Moving Out

Ayan felt a sense of satisfaction; at least he had learned something from the hermit, even if it was just the basics. He was still savoring the moment when the hermit's expression grew serious.

"Do you have complete trust in me?" the hermit asked suddenly.

Caught off guard, Ayan hesitated but nodded.

The hermit's gaze sharpened. "With your life?"

He thought a bit and nodded again. "I trust that you wouldn't ever cause me any harm."

Without another word, the hermit pulled away the cloth beside him, uncovering a brass plate with three small silver-colored balls. The hermit brought the plate in front of Ayan and gestured towards the pill. "Swallow one."

Ayan picked up one of the tiny silver balls, about the size of a coriander seed. Despite its small size, it was surprisingly heavy, hard, and cool to the touch. Facing the serious hermit, he guessed there's something more to eating this. But he gritted his teeth and threw one in his mouth. It was difficult to swallow, its taste bitter and metallic.

The hermit placed his hand at the pit of Ayan's throat. He felt something mystical happening. The pill, once hard, began to liquefy under the hermit's touch, and as his hand traced the path down Ayan's chest, the liquid seemed to follow.

Ayan's body responded strangely—he felt dizzy, and the nerves throughout his body tingled. Slowly, he felt pain along the path from his throat to his stomach. But mysteriously, the two conflicting forces that had once caused havoc—worked together to heal the damage.

The hermit fed him another pill repeating the same actions. But this time, Ayan didn't feel dizzy but he felt weakness all over his body. Again, the strange bloodlines worked together to heal his body. But something changed when the hermit fed him the last pill. This time the bloodlines immediately suppressed the effect of the pill and only about half of the pill was absorbed while Ayan coughed the rest of the pill. His body twitched involuntarily, and soon after, he lost consciousness.

When Ayan regained consciousness, he found himself leaning against a tree. The hermit sat nearby, his eyes closed, looking pale. As the hermit opened his eyes and noticed Ayan stirring, he smiled.

"Before you start asking questions," the hermit began, "let me explain. The small pill you swallowed was made of elemental mercury. Normally, mercury is liquid at room temperature, but through certain esoteric methods, it can be solidified."

The hermit picked up a small amount of liquid mercury from a bowl, slowly molded it into a rough solid in his palm, and handed it to Ayan. "This whole science of solidifying and energizing mercury is called Rasa Vaidya. It's a subjective science. To change one thing into something else, you need some kind of addition, subtraction, change in temperature –something, otherwise it cannot happen. But now at room temperature, mercury is solidified without any addition or subtraction. Great master healers and mystics have used mercury for thousands of years because they understand what it does to the system."

He continued, "Mercury itself isn't poison, but if you drink it in liquid form, it will kill you—not because it's toxic, but because of its sheer weight. Its specific gravity is almost fourteen times that of water. If you place it in your hand, it'll slowly try to go into your hand through the pores. If you swallow it, it won't pass through your digestive system; instead, it will bore holes in your stomach simply because of its weight. Industries used mercury and let out mercury compounds into rivers, which are toxic, and this is what poisons the environment. Mercury has always been on this planet. It has not poisoned the earth, has it? It is part of the earth. If you misuse it, it poisons you. Even the oxygen that you breathe can poison you. If you take in excess oxygen, you can become comatose. Everything on this planet, if you know how to use it, it will be for your wellbeing. If you do not know how to use it, it will be your poison. What is poison and what is the elixir of life simply depends on who you are. A cocktail of poisons together can become very healing and medicinal in nature."

The hermit's voice grew softer. "It's a very delicate science—how to transform poison into medicine. Usually, one must be prepared over a long period before they can handle mercury safely. An accomplished healer can use small amounts to heal others. In your case, I took a great risk and used a significant amount of elemental mercury because you have something others don't—the two conflicting forces. These forces never intentionally harmed you; it was just the aftereffect of their interaction that affected you. Fortunately, they worked together to heal you and allowed you quickly absorb them better but regretfully they overdid it and stopped the absorption process altogether."

"But I won't teach you any alchemy because…." The hermit added to irritate him.

Ayan gritted his teeth, feeling both grateful and frustrated.

The hermit dismissed him. "You're done for today. Now, go home. I need to enjoy my fruits. Come back tomorrow to receive medicine."

After Ayan went away, the old hermit's face grew even paler, and he coughed a few times, unknown to Ayan.

Ayan returned home in the evening, only to find his Aunt Tsering in a bad mood.

"You never listen to me, so you, Peanut?" she snapped.

Confused but eager to avoid conflict, Ayan quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Aunt Tsering."

"This time, it's not just the village but even the foreigners are talking about you!" she continued angrily. "Some of them even showed up here, hoping to meet you before they left today."

Ayan understood someone had leaked his identity.

Aunt Tsering sighed heavily, "I heard you saved someone from drowning and healed another. Fine, I can forgive you for that, but you just had to show off by climbing a hill with your bare hands! Now, your video's gone viral, and people are calling you the 'Tarzan of the Mountains'!"

