《Aghori》


 Chapter 0 - Prologue

    In the continent of Hind that is surrounded on three sides by the sea and one side by the mighty Himalayas, there are thousands of villages, hundreds of cities and millions of people. The continent which is ravaged by the wars that rise and fall like waves of an unpredictable sea, now enjoys an era of peace. But like the waves that are controlled by the movements of the earth and the moon, the war and peace too is controlled by the heavens. There exists constant tension between the empires who appear friendly on the surface but are in fact constantly putting swords at the neck of each other maintaining a deadlock which might break at any time resulting a massive war.


    Amongst the empires that are the main players of this era, there is a special powerhouse whose royal family is said to have the backing of the mighty Shiva himself. Hence, people say, that ages ago it was named in honor of this God of Destruction, Shivpur. The land of Shiva. In the war of the great empires which came to halt two decades ago, Shivpur annihilated multiple states and consolidated its foundation which made the country stable and powerful. Those who witnessed the battles of Shivpur still talk about it''s ferocity. Specially, they discuss the one who was titled "Asura", the then crown prince, Vairabh. The way he danced in the battlefield causing destruction to his enemies wherever his steps fell and the viciousness with which he tore them apart with his very teeth and then proceeded to drink their blood, is said to have rendered those who personally witnessed it, unable to sleep for the rest of their lives.


    This "Asura" who later rose to the throne and became the emperor of Shivpur ruled with ruthlessness, killing the entire generation of those who resisted him and dare oppose him. However, his ruthlessness eradicated any and all internal strife of the court and Shivpur prospered under his rule. As a result, it became an economical superpower and the quality of life of citizens improved. The citizens thus regard him highly and continue to enjoy this era of peace.


    * * *


    In the borders of Shivpur, there exists a massive forest which is termed the Dark Forest. It earned its name because the trees in the forest were so dense that no light would enter inside and those who were unfortunate enough to be trapped inside would fail to distinguish night from day. Vicious beasts of the dark crawled these forests and it was said that apart from the god amongst the warriors, no one had ever seen the center of this forest.


    Somewhere within this forest, currently a woman whose clothes are tattered and who carried numerous cuts and injuries on her bodies was leaning against a small opening on a tree of the forest. Even though she was far from the core of the forest, but various ruthless beasts prowled around which put her in a mortal danger. In spite of her being in such mortal peril, she didn''t carry a tinge of fear. Instead, her eyes were wet and two small lines of tear leaked from her eyes. She put a small package, careful wrapped in a silk cloth, inside the opening and whispered,


    "Forgive me little master, but we must part here.. your servant shall very soon come to retrieve you. I pray to the Shiva who grants life and death that he would protect you in the meanwhile."


    While whispering these words of farewell, sobbing all the while, she took out another similar cloth like the one that was around the infant and proceeded to wrap a small log in it. As she was wrapping the log, other sounds reverberated in the not-too-distant surroundings,


    "Oye!! I found a torn cloth, this way!!"


    As the sound drew nearer to her, she hastily ran off. Moments later, hurried footsteps of a 10 man party approached the place where she previously was. One of them suddenly exclaimed,


    "Captain! There she is"


    "Follow her!!"


    The party spotted a running silhouette and proceeded to chase it. Minutes after everyone left, the usual calm of the forest returned.


    * * *


    The Dark Forest was infamous primarily because of the vicious beasts. But it was not the only reason for it''s infamy. The fact that no one knew what the forest was like, made people even more reluctant to ever step inside its boundaries. Thus it remained uncharted for so many years. It was possible that someone in past conquered the innermost part of the forest, but no records existed in any of the current empires of such feats. To citizens of those empires, the Dark Forest was just a god forsaken land of which they could only tell scary stories to their children about.


    At some place inside this forest, a sound echoed. This was not growls of a predator nor chirps of birds.. It was the cry of an infant.


    "Waaaaaaaaa"


    It had been hours since the mysterious woman had settled this infant at this place and so far, she hadn''t returned. The child was perhaps hungry or cold or perhaps it was just him crying for no reason at all but he cried. And this put him in a life-threatening situation. In a dangerous place such as this, one normally tiptoes so as to avoid being detected by predators. Making any loud sound would mean an unpleasant attention of those who lurk in the shadows. But the child continued crying.


    Two minutes.. five minutes.. ten minutes.. he continued crying and with each passing minute, danger crept nearer and nearer to him.


    "Grrrr"


    Growls of animals resounded nearby.. One by one, figures came out of shadows. They were large and swift. Like breeze they descended, carefully, surveying their surroundings all the while as if on a lookout. As they came merely paces away from where the infant was crying, one could finally see that they were in fact the Night Wolves.


    Everyone in the continent knew that if one ever encountered any Night Wolves, his chances of survival would be very very low. Individual Night Wolf was not very powerful but one rarely if never encountered a lone Night Wolf. They always hunted in packs. This coupled with the fact that they were intelligent creatures made a pack of Night Wolves a nightmare for even the strongest warrior. They measured their enemies, formulated battle plans telepathically and executed it with almost fluid like elegance. Simply put, they were deadly.


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    As the Night Wolves crept near the infant, his cries got louder as if sensing the danger he was in. One amongst the pack drew forward, like a tensed bow, ready to pounce at any moment. It bared his fangs and pounced at the infant.


    * * *


    At the instant when the wolf was about to sink it''s teeth in the child''s body, a small glow appeared in the child''s chest.


    "Wham!!"


    The wolf''s teeth never reached him. It collided with an invisible wall and was sent flying against a nearby tree.


    Seeing the fate of their leader, the pack was perplexed. But their confusion lasted only a few seconds. Whether they did not understand or they were fearless, but the wolves continued their charge. One by one they pounced upon the crying child and one by one they were sent flying with a loud bang.


    Their charge continued for minutes and each time they were repelled by the glowing barrier. Any being with some sense would''ve been exhausted and discouraged by then but the wolves were known to be tenacious. Their preferred method of hunting was to surround their prey which were often much stronger than them and continuously charge from different directions to exhaust them. The wolves were employing the same tactics here.


    As they continued, the glow in the child''s chest began to flicker. The wolves sensed this and doubled their efforts. It was evident that the resistance that they were facing earlier was weakening rapidly. As if unable to withstand any further attacks, the glow disappeared altogether from the child''s body. Sensing this, the pack leader which was the first one to charge broke into a run towards the child and lunged towards him.


    "Whaaaam!!"


    He was sent flying again. This time, the packs were even more confused. Clearly the defensive barrier that had surrounded the child was exhausted by their continuous pounding. So why was their pack leader still repelled? All of them looked at the child with fearful eyes.


    "Hisss"


    A sound broke their gazes. They looked around wildly, their faces extremely ugly out of fear. They recognized this sound. More appropriately, how could they not recognize it? This was the sound of that hateful existence which ruled over the Dark Forest! Had there been any other animal, it would have fled the moment it realised that *the thing* was here. Curiously, these wolves weren''t moving an inch.


    As if on cue, a log like thing descended from the nearby tree and whipped another one of the Night Wolves and sent it flying. A painful cry emerged from where the wolf crashed. The rest of the wolves were now utterly fearful as they slowly regained their senses. All of them fled with their tails under their legs, leaving two of the fallen to their fate.


    After the wolves left, a huge *thing* descended from the tree. It was as thick as a tree''s trunk and as long as a fully grown bamboo stalk. It slithered closer and closer to the child and observed it with its unblinking eyes. It drew near the child and with utmost care and delicacy, totally unlike its nature, wrapped him around its body and left the scene.


    * * *


    It had been a normal day. Normal by the standards of the Dark Forest anyway.


    At the core of the forest, the foliage was so thick that no sunlight ever passed beneath the layers and layers of tree leaves. In this darkness, a beast, named as the king of the Dark Forest, not by any decree or inaugural ceremony of the sort but merely by its power, remained sleeping. Whenever any creatures, however ferocious, approached its vicinity, they would flee at the first moment they detected the king''s presence. Nobody dared disturb it so it was peacefully sleeping, coiled around a branch.


    It''s sleep was perturbed, not by any animals nearby but by a fluctuation in the forest. It was unlike anything the forest normally had. It was a prana fluctuation. While the forest had prana fluctuations by the beasts fighting amongst themselves all the time, but this wasn''t from any living being. It was from an object, or so the king concluded.


    Since its curiosity was aroused, it decided to investigate this commotion. It uncoiled itself from the branch and moved towards the source of the disturbance. As it came to the scene, it witnessed a pack of ferocious Night Wolves attacking a seemingly invisible barrier. It observed for a while. The wolves would break into a run and pound against the wall repeatedly. Behind the wall, there was an object, which upon closer observation, turned out to be a human infant. It was extremely bizarre. Not many humans dare step foot into the Dark Forest, a human child was even rarer and this was an infant. In its entire life, it had never seen a human infant. It grew curious.


    As the barrier which was protecting the infant weakened and vanished altogether, it saw the wolves pouncing upon the child. For some reason or other, it decided to interfere. It swung its tail and whipped the pouncing wolf into the distance. The wolves became confused but they did not flee. So it swung its tail again and sent another one of them flying. At this point the wolves probably realised that "it" was here. So they ran.


    It descended near the child and slowly with utmost care wrapped the child within its body. The child was crying. Perhaps it was hungry? But it knew nothing about a human infant. What did they even eat? After pondering for a bit, it decided. Maybe *that* man could tell. After deciding so, it left.

 Chapter 1 - The mysterious old man

    The Dark Forest is a dangerous place, the entire population of all the empires in the continent know this for a fact. To even set foot inside it would require an extra-ordinary bravery and to return outside to tell the tale would require much much more than just bravery.


    It isn''t just the beasts that make it so fearful. After all, even the mightiest of the beasts can be conquered by a very large number of warriors. In reality, there were other never before seen forces that play around in the Dark Forest. But no one really knew what they were because those who did encounter it, never returned to tell.


    It was said that in the past there was a powerful entity. He was said to have exterminated an entire empire in his rage. He killed thousands, if not millions, in cold blood without so much as a scratch on his body. Revered as the demon himself, his name, his sect or his power, nobody knew anything of it. But all of them do agree that he was the most powerful yogi in the entire history after Shiva himself. Even he, who went to brave the Dark Forest was never seen afterwards.


    Many other such lore existed about the forest like it being home to a creature who had lived for thousands of year which could take human appearances and could kill a person through a mere look. Or it being home to a powerful demon who survived the holy wars of the Heaven and Hell. Lore like these were partly to blame for such hostile reputation of the forest.


    * * *


    Unbeknownst to most there was a small clearing in the core of the forest where there were no thick trees and where sun shone freely with all its warmth. And in the middle of that clearing was a lake which was so clear that one could see the fishes swimming freely in the base of the lake.


    And as if the existence of such a peaceful scenery in this god forsaken forest wasn''t enough, there was a figure floating in the midst of the lake, completely immersed within himself. He was lean and thin and his hairs and beard were long, unkept but they did nothing to reduce his ancient aura. Such was his presence that even the fishes avoided going too close to him lest they offend him in any way. He looked as if he was meditating here for an eternity and would continue to do so until "Pralaya", the destruction of universe, descended from Shiva''s third eye. But contrary to such appearance, his meditation was in fact disturbed, by someone who was familiar to him and he opened his eyes.


    He spoke in a small voice which echoed throughout his surroundings,


    "Did I not make myself clear previously that I did not want to be disturbed? Why did you disobey my orders?"


    His voice contained arrogance and irritation. He was clearly not happy.


    "Hmph !! since when did the king began obeying the words of a refugee?? Or did you perhaps forget your position old man? Have you really gone senile after all these years??"


    A playful and girlish voice echoed in reply and shortly a large figure descended, an unnaturally big snake. It was ferocious but somehow very majestic and it inspired whoever confronted it to either shake with uncontrollable fear or kneel with utmost loyalty, more often the former. But the man who was now walking through the lake as if walking on land showed signs of neither fear nor servitude. As the man carefully observed the snake, he changed his expression to one of indifference and then replied with a little reprimand.


    "You are just a little girl, not a king. Behave like one"


    When he finished his words, what or rather who stood before him was a maiden who was no older than sixteen. She was dressed simply but graciously. Her alluring pupils were green, which added to the air of mysteriousness around her. Her roses like lips had a strange charm to them. Her beautiful brown hair flowed like waves in a gentle sea. Her skin appeared so smooth and delicate that it looked as if even a fur could scratch it. Her youthful buds, while not fully mature, were captivating nonetheless. Simple folks would no doubt end up confusing her with a celestial being because no mortal, they would argue, could be so enchanting. Perhaps she was a indeed celestial being, her presence was divine after all.


    She was capable of entrancing any mortal who stood before her, completely unlike her previous fearful appearance. Yet the man before her showed no other emotion than of a minor irritation.


    She stood before him, a small package wrapped gently in her arms.


    "And how do little girls behave may I ask?", she questioned him.


    But the man did not answer. He glanced at what she was carrying in her arms and his face filled with amusement and a little alarm.


    "Little girl, just who did you steal it from??"


    She was a little angry on being ignored but she suppressed her anger nonetheless and replied,


    "Steal my foot!! Do you take this king to be a thief?? I just found and rescued him in the outskirts of my forest. And why do you still call me a little girl. I order you to call me a king!!"


    "Yeah yeah, you are an almighty king of this god forsaken forest. Happy now? (hmph!) But I must say I am amazed, I never took you for merciful kind. Do you not hate humans and weak beings? This one happens to be both. Why haven''t you killed it yet? And as if that wasn''t strange enough, why did you rescue it?"


    The little girl spoke in an animated voice,


    "Do you take this king to be a monster? It is true that I* hate your kind but this one is just a child. Even we do not kill children. How would I* face my late father in heaven if he knew I* killed a child. As for why I* rescued him, I* found this child to be a little special. See for yourself."


    Upon hearing such reply, the man grew sceptic. He drew near to the child and touched his hands. As soon as he touched it, he murmured gravely,


    "Impossible!!"


    The little girl beamed at his reply, as if satisfied. She joked playfully,


    "See, I* told you didn''t I*? To think that a newborn has that which you worked for a thousand years to achieve, isn''t it ironic?"


    The man sighed, "Heavens truly is unfair."


    He then continued, "So little girl, tell me, why have you brought it here to me?"


    She replied casually, "Why else. I* want you to take care of it."


    "Little girl", he said in a heavy voice, "do you take me for some kind of nanny? I refuse."


    "You are not allowed to refuse. I* order you to take care of it. I* have taken a fancy to it. I* think having a human as a pet is really interesting.", she rebuked him.


    Other than a little surprise at finding the extraordinary condition of the child, the man had remained calm throughout but at her words he became annoyed. A thick and suffocating aura seeped through his body and surrounded the girl. She began to tremble. Her steps became heavy and she dropped to her knees. The man approached her and said in a voice which could shake the soul of those who listened.


    "Little girl, do not take me for your servant. I am respectful to you only because of your late father whom I respected. As for this child, I do not want it. It is too bothersome. If you do not bear to abandon it or kill it then go to a nearby village and drop it off in an orphanage. That would be much better for this child."


    The girl was sweating profusely. Outsiders couldn''t tell, but she was extremely scared of this entity before her. The last time he behaved in this way was countless years before so she had forgotten how truly dangerous this man really was. Just when she was no longer able to handle the aura he gave off, it subsided. She took a huge breath of relief. She was nearly dead. But whether due to the man''s will or because of something else, the aura didn''t affect the little child, he was sleeping as calmly as before. No, it had to be because of the man himself. Otherwise there was no way the child could have endured what drove her mighty existence to knees.


    The man began to walk towards the center of the lake, where he was before he was disturbed by this girl. He was confident that she would heed his threat. Actually, it really wasn''t a threat, it was a good advice. The Dark Forest was no place for a child to grow up in. He knew that. He just thought that the girl was being unreasonable so he displayed a little force to jerk the girl to her senses. But he was wrong. When walking towards his place, a voice stopped him, the girl was shouting..


    "Wait I said!! Wait!!"


    * * *


    "Wait!! "


    The girl shouted frantically. She was in mortal peril just now. She fully knew that. He had been merciful with her. She was a being of thousand years. She knew full well that what he said was correct, the forest is no place for a child. But she just couldn''t let go. She had to keep him because something inside her was urging her to. She herself didn''t understand what it was but it didn''t matter. She had to keep him but she couldn''t do it alone. She knew nothing about a human child, she needed help of this fearful man. Fortunately, she knew how.


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    "Old freak, tell me how long is your time remaining in this earth? Isn''t it less than twenty years? Didn''t you said so yourself last time."


    "Yes, it is indeed less than two decades. What of it?"


    Seeing that she was successful to draw his attention to her once more, she visibly relaxed and said,


    "So,, didn''t you said yourself what you were most worried about? Tell me again what was it."


    Seeing her in such relaxed manner, he was perplexed at first but now he understood what she was trying to say. The little girl, saw it for herself that the old freak had understood her intentions. She hurriedly gave a voice to her proposal,


    "Weren''t you worried that you were leaving the mortal world soon and yet you didn''t have any disciples who would succeed you."


    The old man stood there silent, pondering on her words. Seeing that he didn''t outright scold her or reject her like before, she concluded her intention,


    "Tell me old freak, what better disciple than the one who already has his eyes of knowledge open. Won''t he be perfect to inherit your secrets? Isn''t it the will of the heavens itself that led this child to you? Think about it."


    The little girl didn''t realize the magnitude of her words. While it was true that her words made sense, even to her but they were eye-opening for the old man who was standing on the lake. He was indeed worried, in fact he was facing a moral dilemma on this very issue. On one hand, his time was near so he had to make most of it so he couldn''t leave his cultivation. On the other hand, the legacy of his masters, the most feared amongst the yogas, would have no successor and would be forever lost.


    Now that he thought about it, this child truly was a god-send. Born with such heavenly gift, he would absorb every single bit of knowledge imparted to him so if he could really initiate him into his yoga. Could he really do so? Could he expose this child to the cruel and inhuman path of murder and destruction? Would the child be able to endure? These were natural questions that should have bothered him but he didn''t gave it much thought. It was not because he was selfish, it was because he knew, that the child was extraordinary.


    Earlier when he willed his aura to suppress the girl, he touched the child with a miniscule amount, just to wake him up. He did it not out of malice but just because he wanted to wake up the child and make him cry. He thought that the effect of the child crying would add on his words and convince the girl but contrary to his expectations, the child didn''t wake up, let alone cry. He dare not increase his tyrannical presence on the child any further, but it was clearly evident that it was no ordinary child.


    Perhaps it could really be done. Perhaps it was the heaven''s will. After his first disciple was snatched from him, he had given up on taking a disciple and came here to cultivate in seclusion but now it seemed that heaven wanted him to take another disciple. He decided. He would teach this child, the secrets among the secrets. The most feared yoga in the entire world, Aghor yoga.


    * * *


    "All right little girl, I see that this child has enamored you. Fine, I agree to take him as my disciple. For your sake."


    The girl sneered inwardly on his words. "For your sake", what an act! She could clearly see excitement on his face as plain as the sun that shines on the sky. But she didn''t give voice to her thoughts. What she wanted was already accomplished after all. She was extremely happy and began talking to the child who was still sleeping.


    "See little child, you can live together with this Nagini in this forest now. Aren''t you happy?"


    She couldn''t contain her excitement.


    "Hey, before that, where do you plan to keep him? You are a basilisk who lives beneath the ground, but it is too damp and cold so you can''t take him to your lair you know."


    "Really? Is it no good?" she asked.


    "Nope", he replied.


    "Hmm.. Oh I know!" she thought of something. With a simple wave of her hands, the ground shook. Small mounds began to originate from the ground and before long, transformed into a small but sturdy hut.


    "That takes care of the problem then.", she stated offhandedly.


    Just then, the child awoke from his sleep and began crying again.


    She looked alarmingly at the man and asked,


    "Old man, he was crying when I took him up. While carrying him here, he slept in midway but he is crying again. Tell me, why is he crying?"


    He sighed, "What do you expect? He is a child, they cry for no reason at all. But this time, I think he is probably hungry"


    A look of comprehension flashed in her face,


    "Yes! that must be it! He must be hungry. Say, what does he eat?"


    "He isn''t even a year old, probably breast milk is best for him"


    "Breast milk? Hmm, how do I give him breast milk?", she thought out aloud and as if deciding on something, reached out to undress.


    "Oye!! The fuck are you trying to do!!", he jumped out screaming. The girl was clearly trying to breast feed the child. Too dangerous, this girl was too ignorant to the point of being dangerous.


    "Why? Just now you said he needed breast milk so I was going to give him some." She replied solemnly, as if wronged in some way.


    "Are you an idiot? That won''t do! That absolutely won''t do."


    "Why?"


    "Don''t ask useless questions. I said it won''t do then it won''t do."


    It was too bothersome to explain to the girl in detail so he chose to reject it vehemently. Fortunately for him, she didn''t inquire further.


    "What else should I give him then?" she thought out loud.


    "Say old man, can he feed on this??", she excitedly waved her hand again and out of nowhere a bowl full with sparkling liquid.


    The old man was appalled at what just happened. This girl actually took it out. The most coveted treasure of this forest, "The elixir of Basilisk". This was too much. Millions of people in this continent could only dream of it. He himself set out to this forest in its search but couldn''t get his hands on it. He clearly remembered when he asked the girl''s father, who had been the real ruler of the forest, for the elixir. The late king had nearly blown his head off for even asking about him bellowing about outsiders and family treasure and whatnot. But this girl had, without a second thought, taken out the forest''s most sacred treasure to bestow upon this child. This was just unbelievable.


    His surprise lasted but for a moment and he regained his usual calm. In a offhanded manner, he said,


    "Certainly he can feed on this. But are you sure little girl? Isn''t this elixir extremely precious to your clan?"


    She did not answer the old sage. Instead, she brought the bowl closer to the child and spoon fed him carefully.


    "The elixir truly is precious to our clan, or rather it was. But our clan is no more and I am the sole one remaining. If he can feed on it, then I don''t mind giving it to him."


    Nagini''s reply had a hint of sadness in it but it didn''t last long. Seeing the child happy while drinking the elixir swept any and all negative feelings from within her. She was instead smiling happily.


    The child drank the last of the elixir with satisfaction and after completing it, went back to sleep again.


    Once the child slept, Nagini had a really satisfied expression on her face. Her happiness was plainly written on her face. If one were to see her now, one would never believe that this girl with such endearing expression on her face is in fact one of the most vicious existence in the entire planet. The old man couldn''t help but think about this bizarre turn of event. He then asked the girl,


    "Little girl, have you decided what to call this child?"


    "Hmm, a name. It must be both cute and heroic.."


    "Cute and heroic don''t go together you know.", he reminded her.


    Ignoring his words, she thought for a while and as if deciding on something, exclaimed.


    "Got it! I''ve decided, his name will be Sesha."

 Chapter 2 - The basics of Yoga

    Author''s Note:


    This chapter gets a little technical. A lot of names are introduced here which are quite hard to remember. I just want you know that you shouldn''t worry too much about remembering them. These names will be revisited many times in the course of this story.


    * * *


    Time, like the unstoppable stream it is, flowed forward. Soon three years passed since Nagini had picked up the little boy from the forest and had given him a name of the divine serpent: Sesha.


    With the passage of time and with Nagini''s aid, Sesha grew up perfectly. Little Sesha, as Nagini called him, could now walk and speak.


    All past these three years, the old sage had continued to meditate, never once opening his eyes. He remained at the center of the lake, as unmoving as Mount Sumeru itself.


    Sesha had often asked Nagini about him,


    "Who is that person?"


    And Nagini had replied, "He is your master, the one who will teach you when you are of right age."


    While Nagini herself, for some reason, didn''t have a very good opinion of the old man but she never once berated him in front of Sesha. He was after all going to be Sesha''s master. One should always have utmost revere for his master, this much she understood.


    Over these three years, Sesha had been playing around with Nagini, occasionally leaving the clearing to venture in the Dark Forest. Of course, she would always accompany him. She was the princess of this forest (even if she liked to be called a king), no one dare do any mischief in front of her. With Nagini''s protection, his days were peaceful and fun.


    Actually, Sesha''s development had been a little peculiar. Unlike most boys of his age, his physique was not weak, rather, it was too strong. He could lift and throw boulders of several kilos as if they were roadside pebbles! Not only his strength, his agility and endurance too were off the charts. One of his favorite sport was to race an adult Wind Leopard, which he could easily outrun (much to Nagini''s amusement).


    His astounding physical growth was not surprising though. It was due to the elixir that Nagini had been feeding him since his young age. One of the most coveted treasures in the world, the elixir of Basilisk.


    He was much more mature than for a three year old. He did not cry much, he followed what Nagini said and never went outside the protection of lake on his own. He remembered words that Nagini taught and even knew how to write without much difficulty. Apart from these, he seemed to understand what Nagini said, about the forest, the outside world and the world in general. This maturity that belied his age was not due to the elixir. It was due to the fact that Sesha''s "eyes of knowledge" were open. Nagini, however, couldn''t tell it because she had never spent time with another human child at all. As far as she was concerned, Sesha was just a normal human boy.


    Currently, Sesha was playing near the lake alone. Nagini had said that she had something to do, so he was on his own. While playing, he maintained some distance to the lake because Nagini had warned him not to go too close. To be honest, Sesha was always curious about the lake and even more curious about the old man who was meditating at the center of the forest but he never disturbed him. This was something that Nagini had been very stern about.


    Sesha suddenly tensed. He felt as if a wave hit him. A feeling arose inside him which he had never felt before. It was a strange feeling that seemed to dominate him but he couldn''t exactly tell what it was. As if on instinct, his eyes turned towards the old sage.


    At that very moment, the old sage''s eyes opened and he met Sesha''s eyes. He had immersed himself in meditation and would have continued to do so, but it was time.


    He descended onto the lake and walked towards Sesha. Sesha had stopped what he was doing to observe this approaching old man. The old man stood in front of him and he asked,


    "Child, do you know who I am?"


    "Yes, you are my honored master. This Sesha greets his master."


    Despite of his extraordinary eloquence for a mere three year old, the old sage was not surprised at all. It was because he had known Sesha''s extraordinary constitution all along.


    "You have taught him well. Hmm? What''s up with you?"


    He spoke to no one in particular. But from where he was looking at, a child aged no more than five emerged.


    "Nothing. I just wanted to play with him so I shrunk a bit." she casually replied.


    This one was clearly Nagini. Although she appeared a child, but her features were remarkably similar to her true self. The old sage knew that as an "Ikshyadhari", she possessed a great control over her appearance so she could freely alter her physique. He didn''t seem to mind it.


    "So, you''ve woken up means that it must be time right?" she inquired.


    "Indeed. Although one''s Muladhara can be opened from anywhere between 7-15 years, but the younger the better. And since this child''s body has strengthened so much due to your clan''s elixir, he is more than ready, even if he is only three years old." the old man explained.


    Of the seven great chakras in one''s body. The lowest seated was Muladhara. The foundation of one''s spiritual energy, or Prana. Muladhara, located at the base of one''s spine was the main support of one''s body. To cultivate, one''s Muladhara must be opened. But it wasn''t easy to open it. No one could open their Muladhara on their own. Usually, a skilled master would open his disciple''s Muladhara to start him on path of Tantra. This was called Initiation. Only when Initiated could one step into the world of Yogis.


    The old sage sat down on the ground in a lotus position and prompted Sesha to do the same. Sesha mimicked his master. Nagini was observing from the sidelines.


    "Young Sesha, although you have called me your master, I am not, in fact, your master.. yet. Right now I will ask you young Sesha. Do you take me, Rudra, as your master? Remember, once you have taken me as your master, then you will forever be my disciple. You will have to show me respect forever as per the old customs. You will have to place your life itself in my hands and show no hesitation to die should I ask you to. Do you still want to be my disciple young Sesha?"


    "Master. Sesha agrees to forever be respectful to you. Honestly, Sesha does not wish to die. But this Sesha also believes that you will never ask him for his life. So Sesha agrees to be your disciple."


    The old sage was amused by his reply.


    "Tell me, young Sesha, why do you believe that I will never ask for your life?"


    "Sesha does not know himself master. But Sesha somehow knows that master will never ever ask him for his life."


    At this point, the old man was smiling.


    "As expected, you really have a good sense, my young disciple. Heavens being my witness, this Rudra now pronounces you, Sesha, as my disciple. Young Sesha, and agree to bestow all my knowledge to you. As per the duties of a Guru, I will now open your Muladhara chakra and initiate you into Aghor Yoga."


    Rudra placed his palms on the naval of his disciple, Sesha. A visible aura surrounded his palms and transferred into Sesha''s body through his naval. Inside his body, this Prana travelled through his meridian to the base of his spine and surrounded a three flowered structure and began rotating fiercely. In response to this furiously rotating Prana, something stirred in his body and the region where his master''s Prana was rotating began rotating itself. His Muladhara chakra was now open. His master''s Prana, after opening the Muladhara, dissipated on its own.


    "My young disciple, now your Muladhara is open."


    Rudra said with a satisfied smile.


    "Nagini, now I will initiate this child into Aghor Yoga, leave us be for a while." he looked at Nagini. Opening of the chakra was a simple matter, but what he was now going to impart to his disciple was a secret. No one apart from his disciple was allowed to hear it.


    "Understood. Little Sesha, this Nagini will be out for a while okay." saying thus, she departed into the forest.


    * * *


    "Listen, and listen well my young disciple. Today I impart upon you the secrets of Aghor Yoga that Lord Shiva himself bestowed upon the first one, the ancient Gorakhnath. But first, I must tell you about the very basics of yoga itself. Tell me, do you know about the Chakras?"


    "Yes, master. I learned from Nagini that there are seven Chakras that govern the flow of Prana in our body. These are from bottom to top: Muladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna and Sahasrara. "


    "Indeed, you are correct. Yoga itself is the art of cultivating one''s Prana to ultimately open all seven Chakras of one''s body. Once these Chakras are open, the energy of the divine serpent Kundalini will travel from the base of your spine i.e. your Muladhara to the crown of your head i.e. Sahasrara, granting you freedom from your mortality and a chance to ascend into the upper realms.


    "To begin travelling in the path of Yogic cultivation, one at least must open his Muladhara. This enables him to cultivate his Prana. Opening of Muladhara is something which one can''t do it himself. For this, a teacher is required who would open his pupil''s Muladhara to initiate him into the path of Yogic cultivation. I already opened yours earlier so you can begin cultivating. Your goal is to ultimately open all the seven Chakras of your bodies." Rudra explained.


    "Master, if you can open my Muladhara, why can''t you open my other Chakras?" Sesha inquired.


    "There are but a few people who possess the power to open another''s Muladhara. Including your master, these people can be counted on fingers. You perhaps won''t comprehend how truly lucky you are to have your Muladhara opened. Ordinary mortals can only ever dream of having their foundation opened. But still, your question has some merit. In short, no mortal can ever open another''s Chakras other than the Muladhara. Call it a divine rule but one has to work himself to open his remaining six Chakras. There are few herbs in existence that can speed up one''s cultivation but ultimately, the work must be done by the person himself.


    "Working from the base of spine to the crown of the head one usually opens his Chakras one by one. Occasionally so happens that by extreme luck, a child is born with his Muladhara already open. But the chance of that occurring is one in ten million. These special children will always end up making a name for themselves. Your own master is one such example.


    "Even more rare are those who have any higher Chakra innately open. I for one, had never met any such individual in my entire life. But that was until I met you."


    Saying these words, Rudra beamed at his disciple.


    "Master, do you mean that I have another of my Chakra open along with Muladhara?" the child inquired with an innocent expression.


    His master couldn''t contain his excitement upon revealing the extraordinary fact about him,


    "Yes! Believe it or not, But you have your sixth Chakra, Ajna, innately open. When Nagini found you in the forest, she noticed this fact about you. That is precisely the reason that she took an interest in you.


    "Do you realise child? The thing which countless practitioners work so hard to achieve is already bestowed upon you by the heavens. This is truly an astonishing fact!"


    The child couldn''t really comprehend the weight behind his master''s word. He continued to gaze at his master with an innocent expression.


    The excitement that Rudra had gradually subsided and he continued.


    "There is one and only one art of Ajna in Aghor Yoga but you can not practice it right now. You will have to first consolidate your cultivation by opening the lower Chakras, only then will I tell you about it!


    "But even if you do not have any arts of the Ajna, the benefits of a open Ajna Chakra is extremely huge! Know this young Sesha, Ajna is the eye of knowledge, it will naturally speed up your cultivation and help you learn things faster. Ajna is the defense of your mind, as long as it is open, you will never fall victim to any illusions or other mental arts. Even your mental maturity is also due to your Ajna being open. And this is also the reason that I have decided to teach you from an early age."


    A smile was visible on Rudra''s face when he proclaimed these words. On the contrary, Sesha was only listening intently with no excitement at all. He clearly didn''t understand the importance behind his master''s word but Rudra didn''t seem to mind it. He understood that his disciple was still a child.


    "Okay then child, these are the basics of Yoga, now let me teach you the basics of Aghor Yoga."


    * * *


    Both master and disciple were seated on lotus position facing each other. The master, Rudra, looked to Sesha and spoke


    "Aghor Yoga comes from the embodiment of death and destruction, Kaal Bhairava himself. He is the one who bestows death to the creations of the great Brahman. He keeps balance in the eternal circle of life and death. This yoga of his allows us to tap into his power of destruction.


    "To be honest with you, the path of Aghor Yoga is extremely harsh.. I have lived for thousands of year and only by some miraculous stroke of luck did I manage to open up six of my seven chakras. If I had been cultivating any other paths then with my talents, I would have ascended in a mere thousand years. But I have high hopes for you my disciple.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Let''s start with the most fundamental chant of Aghor Yoga. This will not only be your first exercise after opening your Muladhara, but it will also strengthen your meridians. Now repeat after me."


    Rudra chanted a long incantation. Sesha followed his chant. Although he was yet a child, he followed the chants accurately.


    Once he started the chant, he could feel something moving in his body. Originating through the Muladhara at the base of the spine and like a river, flowing and bending through the meridians of his body ultimately returning back to the Muladhara. The flow was so subtle that one had to be extremely concentrated to feel it in his body. Sesha was chanting with his eyes closed, concentrating on the flow of Prana.


    Once Rudra finished, he asked Sesha to repeat it. Although the mantra was long and complex, Sesha nevertheless, repeated it impeccably. And when he repeated it, he could again feel the same flow of Prana, originating in Muladhara, travelling through the same Nadis and ending in Muladhara.


    After he finished his chant, Rudra asked, "Child, did you feel it? The movement of your life force in your meridian?"


    "Yes master, I could clearly feel it. At first it was a little weak, but at the second time, it became more pronounced."


    At his disciple''s reply, he was visibly satisfied.


    Cultivators who were at Sesha''s stage could never sense the flow of Prana in their body. This was due to several factors. First, their meridians were naturally obstructed by impurities so their Prana never flowed as fluidly as Sesha''s did. Second, their perception was not as keen as Sesha''s.


    Sesha''s body was extremely pure due to the cleansing of all impurities by the elixir of Basilisk. His meridians were clean and without any obstructions. The elixir had thoroughly removed any impurities from his meridians. As a result of this, the flow of Prana in his body was extremely pronounced. This, added with his keen senses due to his eyes of knowledge being open gave him this huge benefits over other cultivators at his stage.


    "Good. The process of Yogic cultivation is more or less similar at every stage. First comes the chants. When chanting with correct intonations, the Prana inside the body moves through various meridians and the way it moves decides one''s cultivation. Although it is possible to move the Prana in whatever way one desires, but that would not be beneficial for cultivation and can instead destroy the meridians or the Chakras which can cause one''s death. So one must not practice any random mantra that one comes across. Always remember this child."


    Rudra explained and warned his disciple. In the path of Yogic cultivation, a master''s word truly were the guiding beacon. Without a master''s guidance, one could never progress in cultivation.


    "Master, does it mean that Mantra has no other use than guiding the Prana in the meridians? Can''t I simply do this?"


    Sesha proceeded to close his eyes and move his Prana. A large torrent of energy originated from the Muladhara, travelled through the meridians in the exact same way that the previous incantation had caused it to. Only, this time the flow was both faster and smoother than before and the prana was in large quantity which filled his meridians completely. Sesha did this without chanting anything at all.


    When his disciple had first pulled Prana from his Muladhara, Rudra was skeptic. When he began moving it, Rudra''s expression was one of a surprise and panic. He was surprised of the fact that his disciple could move the Prana through his will and also panicked because now that Sesha was moving his Prana without the guidance of a chant, any erroneous movement could harm him. But his panic subsided as he saw that Sesha''s Prana was moving in the exact same way as it moved with the chant''s guidance. His face now bore an expression of happiness.


    "You can already move your Prana at will? And with full control too! Child, both your memory and aptitude are outstanding. As you said, mantra only guides the Prana in a set way. If one can guide it with his will alone, then there is no need of any chants at all. This will greatly speed up one''s cultivation."


    His master''s words were one of praise but in reality, he also felt a little jealousy towards this disciple of his. The opening of Ajna Chakra had really a divine effect on a practitioner''s cultivation. This child really was extremely lucky!


    * * *


    After his first lesson, old sage Rudra ordered his disciple to go through closed door training. The small child obliged and with a patience that belied his age, went through his cultivation as per his master''s instructions.


    This process continued for some time. His master would teach him a mantra and Sesha, after having memorized the incantations would move his life force around his meridians as per the edicts of the mantra. Once he remembered the flow of the Prana, he would no longer require the incantation and would instead willingly move around his Prana through the correct paths as if he were moving around his hands and fingers.


    Under his master''s tutelage and with his outstanding aptitude, thanks to his chakra of knowledge already open, his cultivation increased by leaps and bounds.


    During his training, Nagini would not visit him except for when the old sage allowed. Two years had already passed since his initiation and Nagini had visited him only four or five times. This had truly made her unhappy.


    Currently, she was confronting Rudra and venting her anger at the old sage,


    "No No NO!! This would absolutely not do. This king demands to see him!! At this rate, Nagini is worried that she really would be forgotten by little Sesha. Old sage, why must you have him work so hard? He is but a child!!"


    "Nagini, you sufficiently know that the initial years of cultivation are way too important for him. You should not distract him!"


    He warned her sternly.


    "So what! Are you saying that I* am not to see him at all?" [1]


    "I never said that, but for the time being, you should leave him alone.."


    When Rudra finished, it looked like Nagini was going to argue with him further but she was interrupted by the door to the hut opening and Sesha coming out.


    "Little Sesha!!" she squeaked.


    "Master, Sesha pays his respect."


    First Sesha walked towards his master and lightly bowed, afterwards he turned towards Nagini and inquired,


    "Nagini, why are you here?"


    Due to Nagini always taking an appearance of a child similar to Sesha in age, Sesha had always treated her as a friend. He never used any honorifics while talking to her.


    "What''s with that? I am here to see you of course!" she pouted.


    Sesha gently smiled at her and faced his master.


    "Master, I already completed what you asked me for. My Ida, Pingala and Sushumna meridians are all strengthened as per the exercise. After that, I directed all my Prana towards my second Chakra in order to open it."


    He reported. After hearing his progress, Rudra frowned and ask,


    "Little Sesha, I ordered you to spend two months to clean your meridians and next three years to open your Swadhisthana, it has only been five months. Why did you come out? Was it that you detected Nagini''s presence and decided to come out to play?"


    His inquiry contained a hint of reprimand. Disciples must do what their master says because it is the best for them. But Sesha was still a child. It may have been possible that three years of closed door training was too much to ask of him.


    "No master, after I refined my meridians through the breathing techniques you taught me, I began gathering Prana as per the incantations that you gave me. Only, I felt that it was not efficient. So I changed the breathing a bit. This increased the rate at which I gathered Prana. I .."


    Sesha was speaking when suddenly the old sage interrupted. He was angry. Whether it was intentional or not, but a murderous aura originated from him.


    "When I gave you the breathing technique, I told you to practice it without making any mistakes. And yet you changed it? Child are you so foolish as to not know what malpractice does to your cultivation? Tell me, haven''t I told you to not cultivate in haphazard manner?"


    He was not shouting but his tone was as heavy as if the words alone could crush and pulverize a being. Even though the aura was not targeted towards her but Nagini was trembling uncontrollably. Sesha on the other hand was unfazed. He took a few steps in front and bowed before his master,


    "This one has erred master. Sesha apologizes."


    He spoke as naturally as if he was speaking about weather. Although it was odd how he could remain unfazed while Nagini at his side was clearly disturbed, it seemed to have a calming effect on the old sage.


    "Sigh! It was my fault for not stressing it enough. Show me what changes did you make to the breathing techniques child?"


    Perhaps Rudra remembered that the one who was directing his rage towards was still a child or perhaps it was Sesha''s calm demeanor he somehow calmed and retracted his aura. Nagini stopped trembling at once. Although she was angry at his "tantrum", she was still shaken by previous incident so she didn''t speak anything.


    Upon his master''s order, Sesha performed a sixteen step breathing technique. His breathing was calm and it flowed like a fluid. His every action, whether it was inhaling or exhaling or his manipulation of the sun and moon apertures of his nose, were extremely rhythmic. When he did the breathing technique, it stirred the atmosphere. Prana from atmosphere gathered towards Sesha and entered into his body through his nostrils. With each breath, he would gather the Prana from the atmosphere into his own body.


    Rudra watched intently as his disciple performed the breathing technique. He was worried for his little disciple. In reality, Rudra was right to be angry. One should not do any cultivation, whether it be a breathing technique or any chants, without his master''s approval. Who knows what damage would be done to one''s body if one cultivated randomly. This was why the master disciple system existed. The master would guide his disciple and show him the correct path so that his disciple won''t do something foolish.


    As Sesha performed his exercise, Rudra could see that it was modified not in one, two or three steps, Sesha had changed half the steps of the exercise. It was a sixteen step breathing technique, the most basic one to cultivate Prana. His disciple changed eight of them!! And he was doing this for three months!! And not only that, he was doing *that* technique!! His face was one of a horror. But watching Sesha complete the exercise, he slowly gathered his calm. His face changed from horror to surprise.


    "Little Sesha, you really scared your master. Changing half of the steps, truly outrageous. On top of that, you are doing a fourth level exercise!! Tell me child, how did you do it? Didn''t your meridians hurt? You are only at the first chakra, doing a second level breathing exercise should give you incomparable pain as your meridians would hurt due to excessive Prana being drawn from surrounding. You should be absolutely incapable of doing a fourth level exercise!"


    Now Rudra was not angry anymore, instead, he was curious.


    "Master, at first when I started on the breathing technique, I felt as if the Prana that I was drawing was insufficient. I could see that the breathing exercise was only drawing a small portion of Prana so I started changing it to draw more. After I arrived at the fourth level as you said, I just felt that I shouldn''t draw anymore so I settled at this technique."


    Sesha replied respectfully.


    "Still, that doesn''t explain why your meridians can take so much Prana at your level." Rudra said to himself.


    "As to that old master, I think I know the answer."


    This time the one who spoke was Nagini and in her hands were a bowl with a sparkling liquid.


    "Here Sesha, now that I''ve already taken it out, be a good boy and drink it up!" She passed the bowl to Sesha and he drank it.


    "Your elixir huh. To think that it would have such an effect. It''s a pity I couldn''t get my hands on it in my younger days." Rudra sighed and continued, "If you can sustain this breathing technique of the fourth level, I think that you can achieve a breakthrough in next three or four months instead of three years."


    "About that master, the reason I came outside was because I''ve already completed it." Sesha replied as a matter of fact.


    "I have already opened my second chakra, Swadhisthana."


    * * *


    I have read many novels but this is the first one that I am writing, so please go easy on me. Also, I welcome all advice/criticisms regarding the story or my writing style.


    [1] When Nagini refers to herself as "I*", it is her referring to herself with high respect. Unfortunately, there is no way to convey this in English so for now I am sticking with "I*".

 Chapter 3 - The Eyes of Petrification

    "You.. What!!", Nagini exclaimed.


    "Yeah, I was just doing the breathing exercise and it felt like something in my second Chakra go off.. Unexpectedly, it began to rotate like my first one does."


    Swadhisthana, or the second chakra, was associated with the water element. Once someone passes the threshold of this chakra, not only the life force in one''s body increases by leaps and bound but it also becomes much purer and condensed.


    "This must be the consequence of you practicing a fourth level breathing technique. But still, it''s sooner than I expected." Rudra mused to himself.


    This was an unexpected development. Not only had his disciple somehow managed to practice a fourth     level breathing technique while he was still in the first level, he had also broken through to the second realm in such a short span of time! Rudra couldn''t help but feel a little jealous of his disciple.


    Nagini, on the other hand, was beaming with happiness.


    "Aren''t you happy little Sesha? With this, you have stepped on the Water Realm!!", Nagini squeaked.


    "Water Realm?", Sesha repeated.


    "Little Sesha, did your teacher told you about the realms?", Nagini asked Sesha.


    "Umm.. I don''t think so.", Sesha answered truthfully.


    "What''s this old sage? You didn''t even teach something so basic to him?", Nagini criticized the old sage.


    "Hold it little girl! Why wouldn''t I teach this trivial thing to my disciple?", Rudra said coldly.


    "But .."


    Before Nagini could protest, Rudra interrupted her.


    "Little Sesha, what element is your second Chakra, Swadhisthana associated with?"


    "Swadhisthana is associated with Water element master." Sesha answered promptly.


    Rudra nodded upon Sesha''s answer.


    "Since you opened your Chakra of the Water element, so you are now into the Water realm. See, it is simple isn''t it?", Rudra explained.


    Sesha immediately nodded. This explanation was simple enough for him. But Nagini wasn''t satisfied. To be honest, Rudra really hadn''t said anything at all about the realms to Sesha before. But this time, seeing that Nagini wasn''t going to let it slide, he decided to explain a little instead of providing her any chance to complain.


    "The realms are nothing more than another way of saying where your cultivation is at. For instance, you know that Muladhara is associated with Earth right? So when I opened your Muladhara, you progressed into the Earth realm. Similarly, since your second Chakra Swadhisthana is associated with Water element, your cultivation reached the Water realm when you opened it. As you go further up and open your third Chakra, the Manipura of the fire element, your cultivation will reach the Fire realm.. It''s just another way of naming your cultivation level, little Sesha.", Rudra concluded.


    Immediately after Rudra finished his explanation,


    "Hmph! You didn''t explain properly old sage.", Nagini complained again.


    Rudra was really annoyed at this little girl who seemed to be hell bent on finding fault with his education.


    "Really? Why don''t you try to explain then little girl.", Rudra replied.


    Nagini smiled gleefully as if she had been waiting for this from the very start. She faced Sesha and said.


    "Little Sesha, listen properly to this Nagini okay. From the first Muladhara to the seventh Sahasrara, there are seven Chakras and associated to each of these Chakras are the elements."


    "But I know this already Nagini.", Sesha interjected.


    "Earth for Muladhara, Water for Swadhisthana, Fire for Manipura, Air for Anahata, Void for Vishuddha, Soul for Ajna and the Divine for Sahasrara."


    Even though Sesha interrupted her explanation, Nagini didn''t mind. She patiently continued


    "You are right little Sesha. But it isn''t just that simple. For instance, since you already have your Ajna open, then will you be considered to be at the Soul realm?", Nagini asked Sesha.


    "Umm... Ye..ah?", Sesha couldn''t answer.


    "No little Sesha! You are still at Water realm! This is the difference between the realms and the Chakras. While they are both the same for a normal cultivator, for others like you they are a little different."


    "Others like me?", Sesha asked.


    "Yes, while it is true that most cultivators follow the simple path and open their Chakra one by one starting from the Muladhara to the Sahasrara, there are some others who for some reason or other do not follow this path. For example, us Basilisks always first open our Ajna after the Muladhara.


    "Although this isn''t entirely impossible, but this is only a rare occurrence little Sesha. This way of cultivation takes a really long time so almost all of the cultivators follow the simple path and open their Chakras orderly from bottom to top.


    "And this is where the realms come into play. For these types of cultivators, like you and me for instance, the realm equals the highest Chakra that is connected to the Muladhara. Although my Ajna is open, I am still in the Air realm! This is because my first, second, third and the fourth Chakras are open but my fifth Chakra is not. It blocks my sixth, Ajna from connecting to the Muladhara, even if it is open.


    "Similarly, your sixth, Ajna is open but since your third, fourth and fifth Chakras are closed, they prevent your Ajna from connecting to Muladhara. This is precisely why you can''t use any powerful arts of the Ajna even though your Ajna is already open."


    Nagini''s explanation was clear and concise. Sesha understood it immediately. On the other hand, old sage Rudra had a dazed expression on his face.


    "Little girl, you really do know your stuff!", he remarked.


    "Thanks! It was father who taught me this......"


    ''...''


    Hearing a rare praise from Rudra, Nagini was overjoyed at first but her mood immediately fell as she mentioned her father.


    Nagini''s father had already passed away but it was evident that she still missed him.


    For a while, the atmosphere was quite awkward but Nagini broke this awkwardness with this simple proclamation,


    "Anyway, does this mean that he no longer has to go through the closed door cultivation for now?"


    Rudra pondered for a bit and said, "Well, originally I intended him to undergo closed door practice to open his second chakra, but since he already opened it... But still, if he has already opened it, then I think we should focus on opening the third chakra."


    Hearing his reply, Nagini couldn''t help but protest. If Sesha were to go close door cultivation again, she absolutely won''t be seeing him anytime soon.


    "But that can wait!! Can''t it!! For now, I want to play with him!"


    Seeing her so resolute, Rudra couldn''t help but sigh.


    "Alright, you can take him to play with you for a couple of days." he relented.


    "YES!! Let''s go little Sesha, today I will show you this Nagini''s home.", she grasped his hands and dragged him with excitement.


    After the two of them had left, Rudra went back to the center of the lake. For some reason, Nagini''s earlier sadness had touched him a little.


    "To think that she still hasn''t let it go... sigh!"


    He was speaking to no one in particular but his face had a tinge of sadness. Dispersing these thoughts instantly, he closed his eyes and submerged himself in meditation.


    * * *


    In the Dark Forest, there was a region where no one approached, that was precisely the center of the forest, for there lived the old sage. Even beasts knew what could and what couldn''t kill them. And they knew full well that the old sage could end their lives with a mere thought. This kept them from approaching his abode.


    But there was another such place in this forest the dark beasts didn''t approach. To be precise, it was not that they didn''t go anywhere near, it was that they couldn''t go near it. An invisible barrier had been in that place which prevented anyone or anything unwanted from trespassing there. The barrier was semi spherical and it had a radius of a hundred meters.


    Right at the center of that barrier lied a cave and at the entrance of the cave were two small children. These two were Sesha and Nagini.


    "You haven''t been here previously right little Sesha? I have been waiting to show you inside." Nagini said.


