My Story Outline for Brahmastra Part 3 : Brahmansh

This is a proposed outline for Part 3 of the Brahmastra trilogy. It is original content, written by me. I am not affiliated in any way with the production, or the makers of the Astraverse/Brahmastra movies and have not received any advance information about the upcoming movies. My proposed outlines for Parts 2 and 3 are my predictions for where the story could go after Part 1. The actual movies may differ greatly from what I have proposed here.

All images in this post are the copyright of Dharma Productions.

Published on Nov 6, 2022

Recap of Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva

Part 1 is Shiva’s origin story and the origin story of the Astras. We learn about Shiva, see him and Isha fall in love, and then get swept up in the world of the Astras and the Brahmansh. Shiva learns about his own power as an AgniAstra, his parentage, and his potential destiny with the Brahmastra. There’s a lot of world-building and setup to bring Shiva and the audience up to speed in the first part and prepare him for the ultimate challenge in the next movies.

As a refresher, here’s the story outline for Part 1, based on the movie.

Recap of Brahmastra Part 2: Dev

In Part 1, we learn that Dev and Amrita are Shiva’s parents, and we get a bit of their story. Part 2 expands on that.

Part 2 showcases Dev’s backstory, which establishes his origins, his tendencies to expect validation and loyalty from those he helps, his growth within the Brahmansh, and his brave attempt at changing the course of the Brahmansh by using the Astras to help people. Dev and Amrita meet while training with the Brahmansh and fall in love.

Part 2 also details Dev’s fall as his insecurities get the better of him and he loses his allies and his love and finally descends into insanity as he tries to use the Brahmastra to “recreate the world in balance” — a world that would be loyal to him as the wielder of the Brahmastra. He is defeated in this quest by Amrita, who inadvertently traps his consciousness in a stone statue.

30 years later in the present day, Dev and Amrita’s son Shiva, is a human manifestation of the AgniAstra and is now a member of the Brahmansh. After being freed from the statue, Dev attacks the Brahmansh again to get to the Brahmastra and ends up badly wounding Shiva without realizing Shiva is his son. Amrita, who has been in hiding for the past 30 years, reveals herself and saves Shiva’s life.

Here is the detailed outline for Part 2.

BRAHMASTRA PART 3 : BRAHMANSH

PROLOGUE

Through a narrated voiceover, we learn the story of how the sages/rishis calmed the Brahmastra at the time of its birth.

Once the Brahmastra is activated, it draws energy from the universe around it. As the energy is drawn in, it “charges” up as it prepares for a massive discharge of energy that has the capacity to destroy the entire planet (much like a nuclear explosion). While the Brahmastra is drawing energy in, a sphere of energy emerges around it that increases in intensity as it grows. As this spherical power zone grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to contain and calm the Brahmastra. If the Brahmastra keeps charging like this, it will reach a critical point and discharge all that energy, wiping out all living things on the planet like a nuclear blast. The rishis try everything they can to calm it down, but the power zone keeps growing. The rishis, in their divine wisdom, realize that the only way to calm the Brahmastra now is for someone to enter the power zone and somehow fight their way to the core of the Astra and exert their will on it to calm it down at the source. This will discharge the energy collected so far and very likely claim the life of the person who is in the power zone, but it will save the lives of everyone else.

This is what the rishis had to do… one of them entered the power zone and fought his way to the core with great difficulty, using his meditation skills to calm his mind as his body was torn to shreds, and then transferring that calm state of mind to the Brahmastra, causing it to calm down. The rishi is consumed in the ensuing discharge of energy, but the world is saved.

Present Day, in a farmhouse somewhere outside Mumbai.

Blurry flashes from SHIVA’s point of view. He’s fading in and out of consciousness. In flashes, he remembers ISHA… their relationship… then flashes from the ordeal with the Brahmastra in Part 1. Then flashes of GURUJI dying… his vision when Guruji looks at Shiva and his last words… then Guruji’s killer, Shiva’s father DEV! Then flashes of Dev’s attack on the Brahmastra safe house, his brutal assault on Shiva, and Shiva losing the fight. Then - a vision of someone standing between him and Dev… he knows this woman… Why does she seem so familiar… the eyes. Those eyes! It’s her!

Shiva’s eyes fly open as he bolts up awake! She stares around the room in a frenzy. Did he really see… his mother?

Isha is sitting on the bed, holding his shoulders. She’s obviously been sitting there for a while, waiting for him to wake. Shiva relaxes… was it just a dream? It felt so real. Then Isha moves out of the way and Shiva senses a figure behind her, sitting on a chair. He tries to focus, his eyes still blurry from the sedatives and the painkillers. Then he sees her. He freezes. It wasn’t a dream.

When she sees he’s awake, AMRITA moves closer and sits on the bed beside him. She’s not quite sure what to say, but he reads a thousand emotions in her eyes. How could this be? He’s still not quite sure he’s not dreaming. The pain all over his body tells him otherwise. Amrita touches her son’s cheek and smiles.

Amrita tells her story.

Part 2 told Amrita’s story leading up to her fight with Dev on the island to stop him from using the Brahmastra.

After she broke the Brahmastra into three pieces, Dev was consumed in the flash of energy that was released. The energy released was so huge that earthquakes began shaking the island, and Amrita knew she had to get away. She picked up the pieces of the Brahmastra and escaped. She had lost the Jalastra when Dev took it from her during the fight, so she could not control the water and the waves in the ocean. It was all she could do to control her boat as the island broke up and was swallowed up by the waves.

As she headed back to shore, Amrita thought about where she would go and what she would do next. The Brahmansh had failed on every level.
They had failed in their purpose to serve humanity with the Astras. They had retreated into anonymity and legend.
They had failed to protect the Astras. Dev was able to take the Brahmastra from them.
They had failed to create unity and harmony within their ranks. They had allowed dissension to grow to a point where the secret society was splintering. Dev and herself were an example of that.

Should she go back and join them? Hand them the pieces of the Brahmastra and hope they would protect it better this time? It was an organization that had lost its sense of purpose. Why should she trust them to behave differently this time? She had tried to change the Brahmansh with Dev, to shake them out of their self-imposed exile, but they had refused and thrown the two of them out.

She also had her unborn child to think of. If she went back, her child would be raised within the confines of the Brahmansh, according to their principles, their rules. She would not let that happen. She decided to disappear. No one had seen her leave the island; they would all think she had died, along with Dev. What about the Brahmastra? If they did not find it, they would continue to look for it. She had to give them proof that the Brahmastra was safe. She decided to send two of the pieces back to the Brahmansh and keep the third with herself. That way, no one could use the Brahmastra as long as she had the third piece.

