"Those two boys, did that?" Kamsa demanded from his guards looking horrified. None of the guards which were protecting the Bow of Indra, looked good – which was probably an understatement.

The guards said nothing as they stared at Kamsa in a glazed look. The guard was the only one who could even answer the questions of the king. The others were not even awake. But the guard did not miss one thing. In fact no one could miss it.

Even before the king had come to see the guards, he looked tired and broken. Now on seeing the condition of the guards, Kamsa looked ashen – like he could not control himself, anymore.

Kamsa slowly trotted back to his palace. He was scared. Terrified. And he just did not know how to set it right. Ever since, he had heard the thunderous roar from the breaking of Indra's bow, Kamsa knew that it was a bad omen – Kamsa just knew it.

Terrified, he stepped out of the chariot and walked inside the palace. As usual, on the right, he saw the mirror, just outside his room.

But right now, Kamsa just screamed when he saw his reflection – his reflection did not have a head...

The soldiers all came hurrying towards the distraught king. But none of them could say anything as the king just ran inside his own room and shut the door, not saying anything, looking even more furious and terrified – if that was possible.

*********

In the morning, after a bad sleep, Kamsa was in half the mind to call off the wrestling match. He did not want to see it. Not anymore. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to cancel the entire event and if possible reset all the events as it had always gone on for all these years.

From his palace he could see the people all talking excitedly about the upcoming wrestling match. They were all excited about it – but then Kamsa, just could not bring himself to even properly look at them. He just could not understand why the people were so happy or why his heart was beating so hard that he just could not control himself.

You are Kalanemi, Kamsa.

Those were the words of Narada. Now, that day, Kamsa knew that those words were true. He was indeed the asura Kalanemi in his previous life. But that changed nothing in his life. The knowledge brought him no power, nothing. If anything – it just intensified the dread in his heart.

Pulling himself together, Kamsa dragged himself to the arena, where the wrestling match was about to take place. Chanur, Mustika, Kutha and Sala were all getting ready in the ring and looked proud, arrogant and haughty as they were getting ready for the wrestling match that day.

Kamsa seated himself right in the centre of his ministers, further away from the ring. He could not explain it – not even to himself. He felt that he had to surround himself by people – the very people he had detested until now – because until now, Kamsa found them weak. But then Kamsa needed to be around these people – because there Kamsa felt protected.

After the king came inside, Kamsa superciliously saw the elephant Kuvalayapida being brought and tied to the front of the arena.

It was a ferocious looking elephant and Kamsa knew what the elephant was capable of doing. The mahout who was sitting on the elephant, himself did not seem to be too sure whether he could control the elephant.

For the first time, since the morning, Kamsa smiled as the fear he saw in the mahout's face. The face of the mahout showed his fear and Kamsa knew that the fear was true. If, that elephant was angered, then there was precious little that anyone could do about it. The chains which bound the elephant looked feeble and Kamsa knew that the chains can be broken by just one tug by the angry elephant.

Kamsa took a deep breath and wondered whether the elephant could actually help him out – great and powerful asuras had failed – probably, the mad elephant would succeed...

*******

"I want to go to the wrestling match." Krishna told his brother. For once, there was no mischievous glint on his face, no amusement, no smile, nothing.

But then Balarama did not need his brother to say anything. The brothers were close and dialogue between them was mostly superfluous.

"I am coming." Balarama said quietly.

"WHY ARE YOU GOING TO THE WRESTLING MATCH?" A Gopa boy who overheard the conversation between the two brothers looked horrified at the suggestion.

"I need to..." Krishna started. But he was interrupted. The Gopa boy could not know that the events of today were one of the very purposes of Krishna's birth.

"Kamsa is an evil man." The Gopa sais breathlessly. "And yesterday you broke the bow of Indra, which was meant for the sacrifice. He will kill you." The Gopa screamed as the other boys and girls surrounded him and nodded fervently.

"Don't go, Krishna." One of the Gopikas told Krishna.

"My father is in the court of Kamsa and he has gone there to pay the taxes. I must make sure he comes back safe and sound." Krishna said taking a deep breath.

The Gopas tried again.

But then the two brothers heard nothing as they walked inside the city of Mathura again. And this time they went straight for the arena.