    For some reason or other, Nagini doted on Sesha. Even Rudra didn''t know why exactly. If someone didn''t know any better, they would''ve said that it was because Nagini was a girl and Sesha was a child. Except that she wasn''t exactly a normal girl. She was a fearsome basilisk. Although she wasn''t an adult yet but she possessed frightening powers and her nature was ruthless. A human child wouldn''t have instilled any pity on her let alone love. Thus her unnatural affection for Sesha was a complete mystery.


    Nagini dragged Sesha inside through the opening of the cave. The inside of the cave was dark and humid and Sesha couldn''t see at all. He kept following Nagini as she guided her through her hands. Eventually they stopped at some place.


    "So, how''s my home?"


    "Umm.. I can''t see at all you know."


    "Oh! That''s right, excuse me for a bit."


    She apologized and began to search for something.


    "Got it!"


    Suddenly, the room was illuminated with what appeared to be a light orb in Nagini''s hands. She placed it in a holder in a nearby wall that was apparently constructed for the specific purpose of holding the orb.


    "You are a human so you can''t see in dark. That must be quite troublesome right?", she asked.


    "Not really. When I am meditating or sleeping, I don''t really need any light. Other times, the light from stars and moon is quite enough." he replied casually.


    "Right! Sesha, let me show you something."


    She took her hands again and guided him to another room. This room, unlike the previous one, was illuminated, not by any light orbs but due to something in the center of room which appeared to be a pool. To be exact, it was the water inside the pool that was giving the light. The entire room smelled really pleasant and bubbling sound could be heard from the pool itself.


    "See, this is the place where our elixir comes from. You really like it right? Here, have at it."


    She scooped some from the pool in a bowl and gave it to him. Sesha drank it with a happy expression in his face.


    "Hey, tell me, how does it taste like?", she asked curiously.


    "It''s really sweet and smells nice. But why are you asking me? Don''t you know it for yourself Nagini?"


    At his question, Nagini became a little depressed. She replied,


    "Father used to say that the elixir was entrusted to us for safe keeping and that we are not to consume it ourselves. Even though I really wanted to."


    "What''s so special about it anyway?" Sesha asked.


    "Father said that whoever drinks it will get really really strong and that he would stay healthy forever. You know, when I was little, I used to fight with father because he wouldn''t allow me to drink this elixir even though I only wanted to taste it a little.", Nagini was gloomy again.


    Sesha stepped forward and filled the bowl. He approached Nagini and gave her the bowl,


    "Your father asked you to not drink it, but he is not around. If I can drink it, I don''t see the reason that you can''t. Here, have at it.", he offered.


    "No no no!! Father specifically said that only humans can drink it. Little Sesha, this Nagini is already happy that you offered her but she shouldn''t drink it, Father would be angry. Besides, this elixir is the bane of all poisons so it probably will end up harming me."


    Seeing her so vehemently denying, Sesha poured the elixir back to the pool. Nagini was no longer gloomy but was instead faintly smiling.


    "Little Sesha, say, would you promise this Nagini something?", she asked.


    "Okay."


    "Hey, you shouldn''t casually promise something you know. In the future you should at least ask before promising anyone okay?" She reprimanded him.


    "I only said okay because it was Nagini who asked. But I understand. I won''t promise anything casually in future. So please say what you wanted to." He apologized.


    "Although I want it but I can''t drink the elixir. To be honest I am not too sad about it. But there is something that I want even more than to drink the elixir."


    "What is it?"


    "I want to leave this Dark Forest."


    "..."


    Sesha didn''t know what to say.


    "Ever since father left me, I had had no reason to remain in this forest little Sesha. I have wanted to go out of it for a long time!!"


    "So can''t you just leave then?", Sesha gently asked her.


    Even though Nagini was his only friend in this forest except for his master, he could sense that she was desperate in this matter.


    "No.. Ages ago, we basilisks were banished to this forest by the gods. A powerful formation prevents us from leaving this forest so we can''t just leave it at our will."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.She explained to Sesha.


    "But you can help me break free from this formation, little Sesha."


    "How?"


    "We were originally banished because we were extremely powerful and violent and caused a great deal of troubles to the humans. The gods are extremely protective of the humans, little Sesha, so they forcefully banished us here in this forest. But father said that the gods allowed those of us to leave who decided to serve a human. Naturally, none of us could ever lower ourselves to serve a human but if it''s you little Sesha, then this Nagini won''t mind being your familiar."


    "Nagini, what''s a familiar?", Sesha asked.


    "Umm.. you see, a familiar is someone who is bounded to a human through the bond of life. Usually a human has to fight and subdue a beast before he can bind it through the bond of life to make it his familiar but you won''t have to fight this Nagini little Sesha.", Nagini explained.


    "You really want to leave this forest Nagini?", Sesha asked. He couldn''t help being sad a little.


    "Please, little Sesha, I beg of you.", Nagini pleaded to him.


    Sesha didn''t know this but for the prideful Nagini to plead to a human, even if it was Sesha himself, was already extremely desperate.


    "Okay. If Nagini wants then I agree to take you as my familiar and grant you your freedom." Sesha replied at the end.


    "Yeah!! Thank you little Sesha."


    Nagini hurriedly hugged Sesha. She was ecstatic at the prospect of being free from this forest to roam the world.


    She taught Sesha an incantation which he chanted. As soon as he had chanted it, a circular formation appeared before him.


    "Little Sesha, you touch the formation from that side, this Nagini will touch it from here."


    As soon as both of them made contact through the formation, little threads appeared from it which bound both Nagini and Sesha. After binding both of them, gradually the formation faded.


    "You have truly done this Nagini a huge favor little Sesha. Now, this Nagini wants to give something to you. Let''s return little Sesha to your master first little Sesha."


    Nagini took Sesha back to the forest the same way they had originally come.


    Basilisk were really hard to subdue because they were extremely powerful and arrogant creatures who preferred to die rather than to serve a human. The last time someone made a basilisk his familiar was millions of years ago before they were banished to the Dark Forest and the one who had managed this feat was an extremely powerful expert. Now, after so many years another one had managed to make a basilisk his familiar. But this was, unexpectedly, a small child.


    * * *


    Both of them returned to the lake where Rudra was still in deep meditation. Rudra sensed them approaching and opened his eyes.


    "That was sooner than I expected. I thought I won''t be seeing you both for some days.", he confessed.


    "That''s not it! It''s just that I had to ask you for something." Nagini clarified.


    Rudra waited. He seemed to be allowing her to speak her mind. Sensing his intentions, Nagini continued,


    "I want to teach little Sesha the Eyes of Petrification. I know that he is your disciple but I really want to teach it to him. Besides, this art won''t interfere with his Aghor cultivation in any ways. What do you say?"


    Nagini paused to let the old sage decide. He was the master of Sesha and if he didn''t allow it, she had no way of teaching Sesha at all. This was the ancient tradition, disciples were supposed to learn only from their masters and from no others and it was for a good reason too. Learning different from different sources could severely harm one''s cultivation. Of course she didn''t want to harm Sesha but she still had to ask for his master''s permission.


    Rudra thought for a while before answering,


    "Fine. I will let you teach him your art. As you said, it will not harm him in any ways because like Aghor yoga, your clan''s arts too are of demonic nature. But are you sure you want to teach him? Aren''t the Eyes of Petrification a secret of your clan??"


    "Yes, I''ve thought about it and if it''s him I won''t mind teaching him this art. So, let''s begin little Sesha."


    Nagini wanted to start right away.


    "Not now, today he will rest. You can come and teach him tomorrow. Sesha, go to the hut and continue cleansing your meridians."


    "Yes master.", he replied and went to the hut.


    After Sesha had gone, Rudra faced Nagini and asked her,


    "So you allowed him to take you for a familiar after all even though I offered to take you ages ago."


    "Huh!! who would serve you, you old man. I would rather die.", she retorted angrily.


    "Alright, it''s not like I wanted you as my familiar. I only wanted to free you from this barrier. Anyways, you are free now, so won''t you go out already? I would''ve thought that you would''ve ran off the moment you could."


    "I will. After I have taught him this art, I would go away from this damned place.", she replied coolly.


    "But what would you do if he orders you to stay, you can''t disagree you know. The bond of life is not to be taken lightly."


    "Do you take me for a fool? If I did not have complete confidence in little Sesha, I wouldn''t have bonded with him. Anyways, it''s getting late, I would come tomorrow and take him to my lair to teach him. I expect, with his talent, it would only take him a few days to learn the art completely."


    Nagini went to her lair and Rudra sat back for his meditation.


    * * *


    The next day, Nagini came and together with Sesha, went back to her lair.


    Back in the cave, she sat down with Sesha. The little light orb was illuminating the entire room. Nagini was facing Sesha and both of them were sitting in the lotus position.


    Nagini began,


    "Little Sesha, the Eyes of Petrification are among the demonic arts left behind by the Asuras. This is a secret of us Basilisks so promise me that you won''t disclose it to any other soul, not even to your master. Do you promise me, little Sesha?", Nagini asked gently


    "Okay.", Sesha confirmed.


    "The Eyes of Petrification is a special art of the Ajna Chakra. Little Sesha, do you know why us Basilisks open our sixth Chakra, Ajna after the Muladhara?", Nagini asked.


    Sesha shook his head implying that he did not know.


    "It is precisely because of this art. This is one of our clan''s absolute secret. Normally, even if one''s Ajna is open, one can not practice any of its arts until he reaches its realm i.e. the Soul realm. But this does not apply to this art."


    "But why Nagini?", Sesha asked her.


    "Even us Basilisks do not know the answer to this question, little Sesha. When I asked this to father, he simply said that this was because this art is special.


    "There are three steps to this art. At the first step, you will be able to suppress. At the second step, you will be able to command. And at the third step, you will be able to kill. Of course, you can''t use this art to its full capacity without reaching the Soul realm.


    "As you are now, you can at most use the first step of this art. But even so, this Eyes of Petrification is an art of the Ajna. Any art of the Ajna is not to be taken lightly little Sesha, it can even destroy an entire country at a mere moment''s notice!!".


    After these words of caution, Nagini continued once again.


    "It is time for me to initiate you into this art. Look into my eyes little Sesha."


    Following what Nagini said, Sesha looked into her eyes. Nagini had eyes green like dazzling emeralds, which were extremely enchanting.


    But as Sesha was looking into her eyes, something strange happened. Nagini''s green eyes instantly became dazzling red like the color of rubies. With these red eyes, Nagini deeply looked into Sesha''s black eyes stirring something on it. With his cultivation so far ahead, he could feel the strange pulsating prana.


    "Little Sesha, can you feel the prana in your eyes?", Nagini asked.


    "Yes, I can."


    "Good. The source of this strange prana is actually your Ajna chakra. It is responding to my eyes. Now I want you to remember this feeling and reproduce it."


    Nagini stopped her art and her eyes went back from ruby red to green.


    Sesha had an incredible aptitude and he had memorized the motion of the strange prana. Sesha''s control over his prana were masterful but previously, whenever he did his cultivation, the movement of prana in his meridians originated from his first chakra, the Muladhara. Only, this time the Eyes of Petrification required the prana to originate from his sixth chakra, the Ajna. So it was different from what he was previously accustomed to.


    It took him almost hours and Nagini had to repeatedly show him her art, but he grasped it nonetheless.


    Once he grasped the art, he closed his eyes and began cultivating it.


    When he finally opened his eyes, his eyes were red, the color of blood.


    "Little Sesha, you finally learned it! Tell me, what does it feel like?" Nagini exclaimed.


    "Yes! thanks Nagini! Everything looks so weird.", Sesha looked everywhere in the room with curious gazes.


    "Wait!", Nagini stood up and touched the light orb that was illuminating the room. The orb went out at once and the room became dark once again.


    "See!! Isn''t it amazing?", she asked Sesha.


    "Yes! Even though it''s dark, I can see everything clearly!!", Sesha was quite happy.


    "Now that you''ve learned it little Sesha, you will be able to see without lights and not only that, you will see many things that ordinarily can''t be perceived. For example, the flow of prana in another''s body, the movement of chakra and many other things. So you must diligently cultivate it okay!?"


    Sesha nodded in response.


    "Also, now whenever you look at others with these eyes, they will be intimidated with you. The weaker ones will even faint. Remember, the larger the power gap, the stronger will be the effect. So you must use it wisely.


    "When you''ve cultivated it to the third level, if you desire so, you can take other''s soul with your eyes. But remember little Sesha, those who have opened their Ajna chakra won''t be susceptible to your eyes. These eyes directly act against a person''s soul. Ajna chakra is the strongest defense of one''s soul so these Eyes of Petrification are useless if one has his Ajna open. But other than that, even if someone have their five chakras open, you will be able to dominate their will. Once again little Sesha, you must use these eyes carefully."


    To Nagini''s words, Sesha agreed at once.


    "Now, little Sesha, this Nagini has already taught you what she wanted to. Since this Nagini is your familiar now, she would be allowed to leave this forest. So this Nagini must separate with you. Little Sesha, you continue on your cultivation. If in future, you require assistance of this Nagini, then don''t hesitate to summon her okay?"


    Nagini asked Sesha.


    "Okay Nagini." Sesha replied simply. Although Sesha may not have known, but if he asked her to stay, she would''ve no other option but to stay because there was no way she could go against his will! But it didn''t come to that and Sesha simply agreed. Sesha already knew how much she wanted to go outside this forest and he didn''t want to stop her.


    "Yay!!! thank you little Sesha!", Nagini was ecstatic. She went ahead and embraced him. She gave him a light peck on his cheeks.


    Currently, Sesha was only seven years old and Nagini had taken an appearance of a nine year old. So the scene of her embracing Sesha was extremely cute to the point that it could even melt the old sage Rudra''s heart had he been witnessing it.


    She let go of Sesha after a while.


    "Little Sesha, now that I''ve taught you this art, let''s head out. I shall escort you back to your master."


    Sesha and Nagini returned to the lake where Sesha promptly resumed his cultivation in Aghor Yoga. After Sesha had gone to the closed door training, Nagini turned to the old sage.


    "This Nagini has never liked you old sage. If honorable father hadn''t explicitly forbid Nagini to bear any grudges towards you, Nagini would''ve already killed you or perished trying. These are Nagini''s true feelings. As such, Nagini has no reason to ask anything of you but she asks you nonetheless. Take care of little Sesha for her. He is this Nagini''s only friend."


    Saying these words, Nagini left without waiting for Rudra''s reply.


    After she had left, Rudra sighed, "Such a troublesome girl.". He then went back and resumed his meditation.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------


    Author''s Note:


    If you find any errors, please comment so that I could fix them.


    If you like my work then I''d be honored if you could rate it / review it.


    Also, if you any suggestions / constructive criticisms, I''d be glad to receive it.

 Chapter 4 - Gifts

    "Leave!"


    The one who said this was a boy in his middle teens. His facial features were not mature but not entirely childish either. He had black eyes that shined with a mysterious brilliance and short black hair. The black robe that he had on his body was extremely simple but it only added to his elegant bodily features.


    Almost anyone who saw him would undoubtedly define him with the term, "pretty boy". But only a select few of them would be able to look past his looks and feel an icy and dominating aura that could pierce the hearts of even the most fearless of warriors. They would instantly define him with a single word, "dangerous".


    This boy was none other than Sesha. He was fifteen this year and had grown up to be a formidable person. If only he were to smile a little, with his looks, any girl his age would instantly lose her heart to him. But he was not smiling at all. Rather, his face had a look of annoyance, the reason of which was a beast that was currently blocking his path.


    "I said leave!", he shouted a little this time. His voice instantly reverberated in the surroundings.. But it had no effect whatsoever to the one who was barring his path.


    "Grrr!!", it roared back furiously.


    It was a bear. A Horned Bear to be precise. The animal that was at the top of the food chain in this forest after Nagini had left. Like its name implied, it had a horn on it''s snout, which, coupled with his extremely large build, gave him a vicious and fearful appearance.


    His growl annoyed Sesha even more but he suppressed it.


    "Sigh! It is the third time already! Tell me, why must you always block my path?", Sesha inquired.


    The reason he said anything at all to this Horned Bear was because he knew, it had high intelligence. All beasts in the Dark Forest, given enough time to mature, would naturally possess intelligence that increased with their age. This bear was no exception. But even with its intelligence, or perhaps precisely due to its intelligence, it growled even more in Sesha''s response.


    "Fine! It looks like I really have to teach you some lessons before I leave this forest.", seeing that the bear would listen to no other argument, Sesha ceased his attempts of negotiation and instead assumed a fighting stance, inviting his opponent.


    Seeing Sesha''s invitation, the Horned Bear charged at him with a loud roar!! With a speed that belied its humongous stature, it came at Sesha with its head lowered to gore him to death. All this while, Sesha remained unmoving which further irked the beast. It increased its speed and hit Sesha with an enormous force.


    "WHAM!", the blow landed.. But not at Sesha''s body.


    With a great noise that shook the land the bear came to a stop but the horn that had descended upon Sesha with entire might of the Horned Bear was stopped by him with his single hand. He absorbed the entire force behind the blow and yet didn''t move even an inch.


    The bear was stunned. To think a tiny human entirely neutralized its charge, that could comfortably destroy five trees in succession, with his single palm and without even retreating back! Even the mere notion of it was entire ridiculous!!


    The bear tried to pull back its horn but no matter how much force it would exert, it couldn''t. It looked at Sesha, confusion and fear written all over its face. Sesha had a light smile on his face this time. He was maintaining a strong grip on the bear''s horn. It was a while before the bear realised that it should have been impossible for Sesha to maintain a grip on its horn because it was clearly much larger than Sesha''s little hands. After taking a careful look again, it realised, to its horror that Sesha''s finger had dug on its horn almost crushing it in process. Only now did the bear realised that it shouldn''t have picked a fight with this boy. But it was too late.


    "Two times! Two times I let you go! And that was only because master ordered me to not bully the animals of the forest! But apparently, you thought that I was running away in fear. Hmph! Who would fear a little bear like you?", Sesha snorted with a voice filled with disdain.


    But it had an opposite effect on the Horned Bear. Seeing the contempt that Sesha held for it, the fear that was on his heart was instantly replaced by an extreme anger. For it, who was a mighty existence in this forest, to be treated like a trash was unacceptable.


    "ROARRRRR!!", it gave an earth shattering roar to the child who made a joke of him !! With a newly found energy from his anger, it gave a mighty pull. This pull was capable of dragging weights that were thousand of pounds with extreme ease..... Sesha remained fixed at the ground!!


    At this point, Sesha''s weight was comparable to a mountain. He was using an art of the Earth realm, Mountain to increase his weights. This wasn''t a special art, in fact, any practitioner of the first realm could use this art to increase their weight to thousand times their original. But they couldn''t have stopped this Horned Bear on its track like Sesha did. The reason was pretty simple. With the strengthening they got from the opening of first chakra, they couldn''t use this art in its full capacity. In fact, any average practitioner could only bear a hundred times of their weight. Any more and their bones would snap and muscles would tear, crippling them in the process.


    Sesha was different. His prana was purer and his meridians larger than any other cultivator at his level. This, coupled with the godly strength bestowed upon him by the Elixir of Basilisk allowed him to use the full capacity of this art. At this very moment, Sesha''s weight was ten thousand times his original weight. Ten bears like it could labor all day but they wouldn''t be able to budge Sesha from his place.


    This single bear had no chance at all!


    "Hmph! Quit making noises you loud-mouth!", Sesha said angrily and yanked his hands downwards.


    "SLAM!"


    With a huge noise, it fell down on the ground. The bear should have already realised that there was no chance it could even scratch Sesha, let alone defeat him but the the rebellious look on his face was still not gone!.


    Sesha couldn''t decide if he should praise its tenacity or deride its foolishness.


    "Sigh! It was you who came to challenge me you know.. Now that I''ve beaten you, why don''t you accept your defeat and go your way?", Sesha proposed.


    The bear responded with a looks that clearly said "I will fucking kill you boy!!".


    Truth be told, by now Sesha was quite exhausted. Not physically of course, but mentally. He simply didn''t want to deal with the bear anymore.


    "Chhe! You truly are an annoying one! Fortunately, I won''t have to deal with you from now on.", saying these words, Sesha swung his arms with great force and hurled the bear across a great distance. With a loud *BANG*, it crashed on the ground, destroying many trees. It wasn''t going to get up any sooner.


    Having dealt with the annoyance, Sesha quickly escaped the scene and went on his way.


    * * *


    Sesha arrived at the clearing at the center of the forest. At the middle of the lake, Sesha''s master, Rudra was meditating, his body floating above the water.


    Sesha approached the lake. He didn''t stop even when coming in contact with the water, rather, he kept walking.. on top of it!! With steady steps, he approached his master who was still meditating at the center.


    "Sesha greets his master.", he lightly bowed.


    His master opened his eyes.


    "You are late."


    "I apologize master, an annoying bear simply refused to let me pass so I had to teach him some lesson."


    Sesha narrated his earlier encounter.


    "Too proud for its own good", his master remarked after Sesha had concluded his narration. "Unfortunately, there are many others like it littered across the world and you will undoubtedly encounter a significant number of them."


    His master continued, "It''s best if you avoid getting in trouble with them but if it comes to a fight, you should swiftly finish them or they will continue to pester you. Pride is a dangerous thing young Sesha, it makes even the best of men unreasonably stubborn.


    "But let''s not discuss that now, tell me, did you retrieve the herbs that I asked you of?"


    "Yes master.", Sesha opened a pouch that he had on him. He retrieved some herbs from inside and handed it to his master.


    His master took those herbs. Out of nowhere, a porcelain bowl and a pestle appeared on his hands. Without much effort, he ground the herbs into a powder and adding some water, made it into a paste.


    "Take this mixture young Sesha and draw the demonic seal of suppression on you with your naval as the center.", Rudra handed the mortar to Sesha.


    Sesha took off his clothes and with swift motions, drew a complicated circular formation with many ancient symbols drawn on it. The formation had five circular placeholders drawn inside it in various places.


    After he had drawn the formation, his master placed his fingers on those five placeholders of the formation and channeled his prana onto Sesha''s body. The formation glowed with a magnificent light. When the light subsided, the formation was no longer present in Sesha''s body. His master showed a satisfied expression.


    "Master, you ended up spending more than third of your prana!", Sesha asked with a concerned expression.


    "Of course! This demonic seal is one of the secrets of Aghor yoga, there is no one beside me who can activate this formation in this world!", his master proclaimed with a proud expression.


    "But is it really necessary? I already know how to suppress my aura!", Sesha protested.


    "Young Sesha, when your chakras are open, the circulation of prana naturally generates aura around you. With your talents at the art of suppression, those who are at or below the fourth realm, i.e. the Air realm will absolutely fail to detect any aura from you. But you can not completely stop your aura from showing. Those at the fifth realm or the Void realm and above can easily perceive even the faintest of your aura so you can never hide from them.


    "With this demonic seal, however, even if one is in the sixth realm, i.e. The Knowledge realm, he will not be able to perceive your cultivation.", Rudra explained.


    "But master, why must we go to this length to hide my cultivation?", Sesha asked again.


    "Young Sesha, you truly do not know how ruthless the world can be. You have already opened your third chakra, the Manipura. This is already an unimaginable feat for a fifteen year old. And on top of that, you have your Ajna open. Do you understand what will happen if others were to know about it? They will kill you, especially if they were to find out that you practice demonic yoga.


    "This master of yours has already lost his one disciple in the past in the past.", Rudra said bitterly.


    "You have never told me of this master.", Sesha''s voice was one of surprise.


    "Yes, young Sesha. In the past I had a disciple. Although his innate talent couldn''t compare to you but he truly was an outstanding pupil. I cherished him like a son, much like how I do you now.


    "But one day, a greedy king found out about him. At first, he invited my disciple to serve as his personal guard but how could my disciple serve a lowly king? He ended up refusing. The king took an offense on his actions. He gathered every single warriors of his court and killed my disciple in an ambush."


    Rudra paused for a while.


    "He hadn''t even been on this world for thirty years..", his master''s complexion was extremely sad.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "When I found out of my disciple''s fate, I instantly vowed to obliterate the entire family of that filthy king. I did get my revenge on him but sadly, I had to fight his entire army in the process and I ended up killing millions of innocent people. To repent for that crime, I secluded myself in this forest but I''m afraid even a million years worth of penance won''t clean me of it."


    Sesha had never heard of his master''s past before so this revelation came as a big shock to him. He couldn''t find appropriate words to console his master.


    "After I had secluded myself in this forest, I gave up on rearing another disciple. I was afraid that Aghor yoga would become lost after me. It would have been a great sin to discontinue this heritage that my master had passed onto me and his master to him. My dilemma at that time, you can''t possibly imagine that young Sesha!


    "But then, you came along and not only did you inherit this yoga from me, but you also healed my heart that was wounded thousands of years ago. For this, I am truly thankful to you."


    His master was kindly beaming at him.


    "Please master, this Sesha is already fortunate to have a master like you. It is me who should be thanking you.", Sesha bowed again.


    "You truly are an outstanding child, young Sesha. To think that I had the fortune to teach you, ah, Shiva truly have been kind upon me."


    His master continued,


    "But this is exactly why I must take extreme precaution young Sesha. If I were to lose you too then I don''t know what I''d do this time. Although this is extremely selfish of your master but young Sesha, until you open your fifth chakra, the Vishuddha, you must exercise extreme precaution while using your strength. Since your sixth chakra, the Ajna is already open, when your fifth chakra opens, your chakras from the Muladhara to the Ajna will be connected and you will step into the Soul realm. Only then are you permitted to openly exercise the full extent of your power.", he warned.


    "Sesha understands master."


    "It is now time for you to leave young Sesha but before that, take this.", his master gave him a talisman.


    This talisman that Rudra had taken out was a simple circular disc. It had some ancient symbols carved into it that Sesha recognized instantly as the formations of Aghor Yoga. When he took it on his hands, he could feel a boundless prana that was contained inside it. The power of the prana that was surging inside was unlike anything he had ever felt before!! And yet, it emitted a faint warmth that Sesha had often felt when he was in his master''s presence.


    "This talisman was first upon you when you were picked up by Nagini. It is a rare talisman which can store the arts of a yoga. It had a barrier art of the Fire realm when it was upon you.


    "Although I do not know which sect it is from but it once saved your life. And in the hopes that it continues to do so, I have altered this talisman and stored the art of Shiva''s fire into it."


    "Shiva''s fire!! ", Sesha was alarmed!


    "Yes young Sesha. In the event of danger, you only have to channel your prana into it to activate Shiva''s fire. It will obliterate anything that you wish. You can use this talisman for only two times, so you must be careful ! Only use it when your life is truly in danger."


    "But master!! How can this be !?? Shiva''s art is forbidden!! To use the art of Shiva''s fire, you have to expend the essence of Ajna Chakra!! And two times? Master, this will push your cultivation at least two hundred years behind! And you are only a few years away from facing your tribulations!!" Sesha had a look of horror on his face.


    Shiva''s fire was the legendary forbidden art of the sixth realm, the Soul realm, in Aghor yoga. It burned anything and everything into obliteration and didn''t stop until it eventually burned everything down until the yogi stopped it himself. Entire countries could be obliterated by using this art if the yogi willed it. This art was among the top demonic art !!


    Naturally, this art was not without cost. To use it, a yogi had to expend the essence of his sixth chakra, Ajna. Prana could be replenished from the surroundings but replenishing the essence of any chakra was not that easy! After using it once, the yogi would lose his hundred years worth of cultivation. To go to this length already showed that Rudra cherished Sesha extremely.


    "Do not worry young Sesha. Even if I lost some years of cultivation, I have enough to overcome the tribulations. Besides, this will put my mind into ease. It wouldn''t have been good for me to face the tribulations with other concerns on my mind anyway."


    His master gave a little smile. If Sesha had any remaining doubts regarding his master''s instruction to hide his cultivation, these words from his master blew them away. To ensure Sesha''s safety, his master had put his own life into risk. How could he even think of going against his master wishes?


    "I understand master.", Sesha said with extreme respect.


    * * *


    "Before you go out to venture into the world, young Sesha, I have one more gift for you."


    "Please, master. How can this Sesha even think of accepting anything more of you! This talisman is already enough!!", Sesha protested.


    "Do not worry young Sesha, although this gift is extremely rare but it isn''t anything outrageous like the talisman."


    With these words, Rudra took out a bracelet that he had on him.


    "You already know that I am going to face tribulations in order to ascend into the upper realms, so I truly do not have need of any material thing. This bracelet is a hidden space. You can store anything in this hidden space with a mere will. Quickly, bind this with your prana and see for yourself."


    Sesha reluctantly took the bracelet from his master and infused his prana into it. After that act, it was like he could feel a place which was far away but simultaneously near to him. This feeling was quite inexplicable. He could suddenly feel the presence of many *things* that were inside this space. He noticed something and after he had only willed it, a single of golden coin appeared on his hands.


    "These are the currencies of this Hind continent young Sesha, or at least it was until a thousand years ago. Believe it or not, your master was quite a rich person. Apart from money, the hidden space also contains some rare herbs and books on Aghor yoga.


    "I have no need of any of it, so everything belongs to you. Young Sesha, do not let others know that you are in possession of the hidden space. And do not flaunt your wealth to everyone. People will naturally get envious of you and any unwarranted attention will be harmful to you.", his master cautioned him.


    "Okay master.", with a mere will, the coin was encompassed by the hidden space and they vanished from his hands.


    "This is everything that I have to give you. Now, you must travel outside this forest and gather experiences young Sesha. I will only be on this forest for two more years after which I will face the tribulation that would either kill me or ascend me into the upper realms."


    "This Sesha will come to visit you master."


    "No, you do not need to. In these two years, I must recover my entire strength and besides, tribulations are something that one has to face on his own."


    Sesha felt a pang of guilt on his master''s word. If not for his master worrying about him, how could he lose two hundred years worth of cultivation?


    As if sensing his disciple''s worry, his master said again,


    "Do not feel guilty child. Even if I had not lost some of my cultivation, the tribulations wouldn''t have been any easier. The continuation of Aghor yoga is worth more than my life. So you must not be careless. And when the time comes, you must choose a worthy disciple to pass your knowledge on to him.


    "Young Sesha, this Aghor Yoga''s is the most destructive amongst all other yogas, so you must be careful when choosing a disciple."


    Sensing the seriousness in his master''s voice, Sesha said with sincerity,


    "Of course master. This Sesha will ensure the continuity of Aghor yoga! Please be assured."


    "Good.", his master said with a satisfied smile.


    "Young Sesha, there is a last thing that I want to say to you."


    "Please speak master."


    "If you happen to meet Nagini again at some point, then please apologise to her on my behalf."


    "But why master?", Sesha asked with a perplexed expression.


    "Because I have wronged her. It was due to your master that her father died.", Rudra said.


    "But master, you said that you were good friends with him!!"


    "Indeed, I was good friends with her father. To be honest, this clearing was bestowed by him to me so that I could practice my cultivation without any interference."


    "Then..", before Sesha could continue, his master interrupted him.


    "I didn''t say that I killed him, I only said that I was the reason of his demise. When I first entered this forest, he and I had a huge fight. It was a misunderstanding really. He thought that I had come to steal the elixir, like countless before me did. The bout resulted in a tie and later we cleared this misunderstanding but he couldn''t recover from the injuries that I had given him. It ultimately caused his death.".


    "If it was a duel, then I don''t see any reason for you to apologize to her, master. Surely Nagini also understands this.", Sesha argued. To him, his master was the most venerable existence in this entire world so he couldn''t accept his master apologizing without a mistake.


    "Sigh.. The death of one''s father isn''t a light matter young Sesha. To Nagini, her father was the only family she ever had. How could she forgive me so easily? All these years, she endured in silence as she shared this forest with the very person who she believed to have killed her father. Her heart must have been bitter. I should have apologised to her long ago but this master of yours is really a stubborn person.."


    "If master insists, then this Sesha will apologise on your behalf. I am sure Nagini will forgive you master."


    His master smiled at his disciple''s response. He already knew that forgiveness didn''t come easily to the Basilisks. If it wasn''t for his tribulations, he wouldn''t have even bothered to ask Sesha to apologize on his behalf. But since his days on this earth were numbered, he truly wanted to resolve this hatred between him and Nagini.


    "It is now time for you to go young Sesha. Walk this earth and gain all sorts of experiences. Perhaps, I''ll meet you again in the upper realms."


    "This Sesha bids you farewell master.", Sesha bowed again at his master who had not only taken care of him but also imparted the knowledge of an extremely powerful yoga upon him.


    He looked at his master one more time. This was almost certainly his last look at this ancient existence who was like a father to him. This sudden realisation ended up moistening his eyes. He abruptly turned and left as if hiding his tears.


    Unbeknownst to him, his master too was looking at him with two moistened eyes.


    * * *


    Author''s Note:


    How are you liking this novel? Did you find any errors on this chapter? Or perhaps something is inconsistent? Be sure to express your opinions on the comments.


    Any ratings / reviews are welcomed as well.

 Chapter 5 - The Golden Bird City

    "Tak tak tak tak"


    A horse cart was going through the forest. It was currently mid afternoon. The sun was up high in the sky and burning with full vigor.


    "So hot", a girl who was currently seated at the cart was complaining.


    This girl, from her looks, was about nine or ten year old.


    "Here, have some water Rosey.", a person who was seated at the front of the cart and was currently driving it, passed a bottle of water to her.


    She took the bottle from his hands and drank some water.


    "Big brother, do you want some too?", She asked to the only other passenger that was on this cart. A boy who was seated opposite to her.


    This boy was none other than Sesha.


    It had already been a week after he had parted from his master. In first two days, he had managed to come out of the Dark Forest. Given Sesha''s speed, he easily traveled a thousand leagues in a single day. The fact that it took him two whole day to surpass the forest showed just how vast it really was.


    In the days that followed, he just walked around aimlessly. Due to the extent of his cultivation, hunger was not a problem to him and sleeping outside did no harm to his health. Even the animals of the forest didn''t bother him at all. His journey was quite peaceful in that regard. The problem, however, was that he didn''t have a current aim. He wasn''t really familiar with the world outside the forest after all and he just didn''t know where to start from. Fortunately, just this morning, a horse cart passed by and he was able to tag along. For now, he had decided to go along with them.


    "Thanks Rosey.", Sesha took the bottle from her hands and drank some water.


    While he was drinking, the little child Rosey, for some reason, was intently staring at his face.


    "Big brother, are you a prince?", she asked suddenly.


    Sesha looked at this little girl who was currently fixated on him with starry eyes. Why would this girl ask him something so random? He had no idea at all.


    "Why do you ask?"


    "Because you are really pretty!!", Rosey squeaked.


    "Are all princes pretty, Rosey?", Sesha inquired further.


    The only thing he knew about princes and princess was that they were supposed to be the sons and daughters of the ruler of an empire. His master had only taught him the bare minimum about the world.


    "Of course!! Mother said so. She also said that princes look much more handsome when they ride their beautiful white horse!!"


    "Hmm.. But even if you say all princes are pretty, it doesn''t mean all those who are pretty must be a prince you know.", this was a basic logical argument to Sesha.


    "..."


    Naturally, Rosey didn''t understand this. Just when she was at loss about what to say,


    "Oye! Don''t trouble your big brother!", the man who was driving the carriage reprimanded her.


    "Son, don''t mind her words.. It''s her mother''s fault to be honest. She keeps telling this girl about all these weird stuff.", the man apologized.


    "But father!", Rosey was protesting because she really wanted to talk some more with Sesha.


    "It''s alright Mister Solom. I don''t really mind it, rather it feels like I am learning something.", Sesha accepted his apology readily.


    "You shouldn''t really encourage her son! Her mother has already done so much damage.", Solom sighed and continued,


    "If it was not for her mother filling her head with all these stories about princes and warriors, I would still be resting comfortably in my house.."


    "Oh! Didn''t you say that you were going to watch some tournament Mister Solom?", Sesha asked.


    Solom sighed again..


    "Yes son.. ahh.. It really is a waste!!"


    "Father!! What do you mean it''s a waste!! It''s not just any tournament you know! It''s the Grand Warrior tournament!! Aren''t you excited at all?", Rosey protested angrily.


    "What excited? If it wasn''t for you refusing to eat for two straight days, I wouldn''t even be here wasting my rare vacation!!", Solom angrily retorted.


    "Father! Don''t say it in front of big brother!!", Rosey said frantically in a voice which was one octave above than her usual.


    She was clearly embarrassed. In fact, it was showing as pink on her cheeks.


    "Oh, she must really have wanted to watch it then!", Sesha remarked.


    "That''s an understatement son.", Solom replied. "Told you didn''t I? Didn''t even put a grain of rice on her mouth until I promised to take her to the city! Ahh.. This child really is a handful. I can''t wait for the day when I''ll marry her off to an unfortunate boy.", Solom complained.


    "Father..", Rosey''s voice was quite weak and she was blushing furiously.


    * * *


    "What sort of tournament is this Mister Solom?", Sesha inquired again.


    "It''s quite grand actually. The city we''re going to, the Golden Bird city. It is going to be jam packed for the duration of the tournament. Mind you, the size of this city is not insignificant.", Solom said.


    "Big brother! There will be all sorts of warriors from different sects, you know!! And someone in village said that even the youngest prince of Shivpur will be there!!", Rosey said excitedly.


    "Huh! This is why you wanted to go to the city so badly??", Solom exclaimed in surprise. Evidently, this was news to him.


    *nod* *nod*


    Rosey nodded vigorously.


    "By the way son, I haven''t asked where I should drop you off..", Solom asked Sesha.


    Truthfully, Sesha didn''t have any particular aim in his mind. Solom and Rosey had kindly offered him a ride when he was walking along the road. Up until now, he was just going with the flow, thus, when Solom asked him this, he decided to follow this flow for a little bit more.


    "To be honest, I too was going to the city to try my luck. Mind if I impose on you for a bit more?", Sesha asked honestly.


    "Yeah!! Big brother is coming with us!",


    Before Solom could say any word, Rosey interjected joyfully.


    "Rosey seems to be fond of you and I don''t mind it too.. Besides, it''s only two or three hours anyway.


    "More importantly, do you have any place to stay son? The city will be crowded this time around and price of everything skyrockets.", Solom expressed his genuine concerns.


    "Well.. I don''t really have a place to stay but it won''t be a problem."


    "That absolutely won''t do son, the city is extremely ruthless in these times. Even with three times the usual guards, the cases of theft and robbery increases drastically!!"


    "Please don''t worry about it Mister Solom. Besides, I don''t really have anything valuable on me so I am not really worried about theft or robberies."


    Rosey, who was merely listening up until now, suddenly spoke up,


    "Father! Can''t big brother stay with us at aunt''s place?"


    Solom instantly agreed.


    "You''re right Rosey. Son, you should come with us. My cousin has an inn at the city. I''m sure that she''ll have some extra rooms. And after the craze of the tournament subsides, I''ll ask her to find a suitable job for you. She knows quite a lot of people in the city you see."


    Sensing Solom''s earnestness, Sesha agreed to take upon his offer.


    "If it isn''t any hassle to you Mister Solom, then I''ll depend upon you for now."


    Rosey was overjoyed.


    "Yippie!!!"


    * * *


    Solom''s estimates were quite accurate. In only three hours, the three of them arrived at the Golden Bird city.


    The city itself was magnificent. Although Sesha couldn''t see what was inside of the city, due to it being surrounded by massive walls on all sides, he could hear the hustle and bustle of the city from outside the gates.


    Presently, the three of them were in front of the city gates, in a queue. There were two queues, one for carriages of all size and the other for the people who were on foot.


    Never before had Sesha seen so many people in his life. There were hundreds, no, thousands of people queuing in front of the gates.


    "Told you didn''t I, son? There are way too many people in this city at this time.", Solom said.


    "Are they all here to see the tournament?", Sesha expressed his bemusement.


    "Yes big brother!!", Rosey replied enthusiastically.


    "This is nothing son, three days from now is the finals of the tournament. Wait till you see the crowd at that day!"


    After waiting for a long time, they finally managed to get inside the city. Only now did Sesha see how big the city really was. There were people at every direction!


    "Fishes!! Fresh fishes!"


    "Silk garments, Cotton garments, Jewelries!"


    "Horses!! Fastest horses in the entire city!! Buy or rent!!"


    "Inns! Cheap accommodations!"


    "Tickets for the tournaments! Hurry up or they''ll be gone!"


    There were cries everywhere from the vendors to sell their products. Some were even forcibly dragging unwilling customers to their stalls. The influx of people had created a huge opportunity for the sellers and no one was willing to let this opportunity slide by.


    Solom slowly led the cart through the narrow streets and arrived at an Inn. It was named Purple Orchid Inn. After taking care of his cart and his horse, he led Sesha and Rosey into the Inn.


    "Surya!! you idiot!! Didn''t I tell you clean the eleventh room this morning?? Why the fuck does it still smell like prostitutes??"


    What welcomed them was a woman shouting on someone. The woman was approximately thirty years of old. With well proportioned body, she was quite likeable. With black eyes and black hairs and a fair skin, her facial features were captivating. In fact, they were remarkably similar to little Rosey! If only her face didn''t have that look of fierceness that she was currently displaying, one could label her as a stunning beauty!


    The boy on the other hand had an ordinary build and average looks. But there was one thing special about him, his eyes were of different color. Not exactly different color though, they were both green but his left pupil was forest green and his right pupil was emerald green. Other than that, he had black hair and he was slightly taller for a typical fifteen year old. Nothing too remarkable.


    "But mistress, when I went up to clean, they were still... doing.. you know.", a boy who was no older than Sesha said in a weak voice.


    "Chhe! Those damn girls, why don''t they just leave my place alone!! Don''t they have a place of their own?", she was still shouting.


    "Their usual places are already packed mistress.. all because of the tourney..", the boy said meekly.


    "I know that already you dimwit!!", she shouted again.


    By this point, the boy, who was undoubtedly Surya, was on the verge of tears.


    The woman paused for a while and noticing something, looked at the entrance. Only now did she see an exasperated Solom desperately covering the ears of his daughter, Rosey.


    "Rosey!!", she squeaked and ran forward to hug the little girl.


    "Aunt Sophie!!", Rosey was equally excited.


    "Cousin, your cussing hasn''t really improved even a bit you know.", Solom said with a sigh.


    "How was your journey little Rosey??"


    "It was really good Aunt Sophie!"


    "Really?? Didn''t your mother come along?"


    "No.. She had a terrible headache Auntie.."


    "Truly unfortunate"


    "Oye!! Don''t ignore me dammit!!"


    "Oh.. Cousin, you are still alive!?", Sophie said in a surprised tone. Only now did she spare a glance towards the irritated Solom.


    "Of course I am ali... The fuck is that question!!", he retorted angrily.


    "Manners Cousin, you shouldn''t use that word in front of your daughter you know.", Sophie reprimanded him.


    This made him even angrier..


    "You.. you..!!", Solom was visibly shaking. Apparently, they were not the friendliest cousins in the city.


    Sophie ignored him again and began chatting with little Rosey.


    "And then.. When we''re travelling, we picked big brother up! He too was coming to this city!!"


    Sophie followed her niece''s gaze and saw Sesha. He was standing beside Solom. When she looked at him, he gave a faint smile. Coupled with his looks, his smiled glowed so brilliantly that any girl would find it difficult to maintain her composure. Any girl, except for Sophie. His look had a completely unexpected effect on her!


    She faced Solom and growled,


    "Why did you pick up a stranger in the middle of the forest you dimwit!!".


    Contrary to Sophie, Solom was quite uncomfortable while voicing his reply,


    "He was travelling.. and the forest.. is.. you know,.. dangerous right?"


    "Of course it is dangerous you retard!! That is why you should not pick up any shady character in the middle of it!!", She was increasing her voice more and more!!


    "Forget it you know.. Besides, he has no money and I already promised him that he can stay with us..", Solom said, which was probably not the best thing to say to her.. But it didn''t take him long to realise, because,


    "YOU IDIOT!!", she bellowed!


    There were many people at the Purple Orchid inn, who had came to see the tournament. By now, many of these people had already came outside to see the cause of this commotion.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Not only did you pick up a stranger.. You offered him a place to stay?? And for free?? Really cousin, how much of an idiot you really are??", Sophie was furious with him.


    Sophie''s anger was justified. One did not simply pick up any stranger, in a forest of all place! And Solom had gone ahead and offered him a place to stay too!! To Solom, it wasn''t really much of a big deal.. He was born and raised in a village, where people helped each other. But to city folks, it was outrageous!!


    "Cousin,, please keep your voice down.."


    By now, many of the people who were staying at the inn were coming out to see the cause of the commotion. This was making Solom really uncomfortable.


    "Voice down my foot!!", She faced towards Sesha and said to his face, "My cousin has already done you a kindness by escorting you here. I want you to leave this instant!!"


    Sophie''s voice was not loud but it was not kind either! She clearly stated that Sesha was no longer welcome at her inn.


    "I understand Miss Sophie.", Sesha didn''t really mind and besides, as Sophie said, Solom had already done him kindness by giving him a ride to the city.


    "Thanks again Mister Solom. Farewell, little Rosey..", Sesha turned and walked towards the door.


    "Noooooooo!!"


    A little before, Rosey was watching the entire episode of her aunt rebuking her father about Sesha but she couldn''t do anything. The whole thing happened just too fast. Before she came to her senses, Sesha was already walking outside the inn.. She frantically ran to Sesha and clang to his feet.


    "Big brother.. Please don''t go!!", she started crying, tears raining from her eyes and nose!!


    Rosey had already been too attached to Sesha, which was a little weird to be honest. But then again, she was but a child. So her tantrum was justified as an action of a child. But this didn''t make things any better for Sesha. The little girl was tightly clinging on his feet and he couldn''t even move a step!


    Sesha just didn''t know what to do! He attempted to console her but she just wouldn''t let go!


    "Big brother!! You must stay.. WAAAA", Rosey increased her pitch up a notch..


    Sesha looked at Solom.. Like him, Solom too was at loss.. Fortunately, something unexpected happened.


    "Dearest Rosey.. Please don''t cry.. Aunt will let him stay okay.. Your big brother will definitely remain here.", Sophie began to console her frantically!!


    That ruthless woman had an extremely flustered face on her! She didn''t have any concern at all towards Sesha, that much was clear but when she spoke to Rosey, her voice was kind and motherly! If her sudden change was shocking, then what came next can only be described as: "flabbergasting!"


    "Yippie!! Big brother isn''t going anywhere!!", Rosey instantly stopped crying.. And started smiling instead. The change was way too sudden and unnatural.


    The whole development was extremely amusing, to not only Sesha, but everyone who had been witnessing it. Only Solom was sighing with palm on his face.


    * * *


    "Boy, there aren''t any rooms.. You''ll sleep on the stables.", Sophie said.


    Sesha didn''t really wanted to remain at the inn because he could sense Sophie''s dislike towards him but he just didn''t want to go through the whole episode of Rosey crying and clinging to his feet again. He decided that it would be easier this way.


    "I don''t really have any problems with that Miss Sophie", he said with a smile which instantly darkened Sophie''s mood.


    "Surya will show to the stables. Remember to be quiet boy. If you spook the horses at the middle of the night, I''ll come and kill you myself."


    "O..kay.", Sesha was a little stunned by her sudden proclamation.


    Sophie left him with the boy named Surya and he led him to the stables.


    "She really is a demon right?", Surya asked him.


    "Is she?", Sesha answered with a question.


    "Of course she is!! Do you know how much I have to work these days! And she shouts at me all the time! Surya this and Surya that!! Ahh.. Even my late mother didn''t shout at me this much!!", Surya complained bitterly.


    "She really isn''t a bad woman.. Although, her voice is a little too loud.", Sesha expressed his opinions honestly.


    "Whoa!! You totally do not know her brother! Did you know? She is named as the Loud Mouthed Purple Demon in these parts!"


    "Really? That''s quite an unpleasant name."


    "I said it didn''t I? She totally shouts and everyone.. One time the governor visited this inn and forgot to take off his shoes before entering the room.. Man you should have been here! He was totally in tears after she was done with him.. She is only ever kind to that little girl."


    "Rosey?"


    "Yes, that''s the one. Although she doesn''t visit here that much but whenever she does, mistress becomes extremely happy for some reason. Sigh!! If only she visited more often.."


    After a pause, Surya continued..


    "So brother.. Are you here to see the tournament? Do you have the tickets? If you don''t have it, then I know someone who can sell it to you, you know."


    "Not really.. I''m just looking for a job. As for the money, I don''t really have it."


    "Oh..", he paused for a while, "That''s too bad. The tournament really is awesome you know!! But don''t worry.. If you find a job soon, you can save some money for the next tournament. Next time, we can even go together!"


    This Surya really was a cheery fellow. Sesha could only feel good intentions from him.


    Soon they arrived at the stables.


    "Settle your things there brother, I''ll get you something to eat..", with these words, Surya left Sesha and went towards the inn.


    Sesha didn''t have many things on him from the beginning. Whatever he had, was in the Hidden Space that was gifted by his master. Apart from that, he carried a bag that contained some herbs. So he didn''t really have anything to "settle". He simply washed his face and limbs with the water that was nearby and began meditating a little. When he started his breathing techniques, he withdrew a huge amount of prana from the surroundings.. He channeled these prana into his meridians and washed away all he impurities that he gathered during the day. This was something that he did daily. After his impurities were washed away, he began gathering prana into his Muladhara and started channeling it upwards.


    Sesha was currently in the third realm, the Fire realm. To be precise, he was at the middle stage of the Water realm. Currently, his goal was to increase the concentration of prana in his third chakra and attempt to break it through to the fourth stage. But this was in no way easy.


    The elements associated with the chakras from bottom to top were Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Void, Soul and Divine. They became more and more ethereal as they went up. There was a reason for this. The chakras were essentially places where the prana of the entire body gathered. More accurately, the prana first gathered to the Muladhara, the first chakra.. Once this chakra was completely filled, the prana flowed upwards to the second chakra, Swadhisthana. But this prana would be filtered before it could flow over.


    The chakra in Muladhara was extremely condensed, almost solid. Hence it was also called the chakra of Earth. But when it flowed upwards, the filtering process of the second chakra made the prana more fluid. Hence it was termed the chakra of Water. Similarly, when the second chakra was filled to the brim, the prana moved over to the third, Manipura.. Only, the prana would have been further filtered into an almost ethereal form of Fire. This process continued so on and so forth up until it reached the fifth chakra, the Void. In this realm, only the purest essence of life would gather at the fifth chakra. So tiny was the amount of this essence that almost all of the cultivators could never detect it. As a result, they would find their fifth chakra empty!! This was the reason that it was called the Void realm!


    The two remaining chakras, the Ajna and the Sahasrara were entirely different than the five that were below them. When one conquered the five chakras and reached the sixth realm, the Soul realm, he would instantly become divine. This was the reason that there was no comparison between those of the Void realm and those of Soul realm. But of course, it was extremely difficult to break into this realm. It was the boundary that separated mortals and immortals.