She went to Mumbai and lost herself in the crowds. A few months later, Shiva was born and Amrita fell in love like never before. When Shiva was around a year old, Amrita noticed something strange about him. He crawled near a flame one day and put his hand into it by accident. Amrita expected him to be burned, but he was unaffected. She realized it then — he had inherited his father’s gift for Astras, and he had manifested the AgniAstra within himself. She panicked — if word got out about Shiva and his “gift”, it would draw attention, and the Brahmansh would come looking. They would find her, and they would know he was Dev’s son. They would take him, and the third piece of the Brahmastra.

She had to protect Shiva! The only way to do that would be to remove every trace of herself and his father from around him and to make him suppress his gift. But how would Shiva grow up without a parent? Amrita devised a plan — first she faked her “death” by fire. Shiva would be unaffected, but the house would burn around him, and he would be traumatized by it enough to stay away from fire for good. Once he was taken in as an orphan, Amrita changed her appearance using the Maya Astra and adopted him. She became his “AUNTY”, and raised him. She watched him grow into an empathetic young man. She helped him as he took in other orphan children because he thought he was one too, and she watched him meet Isha and fall in love.

Then her nightmare came true. Isha triggered the Astra in him that Amrita had worked so hard to suppress. Amrita watched in horror as Shiva’s visions led him to ANISH, and then straight to Guru. After all these years, his destiny had led him right back to the Brahmansh. Now the Brahmastra was whole again, and Shiva was in danger — from his own father!

Amrita’s story ends as she weeps for her son. Shiva hugs her tightly. She let him think she was dead all these years, but she stayed with him and protected him in her own way. He’s never going to let her go again.

Dev sits in a chair, thinking back to the fight a few days ago. We see from his point of view how the battle with Shiva unfolded, then Amrita’s sudden appearance. She’s alive! And he has a son! How could this be possible? He gets up and paces excitedly! Then he remembers the look in Amrita’s eyes as she escaped the Ashram — the anger at what he has become, and the sadness for the love she has lost for him. His thoughts then turn to his son…

Shared visions.

Shiva wakes with a start! He’s fully dressed with no bandages or injuries, sitting on a bench in a beautiful but empty park. Dev is sitting at the other end of the bench. Shiva jumps up, trying to activate his AgniAstra. But nothing happens. He tries again and again, with increasing desperation. No luck. Dev is looking at him, a smile on his face. Where is this place? Has Dev captured him? What about Isha, his mother? Are they safe? Why is Dev smiling? Dev rises, with his palms open in a conciliatory gesture.

Dev tells Shiva they are in a special space — this is a shared vision, a state of mind only certain Brahmansh can access. Shiva inherited it from Dev, which is why he saw Mohan’s death and Anish’s. This is how Guru was able to communicate with him. Shiva startles, realizing that Dev also shared his last vision with Guruji. He’s still wary and on edge, but Dev’s body language is non-threatening and inviting. He tells Shiva that Isha and Amrita are safe; he does not know where Shiva really is. All he can do is invite Shiva into this shared vision. Their powers don’t work here. All he wants to do is talk — to get to know the son he just realized he had. Shiva looks at him, not sure what to believe. Dev is his father. But this is also the same man who murdered Guruji — his father figure, his teacher and mentor, the man who introduced him to the world of the Astras and helped him become the man he is today.

Shiva lunges at Dev! Even if his powers don’t work, he can beat this monster to a pulp with his bare hands. Dev doesn’t move as Shiva connects solidly with his jaw, but Dev is unfazed and unhurt, now laughing at his son as Shiva tests the boundaries of this space with another punch and a crippling kick to the face. Everything connects, but nothing works. Shiva drops his attack; it looks like Dev is telling the truth. Shiva screams in frustration.

Vikram.

We see a member of the Brahmansh (ANAND) with his family. It’s a happy scene, with the man laughing and joking with his grandchildren. Then he glances out the window and spots a red flare in the sky. His face darkens. He knows what that means.

Later, Anand steps into a clearing. The person who fired the red flare is waiting for him. The man is dressed in black with a mask over his face. He introduces himself as VIKRAM. He’s come to take Anand’s Astra. Vikram says that the Brahmansh has to end, and they will be taken down one by one. Anand doesn’t have to die if he just hands over his Astra — Vikram will leave in peace.

Anand activates his Astra — it’s a Tiger Astra, which gives him lethal claws, agility, and strength.

Vikram activates his own Astra — it’s a magical staff, glowing red at both ends. Vikram is clearly a martial artist, with trained reflexes and agility. The two face off, and we get a battle scene with two trained fighters at the max of their skills. The Tiger attacks with ferocity and power, but Vikram anticipates and blocks all attacks with skill. The staff has red energy power at both ends, and it burns the Tiger every time he comes in contact with it. Slowly but surely, the Tiger is losing. The ferocity of the attacks dims gradually, and the Tiger retreats, growling in frustration. Then a final attack from the Tiger, trying to overwhelm Vikram with brute force. Vikram struggles at first, but remains calm and keeps deflecting, weakening the Tiger. Finally, Vikram strikes! A quick blow, straight through the Tiger’s heart, and the fight is over. As Anand lies dying, Vikram kneels beside him and salutes his opponent. It was a good fight and an honorable death. He takes the Astra from the now-dead man and leaves quietly.

Shiva is recovering from the severe injuries he received in the fight with Dev. RANI helps heal him with her Astra — the Astra saved his life without a trip to the ICU, but it will take time for his body to recover completely. He has not told anyone about his shared vision with Dev. He’s sure his mother will tell him not to speak to Dev, saying he’s a charmer and will try to manipulate Shiva to get the location of the Brahmastra. Shiva wants to use the connection to learn more about Dev and what he wants.

Another location, another murder. We see Vikram walking away from another slain Brahmansh member, having taken their Astra. THE DOCTOR, who is the leader of the Brahmansh now, comes to know of the methodical slaughter of Brahmansh members — they are being hunted one by one as Dev builds his power for another attempt on the Brahmastra. The Doctor and Amrita discuss what to do — their numbers are dwindling, but they are in no position to fight back. They cannot call the Brahmansh to their location — it increases the chances of Dev finding them, and they have to protect the Brahmastra. They also need to build up their numbers with new recruits, but it will take time to find the right people and train them up.

Isha overhears the conversation and joins the Doctor and Amrita. She asks them why the Brahmansh have not prepared for something like this. From her point of view, it feels like the organization has frozen in time — most of the current members are aging, but there is no new class of recruits ready to take up the mantle. The doctor sighs and Amrita looks at Isha. The Doctor explains that the state of the Brahmansh has been deteriorating for quite some time, even before Dev came along and upset the balance of things. As technology progressed, there was very little the Brahmansh could do with their Astras that would create a widespread impact. Secondly, as the world’s armies grew more powerful, the Brahmansh feared that if the Astras were revealed, those in power would try to take the Astras and use them to grow their own power.

