《The Eternal Journey Of The Lost Soul》 The Child Of Tragedy THECHILD OF TRAGEDY It was midnight. I was waiting eagerly outside, my heart pumping like it would leave my body any second. When I first came to know that I was going to be a father I almost fainted in excitement. I still can¡¯t believe this day actually came in my life. "Why is it taking so long," I muttered. Is everything alright? Should I barge in to check?While I was thinking to myself the door opened and the midwife came outside. She was very old, but looking at her you can tell that she was very wise and has met all sorts of people in her life. ¡°It is a boy. The baby is healthy and the mother is also fine, you can meet them,¡± she said in a gentle voice. ¡°Thank you for helping us,¡± I said and then she left. I entered my small but lovely house and saw my pale but excited wife holding the baby. ¡°I am glad you are alright and the baby is also fine,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, thank God,¡± she replied. ¡°Dear, here hold our baby.¡± ¡°Y-yeah,¡± I hesitantly but carefully picked the baby not to drop him. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The boy¡¯s skin was of the colour of the ocean. He was completely blue, it felt like the whole universe resides within him. I had never seen such a beautiful and pure baby in my life. It was like he had descended from the heavens itself. I was completely mesmerized by his beauty. His blue eyes were so beautiful that anyone who would look him in the eyes will forget any worries in their lives and will attain inner peace with themselves. I really couldn¡¯t believe that he was my son, my own flesh and blood. Looking at him, I knew that he came to this world for some greater things. As I was lost in my thoughts my wife snapped me back to reality. ¡°Dear, what are you going to name him?¡± she asked. ¡°What? I thought you were going to name him,¡± I replied. ¡°Yes, I was, but when I saw you so many times scratching your head with a pen and paper to decide the child¡¯s name, I thought you should name him.¡± "So, you saw me.¡± She nodded her head. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how or what to name him. I don¡¯t want to give him a name that would make him the target of bullies. I would regret my whole life if something like that happens,¡± I said worryingly. ¡°You are over thinking it. Just name what came to your mind when you first saw him. It will be alright,¡± she said with a smile. She is right. I am just over thinking.Name what came to my mind...When I first saw him; I felt as if the whole universe resides within him. And since there is no end to universe, the universe is boundless, everlasting, eternal... I now know what to name him. ¡°I have decided the name.¡± ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± she asked with a curious face. ¡°When I first saw him, I thought he was boundless, like a never-ending universe. Therefore, from now on, he will be called ¡®Anant¡¯.¡± ¡°It is a lovely name. I knew you could do this,¡± my wife said. Now, my only wish is that he will always remain happy and will achieve everything he was born for.To me, he is thechild of happiness. Childhood Days CHILDHOOD DAYS As months passed by, I saw my baby make progress in his life. Such as his first word, which was obviously ¡®mother¡¯ and it didn¡¯t make me jealous one bit, really. Then his first step which made me so proud that I threw party among all my friends. Now he is 4 years old but I must admit he is way smarter than an average 4-year-old child. He would remember everything I would teach him and even question me about things which your average child his age would show no interest in. ¡°I am going to buy some vegetables. You want to come?¡± I asked Anant who was reading his kid¡¯s book. "Yes dad. Coming,¡± he replied. ¡°Alright, I am waiting outside.¡± After few seconds he came out, ¡°Let¡¯s go dad.¡± While on our way to the main bazaar we encountered many military soldiers. ¡°Is it because of the war you mentioned?¡± my son asked. ¡°Oh! You remembered?¡± ¡°Yeah. After all, I do have interest in those kinds of things,¡± he replied. Sometimes, I get worried due to his interest being on things which a child his age should not. After half-an-hour of walking we reached the main bazaar, but there was a crowd gathered there. I wonder why there¡¯s so much commotion. I asked the man near me, ¡°Excuse me, can you tell what happened? Why there¡¯s so much crowd?¡± ¡°I am not sure myself, but I think there was a brawl between two men resulting in one guy stabbing the other,¡± the guy replied. ¡°Oh my! Is he in critical condition?¡± I asked after covering Anant¡¯s ears. ¡°Yeah¡­ people are saying the guy stabbed him multiple times in the chest and ran.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Oh¡­ I hope he lives.¡± I looked at Anant who was confused and took him to the other side of the main bazaar where the noise of the crowd was less. There, I found an old friend of mine who had a stall of vegetables and fruits. ¡°Hey Vishva! how¡¯s life going on?¡± my friend asked. ¡°I am pleased with my life,¡± I replied with a laugh. ¡°I wish I could say the same,¡± my friend said with a sigh. ¡°Why? what happened?¡± I asked while picking some vegetables from his stall. ¡°You know my wife. How strict she can be,¡± he said overdramatically. Tarun¡¯s wife is very strict in terms of food. She always makes him eat her so-called ''healthy food'' and never let him eat outside. I don¡¯t know how a man can eat those so-called ''healthy foods'' every day, but there is love in the foods she makes him. She wants him healthy and fit, which I can respect. ¡°So, you know what happened there?¡± he asked. ¡°Apparently, there was a fight between two men which resulted in one stabbing the other.¡± I was curious as to what happened to the injured guy, so I decided to check myself. "Could you look after Anant for a moment? I am going to see what¡¯s the situation there,¡± I asked my friend. ¡°Yeah, no worries man,¡± he replied. I looked at Anant whose attention was at the crowd, ¡°Anant I will be back in a moment. Be a good boy and stay here.¡± ¡°Alright dad,¡± he replied. I went back to see the situation. After going through the crowd, I saw a mage healing a person and from what it appears, he was the man who got stabbed. He was completely still. His face looked pale, like a dead corpse. There was no light in his eyes. It looked as if¡ªthe soul has left his body completely. I was going to ask about the situation, but I got my answers from the gossips around me. ¡°Hey, do you know what happened?¡± one man said. ¡°Apparently, the other guy was talking some really dirty things about his wife. And when he also started saying cheap things about his daughter, that''s when the fight started,¡± the other replied. After hearing the conversation, my gaze at once went to a lady who was crying loudly, and beside her was a little girl who appeared to be no more than 10 years old. But what made me sad the most¡ª was that the mother was pregnant. After few minutes, the mage who was healing the man non-stop got up with a sad face. He announced, ¡°I am sorry... I couldn¡¯t save him.¡± This broke the wife completely. She started crying more loudly, beating her chest with her fists which made her daughter more scared than she already was. Seeing the tragic situation unfolding in front of my eyes, I decided to calm them down. But as I was going to them the soldiers came to calm the situation down. After seeing the soldiers, I decided to leave the place with a sad and heavy face. What is happening in the world? There is crime and sadness everywhere, and with this war that started 20 years ago¡ª it has become much worse. Sometimes, I find myself occupied in the past when I was just a kid, doing nothing but playing with my friends in the scorching sun all day. But with this war, children are forced to grow up so fast that they might not even have a childhood. I just hope that Anant would grow normally and may his childhood days never end. Why People Do Bad Things? WHY PEOPLE DO BAD THINGS? After witnessing such a sad scene, I returned to my friend¡¯s stall where Anant was sitting patiently. After thanking him and buying some fruits and vegetables we left. On our way, we met many soldiers who were patrolling the area since the main bazaar was a crowded place. ¡°Dad, what happened there?