    The sixth Ajna could only be opened by the prana from the Void realm. But since the essence of the Void realm was extremely tiny to begin with, it was almost impossible to gather a sufficient amount to break open the Ajna chakra and step into the Soul realm. However, Sesha didn''t need to open his Ajna chakra.. since it was already open from the start. What he did have to worry about was the opening of the seventh chakra, Sahasrara. But that could wait.


    For now, he only had to surpass the third realm. This was the sole reason of the meditation that he was doing. He would''ve continued to meditate, at least until Surya returned with some food, but something disturbed his cultivation. Sesha opened his eyes and searched for the source of commotion. He found it quite easily.


    * * *


    "But.. Linny, you.. you said you''ll go with me.."


    The one who said this was no other than Surya. He was currently facing a beautiful girl who was embracing a middle aged man.


    "Hmph! Who said I''d go with you.. you trash! I am already going with Sir Christopher.", the girl called Linny embraced the man more tightly, pressing her youthful charms upon him.


    "I.. I even bought two passes.", Surya''s voice was faltering. His eyes had already began to moisten.


    "That''s good then, maybe you can find a stable-girl who''ll be willing to accompany you.", Linny''s voice was full of disdain.


    "Linny, who''s this boy?", the man who was accompanying Linny, asked her.


    This was the Sir Christopher Linny that spoke of. He looked like someone in his forties but his body was brimming with vitality. He had a powerful build. With spectacular armor and a sword on his back, he did look quite dashing. Not only that, Sesha, who was currently observing him from afar, could readily see a faint yellow aura around him. The yellow aura was emanating from Manipura!! This Sir Christopher was a practitioner and not only that, he was a practitioner of the Fire realm, just like Sesha was.


    "He''s just a trash, Sir Christopher. Please don''t mind him. Let''s go already, I can''t hold it anymore.", She said with an unbelievably cute expression, increasing the strength of her embrace.


    Sir Christopher smiled in response and with her in his arms, walked towards the inn.


    "You needn''t come here.. The rooms are already full.", a cold voice rang before they could enter. This voice was of Sophie who happened to listen on this conversation since the start.


    "Chhe! Let''s go Sir Christopher, this inn was no good in the first place."


    With these words, Linny led Sir Christopher away, perhaps to another Inn.


    Sesha was calmly observing from the sidelines. He didn''t see any need to interfere. On the other hand, Surya was desperately trying to stop his tears, shaking vehemently in the process.


    "I already told you to not get involved with her. And you went and bought the pass for her.. What an idiot", Sophie said again, as she emerged outside. Although her voice was still of disdain, it had some traces of concern in it. Sesha could feel it.


    "Linny said.. she''d.. go.. with.. me", Surya was incapable of even forming a sentence..


    "Of course she said that, you dimwit! She is a whore, what did you expect!? She''d go with any one for some gold! Why don''t you get this already boy?? Why do you still chase her?"


    "I.. I.. L..ove her"


    Sophie was still trying to say something but whatever her next words were, she couldn''t voice them.


    "You truly are an idiot..", she sighed.. "go, you don''t need to do anything for the night."


    She turned away after dismissing him.


    Sesha returned to the stable, along with Surya. Both of them said nothing at all for the rest of the night. Surya didn''t even touch the food that he had brought for himself and Sesha. He merely slept without a word.


    That night, Sesha could hear the sobs of Surya who was sleeping near him. The sobs continued for the entire night. Due to his extraordinary perception, Sesha could feel a little of Surya''s heart. It was full of a pain that he had never known before. Although he didn''t feel it to the extent that Surya himself was bearing through but he could already tell that this pain, he did not want to feel it ever in his days to come.


    Although Sesha didn''t know it at the moment, but what he was feeling from Surya, was a broken heart.


    * * *


    Author''s Note:


    Hello everyone, hope you are enjoying this story. Do let me know.


    This is my first web novel so expect some errors here and there. But if you do spot them or if you have any comments / criticisms, please drop them off in the comments below.

 Chapter 6 - The tournament

    "I''m sorry brother.. Last night you had to see me in such a pitiful state."


    Surya apologized to Sesha the first thing in the morning. After crying for the entire night, he was feeling somewhat better.


    "You don''t have to apologize to me." Sesha replied.


    "Ah.. I really am an idiot. She only said that she wanted to go to the tournament.. and I ran and bought the tickets..Truly pitiful, aren''t I?"


    "..."


    "Anyways, since I already bought these passes already, want to go watch the tournament with me?"


    Surya took out the pass for the tournament and offered to Sesha but Sesha didn''t reciprocate. He intently looked at the piece of paper in Surya''s hand and then moved his gaze to meet his eyes. After thinking something for a moment, he spoke up.


    "Didn''t you say these are expensive? I do not have money upon me you know, so I won''t be able to pay you back."


    This was a lie. The fortune that Sesha had on him was enough to buy the city itself, thousand times over! A tournament ticket was extremely insignificant in comparison. However, Surya didn''t know this.


    "Since I already asked you, there''s no need to worry about paying me back."


    He was simply glad that Sesha was coming along with him (although he hadn''t agreed yet). To an observer, it would indeed seem strange that Surya readily agreed to give this ticket, which was roughly equivalent to several months of his income, to Sesha but to a select few who knew him well, his actions were explainable.


    To begin with, Surya was an extremely trusting person. His goodwill towards Linny, who was a companion, of all things, was a testimony to that. Without having known Sesha for even a day, he had already started trusting him, which was strange in and of itself. On top of that, as he said earlier, he did indeed feel wrong for causing trouble to Sesha last night (which, Sesha would argue, was nothing at all).


    But most important of all these reasons was that he simply didn''t want to go alone, not after the fiasco of last night.


    "Well, in that case, I accept it." Sesha decided to accept the pass.


    "Thanks brother."


    Surya was honestly delighted.


    "What are you talking about? It is me who should be thanking you. After I heard about the tournament, I was really looking forward to see it. I heard that it is quite the spectacle."


    "Indeed it is brother. There are warriors from all around the empire gathered to show their might in this tournament. The winner is rewarded heavily so it attracts warriors from everywhere. And I heard that there is even someone from the major sects participating this time!"


    "Major sects?" Sesha asked with a puzzled looks.


    "Yes brother! There are four in total! One of which is in our empire Shivpur. The warriors from the major sects are extremely talented brother! In fact, the difference between someone from the major sects and an a warrior from any other sect is like heaven and earth!


    "They don''t often participate in tournaments like these, so we don''t get to see them more often. But this is precisely why this time is going to be one of the greatest tournament ever! In this regard, you are actually quite lucky brother!"


    Surya was a little excited by the time he finished saying this. And it so happened that his excitement carried over to Sesha too. Right now, Sesha was extremely curious about the major sect.


    `Just how powerful are they really?` was a question that was going through his mind repeatedly.


    All his life, he only had contact with his master and Nagini. Nagini left him during the early phases of his cultivation, so he didn''t really know just how powerful she really was and about his master? Well, as far as he was concerned, there was no way for Sesha to know. Even for Sesha, his master Rudra was an immeasurable existence.


    Due to these reasons, Sesha never had anyone with whom he could compare his power.


    `Major Sects..` Sesha was already getting impatient.


    "What are you thinking about brother?"


    Seeing him lost in thoughts, Surya spoke up.


    "Nothing nothing, I was just thinking how the tournament is going to be."


    "No use thinking over it brother. Besides, everybody already knows. If someone from the major sect is participating, then there is no way any other warrior can stand against him. The outcome is already deci.."


    "WRO~~OONG !!"


    A shrill singsong voice resounded, breaking Surya''s sentence. Accompanying the voice was the figure of a small child running enthusiastically towards the two of them. She was Rosey.


    "Good morning brother Sesha!!" She said in a merry tone.


    "Good morning little Rosey.. What are you so enthusiastic about?" Sesha asked her.


    "It''s the tournament brother!! Today is the day isn''t it! Kyaa.. I just can''t wait any longer!" She really couldn''t contain her excitement.


    "Leaving that aside, why were you screaming `wro~~ong` like that?" Surya asked.


    "Oh.. You were here too?" She offhandedly remarked.


    "What''s with that tone?"


    "Hmm.. What are you talking about?" She feigned ignorance.


    "Little Rosey, don''t be like that. Tell me what did you mean by that?"


    This time it was Sesha who had asked her the question. Rosey was instantly delighted as she faced him and began explaining.


    "Brother Sesha, while it is true that the people from the major sects are quite powerful but the one who''ll take this tournament is none other than my beloved Kartik !!" She squeaked when she said that name.


    "Kartik?" Sesha repeated.


    "Yes brother Sesha!! Prince Kartik!! The most coolest and strongest and awesomest (and bunch of other ests) of all warriors in this empire!!"


    Little Rosey had stars all over her eyes when she spoke of the second prince of the Shivpur empire: prince Kartik. Despite of being not even fifteen years of age, prince Kartik''s talent was rumored to be on par with the elites of the royal soldiers; a prodigy. Shivpur was an empire which recognized strength above everything else. Therefore, prince Kartik was immensely popular amongst the citizens despite of being the second prince. How could then Rosey, whose head was filled with warriors and princes, not be fond of him?


    "Heh.. We''ll have to wait and see for ourselves little girl." Surya remarked.


    A vein instantly popped on Rosey''s forehead due to Surya''s seemingly condescending words.


    "Oh.. You have some nerve calling me a little girl when it was you yourself who was crying like one last night."


    "W.. Wha.. Whaaat?"


    Surya''s face instantly lost its color as he looked upon the little girl in front of him, who was grinning devilishly. This girl!! She knew!


    "N- Nonsense."


    He struggled one last time to preserve his dignity.


    "Really? I wonder if it were the horses who were sobbing last night when I came here. Oh wait, horses don''t sob like little girls do they?"


    She shot down his attempts mercilessly. By now, Surya''s face was crimson red with embarrassment. He wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and crawl into it. Sesha realised his predicament and came to his rescue.


    "Little Rosey, tell me more about prince Kartik, what realm is he in?"


    "What do you mean by realm brother Sesha?" She asked innocently.


    Evidently, she didn''t know anything about realms. In fact, it was not only Rosey who didn''t know it. The average population of the empire didn''t have any idea about the world of yogis, or warriors as they liked to call them. Of course, Sesha didn''t know that.


    Rosey was still looking at him intently, waiting for the answer to her question.


    "Umm.. I meant, how powerful is he really?"


    "He is way way strong brother! They say that he can defeat hundreds of soldiers at once! And he moves like the wind itself.. And and, his punch can even bore a hole through a tree!! Just wait until you see him in action brother!"


    Rosey was quivering with excitement while she explained about her dear prince Kartik to Sesha. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, her mood darkened.


    "What is it little Rosey?" Sesha sensed it.


    "It''s.. just.. Brother Sesha, I asked aunt Sophie you know.. To let you go with us to the tournament.. But she didn''t agree."


    "Oh! Just that? Don''t worry about it little Rosey.. "


    Before Sesha could continue, Rosey instantly interrupted him with vigorous words of her own.


    "Don''t you worry brother Sesha. I will definitely persuade aunt Sophie! I will cry so loud that she won''t have any other choice! In fact, I won''t stop crying until she agrees to let you come with us!!" She said with a dangerous glint in her eyes.


    `Too dangerous!` Surya instantly thought to himself. `This girl is way too dangerous!`


    His earlier gloom at being bested by a little girl vanished at once! What replaced it was an acute wariness towards her instead.


    "You shouldn''t cause trouble to your aunt little Rosey."


    "B-But!"


    "Just hear me out." Sesha showed her the pass. "Your big brother Surya has already given me a pass, see!"


    Rosey carefully observed the pass and instantly gave a smile like a dazzling sun!


    "Yess!! Brother Sesha is coming with us!!" She began jumping with joy!


    "I will go and tell father!" She ran towards the inn.


    After she left, Surya visibly relaxed and said,


    "Just what on the earth did you do to that girl to get her favor!!"


    "Why do you think I did anything to her?"


    "Whaaat?? How could you even say that!? She is clearly way too fond of you!!"


    "Huh! Is she?" Sesha said innocently.


    Surya was flabbergasted by his reply! It took him some time to realise whether Sesha was being sincere or was simply feigning it! How could it be that he didn''t see the fondness of the little girl towards him? Or was this new friend of his the rumored dense type? In any case, the girl was good towards him and that was it, no need thinking much about it. With this thought, Surya decided to drop it


    As they were heading towards the inn, Rosey''s voice sounded again.


    "Brother Sesha, I got you something to eat! Hurry up here!!"


    She ran towards him and grasping his hands with vigor, pulled him towards the breakfast table.


    "Pretty boys do have it easy.."


    Surya sighed inwardly.


    * * *


    Sophie was nick named the "Loud Mouthed Purple Demon" by the rest of the town. Partly due to her fierce nature and partly due to her unrestrained tongue. Although some close to her knew that she was a kind person in her heart, for the rest of the town she was someone that was foul mouthed and untrusting.


    Thus, it was hard to imagine for them that there was once a time when she was a shy and reserved girl. Not only that, in her youth she was actually quite a beauty! Coupled with her alluring proportions and her fair complexion, her shy and meek nature gave her a distinguished aura of an extremely delicate princess who needed protecting. She had many suitors in those days, not only due to her looks but also due to the fortune that her family had left for her.


    Eventually, she fell in love with one of her suitors, an extremely charming individual. Even for a first love, Sophie''s attachment for him was unnaturally strong. This was precisely the reason that when he betrayed her, the pain she felt was excruciating. The person who had repeatedly promised to protect her for the rest of her life turned out to be a playboy who had only courted her for her wealth. He ran off with almost her entire wealth, leaving her broken in more than one way.


    But Sophie was a strong woman. She managed to rebound from that betrayal. She gathered the remaining of her wealth and left the place which was the graveyard of her feelings and traveled to the Golden Bird city where she established this Purple Orchid Inn. Due to this ordeal she transformed completely. She gained a fierce and resolute nature totally opposed to her previous meek self and an unusual wariness towards any charming men.


    This is why when she looked at Sesha, who was currently accompanying her family to the tournament, her mood darkened. In fact, every time her eyes fell on this boy, whose entire being was not only refined but also exuded an air of mysteriousness, she couldn''t help but remember the one who had once betrayed her. This irritated her to the point that she almost wanted to shout something at someone but she didn''t.


    This was not due to her concern of the boy, rather she didn''t care about him at all. But she did feel some pity for the one who was accompanying him, her employee Surya. She knew that Surya was going through a painful experience even though he had managed to hide it quite well. While it might have been remained hidden from others, she herself knew the pain of heart break all too well to look past his facade. Out of sympathy towards the foolish Surya who was something like a little brother to her, she had somehow managed to restrain herself.


    It was almost midday when all of them arrived at the tournament. After showing their passes to the guards who were extremely busy with all of those clamoring to get inside, they arrived at the stands. There, they had to separate. The tickets that she had bought were of superior tier than the one that Surya had. Although, her niece Rosey had protested again but the boy Sesha had somehow managed to convince her this time and her protest had subsided. This also ticked her off because she couldn''t understand why her beloved niece was so good to him.


    When the three of them, arrived at their respective positions, her cousin Solom spoke up,


    "Man, these are some good seats. You surely are quite rich cousin!"


    "Hmph! It''s not that I am rich, just that you are too poor yourself cousin! Besides, there was no way I would''ve let my dearest Rosey in any seat with a poor view!"


    Although Solom was angry at her first part, he decided to let it go. Arguing further with this cousin of his was not a good idea.


    "If only brother Sesha were here.." Rosey said sadly.


    "Tell me Rosey, why do you care so much about this brother Sesha?" She finally asked her niece.


    "Can''t help it cousin, she is at that age after all!" Solom answered instead of Rosey.


    "Wah!! Father! What are you saying!?" Rosey was flustered.


    Sophie was still intently looking at her niece''s face, awaiting her answer.


    "Auntie.. It''s just.. Big brother is really nice and gentle.."


    "How do you even know that Rosey? Didn''t you just meet him yesterday?"


    "But auntie, he is so pretty.. How can he not be nice and gentle?"


    "See.. I told you didn''t I? She is at that age alrea...dy"


    Sophie shot a venomous glance towards him and he instantly stopped speaking! Afterwards, she looked at her little niece who was not even ten years old and gently said to her.


    "Dearest Rosey, you shouldn''t always judge a person by his looks you know. Especially if the ones who you are dealing with are attractive and charming types, you should be much more careful of them."


    "But auntie.."


    "Little Rosey, listen to your aunt. This brother of yours is a dangerous fellow.. Your aunt can sense it from him. He doesn''t speak much until spoken to, he acts way above someone his age and the way he carries himself.. even your aunt hasn''t seen anyone like him before. So please little Rosey, do not involve yourself further with him okay?"


    Her tone was half pleading when she was speaking so Rosey couldn''t immediately refute her. She was still searching for words to reply to her aunt when she was interrupted by a loud voice reverberating throughout the tournament grounds.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Welcome everyone to this Grand Warrior tournament!"


    * * *


    "Welcome everyone to this Grand Warrior tournament!"


    Sesha and Surya were together in the stands when the announcer indicated the start of the tournament.


    "Today is finally the day that all of you have been waiting for so desperately. Warriors will clash and the powerful will emerge victorious in this contest of strength so brace yourself for the excitement that is to come.


    "Also, by the decree of our mightiest emperor Bhairava, the winner of this tournament will not only get a thousand gold coins but will also be granted nobility and a suitable fief of his choosing so you can rest assure that the warriors will fight vehemently for this grand prize!!


    A loud cheer greeted the announcer''s word. A thousand gold coins were a reward of their own but to even grant nobility to the winner showed how much importance the strongest warriors really had in this empire! After the cheers of the crowd subsided, the announcer stated again.


    "As all of you might know that the youngest prince of our empire, Prince Kartik was said to participate in this match but unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, he will not be doing so."


    "BOOO!!!"


    A large booing entailed this declaration which didn''t take an insignificant time to subside. The crowd was clearly displeased. Even Sesha could almost imagine Rosey wailing "NOOOOOOOOOO!!" loudly!


    "Alright alright, calm down everyone. Even though Prince Kartik couldn''t honor us by his presence, but he has sent his own retainer, an honorable Royal Warrior, Sir Krishna to preside over this tournament on his behalf. To ensure fairness in this tournament, all of the matches will be overseen by him."


    As if on cue, a man with powerful build and overflowing vitality appeared and walked towards the seat of honor. The crowd instantly cheered for him which showed just how much they respected a Royal Warrior.


    Although he clearly looked different but there was something about him that reminded Sesha of someone but he couldn''t immediately tell who it was. After taking a long look at him, he turned towards Surya.


    "What''s a Royal Warrior, Surya?" Sesha asked.


    "It''s like this Sesha, the emperor commands the greatest of the warriors in this entire empire, well apart from the Major Sects. Royal Warriors are the strongest even amongst them! They really are a scary bunch. It is said that a single Royal Warrior can annihilate thousand of other lesser warriors!" Surya said with a voice mixed with admiration.


    "Oh.."


    "Yes! They are the real force of this empire Sesha! Out of the thousands of the warriors that are employed by emperor, there are only a handful of these Royal Warriors so you see how rare and strong they are!"


    "Indeed." Sesha remarked.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, I now pronounce the start of this tournament!!"


    A loud cheer accompanied this announcement. The event that they all had been waiting for was finally here! The start of the competition.


    "The first match of this competition is between Dirgha, a man from the Lotus Sect and Asru, a rogue warrior who proclaims that he has descended from the Himalayas!"


    "What''s a rogue warrior?" Sesha asked him again.


    "Umm.. It''s just a name for the warriors who are not associated with any sect or a noble household." Surya answered.


    Just then, two warriors entered into the grounds from the two opposite ends.


    The warrior Dirgha was a man in his middle ages with a powerful build. He wore a black armor and carried a broad sword which further gave him an appearance of a fighter. In contrast, the man who called himself Asru, was a thin and lean person who wore nothing but a mediocre brown robe. Regardless, the air around him was heavy, which not many could feel but Sesha could tell, came from his many years of cultivation.


    The crowd had largely cheered when Dirgha, adorned with majestic armors had walked into the grounds but when Asru had walked in, the crowd booed.


    "Who''s this beggar?"


    "Just how did he come even here?"


    "Kill him Sir Dirgha!!"


    And many other rude words came out from the mouths of the crowd. Just why were they behaving like this? The warriors in this empire were an extremely respected bunch. Naturally, with the respect came wealth and soon it became the other way around. Only the rich could afford the initiation procedure i.e. The awakening of the Muladhara. Even the smallest of sect would only take in the sons of nobles and rich merchants because the normal people could not afford the initiation. This was the reason that the warriors were now often tied with wealth. Warriors became wealthy and only wealthy could become warriors. So when someone like Asru came to the grounds in his beggar like appearance not many believed him to be a warrior at all!! Thus, he was met with ridicule.


    So was he not a warrior? Absolutely not! In fact, he was a greater warrior than his opponent Dirgha. Sesha had observed that the one from the Lotus Sect, Dirgha, was in his late stages of the Earth Realm due to a pronounced red aura surrounding him. But the rogue warrior Asru was in the middle stages of the second realm, the Water Realm. A faint orange ripple of an extremely calm prana energy was exuding from his body.


    It has to be said that not many who were present there could tell this fact. It was not because they were not cultivators, in fact, there were many cultivators present who were much more experienced than even Sesha but they wouldn''t have been able to tell their cultivation apart without being in their close proximity. Why? Because they did not have "eyes" like Sesha did. Sesha trained in an extremely rare and an extremely powerful art of the Ajna Chakra, the "Eyes of Petrification". It had keenly advanced Sesha''s visual perception prowess and he could easily tell apart the cultivation of yogis if they were not deliberately hiding it.


    In midst of the booing from the crowd, the announcer proclaimed the start of the match and the two warriors readied themselves. The warrior Dirgha charged first, with sword in his arms. Unlike the crowd, he did not ridicule his opponent because being in his presence already gave him a faint idea about his opponent greater prowess. Thus, his charge was filled with his entire power! The Earth Chakra exploded and with a force of a mountain, his sword came upon his opponent!


    The warrior Asru was unarmed so he dodged the blow.. Or at least that''s what should have happened. Instead, he extended his arms forward and like a madman, grasped it in his palms!! The sword was like a mountain let loose, how could his arms even sustain them? The swords should have cleanly shaved his palms in two but that too did not happen. Although he grasped the swords in his clutches, he did not attempt to stop the sword right in its track. Instead, like a gentle flow of water, his arms fluidly moved with the swing, redirecting the force of the blade away from its original mark and into the ground.


    "BANG!!"


    The sword collided with the ground with a loud noise and dirt encompassed the two of them. When it subsided, the crowd witnessed a large crack that had appeared on the ground due to the sword landing over there! The sword itself was lodged into the ground but warrior Dirgha was not clutching it. He was sprawled on the ground instead and Asru was standing a little distance apart from him with an indifferent expression.


    The whole exchange hadn''t even lasted for even ten or so breaths but the result was already clear! The warrior Dirgha had lost and the rogue warrior Asru, who the crowd had treated with such disdain had won without much effort!! This had made the crowd silent. Each and every single one of them were stunned. Except for some, Sesha included.


    For him, the match was clear from the start. There was no way that the warrior from the Lotus Sect could stand against the one who was an entire realm above him! Leaving that aside, Sesha thought that the moves executed by the rogue warrior were quite exquisite.. to the point that even if his opponent were in the same realm as him, there wouldn''t have been any chance for him at all! He had witnessed the last attack of Asru, which had left Dirgha sprawled on the ground.


    After effortlessly directing the sword into the ground, Asru had, with a small but calculated blow to the solar plexus, incapacitated Dirgha. His master had told about such an attack to Sesha. One where the attacker infuses a small amount of his prana into a nadi (meridian) of the opponent through his attack disrupting the entire harmony of prana circulation inside his body. Unless the one receiving the attack had a greater grasp of his prana, there was no way that he could defend against that type of attack. Evidently, warrior Dirgha too, couldn''t prevent against it!


    Thus, the first match concluded with the victory of the rogue warrior Asru, much to the astonishment of the crowd. Asru didn''t wait for the announcement of his winning this match and left the ground hurriedly. Even when he was walking back towards the entrance, the crowd was still silent.


    * * *


    ¡°Whoa did you see that!¡±


    ¡°Amazing!!¡±


    ¡°That beggar actually won! Was he really strong?¡±


    ¡°No way! That warrior Dirgha was just weak, that''s it!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that must be the case.¡±


    People began to chatter all sort of things amongst themselves after Asru left the grounds but not all of it was good things about Asru. Even though he was clearly superior, the masses couldn''t really see that. As far as they were concerned, Asru really was a weak fellow and his opponent even weaker than him. But there were one or two amongst the crowd who could see that it was not the case. For instance, the Royal warrior Krishna who was presiding over the matches was muttering to himself,


    ¡°Ah.. he went ahead and did it.. and after all I said to him about restraining himself. Sigh!¡±


    Afterwards, the commentator quickly announced the victory to the warrior Asru and the tournament progressed forward.


    Not even an hour was complete and already a dozens of matches were concluded. The crowd was being entertained thoroughly by the clashes of the warriors but not every one of them were so excited. Sesha being one such person. Truthfully, he was getting bored.


    In all of these matches, Sesha had noted that apart from the first match, none of the warriors that had appeared on the grounds were of the second realm. Every single one of them were of the first realm. Some in the early stages of the realms, some in the middle stages and one of two of them in the late stages.


    Finally, Sesha asked Surya about this matter but unexpectedly, Surya responded with a hugely astonished tone!


    "What do you mean they are not strong!! My god! Do you even see? They leave cracks in the ground where their steps fall, even the air whistles when they swing their swords, the place where they fall leaves a huge crater and the sounds of their clashes even carries this far into the stands! They are already so very strong!"


    "But they are not as strong as that Asru you know."


    "About that Asru fellow, was he really that strong? Wasn''t it just that his opponent was weak instead?" Surya expressed his doubts.


    "..." Sesha didn''t answer.


    "Anyway, just wait until you see the one from the major sect!" Surya said to end the discussion.


    A few more matches followed but they too, in Sesha''s exclusive opinion, were quite weak. But unlike him, the crowd was enjoying every single one of these matches!! To them, even someone from the Earth Realm were like tigers amongst men! The blows that they exchanged and the swords that they clashed, each were filled with strengths that normal people couldn''t compare with!! This had made the crowd extremely excited.


    After the twentieth or so matches, the announcer announced something which instantly made the crowd turn wild.


    "People of the Golden Bird city, as you all already know, one of the major sect, the Uttara Sect from our own empire is participating in this tournament. In fact, he will be participating the next and the last match for today. Please welcome the warrior Visha. Fighting him will be a knight from the noble house of Anjani, Nylon!"


    Immediately afterwards, two people from different ends of the stands came into the grounds. One of them, the warrior Nylon was adorned in golden armors and carried with him, a long spear. As glamorous as he was, his cultivation wasn''t weak in any regard. Sesha could easily tell that he was a veteran of the first realm, definitely not the amongst the weaker guys of this tournament.


    But that didn''t matter in the slightest because his opponent was too strong! Earlier when Surya had said that the major clans were incomparable to other sects and noble households, Sesha hadn''t really understood his true meaning. But now when he saw the warrior of the major sect, he sufficiently understood. He was dressed in a majestic set of armors and holding only a sword that gave off aura of death. But this was not what had caught Sesha''s eyes. The thing that was special about him was the fact that he was a cultivator of the third realm, the Fire realm!!


    If it had been before, Sesha would have given no thought to this matter. The third realm was, after all, not a overly significant level of power in his eyes. But now that he had a little understanding about the average prowess of all the warriors participating in this tournament, he could tell that the warrior of the major sect was indeed much formidable than the rest. After all, except for the mysterious rogue warrior Asru, all of the other participants were only of the Earth realm, so wouldn''t this make this Visha something akin to an incomparably powerful expert?


    When both of the cultivators were face to face, the announcer indicated the start of the match. Immediately, the warrior Nylon charged towards his opponent, thrusting his spear towards him. Unexpectedly, Visha stood his ground! As the spear came towards him threatening to pierce his body, Visha calmly remained observing.


    The speed of the spear was extremely fast. Majority of the crowd couldn''t even see it and those that could see it concluded that it was perfectly done. They suspected that even if they themselves were Nylon''s opponent, they simply wouldn''t have had a chance to dodge the attack. In the face of such swift and vicious attack, Visha was still unmoving. Then how won''t his demeanor alarm the spectators !? They became worried that Visha would be impaled without even doing anything !!


    But of course, their worries were unfounded. At the last moment, three blurs flashed before Nylon and after a little while, three distinct sounds reverberated around the arena!


    "CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"


    Sesha was looking with wide eyes at what came to pass whereas, the audience couldn''t immediately register it. Only after a moment did they come to know that the spear with which Nylon had charged towards the warrior Visha was now cleaved cleanly by his sword. And not only one, but three different pieces of the spear were lying on the ground!! The sword itself which had swiftly cut the spear was now being pointed to the neck of a stunned Nylon and the one doing the pointing had a cold smile on his face as he said,


    "Yield."


    * * *


    Author''s Note:


    Hello everyone, hope you are enjoying this fiction. As always, if you find any faults/inconsistencies in the writing then kindly mention them in the comments. Also, do write if you have other suggestions or positive criticisms regarding this work.

 Chapter 7 - Ugly eyes

    "Yield."


    Visha rested his sword on Nylon''s neck as he said these words. The word itself was short but when Visha said it with his icy tone, a cold sweat broke from the warrior Nylon''s forehead. He instantly rested what remained of his spear on the ground and stuttered.


    "I.. I concede"


    The crowd instantly erupted into cheers! Warrior Nylon was famous around the city as a reputed warrior. To make him surrender in so short amount of time and that too in such a domineering fashion simply overwhelmed those who were witnessing it.


    "Visha Visha Visha" they began cheering for him.


    "Whoa! what moves!"


    "Awesome!"


    "You see that!? What swift moves!"


    Many amongst the crowd began talking about the short but spectacular exchange.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this exchange is.. Visha!!"


    The commentator announced the results in high spirits. He too was touched by what had trespassed.


    "This match ends the tournament on this day. I will remind you that the winner of today''s matches will again fight again to determine a victor in the day after tomorrow."


    This way, the first day of the matches concluded as everybody made their way towards the exit.


    "See Sesha, didn''t I tell you? The major sects really are strong right?" Surya said in excitement.


    Sesha and Surya left the stadium and were currently walking through the market towards the inn. They had not managed to meet up with Rosey and the rest after the matches ended, so at this moment, they were on their own.


    "Well, they are a little stronger than the rest."


    "What are you saying brother!! A little stronger? Isn''t that a huge understatement!" Sesha''s reply set him off.


    "No, I mean surely there must be guys stronger than him right?" Sesha said unhurriedly.


    "Well there are.. but no way they will ever participate in small competitions like those. If you want to see them in action then you will have to go and watch the big tournaments like the Royal tournaments or the Inter Sects tournaments. But that''s not the point. Sesha, these warriors are already soo strong! For instance, I bet that the warrior Visha can single-handedly defeat all of the warriors participating in this tournament!"


    "That so? You can think what you like Surya but I can tell you this, he will have quite some trouble with the rogue warrior, Asru."


    Sesha proclaimed. The warrior Asru who had participated in and won the very first match of the tournament was in no way weaker than the rest of the warriors. In fact, he was stronger than them due to him being in the second realm. But when pitted against Visha? He really would have a hard time against him. In fact, many of other warriors would argue that Visha would easily defeat Asru because he was an entire realm above him but Sesha couldn''t help but think that there was something strange about Asru and that he won''t go down so easily if they were to fight.


    "Hoo.. Do you want to bet brother?" Surya showed a strange smile.


    "Bet? Okay. Tell me, what should we bet on?" Sesha complied.


    "Let''s make it this way, If you win then I will help you search for a job and if you lose, I will still help you with finding a job but until you get one, you will have to help me do the chores of the inn. Agreed?"


    This bet seemed really interesting to Sesha and he instantly agreed on it, to which, Surya responded with a sly grin on his face.


    As they were passing through the market, Surya spotted something,


    "Sesha, you must be hungry right? Let''s go eat something." Surya asked him and then led him towards a row of neatly lined stalls from where appetizing smells of different varieties were wafting out.


    "Mister, give us two baked corns please." Surya said to one of the stall keeper who was selling corns.


    "Here you are," he handed out the corns and said, "that would be two coppers."


    "Thanks."


    Surya received the corns and gave the keeper two copper coins. He gave one corn to Sesha and began eating another himself as they resumed their walk towards the inn.


    "Surya, what value does a copper has?" Sesha asked him.


    Sesha knew about money. Money was an important concept of the human world which his teacher had taught to him about, along with various other worldly things, as he prepared Sesha to venture out into the world. In fact, Sesha himself had some money with him, even though he did not really know their worth.


    "Hmm.. not much really. With only one copper, you can buy a snack like this corn, have a cup of tea or other things, make some minor repairs and other small stuffs."


    "Only that much?"


    "What do you expect? It''s the smallest currency after all. The really important coin is the silver one. It equals a hundred copper coins. If you have a silver with you, you can probably eat a lavish meal, rent out a small room for a week, buy enough rice to last you for a month among other things. I say, give me five silver coins and I can easily spend a month in this city. Of course, I''d have to be frugal and if I take extra care, I can probably even last for a month and a half."


    "I don''t have five silvers with me you know." Sesha remarked.


    "Of course I know.. I was just explaining, ex-plai-ning! Anyways, to give you some more perspective, mistress gives me ten silvers per month."


    "Isn''t that a little less?"


    "Well it is a little.. But I just can''t ask her for a raise anytime soon."


    "Is it because you are afraid of her?"


    "Yea.. NO!! Why would I be afraid of her!?


    "The only reason I can''t ask for a raise is Even if it is a little less, I don''t have to find an apartment to live and I eat at the inn itself so that way I save some money.. In that aspect, ten silver isn''t really less."


    "Surya, how much did these passes cost you?" Sesha asked him, showing the tournament pass that he had on him.


    Surya waited before answering.


    "One of them costs fifty silver coins.. So I bought two for hundred silvers that is one gold coin. Really spent all my savings.." His voice became a little small during the last part.


    Sesha was alarmed at this revelation!


    "That much!? And you gave one to me!?? Now I am feeling bad for taking them!"


    "No no no... Don''t be like that brother. Actually, before giving you that, I was about to shred it into pieces." Surya confessed, "But at the end, I couldn''t do it. I am honestly glad that you accompanied me to the tournament so please don''t feel bad."


    Surya was being completely honest with Sesha, which somewhat perplexed him. Earlier, his master had said to him that humans usually were fickle beings, robbing others of their possessions without even the slightest of remorse. But this Surya in front of him? Completely opposite of what his master said!


    `There are these types of people as well master.` Sesha thought to himself.


    After a brief period of silence, Sesha started again,


    "Tell me about the gold coin. How much does it buy?"


    "As I said, it basically equals to a hundred silver coins so it has that much value but normal folks don''t deal in gold coins. Only the big merchants and the nobles primarily deal in them. As for people like you and me, getting to hold one is rare already."


    "Oh! now I really want one for myself.", Sesha remarked.


    "Hehe, dream on brother! It is going to be a long long time before you even see a gold coin, let alone own one"


    "That so?"


    "Yep! At the very least, it will take you six months to earn one."


    "What if I manage to get one in less than six months?" Sesha asked.


    "If you manage to do that then I will kiss a horse!!" Surya said vigorously!


    "Really?"


    "Of course!!"


    Just after Surya had finished his hundred ten percent confident declaration, a loud voice rang in the marketplace.


    "THIEF!! THIEF!! SOMEBODY CATCH HIM!!"


    Accompanying the voice was a woman who was running towards Sesha.


    As Sesha observed closely, he saw that she was not really running towards him, rather, she was running after a person who was the said thief. He carried something in his one hand and a sharp knife in other as he ran in the direction of Sesha and Surya. Due to the knife that he was carrying, no one was willing to intercept him even if they heard the frantic pleas of the woman trailing behind.


    As he passed Sesha and Surya, Surya unconsciously flinched and avoided him totally. Sesha too sidestepped a little but slightly extended his foot outwards. The thief tripped and fell on the ground with an *oomph!*.


    But it was only some seconds before he hastily managed to get up and run away again.


    "Here''s your purse."


    Sesha picked up a purse from the ground and handed to the lady who was chasing the thief.


    This purse was precisely the one which the thief had stolen. Earlier when Sesha tripped the thief, it had already fallen into the ground but due to the confusion, the thief hadn''t noticed that.


    "Hah.. Thanks..hah..you..hah...very..hah..hah," she was barely managing to speak.


    "Calm down a bit. No need to rush." Sesha said.


    After she had caught her breath, she finally managed to say, "You really saved me. Ahh.. If you had not stopped it, it''d have been a catastrophe!"


    "You don''t need to thank me, it was a small thing." Sesha casually remarked.


    "How can that be!? You have no idea how much I would''ve gotten into trouble if not for you! Here, accept this as a token of my gratitude"--she handed him something--"no no, you must take it at all cost!" She vehemently pushed it into Sesha''s hand after his initial attempt to resist. In the end, he had to take it.


    "Alright, I am really in a hurry so please excuse me. I hope we can meet again!"


    With these words, she hurriedly ran off.


    After she had gone, Sesha looked at the thing on his hands. Sesha was familiar with it. In fact, he had thousands of it within his bracelet that was gifted to him by his master.


    It was the same shape and weight and had the same inscriptions on it. Indeed, it was a gold coin. Completely identical to the those that were in his bracelet.


    Sesha showed the gold coin to Surya and said with a mischievous smile,


    "Soo.. Let''s go find some horse?"


    * * *


    "I hate it! I hate it! I just hate it!!"


    A little girl was stomping her feet in the ground in extreme dissatisfaction when Sesha and Surya arrived at the Inn.


    "What happened little Rosey?" Sesha asked.


    "Brother Sesha!! Prince.. My prince Kartik didn''t participate! And I was so eager to see him fight. In the end, I couldn''t even see him!"


    Tears were threatening to spill from her cute little eyes when she explained the cause of her dissatisfaction to Sesha. Seeing her like this, Surya couldn''t help but feel a little pity.


    "They are princes little Rosey, they have many things to do instead of participating. You should understand that."


    "Don''t call me little Rosey, you girly crybaby." She barked at him angrily.


    "But you don''t have a problem when Sesha calls you that." Surya protested.


    Rosey didn''t say anything, instead she shot him a look that seemed to say, `I will kill you,` which made Surya instantly shut his mouth.


    Sesha remained silent at that moment because he felt that nothing he could say would console Rosey. As a result, the atmosphere became quite tense, until a shrill voice sharply interrupted it.


    "Just what are all of you crowding this room for?"


    The owner of that voice was the inn''s mistress, Sophie. Seeing her, Surya instantly tensed up and said in a shaky voice,


    "N- Nothing mistress. We were just consoling lit-" he paused, "umm.. Rosey."


    "I don''t need your consolation, *hmph!*" She stamped her foot down and instantly ran away from there.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "What are you doing here Surya, don''t you have work to do?" Sophie coldly said to him.


    "Umm.. that is.. Yes, yes mistress." He too made himself scarce hastily.


    Seeing Surya about to go do his work, Sesha first wanted to follow him but he was interrupted before he could turn and go by Sophie''s voice,


    "Boy, you follow me. I have some things I want to talk to you about."


    She walked briskly to the upper floor and entered a room. Sesha obediently followed her. As Sesha entered the room, a medium sized room entered his view which was well-lit and airy and gave off a spacious appearance. There were only a few things in the room; a single bed; a table with some books, pen and parchments; and a small wardrobe. Although there were few decorations in the room, the room itself gave off a cozy appearance


    After both of them arrived at the room, Sophie closed the door and faced Sesha.


    "I made it plenty clear that I do not wish you here. Earlier when I allowed you to sleep in my inn, I did so only because of my niece''s stubbornness. I thought you knew that. I thought you were an intelligent person who could take hints, who would get up and leave this inn with his belongings the first thing this morning but you did not leave. I had suspected it somewhat that a freeloader like you won''t be going of here so easily but never did I imagine that you would end up swindling my employee out of the tournament pass that he worked so hard to save for! Tell me this boy,do you have any shame at all !?"


    Her face was contorted with a mixture of contempt and scorn as she said these distasteful words to Sesha. She clearly knew that Sesha was no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, only a child in her comparison, but at this moment, irrationality had gotten the better of her and she ended up saying words to him that she would have never said to a child under normal circumstances.


    Sesha carefully looked at this woman who stood facing him. As he met her gaze, he could see many many things in her eyes. There was disdain, anger, disgust and distrust within it but at the absolute depth of those deer like eyes, there lied an inexplicable pain, the sort of which was unknown to him and yet it seemed vaguely familiar.


    "What are you staring at boy? On top of being a freeloader, are you deaf and mute as well?" She barked at him after he had continued to stare at her for some time.


    "You are a very beautiful woman." Sesha began.


    "What the fuck are you sayi-"


    "My teacher said that I should always compliment a beautiful woman and thus I say to you again, you are indeed a beautiful woman. Except for your eyes, they are ugly."


    His voice was apathetic when he said these words to her. He was not angry upon her, he was not pitying her, he was not reprimanding her and he was not accusing her. In fact, it was as if he was saying something like, `there''s a little stain on your clothes`. Devoid of any other meaning.


    But these casual words of his made Sophie completely bewildered! She started to refute him but before his piercing gaze that seemed to know her entire being, she couldn''t speak anything at all.


    "I understand that you want me out of your establishment and Rosey and Surya''s life. Very well, I shall comply to your first wish and remain here no more, however, whether or not I keep in touch with Rosey and Surya is entirely up to myself. On this matter, I need not obey you.


    "Take this"--he flung the gold coin he''d gotten earlier towards her--"as my compensation for letting me stay here and for Surya''s pass."


    With these words, Sesha leisurely made his way towards the door past Sophie.


    "Oh and tell Surya that he need not kiss a horse anymore."


    Opening the doors, he left the room leaving Sophie completely stupefied.


    * * *


    After coming out from the room, Sesha descended the stairs and swiftly walked out of the Inn. Thankfully, he didn''t encounter Rosey on his way out otherwise it would have been hard, if not impossible, for him to leave the Inn.


    `What should I do now," was on his mind after he aimlessly travelled around the city for some hours.


    It was getting dark soon so Sesha needed to find a place for food and lodging.. or not. Food and a place to sleep was of absolutely no concern to him. The level at which his cultivation was, allowed him to go without eating anything for several months. He could solely rely on prana from the atmosphere to live by slowing down any unnecessary bodily activities. On top of that, he could sleep anywhere he wanted as the cold caused him no trouble at all. So he was not even a bit worried about these things. What worried him instead, was what he should do from now onwards.


    When he departed from his master, it was only for the purpose to venture out into the world and learn about it. Sesha had asked his master if this adventure was really necessary to which his master had replied,


    "Child, as much as you are tempted to seclude yourself in cultivation for the entirety of your life, being your master, I can''t possibly let you do that. Do not misunderstand, this doesn''t have anything to do with your cultivation. In fact, your cultivation will only progress if you continue to train in seclusion. Rather, it is for your life itself that you must go.


    "You have not even lived for fifteen years. There are plenty of things that you have yet to experience. You have yet to fall in love, marry a girl and possibly become a father. You have yet to make friends your age and have fun with them. You have yet to experience the joy of companionship and the comfort of your beloved''s arms. Dearest Sesha, there are so many colors of life that you have yet to see. How can I then allow you to remain in this secluded forest? No my disciple, you must venture into the world and experience the true joy of life."


    Of course, at that time Sesha was rather perplexed at his master''s word but this was a given because of his limited interactions. And wasn''t this the very reason that his master had sent him out in the first place? To comprehend the entity known as life.


    However, it would require a great amount of time before Sesha could begin to experience these `colors of life` as his master had paraphrased. In the meantime, Sesha couldn''t think of anything to do.


    But wait, wasn''t there something he had wanted to do? Something that was on a small corner of his mind since his childhood? Something that pertained to his very existence!


    Finding his origin!


    Sesha knew that he was found by Nagini in the Dark Forest, Nagini had told him that. As for how he came to be there? Even she didn''t know that. The only thing she did know was that it was undoubtedly a person who had delivered him there. How else would an infant come to be in the Dark Forest of all places?


    The only reason that Sesha even posed the question to Nagini in the first place was not because he had craved for his parent''s love and affection. In fact, Sesha didn''t even know that he was missing it. And even if he didn''t have his parent''s affection, he already had Nagini who deeply cared for him and his master who treated him like his own son. Between the two of them, Sesha already had his fill of love and care. So why was he curious about his parents? Simple. He was curious only because curiosity was his nature. He simply wanted to know where he came from. Nothing more than that.


    However, Sesha had no way of finding about his birth parents. Nagini didn''t know who dropped him into the forest and the only thing that was on him when she picked him up was a protection talisman which, although rare, was not rare to the degree that could indicate his origins.


    Sesha had these things playing on his mind when he was walking through the market.


    "Wait! You there!"


    Suddenly a voice interrupted his thoughts. Sesha looked around and found that he had already arrived in an empty alley while thinking of all these things.


    Looking towards the voice, Sesha found a man walking towards him.


    "It was you!! The one who tripped me earlier."


    Only now did Sesha see that this man was the thief who was running away with the lady''s purse earlier. He was a man of small stature and had a face that somehow reminded Sesha of a mouse.


    "Yes?"


    "Don''t ''yes'' me boy! Do you know how much loss you caused me? That was quite a fat purse that I painstakingly managed to snatch and you ended up making me drop it! It''s time to pay back for it boy!"


    He said in this in an accusing manner which was quite absurd in itself. Whoever heard of a thief demanding a recompense on recovery of a stolen item??


    "What do you want?"


    But Sesha asked him anyway out of his curiosity.


    "Money of course! Now cough up all the money that you have on you brat!" He threatened Sesha.


    "I don''t have any."


    "The fuck you say!?"


    "I said I don''t have any money on me."


    "Truly a beggar.. Fine then, give me that bracelet and that funny looking amulet of yours. Those should be worth some coppers."


    What he said was in fact an understatement. The bracelet itself contained thousands and thousands of gold within it and as for the amulet? It contained the forbidden art that Sesha''s master had spent a substantial amount of his cultivation on; Shiva''s fire. A fire so sinister that it could completely eradicate an entire city from existence. If it were to be sold, even the entire fortune of an empire won''t be enough to buy it.


    "No."


    The fact that both the bracelet and the amulet were extremely expensive didn''t have anything at all to do with Sesha''s denial. Even if the bracelet had been of simple black iron and the amulet had been a worthless junk, Sesha wouldn''t have parted with the both of them because they were the gifts bestowed to him by his master. There was no way he was giving it to anyone.


    "Hmph! You dare deny me brat? After all the loss that you''ve caused me?"


    "I don''t care. I am not giving you these. Now get out of my way." Sesha was now getting annoyed.


    "Oh.. The way you said that means that these are definitely pricey things. Unfortunately for you kid, I am not letting you go."--The man produced a knife and began moving it around-- "Not only will I strip you of everything, I will also sell you to the slavers. A soft kid like you ought to fetch a fat price!"


    The man stretched his other hand towards Sesha''s wrist to pull his bracelet out. Sesha flicked his hand and gave him a little slap on the thief''s hand which was closing on him.


    *CRACK*


    A sound originated from the spot where Sesha had flicked the thief and he began howling in agony!


    "Aaaaaghhh.. You.. You bitch! You broke my hand!"


    Sesha was appalled. How could it break? He hadn''t even utilized his Earth realm!!


    "You fucker! I will fucking kill you!"


    He swung his knife towards Sesha which he took it with his two fingers. And with only a small motion, snapped the knife into two.


    "What the fuck!!" The thief exclaimed looking at the broken shard of knife on his hands.


    "Hey, let me see your hand.." Out of concern, Sesha took a step towards him.


    "Fucking monster!! Get away from me!!"


    The thief was alarmed from Sesha''s show of force. Never had he heard or seen anything like this in his entire life. He was obviously scared, so clutching his broken hand with his other, he ran away in incredible speed before Sesha could do anything.


    ''Fucking monster!''


    The words that the thief had said was still ringing on his ear. Somehow, it did not sound pleasing at all.


    ***


    Author''s Note:


    Hello everyone.. how are you enjoying the fiction? Let me know via the comments.


    As always, suggestions are always welcome. Oh, and don''t forget to rate / review.

 Chapter 8 - The pleasure district

    After his brief encounter with the thief, Sesha collected himself and emerged out of the alley. Although he had used minimum force to deal with the thief, he ended up breaking his wrist.


    `How could he be so weak!?`


    Sesha asked to himself.


    Actually, his master had already warned him about this.


    "Child, when you are out in the world, don''t carelessly use your powers on normal people. Compared to you and I, they are extremely weak. If you get even a bit serious, you might end up killing them."


    He remembered these words of his master. More appropriately, he hadn''t forgotten them at all. Even when he was dealing with that thief, he had meticulously avoided using his powers but how could he know that when his master said normal people were weak, he meant they were *THAT* weak! Like a doll-made-of-straw weak.


    `Anyway, what''s done is done, no use thinking about it.`


    Sesha decided to put this incident away from his mind. He collected himself and walked out of the alley he was previously on, making a mental note to avoid such alleys in future.


    It was already the beginning of the second prahara of the night (9 pm - 12pm) and yet the streets were still bustling with activity. Due to the large influx of people from all over the region, the city''s night had evidently become more vibrant. People were chattering in a large voice and swaying while walking. Others were buying things from marketplaces which had remained open to serve customers who were arguing with the merchants in a loud voice. One or two were being kicked out from establishments, swearing on top of their lungs in the process. There were various women at the side of the streets signalling the passers-by in alluring gestures, as if tempting them. One, two, five.. as night matured and Sesha moved deeper into the city, the number of these women only increased.


    `Why are they calling me like that? And how come there are so many of them?" Sesha asked to himself.


    As it so happened, Sesha had unwittingly walked right into the pleasure district of the city!


    ***


    Pleasure district, as it was called by the people of the city, was a small area located right at the heart of the city where there were various brothels situated. Men from all over the city used to visit these establishments for "pleasure" in exchange for money and hence it was named the Pleasure district. Right now, due to the people visiting to watch the tournament, this district was specially crowded. Sesha, too, found himself right in the middle of this crowd.


    Shrill laughter of women filled the atmosphere as they openly flirted with the passers-by. Scenes of men taking women in their embrace and leading them into a building and men emerging from the buildings with a satisfied countenance could be seen everywhere. Whenever a rich looking man walked the streets, nearby women would instantly circle him and attempt to pull him towards them, like a pack of hungry jackals. Even Sesha was not spared.


    "Hey, young lad, care to join this sister?"


    "Come here little boy, let this one take care of you."


    "Do you want to experience heaven boy?"


    These provocative words greeted Sesha''s ears as he continued walking on the street. Women of different ages were inviting him with obscene gestures which, due to some reason, sent chills down his spine. He did his best to avoid them but ultimately, he too fell in a trap.