Over time, the Brahmansh withdrew, reducing the scope of their impact and concealing themselves and their Astras. The world forgot about them and they receded into legend. Until Dev came along, the Brahmansh were recruiting new generations of Astra warriors, but after Dev went rogue and nearly destroyed the Brahmansh and the world in his insane quest, the Brahmansh cut themselves off even further.

Isha disputes this — one person going rogue does not negate all the incredible work the Brahmansh has done over centuries. It would be incredibly short-sighted for the Brahmansh to die out and the Astras to vanish from the earth due to the actions of one man.

The Doctor agrees — this is an argument she has had with Guruji often, but to no avail. In Isha and Amrita, she sees a chance to rejuvenate the Brahmansh again.

Shiva and Dev are in another vision together. This time they are on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. Dev asks Shiva to walk with him. Shiva reluctantly follows, knowing he can’t do anything in this space to affect Dev. Shiva asks Dev why he wants the Brahmastra so badly — badly enough to want to destroy the world, and to destroy his relationship with Amrita and with his son. Dev replies that he never wanted to leave Amrita; if he had known that she was pregnant with Shiva, he would never have left him either. But Amrita was the one who had left Dev because he would not compromise on his principles and his mission.

Dev says that all he’s wanted is peace. He grew up in a world of inequality, of strife, where children went hungry and people fought and murdered each other over trivial matters. Shiva tells him that’s not the whole of it — the world has good people along with bad. Dev asks Shiva to think of the orphan children he cares for — this is a world where parents abandon their children to fend for themselves in the cruel streets. If Shiva had not adopted them, those children would have died, or endured truly horrible fates. If Shiva had the power to change the world for children like those, would he not take the chance? The power of the Brahmastra gives him exactly that opportunity — to remake the world by removing the layers of chaos, evil and suffering imposed by humanity today.

This gives Shiva pause. He has often wished he had the power to change the world and make it better for his children and all others like them. He doesn’t know what to say to Dev.

Back in the real world, the Doctor and Isha decide on a plan of action. They cannot gather the Brahmansh members at their current location since that would tip Dev off, but they can covertly warn the members that there’s a killer out there picking them off one by one. They send messages to the Brahmansh members, informing them of the threat and asking them to send a message to a secret phone number if they come across the killer. The message will be distributed to all the Brahmansh, letting them and the Doctor know where the killer is attacking next.

Shiva is now almost healed thanks to Rani’s work with her Astra, and Amrita starts training him, Isha and the other members of the Brahmansh in combat tactics using their Astras. She teaches them to combine the power of their Astras to multiply their effects, like using the PawanAstra to move Shiva’s fire from his AgniAstra in unpredictable ways, or using the GajAstra to provide defenses to multiple fighters across the battlespace, and other tactics.

Battle in Mumbai!

The Doctor receives alerts from her early warning system! There are five Brahmansh members in Mumbai, where the Doctor and the others currently are. The five members are all under attack at the same time, calling for help. The Doctor wonders who could be running a coordinated attack against them — so far, Vikram had seemed to be an individual attacker, singling his victims one by one. Amrita, Isha, Shiva and a couple others go to help, leaving the Doctor behind with the rest to guard the Brahmastra.

By the time they arrive at the scene, three of the members under attack have already been killed, and they see that Dev’s forces have the other two cornered. Amrita, Isha, Shiva, and their team join the fight, and this provides an opportunity to show how far along Shiva and Isha have come in terms of their combat skills. This can be an action set piece framed as a running battle through the streets and rooftops. Amrita, Isha, and Shiva draw Dev’s forces away towards them to provide cover for the members under attack, and then crisscross their attacks and put down Dev’s men. They are coordinated and in sync, but Dev’s men just keep coming. The main Brahmansh fighters are still fighting, but the odds are starting to lengthen. However, the Brahmansh protectors still have Amrita and Shiva, their two most powerful fighters.

Dev’s betrayal.

Then Dev plays his card. He forces Shiva into a shared vision and makes it difficult for Shiva to focus both on the fight and on the vision with Dev. Shiva loses coordination and stops fighting, trying to clear his head and regain focus. Dev’s men start landing hits on Shiva and Isha runs to help and protect him. She has no idea what has happened to Shiva. Without the two of them, Amrita is left alone fighting a wave of Dev’s goons, and there are only so many she can handle. She starts to get swamped by the attack. Things are looking bleak for Team Brahmansh.

Just as the battle is almost lost, help arrives from an unexpected place. ADITYA arrives with his TEAM OF THREE FIGHTERS and saves the day. His fighters are well trained, and with tactical precision, they turn Dev’s goon’s Astra attacks back on themselves and thin their numbers quickly. Dev’s men are forced to retreat and the battle is over.

Dev lets go of his hold on Shiva. As Shiva recovers, he looks up into Isha’s and Amrita’s eyes with guilt. He trusted his father and kept the visions secret from everyone, and it nearly cost them their lives. Isha is upset at him for keeping secrets from her after he promised he would never do that again. Amrita calms her down, saying that Dev was Shiva’s father, and also an expert charmer and manipulator. He would have convinced Shiva to talk with him in their visions and to keep them secret from everyone else. Shiva is ashamed of having been played by his father.

Then everyone turns to meet their savior. Aditya and his band of fighters introduce themselves. The fighters call themselves EK, DO, and TEEN (their code names). Ek and Teen are girls, and Do is a boy. They are masked vigilantes who have trained themselves in combat and now go around stopping bad guys and helping people who need justice, much like Dev and Amrita did in the old days. Aditya tells Shiva, Isha, and Amrita that they are friends of the Brahmansh and they will help protect them from attacks. Shiva is injured from the attacks on him while he was in the vision with Dev, so Aditya offers to help the Brahmansh get back to their hideout. Amrita is unsure but reluctantly agrees.

Aditya’s story.

Back at the Brahmansh hideout, Amrita and the Doctor are deeply suspicious of Aditya. Who is this stranger who came out of nowhere to help them? What’s his motive? Could he be working with Dev?

Aditya tells them he understands their apprehension. He disarms himself and puts all his weapons on the table. He tells his team to put their weapons down too. Aditya tells the Doctor and Amrita that he will tell them his whole story, and they can decide whether they want him to stay and help, or leave. The Brahmansh team listens to his story.

[FLASHBACK] Aditya tells them that thirty years ago, his family owned some shops in town. They were being harassed by a gang of bullies and extortionists, who would threaten his family if they did not pay the gang regularly. The gang harassed many such businesses, but since Aditya’s father was the leader of the local council, he was harassed the most. As a child, Aditya had seen the frustration and despair his parents had endured at the hands of the gangs. Then saviors arrived! Two masked fighters, armed with divine powers, had taken on the gang and fought them off, making sure they stayed away from Aditya’s family and the other businesses they were extorting from.