¡± asked Anant his gaze straight ahead. ¡°Why do you care? You are just a child. You shouldn¡¯t worry about these things,¡± I replied. ¡°I am not worried¡­ I just wanted to know,¡± he said. I looked at him, his gaze still straight ahead. But he looked sad. ¡°Well¡­ the man didn¡¯t make it,¡± I said with hesitation. ¡°...¡± ¡°Are you sad?¡± I asked him worryingly. ¡°Why people do these kinds of things? Isn¡¯t it common sense that killing someone is bad? Then why people still do these bad stuffs and then easily get away with it?¡± he said with a sorrowful face. He really does think a lot for his age. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°It¡¯s the mind,¡± I replied. ¡°Mind is the root cause of all the evils that a person does.¡± ¡°Mind?¡± Anant looked at me with a confused face. ¡°You know we have five senses: vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but what are you trying to say?¡± he asked not understanding my words. ¡°These five senses are known as ¡®Indriya¡¯ and one who has them all under their control is considered the noblest of men.¡± ¡°But why one who has mastered them is considered noble?¡± he asked. He had the same expression of whenever he tries to learn something. ¡°Anant, you were asking why humans do terrible things. It is because they don¡¯t have control over their senses rather; the senses have full control over them, and it is these senses that makes them do bad things.¡± ¡°Then how can we have control over our senses?¡± he asked with a curious face. ¡°Control your mind. Make him your friend. Our Indriya do things what our mind tells them to do. So, if you have full control over your mind, you will automatically have full control over your senses,¡± I replied. He pondered over my words for few minutes, then asked, ¡°Do you have full control over your mind?¡± ¡°Hahaha, of course not. One who has control over their mind treats happiness and sadness alike and I am far from it. But¡ª always remember these words¡ª ¡®For one who has conquered his mind, a mind is best of friends, but for one who has failed to do so, a mind is the greatest enemy.¡¯ ¡°Yes, I will keep that in my mind,¡± he replied. ¡°One more thing, know the difference between right and wrong and always have the courage of doing virtuous deeds even in the face of grim times. A truth is never destroyed, so you shouldn¡¯t be afraid of doing good.¡± He nodded in reply with a stern face. I hope I taught him something valuable today. After this, we talked about other light-hearted things and reached home in no time. A Family Dinner A Family Dinner ANANT ¡°Mom, we are back.¡± ¡°You guys sure took your time,¡± my mother replied from the kitchen. ¡°Well¡­ something unfortunate happened at the main bazaar,¡± my dad said. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked. My dad looked at me before answering, hesitant to speak in front of me. He whispered into my mother¡¯s ears about what happened. The news made my mother sad but she immediately changed the subject. ¡°Dear, can you help me in the kitchen?¡± she asked my father. ¡°Of course, honey,¡± he replied. The smell of Gajrela already made me hungry as it was my favourite dish. Fighting the urge to eat half-cooked food, I made way to my room. I opened the book I was reading, ¡®Basic knowledge of magic.¡¯ This was more of a colouring book than a learning book. But they still sprinkled some basic knowledge here and there. ¡°Hmm... where was I again¡­ here! I was reading fundamentals of magic.¡± I read it for a bit and understood nothing at all. ¡°Why can¡¯t they just write it in a way so that an actual child could understand it by themselves; rather than having to go to an adult to teach them,¡± I muttered angrily. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready Anant,¡± my mom called me from the kitchen. ¡°Coming, mom.¡± Guess I have to ask dad. While eating the dinner I asked my father, ¡°Dad, can you tell me about the fundamentals of magic?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you reading your book earlier?¡± my dad asked, eating his dinner. ¡°Yes, but I understood nothing.¡± ¡°Hahaha, so that was difficult even for you¡ªand here I thought you were some kind of genius,¡± my dad sarcastically said with a laugh. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Dear, stop joking around. Tell the child what he wants to learn,¡± said my mother. ¡°Okay, okay tell me. What do you want to know?¡± my dad asked. ¡°What is magic? How do we perform magic?¡± ¡°Simply put, magic is the art of influencing¡ª not controlling¡ª the flow of five elements of nature¡± he said. ¡°Many people think we control their flow but we don¡¯t; we just influence their flow.¡± ¡°But why? Why can¡¯t we control them?¡± I asked impatiently. ¡°As you already know, the five elements of nature are: Prithvi; the authority over earth, Apas; the authority over water, Agni; the authority over fire, Vayu; the authority over air, and lastly Akash; the authority over space.¡± ¡°Yes, I know them.¡± ¡°These five elements are called ¡®Pancha Bhuta¡¯. These are the basis of all cosmic creation. Even our human body is made up of these elements and any disorder or illness in our human body indicates the imbalance of one or more of these elements.¡± ¡°If they are the basis of all cosmic creation, does that mean they are always around us?¡± I asked, curious from what he just said. He took a sip from his glass of water and continued, ¡°Yes. The particles of these elements are flowing all around us with each particle having their own path. To perform magic, we humans merely alter the direction of these elements. It is not in our ability to change their entire paths at will. ¡°What would happen if we were to control their flow?¡± ¡°Hypothetically, if we were to control the flow of Pancha Bhuta, it would mean changing their paths at will, which is same as controlling the universe itself.¡± I understood almost everything what my father explained, but I still had some doubts. Seeing my confused face, my dad spoke again. ¡°Let me give you an example. Consider a library to be the universe itself, and the books within the library be the particles of Pancha Bhuta. Let us be the one reading these books. ¡°Okay,¡± I replied, listening his words with concentration. ¡°After reading the books, it doesn¡¯t matter where we place them since in the end, the librarian¡ª who has authority over the library itself¡ª will place the books in their original place. Just like how in the real world, it doesn¡¯t matter if we are altering the direction of the particles as in the end, they will return to their original path. But¡ªif someone were to control the paths of these particles, then they will be the librarian itself, why you ask? Because they will have absolute authority over the elements. The same way as how the librarian has authority to place the books in their original place or reassign the placement of books.¡± It took me a minute to understand my father¡¯s words. ¡°Okay, now I understood everything,¡± I remarked. My father has always been a good explainer. He answers and explains everything very easily. I am happy to have a father to whom I can turn to with everything. ¡°Were you a teacher before?¡± I asked my father. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just you explain very good.¡± ¡°What can I say, I am a genius,¡± my father said dramatically. ¡°You guys hurry up and eat. I have finished already. I have to wash the dishes too,¡± said my mother. After eating my favourite food, we all went to sleep. A Nightmare A Nightmare ¡°W-why? Why do you have to die again? W-when will we win¡­ I-I failed again¡­¡± I woke up suddenly, my body sweating profoundly. What was that? Was that a nightmare? I saw a boy in his late teens; crying and holding a girl in his arms who also appeared to be the same age as the boy. Whatever that was, it scared the heck out of me. ¡°Oh, you are awake. Why do you look so scared?¡± asked my father. ¡°Did you see a nightmare?¡± His hair was wet which probably meant he just took a bath. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it happens sometimes. Don¡¯t pay attention to it. Just go and take a bath, you will forget it in no time,¡± my father said, patting my head. I got up, brushed my teeth, and took a bath hoping to forget that nightmare. After eating the breakfast, my father left for work. He was a guard at a local farm and protected the fields from trespassers and wild animals. ¡°Anant,¡± my mom called. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I am going shopping; you want to come?¡± ¡°No. I want to practice with my sword,¡± I replied. ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t get hurt and don¡¯t go too far from the house. I will be back in an hour-or-so,¡± said my mother. ¡°Alright, take care,¡± I said as she left the house. I always watched dad whenever he trained with his sword and that made me tempted to try it myself. I requested him to make me a wooden sword. I wanted to learn how to use it, but my mother was totally against it. With his majestic charms, my father somehow convinced her to let him make me a wooden sword. But I was allowed to practice only when father was around. As weeks passed by, I got better¡ª at least I hope so¡ª and was allowed to practice alone. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I went to the backyard to do training with my little wooden sword. I gripped it properly with my both hands, readied my stance, and did some strikes in the air. ¡°ONE! TWO! THREE!¡± I repeated the process for half-an-hour when I finally got tired and took a break. I still have to improve on my stance and grip¡­ but I am slowly improving and that¡¯s a plus point. After doing some more exercise I sat down, tired from all the practice that I just did. As I was thinking about the day, my tired mind suddenly remembered the nightmare I experienced in the morning. I still couldn¡¯t forget it. Who were the people that I saw in my nightmare? Are they connected to me or my family somehow? Don¡¯t tell me I have some kind of superpower that can predict the future. My childish brain was running wild, thinking childish things that probably won¡¯t be true. As I was occupied on my thoughts, I saw my mother coming from the streets, both of her hands were busy holding the bags. I went to her to see what she bought. ¡°You are still practicing?¡± she asked. ¡°I am done,¡± I replied, peeking on the bags to see what she had bought. ¡°Here, help me carry these bags.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I carried one of the bags. As we were walking, a pebble made my mother slip and she fell to the ground. ¡°A-are you alright? Did you get hurt?¡± I asked worryingly. I put down the bag I was holding and helped her to get up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. But I can see the blood coming from her peeled skin that made me worried. She noticed I was looking at her bruises. ¡°It¡¯s just a minor injury. It won¡¯t kill me. You don¡¯t have to worry,¡± she said, comforting me with her gentle smile. But when I heard my mother¡¯s words, suddenly my head started hurting awfully bad. ¡°Urgh!¡± Ur-urgh! My head¡­ What¡¯s happening? Why is it suddenly hurting so bad?! And just when I thought it couldn¡¯t get worse, suddenly distorting images flashed before my very eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. This won¡¯t kill me. You go and win this war that has snatched everything from everyone.¡± What the¡­ What did I just see. Who are they? In the distorted images, I saw a woman who appeared to be a bit older than my mother, talking to a boy in his late teens. Before I could process anything, the pain hit me once again and I fell to my knees. Seeing me in pain got my mother worried, she asked impatiently, ¡°What happened?! Are you alright? Did you get hurt when you were practicing?¡± I slowly got up. My head still hurting, but the pain was going away slowly. ¡°I¡¯m fine mom. It was just a headache I suddenly got,¡± I responded, not wanting to get her worried. ¡°Really? Because we can go to a doctor.¡± ¡°Really, I am fine. The headache is gone. Now let us carry these bags and apply some medicine on your bruises,¡± I said before going inside the house. ¡°If you say so¡­¡± replied my mother, doubts still visible on her face. What was that vision? Was it connected to the nightmare I had this morning? But the woman was talking to a different guy. He wasn¡¯t the one whom I saw in the nightmare this morning. I don¡¯t know what the heck is happening¡ª but one thing is clear¡ª this day was a nightmare for me. Just a Normal Boy Just a Normal Boy ¡°Again! Yes, strike again! Watch your stance. Your grip should be tighter. Yes, that¡¯s right. Okay, it is enough for today.¡± ¡°Do you think I am improving?¡± I asked my father. Several months have passed since I first started training with my wooden sword. ¡°Considering you are just 4 years old, yes,¡± my dad answered. ¡°But dear, he is so young. Do you really think he should be practicing at this age?¡± asked my mother who was watching us practice. ¡°Normally, you would be right. He is much younger to start practicing, even with a wooden sword. But since we are at war, anything could happen at any instant. So, he should at least know how to defend himself if time comes,¡± my father answered. ¡°Dear, don¡¯t say like that! you are scaring me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but we live at the outskirts of city. The main bazaar¡ª which is always crowded¡ª is just few kilometres away from our home. If the other nation decides to plan a sneak attack on the main bazaar, our small town would most likely be on their target zone. And if something like that actually happens, then¡­" He paused before continuing again, "That¡¯s why we need to be ready for the worst-case scenario. I think it is for the best that Anant should know at least a thing-or-two to protect himself in such situations.¡± As the mood became heavier, my mother changed the topic. ¡°Let¡¯s eat dinner,¡± she said before going inside. What father said is true. If something like that happens, I have to be prepared for it¡­ no, we all have to be prepared for it. As I was going inside, my father called me from behind. ¡°Anant come here for a second.¡± ¡°Yes dad?¡± Before speaking, my father knelt down so he could be at my eye¡¯s level. ¡°Anant, you are doing everything way before than a child your age should do. You read books above your level, ask questions above your level and now you have even started to train with a sword. You are growing really fast, but¡­ I¡¯m afraid that you might grow a lot faster than you should. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying is¡­ don¡¯t force yourself. Enjoy your childhood, cherish it. It is something we experience only once in our lifetime. Once it¡¯s gone, it will never comeback. So, don¡¯t always spend your time on these things. You should also play with kids your age and should make new friends, understand? ¡°Yes, dad,¡± I replied. My father was right. I should also enjoy my childhood days. I don¡¯t want to regret it later in my life. ¡°Anant, come fast,¡± called my mother. ¡°Coming,¡± I replied. With a pat on my head, my father said, ¡°Go.¡± After eating dinner, I went to my father¡¯s room. He was reading something, so I decided to check in. ¡°What are you reading, dad?¡± I asked him. ¡°It was just today¡¯s newspaper,¡± he replied. ¡°Who reads newspaper at night?¡± ¡°I was busy this whole day, so I didn¡¯t have time to read it.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I took a glance at the newspaper and one line piqued my interest. ¡®Second born son of the Wheatstone Family awakened at the age of seven.¡¯ What is ¡®awakened¡¯? I have never heard of this word before. ¡°Dad, what do you mean by awakened?¡± I decided to ask him. ¡°Do you mean awakening?¡± ¡°I guess so¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ why don¡¯t I just show you instead of telling?¡± my father said. ¡°Show me?¡± He patted the bed and said, ¡°Here, come on and take a seat.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I sat on the bed with my legs crossed. He then instructed me, ¡°Now close your eyes and try to meditate. Imagine yourself that you are flowing like a water in the nature. Try to become one with your surroundings.