled. The water became air in his lungs.

He was in a palace of pearl and scale, surrounded by beings who were half-human, half-serpent. The one who had spoken was vast—a king, clearly, with a crown of living gems.

Naga King Vasuki: "You were poisoned, By your cousin. Thrown into the river to drown."

Bhima: "I remember. He—Duryodhana—offered me sweets. I was stupid."

Naga King Vasuki: "You were young. The young trust family. That's how they're designed. We've drawn the poison out. But your blood has changed. It's been touched by something that should have killed you."

Bhima: "Why didn't it?"

Naga King Vasuki: "Because you're not ordinary. Your father is Vayu, the wind. Your constitution is... unusual. The poison didn't kill you. It revealed you. Your potential."

Bhima: "I don't understand."

Naga King Vasuki: "The strength you had before—considerable for a child—was nothing compared to what you can access now. The poison acted like fire on ore. It burned away weakness. What remains is pure."

Bhima: "How strong?"

Naga King Vasuki: "Drink this. Then you'll know."

Bhima drank. The taste was fire and lightning and the heart of stars.

Bhima: "What was that?"

Naga King Vasuki: "Naga essence. The concentrated power of a thousand serpents. Combined with your changed blood, it will give you the strength of ten thousand elephants. Perhaps more."

Bhima felt it—rising in his bones, filling his muscles, transforming him from a strong child into something else entirely.

Bhima: "Why? Why help me? Why give me power?"

Naga King Vasuki: "Because of what you'll do with it. I've seen fragments of your future, Bhima. You'll fight battles that matter. You'll protect those who need protecting. And you'll destroy those who need destroying. The Nagas bet on strength. We're betting on you."

Bhima: "What if I fail? What if I use this power wrong?"

Naga King Vasuki: "Then we'll have bet poorly. But I don't think we have. You'll return to the surface soon. Your mother is grieving, thinking you're dead. Go to her. Comfort her. And begin becoming who you're meant to be."

Bhima: "Will I remember this? The palace, the serpents, you?"

Naga King Vasuki: "Fragments. Enough to know you were changed here. Enough to trust the strength when you need it. We Nagas have our own grudges against the surface world. When you fight the Kauravas, you fight for us too. Duryodhana's line has offended us before. Your victory will be our satisfaction."

Bhima: "I didn't know politics extended underwater."

Naga King Vasuki: "Politics extends everywhere. But don't worry about that now. Just grow. Train. And when the time comes—"

Bhima: "I'll tear my cousins apart."

Naga King Vasuki: "I was going to say 'act with wisdom.' But your version works too. Rise, Bhima. Rise and become."

The current lifted him. The underwater palace faded. And when he broke the surface, gasping real air, clutching the riverbank, he was fundamentally changed.

His mother's wail of joy was the first sound he heard.

The strength of ten thousand elephants hummed beneath his skin.

And somewhere in the depths, serpent kings watched and waited for the return on their investment.