Aditya was enamored with the two masked fighters who had saved his family from despair. He would track their exploits. They called themselves Agni and Jal, and Aditya dreamed of being like them when he grew up, helping people and stopping bad guys. One day, Aditya met Agni and Jal (Dev and Amrita) after one of their rescues and told them how he desperately wanted to be a superhero like them. He asked them who they were and where their powers came from. At first, they waved away his questions, but after he kept following them and meeting them again and again, they realized this little boy was sincere and determined. They then told him about the Astras, about the Brahmansh. They told him he could be like them, but he would have to grow up a little more first. They told him to train his body and his mind, and when he was ready, they would come and take him to join the Brahmansh.

Aditya took their advice to heart and poured his body and soul into training himself. He learned martial arts, combat techniques, and military strategy. All through, he waited and waited for his heroes to come to get him, but they never did. What he did not know at the time was that Dev had been defeated, and Amrita had gone into hiding. But Aditya’s faith did not waver. Like Eklavya, he kept training himself harder. Eventually, he started going out and helping people on his own, hoping to run into the Brahmansh every time. He started making a difference in his city, and he realized that he did not need superpowers to help people and achieve his dream. Over time, he recruited others to his cause — equally passionate and driven young men and women like himself who wanted to make a difference in the world by stopping injustice. [END FLASHBACK]

Back in the present, Shiva listens to Aditya tell his story and gets another perspective of what it was like for normal people outside the Brahmansh — they saw the Brahmansh as saviors and revered them. There was real impactful change being made to people’s lives as a result of what Dev and Amrita set out to do. Shiva realizes there is a balance to be found between Dev’s position and that of the Brahmansh. The Brahmansh held back, thinking that they could not solve all the problems, but you don’t have to solve ALL the problems, you should do what you can to help as many people as you can. There is a risk that your passion to help can take you too far, as it did Dev. He looks around at Isha and his mother Amrita. As long as these strong, grounded women are around him, he’ll be all right. He decides to never hide anything from them again and to never be seduced by his father’s twisted idealism.

Amrita listens to this conversation, and it provides her with a sense of closure, that her work with Dev meant so much to others.

A trap for Vikram.

The Doctor receives a call from a Brahmansh member as Vikram closes in on them. It’s a video call, and the Doctor gets a fleeting glimpse of Vikram before he knocks the phone down. The video goes blank, but the Doctor can still hear what’s happening. She hears the killer talk, introducing himself as Vikram and that he wants the end of the Brahmansh. The rest of the call is just the sounds of the Brahmansh member fighting Vikram and then getting killed, while the Doctor screams frantically at the phone. Isha runs in to see what’s happening, and afterward, Isha tells her she’ll help the Doctor find Vikram and stop him.

They go online with the blurry snapshot of Vikram from the video, they use facial recognition to see if he has been seen elsewhere. They ask all their contacts, including the police to see if they can help identify him. They have no success, and the Doctor gets increasingly desperate. She decides that the only way to stop Vikram is to draw him in and capture him. She decides to offer herself up as bait. She doesn’t tell Isha, Shiva, and Amrita this, since they would not let her go ahead with this plan. She enlists some trusted Brahmansh members from her generation. She decides to ask Aditya for help in case they are overwhelmed and need help capturing Vikram, but Aditya is out somewhere on his mission helping people, so she asks Do for help instead.

The Doctor leaves the hideout and goes to her own house. She lives alone and shows every indication of being by herself. One evening a couple of days later, Vikram arrives and sneaks into the house in the dark. The Doctor is waiting for him in her armchair and flips on the lights, catching him by surprise. Vikram looks around and sees he’s surrounded by armed Brahmansh members. He drops his guard. The Doctor tells him that his campaign of killings is over, and she’s going to make sure he never hurts another Brahmansh member again. She orders Vikram to take off his mask.

Vikram takes off his mask, and we see the shock on the Doctor’s face before we see Vikram’s face. Her face drains of color as we see… Vikram is Aditya! He smiles grimly, as he sees the full implications of the reveal fall into place in the Doctor’s eyes. Her eyes turn towards the Brahmansh members she has brought with her to capture Vikram/Aditya, only to see them all efficiently murdered by Aditya and Do.

The Doctor realizes she’s been outmaneuvered, and her death is imminent. She sinks back down into her armchair, her mind still whirling. She has to get a message to Amrita to warn them. She can’t believe she trusted Aditya… but his story had been so convincing. She had even checked his story out and it was all true. She asks Aditya why he wants to kill the Brahmansh after all they had done for him.

Aditya sits in the chair across and looks at her. He tells the Doctor that what he told her was all true, but with one crucial part of the story missing. What happened to his parents?

[FLASHBACK] After Dev and Amrita (as Agni and Jal) had driven the gangs away, Aditya’s father was empowered to stand up against the gangs. He organized others and made it a principle not to pay the gangs any extortion money anymore. They thought the superheroes had their back, and the gangs were held in check for a while. Then, things started to fall apart. The superheroes were not seen for some time, and the bad guys slowly began to rise up again. Aditya’s family maintained a strong front, but the gangs became emboldened again as they tested the waters and found no pushback from the superheroes. It was as if they had disappeared. The gangs decided they had to make an example of someone if they wanted to regain their hold over the community. They brutally murdered Aditya’s parents in broad daylight and burned their house down. Aditya was in the house but survived by hiding in a hidden bunker under the house. He was heartbroken that his parents had believed in the superheroes, and that Agni and Jal had abandoned them when he and his family needed them the most.

Aditya swore revenge. He would train himself to be strong, and he would do what the superheroes failed to do — wipe out the gangs and protect his community. Then he would find out what happened to Agni and Jal, and why the Brahmansh had not stood by their sworn duty. As he grew up, he trained and researched the Brahmansh. Eventually, he found out what had happened. Agni and Jal’s real names were Dev and Amrita. The Brahmansh had tried to stop Dev to protect themselves and had finally killed him. Amrita had vanished and was presumed dead too. Aditya vowed to end the Brahmansh as revenge for Dev, Amrita, and his parents.

Aditya completed one part of his promise when he killed the gang leaders who had terrorized his community. He and his team broke the gangs back and ended the threat they posed. Then Aditya went looking for the Brahmansh, but they had disappeared. He searched everywhere but could not find their location. He had almost given up any hope of finding them and completing his mission.

Then, Agni (Dev) reappeared a few weeks ago! Aditya caught up with Dev during his campaign to draw out the Brahmansh, and Dev told him what had happened. Aditya renewed his vow to kill the Brahmansh. Through Dev, he discovered the identities of members of the Brahmansh. Aditya created a new masked identity as Vikram and armed with a staff Astra from Dev, set out to end the Brahmansh. [END FLASHBACK]

While Aditya is talking, the Doctor tries to send a message to Amrita while hiding her phone at her side. But before she can send a message, Do grabs her hand. He takes the phone from her and deletes the message. Aditya kneels in front of the Doctor and asks her if anything he has said about the Brahmansh and their treatment of Dev is incorrect. The Doctor replies that Aditya doesn’t know what Dev is trying to do, that he plans to use the Brahmastra to wipe out the world, and that’s why the Brahmansh had to stop him. Aditya replies that he knows and agrees with Dev’s plan. What use is a world where evil can destroy the good without fear like the gangs had done to his family? The world needs protectors, and the Brahmansh had taken those protectors away from Aditya’s family, and the world.