¡± ¡°Meditate? But why?¡± ¡°Just do as I say.¡± I followed his instructions and did what he said. ¡°Relax yourself. Concentrate your mind. Imagine yourself flowing like the particles of Pancha Bhuta.¡± With my eyes closed, I imagined myself being one with the nature, flowing like a carefree soul. The more I concentrated, the more I felt as if I am attaining equilibrium with the nature. But with each second passed, there was a feeling of burning sensation on all my fingers. Suddenly, I felt as if my fingers were in fire. The pain made me lose control and I leaped back. ¡°Ouch!¡± I shouted so loud that my mother ran over to us from the kitchen. ¡°What happened?! I heard Anant¡¯s shout. Is he alright?!¡± asked my mother impatiently, checking my body to see if I have been hurt. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just¡­ I felt as if my fingers were burning, but now the sensation is gone,¡± I said to my worried mother. I looked at my parents and one had a confused face while the other was in utter shock. ¡°What happened dad? Why are you so shocked,¡± I asked my father. ¡°Did you really feel burning sensation? You are not lying, are you?¡± my father asked a strange question which I didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Why would I lie about it?¡± ¡°Can some explain what is going on here?¡± my mother asked, she didn¡¯t have a clue about what we were talking¡ª well neither do I. ¡°Dear, our son may be close to awakening,¡± he replied with a shocked face. ¡°Close to awakening?¡± my mother repeated. ¡°He asked me about awakening, so I thought I would explain him by showing how it works. But I never expected he would actually show early signs of awakening,¡± my father explained. ¡°You father and son. And here I was worrying unnecessarily,¡± she then looked at me and asked, ¡°Anant you are okay, right?¡± ¡°Yes mom.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m going to wash the dishes now,¡± she said before leaving the room. I was confused. What did he mean by early signs of awakening? What even is awakening? ¡°Dad, you still didn¡¯t tell me what is awakening, and now you are saying I may be close to awakening. I don¡¯t understand anything.¡± ¡°Alright, let me explain everything,¡± he said before explaining, ¡°When all the channels in our body fully develops, so that the energy associated with the appropriate element could flow through our body without any problems, we say that the said person has ¡®awakened.¡¯¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ but how does the energy channel through our body?¡± ¡°The energy enters our body through our fingers. This energy that has entered, then flows throughout the body allowing us to influence the flow of elements. Almost all humans have natural affinity towards one or more elements. Each finger represents an element and allows their respective associated energy to enter our body.¡± ¡°So, which finger represents which element?¡± I asked, my all focus were on his words. ¡°Our index finger represents Vayu; our middle finger represents Agni; our ring finger represents Apas; our little finger represents Prithvi; and lastly, our thumb represents Aakash,¡± explained my father. ¡°Wait, so the burning sensation I felt in my fingers¡ª¡± ¡°Yes. That means that the energy was being slowly channelized through your finger, developing your channels. And if I recall correctly you said ¡®fingers¡¯, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°That means you have affinity to more than one element. Which fingers they were?¡± he asked while grabbing my hand and studying my fingers. ¡°All of them.¡± Dumbfounded by my answer he asked again, ¡°W-wait, you are kidding right? All of them?!¡± ¡°Yes. I felt the sensation on all my fingers.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t believe it. That means you have affinity to all five elements.¡± After taking few seconds to comprehend, he jumped in excitement, lifting me up in the air. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you have¡ª¡± suddenly his face became serious, complete opposite to before and with a solemn voice he muttered to himself, ¡°Affinity to all five elements¡­¡± After putting me down, with a stern look on his face he said, ¡°Anant, I¡¯m asking again. Are you completely sure that you felt sensation on all of your fingers?¡± ¡°Yes, dad. I¡¯m sure,¡± I replied. His fixed gaze on my eyes made me scared a bit. I have never seen him this serious before. Finally, after¡ª what felt like ages¡ª he spoke again, ¡°Tomorrow we will meditate once again, just to confirm if you really have affinity towards all of them or not, okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said in response. Shortly after came my mother from washing the dishes. ¡°Anant, it¡¯s time to sleep now,¡± said my mother. ¡°Yes mom.¡± After saying goodnight to both of them, I went back to sleep.
¡°Dear, you have been reading that thing for the past two hours. You should sleep now.¡± ¡°I¡­ I am regretting telling Anant about awakening.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ never mind. I¡¯m overthinking. It¡¯s late outside, we should sleep.¡± ¡°Huh? Sometimes, I don¡¯t even know what is going on in your little brain.¡± New Family Member New Family Member A week has been passed since we found out about the signs of my early awakening. Now, I¡¯m also doing meditation along with my training. It really helps to calm oneself. It has been confirmed now that I do have affinity to all the five elements. But my father was not as happy as I expected¡ª or at least when he first found out about this. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going outside.¡± ¡°Okay but be safe and don¡¯t go too far.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I answered and left the home. We lived in a small village. There were small houses and farms, and everyone was very friendly. Just a few kilometres away from our village was the hustling-bustling main bazaar. Along the path to the main bazaar, there was a small lake at one side of the road. The bazaar was a decently big place with shops and stalls at every corner. But since it was always crowded, this made it an ideal location for a surprise attack, to create panic and chaos. Because of this, many soldiers were patrolling that area. As I was lost in my thoughts, I reached the main bazaar. As expected, it¡¯s very crowded. I could hear the noise of merchants selling their stuffs and people haggling the prices with them. I was wandering around when I found Uncle Tarun¡¯s stall. He was a friend of my father. ¡°Hello uncle,¡± I greeted him. ¡°Oh Anant! It¡¯s been a long time. How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good, and you?¡± ¡°What do you expect from someone who can¡¯t eat anything other than your aunt¡¯s so-called ¡®healthy foods,¡¯¡± he complained. It made me chuckle. As we were talking, we heard gossips of soldiers behind us. ¡°Oh man! Why do they have to assign me to patrol at night.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Like it or not, you should get used to it.¡± ¡°Have you thought of retiring?¡± ¡°Right now¡­ I only want to survive this war and hopefully go back to my wife in one piece.¡± ¡°This war¡­ when do you think the war will end?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ with the current state, I don¡¯t think it will end anytime soon.¡± ¡°The last thing I want is to see my grandchildren taking part in this devastating war.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ you are right. I hope it¡¯ll end soon.¡± And just like that, they left. ¡°What do you think about this war?¡± asked my uncle. Before I could say anything, he cut me off saying, ¡°What I¡¯m doing, asking from a child. Never mind, forget what I just said.¡± To lighten up the mood, we started talking about other things. ¡°Alright uncle, I think it¡¯s time to go back home.¡± ¡°Okay but here, take these fruits with you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Your father has helped me many times. I should at least do this much.¡± ¡°Thank you for this, goodbye.