    "Oh, what pretty boy!"


    "Come here little darling."


    "Aahh.. I just want to eat him up!"


    Sesha met a group of three women who instantly surrounded him. It was inevitable really. A pretty boy walking in the middle of such dangerous place.. He was bound to get caught.


    "Umm.. Wh..what do you want?" Sesha asked in a timid voice.


    A boy who could throw an enormous Horned Bear over hundreds of meters was unexpectedly afraid of these girls who were looking at him with strange eyes.


    "Ohh.. What cute reaction! I''ve decided. Normally I take ten silvers for an hour, but only for you boy, I will make it five silvers! Let''s go already!"


    One of the girls approached Sesha and firmly grasping his hands, started forcefully dragging him towards one of the building.


    "Just wait there sister! Who says you can monopolize him!" Another one of the girls instantly blocked their path and said, "How about it little boy, I will make it four silvers for an hour! Okay?"


    "You bitch! How dare you!" The one who was dragging him earlier spoke up in fury as she realized that her prey was being taken away from her.


    "Yeah! How dare you?" The third one chimed in, "I''ll service you in only three silvers per hour ~~okay~~?"


    A fierce battle then ensued between the three of them which involved a lot of swearing in loud voices. Sesha, who was right in the middle of the three of them, was starting to get more and more nervous. While these three before him did not have any harming intention towards him, they did not have any good intentions either. This intention that he had never read before from any other person was only making him more uncomfortable. Just as he was approaching his limit, a sharp voice interrupted the three of them.


    "What the hell are you three doing here!?"


    The one who said this was a girl in her late teens. She wore an elegant dress which added to her grace. As Sesha observed her, he concluded two things; one, she was quite beautiful and two, he already knew her!!


    "Oh! You are the boy from earlier aren''t you?" She too recognized Sesha instantly.


    "Ananya, you know this boy?" One of the girls asked her.


    "Yeah, he helped me earlier in the market." She answered the girl, "But that''s not the point! Why are you three harassing him? Didn''t mistress say that you are not to harass a.. customer? Boy, what are you doing here?" As if remembering something, she hastily asked Sesha.


    "Erm.. I was just walking.. and then somehow I ended up here." Sesha''s reply, although true, did not sound very convincing to her.


    "Anyways, you three, leave him alone or I will complain to the mistress." She growled to the women.


    "Hmph! You little pet, always mistress this and mistress that. Let''s go sisters." The three left the scene which made Sesha sigh in relief.


    "Thanks for your help." Sesha offered his gratitude.


    "Nah, it is me who should be apologizing. The three of them can be quite aggressive at times. But hey, did you really just walked right into here? Or did you come for..." She did not complete her sentence.


    "I was just walking about really." Sesha once again repeated.


    His reply somehow made the girl visibly relaxed, as if she a great worry lifted from her mind on his answer.


    "So.. Why were you walking about at this time of night? Shouldn''t you be at your home already?"


    "No reason really.. Besides, I don''t have a home. Not in this city anyway."


    "Oh, you came to watch the tournaments? Where are you staying?"


    "I don''t really have a place to stay."


    "Really??"


    "Yeah."


    Sesha''s reply made her a bit surprised. After taking a while to think something, she said as if deciding on something,


    "The city''s Inns are already full due to the tournament. Say, would you mind sleeping in a stable?"


    "Not really. In fact, I slept in one the other day."


    "Ehh!?" She was surprised again. "Why would a good boy like you sleep in a stable?" She asked him with a worried voice.


    "That''s a long story."


    Seeing that Sesha didn''t want to answer her, she didn''t probe him further.


    "Fine then young boy, come with me. I will arrange a sleeping place for you."


    "Is it really okay?" Sesha asked. After his encounter with Sophie, Sesha didn''t want to impose on others so easily.


    "Yeah yeah, the stables at our place is quite empty and I''m sure mistress won''t mind you sleeping there. By the way, what is your name?"


    "Sesha."


    "Oh! What a cute name. My name is Ananya by the way."


    "Nice meeting you Ananya." Sesha greeted her to which she replied with a smile. Immediately after that, Sesha remembered his master''s word and said,


    "By the way Ananya, you are a pretty girl."


    Sesha dropped this out of nowhere but Ananya took it gracefully.


    "Why thank you Sesha, I think you too are a charming lad. No wonder those three were fighting for you. Now let''s go to our place, the night is ripening and a good boy like you shouldn''t be staying too late."


    "Okay."


    Ananya led the way and Sesha followed her into a nearby building.


    ***


    "Ooh, so you are searching for a job?" Ananya asked Sesha in an excited voice.


    "Yes."


    The two of them talked about various things as they entered the building. Sesha told her about his purpose for coming to the city.


    This building that Ananya had led Sesha to was quite luxurious. The hall of the building was spacious with stairs on the both sides to lead towards the upper floors. The tiles of the halls were made entirely of pure white marbles and the hall itself was illuminated by various light crystals placed around the hall in decorative fashion. There was a huge chandelier hung at the top of the building which not only illuminated the hall but also added to its grace.


    As Sesha followed Ananya through the hall, he saw that the hall was quite vibrant. There were many people; both men and women scattered around it talking and flirting with each other. Not only that, Sesha could also hear all sorts of things: laughter, music, people talking to each other and some distinct sounds of men and women which he could not tell if they were of pain or pleasure. Ananya, on seeing Sesha listening so intently, decided to interrupt.


    "You know what, tomorrow morning, I will ask mistress about it. She has a lot of connections inside this city so she can probably help you out."


    This somehow sounded familiar to Sesha.


    "You really don''t need to. It''s already enough that you are giving me a place to sleep. Anymore and your mistress might not like it." Sesha gently refused her.


    "No no! It''s not like that. Mistress is a kind person really and I am quite sure that she would want to help you. Besides, if you don''t even let me do this much then how can I repay you for earlier? Do you know, the purse that you helped me recover contained a very precious thing that mistress personally instructed me to pick up. Ahh, if you had not helped me, mistress would have definitely been disappointed at me!!"


    There was a tinge of fear in her voice when she said that last sentence which made Sesha think that Ananya really valued her mistress'' trust. This caused Sesha to be curious about Ananya''s mistress.


    "Little bird, there you are."


    A voice interrupted the two of them from behind as they were walking through the hall. Both Sesha and Ananya turned around to see a man dressed luxuriously smiling at both of them. Rather than saying both of them, he was actually only looking at Ananya with a very lewd look as if he was swallowing her whole in his mind. Ananya visibly flinched after seeing his unrestrained lust but somehow managed to calm herself down in an instant.


    "My my, I didn''t know that we were graced with Baron''s presence this night."


    "Somehow I don''t believe your words little bird." the Baron flashed a brilliant smile. Actually, he wasn''t a bad-looking man but due to the look of lust in his face, when he smiled, it only looked creepier.


    "Little bird," the Baron said as he observed Sesha at her side, "all this talk about how you are not yet initiated and now you are already taking a boy to your bedchamber? Don''t tell me that you lied to me?"


    His voice was not gentle when he said this.


    A look of irritation flashed in Ananya''s face when she heard these words from him but as before, she managed to calm herself down.


    "How can this lowly me lie to the Baron? He is only a worker boy who we have hired recently." She lied to avoid suspicion.


    On her words, the Baron visibly relaxed. His angry face gone, it was once again filled with lust as he began to ogle Ananya. He notched his creepiness up a level as he openly began to gently stroke his nether region, which had already become quite active.


    "Say little bird, how long do you want to play this game of cat and mouse? Won''t you agree to my request already so that we can together play a different game in your bedchambers?"


    This was the limit. Not only was his words filled with unrestrained lust, he was also stroking his *thing* all the while that he was speaking. All her calm now gone, Ananya was now unable to hide the look of disgust that was rapidly surfacing on her face. Somehow she managed to control her volume as she replied,


    "I''ve already told you Baron that I do not want to. Please don''t force me."


    She had uttered her every single word with a lot of effort. Behind them were seething rage which was not hidden from Sesha.


    Whether the Baron didn''t hear them or he acted like so, he completely disregarded her words and moved closer to her, intruding on her personal space. He extended his arms swiftly and firmly grasped her little chin. A look of pain and anger flashed on her face as she glared daggers at him but once again, he conveniently disregarded it.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Do you know little bird, I have been with many a girls in my life but none of them had lips so beautiful as you. From the moment that I saw these rosy lips of yours, they have haunted me every night little bird. I want nothing more right now than to bite them."


    Ananya trembled at these words, whether of fear or anger or perhaps both, but struggle as she might she couldn''t free her of his grasps.


    Meanwhile, Sesha was only observing from the sides unsure of whether or not to take an action. On one hand, his newly made friend was visibly distraught and on the other hand, he didn''t really want to break the man''s hand by doing something reckless like before.


    While Sesha was struggling with his predicament, the Baron moved close to Ananya''s face to bite her lips, his hands still holding her chin. She began to struggle more violently but unexpectedly to her, the Baron was quite strong and nothing she did could shake him off. A tear streamed down her face as she closed her eyes in fear.


    `Ahh whatever, the worst case, he loses some teeth.` Sesha finally decided to act.


    "STOP!"


    But before he could do anything, another voice reverberated around the hall which instantly stopped the Baron.


    "Baron Gidha, what are you doing?" This voice was sharp and domineering. Accompanying this voice was a woman who was in her late thirties who was descending gracefully from the stairs. This woman had a figure that was lean and slender. Her hips were curvy and she had good proportions. Her mature face had a refined look, as if carved by someone with extreme care. All in all, she was quite the beauty! Well, except for her eyes. Her eyes, although beautiful, were full of anger.


    Seeing the woman appear, the Baron instantly released his hands from the girl and took a step back.


    "Oh, it''s the mistress of the Scented Rose herself." The Baron named Gidha remarked.


    "Answer my question." Her voice was not kind.


    "Nothing really, I was just admiring a beautiful little flower." He forced a smile again.


    "Not only you hurt one of my girls, you also dare lie to me you lowly cur?" She spat.


    "Hold your tongue bitch.. You dare insult me for a petty little whore?" Gidha too became enraged.


    "A cur is a cur, what''s there to insult?" She retaliated.


    "You.. You.. I will fucking kill you.. You whore!" In his fury, Gidha completely forgot everything else and took out his sword from scabbard. With a sword now in his hands, he charged towards the mistress with his eyes full of murdering intent.


    Sesha instantly became alarmed as he started to intercept him but unexpectedly, Ananya, who thought highly of her mistress, was quite calm and collected. This perplexed Sesha and he unconsciously stopped.


    As it turned out, Sesha''s assistance was not required at all because as Gidha stabbed towards the mistress, not only did she swiftly avoided the blow but she elegantly countered it with a powerful kick to his temple. He was instantly incapacitated.


    By now, quite a people were drawn to the commotion caused by the Baron. They couldn''t help but cheered at the mistress'' superb fighting skills.


    "Yeah mistress!! Beat him to a pulp!"


    "Mistress'' kicks are the best!"


    "What an idiot, picking fight with our mistress."


    One by one the girls began cheering and exclaiming at their mistress'' feats.


    "You guys," she motioned to two men who were at the corner of the hall, "take your Baron outside and when he regains his senses, tell him that he is never to come here again or I won''t be so gentle with him again."


    The two turned out to be the Baron''s men. In response to the mistress'' words, they hastily went up to him and carried his limp body outside.


    After only a short while, the entire hall calmed down and people went about their business as earlier. The mistress faced Ananya and said,


    "Are you hurt child?"


    "No mistress.." Ananya said.


    "You need not lie to me you know. Go and apply the healing balm okay?" She gently stroked her cheeks.


    Ananya nodded weakly in response as she struggled to keep her tears in check.


    After consoling her for a while, the mistress finally looked at Sesha


    "Ananya, who is this boy?"


    "Umm.. Mistress, he is the one whom I told you about earlier. The boy which stopped that thief. He did not have a place to stay so I offered to let him sleep in our stables." She explained.


    "Oh, you are that boy huh? Ananya already told me about how you helped her. Thanks again young boy." She faced Sesha and offered her gratitude to which Sesha replied with a small smile.


    "Okay now Ananya, take him to the stables and you too, get some sleep. It has been a rough night for you." She instructed her and began climbing up the stairs.


    "Okay mistress." Ananya said to her mistress and then turned towards Sesha and said, "Let''s go Sesha."


    "Sesha?" The mistress stopped right in her tracks and turned back towards them.


    "Ananya, did you call this boy Sesha?" She asked Ananya.


    "Yes mistress, that''s his name, Sesha." Ananya replied.


    Upon listening to Ananya, the mistress approached Sesha. She observed him from top to bottom for a long time, as if forming some conclusions and finally spoke up.


    "Ananya, take this boy to one of the empty guest bedrooms. Give him a nice meal to eat and arrange for him to sleep there okay?"


    "Huh.. Why??"


    So surprised was she by her mistress word, she unwittingly said something to her mistress that she would never had said at other times. And her surprise was justified too. Guest bedrooms were usually reserved for special guests and they were usually never accessible even to the customers. While she knew that her mistress would definitely agree to offer a sleeping place to Sesha at the stables, never did the thought cross her mind that her mistress would actually allow Sesha to sleep in a guest bedroom!!


    "Haha, no need to be so surprised silly girl, He helped you earlier didn''t he? It would be strange if we did not take care of him. Now go already." the Mistress didn''t mind Ananya''s earlier words at all as she instructed her again.


    Ananya was not going to let her mistress repeat the same thing thrice. She instantly led Sesha up the stairs to one of the guest rooms. After they had gone, the mistress muttered to herself,


    `A handsome young boy with the name Sesha.. Could it really be..`


    ***


    "Here we are Sesha."


    Ananya and Sesha arrived at a room which could only be described in one words: lavish.


    This room was decorated with various luxurious items. A faint scent permeated the atmosphere which was pleasing to the senses. It contained various furniture which were top grade items that money could buy. It also contained a huge bed which easily allowed four or five people to sleep comfortably side by side. Light crystals were placed at various places, which upon activation, illuminated the room brightly. The room itself was rather isolated from the rest of the place as if it were made to provide extreme privacy to the one who used it.


    Overall, it was a room made for the very special guests and although Sesha didn''t really seem to mind it, Ananya on the other hand was really surprised due to this turn of events. In fact, her surprise overwhelmed the trauma of her earlier incident regarding the Baron.


    "Aah.. Even I don''t get to sleep here.. I wonder why the mistress allowed you this room?" She asked Sesha.


    "I don''t know Ananya. Besides, is this room really so special?" He said innocently.


    "Of course it is! I remember one time there was a Count who visited this place and even though every rooms were occupied, mistress didn''t allow him to use a guest room. In the end, he had to wait before another room was free. I heard he was quite pissed off about that but even so, he couldn''t really do anything." She explained to him.


    "Speaking of which, Ananya, the mistress seems to be really strong. Is she a warrior?" Sesha remarked as he remembered her earlier feats. At that time, Sesha could distinctly see that she was not a cultivator but even so, the ease with which she defeated that Baron, who himself was not really weak, made him doubt himself.


    "Yeah.. She is extremely strong! And no, she is not a warrior or at least she says that she is not but to be honest, I myself doubt it very much. One time there were hoodlums making a fuss about something and mistress ended up beating each and every single one of them to pulp. You know Sesha, our mistress is also the cause that we do not employ any guards here." Her voice was filled with pride as she said these words.


    "Wow, she seems to be an amazing person. I wonder how she is that strong."


    "It''s not only you who wants to know that. Every single girl in this establishment including me want to know that but every time we ask her, she just says that she has a strong body and that''s it. To be honest, I have never even seen her practice any fighting techniques. I wonder whether she really just has a strong body


    "Anyways, wait a while okay Sesha, I will go and fetch you something to eat."


    Ananya went out the room. After she had gone, Sesha assumed a lotus position and engrossed himself in meditation. With the Sun nostril he would inhale and hold the breath and with the Moon nostril he would exhale, alternating the inhaling and exhaling nostrils with each complete rounds. Continuing this exercise in a rhythmic fashion, he began cleansing his meridians from impurities.


    It had already been quite a time since Sesha had parted ways with his master and during these weeks his cultivation had slowed down. When he was in the forest, he would always cultivate for at least four hours at the start of each day. But after he had arrived at the city, even his four hours of cultivation had stopped. Actually, it had only been a day since he arrived at the city but to someone like Sesha, even a day''s worth of cultivation had an extreme importance.


    Since his master had instructed him to not lose himself in cultivation while he was out in the world, Sesha would definitely not do so but even so he thought that he must at least continue to set some time apart for his cultivation. As Sesha was pondering on these things, the doors to the room instantly opened and Ananya came inside.


    She had a tray on her hands which was filled with various types of foods and a cup of wine. She placed this tray on a table before Sesha.


    "Here Sesha, eat them up!"


    "Thanks Ananya."


    Sesha began eating the dishes. Meanwhile, Ananya was intently looking upon him with warm eyes as he ate the dishes that she brought.


    "You know," after finishing the dishes Sesha said, "you shouldn''t have brought this much food for me.. Teacher says that I shouldn''t really eat more than required."


    "Hehe.. You already finished them up and now you complain?" She teased him.


    "It''s not really like that.." Sesha said.


    "Hehe, you need not explain. As to why I brought this much, mistress specifically instructed me to treat you to a nice meal, how could I disobey her?"


    "But still, this much really is"--Sesha picked up the cup of wine and took a gulp--"Hey, this is really good. What is this?"


    "Ooh.. Turns out you have a good taste. This is the finest amongst the wines that we have: Red Nectar."


    "Finest? Aren''t you taking your mistress'' words too seriously Ananya?" Sesha inquired.


    "I am not! By giving you this room, she has already implied that you are her valued guest. Any guest of mistress is someone respectable to this entire establishment!" She exclaimed proudly.


    "By the way, you keep calling her mistress so I forgot to ask, what is her name?"


    "Her name too is quite exotic, just like her."


    "Really? Now I am curious.. What is it?"


    "Her name is Nagini."


    ***


    Author''s Note:


    Hello everyone, author here,


    I just want you all to know that I''ve read your comments about the slow chapter release schedule. I am sure you guys can understand how tough RL can be so I implore you to exercise a little patience.


    Having said that, I want to assure you that I will increase my efforts towards this fiction (since you all seem to like it) and although I can''t promise a dramatic increase in release speed, I will try my best.


    Another thing, last time I edited the past chapters (Chapter 2 and Chapter 3). While the edits were mainly due to correcting grammatical mistakes (specifically of dialogue punctuations), I also ended up adding some details about the skill "Eyes of Petrification" that Nagini teaches to Sesha. Although it doesn''t change things much, you may want to check it out.


    As always, please leave your suggestions / errors / criticisms below. Until next time then.

 Chapter 9 - Kartik

    In a certain district of the Golden Bird city there was a luxurious hotel. It was a common knowledge amongst the people of the entire city that this particular hotel was reserved for only the most special guests; like powerful nobles, administrative officers or the warriors.


    While it remained closed for the most part of the year, due to the ongoing tournament that the city was hosting, it was currently open and housed only the very special guests that had arrived for the tourney.


    Naturally, due to the importance of the guests, this hotel was strictly guarded around the perimeters by hordes of guards constantly patrolling it. In fact, so strict was the security that even the stray dogs that got too close to the hotel were instantly shot and killed by the archers stationed at the walls. And yet, these vigilant guards couldn''t spot a silhouette of a person swiftly and stealthily crawling the walls of the hotel. Even the elite archers who could shoot a sparrow down at night by only the sound of its wings flapping failed to notice the shadow as it made its way to the top and into a room via the windows.


    * * *


    "Useless, the lot of them," said the voice of a man.


    This man was the very one who had climbed the hotel and into the room, besting the guards patrolling the perimeters of the building. Once inside the room, the lights revealed him to be a man dressed in all black. Even his face was entirely covered by a black mask with no openings whatsoever even for his eyes.


    "What do you expect? These are not even warriors, just the best men amongst the city''s forces. Besides, even if they were warriors, they wouldn''t have even noticed you, let alone stop you, your highness."


    Another man, who was in the room from the very beginning replied to him. This particular man was not dressed in a thief like manner like our previous intruder. In fact, he was wearing some sort of pyjama as if he had made himself comfortable in this room. His behaviour clearly implied that this was, in fact, his very own room and despite this fact, he was not one bit uncomfortable with the man before him who had intruded into this room. Rather, he had a light smile on his face while talking to the intruder.


    "But your highness, you really are stubborn. Why go to such lengths to enter into your own room when you can just walk right into this building."


    "I don''t think you understand the meaning of disguise Krishna. If I waltz into the building just like that, won''t they discover my identity?"


    Indeed, the one who this intruder was talking to was Krishna, the Royal Warrior and the retainer of the second prince of Shivpur, prince Kartik.


    With his previous words, the masked intruder lifted his mask off which revealed a cold and stern face. If any of the people who were present during the first day of the tournament were here to witness, they would clearly recognize the owner of this face to be Asru, the rogue warrior who had effortlessly incapacitated his opponent in the first match. At that time, Asru had proclaimed himself to be a rogue warrior who had descended from the Himalayas but clearly this was not the case.


    "Why must you go through such rigor even after I taught you my clan''s secret art of disguise?" Krishna asked with a tired voice.


    "Your clan''s arts are really praiseworthy Krishna but one can never be too careful. Wasn''t it you who taught me this in the first place?" Asru replied.


    "Yeah but right now, I am really regretting it. I never thought that your highness would end up taking it this seriously!!" Krishna exclaimed.


    "Come on, you are clearly exaggerating. This much detail is necessary."


    "Necessary? Your highness calls it necessary? Haven''t you realized that even now, you are in disguise?"


    "Aah.." Asru said in a guilty tone.


    Immediately after that, he closed his eyes in concentration and began circulating prana within him. Asru had a sharp black and a mature face that exuded the aura of someone who had harshly spent his life in countless battles. This really aligned with his proclamation of being a rogue warrior who had descended from the Himalayas. But as he began circulating the prana inside him, changes began to appear within his body.


    His sharp black eyes changed color to a deep blue shade and his mature looking face began transforming. His skin became soft and younger and lighter in shade, even his hair changed colors. Previously it was dirty black but now it was more sleek and polished. Overall, his self became much more refined.


    When Asru finally opened his eyes, he was a completely new person. His previous stern looking face was now gone, replaced with a much handsome and attractive face that could make any woman squeak in excitement. Previously, he looked someone who was in his mid twenties, but now he looked like a boy of sixteen or seventeen. His face was now clearly exuding a noble and commanding aura that one could never achieve by training alone.


    "Every time I see you do this, I can''t help but feel proud of you my prince. It''s my clan''s arts and you do it better than the half of them," said Krishna.


    "Compared to you, who can even change his build with this art, I am a complete novice," Asru said with indifference.


    "Ah, don''t be hard on yourself your highness, I have been practicing this art since the time my second Chakra opened and you have only been doing it since six or seven months. To achieve this level of mastery over this art, your talents could already said to be monstrous compared to others." Krishna praised him in his earnest.


    "But it still isn''t enough, he could have accomplished it in half that time." Asru said with contempt which was directed at himself.


    "*Sigh*"


    At Asru''s response, Krishna ended up sighing. Even this level of monstrous talent wasn''t satisfactory to this young man who was in front of him. His clan''s secret art of disguise, Naqaab [1], was an art which required an outstanding control of one''s prana and a vivid imagination. Even he who was the heir of his clan, could only achieve the level of disguise that Asru displayed, in the third year of his training and that too was with considerable effort.


    That it took him so long to begin to master this art did not mean that Krishna was untalented. Rather, he had an outstanding talent. The fact that he was a royal warrior and a retainer of the second prince spoke for itself. It was just that, this art was that much difficult to master. This only served to show how godly his prince''s talent really was but even with this amount of natural talents, his prince wasn''t satisfied.


    `This competitiveness.. What a troublesome prince,` Krishna inwardly sighed.


    As if sensing Krishna''s inner thoughts, Asru spoke up,


    "You still don''t approve?"


    "It''s your decision my prince, what is there for me to disapprove?" Krishna replied in a respectful manner.


    "That again? How many times have I told you to not talk to me like that Krishna? If my own retainer does not express honesty towards me, how do you expect the others to do so?"


    Krishna''s reply had clearly agitated Asru and a look of irritation that somehow suggested that they had had this exact conversation several times before was apparent on his face. As if sensing it, Krishna hurriedly apologized to him.


    "I beg your pardon your highness. It won''t happen again."


    "Says the man who said the exact lines five times before. Anyways, let''s drop it. Tell me, did you get something to eat? I am starving."


    Krishna immediately brought him a tray full of delicacies and without further words, Asru dug right into it.


    "So your highness, did you find anything?"


    Asru took a gulp of wine to swallow down the food and said,


    "First of all, stop calling me `your highness` and for that matter, don''t even speak a sentence with the word `prince` or `Kartik` on it. And as far as my mission goes, I did get some success. I found that one of the suspects is indeed visiting this town. I will investigate more on him tomorrow night."


    "Fantastic job, your hi.. err, what should I call you again?"


    "Asru would do."


    "Right, fantastic job Asru. So who''s the suspect you are talking about?"


    "A baron of name Gidha."


    "Oh I know him, he is a rather known lecher."


    "Even more than you?" Asru asked with an amazed voice.


    "Wah! What do you mean your hig.. ahem, Asru! I am not a lecher!!"


    "Heh, I know you all too well my dear Krishna. Besides, isn''t it true that you have already found yourself a plaything last night? What was her name? Lenny? No, Linny I think."


    "Wha.. ? How.. How do you know that?" Krishna was visibly surprised.


    "I have my means." Asru said with a hint of mysteriousness.


    "Hah? Was your hig.. Asru trailing me again?"


    "Stupid. Don''t I have anything better to do?" Asru reprimanded him, "I just happened to spot you with that girl is all."


    "Oooh.. Your high.. Erm, do I really need to do this? Aren''t we inside our own room now? What harm is calling you prince Kartik inside here?"


    "You really are no good other than swinging your fists Krishna. I tell you again, your clan''s Naqaab is wasted on you."


    "How mean!" Krishna exclaimed dramatically, "I am really quite adept at infiltration you know. It''s just that, you are my prince and calling you by a mere name.. it somehow feels disrespectful."


    "Aah.. Do whatever you like." Asru said with a defeated tone.


    "So, my prince, what was I saying? Yes, you really have become quite adept at hiding your presence. Even I couldn''t find you observing me.. Aah, it makes me so proud." Krishna again said it dramatically.


    "Doesn''t that simply means that you are weak?" Kartik shot him down.


    "Uuuu.. My prince is really becoming more and more mean by the day.."


    "And my Royal retainer is really becoming more and more of a pain by the day."


    Krishna didn''t refute his prince''s harsh words. As he saw it, this was the closest thing to a friendly banter that this stoic prince of his ever had with anyone. This made him happy instead.


    After Kartik finished his meal, Krishna cleared the empty trays from the table and took a seat opposite to him.


    "So your highness, are you enjoying the tournament?"


    "Chhe! These so called warriors are the weakest that I ever saw.. What''s there to even enjoy?"


    "Don''t say that your highness, after all, not all of them were weak." Krishna smiled.


    "You mean that moron from the Uttara Sect? What was his name again?"


    "Visha."


    "Yeah, that''s the one. A no brains but all brawn idiot like you who likes to flaunt his power in front of the audience." Kartik had a hint of disdain in his voice as he said these words.


    "Hehe, you can say whatever you want your highness but he is an entire realm above you. Even I might have some problems when facing him, I don''t see it being any easier for you."


    "Whatever, if it gets too complex then I will just walk out of the match." Kartik said.


    "But your highness! His majesty has explicitly ordered you to win this one! How can you simply walk out of it?" Krishna said with alarm.


    "It''s just a stupid tournament. I wouldn''t have come here in the first place if it wasn''t for this investigation. And regarding father, I don''t care whatever he does."


    His reply made Krishna appalled. When his prince had first decided to participate in this tournament in disguise, Krishna had merely assumed that he was doing it for the sake of a fair match. After all, who would be so daring to fight a prince with any thoughts of besting him?


    While it appeared sensible to him at that time, only now did he understand his prince''s real reasoning. He wasn''t interested in the tournament since the start!! The only reason that he had used the disguise to enter the tournament was for the fact that he could easily withdraw if things got too messy.


    Valor was one of the principles of a warrior but clearly, his prince didn''t have it. No! Rather than saying that his prince didn''t have valor, it was more appropriate to say that his prince had something much more greater than that; shrewdness. Unlike other warriors, who would charge even towards death itself without so much as a thought, his prince would carefully judge the strengths of his opponent before getting into a fight. While this was a commendable quality inside a warrior, there was just a small problem,


    "His majesty isn''t going to like it at all!"


    "Told you earlier, the only one who is afraid of him is *that man* and my stupid younger sister, not me."


    "*That man* huh? Why can''t you just call him big brother?"


    "How I call him is of no concern to you." Kartik said sharply.


    "Yes, yes, your highness, whatever you say. But in the future, when he confines you to the cells again, don''t tell me that I didn''t remind you." Krishna said while standing up and walking towards the door.


    "Rest assured, I won''t. Oye, where are you going?" Kartik asked him.


    Krishna turned backwards, rather, it was someone else who turned backwards to answer him. If Sesha were here, he would''ve instantly recognized this man as the one called Sir Christopher.


    "Just going outside for some fresh air." Christopher, answered him slyly as he turned around and made his way to the door.


    Kartik could swear that he heard something like `Linny` as his retainer walked out the door in disguise.


    "Despicable."


    Kartik said to himself and went to sleep.


    * * *


    Ananya was an orphan. She had spent her entire childhood in the city''s orphanage with other children, orphans like her. Even though it was only a small orphanage, life there was not really bad. She had friends with whom she played during the day and even the managers of the orphanage were nice people. In all honesty, her childhood was quite fun. She used to think about her parents of course. But the fact that she had never known them from the start made it much easier for her to not miss them.


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    However, all of it came to an end when the city abruptly cut the funds from the orphanage. The children were torn from the place which they had called home for such a long time. The managers tried to do their best but without the support from the city, there was nothing that they could do. At the end, deciding that anything was better than life on the streets, they decided to take extreme measures and Ananya along with rest of her friends, was sold. And this was how she ended up at the pleasure district as an apprentice. She was ten that year.


    From an early age, her training began. For hours she used to take dancing and singing lessons. As it turned out, she had a natural talent to become a performer, an artisan. In a mere two or three years, she became one of the best dancer of the entire district. Even her singing improved leaps and bounds. Her dance could enchant the audience and her singing could even melt the hearts of the harshest of men.


    After another two years, something occurred that changed her life; puberty. As she stepped into the doors of adolescence, she began to bloom. While she was merely a cute and talented girl before, now she was becoming an astonishingly beautiful woman. Two beautiful buds of beauty became more pronounced on her breasts and her hips developed alluring curves. Along with these beautiful features, problems began to arise.


    She was not even fifteen and already there were men who had set their eyes on her. After every night when her performance ended, these men would attempt to get close to her and find all sorts of excuses to try and touch her in the forbidden places. Nobles and merchants from all over the city began pressuring the owner of her establishment to acquire her. Offers of huge amounts of golds were coming from all over the prefecture, all for being the one to deflower her. Eventually, there came a time when the owner could handle these offers and threats no more. It seemed as if Ananya was doomed to be violated at such a young age.. But that didn''t come to pass.


    The reason to that was a storm by the name Nagini. She came at this district some five years ago and bought the "Scented Rose" establishment from its previous owner. The very first thing that she did at that establishment instantly earned the trusts of all her girls. She set a rule that no girl at the Scented Rose was to take a man if she did not want to. This of course meant that Ananya was now no longer being offered to some lecherous person with a fat purse, much to her relief and not only her, all of the girls of this establishment were now given much more freedom. They could accept whosoever they wanted and refuse those that they did not want and even name their own price. Due to the arrival of Nagini, this establishment by the name Scented Rose no longer remained a mere whore house.


    Naturally, this invited the wrath of many of the previous customers of the establishment. They were now being refused by those who they previously thought of as nothing but lowly wenches. Their pride took a hit and they began threatening this new mistress of the Scented Rose.


    She, however, did not yield. No matter how much threat or money she was offered, she stuck to her words and never forced the girls. Eventually, threats were replaced by actions. Goons hired by the furious customers began making trouble at the establishment. But that did not last very long. Much to the wonder of the girls, their new mistress was not only bold but strong too.. Way way strong than any other woman that they had previously seen. Without so much as a scratch on her body, she could single-handedly beat any and all the hoodlums that were sent to vandalise the Scented Rose.


    It did not take long before all of the girls in Scented Rose began worshipping their kind and strong mistress. Naturally, Ananya too was one amongst these girls. She simply adored her mistress, not only because she protected her chastity but also because she gave Ananya a place that she could call a home again. This especially made Ananya''s devotion towards her mistress much stronger than the rest of the girls.


    And this was precisely the reason why Ananya was quite perplexed right now.


    It was already dawn and Ananya was pacing up and down inside her mistress'' room, Ananya couldn''t help but think about the bizarre incident that occurred last night which had something to do with a mysterious boy that she herself had invited to this establishment. Her mistress, whose each and every single move was well thought and logical, had done something quite unexpected regarding this boy and Ananya was here in her mistress'' room to talk to her about this very thing which had bugging her since last night.


    Eventually, the door to her mistress'' private chamber opened and she came out, clearly exhausted from whatever she was doing.


    "Ananya, what are you doing so early in my room?" Nagini asked her.


    "Good morning ~~mistress~~," instead of replying to her mistress'' question, she greeted her in a sing song voice.


    "Good morning to you too dear Ananya.. Did you sleep well?" She replied, not minding the fact that Ananya hadn''t answered her question.


    "Yes mistress.. Thanks again for last night.."


    "Silly girl, you need not thank me." Nagini moved closer to her and caressed her face gently.


    Ananya closed her eyes, basking herself in her mistress'' motherly love, a satisfied smile showing on her face. After caressing her for a while, Nagini moved her hands away which made Ananya open her eyes with a little disappointment.


    "What are you working on this time inside your chamber mistress?" She asked Nagini.


    "Oh, funny that you should ask. In fact, I just completed it right now." Nagini replied animatedly.


    Ananya instantly forgot the reason that had brought her to her mistress'' room in the first place.


    "Really? The one that you were working on since last year? Can I see it mistress? Please Please pretty please??"


    "No need to make such loud noises Ananya, let''s go inside and I''ll show you.."


    Nagini began leading the way and Ananya followed in excited steps. The reason behind her excitement was that not only was her mistress a talented dancer and a singer herself, she also was an sculptor. And the very best one in Ananya''s personal opinion. While her mistress didn''t exhibit the sculptures that she made, she would often allow Ananya and the rest of the girls to see them and every time the girls witnessed their mistress'' works, they couldn''t help but feel amazed.


    Ananya too was the same. She had always thought that her mistress was a little mysterious. Not only was she beautiful, elegant and strong, but her singing and dancing talents too were top notched. On top of that, she made such beautiful and life like sculptures that could even give the royal sculptors a run for their money.


    When inside the room, Ananya viewed her mistress'' previous works and once again couldn''t help but be amazed at her mistress'' talents. One particular sculpture that was currently veiled caught her attention instantly. This was clearly the very recent work of her mistress that she had come to see. This particular sculpture was quite special than others due to more than one reasons.


    First, her mistress being a talented sculptor, didn''t take more than a month or so to complete her other works but this one had taken her an entire year. Second, never had her mistress spent so much money on the stones for her sculptures than she did this time. For this sculpture, she had bought only the very best of the marbles. And third, never was her mistress so focused on her works before. In fact, there were times when she even went a full day without any food, water or sleep. This was clearly one of her mistress'' best works and the fact that she was the first one to see this was making her all the more excited.


    As Nagini approached the sculpture and lifted the veil up, Ananya was instantly stunned. Her gaze became fixed towards the image in front of her. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, a full minute passed and she stood there, seeing the image carved in all white before her. Unbeknownst to her, small lines of tear was already overflowing through both of her eyes. Eventually she came out of her stupor.


    "W.. Who.. What.. is.. she? So.. So beau.. ti.. full," she couldn''t form words properly.


    The reason was because the likeliness that was in front of her was nothing like she had ever seen before in her life! It was the sculpture of a woman her own age who was the very definition of beauty. Her divine eyes looked to Ananya as if they were staring right at her soul, her long and sleek hairs looked as if one could lose himself within them and her bodily proportions could only be described a single word; perfect. In fact, even that word failed to capture the image that was before her. And her face.. So pure and beautiful was her face that Ananya couldn''t even begin to think of a word to describe it.


    Previously, Ananya thought that she was quite a beautiful girl and it was rightly so. But compared to the one before her, she was nothing. Ananya knew that never will there be a day again when she would be able to look at a mirror and say that she is seeing a beautiful girl.


    "Mistress.. ," she regained her speech, "What beauty!! Just how could you even imagine someone like this? This.. Mistress, this is the best sculpture that you have ever made!!"


    Seeing her reaction, Nagini chuckled.


    "Silly girl, how can anyone possibly imagine *her*?"


    "You can''t possibly mean.. She is REAL!?" Ananya said with an incredulous voice.


    "Yes, she is real.. But there are times when I question myself whether she really was real.." Nagini was looking at something much more distant as she said these words.


    "Oh mistress.. I can''t even.. How can she possibly be so beautiful?" Ananya gasped, looking once again to this celestial image in front of her.


    "`So beautiful,` you say? Heh, compared to her, what you see in front of you is nothing but trash."


    "How can you say such a thing mistress!! How can *this* be trash!" Ananya pointed at the sculpture and said in a voice that suggested that she was somehow wronged.


    "Believe it or not child, she was much much more than this lowly replica of her.. Aah, I can''t even begin to tell you about her.."


    "Please mistress.. Please I beg you, please tell me everything.." Ananya pleaded to her.


    "Perhaps some other time Ananya." Nagini said gently.


    This made Ananya visibly disappointed but she did not refute her words. Instead, she faced towards the sculpture and once again began losing her while admiring this godly image.


    It was quite a while before she was interrupted out of daze by her mistress..


    "Tell me child, what do you think about the boy that you brought with you.."


    "Do you mean Sesha mistress?" Ananya asked.


    "Yes, Sesha.."


    "Well, he is a rather interesting fellow.. Do you know, when I told him last night that your name was Nagini, he refused to believe me.."


    "Really? What did he say?" Nagini now had an extremely curious look on her face.


    "Hehe.. He said that, `she can''t be Nagini.` When I asked him why he thought so, he replied, `Nagini is nothing like your mistress.` Apparently, he too knew someone who was named Nagini. Took me quite a while to convince him that more than one people can share the same name." Ananya had amusement written all over her face when she narrated her conversation with Sesha.


    "Anyway mistress.. Just why did you offer Sesha that roo-" Ananya couldn''t complete her sentence.


    "Why are you crying mistress!!?" She said with alarm as she noticed thin lines of tears leaking through her mistress'' eyes.


    "It''s nothing." Nagini hastily wiped her tears through her sleeves.


    Ananya was getting more and more confused with the turn of her events. First her mistress offered that luxurious room to Sesha upon hearing his name and now tears began flowing from her eyes when she mentioned her conversation with Sesha. Evidently, Sesha was having a strange effect upon her.


    "Really mistress, why did you offered that room to Sesha when you heard his name?" She asked the question that had been bugging her.


    "A room is a petty thing dearest Ananya. If he were to even ask for this entire Scented Rose, I will gift it to him without so much as a thought."


    Ananya was slack jawed..


    "Why mistress??"


    Nagini did not answer her. Instead, she walked in front of the sculpture and looked up at it.


    "Do you know Ananya, during all my time that I spent with her, she almost never smiled.. But when she did smile.. Oh my dearest Ananya, just how can I ever describe that smile to you.. That smile was like a thousand suns simultaneously illuminating my entire life.."


    Seeing her mistress lost like that, Ananya couldn''t help but think about this mysterious person who had such profound effect upon her.


    "Why didn''t she smile often mistress?" Ananya managed to ask her.


    "How could I possibly know that child?" Nagini sighed, "But what I do know is the only thing that could make her smile..


    A name..


    "Sesha."


    * * *


    Notes:


    [1] literally means Mask in Urdu.


    Author''s Notes:


    Hello all,


    Did you like this chapter? Let me know in the comments. Also, if you spot any errors or inconsistencies or you have any suggestions, then let me know them too!

 Chapter 10 - Brides of the City

    "How much more must you make me wait you fucking worm!!"


    A hateful voice was booming across a small dark room. The owner of the said voice was a fat and sleazy looking man who had black greasy hair with some hint of whites here and there. One could see that this person, who was clearly in his forties judging by his facial appearance, was shouting on a weak looking person who was currently bowing in front of him.


    "This lowly servant humbly apologizes my lord. Our master is still being tended to by a healer so please honor us with your patience for a little longer."


    "Chhe!! That''s what you said fifteen minutes ago you worthless scum. I tell you, if you do not let me in within the next ten minutes, I will personally kill both you and that dog of a master of yours."


    The servant visibly shuddered on this proclamation and hastily bowed to this man before leaving the room again.


    "Ara ara, scaring the servants again Lord Bali?"


    A girlish voice rang from the door of the room. Accompanying it was a slender person who had a dyed red hair. Simply by looking at this person''s face, it would have been impossible to tell whether he was a girl or a boy. Not that his face was girlish but he had so much make up plastered on his face that it simply made one doubt whether he was a woman overly conscious of her face or a man posing as a woman. Nevertheless, his breasts didn''t have the two beautiful mountains that are inherent to females and he wasn''t really dressed up in a female''s attire so one could say with reasonable confidence that he really was a man.


    "How mean of Lord Krita to accuse me of scaring a servant. I was merely asking him to make haste is all." The fat person said with a gentle tone.


    "Who is Lord Krita you fucking fatty!!" the slim man exploded in anger.


    "Ahaha," the one named Bali let out a nervous laugh, "I say, old age is really getting to me. To confuse Lady Kriti''s name, ahh I really am becoming senile."


    "Hmph! Your wordings are really getting smoother with age you sly old man." Lady Kriti said, relaxing her angered visage.


    "So Lady Kriti, what brings you here at this early hour." Bali asked.


    "Same business as you Lord Bali. But where is Lord Gidha? Why has he not personally received me yet?" Kriti asked.


    "What to say Lady Kriti, apparently that bastard got done in by the mistress of the Scented Rose yesterday and has only regained his consciousness now. Even so, these stupid servants aren''t letting me in.." Lord Bali expressed his dissatisfaction.


    "Haha, he really got beaten by a woman? That twat really did? HAHAHAHA.." She began to laugh in a half-girl, half-boy voice which was really quite creepy.


    Only after a full minute did her laugh subside and she took a serious tone,


    "At this rate, will he be able to procure the goods that I asked him for?"


    "Who knows... the servants were saying that he got done in quite badly." said Bali.


    "But he has always fulfilled my quota before, maybe he will manage somehow again. Last night, he was saying that he had only one remaining to procure from my request of three. Say old man, how many are you taking this time?"


    "Two pure ones.." Bali said shyly.


    "What age?"


    "Fifteen to Seventeen."


    "Hehe, who says you are becoming old Lord Bali? As I see it, you still have a lot of power remaining on your carrot." Lady Kriti gave a creepy chuckle.


    "Carrot? Haha, the things you say are the weirdest Lady Kriti." Bali too gave a chuckle.


    "So," said Kriti, "how long are we to wait for him?"


    "I have already been waiting for past twenty minutes.. I would say pro--"


    "This Gidha greets Lord Bali and Lady Kriti. Please accept my apologies on keeping you waiting."


    Baron Gidha supported by two of his men on either sides entered the room. He had that same face that reminded one of a mouse, only now his face was deathly pale and looked as if he had just missed his date with Yama [1].


    "Finally!" Bali exclaimed.


    "How have you been Lord Gidha," Kriti said in a coy tone, "I dare say not so good?"


    "Minor problems Lady Krita. So, might I inquire to the reason of my lord Viscount Bali and Viscount Kriti''s pleasurable visit so early in the morning?" Gidha asked the two of them.


    "I just wanted to ask if you have my goods prepared? I have to leave by midnight and I want them before then." Viscount Bali came right to the point.


    "Yes indeed Lord Bali. Please grace this servant''s abode with your presence tonight at the second prahara of night (9-12 pm) and I will have your items prepared." Gidha said with an extremely respectful tone.


    "Kept me waiting for this much only didn''t you.. Anyways, I will be going now. Lady Kriti, please allow me."


    After a slight nod by Kriti, Bali stormed off the room without so much as sparing a glance towards Gidha.


    "As for me Lord Gidha, I came here to give you the advance."


    Kriti tossed a bag of purse towards the Baron which he hastily caught.


    "A full hundred gold coins. Rest I will give you on purchase. Lord Gidha, I trust that I need not remind you on the quality of items?"


    "Yes yes, of course my Lady." Gidha hastily said.


    "Also, the age must be strictly within 10-12, otherwise--"


    "Trust me my Lady, you have absolutely no need to worry. I will not fail you!"


    "Good. I too will come tonight to take my items."


    With these words, Lady Kriti left off the room. Once she had gone, the Baron, who had been standing up until now suddenly collapsed to a nearby chair.


    "Oh I so hate that fucking fatso and that tranny. Always Gidha this and Gidha that!"


    "My Lord," the servant from before spoke up, "we are one short on Lady Kriti''s demand."


    "Aah.. So troublesome. Send the men to search the slums and tell them that material must be of high quality and right age. They are to deliver it straight to the warehouse."


    Upon receiving the instructions, the servant left the room leaving only the Baron and another servant behind.


    "Ceta, have you contacted him yet?" Gidha asked his other servant.


    "Yes Lord Gidha.. But there is a problem."


    "Speak."


    "He is asking ten times the money." the servant said weakly.


    "WHAT !!"


    He suddenly got up, his face full of fury.


    "Yes, Lord Gidha. Apparently, he recently broke through the second realm and thus increased his price."


    The Baron''s face was full of fury before but after hearing this news, the anger on his face instantly vanished and he now had a countenance mixed with disbelief and fear.


    "Third realm!!! Fool! Instantly send word that we agree on his price!! Hurry up!!"


    "But Lord Gidha, a thousand gold coins.." the servant hesitated.


    "YOU FUCKING MORON!!" Gidha kicked him furiously.


    "Do you have any idea how dangerous the warriors of the third realm are? At this point, the money isn''t even important. If a thousand gold coin means that we can establish an amicable relationship with him then it is nothing at all. Now go! Anymore delay and I will skin you alive!!"


    "Yes, Lord Gidha." the servant hastily bowed him and stormed off.


    After his servant had left, Gidha began to laugh maniacally


    "HaahahahaaAHAHAHAHAHAHA"


    "That bitch!! Now she will know how unwise it was to offend me! I will fucking burn that place to the ground and rape that little whore in front of her eyes. AHAHAHAHAHA!!"


    * * *


    It was the middle of the day. The market district, as usual, was busting with activities. Due to the influx of so many people from all around the region, the one that had benefited the most was undoubtedly the market district. Currently, all sorts of people were making rounds in here to both buy and sell different merchandises. Curiously, amongst these people was an odd pair.


    "Hurry up! Hurry up idiot Surya!" A small girl was pulling a boy vehemently.


    This small girl was quite cute. She had black eyes and long and black hairs. Her skin was fair and her facial features were really adorable. One could surmise that when this little girl would grow up, she would undoubtedly become a stunning beauty.


    "Waa.. Please don''t pull so hard Rosey!" the boy was complaining.


    This pair of a small little girl and a not so big boy with different eye colors were making quite a scene at the market district.


    "First of all, just why did you drag me out of the inn so suddenly? Why are you in so hurry Rosey!? Where are we even going?" Surya asked.


    "To find brother Sesha of course!!" Rosey exclaimed.


    "Ehhh.. But mistress said he found a relative of his and went to live with him.. It isn''t like he needs finding you know."


    "Whatever!! Like hell would I let him go without even saying a goodbye!" Rosey was adamant.


    A sigh involuntarily escaped from Surya''s mouth. This little girl before his eyes was really impossible. Not only did she weep the entire morning upon finding that her brother Sesha was missing, she also refused to eat anything at all! Only after a long session of consoling and promises of things that ranged from toys to dresses had she finally calmed down. Surya had thought that it was the end of her tantrum. Evidently, that was not the case.


    "Mistress would kill me if she finds out." Surya sighed again.


    "You really are a little girl Surya. Grow some spine!" Rosey chided him.


    Hearing the little girl scold him like that, a sigh escaped from his mouth... for the third time. It was inevitable that if this were to continue, he will soon become an old man from too much sighing.


    They continued on their quests for finding Sesha. Rosey ended up dragging him through every nook and cranny of the market but even after all this time, they couldn''t find any trace of him.


    "Let''s go home, Rosey. See, the day is already coming to an end." Surya gently asked her.


    "No!" She refused.


    "Tell you what, your brother Sesha probably plans to visit the Inn some days after, to properly bid you farewell." Surya attempted to reason with her.


    "Really?"


    "Yes!"


    "But how can you be so su-- OUCH!"


    Right before she could complete her sentence, she collided with someone and fell into the ground.


    "Don''t you have eyes mister!!" Rosey shouted at him vehemently!


    The one who she had collided with was a frail looking person but he had a sinister look about his face. When he heard Rosey shouting at him so furiously, his gaze fell at the cute little girl of about ten on the ground before him. Something about that girl caught his eyes and he remained staring at her for an uncomfortably long time.


    "Oye! What are you looking at creep!" Rosey shouted again.


    "Oh.. Pardon me young miss, here let me help you up." He extended his hands towards the girl which she ungraciously slapped away.


    "Hmph! Let''s go Surya." She stood up and pulling Surya''s hands again, left from the scene.


    After she had gone, the man''s face became full of sinister smiles.


    He whistled a particular tune and instantly five men appeared from different directions.


    "Make preparations men, looks like we finally found something for Lady Kriti.."


    He led the men with him and began trailing Surya and Rosey.


    * * *


    Back at the Scented Rose, the atmosphere was quite.. gossipy.


    A bunch of girls were talking within themselves.


    "Hey, is it true?"


    "Yeah, the mistress finally took a fancy to a man!!"


    "Seriously! Our mistress did!?"


    "Impossible! He must be quite the man then!"


    "I hear he is a boy!"


    "~Kyaa~.. I tell you, he is amazingly handsome! And he is even staying at *THE* Guest room!!"


    "~Whaa~!!"


    "Our mistress finally found a love. Ahh, I am so happy!!"


    In this way, different rumors were floating around the Scented Rose. Listening to these gossiping girls, Ananya couldn''t help but sigh. It was inevitable really. The favor that mistress was showing towards this boy was so unnatural that people couldn''t help but be mistaken. All of this, just because his name happened to be a bit special.


    `Is he even the boy that mistress thinks he is?` was a question that was on Ananya''s mind ever since her meeting with her mistress this morning.