With that, Aditya kills the Doctor and takes her Astra, along with the Astras of the other Brahmansh members they killed, and leaves. As they leave, Do looks at the Doctor, then back at Aditya… where there was an absolute commitment to Aditya before, there’s now a small question in his eyes.

Shiva realizes that if there is another fight with Dev and his army, he needs to be better prepared. He asks Amrita to help him learn how to defend himself in the shared visions. Amrita teaches him how to meditate, and how to use meditation and find something true within his very core to center himself. When everything is chaotic, Shiva has to learn how to find clarity within himself.

Shiva struggles with this at first. He tries to meditate, but with the slightest distraction, he loses focus. He learns to do it when at peace, but he knows he needs to be able to find focus in the middle of a heated battle, which seems impossible to him. Amrita finally gives him a simple mantra — pick a thought, a memory that brings him peace. Shiva looks around at Isha, watching her train with Aditya’s team in hand-to-hand combat. She feels him looking at her and flashes him a warm smile. With that, Shiva has his core belief. His love for Isha and his mother and their support is the core belief that he can always hold on to, no matter what.

Now Shiva makes progress. We see a training montage here, with Shiva learning how to maintain calm and focus while being attacked from all sides, and with Amrita trying to disturb his mental state. She can’t create shared visions like Dev can, but she tries in different ways to affect his calm while he tries to regain it.

Shiva & Isha also get instruction from Aditya on battle strategy and tactics. They also get to know the three others on Aditya’s team, who all have their own quirky personalities and constantly tease and push each other, but respect Aditya. There’s a very Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feel to this group, with Aditya as Master Splinter.

Note: This shows Shiva’s growth arc. In Part 1, he discovered his powers, but knew nothing about how to control them effectively, or how to be a warrior and a leader. Over the course of the trilogy:
1) He’s learning how to find balance between the viewpoints of Dev and the Brahmansh.
2) He’s growing as a warrior and is learning to better control his powers.
3) He’s aware of his own weaknesses and is working to address them with help from his team.

Amrita starts to worry about the Doctor. She left saying she was going to smoke out Vikram but has not returned or sent word of any kind. Amrita is not able to track her down anywhere, and she doesn’t know who to turn to.

Dev pulls Shiva into a shared vision, the first one after the fight in Mumbai. Shiva rails at Dev for betraying his trust and using the shared space to disable Shiva in the Mumbai fight. Dev tells him he was just trying to keep Shiva safe. He only wants the Brahmastra, and if Shiva had attacked Dev’s men, they would have attacked him. Shiva refuses to accept this and attacks Dev. Dev is unfazed through the attack like he was the first time Dev attacked him, but Shiva keeps up the attack. We show this battle using martial arts, in a creative way. Since this is being fought in the mind, there are no limitations of physics or location.

This time, Shiva has his training from Amrita to fall back on. When it looks like nothing is working, Shiva centers himself, just like Amrita taught him to. This time, when he strikes out at Dev, it’s not through anger, but through focus. And this time, Shiva connects. And Dev feels the hit. He looks back at Shiva, angry and shocked. Shiva smiles back at him in grim determination. Dev quickly exits their shared vision.

Dev gets the Brahmastra.

Dev decides to go to the Brahmansh. Two reasons why he decides to go now.
- One, he has to attack before suspicions are raised about Aditya and the Doctor’s death, and Aditya’s secret is revealed.
- Two, thanks to Aditya he now knows where the Brahmastra is, and he knows Shiva is fighting against his hold through the shared visions. It’s unlikely he’s going to convince Shiva to come to his side, so it’s best to attack now before Shiva gets any stronger.

Shiva, Isha, and Amrita are taken by surprise when Dev appears at their location. How could he have found them? They try to put up a defense, heading out to meet Dev’s forces along with Aditya and his team. Dev and Amrita talk for the first time since she revealed herself — he tells her he’s sorry for the way things turned out, and that he always loved her. Amrita replies that she has always loved him too, but she could not follow him down the dark path he was taking. Dev says he understands, but he has committed to this path now and will see it through.

Dev talks to Shiva next, asking him to give up the Brahmastra. He does not want to hurt anyone, he just wants to use it to cleanse the world and create a utopian society where everyone can live in peace. He asks the Brahmansh team to come with him. He can keep them safe and they can be a part of the new world with him. Shiva refuses, saying that the world is beautiful the way it is, even if it’s not perfect. He talks about his orphan children, saying that the conditions of their birth were not perfect, but the children were wonderful, making the most of their situation and living lives of happiness and joy. Removing them from existence would take the good in their lives away with the bad. He asks Dev to give up his obsessive quest, and come join the Brahmansh again. Dev refuses, saying he would never be able to face himself if he did that — in his view, having the ability to fix the world through a power like the Brahmastra and not use it is a bigger sin. What kind of God would that make him?

With that, Dev asks for the Brahmastra again. Amrita tells him they will not give it under any circumstances. They prepare to fight, with her in front, Shiva, and Isha at her side, with Aditya and his team behind them. Dev doesn’t move, just gives them a sad smile and nods to someone behind them. They turn slowly, with realization dawning on Amrita’s face as she turns. She’s angry at herself for being so blind. Aditya and his team have outflanked them, Astras at the ready. There’s no way Amrita can win this fight. Shiva and Isha are equally shocked, and Isha can’t believe that they were betrayed like that. She looks at Aditya, then at Ek, Do, and Teen. Aditya’s face is set, his eyes burning with a fire of their own. He’s doing this of his own will. His team, however, does not look as determined as he does. They are standing by their leader, but they seem a little unsure about following him without question and potentially hurting their new friends.

Aditya orders Teen to retrieve the Brahmastra. Finally, the disc is in Dev’s hands, and he relishes the moment. This is what he has been waiting for. He will accomplish what he set out to do thirty years ago. He wants to get started without wasting any more time, so he leaves to go back to his place of operations, a secure location where he will activate the Brahmastra and put his plan into motion.

Amrita now turns on Aditya and demands to know why he betrayed them. They had trusted him, and he had stabbed them in the back — he had been working with Dev all this time! Aditya tells Amrita the same story he told the Doctor, up to the point where he called himself Vikram and started killing the Brahmansh. Amrita asks him if he has also killed the Doctor, and he says that he has. Amrita gasps in shock to realize that her friend is dead. Aditya then reveals that there is more to the story, something he had not told Dev.

