HE approached Sthūrthaṇār, and looking at his towering, intimidating form, said, “O Grahuvizātan of lightning. There are two things we wish to ask of you: the first is for you to carry us from here,” to which he had no problem for he had already thought to do as much regardless, “and an oath with a zṣhṭya I wish you to make with me.”

Ho! And what might that be?

“I’d like you to promise to not use the bolt until Sanyhaḥmān the Vachūṇashrahaḥ, shall appear on the field at the last battle when it is also said that the Prekṣhaḥṃār shall appear to bring about the Restoration at the very end of Erlāsheyaḥ. I must have Dusdrahaḥ and the other gods unscathed for now, for there is a duty I must perform that involves them.” He put his hand out in a zṣhṭya and continued, “Will you promise me this?”

Sthūrthaṇār was silent for some time. He sat cross-legged upon the floor, looking about himself. He then exhaled and a large gust of wind blew in the space.

I shall not go back on my word, but I should hope that this bolt does not weaken when the time comes I am to use it.

“Of that you needn’t worry. For my namesake carries with him another bolt, one more potent and powerful than the one you carry. I’m sure were you to ask, that he shall give it you.”

Hah! So be it!

The giant held out his hand with the index finger curled:

I Sthūrthaṇār the Grahuvizātan of Lightning, shall seal this oath openly before Sanyhaḥmān, the Vachūṇaṃār and thy company: The bolt shall remain inert until the Vachūṇashrahaḥ, Sanyhaḥmān, and the promised one, Prekṣhaḥṃār, appear at the last battle at the end of Erlāsheyaḥ! Then and only then shall I make battle with the King of the Gods and should it even take my death, shall I wreak my vengeance! This solemn oath hath been declared by me and shalt be made on the name of Arhaḥṃār: That One and All of whom we shall one day return and from whom we shall never descend! ĀḤṂ! ĀḤṂ! ĀḤṂ!

The air became erratic and from Sthūrthaṇār did a great gust issue and lift the dust far past the ceiling as if to blow it through the passage. When the air had once more became calm, Sthūrthaṇār closed his eyes and meditated.

Sanyhaḥmān went back to the others as he exhaled in satisfaction.

Yūrmatṛtha bowed to the group and said, “It seems it is time that I and Hvesykhiḥ took our leave. An honor it has been that we should have accompanied the Agents of the Gods and been able to satisfy Sthūrthaṇār. It seems he shall at last be able to leave from these ruins of which he has been trapped in for so long.” He then prostrated to them, “My gratitude to all of you for helping him!”

They lifted him, and Tūmbṃār shook his head. “You helped us out just as much! You don’t need to pay respect to us. We’re your friends! I hope you shall think of us as such.”

And just as he had done with Hvarathjās and Drukkuhrhī, he held his palm up and Yūrmatṛtha, looking at it, laughed and said, “Friends indeed!” He put his hand upon as did all the others. And then, as if having realized something, he said, “Ah! There is one thing I have forgotten. If you happen to come across a city called Vālukyāvaḷūr, give my regards to the lord’s son. I would very much like to see him again and, in fact, that was where I last was before having met all of you.”

“We’ll do that!” said Tūmbṃār with a smile.

Yūrmatṛtha lifted his hand from the pile and clasped his two hands in prayer. He bowed to them before he went beside Hvesykhiḥ.

She slithered slowly their way and, putting her head low, she said:

My gratitude as well to you all! Your journey shall continue on for long and I apologize for the many times I have remained silent. The Celestials speak not unless it is deemed important, very much so, since many of us have been cursed in one way or another by Zūryashhaḥ for our words. And though you are not them, I still wish to confer the same respect that is given of them to you. You who have been chosen by the Gods! May the words I have spoken before and now stay well within your hearts. I shall hope one day you will set your differences aside and be open to each other, for no doubt the troubles that harbor within will continue to ail you until such a point. That One and All shall manifest in you! Haḥsvyan!

Hvesykhiḥ and Yūrmatṛtha then made onto the causeway and slowly vanished into the darkness.

When their presence could no more be felt, Sthūrthaṇār opened his eyes and said:

Shall we make our way out of these decrepit ruins? Now that I have the power to leave, I feel even more stifled just staying here.

“Yes, let us make our way out!” said Iḷēhaḥ, relieved that they did not have to stay under the earth any longer.

They all stood at the center of the platform near Sthūrthaṇār. The sparks arcing from his body tingled them delightfully. Tūmbṃār tried all the while to push his hair down, but it remained obstinate; the sparks did little to help in that regard.

Sthūrthaṇār then stood with his legs together and, holding onto the bolt, he coursed his power into it. Its form elongated and now it truly looked like a bolt of lightning fit for the Gods. Sthūrthaṇār glowed, growing more and more effulgent until, with a flash of light, he vanished.

The platform below glowed with a bluish-white hue and it shook. Suddenly, the platform shot up with great speed, crashing through the walls of the passage. The force of its ascent pushed all upon the platform toward its surface as they looked towards the light above, far but nearing close. In just a few moments, they were basked in light from all sides. They were thrown to the ground as the platform shot high above, flipping in the air like a large coin until it crashed into the sand.

The group looked about themselves and saw they were once more in the desert, but the air surprisingly felt cool. It was not as if their surroundings were wholly dead, for patches of grass, bushes, and even trees dotted the surface across the vast sand dunes.

A voice then resounded in their minds and it said:

My gratitude to you all once more! I shall now take my leave and meet my kin to the south of Pedyṃhaḥ. Our paths may yet cross in the future, and I hope that we can talk long about many things! But as for your journey, a hundred leagues to the east, there lies the city that Yūrmatṛtha had spoken of situated by an oasis. Take shelter under the trees or ruins that come your way. Until our next meeting, farewell! That One and All shall manifest in you!

The voice left and Tūmbṃār shouted into the air, “May we meet again, Sthūrthaṇār!”

And left in the scorching Sun, the group gathered their things and continued east.