    However, despite her doubts, Ananya couldn''t help but feel that the boy who was living in the guest room was indeed a bit special. Afterwards, when she had gone to his room to serve him breakfast, she could clearly feel that something about him was quite similar to the image of the celestial girl that her mistress had carved. It was not his enchanting face because she could tell that they did not look similar. Rather, however bizarre it may sound, they felt quite similar.


    Leaving apart this vague similarity, there was another thing about the boy that was bothering her. The boy was behaving strangely. She went to deliver him his breakfast, and also to deliver his lunch and also to clean the room. All in all, she went to the room about five or six times (which was quite odd in itself) but that boy had remained in a meditative posture, never showing any signs of movement at all!


    Even the food that she had fetched him had remained untouched. When Ananya reported this to her mistress, she had simply said, "Leave him be Ananya. And make sure that others do not disturb him."


    This mysterious answer from her mistress had bewildered her even more. Nevertheless, there was no way that she was going to refute her mistress'' orders and this was precisely why she was standing guard at the entrance of the guest room.


    "Please Ananya, let us see him. Just once, we beg of you!" a beautiful girl asked her.


    "No."


    "I will take over all your washing duties for the next week. Please let me have a glimpse of him." Another girl asked.


    "No."


    """Please sister Ananya!"""


    "No, No and No!"


    Ever since someone started the rumor that mistress had taken fancy to a boy, many many girls had lined up before the room to see this object of their mistress'' affection for themselves. And no matter how many times Ananya refused them, they would not simply relent! She even told them that it was mistress'' explicit order that nobody was to disturb him but it only ended up fueling the girls'' curiosity."


    Seeing that Ananya wasn''t going to relent, the girls took it up a notch.


    "Ananya meanie.. Taking such a handsome boy for herself!"


    "Yes yes, she and mistress plan to take him for themselves!"


    "Unfair I tell you!!"


    And it clearly had the desired effect i.e. Ananya got flustered.


    "Whaa.. What are you girls saying!!?"


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "That''s right, I saw how hungrily Ananya was looking at him!"


    "Oh! Have our virtuous Ananya fallen for him too!?"


    The girls began to tease her which made her red from embarrassment.


    "See, how she is blushing!!"


    "I AM NOT BLUSHING!!" Ananya was so flustered that she ended up shouting inadvertently.


    Seeing her like this, the girls couldn''t help but giggle loudly. After all, it was not always when they could get past the guard of the stoic Ananya.


    Suddenly, the door that Ananya was standing guard to opened and a boy emerged from the inside. There were two things that were quite special about this boy. One, he had a devilishly handsome presence and two, he was not wearing any garments on his upper body which meant that his entire upper body was showing.


    His chest was milky white with only some hints of hair showing on it. His arms as well as his abdomen were gloriously toned which gave him a look that belied his cuteness. All over his body and his face were the traces of perspiration which suggested that he was involved in an arduous exercise not long before.


    The girls that were laughing up until a moment ago, instantly silenced. Even Ananya''s heart inexplicably skipped a beat after seeing Sesha like that, however, that was not the worst of her problems. Only after a while, the previously silence girls erupted at once!


    """~KYAAA~~"""


    They simultaneously lunged at Sesha and surrounded him from all directions. What followed that was a session that involved a lot of touching, pinching and embracing.


    "So handsome!!"


    "WOW!!"


    "Cute!!"


    "What is your name!?"


    "Where are you from!?"


    Asked the girls as they wandered their hands all over Sesha. Seeing the actions of the girls devoid of any shame at all, Ananya couldn''t help but be stupefied. It was only a while before she regained her composure and that too was due to a particular question,


    "Is it true that you slept with Ananya!?"


    "Oye Just what are you asking him!!" She said angrily but the girls didn''t mind her.


    "Really? Did you really sleep with her??"


    "How was she???"


    "Did she com--"


    "SHUT UP!!!" Ananya couldn''t bear it any longer.


    "SHUT THE HELL UP YOU IDIOTS!!" She roared at the lot of them.


    The girls, jolted to awareness by Ananya''s fury, finally stopped at once. They unwillingly lifted their hands from Sesha, disappointment clearly written on their faces.


    While all this was transpiring, Sesha had remained in a daze due to the overwhelming actions of the girls.


    "SESHA! Why are you not wearing any clothes!?" Ananya growled at him.


    "Umm.. I was meditating.. and my clothes got sweaty.. and.." Sesha said with apparent discomfort. Even though the girls had lifted their hands from his body, they were still in close proximity to him and were eyeing him with eyes that gave the feeling of a pack of hungry wolves eyeing a small little rabbit.


    "Vaishali, prepare the bath.." Ananya suddenly said to a girl in the group.


    "The bath is still under renovation you know," Vaishali replied.


    "Oh," Ananya thought for a while and then said, "fine, take him to the bathhouse then. But first of all, get him a shirt or something."


    "~Okay~" said Vaishali in a sing-song voice as she led Sesha away from the clearly discontent group of girls.


    * * *


    Vaishali was a girl of the Scented Rose and like all of the other girls, she too was quite beautiful. She had cute blue eyes and a fair skin and her overall body appeared to be quite athletic. This, coupled with the fact that she had this cheerful aura around her, made her quite likeable among those who frequented the Scented Rose.


    Currently, She was leading Sesha towards the bath house at the end of the streets and for some reason, which might be related to the boy walking alongside her, she was in high spirits.


    "So, your name is Sesha huh.. It''s quite a cute name." she was saying to him.


    "Thanks. Your name is cute too Vaishali." Sesha answered to her.


    "Oh, you sure know your way with girls. Tell me, is that how you managed to seduce our mistress and Ananya?" Vaishali asked Sesha in a sly tone.


    "I seduced them?" Sesha was perplexed.


    "Playing dumb are we??" she said with a laugh.


    "Why do you think that I seduced them?"


    "Ehh.. Why else would mistress let you use the Grand Guest room!?"


    "What about the room implies that I seduced your mistress?" Sesha asked her, "Isn''t it just a big room?"


    "Just a big room?? Isn''t that like the understatement of the decade?"


    "Even Ananya said something like that but the way I see it, it''s not that special really." Sesha casually remarked.


    "NOT that special!? How could you even say that? That room is so grand and luxurious and do you know how much trouble we have to go through every time when mistress'' asks us to clean it? And it isn''t like that room is even used that often. Last I know of when the room was opened was when a Marquis came to visit us and clearly you are not a Marquis.. Or are you?" Vaishali concluded her rapid speech with an inquiring look to Sesha.


    "I am not." Sesha assured her.


    "So you see, you get the luxurious room and that Ananya personally serves you. The only reason I see this happening is that mistress has taken a fancy to you." She concluded.


    "..."


    Sesha couldn''t really conjure a reply to her arguments. Vaishali noticed this and to prevent making the atmosphere awkward, immediately changed the flow of the conversation.


    "Anyways Sesha, why have you come to this town? For the tournament I presume?"


    "No. I came here in search of a job."


    "Ohh.. It''s curious that you somehow ended up with the brides in search of your job?" Vaishali asked him.


    "Brides?"


    "Yeah, us. We call ourselves the brides of the city."


    "Why?" Sesha asked.


    "Simple really. See, each of us in the ''Scented Rose'' is so beautiful that it would have been a waste for us to be married to a single person. So unlike others, we city brides marry to the entire city itself. [2]" She clarified.


    "Really?" a surprised Sesha asked.


    This was quite different from what his master had told him about marriage. His master''s version mentioned a man and a woman tied together with sacred vows and included only two person in its definition. Vaishali''s version, however, included an entire city.


    "Yep! Unlike other women, who remain bound to a single man throughout their life, we serve the entire city, for a small compensation of course. Aren''t we great?" Vaishali proclaimed proudly.


    "But don''t you get tired from serving the entire city?" Sesha asked innocently.


    "Stu~~pid! It''s not like we do them all in a single night!!" She flashed a devilish grin.


    "Even so, you girls are indeed quite amazing." Sesha remarked honestly.


    He might not have understood Vaishali''s words in entirety but the fact that she and her friends somehow took care of the entire city and not just a single man really impressed him.


    "So, what do you say?" Vaishali asked coyly, "Want me to serve you tonight?"


    "Serve me? How??" Sesha asked.


    "Like how Ananya served you last night.." She implied.


    "Oh.." understanding dawned on Sesha''s face and he said, "Fine by me.. Although, I hope you give me a little less this time okay? Ananya gave me so much last night that I am still full."


    "Less huh? You are quite different from other men. Normally, they keep on asking for more and more." Vaishali said in amusement.


    "Really? They must really have quite an appetite." Sesha casually remarked.


    "Oh you have no idea!!" Vaishali complained.


    "Also, you have that red stuff too right? What Ananya had last night was really tasty!" Sesha added.


    "Ananya''s R..ed stu..ff?" Vaishali blurted.


    "Yes that one. That was quite delicious!" Sesha said.


    "Ummm.. You are into that sort of things huh? I guess its true that you can''t tell a man by his appearance. Who would''ve thought that such a cute boy like you would turn out to be such a pervert?" Vaishali had an incredulous look about her.


    "Pervert!??" Sesha exclaimed.


    "But I must say, you are quite an open one. Normally they do not request these things until we are inside a room already."


    "Aren''t you mista--"


    Sesha was interrupted.


    "Now, now, you need not make any excuses. Although you are a bit strange, believe me when I say that this older sister has seen many many stranger men than you."


    "Huh?"


    "I remember there was this one merchant who wanted me to *censored* *censored* and then there was this noble who *censored* *censored* and then--"


    Vaishali was about to continue but she noticed something that made her stop. Sesha was not walking alongside her anymore. Turning backwards, she found a ghostly pale Sesha trembling on the spot where he stood and looking at her with a look full of disbelief and horror.


    "Hey, what happene--"


    "Food. I was talking about food." Sesha said in a weak voice.


    * * *


    "Ahahahahaha"


    Vaishali and Sesha were returning from the public bathhouse. Sesha had a refreshing look on his face which suggested that he had just taken a bath and Vaishali, who was alongside him was..


    "AHAHAAHhahahaa my... My stomach.. haaah"


    "Would you stop it already Vaishali," Sesha reprimanded her.


    "But.. But.. you were.. talking.. food.. AHAHAHA" She erupted again.


    "It''s not funny you know." Sesha complained.


    "*hah* *hah* what do you mean it''s not funny.. Hahahaa my sides.. They hurt so much!!" Vaishali stopped to catch a breath.


    "Anyways," she continued, "so Ananya only served you food and wine?"


    "For the hundredth time, yes, she only gave me some food and the red wine." Sesha said in an exhausted voice.


    "Ohh.. What a dumb girl. She was alone with you in a room and did nothing at all.. Seems like I''ll have to give her some scolding." Vaishali said with a huge smile on her face.


    "You should probably leave her alone, I don''t think she''s gonna like being teased." Sesha reminded her.


    "I don''t care if she doesn''t like it. Being her older sister, it''s my duty to properly educate her. She''s almost twenty and hasn''t even been initiated into the art of love making. At this rate, she is going to end up as a priestess in a temple. Oh what a shame!" Vaishali lamented.. or at least feigned so.


    "HUH?" Sesha noticed something.


    Currently, they were quite a distance away from the Scented Rose and had yet to take a turn before the establishment came into view but Sesha noticed that something was wrong with the way people were moving about.


    He immediately broke into a run towards the establishment. After a turn, the Scented Rose building came into Sesha''s view. Sesha immediately noticed why the people were moving about so frantically!!


    The building had been severely damaged at many places, and the debris was scattered around the vicinity. At the front yard of the building, many people were lying around, clearly injured from the calamity that had caused the partial destruction of the building.


    Sesha noticed that amongst the injured people, there were some of the girls from the Scented Rose itself but most notable among them was a group of girls who were huddled around someone.


    "Aaaahhhh," Vaishali who just happened to arrive gave a scream filled with horror.


    Sesha placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort her and then together with her, moved towards the group of girls huddled around someone.


    "Mistress!!" Vaishali screamed again.


    The mistress of the Scented Rose, Nagini, was currently lying on the ground. She was clearly injured to an extreme degree with the signs of battle all over her body. Her clothes were in tatters and her body was covered in severe bruises.


    She opened her eyes when she heard Vaishali scream her name. It was then that she saw Sesha who was accompanying Vaishali.


    "er... Se...sha.."


    It was taking her too much effort to even whisper his name.


    Seeing that she wanted to say something to her, Sesha moved a little closer.


    "Ma..ster.. Se..sha.." she was squeezing every last bit of her strength to say the words.


    "Mistress.. Please don''t talk."


    One of the girls who was huddled around Nagini, said with a teary eyes.


    "Ma..ster.. Plea..se.. plea...se save... Anan..ya. They..too.. took.. her.." she barely managed to say.


    "Who took Ananya?" Sesha asked her.


    "That Baron Gidha *hic* came with a powerful warrior.. And.. And he took her!!" another girl from the group exclaimed.


    As if deciding on something, Sesha faced the mistress and assured her,


    "Rest assured Nagini, I will definitely save Ananya."


    "N..ot.. Na..gini. My..name.. is.. Parvati.." her voice was getting so weak that it was almost impossible to hear. But Sesha heard her nonetheless. And as if understanding her desire, he said with a smile, "Parvati, what a beautiful name," as she faded into nothingness.


    * * *


    Notes:


    [1] Yama: Yamaraja, the judge of the Dead souls.


    [2] Brides of the city: This is a reference to Nagar Badhus. They were the most stunning women of any city in ancient India. They were not allowed to marry any single man and had to serve as a courtesan or a prostitute for an entire city. They were, however, extremely respected and generally only served rich merchants, princes and nobles.


    Author''s Notes:


    Hello everyone, Author here,


    I hope you all aren''t getting impatient with the lack of action in the last few chapters. If you haven''t guessed it already,   action is coming soon enough.


    Secondly, I hate to say this but I won''t be able to post anything else in this week (RL stuffs) so please don''t curse me or anything.


    Many of you commended me on the last scene of the last chapter but sadly, no one said anything at all about Prince Kartik or Sir Christopher / Krishna which made me quite sad. Frankly, I was hoping something like "ehhh I don''t believe it!! <del>Visha</del> Asru was prince Kartik all along!!". Anyways, I guess Nagini just has that effect on people.


    Lastly, please do not forget to comment your thoughts about this chapter below. Ratings or Reviews are welcome as well. Until next time then!!

 Chapter 11 - Mrita

    WARNING: This chapter contains mature contains (nudity, sexual assault, child abuse) so if you have a problem with that sort of things, please stay away from this chapter.


    Golden Bird city was a prosperous city. Not only did it have an active market district which attracted merchants from the entire empire, it also hosted fine establishments like the Scented Rose, making it favorable to many nobles. In addition, the city hosted lavish festivals, including the tournament every so often to indulge its citizens and invigorate the economic flow. However, no matter how much well-off a city becomes, it can never eradicate poverty entirely. Even the Golden Bird city was no exception to this fact and the testimony to that was the slums.


    Located in one forsaken corner of the city, the slums'' existence was in stark contrast to the city itself; a dark spot in this otherwise golden city. For the most part, the city did its best to forget the slum''s existence as if hoping that turning a blind eye would make it vanish from the city magically. Naturally, that never happened. But what did happen was that the city''s feigned ignorance rapidly fueled its deterioration and made it into what it was today: a center of crime and poverty where the strong lived like kings and the weak were murdered in broad daylight without anyone even batting an eye.


    Within this very slums, there was a particular warehouse. If one were to casually observe it, one would infer that it was no more than a forsaken warehouse. However, upon closer and more detailed inspection, one could see some weak signs of human activity around it. All in all, this warehouse was giving off a weird vibe. First there was the fact that the warehouse itself was located in an area that had a minimum human population and on top of that, great effort had been directed towards making it look like it was no more than an abandoned warehouse. This suggested that whatever was happening inside the warehouse demanded a great deal of privacy which would have been easily obtained had there not been someone bent on digging it out.


    That someone was a shadow that was lurking in the far perimeters of the warehouse. This shadow was dressed in all black under the cover of the night and thus it was virtually invisible to an untrained eye. The shadow was intently observing the hidden guards stationed at multiple points outside the warehouse.


    After remaining stationary for quite a while, the shadow finally moved. Gently it moved towards the warehouse through the lands where the darkness was in abundant, taking great care to hide its presence from those who might have been looking out for someone like him. Occasionally it would stop and take cover behind a tree or a house before moving again. Or it would climb the roof of a building and then jump to another with the lightest of steps.


    Its steps were akin to someone who was trained in the art of infiltration, for none of the guards noticed as it arrived via land and air within a few yards of the warehouse.


    "!!!"


    A figure suddenly noticed this shadow but before he could even respond,


    *WHACK*


    A calculated blow to his plexus instantly silenced him.


    Dragging the body of the now incapacitated man to where no one would find it, the shadow once again moved forward. After it had come in the immediate vicinity of the warehouse, it jumped, with an strength that was inhuman, to the roof of the warehouse.


    As the shadow remained on top of the roof, it heard the hoofbeats of horses approaching the warehouse. Before long, a small carriage arrived at the warehouse and stopped at the entrance. A man followed by another man, who seemed like the guard of the former, emerged from the carriage and stepped into the warehouse after which the carriage left.


    This scene repeated itself two more times. Each time a carriage would stop at the warehouse, breaking the silence of the surrounding. Two or three people would emerge from the carriage and walk into the warehouse and then the carriage would leave.


    After witnessing this entire procedure, the shadow moved again to the opposite side of the warehouse and entered into it via a small window.


    * * *


    The room where Ananya was locked, was for the most part, empty. There were no windows here but only a door and that too was completely shut. Small traces of starlight that had managed to sneak its way in through some cracks on the wall was dimly illuminating the room but Ananya still found it difficult to make everything that was around her.


    *sob*


    *sob*


    *sob*


    Ananya looked at the little girl in her embrace. She knew that this child was quite terrified of this whole ordeal. It was understandable. After all, to be snatched away from one''s loved ones by unknown men and at such a tender age would inevitably scare such a little child.


    "Calm down little Rosey," she said gently to the trembling girl that was sobbing against her bosom and then tightened her embrace.


    Ananya''s embrace was providing a small sense of security to the child Rosey which managed to calm her down a little bit.


    "uuuuu.. I want to go home.. *sob*," Rosey whispered to this sister who was comforting her.


    "I know that sweet Rosey.." Ananya said sadly while caressing her.


    When Ananya had been forcibly abducted from the Scented Rose by that hateful Baron and his men and brought here to this forsaken place, she too had been extremely terrified at first. Her thoughts at that time were divided between her mistress'' unknown fate from battling that fearful man and the things that were about to befall upon her in the upcoming moments; both of which were equally terrifying. Had she been dumped alone in this room, her worries would have definitely nibbled at her with each passing second, making her completely miserable. But the little girl, who was now in her embrace, had stopped that from happening.


    Seeing this girl of no more than ten who was sobbing uncontrollably at a corner after she had been thrown into this room had somehow reminded Ananya of a vaguely familiar feeling and it was then that she had abandoned all her worries and wholeheartedly decided to comfort her.


    "*sob* what''s going to happen to us sister," Rosey asked her.


    "I assure you sweet Rosey, nothing will happen to us. The city guards must already be patrolling the area, searching for us. They will find us in no time.. so please don''t worry okay," Ananya gently comforted her again.


    This was, of course, a lie. Ananya knew this very well. After all, even if the city guards were looking for them, there was no way that they were going to search the slums. Besides, she was fairly sure that the Baron had somehow paid the guards up. Why else would they not intervene during the entire ordeal at the Scented Rose which lasted for not an insignificant time?


    However, what worried Ananya the most was not the guards or the Baron. Rather, it was *him*. The one who had fought with her mistress. She knew that her mistress was extremely strong, so much so that she could stand her ground even before the warriors who were famed for great strength. But the man that had been the center of the attack at Scented Rose had completely overpowered her mistress. Even now when she recalled his arrogant and ruthless laugh, she couldn''t help but shudder.


    "Big sister.." Rosey said while tightening her embrace over Ananya.


    Seeing that this little child, who was trembling a moment ago, had somehow sensed the unease in her heart and had attempted to console her, an incomparably warm feeling washed over Ananya which instantly changed to an equally bitter one.


    `Oh dearest child, if only your sister wasn''t so powerless...`


    Ananya bitterly thought to herself. Never was there a moment before in her life when she had felt such disgust upon her helplessness. Not even when she was about to be coerced into being a rich noble''s plaything. That time, she could have at least taken her own life if worst came to worst! But how could that help now!?


    `O mightiest Gauri who is the mother of all, even if you must abandon me, please spare this child from this cruel fate. I beg of you mother, I beg of you!!`


    She prayed in her heart to the venerable goddess Gauri for the girl whom she, despite of knowing for only a little while, had already accepted as her own little sister.


    Just after she had finished her prayer, the door to the room opened and two men entered the room. Ananya''s heart was instantly filled with dread because she instantly recognized these men to be the henchmen of the Baron! The men drew close to the both of them. One of them reached out his hands towards the girl in her embrace and forcefully pulled her out.


    "SISTER!! NOOOOO"


    "NO!! NO! PLEASE!! TAKE ME!! PLEASE I BEG YOU!! NOOOO!! ROSEY !!!"


    Ananya desperately tried to cling on to her but at the end, the men were too powerful and she could do nothing but watch helplessly as the men dragged Rosey out of the room.


    "NOOO..." Rosey''s cries filled with terror were still resounding in her ears as the men left, shutting the door behind them.


    Strength left her legs and she plopped to the ground crying over the fate of the little sister that she had found in this desolate room only to be separated again.


    In all her life, this was the only time that she felt betrayed by the goddess that was the object of her devotion since her childhood.


    * * *


    Inside the warehouse was an area akin to a hall. Only, it was cold, damp and dimly lit. Gathered in this hall were nine or ten people, a mix nobles and soldiers who were guarding them. The soldiers, while each of them were dressed differently, wore top grade armors and carried swords upon them and remained vigilant of their surroundings, whereas the nobles were all dressed in luxurious clothes and wearing a greedy expression on their face as if they were eagerly anticipating something.


    Amongst these nobles were three who were particularly recognizable. One was the Baron Gidha, who for some reason had an impatient look on his face and kept looking at a seemingly ordinary person standing at one corner of the hall. Second was a fat and sleazy man who was pacing up and down while the third was a man dressed as a woman. These two were the Viscounts who had paid a visit to the Baron early on the evening, Lord Bali and Lord Krita (who liked to be called Lady Kriti).


    The congregation of these nobles had established a strangely delicate tension around the atmosphere which was suddenly broken by a girl who was dragged in by the Baron''s men.


    The girl appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. Dressed in tattered clothes, it was clear that she came from the slums and yet her face had a charm that reminded one of a wild flower. If she were to be bathed properly and dressed in a formidable attire, she could definitely be called a cute girl but right now there was nothing cute about her. Her face was full of tears and mucus from her crying for who knows how long and her eyes were showing signs of extreme fear. This girl was clearly terrified.


    "Indeed, definitely not a bad one from her looks," Lord Bali remarked when the girl was dropped in front of him.


    "Only the best for my esteemed customers Lord Bali," Lord Gidha replied, trying to sound humble.


    Lord Bali stepped forward towards the girl who remained seated on the ground and motioned her to stand up. The girl, however, was too terrified to do so. Lord Bali saw this and with an unpleasant expression, motioned his guards.


    Immediately two men who were behind the Viscount, ran to the girl''s side and hoisted her body up.


    Lord Bali then moved towards her and began moving his hands all over her body.


    "Not bad, not bad.. Although she is underfed but I suspect with a little bits and pieces, these"-- he grasped one of her breast, forcefully squeezing it--"will certainly grow to my liking. As for other things.."


    Lord Bali then grasped her clothes and viciously pulled it, tearing it in the process. The girl was now dressed in her birthday suit and was desperately attempting to move her arms to cover her two places of virtue. Her efforts, however, were in vain because the two men who were holding her up were too powerful for her to overcome.


    As she remained naked, Lord Bali devoured every inch of her body through his lustful eyes.


    "Lord Gidha, surely you would not mind if I check her."


    It was a statement more than a question but Lord Gidha replied nonetheless,


    "Of course Lord Bali. Please proceed."


    Lord Bali motioned to his men again who then threw the girl into the ground and restrained her. The girl, as if knowing what was to come, became more terrified. She somehow found the courage to utter some words of protest,


    "please my lord, spare me.. Please.."


    She truly had a pitiable appearance on her face but Lord Bali was not moved in the slightest.


    "SILENCE WHORE!!" He thundered.


    He grabbed her by her hair and threatened, "If not for the fact that I just spent two hundred golds on you, I would have cut your tongue out. Now shut your mouth and spread your legs."


    Being threatened like that had noticeable effect on the already terrified girl and she slowly spread her legs out, tears streaming silently from her eyes.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Lord Bali moved between her now spread legs and slid two of his fingers into her vagina.


    *uuuuuuuuu*


    The girl began to weep bitterly trying desperately to hold back her voice but the Viscount paid her no mind.


    After a while, he pulled his fingers out and said to Baron Gidha,


    "Yes, she is indeed pure. I must commend you Baron Gidha. You truly kept your word."


    "Of course lord Bali. This lowly Baron wouldn''t dare of deceiving you even in his dreams!" Baron Gidha said in an exaggerated tone.


    "Well, this makes it two. Since my purchases are done, I will take my leave. You, dump that girl with the other one." the Viscount shouted his orders as he turned and made his way to the door.


    "Finally! I was wondering if he would ever leave.." the half-girlish and half-boyish voice of Lady Kriti said in a displeased tone.


    "I apologize my Lady but since he was here first, I naturally had to tend to his demands." Baron Gidha said with a business like smile.


    "Yes, yes, never mind that now.. So bring them out already, I can''t wait any longer!! ~heheh~"


    "Of course my Lady, I have already sent my men to retrieve your goods."


    Just after the Baron had finished his sentence, a cry resounded in the hall,


    "noooo.. sisterr.. ananya..noooooooo"


    This was the cry of a distraught Rosey as she was torn apart from the embrace of Ananya. Although she was quite far from the hall itself, her voice still carried over inside. Hearing this voice, the cross dressing Lord Krita began showing strange expressions..


    "~~AH~~ What a melodious voice!!" he exclaimed in pleasure, "I could listen to this all day ~~ahhh~~, such innocence and such pain.. truly ~~marvelous~~ Tell me Lord Gidha, please tell me that she is for me!!"


    "Of course my lady!! I specially procured this girl for you!" Lord Gidha eagerly replied.


    Lady Kriti giggled in response, unable to hold her excitement any longer. Suddenly, her eyes lit up!


    "Ahh.. What a magnificent doll !!"


    She began eyeing the frightened little girl who was dragged into the hall by the Baron''s men. She then moved towards her and started caressing the little girl''s cheeks, in response of which, the girl visibly flinched.


    "Little girl, cry for me again!" Lady Kriti said.


    Although Rosey had still redness and moistness in her eyes, she was no longer wailing. She began eyeing the one before her with fright and confusion.


    *WHAP*


    Out of nowhere, Lady Kriti slapped Rosey viciously.


    "I SAID CRY !!" She thundered.


    Due to the slap, Rosey''s cheeks began swelling and a sharp pain flooded her senses. And yet the little child did not gave even the smallest of sounds, as if determined to defy the vile man/woman in front of her.


    Seeing this resoluteness, Lady Kriti''s face again lit up!


    "Ahh.. What courage!! ~~AHH~~ Those fierce eyes.. I will definitely have the greatest fun in breaking you, sweet child.. ~~AHHH~~"


    Hearing this weird woman making the sounds of moan while saying such disgusting thing to a child, an ordinary person would have definitely felt his blood boil. But none of the guards present in there showed such expression. Rather, their faces were extremely cold as if the suffering of others didn''t matter in the slightest to them.


    But there was one person in the group who did not have such cold face. This person was the one who was standing in a corner with an irritated face. Incidentally, he also happened to be the one whom Baron Gidha was nervously eyeing from time to time.


    "Oye tranny, would you mind not making such creepy expressions?"


    The man who was silent up until now, finally said something.


    Lady Kriti, who was immersed in the joy of coming up with different torture techniques for the sweet little flower in front of her, was suddenly jolted into the reality by this rude words. Turning to look at the source of it, she saw an ugly looking person with a bored and irritated look on his face.


    This person had sharp black eyes and short grey hair. Judging from his face, he was undoubtedly in his late fifties. What particularly bothered Lady Kriti was that he had no respect whatsoever for her which was uncommon for the Baron''s men. But she also knew that this person was indeed associated with the Baron. This anomaly was making her unsettled.


    "You dog!! You dare call me a ''tranny''?? Baron Gidha! Does your man knows no respect!??" She fiercely spat at the Baron.


    "M.. My lady, please calm down. This esteemed person is not my man, but my guest." The Baron said nervously as if afraid to offend either of the parties.


    "Hmph!! I don''t care if he is your guest. He has offended me and he must pay the price.. Guards, quickly carve out his wretched heart out for me!!" She said with extreme fury.


    Her two guards who were previously flanking her on either sides, moved swiftly towards the bored looking man. With a swift motion of pulling out their swords, they attacked the man with an intent to behead him. However, before they could even reach within ten paces of him, a huge force struck both of them right at their hearts following which, two large chunks of meat flew out from their chests, revealing a large gaping hole at where their hearts should have been.


    It took a short time for Lady Kriti to register what happened to her two warriors, both of which were extremely powerful swordsmen.


    "This.. this..." She began to stutter.


    "Hmph! You two are a hundred years too early to carve out my heart!" the man spoke disdainfully to the two lifeless bodies who were now lying on the floor in the pool of the blood.


    "And you tranny, do you dare send more of your men to me? I was feeling bored anyway!" he mocked the Lady Kriti.


    But before she could response, Baron Gidha instantly moved forward and said,


    "Please Lady Kriti, this esteemed person is none other than Warrior Mrita."


    "Mrita the Greedy??" She muttered.


    Baron Gidha nodded his head in response and Lady Kriti''s face instantly changed colors.


    "Mightiest Warrior, please forgive this fool for not knowing your esteemed self. I trust that mightiest warrior would look over this lowly Viscount''s impudence and forgive my worthless self??"


    Lady Kriti sweetened her words to utmost degree in order to preserve her life from this fearful man. After all, who didn''t know of this vicious warrior''s temperament? So even if she had to beg in front of him, she would do precisely that.


    "Five hundred gold coins is the price of my forgiveness," Mrita said lazily.


    "Of course my lord, of course." She instantly agreed.


    Although five hundred gold coins was no small sum, it was insignificant if weighted against Lady Kriti''s own life. So she instantly agreed upon his request.


    "And you Baron, you said that you''d compensate me after your deal was over. I see that you have already made all of your deals, now hand out my money!" he said disdainfully towards the Baron.


    "Yes, yes of course esteemed warrior." Baron Gidha, with a weak voice collected the golds that he had obtained and handed a total sum of a thousand gold coins to Mrita.


    "Good!! ''Baron, with this our deal is complete, so I should be going,'' is what I would say normally but since you made me wait for this much time, I want additional recompense."


    As soon as these words were dropped, the Baron lost his colors. On one hand, it was a plain extortion and on the other hand, he could not dare offend this vicious monster in front of him so he had no other choice but to weakly comply with his request.


    "What does my esteemed warrior request of me?" He asked.


    "Bring out that girl for me."


    * * *


    Ananya was standing in the middle of a hall with two of the Baron''s men holding her in restraint. This was the only thing that was stopping her from running to her little sister Rosey who happened to be in the same room, opposite of her; frightened and injured.


    "Hateful Baron, how dare you hurt a child!? Do you have no heart at all??" She spat at the Baron.


    "Quiet whore," the Baron said extremely displeased.


    Originally, he had wanted to keep this alluring beauty all for himself but who would''ve thought that the warrior Mrita would end up asking for her before he even had a chance to taste her. This turn of events had truly displeased him to no extent. But he could do nothing against the warrior so he had no choice but to comply.


    He faced the warrior who was renowned all over the empire for his greedy nature and said with extreme respect,


    "Esteemed warrior, here''s the girl you asked for."


    "Truly a delicacy!" the warrior began eying her greedily.


    "Esteemed Warrior," Lady Kriti who had been silent, respectfully said, "I would like to ask for my leave. In the future, I hope that esteemed warrior and this lowly noble could have an amicable business cooperation."


    "Yes, yes, since I''ve already got my money, there''s no need for you to stay here tranny. Now go out of my sight."


    Even while faced with the words of disdain, the Viscount only bowed gracefully before walking towards the door while dragging his purchase clumsily.


    "Nooo.. I don''t want to go.. Sister.. Save me!! Sisterr!!" Rosey began crying while she was being dragged. She resisted furiously, with a strength that belied her age but all was in vain before the strength of the one dragging her.


    "Shut up you wretched child!!"


    Lady Kriti, who wanted nothing more than to quickly leave this place, out of the sight of the warrior Mrita, began dragging the protesting child even more furiously.


    Rosey''s clothes were in tatters, her nails broken, the sharp stones on the ground cutting her soft skin but still she didn''t give up. As if understanding that this was her last battle, she resisted with extreme force.


    *WHAP* *WHAP*


    Lady Kriti began slapping the child mercilessly. The sight of her slapping a small defenseless child was heart wrenching for Ananya who began to plead incessantly to the Baron.


    "Lord Gidha, please stop her.. Please, I will do anything but please don''t hurt little Rosey."


    When the Baron showed no indications of having heard her, she began to plead to the warrior,


    "Mighty warrior, where is your pride? How can you let that beast torture such a small child! Please save her! I beg of you."


    "Heh, why should I care what happens to a small rat? What''s in it for me?" The warrior snickered.


    "Anything!!" Ananya instantly replied without even a bit of hesitation.


    "That so?? Hehehe, then how about, you strip and spread your legs for me? If I like what I see, I might decide to do something.." he said with a lewd voice.


    "SISTER ANANYAAA.."


    Rosey was still crying for her to save her. Hearing this heart wrenching cry, it did not take Ananya long before she reached towards her clothes and with a great force, teared them apart.


    Ananya''s chest and nether regions were now laid bare for all to see. Seeing the pristine peaks of beauty on her chests and the mound of venus clumsily hidden by her hands, the warrior Mrita was already drooling through his mouth.


    "Please," she said with a voice mixed with tears, "please just save her."


    "HAHAHA,"--he pushed her into the ground forcefully--"whoever said that I''ll save her?? I only said that if I liked your body, I might decide to do something. And since I like it, I have decided to do.. YOU!!"


    "HAHAHAHAAH," the warrior erupted into a huge laughter, impressed by his own twisted humor.


    Immediately following him, other remaining people including the Baron and his men began to laugh as if enjoying the show about to begin before their eyes.


    Suddenly, the warrior stopped his laughter and grabbing his sword, hurled it into one corner of the ceiling of the hall.


    *BOOM*


    The sword thrown with a warrior of third realm''s might crashed into the ceiling making a thunderous noise, blowing up that part of ceiling completely.


    "That was a bit dangerous," said a figure descending from the place where the sword was hurled. That figure was dressed in all black from his head to toe with not even his eyes showing.


    "Who are you?" seeing this suspicious figure, the warrior Mrita who was standing besides Ananya''s naked body, said.


    "About me, let''s just say that I am your death."


    * * *


    Author''s Note:


    Hello everyone,


    This chapter was quite dark in nature. It was partly because I wanted you to show that this world is not all cookies and rainbows. Since you are reading this fiction despite of it being tagged mature, I trust you have no serious problems with that. However, do tell me if I crossed some sort of line.


    On another note, I feel that I must apologize for the delay but I was a bit tangled with my course project. Now that it is complete, I have some more time at my hands. I will have another chapter out for you guys tomorrow so please forgive me already.


    As always, if you have any suggestions or comments, drop them below. Until tomorrow then! Chao!

 Chapter 12 - Essence of Chakra

    All warriors have an aura that surrounds them. While nobody knows for sure how this aura comes to be, a widely believed theory is that they are the product of the activity of prana in one''s chakra. This theory also happens to explain why the color of a warrior''s prevailing aura is the same as the highest level of chakra that one has broken through and why the aura changes its color when the warrior uses arts from the corresponding chakra.


    For instance, if a warrior is in his first realm, then the activity of prana in his first chakra Muladhara is the highest and hence his aura is of red, same as that of Muladhara.


    Similarly, if he is in the second, water, realm his second chakra happens to be the place of activity since the first is already filled with prana of earthen element. Thus, his prevailing aura is the same color of his Swadhisthana, orange. But if the warrior of second realm uses the art of first realm, then his prevailing orange aura would change its color to red one, indicating that he is pooling prana from his first chakra.


    Progressing in this way, warrior of third realm has yellow colored prevailing aura, one of fourth realm has green and so on. Aura is a natural process for a warrior. As long as he leaves his body as it is, the prana flow in his body through his highest chakra automatically generates his prevailing aura. However, there are ways to mask it.


    Since warriors can see other warrior''s aura, they are also a means of identifying whether a person is a warrior or not. If he is a warrior, the color of aura indicates which realm he is at. The warriors who want to mask their strength forcefully reduce the flow of their prana from reaching their active chakra thereby preventing their aura from leaking out. But this is no easy feat. To interrupt one''s natural flow of prana requires a still and focused mind, devoid of any emotions, similar to what is required during one''s cultivation.


    This was precisely why the shadow was doing its all to control its emotions.


    It had somehow infiltrated the warehouse and was now situated underneath the ceiling of the hall. It was suppressing its aura with great care as it was the first thing that was required of an infiltrator. However, the shadow had doubled its efforts at masking its aura after it found out that there was a hidden warrior amongst the nobles in the hall. And it took a verbal introduction by the Baron for the shadow to find about him. Apparently, the warrior Mrita too was hiding his aura quite efficiently.


    `Ugh.. What a pain,` the shadow muttered to itself.


    Mrita was quite a famed warrior in the underground. Known for his greed of money and women which was superseded only by the viciousness of his methods, he was a fearsome warrior who was not to be taken lightly. The presence of this fiend had somehow made this infiltration ten times more complicated. Regardless, since the shadow''s objective was not to engage in combat against the nobles, all it had to do was to maintain its concentration on hiding its aura and remain observing.


    But that turned out to be quite difficult.. all because of a little girl.


    "Nooo.. I don''t want to go.. Sister.. Save me!! Sisterr!!"


    Maintain the composure.., the shadow thought to itself


    *WHAP* *WHAP* That wretched noble slapped the child mercilessly..


    Must remain calm..


    "Mighty warrior, where is your pride? How can you let that beast torture such a small child! Please save her! I beg of you."


    "That so?? Hehehe, then how about, you strip and spread your legs for me? If I like what I see, I might decide to do something.."


    Don''t be a fool. Endure..


    "SISTER ANANYAAA.."


    Stop.


    "Whoever said I would save her!?"


    *HAHAHAHAHAHA*


    It was when Mrita forcefully pushed the kind girl to the ground that something snapped inside of the shadow. No more. It could bear no more. The rage surging inside it was already boiling too much for it to suppress. At last, his restrain broke and fury flooded over its entire body. The flow of prana that it had so delicately suppressed, began circulating furiously against its meridians and its chakras and a brilliant orange aura came out bursting from within.


    SHIT!!


    Was all it could think as a sword came flying towards it with great speed. It was a miracle that it dodged the sword in time as it lept sideways from its hiding place.


    *BOOM*


    The area where it was previously hiding was obliterated.


    To face a third realm warrior.. and that idiot isn''t even with me.. what a wretched luck!!


    The shadow cursed under its breath but it was already too late. The shadow nimbly descending into the ground right in front of the warrior Mrita.


    "Who are you?" Mrita asked.


    Cool.. Say something cool..


    "About me, let''s just say that I am your death."


    Waa.. So cheesy!!!!


    * * *


    "HAHAHAHAA.... My death he says!! HAHA, boy.. you are a boy, yes"--Mrita looked at the intruder''s chest and continued--"To say such words in front a greater warrior.. you are indeed quite amusing, I will give you that.. HAHAHAHAAHA," Mrita who had a tensed expression on his face since finding about a hidden aura inside the hall, suddenly exploded in laughter.


    "What an ugly laugh you have Mrita. You know, I did hear that your face was the ugliest part about you but I got to tell you, your laugh comes a close second," the man dressed in all black said with a voice full of mockery.


    Mrita was instantly enraged. The intruder had touched a sensitive spot there, Mrita indeed had a complex about his looks.


    "What did you say bitch!! I will fucking slice you apart piece by piece and feed it to dogs you motherfucker!!!"


    He lashed out in fury. Not only did this clown interrupt him from tasting the beauty before him, he also dared mock him.


    "Hey, before you could do that, mind if I take a small time-out??" the man dressed in all black said.


    "What the fuc--"


    But before Mrita could even complete his sentence, he pulled out a knife from his body and with a sudden turn, threw it towards the exit of the warehouse.


    The knife flew towards the exit with swift speed and came into the contact of a human head.


    *SMASH*


    A scene which was similar to a watermelon exploding, occurred.


    Lady Kriti or Lord Krita, who had been standing there, stupefied from the sudden explosion of the ceiling, couldn''t even react when a knife thrown by the man dressed in black entered his skull and left it from the other side, bursting his head in the process.


    Blood and brain flew all around the place, some even showering upon the child Rosey who was close to the now dead Lady Kriti.


    "Aah, I shouldn''t have traumatized that kid further. Anyway"-- he took off his mask and his entirely black clothes and tossed his clothes towards the naked lady on the ground--"You, wrap this on your body and go comfort that child."


    When he took off his mask, the man revealed himself to be rogue warrior Asru, the disguise used by Prince Kartik!!!


    The dignified prince, who had already shed his outer black clothes and given it to Ananya to cover her body, happened to be wearing another black garment underneath which was quite thin in comparison to his outer clothing. This thin garment was revealing a highly toned body which could only be the result of an extreme training regimen. In addition, although he was using the disguise of Asru who was more than ten years older than him, there was no mistaking the noble air that was surrounding him.


    Of course, no one present had the capability of deciphering that dignified aura or they would''ve instantly known that his was no ordinary background.


    But the background of this mysterious warrior did not matter in the slightest to Ananya. Whoever he might be, Ananya was nothing but extremely grateful for his timely appearance. She clumsily wrapped her body with the cloth that he had thrown at her, thanking this mysterious warrior and her revered goddess Gauri from the bottom of her heart, and instantly dashed to the side of Rosey.


    Asru had eyes of pity as he looked at this kind woman who even at the cost of her own virtue was willing to save the pitiful little girl. Even now, she had not waited to completely cover her body by his clothes and had instead rushed hastily to the little girl''s side, a significant portion of her body still showing. Both of the girls were now weeping for the other as they remained embracing each other. Unfortunately, Asru couldn''t look at this heart warming scene longer.


    "Hmph! You dare ignore me?" Mrita bellowed.


    Red aura from his Muladhara instantly exploded out from his body as he rushed towards Asru in the hopes of ending him with a single strike.


    Asru, however, was a prudent person. How could he not be on his guard when facing a warrior of third rank?? A significant portion of his mind had remained waiting for Mrita''s unannounced attack since the start and thus he easily avoided this frontal charge.


    "You have some skills boy," Mrita remarked.


    "Oh no, in fact, I am quite weak. It''s just that you yourself are weaker." Asru mocked him.


    Mrita was visibly angered by this remark. An explosive power surged out from his Muladhara, making his muscles swell with huge power.


    "Let''s see for how long you can manage to keep that smile on your lips." Mrita snarled.


    He swung his fists towards Asru.. One, two, three, four.. but none of them connected.


    "Haha, brutes like you who only know how to swing their fists can never harm me." Asru snickered.


    He was dodging each and every single one of Mrita''s strikes with minimum movements. Contrary to Mrita, his red aura was significantly less prominent, virtually unnoticeable in Mrita''s comparison which Mrita conveniently mistook for a sign of his weakness. How was he to know that Asru was, in fact, consciously restraining his emotions and keeping his calm even when faced with an opponent who had the advantage of an entire realm against him!


    This just showed how frightening Asru''s training was. There were many warriors who only relied on their cultivation to win the fights, without using any techniques at all. These were the types that annoyed Asru the most and clearly, the one swinging his fists towards him was no different.


    "Amazing," Baron Gidha inadvertently muttered.


    He had witnessed the warriors as they fought in the tournaments so a fight between warriors should have been nothing new to him. But it was completely different!! This was the first time that he was so close to an ongoing fight between two warriors and one was even at the third realm!!


    Now that he was in the middle of it, he had a completely new understanding about how frightening the warriors really were. With each swung fists, the Baron''s face would pale, with each kick, he would struggle to maintain his consciousness. His breathing was already getting ragged. So heavy was the air inside the hall from the battling warriors'' aura that the Baron was finding it extremely hard to take even a single breath.


    "Stop dodging and fight me head on you brat!!" Mrita snapped at him.


    Won''t I die if I do that you fucking idiot! Asru thought to himself.


    Mrita''s punches were still not connecting with the nimble warrior Asru and this was making him increasingly frustrated! On the other hand, Asru was doing his utmost to keep tracks of Mrita''s movements because he knew full well that even a small mistake from his part was bound to cost him greatly. This had caused the fight to reach an equilibrium with Mrita lashing at Asru and Asru doing his best to dodge.


    Finally, Mrita decided to break this standoff by taking it up a notch!


    Although Asru had superior fighting techniques, Mrita had the advantage of an entire realm over him. But that wouldn''t have been so disadvantageous to Asru had it not been the for the fact that the difference in realm was between the water realm and the fire realm.


    When a warrior entered the first realm after being initiated by a suitable teacher, he held the ability to manipulate prana from the Muladhara. Muladhara, which is associated with earth, is the source of strength of all warriors so all warriors of first realm had a great strength. To which extent they pulled the strength from the Muladhara depended upon the control that they had over their Muladhara, the purity of prana that was flowing inside them and their bodily strength.


    But the second chakra, Swadhisthana was entirely different. Unlike other chakras, the arts of Swadhisthana could not be used for fighting purposes at all. The main feature of Swadhisthana chakra was not offense, it was vitality.


    Once Swadhisthana was activated, it greatly improved the warrior''s lifespan. This was precisely the reason why warriors of second realm and onwards had a resilient constitution and an average lifespan of about two hundred years, significantly greater than the lifespan of a normal human. In addition, Swadhisthana had other arts which influenced one''s body, like the one that Kartik was using to disguise himself as Asru i.e. "Naqaab". Thus, warriors of second realms had no significant offensive power over warriors of first realm.


    But the third realm was different. Fire was by nature a dangerous element. Therefore, the third chakra which was of Fire element i.e. Manipura was a particularly dangerous chakra. Once this chakra was activated, one''s burst power remarkably increased which significantly improved one''s offensive power. Thus warrior of third realm who possessed the explosive power of Manipura had an absolute advantage over the warriors of second realm who did not offensive power greater than those of the first realm. But since Manipura of Fire was a dangerous chakra, warriors did not tend to misuse it. Mrita, however, was too enraged to remember this small fact.


    He directed his consciousness towards the seat of fire situated below his navy and tapped into the fire of Manipura.


    The red aura that was covering Mrita suddenly changed its color to yellow, exploding to ten times its previous size.


    """Ugh"""


    The Baron and his men, who had ashen face up until now, finally collapsed when they were faced with this burning aura.


    Even Ananya and Rosey who were huddled up in each other''s arms could feel the burning sensation that was prickling their skins like a thousand needles. Ananya shielded Rosey as much as she could in front of this power at the cost of her own body. However, Rosey still felt the effects of this sinister aura. Still, she did not cry. How could she? Her big sister was using herself to shield her. There was no way that she would cry like a weak person. She bit her lips and tolerated it with a fierce resolution.


    Asru, however, was unfazed with this aura. Draped in the coolness of his own aura, he did not feel the burning to the extent that others were feeling. That did not mean, however, that he would drag this fight on. Contrarily, he wanted to end this as quick as possible because the longer it dragged, the more difficult it would be for him to come out from this ordeal alive.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Heh, looks like you are finally serious, muscle head! Fine, come at me."


    Asru invited him, unaware of the ring on his (Asru) hand that was flashing frantically.


    * * *


    HIYAAAA


    A burning prana his armor, Mrita charged at the boy who was standing with an unafraid smile.


    This time, his speed and power were ten times his previous capabilities. His fist came towards Asru''s face with the ferocity of an Emperor Tiger. Asru dodged the fist narrowly but a small part of it still grazed his cheeks.


    *SWISH*


    The punch has merely grazed him but Asru''s cheeks were instantly burnt exuding the smell of a burning flesh.


    Asru couldn''t even stop to feel his wounds because Mrita was still bombarding him with extremely vicious punches.


    As the exchange continued, Asru''s entire body began to sustain burns. His already thin clothes were now in tatters and he was getting exhausted fast. Such was the extent of Mrita''s fiery barrage that it was a miracle that Asru was able to dodge it with relatively minor injuries! But his luck would sooner or later run out. Asru felt it all too clearly. Finally sensing that it was dangerous to continue like this, he withdrew, taking out a wooden amulet in process. This amulet had an esoteric patterns engraved on it which somehow appeared to be radiating a mysterious power.


    To actually use this amulet.. chhe, that oldie is never going to let me hear the end of it.. He sighed to himself as he poured his prana into the amulet.


    The amulet began shining brightly. Moments later, a boundless power surged into Asru''s body.


    Seeing this, Mrita was flabbergasted.


    "You!! To actually possess a Yantra!! [1] Just who on earth are you?"


    His face which was brimming with confidence up until now was extremely unsightly. He was now actually afraid of this warrior who was an entire realm below him because there was no way that a person who possessed a Yantra could be of a normal background.


    "Oh, already getting forgetful are we? Didn''t I tell you earlier? I''m your death!!"


    This time, it was Asru who charged towards the burning Mrita but this charge was completely different from before. Asru, who was already quite fast and nimble for his cultivation was now hundreds of time faster!! To the extent that Mrita was incapable of even following him with his eyes. All he could feel was a fierce tempest rage in his vicinity that seemed to blow everything apart.


    *dab*


    *dab*


    *dab*


    Many such light hits rained on Mrita''s body and he was totally incapable of stopping it because the one who was raining the dabs was moving like the air itself!! In but a couple of breaths, a total of one thousand and twenty four hits landed on Mrita''s body and his fierce burning aura all but disappeared.


    *PLOP*


    Mrita dropped to the ground unconscious and the tempest that raged earlier stopped. With the burning fire and the raging tempest both now calmed, the atmosphere of the warehouse finally calmed.


    "Huff.. Huff.. Crazy! What speed!!" said Asru, who was breathing with extreme effort. It was evident that even standing upright took a great deal of effort for him.


    He spared a look at the now unconscious Mrita and muttered bitterly,


    "This bastard.. Huff.. forcing me to use it!"


    His steps already heavy, he moved slowly towards the girls who were huddled together at the corner.