When Aditya started digging into how Dev was defeated, he found out that the Brahmansh had fought Dev, but failed to stop him. It was Amrita who had defeated him! It was her fault that Aditya’s family had been left alone at the mercy of the gangs. Everyone believed she had been killed in the battle with Dev. But when Amrita revealed herself to save Shiva a few weeks ago, Aditya set himself a new goal — kill Amrita and complete his revenge for his family.

Aditya challenges Amrita to a duel to the death. One of them will not walk away from this fight. Amrita refuses to fight, saying she has no interest in killing anyone, but Aditya says she has to, or else his team will kill Shiva and Isha. Shiva yells at Aditya to fight him instead but Aditya refuses — he has no quarrel with Shiva, and he will not kill without reason. This is a personal vendetta with Amrita, and that’s the only way he and his family will find peace.

Finally, Amrita agrees to fight Aditya. She has the Prabhastra and he has his staff. They face off in an intricate, brutal duel, with their martial art skills on full display. For a while, they are equal, trading blows back and forth. But Amrita has seen Aditya fight, both in Mumbai and during his training sessions with Shiva and Isha, and she knows how he thinks. He’s an excellent fighter, but she’s a true warrior. Slowly but surely, she gets under his skin. He’s looking less and less sure of himself now with every blow. Finally, with a quick series of attacks, she stabs him in the ribs and as he reacts to the wound, she kicks his staff out of his hands. He’s down on the ground, disarmed, with the Prabhastra at his throat.

Aditya can’t believe he’s lost the duel! He glares up at Amrita, unbridled rage in his eyes. His mission in life has been to avenge his family, and killing Amrita was to be the culmination of his mission. Amrita looks down at him — this assassin who betrayed her and killed her friend and the other members of the Brahmansh, all to serve his own misguided vendetta. He’s the reason that Dev has the Brahmastra again. Aditya deserves to die for what he has done! As she looks at him, she remembers the earnest, determined boy he was, and the passion in his eyes to fight for justice like Dev and herself. She weeps for what Aditya could have become had Dev not forced her down a path that pits her against him. She realizes that Dev was using Aditya as a tool to get the Brahmastra for himself. Blinded by his thirst for revenge, Aditya was an easy target for Dev, who turned him into a weapon pointed at her and the Brahmansh.

Amrita cannot bring herself to kill Aditya. She did what he asked and fought him. She defeated him. But she just cannot kill him. She lowers the Prabhastra and backs away. She turns to talk to his team, telling them that she fought and won. Now they have to let Shiva and Isha go so they can go get the Brahmastra back from Dev before he destroys the world.

Aditya’s mind is a whirlpool of emotions. His life was defined by his mission of revenge, but Amrita defeated him, just like she defeated Dev. Dev was his family’s protector, and she took that away. Now she’s taken away his chance for revenge. How dare she do that and turn away? His rage is directionless and wild. This was a fight to the death, wasn’t it? He’s not dead yet! He glances around and sees his staff on the ground.

As Amrita is talking to Aditya’s team, he attacks! Amrita gasps as Aditya’s staff enters her back and goes through her heart. The Prabhastra falls from her hand. The world stills, as everyone present reacts with shock! Shiva and Isha scream in rage and grief. Ek, Do, and Teen go numb as they realize what their guru has done. They thought he was an honorable man, driven by his mission. He trained them, gave them purpose, and was like a big brother to them. Never could they imagine he would commit a vile act like this, attacking from behind after his opponent had shown him mercy.

Amrita.

Shiva and Isha run to Amrita’s side. She’s gasping for breath as her life seeps out of her. Shiva is frantic, beside himself with rage and grief. He just got her back! How can he lose her again? How could this possibly be happening? Isha sits by his side, weeping uncontrollably. Amrita looks at both of them. This is not what she wanted, but her work is done. It’s not fair to go out like this with the world still in danger, but in Shiva and Isha, she sees the strength she herself had. The world is theirs to save now.

Amrita squeezes Isha’s hand. Isha looks at her, and she sees what Amrita wants her to do. Be strong. Lead the Brahmansh. Protect Shiva. Isha nods at Amrita, and Amrita smiles. Amrita turns her attention to Shiva. She touches his cheeks, and he looks at her through his tears. She smiles at him — she tells him she has always loved him and is proud of the person he has become. She tells him to take care of Isha, and that she’ll always be with him. Then Amrita closes her eyes for the last time.

Isha.

While Shiva and Isha are with Amrita, Aditya’s team surrounds him and chastises him for his actions. How could he attack someone who had shown him mercy? They supported him throughout because they thought he was an honorable warrior, but what he has just done is the most dishonorable thing any warrior could possibly do. In his heart, Aditya knows he has done the wrong thing, but he stands steadfast, refusing to admit he was wrong.

Then, a voice rings out, strong and clear. “I challenge you to a duel to the death!”. Everyone turns, and Isha stands before them, the Prabhastra in her hands. One look at her, and Aditya’s team steps out of her way. He’s on his own. Aditya tells Isha that he does not want to fight her. His fight was with the old guard of the Brahmansh and with Amrita, and it is now over. Isha asks him if he had stopped to consider what he had set in motion — Dev has the Brahmastra and is going to use it. Does Aditya think he will be spared in the coming destruction? What about all the families out there in his community who will be destroyed when the Brahmastra is used? Did Aditya realize that this is what Amrita was trying to stop when she fought Dev thirty years ago?

With that, Isha attacks. She has the Prabhastra and the PavanAstra. Even with his wound, Aditya is a capable fighter, and he blocks and parries her onslaught. She keeps coming and uses the PavanAstra to lift herself up as she attacks from all angles. She lands her first blow, a slash across his chest, and he realizes she’s serious. She’s in this to kill him, and he starts fighting back. As her initial aggression fades, Isha starts giving way as Aditya’s attacks intensify. Isha realizes he’s skilled and experienced, so she’s going to have to get creative if she wants to win. So far, she had been parrying and counter-attacking with the Prabhastra, but this time, as Aditya comes in for his next attack, she lets him into her guard and lets go of the Prabhastra. Aditya had been aiming to disarm her and had committed to his forward movement, so this throws him off balance. Isha uses the momentum to spin out of the way, then uses the PavanAstra to spin herself and the Prabhastra around him. This puts her behind him, and she lands in a fighting stance, catching the Prabhastra with her outstretched hand as Aditya starts to turn around. Before he can regain his balance, she strikes, stabbing him through the heart, twisting and pulling out in a single movement as he drops to the ground.

Aditya looks up. At his team, his comrades. The family he had made for himself after he lost his own. They are all staring at him with a mixture of anger, pity, contempt, and grief. They had gone through a lot together, and he had betrayed their trust. He realizes that he made his mission of revenge his life, and he lost everything, including his honor, to achieve it. Aditya wonders if it was worth it as his life ends.