¡± ¡°Go home safely,¡± he said while waving his hand. While walking, I started thinking to myself¡ª This war¡­ what started it? When I asked my father, he told me no one knows other than the higher ups. Our soldiers don¡¯t even know why and what they are fighting for. Will this war ever end? Will I also have to take part in this war? I really think that something big is going on behind the scenes which the higher ups are not telling the public. Without even noticing I reached home. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back¡± I yelled. ¡°Anant come here,¡± my dad called. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Your mom and I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What?¡± My dad looked at my mother, then said, ¡°You mom¡­ she is going to be a mother again.¡± Not knowing how to react, I responded, ¡°Wait what? She is pregnant?¡± ¡°Wait, you know the meaning of pregnant?¡± asked my confused father. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But who told you? We never mentioned the word ¡®pregnant¡¯ in front of you.¡± This statement from my father made me wonder. There are things that I just know. I don¡¯t know where and when did I learn them, but I always knew them for as-long-as I can remember. ¡°Leave it dear. You say he is a genius but are surprised by this?¡± ¡°Y-yeah, you are right. Let¡¯s come back to the discussion we were having.¡± ¡°Where were we¡­? Oh yeah! From now on, you are going to be a big brother,¡± said my mother, patting my head. ¡°Now, you have a responsibility to teach your younger sibling the manners and teaching we taught you when they will be born. You will be a responsible big brother, right?¡± said my father. It took me a moment to understand what he just said. After that, I replied, ¡°Yes! I will be a responsible big brother.¡± My father lifted me with his both hands in joy, ¡°That¡¯s my boy!¡± he said. ¡°Okay, now let¡¯s eat dinner. Go wash your hands, Anant.¡± ¡°Yes mother!¡± I saluted her before going to wash my hands. My own sibling! I wonder whether they will be a boy or a girl. I can¡¯t wait to play with them! Awakening Awakening ¡°Mom, are you ready yet?¡± I yelled from outside. Today we were going to a birthday party. My father¡¯s friend invited us at his child¡¯s birthday. ¡°Just a second,¡± my mother replied, coming out of the house. My mother wore a pink gown which had beautiful floral design and I wore a plain black shirt with blue pants. My father on the other hand wore a grey suit. Pair it with his back sleek hair, no doubt he was looking very handsome. My father¡¯s friend lived a bit far from our house. So, we took a horse carriage and left for the party. It took maybe two hours-or-so to get there. ¡°Your friend really lives far away from the city¡± I remarked. ¡°Yeah,¡± he responded. His friend was a farmer and had a huge rice field. Even though there were many settlements there, but still just a few meters away was a large forest along the rice field. Wooden fences were placed to separate the forest from the farm. ¡°Let¡¯s go in,¡± said my father. We entered the house and found ourselves in the party¡¯s atmosphere. First¡ªwe greeted the family and then my father and mother started talking to their respective friends. It was not a big party. There were just handful of people present, but my parents seemed to know almost all of them. Feeling isolated, I decided to sit on a chair at the corner of the lobby. My meditation is going really well. I wonder when my awakening will be. Dad told me that an average age of awakening is 8¨C10 years old. But there have been rare cases when children have awakened at the age of 6¨C7 years. If I keep up the pace, I might awaken next year. Speaking of this, dad also told me that there is another way of awakening. Normally, the only way of awakening is through meditation by become one with nature. When we attain full equilibrium with nature¡ªthen the energy with which the person has most affinity towards¡ªstarts to flow into their body through their respective fingers. And when the person no longer feels burning sensation in their fingers, that means the channel between their fingers and the energy is fully formed, due to which, the energy can now flow into their body without any restrictions. This simply means that they have awakened. But there is another way of awakening which is extremely rare. Out of whole population, only 0.01% have awakened through this way. When someone is in life-or-death situation, their mind plays various scenarios extremely fast on their head, finding a way to save that person. And it is at this moment for a split second, they attain equilibrium with nature, making the person awakened. I wonder how people feel in a life-or-death situation. What will I feel if I ever happens to be in one? As my thoughts were running wild, I saw the birthday boy sneakily leave the place, going outside. What is he doing? I thought. As I had nothing to do right now, I decided to follow him. He went straight into the rice field and after going through a gap between the fences, he ran towards the forest. I also followed him behind. Why is he going there? Did he decide to run away just because he didn¡¯t get the gifts he want? I yelled at him from behind, ¡°Hey! Stop right there.¡± My shout frightened him, making him stop immediately. Seeing it was just me, he let out a sigh of relief, ¡°I thought they caught me.¡± ¡°Are you an idiot? Going into the forest like that!¡± I retorted. ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t want to hear anything. Just leave me alone.¡± ¡°You kidding?! There might be wild animals near us. Come with me, or else----¡ªI¡¯m going to tell your parents.¡± ¡°No! Please don¡¯t tell them! This is the only place left where I can relax.¡± Confused by his words, I asked, ¡°What are you saying? What do you mean by ¡®this is the only place left?¡¯¡± ¡°I-I am good at studies¡­ so my parents have really high expectations from me, thinking I¡¯ll make them proud. They don¡¯t even let me play and always force me to study all the time. Every time, they make sure to tell me that they are expecting big from me. I just can¡¯t take it anymore... I¡¯m tired¡­ I want some peace. That¡¯s why, sometimes I come here in the forest to be alone and relax in nature.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Hearing his story made me truly feel bad for him. When he was running away, I thought he was a troubling kid but... he just wanted a break. My father talks highly of me but he never forces me to do anything rather, he wants me to enjoy my childhood to the fullest¡ª unlike his parents, who are just making him mentally ill. ¡°I-I am sorry¡­ I thought you were a troublesome kid running away from home,¡± I said, apologizing to him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I was also rude to you, and for that I¡¯m sorry.¡± "N-no¡­ you don¡¯t have to apologise, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°By the way, I¡¯m Madhur. What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked. ¡°My name¡¯s Anant,¡± I answered. ¡°Nice meeting you,¡± he said, shaking my hand. ¡°Will you come with me to see where I rest, Anant?¡± ¡°W-wait¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just few meters away from here.¡± Since the place was not that far from the house, I reluctantly agreed to go with him. As we went deep inside the forest, it was starting to get dense. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± I asked. ¡°Just few more steps and¡­ we are here!