    "Both of you alright?" Asru moved closer to them and asked.


    "Is.. is it over?" The one to speak was Ananya.


    "Yes. I have sealed his meridians and it would be some hours before he wakes up." Asru glanced back towards Mrita who was still unconscious.


    Ananya finally took a long look at the one in front of her. What appeared in her sight was a man of twenty five to thirty who had the most part of his face and body badly burnt.


    "I am soo.. *hic* sorry.."


    Now that the sense of danger was gone, Ananya finally let her feelings out. She was scared, deeply scared. Her eyes began flooding the water of bad memories as she recalled everything that happened on this night.


    "What are you--"


    "You.. got *hic*.. so badly injured.. because of us.. *WAAAA*" She began crying.


    "Oye oye!! Why are you crying!! Oye! Stop!!" Asru frantically tried to stop the beautiful girl from bawling her eyes out. And it so happened that because her sister was crying, Rosey too began to cry..


    ""WAAAA""


    Asru was getting more and more uncomfortable as the two girls cried loudly in harmonics. Unable to endure it any longer, Asru ripped his tattered clothes and said in a loud voice,


    "Look!! I said look!!!"


    Ananya, jolted awake from Asru''s loud voice, looked towards his now naked upper body. His body was covered with cuts, burns and bruises everywhere. She flinched and withdrew her gaze immediately and began sobbing again..


    "I said LOOK DAMMIT!!"


    Asru shouted. He just wanted the girls to stop crying already.


    Still afraid, both Ananya and Rosey looked towards him. To their utmost surprise, the different cuts and burns on his body were already healing!!


    "See, I heal quite fast, so.. just.. don''t cry okay?" He pleaded.


    Unexpectedly, Asru happened to be unable to endure the tears of women. Taking this into consideration, it could be considered an extreme show of restrain for him to manage to keep his emotions in check while he was spying on the nobles earlier.


    Asru who was beginning to smile while looking at the stupefied faces of the girls in front of him, suddenly sensed something. Immediately, he lunged himself towards the two girls as he bellowed,


    "GET DOWN!!"


    * * *


    An inferno blazed inside the hall which instantly burned the air inside the hall.


    The Baron and his men, who were lying unconsciously on the ground, were instantly disintegrated into nothingness due to the inferno.


    "!!!"


    Asru showed an extremely alarmed expressions as he looked at the source of this raging hell-fire. To his horror, the warrior Mrita whose meridians should have been completely sealed by him was being devoured by the blaze.


    "MOTHERFUCKER!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!!" Asru shouted.


    Although he, along with the two girls, was wrapped inside his aura, this time he could feel the extremely hot fire burning through his skin.


    "HAHAHAAHAAHAHA" the warrior Mrita began to laugh loudly!!


    "YOU THINK YOU WON BRAT!?? SO WHAT IF YOU SEALED MY MERIDIANS!! I, MRITA, WOULD EVEN COURT DEATH IF IT MEANS THAT I CAN TAKE YOU WITH ME!! HAHAHA"


    To force prana through the blocked meridians.. No it was impossible!! Even his teacher had never heard of such a thing.. Then how could this idiot of a warrior accomplish it!?


    If it is not the prana.. FUCK! Can it be!?


    Careless, he was too careless.. This possibility was entirely overlooked by him!! Who would''ve thought that the bastard would end up using the essence of his chakra!! But was it really his fault that he overlooked it?? After all, how could a muscle head like this Mrita ever tap into the essence of the chakras!? Clearly, he could not.. Then this meant only one thing..


    He ate it!? SHIT !!!


    "YOU CRAZY FUCKER!! YOU ATE IT!! YOU FUCKING ATE *IT* !?? ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!!"


    Asru bellowed over the sound of the blazing fire but Mrita paid him no mind. He already knew that this was the end of his life when he gulped the pill that was forbidden to all warriors. But he didn''t mind. If sacrificing his body meant that he could get his revenge upon the one who humiliated him, it was well worth it!


    With fire beginning to devour his own body, Mrita slowly moved towards the three people. With each of his steps, the heat of the inferno that was raging from his body began attacking Asru and the rest.


    RUN !! was what came first into Asru''s mind but one look at the girls behind him instantly dispelled it. The only thing that was preventing the inferno from devouring these two girls was Asru''s protection. Any movement from his part would destabilize this protection and the fire would undoubtedly disintegrate the two of them. Asru was in a quandary.


    Mrita was already within ten paces of Asru and was inching ever closer. To prevent the two that were behind him, Asru had consciously directed his aura towards them, thinning his own protection. As a result, his own body was suffering greatly. His skin was beginning to peel off and his whole body seemed to be on fire.


    This suffering only intensified as Mrita moved nearer to him. Asru was now sure that the moment Mrita moved within five paces of him, all three of them would burn to their deaths.


    Seven paces,


    Mrita could see the fearfulness in the boy''s eyes. At this moment, his own body was going through a great deal of pain but seeing the fear in his opponent''s eyes, somehow ended up soothing him.


    Six paces,


    The pain was extremely fierce, like every inch of his body was being cooked in the pits of hell itself! But he had to endure. How could he lose his consciousness when he was so close to witnessing the annihilation of his enemy. Only one pace now and nothing would remain of the brat but ashes.


    One step, one single step and he could see the ashes.


    He just had to take a single step.


    One step and he could die in peace.


    Move !!


    Why won''t his leg move!!


    What is this feeling!?


    This feeling of dread!?


    Two eyes.. Two blood red eyes came into his vision. As to who they belonged to,


    NOO!! SHIT!! WHAT!! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!!!


    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!


    * * *


    "I.. I''m alive?" Asru said with surprise.


    When Mrita had raised his leg to take the final step, Asru had closed his eyes in the anticipation of death. But even after waiting for a long time, it didn''t come to pass. Not only that, the unbearable heat from before that was melting his skins off was now gone. When he opened his eyes, what he saw was a stupefied Mrita standing five paces away from him.


    "Huh!?" Asru felt that something was odd because Mrita, whose skin had already melted and whose bones were showing had a terrified expression on what still remained of his face. As to what he was so terrified of, Asru followed his now petrified eyes and saw the reason.


    A pair of blood red eyes which seemed to contain a boundless terror within them. The owner of these eyes was a youth... probably. Asru deduced so from his build because his mouth was covered with a red scarf and of his face, only his eyes were showing.


    "Who.. are you?"


    Asru asked with fear. It was strange, why was he feeling such fear from this person?


    "..."


    The person, did not reply. Instead, it moved towards the two girls that Asru was guarding. Asru, unconsciously gave him a path.


    As the youth began to examine the girl, Asru volunteered some information,


    "They are unconscious due to the heat. I shielded them as much as I could. Hopefully their body isn''t damaged much."


    "Thanks for protecting them."


    "Huh?" A sound unconsciously escaped from his mouth.


    Truthfully, Asru hadn''t hoped for a reply. But seeing that the youth gave one anyway, he instantly felt ashamed of his own response.


    "*ahem*.. I mean.. don''t mention it."


    Since Asru was facing the youth''s back, he no longer felt the fear that came from looking at his eyes.


    "Have you killed him?" Asru asked looking towards Mrita who still showed no signs of consciousness.


    "No. But he can do no harm right now." the youth replied.


    "Ahh.. I must thank you then. There are some things that I needed to ask of him. Can you bring him back.. from.. ugh.. you know.."


    "He will wake up after a while. Although, I don''t know if he would be able to answer your questions." the youth said.


    Even now, that person was facing his back towards Asru, meticulously checking the bodies of the girls for any signs of damage. This, however, worked in the favor of Asru because there was no way that he could have conversed with the youth to such an extent if he were facing those eyes.


    Finally, after examining the girls'' bodies for quite a while, the youth turned back.


    Again, the strange sense of fear flooded his mind when Asru saw those blood red eyes. Forcefully calming his emotions, he somehow managed to lessen its effect.


    "Interesting.." the youth remarked while observing Asru''s face intently.


    By now, Asru''s face had already healed but his body still had the burns that he had incurred from before.


    "umm.. what.." Asru asked in a small voice, inadvertently squinting his eyes.


    But the youth totally ignored him.


    "Take these girls back to their places. And apply these herbs to your wounds, they''ll help with the burns." the youth tossed him some herbs which Asru tried to catch but failed. He was really too shaken up by this youth in front of him.


    He somehow managed to pick the herbs from the ground, hiding his embarrassment and doing his utmost to prevent himself from trembling at the same time.


    "Thanks." Asru weakly muttered.


    "I shall take my leave then. If we meet again in future, then I--" the youth couldn''t complete his sentence, because of a booming voice..


    "YOOOOOOOUUURRRRR HIIIIGHHHHNESSSS!!!"


    "Oh shit!" Asru said while the center of the ceiling of the warehouse exploded and a man of powerful build  came crashing down from it.


    "WHO DARE HURT YOU!!!" A furious looking Krishna bellowed while his yellow aura exploded into the hall.


    * * *


    Notes:


    [1] Yantra: A geometrical object with an engraved pattern above it, used to worship dieties in tantra. It''s basically a name that I''ve decided to give to the amulets that contains inherents arts (like the one that Sesha has).


    Author''s Notes:


    Hello everyone,


    Although I did not explicitly name him but I trust you guys already know the name of this mysterious owner of the  blood red eyes. Yeah, figured. Anyways, do tell me how do you feel about the Eyes of Petrification (OP much?)


    Also, I know that most of you would feel biased towards Sesha but in my personal opinion, Kartik (Asru) is the man of this chapter. Prudent, Brave, Chivalrous, Talented.. overall a real warrior. Won''t you agree?


    With this chapter, the fight finally comes to an end (or does it?). There will be some time (4-5 days) before I can publish another chapter so try and restrain your pitchforks as much as you can.


    Finally, let me know about any critiques, suggestions, erratas, or other stuffs that you might have to say (believe it or not, I actually go through all of them). Until next time then!

 Conversation I: Swadhisthana

    This isn''t a chapter per se. Think of it as some sort of side-story (a side-conversation if you will). Over the course of this story, there will be many such conversations between Sesha and Rudra where the master will be teaching (you) Sesha about the yoga itself. You can skip this conversation but if you do so, you won''t have a complete understanding about why Sesha knows the things that he knows and does the things that he does.


    Finally, I think that this particular conversation belongs somewhere before Chapter 12. I will move it there as soon as I figure out how.


    * * *


    Time: Few months after Nagini left the Dark forest.


    Rudra, who was sitting before his disciple in a lotus position, said to him,


    "Sesha, today I will explain to you about Swadhisthana."


    "But master, haven''t you already explained about Swadhisthana to me before?" a puzzled Sesha asked.


    "No. What I have previously taught you about the water chakra can only said to be elementary. Besides, now that you have stepped into the water realm yourself, it is high time you learned to use the Swadhisthana."


    After his master had spoken, Sesha suppressed any other questions he had and instead began to intently listen to his master, not wanting to ignore even a single word.


    Rudra reiterated the elementary knowledge about the Swadhisthana chakra; like its six petaled structure, the crescent shape inscribed within it and its color. Apart from that, he also repeated about its attributes, its bodily location and the meridians that entered and exited it.


    After explaining the basic things once again, Rudra concluded,


    "But you know these things already. What you do not yet know, are the benefits of Swadhisthana. Young Sesha, many disciples tend to belittle Swadhisthana because it does not have any offensive arts associated with it. Of course, they are utterly mistaken. Despite of not having any attacking arts, the water chakra is extremely important, if not the most important, for a disciple. Do you know why?"


    Rudra asked with his eyes raised. Sesha replied in an unsure tone.


    "Is it because Swadhisthana is extremely passive?"


    Seeing his disciple answer such a profound (vague) question with an equally profound (vague) answer, his master couldn''t help but give a chuckle.


    "Haha, you really are an observant pupil Sesha. It is indeed what you say. The other six chakras of the body can not be used rashly or they will have severe repercussions. Manipura, the fire, being the most dangerous of them all. But Swadhisthana in contrast, is an extremely forgiving chakra. Even if you are a bit excessive in using this chakra, you will not suffer any serious bodily harm. In this aspect, it takes after the water element, cool and forgiving.


    "With this property of the Swadhisthana, it is the most suitable chakra to practice the control of essence."


    "Essence, master?" Sesha asked.


    "Oh right, you do not know about essence of chakra right? Think of it this way, essence is the purest form of prana that a chakra holds. You know that Muladhara holds the prana of earthen nature right? Then essence of Muladhara would be the embodiment of earth itself. Each chakra holds such essence of its own. It is this essence, in fact, which inspire the prana''s nature. For example, if prana that you intake from the universe, enters the Muladhara, it acquires earthen nature due to being in contact of the essence of Muladhara. Similarly, if it enters Swadhisthana, it acquires nature of water due to it being in contact with the essence of Swadhisthana.


    "Normally, a yogi does not touch these essences. After all, if the essence of a chakra depletes, the chakra becomes useless as it would not then be able convert the pure prana into its equivalent attribute resulting in the waste of the yogi''s entire cultivation. But if and when a yogi uses it, the effects of using the essence itself is at least a thousand times more potent than when using the elemental prana from the chakra.


    "This is also the reason why the essence is dangerous. If not controlled properly, it would rage over the yogi''s entire body devouring it in process. For instance, if you were to misuse the essence of Muladhara, your entire body will harden to the point that even the softest touch would shatter you. This is the reason why I did not teach you about the essences when you were still in the first realm lest you became overly curious. But now is different.


    "Since you have already opened your Swadhisthana, I can begin to show you the usages of its essence. It is not entirely void of dangers but compared to other chakras, Swadhisthana is so forgiving that these dangers are extremely minute."


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Rudra looked at Sesha who had a face full of understanding. This made him happy because the things that he had said in such a short span of time were indeed a little difficult. Even if he knew that his disciple had an outstanding memory and perception, an effect of his innately open third eye, he was a little afraid that his teachings would exceed his disciple''s understanding. Clearly, it was not the case. Sesha had listened to and absorbed every single word that he had said. With a satisfied smile befitting a proud master of a perceptive disciple, he proceeded to the next part of his teachings.


    "Since these essences are so powerful, how many yogis among a thousand do you think have used essences from a chakra at least once?" Rudra asked his disciple.


    "How many master?"


    "None." Rudra replied simply and added, "Even among a hundred thousand yogis, only a single one has used his essence at least once in his entire life."


    "Master, are the dangers from essence so much that not even a single one among a thousand would dare  tap into it?" Sesha was perplexed.


    Even if the dangers of using these essences were quite a lot, Sesha had expected a larger number from his master. Besides, didn''t his master say that using essence from Swadhisthana was almost harmless?


    "My disciple, it is not that they would not dare use the essences, it is that they can not use it. Do you perhaps think that using such a potent power is so easy that anyone could do it at his will?


    "The essence itself is the embodiment of nature and wielding the power of nature can only be described as divine. Naturally, not every one is capable to wield it!"


    "Umm.. master, can I use it?" Sesha inquired.


    "Haha, of course you can!! Do you not know whose disciple you are!! In but a span of ten years, you will be an adept at using your essence at will!!" Rudra laughed at his innocent disciple''s question as he sensed his disciple''s fear of disappointing his master.


    "But master.. Won''t it harm my cultivation if I were to use it so freely!?"


    "Indeed it will! But tell me this, young Sesha. Would you use it so frivolously?"


    "Of course not master !!" Sesha said unhesitatingly.


    At his disciple''s reply, the master''s face broke into one of smile.


    "See, since you know the dangers of using the essence yourself, I am sure that you''ll use it sparingly. Besides, you happen to have a larger amount of essence in each of your activated chakra save for the Ajna, so there should be no danger to your cultivation whatsoever."


    Sesha''s face showed that him possessing a larger amount of essence was a news to him. But before he could ask his master anything about that, his master had already continued.


    "It took you not more than one and a half year to conquer your Muladhara and within next five months, you opened your Swadhisthana. It has been but a couple of months since then but your progress with Swadhisthana could only be said as astonishing. I am confident that within another two years, you would completely conquer the Swadhisthana. However, I do not want you to continue like this.


    "From now onwards, you are to cultivate your control over the essence of Swadhisthana. After you have perfected your control of Swadhisthana''s essence, you will then cultivate the essence of Muladhara. Even with your talents, I suspect it would take you five years to completely control the essence of Swadhisthana (AN: it took him two years) and then ten years to control the essence of Muladhara (AN: It took him three years).


    "Only after you have mastered the essences, will I allow you to cultivate further. Do you understand young Sesha? Even after you have left this forest, you must always cultivate the essences as early as possible. And beware my disciple, there are some forbidden medicines that allow one to use the power of essences for a short while but you must, at all cost, avoid them! These medicines provide a lure of great power but if you use them, they would undoubtedly cripple you, if not kill you! You must not become impatient while walking the path of yogic cultivation!"


    Rudra sternly commanded him! This disciple of his was extremely important to him. As such, he did not want Sesha to make a foolish mistake and end up crippled or dead.


    "Since I have said everything that I needed to say, I will now show you the method of essence cultivation..."

 Chapter 13 - Seshas strength

    Swadhisthana chakra has a special importance to warriors. Apart from being so useful in essence cultivation, Swadhisthana houses the prana of water element which strongly resonates with a warrior''s body which itself contains water in abundance.


    It is this relationship between Swadhisthana and a warrior''s body that enables warriors to use its prana to augment their body. If used to augment his eyes, a warrior''s vision rivals that of an eagle. If used on his auditory sense, he could easily listen to things being spoken at a great distance.


    What would then happen, if one were to augment his sense of smell using Swadhisthana? The answer to this question was the reason why Sesha was running towards a forsaken warehouse with a red scarf clutched in his hands.


    As to how the red scarf came to be in Sesha''s possession, it belonged to Ananya and had given to Sesha by an sceptic Vaishali who, if not for the circumstances being dire, would have definitely attacked Sesha with much more than words before allowing him to make himself scarce.


    What a fearsome girl.


    Sesha still remembered the exchange that had taken place between himself and Vaishali before he had left the partially damaged Scented Rose.


    Sesha: Could you give me something that is laced with Ananya''s scent? Preferably her inner clothing??


    Vaishali: You want her undergarments??


    Sesha: Yes.


    Vaishali: (anger creeping into her face) Why??


    Sesha: I need something that has her scent in abundance..


    Vaishali: You want to sniff her undergarments??


    Sesha: Yes.


    Vaishali: (with a furious expression) WHY???


    Sesha: (cowering a little before her gaze) Umm.. her scent... to.. find.. her..


    Vaishali: (almost punching him) YOU REALLY WANT HER UNDERGARMENTS???


    Sesha: ... ye... no, No.. actually, anything with her scent would do..


    For the life of him Sesha hadn''t been able to figure out why Vaishali had looked at him with such disgust for merely asking an undergarment. Sesha''s reason was, after all, sound. Undergarments did indeed contain the richest smell of a human body making it easier to track a person. Vaishali''s reaction had been quite mean towards him. Though, in her defense, had it been some other time, the playful Vaishali would would really have sneaked one or two the forbidden clothing of her sister Ananya for pure mischief. But her mistress was gravely injured and she was in no mood for jokes.


    Speaking of her mistress...


    Really, that woman is quite tenacious.. and she''s not even a warrior !


    Sesha had already been at a hand''s distance away from the Scented Rose''s mistress and in no way could a warrior of Air realm or less have escaped his eyes at that distance. As such, Sesha had concluded with confidence that either she was not a warrior or she was at the fifth realm, Void realm, or greater and was deliberately hiding her aura or using a powerful seal of suppression. Somehow, Sesha was convinced that it was the first case.


    However, precisely due to that reason, he couldn''t help but be appalled at her vitality.


    Perhaps she took some herbs?


    Yes, that had to be the case! How else could she not die despite of such severe internal injuries? That sort of regenerative power only came if one used the essence of Swadhisthana to heal his damage. She, however, was not a warrior and consequently could not use the prana from Swadhisthana Chakra let alone its essence.


    But still, it would take her a week.. no, two weeks to recover.. I wonder if I the right thing..


    Immersed in his thoughts, Sesha was making a beeline towards the warehouse at a speed which could easily shame even the fastest of the horses. Suddenly, he felt something.


    Five people. One here, four ahead..


    Sesha calculated at once. Right now, his senses could be said to be inhuman and nothing could escape him, let alone a bunch who couldn''t even properly hide their presence. However, despite of sensing them so early, Sesha did not stop. Nor did he evade their path. He just continued on forward as if nothing was amiss.


    "HALT !!"


    A man suddenly stopped Sesha. This man was carrying a long spear on his hand and by his ruthless face, one could feel that this man had killed quite a lot.


    Sesha was yet to reach the warehouse. In fact, he was quite a distance away from it. Why then was this man stopping his path?


    The reason was because the Baron, being an extremely prudent person, had stationed many of his men at some distance to the warehouse. They were there to signal the Baron if any anomaly occurred; like an uninvited carriage or a platoon of soldiers. Sesha, however, was neither of them. He was just a...


    "Child," the guard said, "do not move forward. Turn around and return at once."


    The fact that this man had even bothered to warn this child could be said to be an extraordinary occurrence already. Had it not been a single child, the guard would have immediately notified the Baron and his men instead of confronting him like this. Sesha''s appearance of a pubescent child had thoroughly fooled him into overlooking his duties.


    "No. I am in search for a friend who is being kept at that building. I won''t return." Sesha stated in a matter of fact tone, looking towards the warehouse.


    Whom did the warehouse belong to? Of course the guard knew that. Not only that, he also knew what the owner of the building was currently doing in there. To offer a chance to the kid before him already exceeded the extent of mercy that he was willing to show.


    Without any further warning whatsoever, the guard thrust his spear at Sesha with the intent of piercing his heart.


    Naturally, the spear did not connect. Rather, it hit the empty air. Surprised at the evasion of his strike, the guard attempted to regain his footing and strike at him once again but before the guard could even recover, his chest exploded and blood rained in all direction.


    The guard couldn''t even feel it but after swiftly evading the spear, Sesha had taken a step forward, and  punched the guard on his chest. This exchange had not even lasted for a heartbeat.


    "Chhe!" Sesha made a displeased expression at the body lying on the ground before continuing forward.


    Why did Sesha have this displeased look about his face? It was not because he had killed the man. It was because he had not wanted to kill the man.


    Spending his life in the forest, Sesha didn''t have much combat experience. More appropriately, he did not have combat experience against a human. He had indeed fought with many beasts in the forest as per his master''s order, to hone his fighting ability but every single one of those beasts had been vicious and ruthless, not to mention ridiculously strong.


    But humans? Sesha had known only recently that humans were quite weak. To the point that even if he were to limit his strength to his absolute minimum, he would still end up killing them. For comparison, the punch that Sesha had just landed on the guard would at most ruffle some furs of an Iron Ape, a relatively weak beast of the forest. Not burst open his chest like that !!!


    A yogi must have a complete control of his strength. One who can not contain his power is no better than a beast, was his master''s teaching. Naturally, Sesha would never do anything that would go against his master''s words. Thus, he wanted to have an absolute control over his powers, which is to say, his opponent must die if he willed it and not if he did not will it. But much to Sesha''s displeasure, the latter was had not been the case.


    Reminding himself to limit his power even further, he continued forward. By now, he had already wrapped the scarf around his face. His master did not want Sesha to show his full strength before others until he was strong enough. Although Sesha was far from using the full extent of his powers, he still felt that he should be more prudent by not revealing himself.


    Before he could even reach the warehouse, Sesha felt a strong fire aura emanating from its direction, as if someone was battling inside there. Weak though it was, Sesha also felt a small water aura.


    Fight between warriors of Water and Fire realm? Sesha thought to himself.


    But before he could confirm it, four soldiers instantly surrounded him.


    This time, none of them spoke any word at all. They just charged at the masked intruder with killing intent.


    Swords and spears rained on Sesha but he nimbly dodged every single one of them. However, dodging was not the only thing that he did.


    *BANG*


    Chest did not explode and blood did not rain but a man died still. Although Sesha had visibly reduced his power even further, the body of the soldier that he punched still dropped at the ground lifelessly.


    Sesha was not here to kill anyone. He simply wanted to rescue Ananya. Killing a person without him wanting to kill was not pleasing Sesha in the least. With an annoyed expression, he continued.


    Three guards were still remaining and they were charging at him despite of witnessing their comrade''s death.


    *HIYAAA*


    One of the guard raised his sword high above his head and swung it down to Sesha''s head with the intent to smash it open. Sesha nimbly sidestepped and punched him lightly on his rib.


    *WHAM*


    He dropped on the ground with eyes devoid of life.


    Why are they dying!!! Sesha shouted inwardly


    From among the two remaining soldiers, one sneaked up behind Sesha and thrust his sword towards his unguarded back. Unfortunately for the one who did the thrusting, it was not fast enough.


    Sesha took a turn, his back grazing the side of the sword and carefully elbowed the side of the soldier''s face.


    *SMASH*


    The soldier''s head rotated to an unnatural degree as life escaped him.


    "What the ...!!" Sesha almost shouted something that would have undoubtedly earned him a disapproving gaze from his master. Understandably, his inability of not killing his opponent was beginning to annoy him extremely.


    In this frustration, he lashed out at the remaining soldier but midway he realised that he had applied too much power to his blow.


    Realizing his mistake, he hastily stopped his fist before it landed on the now stunned soldier. It was by a hair''s width that Sesha''s punch had failed to connect to its target.


    Just as Sesha was about to breathe a sigh of relief,


    *BANG*


    A loud sound burst from his fist blowing the guard a great distance !!


    "WHAT IN THE NAME OF.. !!" Sesha now clearly shouted at this blown enemy. Even after stopping his fist at the last moment, the man still ended up.. dead?


    Sesha moved towards the guard who had flown from Sesha''s unintended blow and inspected him.


    Alive??


    Sesha was stunned at first. He had stopped his fist in time but somehow Sesha had ended up punching so fast that the air itself had exploded before his fist, blowing the guard back!


    But now when he inspected the last man, he found that the man was still alive.. although not entirely unscathed. He would still die after a while but at least it won''t be an immediate death like his other soldiers. Sesha was clearly showing progress.. probably.


    "Phew!" he finally breathed a breath of victory. Finally, he had managed to not kill a human at once!! The method itself had been an accident but now that Sesha thought about it, he felt that it was quite interesting.


    Just when he was trying to memorize the details of that last punch, a huge fiery aura bursted out from inside the warehouse..


    "Essence of Manipura!!" Sesha exclaimed!!


    * * *


    "Inferno!"


    Was the first thing that Sesha thought after he had kicked open the nearly burnt door of the warehouse. And the one who was in the center in this inferno was a half burned man who almost looked like he was laughing despite of hardly having a face on his head.


    It was only a split second after that Sesha noticed three people cowering inside an Orange aura. He understood the entire situation in a flash. A hundred different methods instantly surged inside his head to suppress this raging fire but he picked up the fastest among them.


    Sesha''s dark eyes instantly became red like the color of blood as a great feeling of power came inside him. With the activation of these eyes, Sesha felt like a mighty god looking at lesser beings scuttling about. It was as if he knew that each and every single one of them would bow before him if he so much as wished it. As if the earth itself was quivering before his gaze like a timid maiden, fearful of a new master.


    Sesha gazed at the burning man with his now blood red eyes. A powerful feeling surged into his eyes and he willed this power towards the man.


    It was nary an instant before Sesha''s eyes activated but the burning man stopped in his tracks. He had been completely suppressed by Sesha.


    What a fearsome power!! Sesha mused to himself.


    He did not use these eyes too much due to his master''s explicit orders of restrain. In fact, this was the third time that Sesha had used these eyes in his entire life. But whenever he did use it, he would end up remembering why exactly the gods had banished the basilisks to the Dark Forest. So fearsome was this technique that perhaps even they themselves had feared it !!


    Sparing a glance at the now stunned man, Sesha wondered whether he overdid it before dropping the thought entirely out of his mind.


    The raging inferno inside the room too instantly vanished along with the man''s consciousness. With the sound of the blazing fire now gone, the room became eerily calm.


    "I.. I''m alive?" said the man who had been at the source of the protective aura of the Swadhisthana.


    After intently gazing at the present condition of the room, the man stood up and asked Sesha,


    "Who.. are you?"


    Isn''t this Asru?


    Sesha instantly recognized the rogue warrior who had been one of the notable warriors of the otherwise boring tournament.


    Right now, this rogue warrior had sustained burns and wounds all over his body due to him taking the most of the outburst from Manipura.


    Even though Sesha wasn''t exactly *using* his eyes, they were still the color of blood from before which was why the rogue warrior was trembling quite a lot before him.


    Sesha remembered that Asru had asked him his identity. Of course, he couldn''t reveal it.


    I wonder if I should give a false name. Sesha thought to himself.


    For a couple of seconds, Sesha tried coming up with a false name but none were to his liking.. When he finally decided to give up on conjuring a cool name, Sesha noticed that Asru was still waiting for his reply. This made Sesha quite awkward and to hide it, he decided to ignore the rogue warrior. Without answering his question, Sesha went towards the two girls at the back.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Sesha bent down to take a look at them. He recognized Ananya right away but it was a while before he noticed a small girl who was being clutched protectively inside Ananya''s tight embrace.


    Rosey!! What is she doing here!! Sesha was alarmed to discover this small child here.


    Not only that, her face was showing unmistakable signs of injuries indicating that someone had hit her rather ruthlessly. This, for some reason, made him furious.


    "They are unconscious due to the heat, I shielded them as much as I could. Hopefully their body isn''t damaged much."


    Asru''s words snapped Sesha out of the fury that was starting to take root inside him. From the start, he was quite thankful to Asru for protecting Ananya.. but now that Sesha saw that Rosey too was protected by him, he couldn''t help but offer a heartfelt gratitude.


    "Thanks for protecting them."


    "Huh? *ahem*.. I mean.. don''t mention it." Asru replied.


    Sesha inspected both Ananya and Rosey closely. Rosey, except for the injuries on her face, was unharmed save for one or two small burns on her body. Ananya had shielded her from the greater part of the fire. But precisely due to that, Ananya''s back had burnt quite badly. It was evident to him that if not treated, her wounds could really be fatal. In fact, even if they were treated, it would undoubtedly require two or three painful months before it could heal completely.


    Ananya had only suffered this much damage because she had placed herself in front of the child. If not for her protection, Rosey, small that she was, would have definitely lost her life. This stirred something inside Sesha''s heart and he, deciding on something, lightly touched Ananya''s exposed back with his finger.


    Ananya was unconscious so she could not feel it but had she been awake, she would have undoubtedly enjoyed the cool and gentle wave of energy rapidly surging inside her body through her back, healing her back first and then her entire body. The wounds that should have taken Ananya many weeks to completely heal were now rapidly fading to the point that not even scars remained where there had been severe burns.


    Sesha had, somehow, healed Ananya with a mere touch of his hands. What was even more amazing was the speed of the process. Not even Asru, who was standing not a great distance from both of them, could notice the healing process. But in his defense, he hadn''t really been paying attention to Sesha and the girls. Instead, his gaze was checking the now fallen warrior Mrita.


    "Have you killed him?", Asru finally broke the calm of the room.


    "No," Sesha replied, "but he can do no harm right now."


    "Ahh.. I must thank you then. There are some things that I needed to ask of him. Can you bring him back.. from.. ugh.. you know.."


    Stupor? Sesha completed Asru''s question in his mind.


    "He will wake up after a while. Although, I don''t know if he would be able to answer your questions." He  replied honestly.


    In the first place, the man had been burnt so badly that his being alive was a miracle in itself. That, coupled with the fact that Sesha had just used his *eyes* on him meant that it would be at least some weeks before the man would be able say anything at all.


    Sesha looked at the two girls some more and then turned back towards Asru.


    As he looked the twenty five-ish year old warrior Asru, Sesha noticed a peculiar thing about him which had somehow escaped his notice earlier. With the *eyes* that Sesha possessed, he noticed that the warrior Asru''s face had interesting traces of prana from the second chakra Swadhisthana.


    Sesha unwittingly blurted,


    "Interesting.."


    "umm.. what.." Asru asked in a small voice and withdrew his gaze.


    Why is he so timid?


    The warrior who Sesha had witnessed at the tournament a day earlier had been swift. He had used great precision to incapacitate his opponent with the smallest amount of prana. If not for this encounter, Sesha would never have believed that this warrior was, in fact, so timid. Amusingly, Sesha had forgot that his eyes were still *red*, a small side effect of him using the art of Ajna a while earlier.


    Sesha decided to feign ignore Asru''s unsettled appearance which could be said as him being considerate.


    "Take these girls back to their places. And apply these herbs to your wounds, they''ll help with the burns." Sesha tossed a few herbs at him which he knew were effective for the burns.


    Asru fumbled with the catch and dropped the herbs but then immediately picked them up from the grounds and offered him his thanks.


    "I shall take my leave then. If we meet again in future, then I--" would definitely remember you, was what Sesha would have said if he was not interrupted by a loud booming voice.


    "YOOOOOOOUUURRRRR HIIIIGHHHHNESSSS!!!"


    "Oh shit!" Asru said as the ceiling came crashing down from above along with a man.


    "WHO DARE HURT YOU!!!" A furious looking man, whom Sesha instantly recognized as the one named Krishna, the Royal retainer of prince Kartik was now standing before the both of them.


    All of a sudden, a fierce fire aura exploded from Krishna which instantly covered the entirety of the room while leaving only Asru out of it. If it had been some other time, Sesha would have been quite amused with the control that this furious Krishna was showing with his aura but right now, he did not have the luxury.


    Sesha instantly jumped between the girls and Krishna spreading out his water realm. Krishna''s aura was even more potent than Mrita''s and had Sesha not protected the girls, they would have definitely suffered a much more vicious burn this time.


    Krishna, looking at his prince''s disguised body which had a lot of wounds and burns and the third warrior standing before him, easily concluded what had transpired here. Unfortunately, he was wrong, so very wrong!


    * * *


    Krishna always worried about Kartik. First, there was the fact that his prince had a strange habit of infiltrating dangerous establishments and apprehending criminals but what was even more troubling than that was Kartik''s absolute order to never accompany him during his dangerous adventures.


    At first, Krishna had demanded that the prince stop such foolhardy missions and leave this work to the royal army or even to Krishna himself but Kartik hadn''t budged. Although Krishna found it extremely frustrating at times, Kartik was still his prince and he had to obey his prince''s orders, thus, he begrudgingly restrained himself from accompanying him.


    This would have made Krishna exasperated had he not found a loophole in his prince''s absolute words. Kartik had explicitly ordered him to not accompany him, but he had said nothing about not protecting him or rescuing him in dangerous circumstances.


    Therefore, Krishna always used to keep an eye out for his prince from a safe distance. Whenever his prince would get himself in danger, he would appear to rescue him in time.. or at least that''s what he had initially thought. Over all the years that Krishna kept a close eye on his prince, much to Krishna''s amazement, Kartik had never gotten himself into trouble. Not even once!!


    It was only then that Krishna had realized just how formidable his prince was. He was calm, collected, prudent and always kept his wits about him even in the direst of circumstances. So impressed was he by his prince that Krishna had ended up teaching the most secret art of disguise of his clan to his prince; an act which he would have never done for any other outsider.


    Over the years, Krishna had grown less vigilant, partly due to his prince''s prowess. Even today, when his prince ventured out towards the slums, Krishna had not felt the need to keep an eye out for him. After all, it was just a bunch of lowly nobles who couldn''t possibly hire a warrior. Besides, even if they had indeed hired some warriors, his prince himself was quite strong. He even had a "Yantra" on him which contained the *Wind Step* art of the Air realm (fourth realm). To Krishna, it was plain that he was unneeded.


    This was precisely why when his bracelet had flashed in agitation, Krishna had practically thrown aside the young girl who he was enjoying a moment earlier, and had hastily bolted out the door, not even dressing himself properly.


    He had leapt from roof to roof in such fearsome speed that many of them had caved from being unable to support his leap. The time between him finding out that his prince was in trouble and him reaching the warehouse was no more than five or six minutes. But to Krishna, it felt as if a lifetime had already passed. His prince Kartik was his younger brother, his pupil, his lord, and his friend. What would he do if it turned out that his prince had died due to his carelessness?? How would he face his clan, his emperor.. Worse, how would he face himself?? Riddled with all sorts of fearful thoughts, Krishna had arrived at the warehouse. To even spare a single moment was a folly to him, thus, instead of stopping to enter through the door of the warehouse, he directly charged into its ceiling, completely destroying it in process.


    * * *


    His fury knew no bounds when he witnessed his prince''s body. There were burns, cuts and bruises all over him!! His clothes had already melted and his face was deathly pale.


    "WHO DARE HURT YOU!!!" He bellowed, his fire aura bursting out in all its might.


    The movement caught his eyes. It was a man, that much was clear but his facial features were hidden behind a red cloth. He looked quite tall and had a toned body but what was most noticeable about him were without a doubt his two eyes. They were red; the color of blood.


    The man had imposed himself in front of Krishna, wearing his water aura around him. His red eyes, which were already quite frightening, had anger written all over it. This man was undoubtedly a warrior and, Krishna could tell it from the thickness of his aura, a strong one at that.


    At this point, Krishna was too furious to even bother to notice why the man in front of him was so enraged at him. Let alone that, he didn''t even notice that the man was, in fact, shielding two girls behind his back or that there was another burnt person beside him. All Krishna knew at this moment was that the man in front of him was dangerous and judging by the frightened look on his prince''s face, the one who had caused his wounds.


    Reason left him as he viciously charged at this masked intruder.


    "YOU DARE MOTHER FUCKER!! HAAAAAAAA"


    Armored in the yellow of Manipura, he ran towards the masked boy with a burning sword on his hand.


    * * *


    The reason why Sesha was angry at this mysterious half naked intruder was his blatant intention to harm Ananya and Rosey. Although it looked as if he was an acquaintance of the warrior Asru, who had went out of his way to protect the girls, Sesha was dangerously close at lashing out at him.


    However, all of his restrain was for naught because the warrior Krishna himself charged at him.


    "HAAAAAA"


    In one of his hands was a sword. Moreover, it was on fire!!


    Endowment??


    Endowment was, just as its name implied, an art of pouring one''s inner prana into a weapon, thereby endowing it with the elemental properties of prana. This half-naked warrior that was charging at him had clearly endowed his sword with prana from his Manipura, endowing it a fire attribute thereby setting it ablaze.


    Endowment was something that required a great skill to perform. After all, to manifest prana outside one''s body in such a controlled form was not really easy. Only the warriors with formidable control over their prana could perform endowments. Sesha was forced to acknowledge that the one he was dealing with wasn''t of ordinary calibre.


    In but a moment, Krishna arrived before him and fiercely slashed his sword towards him. Sesha''s nose felt the fire from the sword as he dodged at the last second.


    Seeing as his first attack had missed, Krishna became more furious. With the fire of his sword increasing, he thrust it to Sesha''s abdomen. Sesha graciously dodged that one too but fire from the sword ended up grazing his clothes a little, burning it in process.


    Truth be told, Sesha''s actual speed even surpassed that of Krishna so it should have been quite easy for him to dodge his strikes. Why then was he limiting himself and only dodging the burning sword at the last possible moment? The answer to that question were the girls behind him. Krishna was in his full fury as was reflected in the heat of his aura and it was Sesha''s own aura that was protecting the two unconscious girls from harm. Using one''s aura to cover oneself was straightforward but to control it to envelop others required a great precision. Precisely due to this, Sesha couldn''t make greater movements lest his protection over the girls wavered and they suffered grievous injuries and had to limit himself to dodging with minimal movement. But it was abundantly clear to him that he couldn''t guard against this furious warrior for long, at least not without compromising the safety of the girls behind his aura.


    Thus, Sesha decided to go into offensive.


    *BOOM!!*


    Air itself exploded when Sesha suddenly stopped his fist. This particular attack had only been a little stronger than the one that Sesha had performed outside so he was sceptic about its effectiveness.. But as it turned out, his worry was needless.


    For an extremely small moment following Sesha''s unusual attack, Krishna''s charge had stopped. But that was already enough. Enough for Sesha to easily throw Krishna on his back and plant his foot above his chest.


    "AAAAAGHHHHH!!!"


    Krishna cried in agony due to the foot that was planted over him. To Kartik who had been observing this bout between two greater warriors, it seemed a little exaggerated for Krishna to be in such pain over the weight of a mere foot. How was he to know that what was pressing over his retainer was not, in fact, a foot. It was a mountain.


    * * *


    Author''s Note:


    Hello everyone, author here.


    First of all, I''d like to apologize about the chapters being a bit late but believe me, it was not entirely my fault. I recently moved into another place and then there was no internet. Even now I am uploading this from my office (sshh.. don''t let my boss know!).


    As for the chapter itself, I think most of you will have a question or two after reading it. While I will be answering them in the upcoming chapters, you are welcome to fire them anyway.


    Lastly, if you have any suggestions, criticisms or comments, do drop them below. Till next time then!

 Chapter 14 - Mirror

    Krishna''s Manipura burnt fiercely providing him an extremely great power, his Muladhara too strengthened his body to its limit but neither strength nor burst could budge the foot that was firmly planted on his chest, let alone shake it off.


    "You know, you are quite rash for a warrior of your strength.." Sesha remarked with a smirk.


    "LIFT THAT FUCKING FOOT OFF OF ME!!!" Krishna bellowed.


    "Oh.. Where''s the fun in that? Why don''t you lift it off yourself?" Sesha smiled.


    It was of course, futile. Laced with the prana from Muladhara, Sesha''s entire foot was now comparable to the Sumeru (a mythical mountain) itself.. With the power that Krishna had, all he could do was to protect his entire body from being crushed like an ant. To shake that foot off of his chest was almost impossible for him.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!!"


    He cried with great pain and frustration for a long while but Sesha didn''t relent. Finally when Krishna''s scream seemed to die down, a voice pleaded him,


    "Please great warrior, would you spare his life? He is a little foolish but he is really good at heart."


    This voice belonged to Prince Kartik who had, up until now, been submerged in the fight between two powerful warriors. Only when the fight ended, did he come out of his stupor and pleaded on his retainer''s behalf.


    Sesha was indeed quite angry with the reckless warrior who was now below his feet, but he was thankful for Asru''s earlier efforts from the bottom of his heart. Thus, when he heard Asru pleading for Krishna''s life, he couldn''t help but lift off his foot.


    As soon as the great weight came off of his chest, Krishna''s face, which had earlier been contorted with great pain and dread, visibly relaxed.


    "Thank--"


    "No need to thank me.. Be sure to drop these girls off to their homes prince Kartik.." Sesha casually said to him.


    "As for you rash one, temperament is much more important to a yogi than strength, you seem to be a little weak on the latter. Be sure to cultivate it properly, okay.." Sesha said while looking at the one on the ground before him.


    Without waiting for either of their responses, Sesha then made a beeline towards the now nonexistent door and disappeared into the darkness.


    * * *


    "Ugh.. it hurts like hell! What a freaking monster!" Krishna complained.


    "I am quite amazed that he beat you so easily, tell me, have you become so weak??" Kartik inquired.


    "Wh.. What are you saying my prince!! How could I be so weak? I am telling you, it''s that freak who was that powerful!! Just who was he anyway??" Krishna sounded quite hurt.


    "Don''t know.. probably some warrior with a sense of justice.. But never mind that, why did you come here??"


    "Umm.. you know.. it''s just, my sixth sense.. I felt that you were in trouble and came here at the speed of the wind itself!" Krishna sounded hesitant at first but started boasting afterwards.


    "Sixth Sense my ass!! Just spit it out already!"


    "... you.. won''t be mad.. right?" Krishna said in a weak voice.


    "No." Kartik confirmed.


    "I.. actually.. was worried.. and sneaked a yantra--"


    "YOU DID WHAT!!!" Kartik shouted in fury..


    "You promised you won''t be mad.." Krishna reminded him.


    "Chhe! Fine, tell me what yantra?" Kartik was clearly displeased.


    "Your ring.. it''s a yantra that signals mine," he showed his bracelet, "whenever you are in trouble.. More precisely when your aura suffers a great damage.."


    "Ohh.. that must have been quite expensive right?" Kartik asked.


    "Yes!! It cost me my salary of three months!"


    "It''s a pity really"--Kartik promptly took out his ring, dropped it on the ground and stomped it--"I really hate destroying expensive things.."


    "y.. you.. Waa!!" Krishna desperately tried to scavenge what remained of his expensive yantra but after being squashed, it was but a piece of metal.


    Kartik could swear that his retainer''s eyes were moistening but he gave it no mind and coldly said,


    "I don''t want to be monitored, I thought I made it clear already."


    "But!! my Prince, I have a duty to protect you!!" Krishna protested.


    "I think we both saw how good your protection really is!"


    "I said it already, he was that str--"


    "Yes.. He was indeed strong but not strong to the point that he could flatten the scion of Yadus in a single hit! It was your own fault that led to such an embarrassing defeat. You charged at him without thinking anything at all!"


    "But!! He harmed you!! How could I not charge at him!" Krishna protested again.


    "No you idiot!! The one that harmed me is lying on the ground, already half-burned! The one that you charged at saved my life! And even of the girls back there!!"


    "Girls??"


    His gaze followed his prince''s. Only now did he see the two girls that were huddled together. Realization dawned upon him as he thought about that mysterious warrior''s actions.


    He was protecting them from me!!


    "Seems like you realised it!" Kartik said.


    "..."


    "This fucker"--Kartik kicked what was remaining of Mrita--"ate the fucking pill!! Not only did he cost me my Wind Step but he also nearly killed me!"


    Immediately after Kartik had dropped this piece of information on him, Krishna''s face became deathly pale.


    "HE ATE THE `BLOOD PILL` !?? ARE YOU ALRIGHT MY PRINCE!!"


    Krishna all but jumped at Kartik as he began to check his prince''s body in detail. He knew how sinister the blood pill really was. A pill that allowed one to tap into the hidden powers of his chakra. If that pill was used, then it could only mean that his prince had survived a certain death! Colors from his cheeks faded as he realised this fact.


    "Get away from me you idiot!!" Kartik shoved his retainer''s hands that were traveling all over his body.


    "But.. prince!! You!! NO! From now on I am never leaving you alone!! And if you resist any longer, I would definitely complain to the Emperor!! No!! I WILL FREAKING TELL YOUR BROTHER!!"


    "You won''t!!" Kartik said in disbelief.


    "I WILL!!"


    Seeing the resolve on Krishna''s face, Kartik knew that he really meant it so he didn''t push it any further.


    "A-Anyway, we have to hurry, I have to track that one Viscount that got away."


    "You mean *we* have to track that Viscount.." Krishna corrected him.


    Seeing as his retainer was set on not leaving his side, Kartik was at first quite annoyed but later gave up on arguing with him. He now had a what-a-pain look on his face.


    "But prince, won''t that mean missing the tournament? Emperor will be quite furious to find that you disobeyed him," Krishna asked him.


    "I told you already, I don''t care what he thinks. Besides, the Viscount may be able to provide us with some information about the group and if I present that information to father, then he won''t have anything to complain!


    "But first, I have to drop these girls off to their homes.. But I don''t even know where they live.." Kartik said to no one in particular.


    "Oh that''s quite easy my prince! That big girl is Ananya of the Scented Rose.. I don''t know about the little one though.." Krishna said with a smile.


    "Should I even ask how you know that?" Kartik asked his retainer.


    Krishna merely laughed in response.


    * * *


    "Faster.. Please go faster!!" said an anxious Sophie to the carriage driver.


    The three of them: Sophie, Solom and Surya who had a bandage wrapped around his head, were making their way to the Scented Rose. Each of them had a tense countenance. Sophie, in particular, had quite the unsightly face. Her eyes were swollen, her cheeks showed traces of recently dried tears, her hairs were dishevelled.. all in all, she was a mess.


    The news had come to her at late evening that her most dearest niece had been kidnapped. The assailants had dealt a heavy blow to her work-hand Surya and abducted her little Rosey.


    Sophie was not unfamiliar with the disappearances that happened in the slums. Although the place that Rosey was taken off from was not exactly inside its area but it still had been quite close to it. She had run to the City Watch as soon as she had gotten the news but deep in some corner of her heart, she knew that it was over.


    The slums was the most dangerous part of the Golden Bird City and unless it concerned nobility, the City Watch refused to take even a single step there! To her, it seemed as if her most cherished niece was already gone. Gone far away from her, subjected to the most sinister fate! Just this thought alone was enough to break her into pieces. In fact, she had bawled her eyes for the first time after the betrayal of her first love.


    Imagine then, her extreme happiness, when a messenger from Scented Rose had come to deliver the news that her niece had been found!! Sophie detested the pleasure district in entirety, but when she had gotten this news, she had all but flown towards her carriage!


    The Purple Orchid Inn was situated at the Market District and from there to Scented Rose was a little less than half an hour in a carriage but Sophie''s carriage had bolted through the roads (possibly injuring one or two people in process) and covered that distance in a mere twenty minutes! When the carriage stopped, she didn''t even wait for Solom or Surya to come outside and instantly jumped out of the carriage, rushing inside the Scented Rose.


    In her haste, she didn''t notice the damage that Scented Rose had suffered earlier, nor did she notice the gaze that people around her were giving her.. her mind, at this moment, had only one thing on it..


    "ROSEY!!" She bolted towards the small girl who was the only remaining object of her affection in her stoic heart.


    Rosey was lying on a small bed and was being tended to by one or two girls. Although her injuries were not life threatening, for a small child, they were not light at all. Despite of those injuries, she had already come out of her unconsciousness.


    "AUNTIE!!" Rosey jumped from her bed and ran towards her aunt''s voice.


    All of her restrains were broken and tears began to flow from her eyes uncontrollably when Sophie received her niece in her embrace.


    "I.. *hic* thought .. I''d never.. *hic*.. see you.. again.. *waaaaaaa*" Sophie said in a tearful voice.


    "auntie.. *uwaaaaa* I.. was... *hic*.. so.. so.. scared!!"


    Both aunt and niece began to weep in each other''s embrace. Both of them had suffered quite a lot on this day.


    "ROSEY!!" Solom exclaimed as he finally saw his daughter. He was a man and hence he had somehow managed to hold his tears back but how could he not be worried for his daughter!! He was equally, if not more, worried for Rosey compared to his cousin.


    "Father!!" Rosey ran into her father''s embrace.


    "You are okay!! Thank god you are okay!!" Solom said while kissing his daughter in forehead. His daughter was nearly lost for him so at this moment he was feeling a mixture of happiness, relief and peace. At least he was until he saw saw it!


    Rage could not define the emotion that he felt when he noticed the bruises on his cute daughter''s face..


    "Who.. Who did this to you!! I will kill him!! I will tear that piece of shit apart!!" He said in absolute fury!


    Rosey was extremely precious to Solom. Granted that she could be handful at times but she was his daughter still! As such, when he saw that someone had raised his hands on his daughter, his heart became full of murderous intent.


    "You need not do that anymore, sir.." a girl''s interrupted the fury that was seething inside Solom''s heart.