Ek, Do, and Teen watch with sadness as their mentor passes away. The last few moments have brought them a sense of clarity, and they now know what they have to do. Following Ek’s lead, all three of them lay their weapons down in front of Shiva and Isha. They tell Shiva and Isha that they followed Aditya because they thought his cause was just — that the Brahmansh was a calcified organization that believed more in hoarding their divine power than using it to help others. They had all suffered injustices and seen their families and friends be wronged and hurt, and they thought that Aditya would give them a way to fight back. His obsession with revenge for his family had taken him too far, and they had not seen it quickly enough to stop him. When Aditya betrayed them and his own honor by killing Amrita, it made them realize how far he had fallen, and how far they had fallen with him. All three pledge their service to Shiva and Isha, saying that this is the only way to right the wrongs they have been a part of.

Shiva looks at them. Can these three be trusted? He looks at Isha. She tells Shiva that these three were misguided by the one person they trusted the most, but in the end, they rejected Aditya and chose the right path. She tells the three that they are welcome to fight alongside Shiva and herself.

Shiva is unsure of what to do next. His mother is gone, and the Brahmansh is decimated. Dev has the Brahmastra, but they have no idea where he is. Ek says she knows Dev’s hideout — she had accompanied Aditya once there to meet Dev. Shiva takes heart at this — there’s still a chance they could stop him. But the odds are not good. Dev will be well protected by his army, and even if they manage to get through his army and defenses, they still have to fight him. If the Brahmastra is activated, they will have very little time to calm it down before it hits critical mass. Even if they manage to defeat Dev, will they be able to calm the Brahmastra down in time?

Isha looks into Shiva’s eyes. Yes, it is an impossible task. A lifetime ago, his mother had faced the same doubts. Yet, she had overcome those doubts and confronted Dev, the man she loved. And she had given her life to do the right thing. To honor her memory, Shiva can do no less.

Climax Begins.

The group formulates a plan of attack. Dev’s location is a cave deep inside a mountain, and there’s only one real entry point. The surviving Brahmansh members will create distractions all around the mountain, drawing Dev’s forces out to investigate each one, leaving points of vulnerability when they spread out. Ek, Do, and Teen will strike at one of these weakened points to create a window for Shiva to enter, and then defend the entry point with Isha so Dev’s army cannot go in after him. That should give Shiva time to try and stop Dev.

They launch their attack, and phase 1 of their plan goes well. Dev’s forces have no real leadership apart from Dev himself, and with him occupied with the Brahmastra, they are easily distracted and drawn out. Dev expected Aditya to hold the Brahmansh team in check and since there’s no one else who can stop him, he has not established any strong perimeter defenses. The Brahmansh team is able to sneak all the way up to the entry point with minimal resistance. After a quick moment of encouragement from Isha, Shiva enters the mountain alone, and Isha and the three set themselves up to keep Dev’s forces away.

Shiva goes deeper into the mountain, wondering why everything is so quiet. What is Dev up to? Why has he not activated the Brahmastra yet? He sees a light ahead, which must be the inner sanctum where Dev is. He moves towards it stealthily, until Dev calls out Shiva’s name. Shiva is shocked for a second until he realizes. Their connection! How could he have forgotten that? Dev must have sensed Shiva’s changed emotional state, and deduced that they were coming for him!

Shiva steps forward. Dev is waiting for him alone. He makes one final plea to Dev to reconsider using the Brahmastra. After all, he has had a chance to use it already, but he hasn’t yet. Dev tells him that after the last time he tried to activate the Brahmastra and was foiled at the last minute by Amrita, he took no chances this time around. Did Shiva really think that Dev would sit around talking to Shiva if he hadn’t already activated the Brahmastra and set the charging process in motion?

With that, Dev lifts the veil of the MayaAstra and reveals reality. Blinding light fills the sanctum as Shiva sees the Brahmastra pulling energy into itself and expanding the power zone. It’s charging up, and there’s not much time left. It’s only a matter of time before the world is destroyed. Dev has won.

While Dev and Shiva talk in the sanctum inside the mountain, Dev’s forces attack Isha and the three guarding the entrance. Dev’s forces come in waves, and the Brahmansh team has to use all the battle strategies and tactics at their disposal to defend the entrance to the mountain.

Note : This is a great opportunity to showcase a battle scene with a small team of skilled fighters using a combination of ranged and close combat melee fighting techniques to slow down a larger force. Combine this with Astras and this could be an awesome battle with a mix of choreographed physical fights and Astra VFX. Cut between this battle and the Shiva/Dev battle inside the sanctum, contrasting highs and lows to drive audience emotions.

Shiva thinks of all that his mother, Guruji, and the Doctor have gone through to prevent this from happening. All the sacrifices they made, and the Brahmansh members who died along the way. Guruji and the Doctor — both lost their lives trying to stop Dev and Aditya. Shiva thinks of his own mother, who gave her life twice to stop Dev — once thirty years ago and once again today, for the final time.

Rage boils up within Shiva as he realizes the futility of their sacrifices. All of that, just to stop this one man and his twisted obsession! Fire spills out around Shiva’s body as his fury brings forth the power of the AgniAstra, and he focuses all of that rage, that grief towards Dev. The pain of losing his mother overwhelms Shiva as he attacks Dev with berserker rage. Dev, complacent in his knowledge that he has defeated the Brahmansh and completed his mission, is taken by surprise by the vehemence of Shiva’s attack. He fights back, but this time, Shiva is a man possessed. There’s an animal ferocity to his attack that even Dev has never seen, and Dev is driven back. He counters with every tactic and Astra at his disposal, but there’s no stopping the torrent of fire and fury that Shiva is now. He counters Dev’s every strike and finally knocks Dev to the ground.

In desperation, Dev uses his last weapon. He attacks Shiva mentally through their shared vision. If he can break Shiva’s focus through the mental onslaught, he can buy enough time for the Brahmastra to finish charging. Shiva is dragged into the shared vision, and with the maelstrom of emotions already coursing through him, he starts to lose his focus. His mind is pulled in different directions as the fury powering the AgniAstra vies with the mental chaff and noise that Dev is hurling at him. Shiva screams as his mind is being torn apart inside him.

Then a single thought pokes at the edge of his consciousness. Amrita. What had she told him? Find your core belief. Amrita’s training floods back through his memory. Shiva thinks of Isha, defending the entrance to the mountain and waiting anxiously for Shiva. He can’t lose her too! He simply cannot let that happen!

With a superhuman mental effort, Shiva fights through the noise and focuses on his core belief. In his mind, Amrita and Isha calm the roiling seas around him as he brings his focus back to himself and surrounds himself with the energy of the AgniAstra. Shiva opens his eyes with a renewed sense of calm. Dev can’t believe that Shiva managed to overcome the chaos in the shared vision.