¡± There were trees all around us, and a big tree trunk was lying in the middle. It was like someone had placed that trunk there very conveniently just for people to sit. ¡°Here, come take a seat,¡± said Madhur already sitting on the trunk. I walked up to him and took a seat. ¡°Now, close your eyes and listen carefully,¡± he said, closing his eyes. I followed his instructions. Silence surrounded us everywhere. All I could hear was rustling of leaves and chirping of birds. I truly was at peace here. Now, I didn¡¯t want to leave this place. All I wanted now was to sit here forever¡­ listening to the melodious rhythm of nature. While I was listening to this pleasing melody, the rustling of leaves became louder and louder every second. And at one point, I thought the sound was coming from right behind me. Just as I was turning behind to see where this sound was coming from, something lunged towards me which I couldn¡¯t see. I looked at Madhur to ask, ¡°Hey, did you¡ª¡± and before I even had the chance to finish my sentence¡­ I saw something which sent shivers down my spine. At this instant, I wished that every single moment, every single second that I spent with Madhur, heck even this whole day to turn out to be a dream because if it isn¡¯t, I know I¡¯m done. My eyes couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. I was seeing a hungry looking wild wolf¡ª saliva dripping out of its mouth¡ª staring me dead in the eye. Its gaze made my whole-body tremble in fear. But what made me frightened the most was Madhur with his broken neck, stuck between the wolf¡¯s canine teeth. Blood was continuously coming out of his his neck, where the animal''s teeth were, holding his neck very tightly. His lifeless body was dangling between its teeth. He was completely still, like he will now never be able to wake up from his eternal dream. Only his hair was moving due to the wind. No! It can¡¯t be¡­ M-Madhur is¡­ dead! W-what should I do? Should I run? Should I yell for help? I can¡¯t think straight. I was getting panic just thinking what would happen to me. No. This is no time to get panic. First calm yourself down¡­ take a deep breath. I remember dad telling me what to do in a situation like this. First, don¡¯t run and stare directly at it. I stared directly at its hungry looking eyes. Second, act aggressive and don¡¯t turn your back at it. Slowly retreat away while directly staring at it. I tried to be aggressive, I yelled and clapped my hands while slowly retreating away from it. As I was slowly moving away, the wolf was also slowly approaching me. Suddenly, it dropped Madhur¡¯s lifeless body and lunged towards me. I side-stepped in the nick of time but his claws scratched my right shoulder leaving a deep wound. ¡°U-urgh! It hurts!¡± I didn¡¯t even have the time to look at my wound as the wolf lunged at me again almost immediately. I again dodged the attack but his claws still got me. This time it was my left shoulder. Blood coming out of them non-stop. I must find something that I can use as a weapon. Searching my surroundings impatiently, I found a stick with pointy edges on both sides. But it was at least 10 metres away from where I was standing. The predator was right in front of me, observing my every minute movement. What should I do? I have to get that stick¡­ but will I be able to outrun the wolf? As I was thinking, it attacked me again. This time I didn¡¯t even had time to react and instinctively pivoted to my right. This made me lose balance and I fell to the ground. ¡°Darn it! It got me again!¡± This time its claws went even deeper inside the skin of my left shoulder, where he had previously attacked. Both of my shoulders and arms were fully covered in blood, and I knew¡ªif the wolf won¡¯t kill me, I would surely die from blood loss. I had to end this quick, but how? what an idiot I am. There is no time to think, every second counts. I must get that stick no matter what. I crawled up and ran as fast I could. Just a little more! I was three steps away from the stick when I felt an intense pain in my right leg that made me fall. It was the claw. The claw went straight through the back of my leg. The wolf jumped on me, climbing on top of my body, making sure its prey can¡¯t move. At that moment, all I could see was a starving animal thanking whatever god they had for giving such a nice meal. As the wolf was going to bite my neck, I put forward both of my arms between its teeth, blocking its mouth from possibly breaking my neck. The saliva dripping out of its mouth made my whole face wet. I knew my frail arms were no match against it. I knew at any instant I¡¯m going to die. I don¡¯t want to die! Please! Someone help me! Dad! Tears started coming out of my eyes and at that moment, memories of my childhood days flashed before my very eyes. But along with those memories, I also saw something else. I saw an image of a dying woman in the battlefield. ¡°You will not die until you have fulfilled your dharma. You will never live in peace in any life. You are bound to suffer for eternity for what you have done. Because you are¡ª The Last Hope of Humanity.¡± When I heard those words, something surged within me. My fingers felt like they were in hot lava. Energy started coursing through my fingers and at that instant, I felt like I truly became one with nature. It was like I had attained inner peace. My fingers stopped burning, energy flowed throughout my body, and I knew¡ª that I have awakened. Survivor Survivor As I awakened, I felt the energy of the Pancha Bhuta rushing throughout my body. It was a feeling I felt never before¡­ as if something was crawling within my body. But the strangest thing that happened was with my Indriya. Suddenly, they got enhanced significantly. Now¡ª I could hear the slightest of sound around me, could see distance further away, could tell that rain is going to happen just by smell and taste, and lastly, my reflexes improved drastically. Without wasting any time, I let out a gust of wind with my right hand that sent the animal flying few meters away. I didn¡¯t know how I was able to create a gust of wind. It just happened naturally on its own, like walking. We walk naturally without thinking anything. Now that I was able to distance myself from the wolf, enduring the pain, I ran towards the stick, grabbed it, and broke it in half. Meanwhile, my enemy regained its posture and rushed towards me. I quickly conjured some small rocks and threw them at its eyes. Caught by my feint, I again let out a small gust of wind. But this time from my right foot and dashed towards the canine, holding two broken sticks on each of my hand, their pointy side facing towards it. As the predator opened its gritty eyes, I was right in front of it, facing it head on. With as much strength as I could muster, I stabbed both of its eyes with my broken sticks. I could feel the sensation of my sticks crushing its rubbery eyeballs. ¡°AAAHHHHHH!¡± I screamed while attacking. Blood started coming out of its eye sockets. The wolf howled in pain. Its loud and terrifying howl made my heart beat even faster than before. Resisting my fear, I took the sticks out of the animal¡¯s eyes and stabbed its neck with all my might. I struggled to pierce its neck as the skin was hard. It was also struggling to free itself. I knew this was my only chance and if I fail to kill it, I¡¯d surely die. I threw one stick I was holding, and pushed the other stick that was still stuck on its neck with both of my hands. Mustering wind around my hands for external force, I pushed the stick as hard as I could. ¡°DDDIIIEEEE!!!¡± After much effort and fighting for my life, I heard the sound of bone cracking and I knew¡­ I had won this fight. The wolf stopped responding and collapsed on the ground. My legs had no strength left to support me, due to which I also fell to the ground. Tired from the fight, I was breathing heavily and my body was still shaking, couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d just killed a wolf. Anant, calm yourself¡­ take a deep breath¡­ steady your breathing. After steadying my breathing and calming myself down, I slowly got up with a wobbly motion, my legs still shaky.Stolen story; please report. My hands and face were covered in the predator¡¯s blood. The wound on my right shoulder was not deep, but the one on my left shoulder and right leg were bad. But the most gruesome ones were the wounds on my arms. My arms were mauled pretty bad, blood coming out of them constantly. While I was thinking what to do next, I heard something¡ªor someone¡ª approaching me from few meters away from my right. W-what is it now? Not knowing what to do, I started running away from it but couldn¡¯t take a single step because of my condition and fell. I started dragging myself in an attempt to flee but after a few short pulls I got exhausted and gave up. Now, all I could do was pray¡­ pray that it was not some another predator hunting for food. After a few seconds¡ª what seemed like hours¡ª something jumped from the bushes. It was a wolf cub. Wait, don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s