    "Huh! What are you sayi--" he was interrupted before he could complete his sentence.


    "I said that you need not kill the one who harmed little Rosey. He is already dead!"


    "Sister Ananya!!" Rosey escaped her father''s embrace and ran towards Ananya, who had just entered the scene.


    "Father, auntie.. She is sister Ananya! She is the one who protected me!" Rosey said with great affection while embracing Ananya.


    Ananya too, returned her embraced lovingly. In the short span that she had spent in that hell, she had already bonded quite deeply with this little child. For her, Rosey was now akin to her own little sister.


    Sophie, who had a deep seated hatred towards prostitutes, felt an incomparable gratitude in her heart when she heard that the beautiful girl in front of her had protected her beloved niece.


    She moved towards Ananya and bowed to her,


    "We can''t thank you enough, Lady Ananya!! Thank you so much for protecting my niece!!"


    The words that she had said were from the bottom of her heart. She was the one who had rescued her niece.. so what if she was a prostitute!! Even if she was hell spawn herself, Sophie would still be eternally grateful to her!


    Ananya hastily lifted her up.


    "I appreciate your kind words," said Ananya, "But the one who saved Rosey is actually a warrior, not me. In fact, he is the savior of both of us!"


    "Who.. who is this warrior?" Sophie asked.


    "He came to the place, killed the one who were responsible and dropped us off in this inn. But before anyone could ask anything of him, he already vanished. It is unfortunate, but I know nothi--".


    "Sister!! I know him!!" Rosey interrupted Ananya excitedly!


    "You do!?" Sophie asked. Ananya too, looked at her curiously.


    "YES!! He participated in the tournament yesterday so I recognized him right away!! His name is Asru!!"


    * * *


    The news that Scented Rose had been damaged and that it''s mistress was badly injured spread over the city. Had it been some other time, this news would have definitely garnered much attention from the people due to the status of the Brides. But this time, the news failed to create such effect. The reason was the tournament.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    After a one-day break that was granted so that the competing warriors could have enough rest, the tournament was to start again on this day. Two or three hours still remained until the start of the final day of the tournament but people had already started crowding at the stadium. One among the crowd was a handsome looking boy with long black hair that came to his neck and deep black eyes that spoke of mystery. He was Sesha.


    Sesha had, after entrusting the girls to Asru, not return to the Scented Rose. It was because he was quite afrai.. err.. wary of Vaishali. That girl had already been sceptic of him when he had asked for a clothing of Ananya. Thankfully, she didn''t ask much question at that time but Sesha didn''t exactly want to tease her perceptive prowess by returning to the establishment.


    What had Sesha done during the rest of the night then? He had followed Krishna and Kartik and made sure that they returned the girls, which they did. Afterwards, he had just chosen a secluded roof and sat there, meditating on his Manipura. He would have remained meditating further but the night had already passed and people had started to move about. Thus, he had jumped off the roof lest others find him there and start asking questions and then had come to see the final day of the tournament since he already had the ticket that Surya had provided him with.


    After showing his ticket, Sesha moved into the stands and waited.


    His wait lasted for almost an hour before the tournament finally commenced with the initial announcement.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the final day of the tournament. Today, the eight victors of the first day will compete with each other. These victors will be randomly paired with each other and the matches will continue in a knockout fashion until only one of them remains!!"


    This announcement was greeted by a huge cheer from the crowds!


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, unfortunately, the Royal Retainer of prince Kartik, Sir Krishna couldn''t attend this tournament, so in his place, today''s matches will be overseen by the Mayor himself. Please give him a round of applause!!"


    *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*


    Almost everyone from the audience clapped as their mayor took the seat. It seemed to Sesha that he was quite favoured by the people.


    But still, he didn''t come huh.. Perhaps, I really overdid it a little.. Sesha mused to himself.


    While he had tried his best to not kill the retainer of Kartik, he couldn''t help but feel that he had given him a few injuries. Sesha could only hope that the injuries were not much serious as he remembered the pained expression of the warrior who he had trampled beneath his feet.


    The announcer then continued,


    "Alright then, let''s stop with the words and jump right into the actions. Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby announce the start of the finals of the Grand Warrior tournament!"


    *CHEEEERSS*


    * * *


    Disappointment.. was the only word that explained how Sesha was feeling at this moment. Two matches had already passed and he had yet to see a decent fight.


    Ugh.. They aren''t even using any arts!! Just strengthening their bodies and swinging their fists!! Sesha groaned.


    Granted that the raw use of the prana was the most simplest method to fight but it was also the most crudest method!! How could they only rely on it to fight?? Did they not know any arts at all?? Sesha''s mind was brimming with all sorts of questions.


    As far as he knew, the arts of the Muladhara were the simplest among all, so it should have been straightforward for them to use it. But contrary to his expectations, not even a single one of the present warriors was using it! It really was a disappointment!


    By now the third bout was in progress and Sesha was already quite bored. He stood from his place and descended below the stands. On seeing an old person there, he went towards him and asked,


    "Umm.. excuse me, do you know where can I relieve myself?"


    "Bathroom?" the old man replied.


    Sesha nodded.


    "Go from here and then take a turn there.." the old man signalled.


    Sesha thanked him and made his way towards where the old man had signalled.


    After Sesha had gone, two people appeared and asked the old man the same question. He showed them the same direction that he had shown Sesha earlier but before the two of them could take their leave, another person appeared out of nowhere..


    "Oye! Where are you two going!?" he asked.


    "Umm.. Bathroom." one of the two replied.


    "Not there, it''s the other way!" he said.


    "But, the old man told us that way!" other of the two protested.


    "Chhe! This old man looks one way and points the other way.. Where he showed you is forbidden to spectators, so just go that way!"


    The two people thanked this new man and then proceed to the bathroom.


    Sesha went straight ahead for some time and then took a turn. Walking some more distance earlier, he found a room which was relatively secluded. Sesha entered the room and found neatly arranged urinals. He promptly relieved himself and was about to go out of the room when a thing caught his eyes.


    He moved towards the thing that was on the wall of the room and looked into him. What looked back at him was an image of a boy of fifteen who had black eyes and a handsome appearance. It was his own face!! The object that he was looking at was actually a mirror !!


    Growing up in the Dark Forest, Sesha didn''t have any access to mirrors. In fact, had his master not told about an object that reflects one''s appearance, much like a still water does but many times sharper than that, he wouldn''t even have known about a mirror. Now that he was seeing one for himself, he couldn''t help but feel a little excited!


    So clear!! He exclaimed inwardly.


    For the next few moments, Sesha moved his head left and then right, then opened his mouth and moved his tongue and made some funny faces and the mirror reflected each one of his movements with great precision! Sesha became quite excited while experimenting with the mirror. After he had made a whole lot of faces, a new thing came on his mind!


    Oh!! I could try that!!


    He remembered the strange usage of the Swadhisthana Chakra that he had seen just yesterday. Sesha then closed his eyes and concentrated. He could still remember that distinct patterns of the water chakra. He willed his Swadhisthana and pulled chakra from there. This water chakra, he directed to his face, in a specific pattern. To be honest, Sesha could have used any number of patterns! But since it was his first time using this peculiar art, the pattern that he used was remarkably similar to the one that he had seen yesterday.


    When Sesha was done, he once again looked into the mirror but what greeted him this time was not the amiable face of Sesha himself. It was a face that looked much older and didn''t have any of Sesha''s delicate features. This face was of the rogue warrior: Asru.


    Such a peculiar art. I wonder if master knows about this!  Sesha mused to himself.


    What Sesha had just used was precisely the secret art of disguise that belonged to Krishna''s clan i.e. Naqaab. This art required a great control over one''s Swadhisthana and the one who could use it within two months was heralded as a genius in Krishna''s clan. Since a clan guarded its arts ferociously, no one knew about how to use Naqaab outside Krishna''s clan save for prince Kartik. But that was no longer true now.


    Just as Sesha was immersed in observing his new appearance, a voice of a man perturbed him,


    "There you are!! I have been looking all over for you! Let''s go, your match is already starting!"


    * * *


    Standing in the grounds of the stadium, Sesha asked the question that he had already asked himself for a number of times..


    How did this come to be!


    Between observing the mirror and trying out the new art, he had lost the track of his surroundings. Therefore, he didn''t notice when a man came out of nowhere and then dragged him out to the grounds. Right now, Sesha with the face of Asru was standing at this huge field and opposite to a man who was clearly his opponent.


    "Warriors.. Begin!!"


    The announcer signaled the start of the fight and Sesha''s opponent charged at him.


    For one of the Earth realm, he is quite reckless.. Sesha thought to himself as his opponent rained his fist and sword on him.


    Of course, Sesha had effortlessly dodged every single one of his moves but to drag it any longer was pointless, so he decided to finish things hastily.


    When his opponent showed a small opening, Sesha thrust his fist towards him but just as it was about to hit the warrior of the first realm, Sesha abruptly stopped them.


    *BOOM*


    A large sound echoed around the arena as the shockwave from Sesha''s fist sent his opponent flying quite a distance. In an instant, the match was decided with Sesha''s victory.


    The crowd erupted into a huge cheer!! This made Sesha a little perplexed. Hadn''t the crowd detested Asru who was in fact a disguised prince Kartik on the first day of tournament? Sesha''s clothes were clearly no better than Kartik''s had been so why were they cheering for him now?


    Indeed, this sudden change was only due to the people realising that Asru was, in fact, quite strong! There was only one thing that people in this city respected more than money, it was power! And in their eyes, Asru was already a powerful warrior. So how would they dare to disrespect him now?


    As Sesha''s first fight concluded, he was about to walk out of the field and then out of the stadium itself but he was stopped by the announcer''s following words.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, the next stage of the tournament has four people remaining, so it will have two matches in all. Without further wait, let''s start the second stage with a fight between warrior Asru and warrior Suchi!"


    As his luck turned out, he happened to be the first fighter of the second stage! How could he escape now!!?


    Sesha remained at the ground while a grandiose warrior Suchi walked out from inside the warrior''s pavilion. He, like many of the others participating in the tournament, was of the first realm.


    "Start!"


    The announcer started the fight.


    "HIYAAAA !!"


    The warrior Suchi, too, charged at Sesha like his earlier opponent! This time, Sesha could feel that the movements that this warrior was making were indeed a little refined than his earlier opponent. Even his control of the Muladhara was of higher degree.. But that much wasn''t enough.. Not at least for Sesha!


    Fist flew out, fist stopped, air exploded and the warrior was flown back! In the same manner as earlier, Sesha had won this bout too!


    *CHEERS!*


    The crowd again applauded at him but Sesha could feel that this applaud was a little less in magnitude than his earlier win had gotten him.


    Looks like they aren''t much pleased.. Sesha wondered.


    "Thinking why they aren''t applauding much??"


    A voice brought him out of his thoughts. The owner of this voice had somehow walked behind him as soon as Sesha had concluded his match. He was a strong looking man dressed in black armor. Unlike prince Kartik, whose black was for only stealth purposes, this new warrior''s black instead indicated power and elegance. On top of that, he was holding a sword that was giving off quite a sinister aura. But much more obvious than this black armor and his sword was his aura. A yellow colored aura of fire!


    Only now did Sesha recognized him as the strongest warrior participating in this tournament.. The one from the Uttara sect, one of the four major sect: Visha !!


    Sesha had remained observing Visha for quite a while and hadn''t given an answer to his earlier question but Visha didn''t seem to mind. Instead, he just continued on..


    "The reason why they aren''t applauding you much is because you are too strong!!"


    "Huh!? But isn''t that a good thing?" Sesha asked.


    "Why yes it is!! But if you finish every single of your fight in just a single blow, it becomes rather... dull." Visha said.


    "..."


    "But I suppose it''s not your fault. They are just that weak, aren''t they? But fear not, you have already advanced into the finals and I will too.. so tell me warrior Asru, want to fight someone strong??" Visha asked with a hint of arrogance.


    For Sesha, this whole incident had been a mistake and thus, he had wanted to run out of the fields and out of the stadium as soon as possible but now that Visha was openly challenging him, thoughts about escaping instantly flew out of his mind.


    He replied in a confident tone,


    "Of course!"


    * * *


    Author''s Note:


    Hello everyone, how have you been? In good shape I presume?


    Chapter 14 comes to an end and with it comes a new development.. A lot of you were complaining that the plot wasn''t moving forward enough so I hope that this chapter solves that problem.


    On another note, I have been wanting to write a glossary for the terminologies but due to lack of internet at my place, I haven''t been able to start yet.. just wanted you to know.


    Anyways,  if you have any comments, erratas, suggestions or criticisms then, as always, drop them below! See you next time!

 Chapter 15 - The tournament (II)

    Sesha had at first thought that this warrior Visha, who had challenged him, had indeed been quite arrogant but he quickly dispelled that thought. Why was that so? Because he had the strength to back up his dismissive display. That is to say, he was strong. Way too strong!! Not even a minute had passed before his round began but he had already made his opponent submit in a domineering fashion.


    Does he hate weapons??


    Sesha could distinctly recall Visha''s method of victory in all of his previous matches, which including this one summed up to three. He had swiftly cut the sword and spear and sword of his opponents in more than one chunks and forced them to yield. If that did not tell Sesha of his nature, then perhaps nothing else would. Simply put, he was a snob. He did not win so much as he overwhelmed.


    Granted that he had a higher strength than all of his opponents in this tournament, but couldn''t he at least control his strength so as to not humiliate them? After all, having a greater power didn''t mean that you could go around and trample all over those who were weaker than you! The previous Asru had a great power but he didn''t overwhelm his opponents.. well he did seal off their meridians in but a few breaths but still.. And then there was Sesha himself, he too didn''t blow them all over like ants.. or perhaps he did.. Anyway, the point was, Visha was being too forceful.


    Sesha''s observation was true, of course. Visha''s display was indeed a little over the top but unbeknownst to Sesha, it did not come only from his strength. Visha was someone who belonged to one of the four most powerful sects in the entire continent, the Uttara Sect. And being associated with such a powerhouse inevitably nurtured one''s pride to an astounding degree. How could then, a man with such pride like Visha, spare even an ounce of his respect to his opponents whom he believed to be only slightly better than insects?


    "You are facing me, and dare to lose yourself in thought?"


    Sesha was instantly brought back to the real world by the words of a warrior adorned in all black: Visha.


    We are not even in the battleground yet, why''s he so tensed up from the start?


    "Did they call our names already?" Sesha asked him.


    "Called or not called, it doesn''t matter. A warrior should be ever vigilant!" Visha admonished him.


    Visha''s fake anger didn''t last for long. It was soon replaced with curiosity.


    "You, your name is Asru right?" Visha asked and then without waiting for Sesha''s answer, continued, "You know, I could have sworn that you were taller.. and uglier."


    "Was I?" Sesha asked with a surprised voice.


    "Yeah, previously you looked like a grumpy old man, but now you somehow look more younger.. more beautiful. Did you use some herbs? Mind sharing them with me??" Visha asked.


    This was strange. Sesha didn''t think that this warrior was so chatty. In fact, dressed majestically in such a lavish black armor he should have had a cold and sinister attitude; much like his sword, ready to kill in an instant. But contrary to that image, he was.. smiling? Why was he smiling? Besides, does a smile even suit a scary face? But wait, his face.. it wasn''t exactly scary, it was a little.. cute!?


    Only now did Sesha realise that he had not, in fact, really observed this warrior. Perhaps it was due to their proximity, but now that he was really looking at him, he turned out to be quite different than what Sesha made him out to be in his mind.


    "Oye!! Why are you staring at me like that?" Visha almost shouted.


    "Huh?"


    "Don''t huh me! And why aren''t you answering my question?" he shouted again.


    "What question?"


    "Aagh!! You''re so annoying!!" Visha stomped his foot.


    What is his problem?


    "I said, would you give me the herbs?" he said.


    "What herbs?" Sesha asked.


    "You playing with me?? Huh?? Do you want me to kill you??" Now he was quite angry.


    "Seriously, what herbs??" Sesha was getting more and more lost.


    "The one that made you beautiful dammit!!" Visha began to throw a tantrum?


    Herbs that made me beautiful? Did I use any herbs?


    Sesha began to think inwardly.


    Of course he hadn''t used any such herbs. For that matter, he hadn''t even heard about them. But why would Visha even think that he had used some?


    Sesha didn''t know the answer to that question. After all, how was he to know that this confusion was due to him using the art of disguise and taking the form of Asru.


    Sesha had used the mask that he had copied from Kartik, the mask of Asru. But Kartik using this mask and Sesha using this mask was quite different. Much like how two sculptures of same structure and color, one made from an ordinary stone and the other from marble, had subtle differences in their looks--the one from marble being more smooth and refined; Sesha and Kartik too looked different than one another despite of both taking on the same guise.


    Of course, this difference wasn''t so pronounced that a normal observer could distinguish between the two. But, for instance, if Kartik''s personal retainer Krishna were to look at Sesha, then he would have undoubtedly recognized him as a fake. Unexpectedly, Visha too could feel that something was different but fortunately for Sesha, he mistook it for some type of beauty enhancing herbs.


    "I don''t really have any herbs like that.." Sesha said honestly.


    "Hmph!! You dare lie to me? Fine, I will force it from you after I''ve beaten you." Visha said in a threatening tone.


    Sesha was growing more and more impatient with Visha''s behaviour. Any more and Sesha would have had enough but fortunately, it didn''t come to pass--due to an announcement.


    "People of the Golden Bird city, now is the time for the fight that you have long since looked forward too!! The finals of the Grand Warrior Tournament between the rogue warrior Asru and the warrior from the Uttara sect, Visha!!"


    The audience instantly erupted to cheers as if welcoming the two of them out on the battleground.


    Visha briskly moved out from the pavilion towards the field and Sesha followed him, wondering all the while why he would care about the beauty herb so much.


    * * *


    If Sesha had any doubts about the one who was standing opposite to him, they instantly flew out of his mind. Just about a minute ago, Visha was--at least Sesha thought so--a little playful, a warrior who cared so much about beauty, and herbs. But right now, that seemed like something Sesha had conjured up in his mind alone. After all, how could the one who was radiating such a cold killing intent without so much as a shred of restrain at him and whose mere smile would no doubt wet the pants of those who were unfortunate enough to face him; how could he of all person make a merry conversation, let alone throw a fit about some beauty products??


    "You do not have a sword on you right?"


    Even his voice could chill a lesser person down to the bone. That Visha was now asking Sesha a question.


    "I prefer to fight without any weapons," Sesha coolly replied. Whether he was unfazed by the naked killing intent directed towards him or he was fazed but not letting it show, an observer couldn''t tell.


    Visha let out a chuckle that was eerily similar to the chuckle of a wolf which seemed to find an amusing rabbit in front of him.


    "Here"--he threw an unsheathed sword towards Sesha--"use this."


    Sesha caught the rotating sword dangerously flying towards himself in an effortless fashion; annoyance written all over his face due to his words being so blatantly ignored.


    "Don''t give me that look," Visha said, "I don''t want to be called a bully by beating up an unarmed person."


    Now it was Sesha''s turn to be amused. The warrior before him seemed to care about appearances? Or was it perhaps a normal thing? Whatever be the case, Sesha was quite sure of one thing, this fight was going to be quite enjoyable.


    "BEGIN !!"


    Came the cue which pronounced the start of the fight and with it came the distinct sound of a sword being unsheathed. It was a sinister sword that had undoubtedly cut down many a lives and yet had somehow managed to retain a pristine look about it. It had a beauty that could only be appreciated by men of the swords and a horror that could be felt by those who stood facing it''s edge. One glance was all it took Sesha to conclude that this was no ordinary sword.


    "Heh, seems like you feel it" Visha said with pride similar to one that a lion had for its claws.


    "Indeed, that sword, it is quite.." Sesha remarked.


    "I think lethal is the word you are looking for," Visha smirked.


    "I meant to say ''interesting''," Sesha corrected.


    The match had already started but the two warriors had not yet made a move. The common folks, who were used to warriors charging at each other at the first chance, could not understand why they weren''t at each other''s neck already. But the more experienced ones, the soldiers, city guards and even a couple of warriors they knew why there was a standstill. The two had already acknowledged other''s strength. They would not charge at each other rashly.


    While it was a correct observation, at least to some extent, it wasn''t entirely true. Visha was indeed wary of his opponent, who he was facing for the first time, due to his unusual battle tactics but Sesha wasn''t particularly worried about Visha, not so much as he was about that sword of his.


    Sesha would have waited a few minutes more, studying Visha''s sword in depth, had it not been for Visha growing impatient.


    "HIYAAAA"


    He charged while brandishing the sinister sword in his right hand. Sesha, in response, took his own sword and pointed at the now running Visha, establishing a guard.


    In but three breaths, Visha closed not-insignificant gap between the two of them and swung his sword at Sesha. Sesha too, parried in response.


    *TING*


    A sharp metallic cry of the swords rang around the fields and the stands. This cry was unlike anything that the majority of the crowd had ever heard in their entire lives. In fact, it was more appropriate to call this a wail.


    After that one strike, Visha took few steps back, maintaining the distance between the two of them. Evidently, he was quite surprised by the sound that his sword had made.


    "Looks like it is not pleased," Sesha said.


    "Huh?" Visha asked in a daze.


    "After all, it must have been quite a while before she found a thing that it couldn''t cut," Sesha said while waving his sword around. It was intact.


    * * *


    The stupefied look that Visha had on his face did not last for long. Slowly, the realization dawned upon him of what had happened and that had replaced his earlier frozen face to that of a utter disbelief. His sword had, for the first time in his life, failed to cut something. In fact, this sword was much older than him and if he had his facts right, not once in the sword''s own life had it failed to cut something that it was swung upon. It had severed many an arrogant heads from their torsos, swam through the most sturdiest of battle armors like a fish in a lake and cleaved the sharpest of swords as if they were straws without so much as a chip on its own body. There had been nothing that his sword couldn''t and hadn''t cut. At least not until now.


    "You!! What did you do!!" Visha bellowed.


    "Hm? What might you mean by that?" Sesha replied.


    "How could my sword not cut that third rate excuse of a weapon on your hands!!"


    "Perhaps.. you didn''t swing hard enough?" Sesha asked him and unwittingly (?) fanned his fury.


    "You.. I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!!"


    With a renewed vigor fuelled by hatred, Visha charged again at Sesha.


    "TELL.."


    *CLANG*


    "ME.."


    *CLANG*


    "WHAT.."


    *CLANG"


    "DID.."


    *CLANG*


    "YOU.."


    *CLANG*


    "DO !!"


    *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*


    Which was louder, the furious sound that both of their swords were making or the words that Visha had somehow managed to insert between his blows in an almost impressive manner, was debatable. But what could be agreed upon was that Visha was slowly gaining an upper hand on this exchange. His furious blows were being barely defended by Sesha, who was taking one step back with each of Visha''s attack.


    But it was quite odd if one thought about it. Why would Sesha, even when facing such a brutal onslaught, sport such a calm look on his face? As if he were almost smiling.


    Visha was, however, too busy with his charge and couldn''t notice that oddity. He simply continued delivering blows after blows from his sinister sword unto Sesha''s frail looking yet impossibly sturdy one.


    Eventually, their dance led both of them to the boundary of the field. This was a fight between warriors and had all the standard rules of a duel. If you were incapacitated, you lost, if you yielded, you lost and if you stepped outside the ring, you lost. Sesha was, thus, dangerously close to overstepping the fine boundary of defeat.


    When it looked as if he had almost placed his foot outside the circle, a remarkable thing happened. Visha swung his sword from over his head as if to cut Sesha vertically across his body but that blow came a little late. The reason, which was most probably the exhaustion finally catching up to him, didn''t matter to Sesha. He swiftly slid down through the slightly straddled legs of Visha into his behind. Visha stopped his sword midway and attempted to turn back, an oh-shit look on his face, but before he could do that, Sesha lightly pushed him off and he fell through the line outside the bounds.. almost.


    At the last possible moment, Visha jammed his sword onto the ground a little inside of the boundary and somehow managed to prevent himself from an embarrassing defeat. Struggling with his sword for only a little while, he turned around to find an amused Sesha beaming at him.


    "Why didn''t you attack me?" Visha asked.


    The time it took for him to balance himself on his sword and then turning back to face Sesha could be counted in matters of breaths but that was more than enough for any decent warrior to kill him three times over. Thus, it was perfectly logical of him to be astonished at the behavior that his current opponent was showing to him. Let alone incapacitate him, he didn''t even attack him whilst he was fumbling around with his sword stuck on ground.


    "You were facing your back towards me," Sesha replied.


    Just what was this opponent of his implying? So what if he was facing his back towards him?? Isn''t it all the more reason to end the fight swiftly? Or perhaps.. could it really be? Could his opponent really be a noble warrior?


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "And I became quite engrossed in observing your armor from the back. I must say, the patterns are really impressive!"


    "What the fuck!! Who the hell ignores his enemies to look at his armor!" Visha shouted.


    "But they were really interesting and its not like I had anything to worry about," Sesha shrugged.


    "Had nothing to worry about? Nothing?? ARE YOU KIDDING WITH ME YOU SON OF A.."


    A furious Visha charged at Sesha without bothering to complete his sentence.


    He slashed his sword from his right..


    *CLANG*


    Sesha parried it easily.


    He then thrust his sword at Sesha''s abdomen.


    *CLANG*


    Sesha deflected it again.


    Charge after charge were dealt by Visha but Sesha was countering each and every single one of them.


    Why the fuck does it not break!!


    Visha was panting in frustration. He had offered the sword to Sesha himself. It was nothing fancy, just something that he had picked up from the local armory. Mightier swords made from Mithril itself hadn''t been able to offer any resistance while clashing against his death sword and yet this simple blade composed of but some lowly iron was somehow managing to deflect it without sustaining any damage at all! How could this not enrage him?


    Sesha, of course, knew the cause of his opponent frustration. It was, after all, his doing. Sesha knew that Visha tended to win by cutting down his opponent''s weapons. While he simply thought it was a show of arrogance, he hadn''t decided to act on it. But when Visha ignored Sesha''s will of fighting with his fists alone and threw him a sword, Sesha couldn''t help himself from exploiting his opponent''s habit.


    His sword was ordinary and it would no doubt break on a simple touch of that sinister sword. Knowing that, the only method Sesha had to somehow preserve his sword was a single one.


    Indeed, Sesha was endowing his sword with the prana from his Muladhara!! But that was not all. Earlier, when he had observed Visha''s sword, he had immediately noticed that not even his prana would have been able to save the frail blade on his hands. While this had at first astonished him greatly, it had also made it clear that the strength to face off against Visha''s sword can only come from the essence of his first chakra. But how could Sesha waste his essence so frivolously? Thus Sesha had, at the end, resorted to the use of prana and not his essence to endow his sword but unlike spreading his prana evenly to the entire sword, he had gathered his prana to a particular region of the sword. Sesha then freely moved this region with his will to coincide at that particular part of the sword which came into contact with Visha''s sword with each blow.


    Considering that endowing itself was an epitome of a warrior''s control over his prana, Sesha''s technique of congregating his prana and then moving it freely in his weapon could only be said as a monstrous display of control over one''s chakras! Additionally, Sesha had contained entirety of the prana, that he was bestowing upon his weapon, strictly inside it and had managed to retain the ordinary appearance of the sword unlike when Krishna had done the same and set his sword on fire. Due to these extraordinary feats, Visha had no idea that the sword on his opponent''s hand was now no longer the same lowly sword that he had handed over to him.


    "huff.. You coward.. huff.. Why are you not.. huff.. attacking?" Visha half panted and half spoke the words.


    "Haha, I only defend and yet you have such a bad condition, won''t people call me bully if I attack too??" Sesha replied in a happy tone.


    But it ended up rubbing Visha off.


    "YOU BASTARD.. YOU ARE SO FULL OF YOURSELF AREN''T YOU!!" Visha bellowed in a mad rage.


    "Finally.." Sesha said as a yellow aura bursted forth from Visha.


    * * *


    It seemed as if air itself was boiling. The yellow aura that had erupted from his Manipura was making Visha appear as if he was on fire. His hair, which was a little longer than normal, was flaying wildly, as if dancing in the violent rhythm of his fiery energy. His eyes, which were already red from rage, were now brimming with an intent which seemed to imply that he would first kill Sesha and then stomp his body a thousand times over then feed his meat paste to street dogs. He really was quite pissed off.


    "You bastard, do not blame after you die. You forced this on yourself!" Visha exclaimed.


    While death was an improbable occurrence in such tournaments, it was not unheard of. However, more often than not, they were entirely unintentional. Therefore, Visha''s proclamation sent a wave of murmur within the observers.


    "He really wants to kill him!!"


    "Haha, Asru is done for!"


    "Kill him Visha!!"


    Due to the fame of the major sects, Visha was a clear favorite. This, however, did not bother Sesha in the least. Rather, he was sporting a calm smile on his face.


    "You know, I was beginning to think that you were never going to take me seriously.." Sesha said.


    "Enough talk!! NOW DIE ALREADY!!"


    *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*


    If Visha charge earlier was fast then right now it could only be said as fast and furious. With each swing of his sword, he was slicing the air apart and the shockwave from his charge was reverberating all over the grounds.


    *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*


    Even the observers who were a safe distance away from the fight were feeling its effects.


    "HOT!! HOT !!"


    Those who were closest to the two warriors exclaimed and then hastened their way to the back. The unfortunate children who felt Visha''s aura developed burns in their skins and their fathers and mothers hurriedly covered them with their own bodies. Maidens who had dressed luxuriously in finest silken garments began to weep as the heat started melting their clothes. Chaos ensued all around the front seats.


    "Mind restraining yourself a bit?" Sesha said gravely.


    "DIE !!" Visha charged at him totally ignoring his words.


    Curiously, even though Visha''s speed had increased to ten times his original, thanks to his energy being in abundant, he still wasn''t able to land his sword on Sesha''s body. At the last moment, Sesha always ended up dodging his sword.


    "Mother!!"


    "Save me!!"


    "WAAAA"


    People were still crying and it seemed Visha didn''t seem to hear them.


    Sesha could now wait no more. If this were to continue, Visha would undoubtedly end up killing more than one civilians. Therefore, Sesha went on offense.


    Visha was still swinging his sword at him furiously. One particular blow came from Visha''s left which Sesha parried from below with an increased strength deflecting Visha''s sword a greater distance away. Without allowing him to recover, Sesha continued his parry from his right and made a slash towards Visha''s chest. Visha''s sword was sent back quite a bit but still he managed to stop Sesha''s sword at the last moment.


    *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*


    Three more strikes were dealt by Sesha which Visha clumsily parried. It seemed that Sesha was gaining an advantage. Realising this, Visha became furious and his chakra revolved more furiously increasing his fire aura even more!


    The people at the front became more miserable! Their shrieks filled the stands due to them being burned by the intense heat of a wild yellow aura.


    Fully bathed in an unrestrained aura, Visha swung his sword with a strength that could comfortably cleave a thick pillar of Mithril. Sesha condensed his earthen prana in the weapon to an extremely tiny spot and swung it with equal strength at Visha. Both the swords met each other as if two dragons lashing out at each other. Amidst the ongoing cry of the people present in the stadium, a shrill sound echoed.


    *CHIIIIIING*


    A shard flew from Visha''s sword, danced wildly in the air and ultimately dropped to the ground! His sword had been cut by Sesha.


    It took a while for Visha to register what had happened. He glanced at his sword and then at the quarter portion that was lying on the ground then back at his sword again.


    "AAAAAGHHHH!!! WH-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE !!" He bellowed madly.


    "I cut it," Sesha said simply.


    "KILL.. HE WILL KILL ME!! MASTER WILL KILL ME!!" Visha was madly shouting to himself.


    "Relax.. Oye! Restrain yourself!!" Sesha said in a worried voice.


    Apparently, the sword was of much importance to Visha. He did not take its damage lightly.


    "WAAAA.. MASTER WILL KILL ME.... WAAAAAA," he began crying.


    At first Sesha was quite perplexed. Why would his opponent start crying of all things but very soon that thought left his mind replaced by a dread.


    Manipura is the chakra of fire. Like fire, it is very potent and extremely powerful. Thus, to control Manipura requires a great deal of restrain of one''s self. If one does not keep it in check, the fire run rampant and damages not only its surroundings but also whosoever is controlling it. That same thing was happening with Visha.


    Visha had already started to lose his restrain when he was enraged by Sesha''s taunts. His fire had gone wild at the same instant. But now that Sesha cut his sword, Visha was no longer himself. As a result, not only had his fire increased, expanding a great distance to the stadium but it was also starting to harm himself.


    "WAAAA.." Visha cried loudly.


    "Restrain!! Restrain yourself! QUICK!!" Sesha cried in vain.


    "Mother! It burns!!"


    "AAGHH!"


    "Fire!! Help me!!"


    "Save me!!"


    "Quick run outside!"


    The entire stadium was crying in desperation. Sensing that Visha wasn''t going to come in control anytime sooner, Sesha had to take action.


    *WHACK*


    He swiftly ran over to Visha''s back and with a short and precise blow to his neck, incapacitated him. Visha fell to the ground, but Sesha''s worry didn''t cease. Even after being unconscious, the fire from Manipura didn''t stop. It burned incessantly threatening to turn the entire stands into one massive burning pyre.


    Sesha rolled Visha''s body facing him. Without much trouble, he teared the strong armor apart from Visha''s body and then his underclothes, exposing his naked body.


    Precisely three finger widths down the navel lied the Manipura. Sesha drew a quick and complex formation at Visha''s Manipura using his own blood. Placing his palm at that formation, Sesha poured out his fire prana. The formation glowed and the tyrannical fire that was pouring out from Visha''s body, ceased completely.


    People were still crying due to the burns that they had suffered from Visha''s aura and were in process of madly rushing out to the stands. In fact, the entire stadium was in a frenzy and trying to dash towards the exit. If the situation had continued, there would undoubtedly have been a stampede. But before it could happen, a cool aura washed over the entire stadium, calming them in an instant. Those who had suffered from the fire aura finally breathed in relief due to being bathed in the gentle orange aura and others who were simply frightened out of their wits also managed to calm themselves down. This aura had originated from Sesha''s Swadhisthana.


    After a while, the people calmed down and slowly began to process what had transpired. Visha had attacked Asru first with fire involving the spectators in the process and then Asru had defeated him and ridden them of the fire. Very soon, they began to chant in unison,


    ASRU! ASRU! ASRU!


    The entire stands became full of his name! At first, they clearly favored the warrior from the Uttara sect, Visha. But now, they had a new favorite: Asru. The rogue warrior who had not only defeated the warrior from one of the four major sects but had also gotten rid of the fire and relieved them through his cool and gentle domain. How could they not applaud him then!?


    "Ladies and gentlemen! The winner of this grand warrior tournament is ASRU!"


    The entire stands rang with huge rounds of applauds!


    "As per the decree of emperor Bhairava, warrior Asru is now not only entitled with a thousand gold coins but will also be granted nobility and a fief. I now pronounce him, the lord of the Sparrow village!!"


    "Lord Asru!!"


    "Lord Asru!!"


    "Lord Asru!!"


    Sesha became lost when entirety of the people began chanting his name! A feeling came over him and he gently raised his hands and waved at the stands.


    "LORD ASRUU!!"


    In response to his waving, the stands became electrified and began chanting his name more loudly. Sesha was unexpectedly enjoying this spectacle but he was quickly brought back.. by a horrible shriek.


    "KYAAA!!"


    He looked to his side at the warrior Visha who had came out of his unconsciousness and was looking at him with a furious expression while clutching his chests.


    "You.. YOU.. HOW DARE YOU!!" He shrieked again. But this time, his voice was quite off. In fact, it was one octave higher than his usual.


    "HOW DARE YOU STRIP MY CLOTHES!!" He cried in fury.


    Sesha eyed him in exasperation.


    "Your fire was going quite wild you know. Had I not supp-"


    "YOU PERVERT!"


    Visha ignored whatever Sesha was saying.


    "Pervert?" Sesha asked.


    "MOLESTER!!"


    "Molester?"


    "SEXUAL FIEND!!"


    "What!?" Sesha said incredulously.


    "I WILL KILL YOU!!" Visha bellowed and reached out for the sword on the ground, only to promptly withdraw his hands and clutch his chest again under Sesha''s gaze.


    In the small moment that Visha had reached for his sword and then withdrawn his hands back, Sesha had clearly seen the pale and soft bulk of allure adorned with a dark tip at its front. What was remarkable was that Sesha had somehow not seen it up until now but now that he did see it, his face became aghast. His voice trembling, he said in disbelief.


    "You.. you are a girl!!"


    * * *


    Author''s Note:


    Hello all,


    I apologize for the delay. Got real mixed up in the RL. Anyways, the Golden Bird city arc has come to a conclusion and I''ll be starting a new arc soon. But before that, I think a little side story is in order. I won''t tell you what it is going to be (what''s the fun in that?) so let the guessing game begin!


    Lastly, what did you think about this unexpected development? Did you see it coming? Let me know in the comments below along with any errata or suggestions. See you again then!

 Chapter 16 - The Capital

    Sorry folks, for the delay. I have no excuses for the unannounced hiatus but I hope that you continue showing love and support to this fiction. Also, the updates to this fiction won''t magically speed up but I will try to produce a minimum of two chapters per week. But since I am very poor with commitments, don''t kill me if I can''t meet the quota okay?


    * * *


    If it were not for the lack of clothes in her upper body, she would''ve definitely killed him. No, that was an understatement. She would not only kill him, but truly and utterly eradicate him from the face of the earth itself. Even that wouldn''t quench her fury though. The damage that he had done to her pride was simply too much.


    Vishakha [1] was her name. The prodigy of the Uttara Sect, the only one to have broken through into the Fire realm amongst her peer and the most feared one too. So glorious was she that even her own master had, in acknowledgement of her prowess, bestowed his most cherished sword: Fury, to her. She was strong, she was beautiful, she was deadly but most of all, she was proud.


    And yet, here she was, on the ground, not only defeated but also humiliated. And the one who was the cause of everything was standing before her, the warrior Asru.


    When she had first witnessed him, she had thought him to be a little above average, but not too outstanding. He was one of the second realm, powerful than most of the other warriors but a far cry from her. She had guessed that he would undoubtedly end up facing her in the later stage of the tournament but that didn''t matter because she knew that he would lose.


    It wasn''t that she was too over-confident. Her master had thoroughly schooled her that one must be ever vigilant against even the weakest of the enemies. It was just that her win was akin to a fact. Yes, a fact it was that she was in the third realm and he in second. Even a retard could predict the outcome when two warriors of the third and the second realm pitted against each other.


    And that was precisely why she was so unsettled when she couldn''t defeat him! Her sword, her Fury, the one that could cleave through metals like it were a straw, had repeatedly failed to cut the joke of a sword that was on his hands. She strengthened herself tens of times her original strength using her Muladhara but even then that blasted sword wouldn''t be cut! She could have tried strengthening herself some more if it wasn''t for the lack of her control over the first Chakra.


    ''Child, you must not neglect the first chakra you know. It is called Muladhara for a reason.. It is after all, the Mula (main) Adhara (support) of one''s self. How can you possibly hope to achieve superior control against your other chakras if you neglect the base?''


    Her master had warned her time and time again but if she were to be brutally honest with herself, she hadn''t quite complied her master''s words. Why should she though? Wasn''t it true that she had already broken through the second and the third realm? Why would the first still matter? Besides, why should she waste her time on the first chakra when she could instead be cultivating her third chakra and breaking to the fourth instead?


    It was strange that she had remembered her master''s words right in the middle of the battle. It had almost cost her the match as the warrior right in front of her had somehow slipped to her back and had gently pushed her outside. Fortunately, she had managed to somehow anchor herself to the ground using her sword. Curiously, her opponent had refrained from attacking her when she was recovering from her earlier lapse.


    ''I was merely admiring your back.''


    Was what that detestable warrior had said to her (not exactly).. and that had been the trigger. Even though she had known that the third chakra was the most dangerous and volatile amongst all of the seven chakras, she had found herself unable to rein herself from tapping into its power. How could she? Not only had that warrior showed pity at her, but he had also mocked her! Even if it required her life, she would have gladly given it up in order to avenge her honor.


    That.. had turned out to be a mistake.


    At first, the fire aura had bursted forth through her third chakra providing her such unfathomable power that she was sure it could crush that insect a thousand times over. But when she had failed to do so, her rage had only increased which had led the fire from her Manipura to go wild against her will. The surrounding around was drowned out completely as the only thing that remained in her mind was the sharp looking man holding a inferior sword and the thought that he must die.


    And then she opened her eyes. At first it was disconcerting as she could not comprehend why she was lying on ground. Her senses slowly came about her and only then did she feet the pain and burn all over her body. Before she could process why it was hurting her so much, she immediately felt a cool aura wash over her. It was calm and cool but also unbelievably comfortable. So much so that she almost didn''t recognize it. She did know what it felt to be under the gentle aura of Swadhisthana but this was anything unlike she had ever felt before. She wanted nothing more than to drown herself in this comfortable aura and she would have done so too if she didn''t realise her predicament.


    She was naked.


    Her upper clothes had gone. The armor that had been one of the finest from the armory of the Uttara Sect along with her inner clothings was now no longer on her body. All feelings of comfort gone in but an instant, she immediately opened her eyes wild and found her opponent above her. The despicable warrior Asru.


    "You.. You are a girl!"


    "Do not speak to me! PERVERT!" She screamed at him.


    "B-But! Ho..How!"


    "UTTER NO WORD YOU FILTHY MISCREANT!"


    "I-I.. I am sorry," Asru apologized, his eyes still glued at her.


    "DON''T GAWK AT ME!! YOU BEAST!"


    Her hands were still covering her dignity and fury was written all over her face.. Oh how she would have loved to tear him apart limb by limb. If it weren''t for a thousand of people looking at her, she would have killed him fifty times over already.


    "Umm.. I''m really sorry, Here" ¡ª Asru dashed to the clothes that he had torn apart earlier and threw towards her ¡ª "Please, forgive me okay?"


    He was pleading to her.


    ''You must always be gentle towards maidens Sesha,'' were his master''s words and he wasn''t going to disobey them.


    She eyed him with hate spilling through her eyes before hastily covering herself with the torn clothes and armor. Still clutching the two split portion of armors on her hands, she walked briskly towards the now broken sword, collected both of its fragments and turned towards him.


    "The moment you step outside these stands would be the moment you take your last breath."


    Perhaps it was due to the fact that she had lost or perhaps it was because both her sword and her armor were now destroyed, but she somehow managed to not pounce upon Asru as soon as she came upon her swords.


    Turning away from him, she briskly made her way to the pavilion and disappeared, leaving a distraught Asru behind.


    * * *


    "Young warrior, I congratulate you!" a short but cheery man emerged from the special stands and made his way towards Asru.


    Asru wasn''t exactly young. In fact, he looked like someone who was well over twenty five but since the one who had spoken was himself over fifty, him calling Asru young was not unbefitting. As to the one who had spoken,


    "I am the Mayor of the Golden Bird City. Warrior Asru, you have not only won this tournament but also done a great service to the city by.. err.. containing.. Visha. You have my gratitude." the mayor spoke with sincerity.


    "I .. umm.. you are welcome." Sesha said.


    The manner of his speaking wasn''t overtly warm. But still, it somehow managed to please the mayor. With a wide smile on his face, he handed a heavy pouch to Sesha.


    "Here are your winnings young Warrior. I had hoped to give this to you amidst a great ceremony but,¡± the mayor looked around him with helplessness. However, he quickly regained his cheery self and procured a document.


    ¡°Here, accept this too young warrior. This is the decree that establishes you as the lord of Sparrow village."


    Sesha first accepted the pouch that no doubt contained the thousand gold coins of his winnings and then also received a simple piece of parchment with something written over it which also contained a curious stamp.


    "Thanks," Sesha said.


    "No no warrior Asru. It is me who must be thanking you. Sadly, there isn''t much that this city can give to an esteemed warrior such as yourself so I can only offer my utmost gratitude on behalf of the entire city."


    In response to the Mayor''s grave and sincere words, Sesha could only return a weak smile. But suddenly, as if remembering something, he piped up at the portly man,


    "Say, Mayor, is there an exit from where I could escape quietly?"


    * * *


    Thankfully, there was a back door to the stadium which Sesha used to escape unnoticed from everyone, mostly from a relatively flat chested maiden who might have made a death threat to him. To further aid his chances of a successful ¡ª that is to say completely unnoticeable ¡ª exit, Sesha undid the art on his face thereby dispelling his disguise, thus a young Sesha was now emerging from an alley attached to the arena.


    "But.. Please Linny, listen to me. I really love you I do. In fact, I''ve loved you since we were kids."


    Sesha heard a frustrated yet recognizable voice further ahead the alley. It belonged to an almost crying youth who had dissimilar colored eyes and also had bandages wrapped around his head. He was Surya.


    "I don''t care at the least you dork! It''s not my fault that you loved me, now let me go or I will really call the guards!" an angry and displeased voice which no doubt belonged to Linny returned Surya''s pleas.


    "Linny, please don''t be like that! My feelings really are true and I don''t care what you''ve become. So please return to the village with me.. Please!"


    Surya had tears leaking from both of his eyes as he was practically begging the girl in front of him. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to have much of an effect towards her.


    Linny snorted, "Hah, Dork! There is no way that I am going back to that god awful place again let alone with you of all people!! Now let me go!!"


    Perhaps taken aback by her words, Surya unconsciously made a way for her as he retreated and the girl stomped out of the alley. Immediately afterwards, he collapsed to the ground and began crying.


    "I take it that the talk didn''t go well?" said Sesha as he approached the now distraught Surya.


    Curiously, Surya was not alarmed. It was perhaps that he was too distraught to even be alarmed. He simply looked at Sesha and said weakly,


    "Linny.. She always dreamt of cities and riches. Even back in village she used to say, ''Surya, you become a king and I will become your queen!!''. That girl was always like that. Even then.. I have loved her since we were children you know."


    He sucked a deep breath and continued.


    "She ran off from the village after she turned fourteen. Of course I chased after her.. But not knowing where she went, it took me three years before I found her in this city. And when I found her.. She had already.."


    He couldn''t continue his words.


    "I was happy at first you know, to have finally found her. Even when I was searching for her, I dreamt of taking her back and then marrying her.."


    And that was it. The torrent of tears that had accompanied his confession rendered him incapable of saying anything else. Sesha, although he couldn''t truly understand his pain, reached out to him and said in a friendly manner,


    "She has already chosen her path.¡±


    ¡°But it is wrong!¡± Surya exploded suddenly, ¡°She deserves a better life! She deserves love and care and family! She doesn¡¯t have to be a.. be a.. that.. for her entire life!¡±


    ¡°Hmm? If you are so certain that it¡¯s wrong, you can always go back and drag her back to the village kicking or screaming,¡± said Sesha in a half serious voice.


    ¡°No!¡± said Surya, now standing up. ¡°I can not force her. I will not force her!¡±


    Sesha said serenely, ¡°You will not force her and you can not persuade her. What will you do then?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! This was my last attempt at persuading her. I have already decided to leave this city. I can¡¯t stay near her, seeing her like this anymore. But I also can''t return to my village without her.. I-I don''t know where to go," he said bitterly.


    "Hmm¡­ Is that so? Say, do you perhaps know where the Sparrow village is?" Sesha asked him.


    "Yeah¡­ Three weeks south from here on horse. Why?" Surya asked.


    "That settles it then, you are coming with me!" Sesha said excitedly.


    * * *


    2 weeks later


    Shivpur empire was the largest empire in the continent of Hind and it¡¯s capital was the largest and most powerful country in the entire northern region. The name of the capital was, surprisingly, Shivpur. That is to say, the name of the empire actually came from the name of the capital itself. This was a testament to the power of the capital and the royal household.


    At the very heart of this capital, was the Royal Palace. Like an onion, there were multiple layers that surrounded the main resident of the Royal household. It was said that not even the most powerful of the warrior could penetrate the outermost layer of security, let alone the inner layers. Of course, this only applied to the infiltrators and not the officials of the palace itself.


    At this moment, a horse was swiftly galloping towards the palace unobstructed by the palace guards. In fact, whenever the horse passed the gates, the guards would straighten their back and lower their heads suggesting that the person on the horse was a person of import.


    Not five minutes later, the horse reached the gates. The person unmounted the horse and stepped inside the palace. Upon entering the palace, his face became illuminated by the lights. He was precisely the second prince of the Shivpur empire, Prince Kartik.


    Maids stepped aside for him bowing their heads and officials greeted him with a venerated tone but he answered none of them. He kept on walking through the corridors as if he didn¡¯t register anything or anyone on his vicinity. Once he reached his destination ¡ª a huge door that opened inside the courtroom ¡ª he stopped and didn¡¯t enter the room. Instead, he turned towards one of the guard stationed outside and said,


    ¡°Inform his majesty that prince Kartik has arrived.¡±


    Before the guard could reply, a voice came from inside the court.


    ¡°Come inside little brother.¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Kartik¡¯s countenance immediately changed. It became a little distasteful suggesting the ¡°fondness¡± that he held for the owner of the voice.


    He pushed open the doors, not gently, and stepped inside the court. The courtroom was the largest room in the palace. It was where the emperor held his royal court comprised of the officials, the ministers as well as civilian representatives. There were chairs arranged at the two sides in a rectangular fashion and at the end was a mighty throne upon which sat a youth. He was snickering.


    ¡°Why are you sitting on that throne?¡± Kartik asked unkindly.


    The smile never wore off from the youth¡¯s face as he answered, ¡°Little brother, you see me after an entire two months and that is the first thing that you ask? Oh, how you hurt me brother.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. Where is father? I wish to report him,¡± Kartik said, taking no heed of the faux hurt look on the youth¡¯s face.


    ¡°Father has entered closed door cultivation and it is unlikely that he would emerge before reaching the fifth realm.¡±


    ¡°Closed door cultivation? But father never mentioned anything of the sort to me,¡± said Kartik, surprised.


    The youth suddenly gave a hearty laugh.


    ¡°Little brother, do you perhaps mistake yourself as the heir?¡± ¡ª he stepped down from the throne and walked towards Kartik ¡ª ¡°Let me remind you again second prince, you are called second for a reason. Or are you perhaps so incompetent that you do not know what second means?¡±


    Kartik remained rooted to his spot, his face full of anger. He reigned himself, however, and turned abruptly to leave the presence of the person that he despised the most.


    ¡°Who gave you the permission to leave, little brother?¡± said the youth.


    ¡°I do not require¡ª¡±


    ¡°Father has instated me as the ruler of the nation until he emerges out from his closed door cultivation. Seeing as he has been on the brink of a breathrough for some years now, I would estimate one or perhaps two years. It is not a very short time, is it? It would be wise for you brother if you start to think of me as the ruler from this very instance,¡± the youth asserted.


    ¡°Very well, your majest, may I request a leave from your insufferably royal presence?¡± spat Kartik.