Ayan hesitated before replying, "The foreign guest we had a few days ago… she's the one I saved."

Tsering's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so you two knew each other and put on an act in front of me? You even went to your room to talk in private!" She fumed. "Remember this, Peanut—I won't allow you to marry some foreign woman especially one who's older than you."

Ayan quickly clarified, "No, no, there's nothing going on between us!"

His aunt dismissed him with a wave. "That's your business. Just make sure she knows it."

"And one more thing," she added sternly, "there are rumors that reporters might come in a few days. You will stay hidden. Got it?"

Ayan nodded obediently.

-----

The next day, Ayan visited the hermit with his favorite fruits.

"Today," the hermit began, "I'll teach you some simple body practices."

He explained, "The human body has countless energy nodes. When the flow of energy—often called qi—is blocked or unbalanced, it leads to illness. Practices like chiropractic care and acupuncture work with these energy nodes in the nadis to restore balance, promoting health and well-being. The joints in the human body have a large concentration of these energy nodes. The practice I'm going to teach you will activate the lubricants in your joints and exercise the muscles without the risk of injury. More importantly, it activates the energy nodes in the joints, igniting your system for action.

The hermit demonstrated various practices targeting the joints in the hands, legs, and hips, detailing the correct postures, movements, and breathing techniques. Ayan followed along, and the hermit corrected him several times until he was satisfied. Next, he taught neck practices.

 "Both the neurological and the energy systems branch out in a big way between the shoulder blades and above so keeping the neck region in a very good condition is very important. Doing these neck practices will improve alertness, reduce lethargy, and enhance neural regeneration, memory, and intellectual sharpness. Now, here's how to do it…"

After the lesson, the hermit handed Ayan a small bag of powdered medicine. "Take this with water or milk, morning and evening, after food, for a week. Then come back for more. Also, continue doing the practices I taught you daily."

Ayan hesitated before asking, "Great mystic, I plan to explore the cities soon. Could you make medicine enough for at least a few months."

The hermit chuckled, then spoke in a more serious tone. "You'll experience side effects from yesterday's treatment for up to six months. You shouldn't go far from me in case something flares up or worsens. I'll need to adjust your medicine each week based on your condition. If you heal properly after three months, I may prepare a long-term supply."

Ayan bitterly nodded.

Over the next three months, he experienced sudden bouts of weakness, twitching sensations, and occasional heart palpitations, which gradually faded. He remained diligent in his exercises and medication. Finally, the hermit prepared a three-month supply of medicine for him.

"Even if you feel completely healed, you must continue taking the medicine for three months," the hermit warned. "I don't recommend leaving just yet, but if you're determined, I won't stop you."

Ayan bowed deeply. "Thank you for everything. It may be a long time before we meet again.

-----

When Ayan got home, Uncle Samuel greeted him. "I've arranged for a bus to the city from the nearest town. But here's the thing—no vehicles are leaving the village tomorrow. You'll have to hitch a ride with a truck transporting mountain buffalos at five in the morning."

He handed Ayan a slip of paper. "Here's a number. Call him when you reach the town. He'll guide you to the bus."

"I don't have much cash right now," Samuel added. "I'll try to get some for you before you leave tomorrow. Don't forget to take them in the morning."

Ayan nodded, then packed his backpack, charged his phone, and prepared for the journey ahead. Excitement kept him awake most of the night. He woke up at 4 a.m., bathed, dressed, and was nearly ready when he realized it was almost five. Fearing his aunt might try to stop him, he rushed out the door leaving a sentence, "I'm off."

Ayan met the truck driver. The truck driver told him in an apologetic tone, "Yesterday night, my boss suddenly informed me that his relative was going to the town for high school so you'll have to adjust yourself in the back with the buffalos."

Ayan felt bitter inside but he climbed into the back, determined to go out. After three long hours, they reached the town, and Ayan said farewell to the driver.

He quickly called the number his uncle had given him and was directed to an inn where a tourist bus was parked. The driver of the bus, which was carrying a group of foreigners, greeted him warmly.

He asked, "Did you had any food?"

Ayan shook his head. He suddenly remembered that he forgot to take any cash with him.

Ayan shook his head, suddenly remembering he'd forgotten to take cash with him.

The driver smiled. "You're in luck. This inn serves great food, and they provide free meals for the driver and two staff. I've only got one staff member with me today, so you can join us for free."

Relieved for the moment, Ayan wondered how he would contact his uncle for money. But the poor network made reaching him impossible.

Setting aside his worries, Ayan followed the driver inside for the meal. As he looked around, his eyes landed on two familiar faces—Sonia and her friend, sitting nearby. Sonia noticed his gaze and narrowed her eyes. Her friend, Amelia, followed her glance.

"Do you know him?" Amelia asked.

Sonia nodded casually. "That's the guy who saved me from drowning."

Amelia took a closer look. "So, this is the famous 'Tarzan of the Mountains.'"