a pack of wolves here. I can¡¯t fight them! I was lying motionless, seeing the above sky. My eyes filled with tears, waiting for my ultimate demise. I waited and waited and waited¡­ but nothing happened. No one¡ª neither any animal nor any person came. While lying helplessly on the ground, I turned my gaze towards the cub. It was howling and licking the lifeless body of the defeated predator. Watching the cub, it felt like¡­ it felt like as if the cub was trying to say, ¡®Get up! let¡¯s leave before anyone arrives,¡¯ to the deceased wolf. I stood up, my legs trembling, and staggered over to the breathless body of the wolf. I knelt beside the cub; it paid me no attention and gently I started stroking the fur of the deceased one. Why it never occurred to me until now? Attacks on humans by wolves are very rare. Generally, wolves try to avoid human contact. They only attack humans if provoked, cornered or to protect their young ones. The fact that there is only one cub present here, I could already guess what happened to the rest of the pack¡­ Normally, a pack of wolves consists of 5¨C10 members. But since there are only two present here, I could only think of two things¡ª either they became prey of some other predator, or they became victims of poaching. To me, the latter seems more presumable. As the only ones left, these two wolves might have wandered around the forest, ultimately coming here. We unknowingly went into their territory. This means rather than attacking us to eat¡­ the wolf attacked us because it felt threatened. It was only protecting its cub... As I was gently stroking, I looked at the cub who was still howling and licking its only member who was now¡­ dead and the one responsible for it was¡­ me. What will happen to the cub now? Because of me, it¡¯s now all alone in this world full of darkness. Will it be able to survive by itself? Does this mean I did something terrible? While from the outside, people might think I did the right thing by killing it but¡­ isn¡¯t this our fault? We went into their territory; we made them feel threatened. It was just protecting its cub¡­ When the animals come into our territory, we kill them saying it is to protect us. But when we go into their territory, we still kill them saying it is to protect us. Then where will they go? Don¡¯t they have the right to defend themselves? Are we really protecting ourselves? While I was questioning myself, I turned my gaze towards Madhur¡¯s cold and lifeless body. His eyes gazing towards a never-ending distance. I tried to get up but felt intense pain throughout my body. My muscles were hurting like they have been tore apart. I couldn¡¯t even lift a single finger of mine. Suddenly, blood came rushing out of my mouth and my consciousness started to fade away. As I fell to my knees, I saw the grey, dark sky, and clouds looking like a spiral abyss, lingering above me. Suddenly, it started to rain. ¡°I told you it was going to rain,¡± I remarked before going into a deep slumber. Straight To Infirmary Straight To Infirmary VISHVA It¡¯d been a long time since I had a conversation with my friends. We all talked about our current life and reminisced some past memories. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to cut the cake. Go and call Madhur,¡± said my friend to his wife, holding a wine glass. After few minutes, his wife came rushing. ¡°Honey!¡± ¡°What happened? Why¡¯re you runnin¡¯?¡± ¡°Ma-Madhur! He¡¯s not here,¡± his wife said while breathing heavily. ¡°What? Did ya check outside?¡± asked my friend, bearing a confused look on his face. ¡°Yes! I checked everywhere; outside and inside.¡± ¡°He must be outside playin¡¯ somewhere. Let me check,¡± said my friend, and he went outside to look with his wife. After listening to their conversation, it occurred to me that I also hadn¡¯t seen Anant for some time. I was just about to ask my wife, but she asked me first, ¡°Dear, have you seen Anant? I haven¡¯t seen him for some time now. I¡¯m starting to get worried.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he must be here somewhere,¡± I replied in a calm manner, not wanting to make her worry. My wife and I both started searching for him inside the house but couldn¡¯t find him anywhere. ¡°Dear, he¡¯s nowhere to be seen. I¡¯m really starting to get worried now,¡± said my wife anxiously. ¡°Don¡¯t fret, he must be outside. Let¡¯s check there,¡± I said reassuringly to my wife. We walked outside and there I found my friend and his wife still searching for their son. But when I stepped outside, suddenly I sensed a strong disturbance in my surroundings. What¡¯s with this sudden disturbance in nature? Where¡¯s this coming from? Sensing the disturbance, I followed the trail it left behind, and it led me straight to the direction of the forest. Wait¡­ is it coming from inside the forest? At that moment, something clicked in my mind. I hurriedly rushed to my friend¡¯s home and screamed loudly, ¡°There¡¯s an emergency! Hurry up and follow me!¡± Most of the people that were at the birthday party were mages and one of them was even a healer. If what I was thinking happened to be true¡ªwhich I really hoped not¡ªthen I needed that healer. We quickly rushed into the forest; and as we went deep inside it, the disturbance started increasing step-by-step. After few meters, we finally reached a place where the disturbance seemed to be at its peak. Is this the source of¡ª I didn¡¯t even get to finish my thoughts. No¡­ rather, I lost my ability to think after what my wide eyes saw in front of me. I saw two kids: one on the right, and the other, few meters away on the left, lying down unconscious. But the one on the left was lying near to a¡­ dead wolf. I hurriedly rushed towards the one nearest me and found Madhur. His neck¡­ was broken. There were bite marks around his neck. I checked his breathing, and he was¡­ dead. Without wasting any time, I ran straight to the other one. His familiar clothes could already be seen by my eyes. I quickly began checking the boy, hoping it wasn¡¯t him, but¡ª my worst nightmare came true¡ª he was indeed my son.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. His clothes were torn apart. There were claw marks on both of his shoulders. I quickly checked his breathing, and by God¡¯s grace, he was still alive. Screaming from the top of my lungs, I yelled, ¡°HE IS ALIVE! BRING THE HEALER!¡± The healer, who was in her mid-20¡¯s came rushing towards us. She put her hands on my son¡¯s body and started healing him. Her hands glowed, all four elements surrounded my son¡¯s body, trying to stop the bleeding. After some few intense seconds, she spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve stopped the bleeding, but he needs medical attention at once. There¡¯s a small clinic nearby, we need to get there immediately.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± I carried Anant and ran outside the forest. On my way, I saw my friend and his wife crying over their son¡¯s sad demise. All I could do was pray to God¡ª to not let us end up like them. ANANT Ur-urgh¡­ my whole-body¡­ It hurts¡­ Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself to be in a different place. W-where am I? Before I could even begin to study my surrounding, the sounds of coughs and groans ringing in the room gave me my answer. I was most probably in a small clinic. I tried to get up but couldn¡¯t move my legs. I hadn¡¯t even noticed in which state I was in. I couldn¡¯t feel my right leg and the left one was hurting pretty bad. There were bandages all around my chest making me look as if I¡¯d dressed up as a ghost to scare people on the streets. But the worst looking one were my arms. They were wrapped in so many bandages that I thought the entire nation¡¯s medicinal supplies were coiled around them. I tried to move my arms, but they didn¡¯t respond. Just then, a horrifying thought struck my mind¡ª H-have I become handicapped? N-no, it can¡¯t be! What will happen to me now?! While I was worrying about my future, a woman came rushing and hugged me. That woman was none other than my own mother. Tears started coming out of her reddish eyes, flowing down her rosy cheeks. She was trying so hard to say something but couldn¡¯t muster her words due to her rhythmic hiccups. After much effort, she finally managed to say something while crying, ¡°I-I thought I¡¯d lost you! Y-You were found in such a bad state, blood coming out from everywhere. I-I thought¡­¡± Hearing my mother¡¯s heartfelt cry, I couldn¡¯t do anything but sit helplessly. I wanted to console her¡­ I wanted to say, ¡®It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t cry.