As they pause for a moment, both exhausted from the effort of their physical and mental conflict, Shiva asks Dev if he knew why Shiva had decided to oppose Dev. Dev tells him it was because Shiva, like Amrita and everyone else in the Brahmansh, refused to see the bigger picture that Dev saw. “No”, says Shiva, “it was when you asked what kind of God would refuse to use a power like the Brahmastra to fix the world.”. As Dev stares at him, puzzled, Shiva goes on. “You’re not a God! You’re a mere human! With great power, yes, but still just a human. Your hubris in thinking that this power made you a God is what led to your downfall and the loss of your family. My mother could have had the same power, but she chose to help people, not control them in some fantasy utopia of your own making, where you would rule them forever”.

Dev protests, repeating his argument that he only wants to remake a chaotic world so people could live in peace. But this time, Shiva’s not fooled. “You don’t want to let people make their own choices. You want them to accept the choices you make for them! You tried to control me through our shared visions. My mother, on the other hand, gave me the tools to free myself of your control. She fought you, even though she loved you. She was her own independent individual, and for that, she paid with her life!” **

** Not final dialogue, just placeholder for the outline

Dev is stunned at this. Amrita is dead? How? Shiva tells him it was Aditya who did it. Dev is shocked at this. To Dev, Aditya was just a distraction for the Brahmansh, something to keep them busy while he tried to get through to Shiva or get the location of the Brahmansh so he could get the Brahmastra. Dev never realized that Aditya planned to kill Amrita. We see a huge change come over Dev. With Amrita’s death, a part of Dev has also died.

While Dev tries to process the impact of Amrita’s death, Shiva gets past him and moves toward the Brahmastra. The power zone has been expanding while Shiva and Dev fought, and Shiva is not sure if he will be able to calm it down this time. He’s going to have to try his best anyway. He owes it to his mother, to Guruji, to the Doctor, and to Isha, who’s out there fighting so he could have the chance to do this. He will not fail them, even if it costs him his life. Shiva takes a moment to prepare himself — He activates the full range of his AgniAstra powers and then calms his mind. He shapes the AgniAstra into a shield and expands the shield to cover the surface of the Brahmastra power zone. If he can only stretch himself around it, he might be able to direct his calming intent to the core and get it to stop charging, like he did the last time.

But this is not like the last time. The Brahmastra has been charging for longer this time, and the power is too intense for Shiva to exert his will over it. He tries time and again to encompass the power zone by extending his Agni shield, but the power zone keeps breaking through each time. The effort is intense, and Shiva is straining to keep it up. With every moment that passes, the power zone expands and the Brahmastra gets more powerful. Shiva starts to realize this is a losing battle, but he cannot… will not, give up. He pours every last ounce of his strength and his will into calming the Brahmastra…

Dev, still recovering from the shock of Amrita’s death, looks up. The Brahmastra is out of control, and no matter how hard he tries, Shiva cannot stop it. The destruction of the world is imminent. Dev sees that he’s finally going to get his wish — the culmination of decades of patience and planning. He’s going to win, despite everything the Brahmansh did to stop him. Despite everything Amrita did to stop him. He should be feeling victorious. Triumphant. But all he feels is a deep, abiding sense of loss.

Dev realizes that his obsession has taken him too far — the Brahmastra is now going to destroy the world, and his son, his only remaining living memory of Amrita, will be destroyed too.

Note: This is a pivotal moment. Why would Dev have a change of heart now? His whole plan has been to use the Brahmastra to destroy the world. Didn’t he know that this would result in Amrita and Shiva’s deaths?

Of course Dev knew that Amrita and Shiva would probably die if the Brahmastra were activated. But Dev is self-obsessed and egotistical — he did not fully fathom how the death of his loved ones would affect him when he conceived of his grand plan to remake the world and become a God.

When Amrita actually died, Dev was faced with the unintended consequences of his actions, and the realization that even though he may think he controls people, the actions people take are beyond his control. Aditya was supposed to be one of his controlled puppets, and yet Aditya acted of his own volition and killed Amrita. Dev had not realized Aditya’s hidden agenda.

In that moment, Dev’s hubris came crashing down on him.

Dev turns to help Shiva. Shiva is still struggling to control the Brahmastra and is clearly losing the battle. Dev sees that it’s going to consume him. He knows the story of the Brahmastra’s birth and realizes that there’s no way the Brahmansh can be calmed from the outside. Someone has to enter the spreading power zone of the Brahmastra and calm it down at the core. This is the price the Brahmastra extracts — the price for hubris is a life.

Dev pushes Shiva out of the way. Shiva is tossed back and lands hard. He tries to get up again, and then he sees Dev. At first, he’s confused — is this a new tactic? Is Dev trying to take on the power of the Brahmastra somehow? Then he looks into Dev’s eyes — the fanatic blaze that was in them before is gone. All that remains is a wistful sadness — a wish for all that was lost. His wife, his son. His obsession took so much from him. Then a determination creeps in. It will take no more.

Shiva realizes what Dev is about to do just as Dev looks at him one last time, then covers himself with the KavachAstra and enters the power zone of the Brahmastra. No human can survive the raw energy inside this sphere, but Dev fights through, using his will to sustain the Kavach. He only needs to make it to the core. Inch by inch, he moves forward until he reaches the core. He uses the AgniAstra to channel energy into the Brahmastra. Along with the Astra comes Dev’s intention — his will to calm the Brahmastra down. The dueling energies of the AgniAstra and the Brahmastra make the air boil around the core, and it takes all of Dev’s formidable willpower to keep enforcing his intention on the Brahmastra. His Kavach is being burned away, along with his body. The pain is intense, but Dev focuses all his considerable will, gritting his teeth through it. This is his Agni Pariksha, and he will do this for Amrita. He screams in agony and makes a final push with every fiber of his being…

There’s a blinding flash of light and a shockwave that flattens Shiva and rocks the mountain. Rocks fall from the roof, and the sanctum nearly caves in. Then the light settles, and a calming picture emerges. The Brahmastra has been calmed. Dev is gone.

Outside, Isha and the three feel a shift in the battle. There are unconscious and wounded bodies all around them, and the four of them have their own wounds. They are exhausted. But now they see the men still standing shaking themselves and looking around confused as if waking up. With Dev gone, his mind control over them has gone too. The fight is over.

EPILOGUE

Isha is now the new leader of the Brahmansh, with Shiva by her side. They are recruiting new trainees and building up the cadre again. Isha also leads a strategic team who decides where and how to intervene in society’s problems and injustices for maximum impact. The Astras are safe, and the Brahmastra is well protected. A new generation of Brahmansh is being trained by Ek, Do, and Teen, who are great drill sergeants, keeping their students on their toes with a bit of craziness every now and then. The Brahmansh are back to their original purpose of helping humanity.

END OF BRAHMASTRA PART 3: BRAHMANSH

This post is part of a series I am writing about Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra trilogy and the “Astraverse”. You can see the rest of the posts in the series in this publication — Writing the Astraverse.

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