¡¯ But who was I to say that to the woman who had nearly lost her only child? Suddenly, I realized my father was not with her. I turned my gaze everywhere but couldn¡¯t find him. ¡°Y-Your dad¡¯s gone outside to get some food. He¡¯ll come in a second,¡± she answered my mind while wiping away her tears. ¡°A-Anant?!¡± I heard someone call my name. I turned my head to find the source of the sound. It came from a man, holding a lunch box in his hand. I could never forget the face of that man in a million years. He was my father. He was stunned to see me awake. The lunch box slipped from his hand as he came running towards me with his teary eyes. At that moment, I felt a sense of D¨¦j¨¤ vu. He hugged me so tightly with his manly hands, I thought for sure he would break my ribs. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay,¡± said my father, trying to hold his tears but some still made it through. ¡°Yeah, me too¡­¡± I replied, embracing him in return. ¡°How did you even find me?¡± I asked my father. I was unconscious and woke-up directly in this clinic. It was a miracle he found me, and that too before I could lose a significant amount of my blood. He told me everything that happened and how much of a terrible state I was in. I was passed out for three days. He also told me about Madhur''s funeral¡­ a friend that I lost. Thinking about Madhur made me remember something. ¡°By the way, did you see a wolf¡¯s cub there?¡± I asked my father. ¡°No. What cub are you talking about?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± So, he ran away... I wish you the best of luck buddy. Coming back to the discussion we were having, I asked my father about my injuries. ¡°The doctor said your right leg was broken due of high external pressure, but the left one only sustained some minor bruises. Both of your shoulders had deep wounds that needed stitches. But the worst injury was to your arms. They were badly mauled.¡± ¡°S-So¡­ will I be alright?¡± ¡°Yes, but your arms would take at least six months to heal and an additional year to function properly. Until then, you must not strain them.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I was relieved to hear that my arms would be able to heal back. Although it would take time, it was much better than being handicapped for the rest of my life. Guess the only thing I can do right now is just rest and see what my future has in store for me. Scar Of Existence Scar Of Existence I did nothing but rest for the last one month, confined within the walls of this room. Finally, I was able to walk like a human being¡ª even if a stick was still needed to support me. Views from the way to my house reminded me how much I needed some breath of fresh air. Chirruping of birds; sound of water flowing through a river; sensation of the wind tickling my skin. I was lost in the beauty of my surroundings that I didn¡¯t even realize that we had reached home. Entering the home, the first thing I did was inhale the air deeply, and said, ¡°Home sweet home.¡± ¡°Anant, the nurse said we can take off the bandages from your chest and shoulders, but should leave the one on your arms. It¡¯d still take few more months for them to heal, and also we need to change them twice a week,¡± said my mother from the other room. ¡°I¡¯m going outside to buy some vegetables.¡± I heard my father¡¯s voice as he left. ¡°Alright honey,¡± replied my mother. I sat down in my room and tried to remove the bandages on my own, but failed miserably. ¡°Mom, help me with this.¡± ¡°Coming.¡± She was opening all the windows of our house. After few seconds, she entered the room and started gently taking the bandages off my shoulders. It felt like some kind of burden had finally been removed from my body. While removing the bandages from my back, suddenly she stopped and gasped loudly. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, my head facing sidewards, trying to see her face. ¡°Th-This scar¡­ it wasn¡¯t here before,¡± she said to herself. ¡°What scar are you talking about?¡± ¡°Come here," she said, before taking me to the mirror in her room. ¡°See this for yourself.¡± When I saw the mirror, I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. On my back, there was a large sphere with two small arrow-shaped lines etched on its surface¡ª one facing right at the top, the other facing left at the bottom. The sphere was divided into four equal parts by a horizontal and a vertical line. Each part was covered in thousands of exceedingly small, thread like-marks. Rather than being scared or worried¡ªI was in awe. This didn¡¯t even look like a scar at all, rather; it looked like as if¡­ someone had carved a beautiful carving on my back with their very hands.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± I said in awe. ¡°How and when did you get this? This wasn¡¯t on your back when you were at the clinic,¡± my concerned mother asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s also my first time seeing this,¡± I replied. This isn¡¯t the type of scar I would get in a fight with a wild animal... Then how did I get this? I was at the clinic this whole time, doing nothing but rest. Then how did I suddenly get this¡­ magnificent looking scar. ¡°For now, go and freshen up yourself. We¡¯ll go to a doctor when your dad comes. Some time later my father came back. He also saw my back with disbelief in his eyes. We then went to a doctor but found nothing wrong with my body. In the end, we returned home without knowing anything about this scar. ¡°I think he¡¯ll be alright,¡± said my father. ¡°Really¡­?¡± my mother asked, unconvinced. ¡°The doctor himself said there¡¯s nothing wrong with him. It¡¯s just a normal scar.¡± ¡°Dad is right, mom. Even though we don¡¯t know how I got this, it doesn¡¯t pain me a bit. I¡¯m completely fine.¡± I also added. With a sigh, she said, ¡°Alright, alright¡­ if you say so. But if it hurts, tell us immediately, okay?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± I answered with a salute.
Oh, crap! I better clean this up before they arrive. I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed a small cleaning cloth. With a cleaning cloth in my hand, I started wiping the mess that I had created in my room. Time flies, huh¡­ It had now been six months since I fought that wolf. Even though my arms had almost been healed, still I had to be careful, not to stress them. Ugh! These tea stains just won¡¯t come off. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have kept that cup near the book. I tried wiping the pages carefully, but it was all in vain. The pages that got stained¡­ Oh! I¡¯ve already read those. Guess it¡¯s fine then. Since for the last few months I couldn¡¯t do anything, so I decided to learn a little bit about awakening. My mother was surprised when she came to know that I had awakened, but my father was pretty calm about it¡ª like he expected it. Well, now I know why my senses got heightened that time. Each element represents one of our five senses: Vayu represents touch. Agni represents vision. Apas represents taste. Prithvi represents smell. Akash represents hearing. If a person has an affinity for a certain element, then the corresponding sense will be enhanced. Since I had an affinity towards all five elements, that was why all of my senses were enhanced. Of course, this was not permanent. It was just a temporary rush that many people feel right after awakening. To heighten your senses for good, it had to do with how pure a person is which I didn¡¯t get at all. I could¡¯ve asked my father but¡­ it hit me how I almost died without enjoying this blooming age of mine. I had always been so focused on studying and learning that I never made friends at all. So, I decided to live my life fully while I still had the time, as I got a long life ahead of me for other things.