    The youth spoke nothing for a while and then he sighed, ¡°What am I to do with such a naughty younger brother. Fine, you may go¡­ and by the way, congratulations on winning the tournament. Father was specially pleased with the way that you handled that disciple from the Uttara sect.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Kartik said in a perplexed tone.


    ¡°Little brother, did you think that we won¡¯t see past your measly disguise? It was a little degrading to be honest ¡ª to play the part of a rogue warrior ¡ª but both father and I applaud your efforts to ensure a fair competition.¡±


    ¡°But I never¡ª¡± completed the tournament, he would have said, if he were not interrupted by a loud booming voice.


    ¡°Prince!! You have finally arrived!¡±


    Kartik facepalmed himself as he recognized just who the voice belonged to.


    ¡°My prince! Why oh why did you order me to separate from you. Just how this Krishna remained separated for you over an entire week. It was pure torture I tell you,¡± Krishna said as he entered the room.


    ¡°Oh, your majesty! Pardon me, I didn¡¯t see you.¡±


    ¡°Chhe!¡± The youth exclaimed, ¡°Leave this room little brother and take this monkey out with you.¡±


    Kartik made a show of a bow while leading his retainer outside the room.


    Once outside, Kartik said with a smile, ¡° You have some talent after all, Krishna. If nothing else, your ability to irritate my brother is simply otherworldly.¡±


    Krishna replied with his own smile, ¡°It¡¯s a gift, my prince.¡±


    As they began walking away, Kartik stopped and said, ¡°Tell me Krishna, just what the hell happened after we left that city?¡±


    Krishna replied, his smile multiplying ten folds, ¡°My prince, it seems that you won the tournament.. And oh, you also stripped a maiden naked!¡±


    * * *


    Ananya was walking along the corridors of the Scented Rose. Although the establishment itself had suffered much damage, the inner parts had thankfully remained intact. Her mistress herself had been sleeping in one of the inner rooms. Not actually sleeping though, she had been lying unconscious. But two weeks had already passed and only a moment ago Ananya had received the news of her mistress'' regaining her consciousness, which was why she was hastily making her way towards her mistress'' temporary chamber.


    Pushing open a door she was greeted to a scene of her sisters huddling around a bed and chatting excitedly with the one who had been the former unconscious occupant of the said bed, her mistress. She wasn''t particularly the paramount of health for her skin was pale and her body was thin due to the time she spent unconscious but that didn''t matter to Ananya and before anyone could see her or even notice her entrance into the chamber, she had already started running towards her mistress shoving her sisters rather rudely in the process.


    "Calm down Ananya.." a weak voice stopped her overly enthusiastic endeavour that is to say her shoving and she instantly mellowed down, blushing tomato red due to embarrassment on her mistress'' words.


    "Let her be mistress," one of her sister chimed in, "after all, it is only now that she has shown such vigor. Otherwise it was always her moping around in your room waiting for you to wake up all the while saying O mistress, why did you leave this Ananya alone or Do you not love this Ananya, why do you not speak to her"


    The one who provided this particular piece of information did so in a rather dramatic fashion the result of which was Ananya going even a darker shade of red and the entire room drowning in laughter of her sisters.


    "Oh hush you all, do not tease her," mistress said in a gentle fashion while embracing Ananya, who had now already made her way to the bed, in a motherly hug.


    "You spoil her too much mistress," one of her said, "not that I complain.. I just wish you''d spoil me like that too.."


    It was said in a reprimanding tone but amidst the brides it had only an effect of further laughter. All of them readily knew that Ananya was indeed loved dearly by their mistress which had to do with the fact that she was, in fact, the youngest of all of the girls and she practically worshipped her mistress. Reasons aside, the girls were never envious of their youngest sister who received a bit more affection from their mistress, rather, it only caused them to love Ananya even more.


    Breaking the laughter that still permeated the air, Parvati also formerly known as Nagini, said to Ananya in a sombre voice,


    "Dearest Ananya, please forgive your mistress for she could not protect you. Your mistress was weak and thus was defeated. I could not uphold the promise of protecting you forever. Tell me child, tell me that you forgive me."


    For a while, Ananya was bewildered that her mistress was blaming this fiasco on herself. After all, it was never her fault that Ananya was abducted but nevertheless, she could feel the genuine guilt on the voice of the only person she could call mother and thus she couldn''t stop the words from coming out of her mouth,


    "Of course I forgive you mistress!! In fact, it should be who should be begging for your forgiveness. Had I not antagonized that accursed Baron, all of this would have never happened."


    "Child, do not blame yourself.. It was not your fault¡ª"


    "But¡ª" Ananya tried to interrupt but her mistress promptly stopped her,


    "Let it go child, all that matters is you are safe and sound. For that we have only Shiva to thank," Parvati said while making a silent praying motion to the heavens.


    "Actually, it was not Shiva mistress," one girl said, "It was a warrior. And from what I have been told, a rather handsome one at that"


    The entire room burst in a teasing laughter, clearly directed towards their beloved sister.


    "Crashing down from the heaven itself."


    "Adorned in all black, with a heroic face and mighty strength."


    "Moving like the wind to vanquish his enemies"


    "Protecting maidens with his body.."


    At this point, the girls were completing each other''s sentence and with each sentence, Ananya was going a shade of red darker in her cheeks. Parvati, sensing Ananya''s distress, interrupted,


    "What are you girls talking about?"


    "It is as we said mistress, a hero rescued Ananya from distress and now she''s taken with him... I heard she even mutters his name in her sleep.. All the while writhing in her bed in his longing," a girl chimed in.


    Ananya promptly looked towards the girl, her cheeks still red, with eyes that seemed to say, ''I am soo going to kill you...'' but that did nothing to discourage other girls.


    "She sighs all day you know, and refuses to eat even. At first I thought it was due to you not waking up but her eyes betrays the emotion of a maiden in love."


    "Yes mistress, I saw her just the other day caressing a piece of cloth that belonged to his body... Our young Ananya sure is growing up¡­ Oh how I envy her youth!"


    Parvati, sensing that the red on Ananya''s face was now at its ultimate shade, decided to rescue her,


    "Now now girls, do not tease your sister like that. She is clearly stressed still from the ordeal. All of you now return to your chambers, I have things to discuss with Ananya."


    A chorus of "Okay mistress" rang out and the girls returned to their station.


    After they had gone, she gave a gentle look at her youngest ward who had the misfortune to suffer a terrible ordeal and couldn''t help but blame herself again for her failure to protect her. That thought, however, didn''t linger for too long for she forcibly shook it off and instead decided to steer the mood towards more positive things,


    "So¡­ tell me about this young man¡­", she asked with a sly grin.


    * * *


    Ananya, after surpassing her initial hesitation, recounted with a great detail her experience of that day. Notably, she emphasized her meeting with young Rosey who she now thought of as her own younger sister. And with equal excitement she talked about the warrior who had rescued both herself and her young sister from their wretched abductors.


    When her story had finished, her mistress'' face was both livid and relieved. Livid because of the horror that her youngest ward had gone through and relieved because it had all ended in a positive note. Noticing the pensive look on her mistress'' face, Ananya decided to change the conversation,


    "But mistress, you are really amazing! You fought with a warrior, of third realm no less!! You know, I was so worried that he had..." she couldn''t complete her sentence, "But you made it in the end! How are you so strong mistress, despite of not being a warrior!?"


    Parvati gave a gentle smile at Ananya''s excitement and said,


    "I am not really that strong child. For if I were, then those fiends couldn''t even have laid a single finger upon you.."


    "No child, I am not strong," she said quickly on noticing that Ananya was about to protest, "Trust me when I say this because I have seen real strength and I couldn''t possibly hope to compare myself with it.. with her." she added the last part silently.


    "But mistress! How could you survive if not for your strength? I saw myself the blow that he''d landed on you! It was truly vicious and for some moments I really thought.. that, that.."


    Parvati embraced Ananya and managed to calm her before she could become more anxious and said in a soothing voice,


    "Of course child, by all accounts I should have died. That man, while he was wretched, was truly strong and his blow had damaged my internal organs. If I were any other person, no, even if I were a warrior, I would have died without a doubt."


    "But then.." Ananya started to say but Parvati interrupted her,


    "How could have I survived? It is really simple dearest Ananya, I survived because of my mistress," her words were filled with revere.


    "Your mistress, mistress?"


    Parvati gave a gentle laugh on Ananya''s question.


    "Yes dearest Ananya. Do you recall the sculpture that I showed you on the morn of that day?"


    "Of course mistress! How could I forget!? She was the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen in my entire life!" Ananya squeaked.


    "She is, isn''t she?"


    "Yes!"


    "She is beautiful that much you know but what you do not know is that she is ridiculously powerful! In fact, I can confidently say that in this entire empire, except for the emperor and perhaps the supreme elders of the major sects, not a single soul can match her in power.


    "Not only that, she is of a most noble origin. One could say that she is a queen, although you better not mention that in front of her because she rather dislikes being called that," Parvati laughed to herself, "You know, she fancies herself a king and no matter how much I said that she couldn''t be one because she was a girl, she wouldn''t relent," she smiled, "One could say that she is a child in that regard."


    "But despite of her origins and her power, she is a kind person. In fact, it was her kindness that saved me from a life that I dare not even wish upon my enemies," Parvati said with an incredible sadness in her voice, "Yes, it was her kindness that saved me and it was her kindness that made me strong."


    Ananya, who had been paying utmost attention to her mistress'' words, commented on her last words,


    "How could her kindness make you strong mistress?"


    "She gave me a treasure, dearest Ananya. Rather, she fed me a treasure. You do not know the horrors that I have experienced, the horrors that left my body utterly damaged and beyond any hope of recovery. And yet, when she fed me but two drops of that heavenly treasure, not only did my body make a full recovery but it was also strengthened beyond that of an average warrior of the first realm. Think child, only two drops not only healed me but made me ridiculously strong! How could it not be a heavenly treasure? And she spared it for me!! Do you realise now Ananya, the kindness of my mistress? The one who spared treasure that even gods would have been envious to lay their hands on, to a miserable woman who she had met for the very first time!"


    A silence reigned the air for a while after Parvati''s revelations but it was quickly dispelled by Ananya''s question,


    "Mistress, who in the world is she?? And how did you ever come to meet her?"


    Parvati smiled in reminiscence,


    "That," she said softly, "is quite the story."

 Chapter 17 - The Demon Alchemist

    ¡°Hungry! I am so damn hungry!¡± said Surya who was dragging his body with great effort in between the woods.


    It had been nearly two weeks since the two of them had departed from the Golden Bird city to the Sparrow village. The weather had not been very kind for the two travellers as it was very hot and humid on the road.


    ¡°I had assumed that you had packed sufficient food for both of us,¡± Sesha said not for the first time.


    ¡°I did brother! It¡¯s just that I was very sad these past days due to being separated from Linny and¡­ I tend to eat a lot when I am sad,¡± he said in an embarassed voice.


    Surya had struggled a lot and was still in the process of giving up his former love interest. In fact, there were many a times when he had almost turned around and ran towards the city. He preservered at the end, although not without the help of Sesha who had to restrain him physically.


    ¡°You should endure a bit Surya. My master says that we should not be a slave to our bodily needs.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say. I mean, you hardly ever eat anything¡­ Really though, I have seen you eat what, once, twice!?¡±


    Sesha sighed.


    ¡°I eat when¡ª¡°


    ¡°I am not around, yes you have said it many times,¡± Surya interjected, ¡°Still, you should eat some more. You are at the growing age after all!¡±


    At the rate that you eat, won¡¯t you die of hunger if I start eating too?


    Sesha mused to himself.


    He gave a smile which would have given his master a headache. Sesha then said, ¡°Since you want me to eat, I shall comply for this once.¡±


    He then proceeded to take an apple from his bag and took a bite out of it.


    ¡°You had an apple in your bag! Why did you not tell me!?¡± Surya asked indignantly.


    ¡°You never asked,¡± said Sesha.


    ¡°B-but!¡±


    ¡°Well, I wanted to give this to you at first¡­ but you convinced me that I should eat a bit more!¡± Sesha said mischievously.


    Surya deflated visibly. Sesha decided to take it as a minor victory.


    ¡°Here¡± ¡ª He tossed another apple towards Surya ¡ª ¡°This is the last that I have so you¡¯ll have to make do.¡±


    Surya caught it and proceeded to eat it with a huge smile on his face.


    ¡°Sshank you ¡®rother,¡± he said while eating.


    After Surya finished eating, Sesha asked,


    ¡°How many days still Surya?¡±


    ¡°With the rate that we are going? I would say that it¡¯s three or four more days¡­ but I still say that we should turn back. It¡¯s not late after all.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± said Sesha, ¡°I wish to see this Swallow village for myself. Besides, I don¡¯t understand why you are so afraid.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t understand? Have I not repeatedly told you brother!? That village is in the boundary of the Dark Forest! The beasts from that forest tend to visit it often.¡±


    ¡°And have I not repeatedly told you that it¡¯s just some beasts?¡± Sesha said in exasperation.


    ¡°Just some beasts?¡± ¡ª Surya jumped in front of Sesha and faced him ¡ª ¡°Just some beasts brother!? They are beasts from the Dark Forest!! The lava rats! Nightshades! Vipers!! Do you know how dangerous these beasts are!¡±


    ¡°Rodents, cats and snakes? They are not very dangerous really. The Nightshades in particular, if you know where to pet them¡ª¡±


    ¡°Pet them!? Are you insane?¡± Surya cried, ¡°They are the fastest animals in the world and have you ever seen their teeth?¡±


    ¡°I have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not seen their teeth! Yes, I know! Ask me how I know brother? Come on, ask me!¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ how do you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re alive that¡¯s why! No one lives after seeing the teeth of such ferocious beasts!¡±


    Sesha had meant to say that yes, he had indeed seen the wild cats¡¯ teeth and he had also meant to ask just why did Surya think that the cats were the fastest creature on earth seeing as they were vastly inferior to the Wind Leopards that he used to play with. He stopped himself, however, and thankfully so. Just the talk of the Nightshades made Surya so nervous. Sesha could guess just how much the Wind Leopards would unsettle Surya and he did not want to deal with an even more agitated Surya.


    ¡°Alright alright! There¡¯s no need for you to be so worked up,¡± said Sesha, ¡°If you jump some more, you¡¯ll only make yourself hungrier.¡±


    That created a whole new problem because on cue, Surya¡¯s stomach began rumbling.


    ~~grrr~~


    Sesha sighed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just eat a minute ago?¡±


    Surya, who was visibly embarrassed, said meekly, ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ we were talking about nightshades and I became afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Sesha said, ¡°You get hungry when you are scared don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Surya said in a still subdued voice.


    ¡°Well, this part of the woods doesn¡¯t have any fruits or berries that we can eat. We can only continue to walk ahead.¡±


    ¡°But brother! I am soooo hungry!¡±


    ¡°Endure.¡±


    ¡°Eh!¡± Surya complained, ¡°At this rate, I will die of hunger!¡±


    ¡°Just pray to your god then. Perhaps he will ensure your survivle before you find something to eat!¡± Sesha stuck his tongue out and teased him.


    ¡°I am a farmer brother,¡± Surya said indignantly, ¡°We farmers create our own food. We never just ask the heavens for it. Besides, it¡¯s not like anything will drop from sky if I just pray for it.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to try,¡± said Sesha nonchalantly.


    Perhaps it was because Surya was agitated by hunger but he really did spread open his arms and said in a faux devotional voice, ¡°Mighty heavens above! Please give me ¡ª this Surya ¡ª something to eat!¡±


    He opened his eyes and showed his hands to Sesha, ¡°See, nothing at all!¡±


    Just then, a small white rabbit plopped down from some tree above and right into Surya¡¯s hands who instinctively caught it. Surya stared at it with his mouth agape while Sesha began to laugh.


    ¡°You know Surya, I think you have got a gift!¡±


    * * *


    The four major sects of the Hind continent were located into its four corners i.e. North, East, West and South. These sects were believed to be older than any empire of the continent. The names of these four great sects were, Uttara ¡ª the northern sect, Dakshina ¡ª the southern sect, Purava ¡ª the easter sect and Paschima ¡ª the western sect. Among these four sects, the Uttara sect lied inside the Shivpur empire. However, even the almighty emperor of Shivpur had no say whatsoever on the internal dealings of the sect. The sect was essentially autonomous.


    Uttar sect was situated on the foot of the Himalayas and was relatively secluded from the outside world. In fact, a very small number of people knew of its actual location. Those who knew could be said to be the most influential people on the continent like other major sect heads, the royal household or very wealthy merchants.


    The sect was huge and spanned acres of land. It was divided into different compounds where disciples of different levels trained and sparred with each other. In one such compound of the sect, a particularly violent spar was going on.


    A whirlwhind like figure was wreaking havoc against an opposition of almost thirty disciples who were garbed in a plain battle cloth. From the compound, sounds of bones breaking and grown men crying like a little baby could be heard by everyone. In fact, the spectators that were previously gathered there to enjoy an interesting sparring match were now wincing as each sect disciple flew outside the compound and crashed into the walls and trees.


    ¡°Senior brother,¡± a spectating sect disciple asked another, ¡°What has got that Vishakha angrier than usual?¡±


    The person side stepped just as a human missile flew towards him and replied, ¡°It seems that she was defeated in a tournament of some backwater city.¡±


    ¡°Heh? She was defeated? I didn¡¯t know that experts also graced such city tournaments,¡± the disciple mused out loud.


    ¡°Idiot, it was no expert who defeated her. In fact, it was a warrior of second realm only,¡± the senior disciple said.


    ¡°What!? A warrior of the Water realm defeated this demon?¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡± said the senior disciple while giving his junior a stern look, ¡°Don¡¯t speak so loudly idiot! Why do you think are these guys getting beaten up in the first place? Apparently, they were caught talking about that very tournament! Don¡¯t let that girl hear you or it will be you on that compound.¡±


    The junior disciple¡¯s face became pale after hearing his senior¡¯s words and he unconsciously began to pray for his fellow disciples who were unfortunate enough to have been thrown into the pit with a raging bull.


    There were not only the sect disciples who were spectating the one sided massacre. Even various elders of the sect were watching it from afar. Among these elders was a stern looking man who looked so cold to the point of giving an ice burn to people who dare look on his face. He remained observing the compound for a little while but left shortly after.


    * * *


    ¡°Is this all you maggots got?¡± the woman spat at the group of warriors lying on the ground clutching various broken parts of their bodies.


    ¡°Pathetic! And then you go and dare whisper behind my back. You don¡¯t have the qualifications! Hmph!!¡± she exclaimed and began walking out of the compound in a brisk fashion.


    However, she was intercepted midway by a sect disciple who was visibly trembling.


    ¡°Lady Vishakha,¡± the disciple said timidly.


    ¡°Hiiiii,¡± he whimpered as Vishaka¡¯s do-you-want-some-beating-too gaze bore down on him.


    ¡°What!¡± she spat.


    ¡°L-Lady Vishakha please, First Elder has summoned you,¡± the disciple said in his still timid voice.


    ¡°Father,¡± mumbled Vishakha and walked towards the Elder residence without giving any heed to the nearly passed out disciple besides her.


    The disciple didn¡¯t mind though. In fact he was utterly relieved by her departure. Once he was outside of her earshot, he whispered to himself,


    ¡°What a scary girl! To think that I had a crush on her at some point! Naive, I was truly naive.¡±


    * * *


    Vishakha arrived at the First Elder¡¯s residence and walked inside without announcing her presence or requesting any audience. The room was large enough but it was mostly empty. It was so because this room was in fact the meditation room of the Elder. The room had two huge doors which remained mostly open and were only closed when the Elder decided to go into a closed door cultivation. There were multiple fractal-like murals drawn around the room and also a few paintings of dieties hanged here or there. There also was a raised platform at the end of the room where the Elder was supposed to meditate. Currently though, the Elder was standing beside it, in Vishakha¡¯s wait.


    ¡°First Elder,¡± Vishakha bowed respectfully to the Elder. He was currently garbed in a white attire that indicated his rank of the First Elder. As for his appearance, it was extremely regal as if he were containing a power as boundless and oppressive as the ocean itself. However, despite of that, the look with which he looked at Vishakha was incomparably warm.


    ¡°Child, have I not told you to call me Father when we are alone like this?¡± the Elder chided gently.


    Vishakha smiled and corrected herself, ¡°Forgive me father.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, you must know why I summoned you here right?¡± said the Elder dissmissing the previously warm atmosphere around him.


    ¡°Yes Father, I accept my punishment,¡± She said while kneeling in front of him.


    The Elder looked astonished.


    ¡°Rise Vishakha¡­ I have not summoned you here to punish you,¡± Elder said kindly.


    ¡°But father! I have shamed the Uttara Sect by losing to a mere rogue warrior and on top of that, I also broke the sword that Grandfather personally crafted¡­ and I also lost my dignity.¡±


    The last part, she had said in a low voice.


    The Elder remained smiling, ¡°Yes, you lost and yes, the sword Fury also broke while on your hands but you should always remember child, losses are the foundations of victory. As for the sword? It can be repaired by a skilled blacksmith.¡±


    It looked as if Vishakha wanted to interrupt the Elder, but he didn¡¯t give her a change.


    ¡°Besides, the one whom you lost to, he is not a mere rogue warrior. He is the second prince of the empire: Prince Kartik.¡±


    ¡°What!!¡± Vishakha exclaimed, all her reservations in front of her father forgotten for the time being.


    ¡°Yes, apparently he was in a disguise of a rogue warrior, for god knows what reason. So you see Vishakha? Your loss doesn¡¯t really bring a shame to Uttara Sect. Your opponent was a genius after all.¡±


    ¡°No father,¡± said Vishakha. The Elder raised an eyebrow in response.


    ¡°Our Uttara sect is the mightiest in this empire. Not even the second prince, no matter how much of a genius he is, should be able to defeat our sect. In this regard, I simply cannot accept my defeat.¡±


    The Elder sighed.


    This child, she is even more stubborn than her mother ever was.


    ¡°Fine then child. How about this, from today till the next two months, you will undergo a solitary expedition to the Himalayas. The harshness of the environment will undoubtedly strengthen your cultivation. And when you return, I¡¯ll have a pleasant gift waiting for you,¡± the Elder said, adding a hint of mysteriousness.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I shall comply Father,¡± Vishaka replied and then asked, ¡°However, can I ask about the nature of this gift?¡±


    The Elder broke into a wide grin, ¡°Our Uttara sect is even older than the Empire itself, this you know. What you do not know, however, is that the first emperor of Shivpur made a deal with us in order to gain our continued support for his empire.


    ¡°Simply put, Uttara sect can call upon the Royal household if need ever arises. While the sect hasn¡¯t misused this deal terribly over the years but right now, I think we have a desperate need of a sparring partner for you.¡±


    Vishakha promptly understood everything. The cause of her humiliation and suffering was now coming on to her own ground. She broke into an utterly malicious grin. Her day had just gotten a whole lot better.


    * * *


    Prince Kartik was pacing about in his room ever since his meeting with his elder brother. Despite of being a prince, Kartik lived a spartan life. It was evident from his room where there were no luxuries that were befitting of a royalty. That was not to say that the room was completely bare. Compared to the living arrangements of a commoner, it was perhaps tens of times more lavish but compared to the arrangements of princes and princesses from other kingdoms, it was tens of times more frugal.


    Sitting on the bed of Kartik¡¯s room was Krishna, eating grapes with complete leisure.


    ¡°I say, your highness, the way you are moving about, you have probably travelled thousand of leagues already,¡± Krishna spoke up, unable to withstand the awkward silence in the room.


    ¡°Just who could it be!?¡± Kartik muttered, for the thousandth of time.


    Krishna sighed. The news of an impostor wearing Prince Kartik¡¯s face participating and ultimately winning the tournament had come as a big shock to the second prince. For the life of them, both the prince as well as Krishna hadn¡¯t managed to find just how someone could accomplish the feat.


    As far as they knew, there were only two sensible conclusions: either the said warrior really had a physique similar to Kartik¡¯s alter ego, Asru or the warrior must have been in a disguise. As Kartik had ¡°crafted¡± the physique of his other self himself and had not based it on any other existing person on the face of the earth, the former scenario was too big of a co-incidence to be true. Thus, only the latter remained.


    However, even if it was concluded that the warrior had been in an disguise, Kartik couldn¡¯t figure out how anybody could do that under the watchful gazes of the other participating warriors.


    ¡°Are you sure that it¡¯s not a Yadu?¡± Kartik asked.


    Krishna answered with a sigh, ¡°For the hundreth time, Yes.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps someone else who knows this art?¡±


    Krishna suddenly became grave, ¡°Prince, my father is already threatening to severely punish me since I passed this art to you. I am only alive because I am his own flesh and blood and the next heir of the clan (¡¯and he loves you no less than his own child¡¯, he added silently). Believe me, he would have already killed anyone who dared leak this art to outsiders. We Yadus might not be the strongest but when it comes to our clan¡¯s art, we become extremely unforgiving.¡±


    Kartik looked a little guilty at his retainer¡¯s words, ¡°I apologise, it¡¯s just this whole matter regarding the tournament and my investigation¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, you don¡¯t need to apologize to me, really. You are my prince after all,¡± said Krishna while breaking into an idiotic grin.


    Kartik sighed. The happy-go-lucky attitude of his retainer made it difficult to take him seriously at times.


    ¡°By the way, your highness, did you find something about that red-eyed expert?¡±


    Kartik stopped on his track and recalled the details about that mysterious expert. His blood red eyes, his ferocity and the ease with which he had handeled both his retainer and the berserk Mrita. Had the expert been a foe and not a friend¡­ Kartik shuddered to think of that scenario.


    ¡°No, the Royal library has nothing on any tribes with red eyes nor it has any art that enables one to change one¡¯s eye color, not to that degree anyway.¡±


    Kartik mused some more, as if deciding on something and spoke, ¡°Do you recall when we separated a week ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes, despite my severe objections, if I might add,¡± said Krishna a little grumpily.


    Kartik took no heed of his obvious displeasure, ¡°That Viscount that we were following, Bali, I didn¡¯t manage to catch him,¡± Kartik face became dark at this point, but he immediately recovered, ¡°What I did gathered though was something equally grave as the missing girls: The Blood Pills.¡±


    Krishna promptly stopped whatever he was doing and stood up from the bed. He faced Prince Kartik and looked at him as if imploring him to continue.


    ¡°As you know, the empire has already banned the very existence of the Blood Pills to the point that if someone is even heard whispering the mere word, he is immediately detained by the empire. But, that has never stopped the production of these pills in the underground.


    ¡°However, such pills has been exceedingly rare and cost tens of thousands of golds in exchange. I suspect that not even handful of alchemist know of how to create them.¡±


    ¡°Then how come a measly third rate warrior like Mrita got his hands on it?¡± Krishna said.


    ¡°Precisely!¡± Kartik exclaimed, ¡°It didn¡¯t sit well with me too. So I extended my feelers in the underground and found out, with great difficulty no less, that someone has recently started selling pills that he claims is the Blood Pill. Of course, no one knows for certain whether they were the actual Blood Pills but since I have personally witnessed it¡¯s effect, we do know that the pill is indeed what the pillmaker claims it is.¡±


    ¡°This is a news of utmost import Prince. We have to quickly make report to the Emperor! Oh wait, he is in closed door cultivation. Then your brother? (Kartik glared at him) No, No, I mean not your brother. Absolutely not. Minister of the Right? I mean, father has a great relation with you, we can tell him can¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I already told him,¡± said Kartik.


    Noticing the unenthusiastic tone of his voice, Krishna added, ¡°Let me guess, he didn¡¯t believe you?¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t. He too knew about the rumors of such a pill-maker in the Underground but that¡¯s what he thinks it is, just rumors,¡± Kartik said bitterly.


    ¡°But why did you not tell him of your encounter? Surely that would have changed his mind?¡± Krishna inquired.


    ¡°Are you an idiot!?¡± Kartik cried, ¡°I was three. Three! When I went and injured my knee a bit and then he saddled me with you! I imagine he will set the entire empire¡¯s army on my tail if he should ever come to know about that unfortunate adventure. Oh, and that reminds me, you are not to speak of that encounter with your father or my brother or any other living soul. That is an order.¡±


    Krishna sighed, ¡°I obey, my prince.¡±


    ¡°So, what will you do then?¡± He added.


    ¡°Need you even ask?¡± Kartik said with a smile that certainly didn¡¯t mean anything good, ¡°Both of us will be leaving tomorrow to investigate this pill-maker.¡±


    ¡°Just like that? I mean, where do we even start? Do we have his address or something?¡±


    Kartik looked at him as if to say, are-you-an-idiot. He then said, ¡°The only thing that we know at this point is his name. He calls himself the Demon Alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ catchy.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, pack your belongings and get ready to move within the end of this week. We have no time to waste.¡±


    Before Krishna could get on to do anything, though, a maid requested permission to enter the prince¡¯s chambers.


    ¡°Your highness, the First Prince asks for your presence,¡± she said.


    Kartik dismissed her and looked at Krishna to ask if he knew anything about the summon. Krishna replied with a look that said, ¡°I don¡¯t know he¡¯s your brother after all.¡±


    It was a summon from his elder brother that he would have irritating consequences if defied. Thus, he went to the courtroom to answer it. The guards outside the room heard an unholy sound not even after the five minutes of Kartik entering inside. It was their second prince shrieking at the top of his lungs,


    ¡°ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?¡±


    * * *


    ¡°So bitter!¡± Surya complained.


    ¡°What do you expect, wild roots are tasteless at best and bitter at worse¡­ They are edible though. Honestly, you should be thankful that you are at least getting to eat at all,¡± Sesha paused for a while and looked at the white rabbit perched on Surya¡¯s arms, ¡°Are you sure? I mean really really sure that you don¡¯t want to eat it?¡±


    ¡°I told you brother, Linny is not food! She is my friend. See, we¡¯ve bonded already,¡± Surya said as he lifted the rabbit in front of him, ¡°She no longer kicks me in the face or attempts to run off. That¡¯s real progress, I tell you¡±


    Sesha, however, was skeptical, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because you are feeding her? Anyways, do what you want to do. It was your catch after all. But, are you sure that you want to call it by *that* name?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it suits her,¡± Surya said enthusiastically, ¡°Besides, she is just as cute as¡­ as¡­ my Linny¡­ hic¡­ hic.¡±


    And he began crying out of nowhere. As a result, the bitter roots that he was complaining about earlier were devoured by him at an astonishing rate. Sesha hastily pulled and hid some lest Surya ate it all. The rabbit, Linny, too took a bigger bite than usual as if it were somehow sensing an incoming crisis.


    Sesha was completely clueless as to how he could possibly console someone crying like that. If the past couple of days had taught him anything, it was that when Surya got like this, the best strategy was to give him as much food as possible and hope that he calms down before it runs out. Thankfully, he did calm out just as their provisions ran out.


    ¡°Thanks for that brother,¡± Surya said while blowing his nose.


    Sesha simply shrugged it off. The few minutes after Surya¡¯s episodes were critical ones and Sesha was careful to not speak anything that would set him off again.


    After the critical moments had passed, Sesha (very very carefully) asked, ¡°How many days before we reach the village?¡±


    ¡°Just one more day brother. I reckon we¡¯ll reach our destination by tomorrow morning,¡± Surya said comfortably.


    ¡°You sure are very knowledgeable though Surya. Did you grow up around these parts?¡± Sesha asked him.


    ¡°Nah brother. I am a northener. Usually, we northerners have no business this far south in the empire,¡± Surya replied while carressing Linny the rabbit.


    ¡°Then how are you so knowledgeable about these parts?¡± Sesha asked.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that I travelled a lot¡­ back when, you know, I was searching for¡­ my Linny¡­ whaaaaaaaa!!¡±


    Sesha gave a huge sigh. Apparently, his suffering for the day had not yet finished.


    Just then, two arrows came whistling through the air at incredible speed towards Sesha and Surya. Sesha would have done something about it had the arrows actually been dangerous. The arrows were not exactly off the marks either. It was just that they were targeted to only barely scratch the cheeks of both Sesha and Surya. Surya was in no danger, Sesha surmised and he himself just tilted his head a little bit so that the arrow never touched him at all as it whizzed past him.


    I missed? One of the marksman who had shot at Sesha thought to himself. The movement made by Sesha was the bare minimum to avoid the arrow and thus the archer had not discerned it in time.


    Immediately, both Sesha and Surya were surrounded by dozens of armed men. Some of them had bows in their hands while others were carrying swords or spears.


    ¡°Halt! Who are you two!¡±


    The leader of the party asked Surya while pointing his sword on his face.


    ¡°Hiiiiiii,¡± Surya cried out and moved to hide behind Sesha.


    ¡°We are only travellers. Our destination is the Sparrow village,¡± Sesha said calmly.


    ¡°Sparrow village you say? Kid, what do you know about sparrow village?¡± the leader asked again.


    ¡°Eh? I just know that it is a village of the Shivpur empire and that it lies near the border of the Dark Forest¡­ err¡­ that¡¯s it really,¡± Sesha replied.


    ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t know that the Sparrow village is now occupied by us bandits then?¡±


    ¡°Not really, no,¡± said Sesha while Surya paled after hearing the word ¡°bandit¡±.


    ¡°Well, you know now,¡± the leader said viciously, ¡°Hand over your valuables and turn back this instant. Be thankful that today is Monday. I don¡¯t really kill on Mondays if I can help it.¡±


    ¡°Valuables you say?¡± Sesha mused and then took out the wild roots that he had hid from Surya early on, ¡°This is the only thing that we have on us. Here, take it,¡± said Sesha handing out the wild roots to the leader with good intentions. It had the completely opposite effect though.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± the leader gave a very sinister laugh, ¡°Very well kid, I see that you are determined to die today. Rejoice for you shall die at the hands of Theon of the Scorpion bandits,¡± he said while waving his sword around.


    Sesha unconcsioulsy glanced at Theon¡¯s waist region and tutted as if guided by an unknown force. Surya on the other hand, loudly exclaimed, ¡°Scorpion bandits!! Hiiii,¡± and proceeded to faint on the ground.

 Chapter 18 - A guideline, not a rule.

    Seeing that one of the two had already fallen, the leader Theon gave a sinister laugh, ¡°Haha, you see kid, your friend over there is already familiar with us Scorpion bandits. We have an incredibly ruthless reputation after all. Enough talk now, prepare to die.¡±


    Just as he was about to move towards Sesha with his sword in his arm, another person from the bandits stepped front and spoke to him,


    ¡°Big brother, do you really need to kill them?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about idiot! Of course I have to kill them. They disrespected me, your big brother.¡±


    ¡°But brother!! Today is Monday, do you really really need to kill them?¡±


    The leader hesitated, but the ruthless expression didn¡¯t fade from his face, ¡°I would have spared them Tito, but don¡¯t you see that this kid has a death wish! Joking with me, giving me wild roots when I asked for money, hmph, today is their final day on the face of the earth!¡±


    ¡°But brotherrr!! Don¡¯t you remember? Today is Ma¡¯s birthday!¡±


    This was apparently a news to the leader as the killing intent around him sharply plummeted,


    ¡°Really? Today¡¯s date is¡­ oh fuck, it really is her birthday isn¡¯t it! I haven¡¯t even gotten her any gifts!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy brother,¡± Tito replied, ¡°Do you remember what she¡¯s always complaining about?¡±


    ¡°You mean her joint pain? The woman never shuts up about that.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Theon was perplexed.


    His brother sighed, ¡°What, as that idiot old man always says, is beneficial for joint pains?¡±


    Theon scratched his head, ¡°It¡¯s.. whasitname, Yarsa¡¯s roots?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Tito exclaimed.


    ¡°So!?¡± Theon asked.


    Tito facepalmed, ¡°What is that boy currently holding on his hands brother?¡±


    Theon looked at Sesha who had the wild roots on his palms.


    ¡°You mean that?¡± Tito nodded. ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t is supposed to be rare?¡± He nodded again, enthusiastically.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Theon declared, ¡°It seems that you get to live today after all brat. Despite of your rudeness, this magnanimous Theon will spare your life. Now give that root to me.¡±


    Sesha was already amused by the back and forth banter between the two bandit brothers. He thought whether not handing the root would annoy them further but seeing as Surya had already fainted on him, he decided against making the situation more complicated and handed the roots to Theon with a smile.


    ¡°It turned out to be such an auspicious occassion today. Well then, won¡¯t you let us go now?¡±


    Sesha asked while motioning towards himself as well as Surya who was still unconscious on the ground (with the rabbit Linny perched upon him).


    ¡°Not so fast kid,¡± said Theon, ¡°You giving me the Yarsa¡¯s roots can only be considered as your payment for disrespecting me. We¡¯ve yet to decide your fate for intruding in the Sparrow village.¡±


    He then shouted to the bandit gang, ¡°Everyone, lets bring these kids back to the village. Boss will decide what to do with them.¡±


    Bandit leader Theon then abruptly turned and marched towards the village. One of the bandits came and urged Sesha to move with them while several others argued just who was to carry the fainted kid on the ground. In the end, all of them decided to draw straws.


    Sesha became a little excited. None of the bandits present had the aura of a warrior around them so it was futile to clash with them. However, the bandit group itself seemed to be rather famous. Sesha reasoned that this must mean that the group¡¯s boss was a super expert. He was looking forward to see just how much strong the boss really was.


    * * *


    Kartik was extremely agitated. Not only had his plan of pursuing the Demon Alchemist been ruined but he also had to go to the Uttara sect in the remote north for some vague purposes. Meanwhile, the stupid retainer at his side hadn¡¯t stopped laughing ever since,


    ¡°Ha ha ha, this is too much your highness! First you rip her vest off during the match and then fondle her breasts and now you get to spend some time with her! Isn¡¯t this amazing!¡±


    ¡°Amazing my foot!¡± Kartik said while stomping his foot on the ground, ¡°I didn¡¯t rip her vest and I certainly never fondled her breasts.¡±


    ¡°Figures,¡± Krishna commented, ¡°If you had fondled some breasts, you wouldn¡¯t be so stuck up all the time.¡±


    Kartik directed an intense glare at him which instantly shut him up.


    ¡°Anyway, this is a problem. As the prince of the empire, I really have to honor this summon or there would be problems between the sect and the empire. The emperor would certainly have my head should that scenario ever arise.¡±


    Kartiki paced some more as if thinking on what to do. Just then, an extremely cheery sound interrupted his thinking process,


    ¡°Brother~~~~¡±


    Krishna immediately ceased whatever he was doing and hid under the bed.


    ¡°Here you are brother!¡± a girl said with a smile as she entered the room unceremoniously.


    This girl who was still bouncing on her feet was essentially a child who had not yet entered pubescence. She could be said as an extremely cute child especially with the smile that she was wearing on her face.


    ¡°Karuna,¡± Kartik gave a curt nod.


    The girl Karuna gave a cute pout.


    ¡°What¡¯s this brother? You come back after a long time and then you give me such a cold greeting? I demand a hug from you!¡± the girl said while stomping her leg.


    Kartik looked helpless in front of the girl. In the end, he relented by opening his arms awkwardly.


    The girl instantly rejoiced and bounced up to him with a heartfelt ¡°Yay!¡±


    Kartik found himself smiling as the girl clinged on to him. It was really difficult not to smile while in her vicinity, her smile was that much of contagious.


    ¡°Brother, where is that monkey who is always by your side?¡± Karuna said while breaking out from the hug.


    ¡°Krishna? He is," Kartik looked around, "He must have gone¡­ err¡­ outside,¡± Kartik replied.


    Karuna didn¡¯t believe any of it for a second. She instantly ran up to the bed and looked beneath it to find a desperately hidden Krishna.


    ¡°Heh, you hide like a little kid,¡± she commented.


    ¡°Princess¡­ I mean, your highness, I apologize, I was just looking for some¡­ stufs that I dropped earlier. I certainly was not hiding from your highness,¡± Krishna said a little too enthusiastically.


    Karuna motioned him to come out from his hiding place which he complied. Once outside, she observed him from head to toe as if pondering something.


    The princess then did something unexpected, she slugged him on the stomach with an almighty force. Wind knocked out from his lungs as Krishna flew from the ground and crashed into the walls of the room.


    ¡°You idiot monkey! What have you been teaching my brother! He has already started lying to me!¡± the little sweet looking child screamed at him with an otherworldly voice.


    ¡°Y-Your highness,¡± Krishna said while recovering from the vicious attack, ¡°I-I did not do anything of the sort!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You think I don¡¯t know? Eldest brother has already told me about how you go to those shady establishments for drinking and whoring! It¡¯s a wonder that you have not corrupted my innocent brother already!¡±


    Innocent? Krishna mouthed but promptly hid it due to the fear of getting another punch from the little princess.


    It seemed as if Karuna was in the mood of handing out some more of her frustation to Krishna. Thus, Kartik promptly interrupted her.


    ¡°Karuna, don¡¯t beat him up like that, I still have use of him. You can beat him up later if you like.¡±


    Traitor! thought Krishna internally. He remained smiling on the outside though.


    ¡°Hmph! I will leave you this once because big brother wants me too,¡± she said.


    She then moved towards Kartik and said in an incomparably cute voice, ¡°Big brother, you know how much I love you right?¡±


    Kartik sighed. He had already guessed how the flow of conversation was going to be with his little sister.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Kartik said with a straight face.


    ¡°Hehe, big brother knows me too well. It was just¡­ I was thinking that since you are going to Uttara Sect and I¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Kartik sharply.


    ¡°But brother! You didn¡¯t even hear me at all!¡± Karuna whined.


    ¡°I am not taking you to that place with me!¡±


    Karuna looked as if she were pondering whether or not to spill tears from her face. In the end, she decided against it.


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is then big brother! Fine, I¡¯ll do as you wish,¡± she said and walked out of the room.


    Krishna made sure that she had gone for real before speaking up, ¡°She is going to the first prince you know. He¡¯ll make you take her along.¡±


    Kartik took a huge breath, ¡°That place is dangerous. The sect doesn¡¯t look at us with favorable eyes. Even that big brother of mine won¡¯t be so dumb to concede her request.¡±


    Krishna nodded but didn¡¯t look too optimistic.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you and her though? She was way more violent than usual,¡± Kartik said with an inquiring look on his face.


    Krishna fidgeted but caved before his prince¡¯s gaze, ¡°I might or might not have been caught with her handmaid in a misunderstood circumstance.¡±


    Kartik facepalmed, ¡°You were screwing her handmaid? Have you no shame at all!? No wonder she was furious. I shouldn¡¯t have stopped her from hitting you some more, you horny monkey.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault!¡± Krishna cried out, ¡°She came unto me!¡±


    Kartik was exasperated, ¡°Of course she¡¯ll come unto you, you utter idiot! What do you think will happen if she gets pregnant with your child!?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ what?¡±


    Veins of anger popped up in Kartik¡¯s face. He practically screamed at Krishna¡¯s face, ¡°You¡¯ll have to take her as a concubine!¡±


    ¡°Ehhhhh!¡± Krishna cried out, ¡°But I don¡¯t wanna take a concubine right now!¡±


    ¡°Then keep your thing inside your pants!!¡± Kartik snapped.


    * * *


    Within a dimly lit room was an old man meditating. The man was radiating a peaceful green aura that could be associated with the fourth realm, i.e. the Air realm. Another proof of the old man¡¯s cultivation of the fourth realm was that he was actually floating in air. It was said that those of the Air realm could make their body as light as feather and move about in air with the manipulation of their prana. But below the fourth realm, this feat was simply impossible.


    The door to the old man was heavily guarded outside by troops of elite soldiers. Outside the door was a young man seeking an audience.


    ¡°We cannot let you go inside, your highness, Elder has explicitly ordered us to not allow anyone to disturb him,¡± the guard at the gate said, denying entry to prince Kartik.


    Kartik knew very well that for him to seek entrance was a foolish thing in the first place. He nodded curtly to the soldier and was about to turn back when a grave and powerful voice resounded from inside the gates,


    ¡°Come inside Kartik.¡±


    The soldier who had been obstructing Kartik a second ago, immediately bowed to him and opened the door. Kartik thought nothing of it as he entered into the room. He went straight ahead in front of the still levitating man and bowed before him,


    ¡°Kartik greets you, master.¡±


    ¡°Bah! Call me Uncle kid!¡± the voice, which had the bearing of a tyrant suddenly turned all jovial after the gates to the room had been closed.


    Kartik, though, didn¡¯t budge, ¡°You are my master so this disciple can only call you master.¡±


    The old man sighed, ¡°You truly are stubborn, Kartik.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, master,¡± Kartik said.


    The old man performed a never-mind gesture through his hands.


    ¡°What brings you here? Usually, you never disturb me unless it is something dire.¡±


    Kartik hesitated before speaking, ¡°Thing is master¡­¡±


    He then elaborated everything that he had encountered on his past journey. When he had reached to the point where the warrior Mrita had ignited his Fire Chakra¡¯s essence to create a raging Inferno, his master shot up from his position and flew to him in an instant.


    ¡°Are you alright prince?¡± He asked with an extremely concerned voice which was contrary to his usually aloof persona.


    ¡°I am fine master. To be honest, this disciple had thought that he would surely perish in that battle.¡±


    His master¡¯s old eyes darkened considerably, ¡°It is fortunate that you survived that encounter. For that measley warrior to get his hands on that terrible pill!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ this disciple was helped by an outsider,¡± Kartik confessed.


    ¡°Oh? Who is he? Tell me his name and I shall reward him. If he is a warrior than he shall be given the rank of a Royal Warrior.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know his name. He came like the wind, defeated the berserker without any effort and simply vanished without introducing himself. Master, there is a thing that stands out about him. He had burning red eyes.¡±


    His master¡¯s mood plummeted sharply after Kartik mentioned the red eyes.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Bloody red eyes that striked fear in you when you gazed at it?¡± said he gravely.


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Kartik said a little alarmed. Truth was, he had felt mortal peril when that warrior had gazed at him with those eyes. He had not even mentioned this fact to his confidant, Krishna. The fact that his master seemed to know this was bewildering to him.


    ¡°It was a girl?¡± his master asked.


    ¡°No, master, he was a boy,¡± having said that, Kartik added after a while, ¡°However, he might also have been hiding his real identity under the scarf that he was wearing at that time.


    His master considered Kartik¡¯s words. Upon much reflection, he finally replied.


    ¡°Prince, have you mentioned this to your Royal father yet?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Kartik.


    ¡°Then I forbid you to speak of this matter. No one shall know about it except for you and me, especially your father. Do not, at any cost, let him know of the red eyed warrior! Trust me, it is for his own good,¡± he said.


    To say Kartik was perplexed would have been an understatement. He was absolutely astonished. His master, who was also his Royal father¡¯s own brother, was possibly the one who was most loyal towards the emperor and the empire. To Kartik¡¯s knowledge, he would never hide even the tiniest bit of detail from the emperor. So when he made this request, Kartik was naturally bewildered. However, it was the defining trait of Kartik that he did not question his master why.


    ¡°Understood,¡± he replied.


    His master was naturally impressed, ¡°Someday, Kartik, when you are of suitable age, I will explain this to you but for now, just obey your master¡¯s words for the empire and the emperor.¡±


    Kartik nodded.


    ¡°Actually, master, there is also another issue that I wanted your advice on.¡±


    ¡°There is still more? No wonder you came to me while I was in my closed door cultivation,¡± he replied.


    ¡°The Uttara sect has issued summons for a prince of the royal family.¡±


    ¡°Oh? They once summoned the emperor and me too. What is it this time? Some more trade negotiations regarding the Divine Garden?¡± he mused.


    ¡°Indeed master, their official summons describes this exact thing.¡±


    ¡°However, you¡¯re worried that the real reason behind it is something else entirely?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kartik confessed, ¡°There was an incident that happened after I left the tournament. Someone badly defeated a Uttara sect disciple.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± the old man arched his eyebrows, ¡°That is certainly a rare incident, the mighty Uttara sect getting thrashed in a city tournament. But how would that be related to your summons?¡±


    ¡°They think that it was me,¡± Kartik answered.


    ¡°Well, was it you?¡±


    ¡°No master!¡± Kartik denied vehemently which surprised his master. ¡°I mean, it was not me, absolutely not! But the one who did so did in the disguise which I used to participate in the same tournament.¡±


    ¡°And now they blame you? That is most unusual. Even if you had indeed defeated their sect disciple, it is hardly a reason to issue a Royal summons. It seems that the sect is getting too big in their head recently. I wonder if it is the time to curb them,¡± his master wondered.


    Kartik didn¡¯t reply. His master noticed this and immediately understood,


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just any sect disciple was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes master,¡± said Kartik, ¡°It was¡­ she is the sect¡¯s First Elder¡¯s only daughter¡±


    Comprehension flashed on the old man''s face.


    ¡°That brat Vishakha? No wonder¡­ no wonder that old fool was so reckless! But you don¡¯t have any need to worry, he might be a bit sensitive when it comes to his daughter, but he is not an idiot. The most he would do to you is to give you a hard time. He will not dare damage you beyond repair.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t assure me master,¡± Kartik replied uncertainly.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t fret. Just take it as a vacation, or in your case, a training vacation. A visit to the sect might just be good for you.¡±


    Kartik still seemed unconvinced but he didn¡¯t argue.


    ¡°Now, what is the other reason that you came here for?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to ask for your guidance about this matter master, I do not have any other reason,¡± said Kartik a little too enthusiastically.


    His master looked at Kartik as if to say, ¡°really?¡±


    After a long hard staring competition, Kartik relented with a sigh. He took out a worn out  spherical amulet that he had been wearing and quietly handed out to his master.


    The old man took a hard look at the amulet and unexpectedly burst out laughing,


    ¡°This was the thing that you were worried about? Why it¡¯s just an old yantra!¡±


    ¡°I apologize master, I had to use it!¡±


    ¡°Because your life was in danger ¡ª the reason I gave you this trinket in the first place. I have faith that you used it wisely.¡±


    He then clutched the yantra on his palms. A green light surged forth from his hands and bathed it in the aura of the same color. The whole room lit up with green colors in this process. After a little while, the process was done. The old man appeared a bit pale and was visibly panting.


    ¡°Here, I have reapplied the art of Windstep into this amulet. Take it and use it and next time, do not hesitate to ask me. My year worth of cultivation does not compare to your life, Kartik.¡±


    ¡°You are one of the pillar of the empire master! How could an ill-fated one like me be worth¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The old man said in an escalated voice, ¡°How many times have I told you to not belittle yourself because of your affliction! Rest assured my disciple, for you, I will personally raid the Divine Garden if I have to. Now come on, don¡¯t keep your master waiting. Take this yantra already.¡±


    The old man said with incomparably warm gaze. Kartik was moved. At the end, he extended his hands and received the yantra.


    ¡°Thank you so much, ma¡­ uncle Vishwa,¡± he replied.


    Vishwa broke into a huge grin, ¡°Go now Kartik and have no fear. The Uttara sect is nothing to be scared about. Respect the elders there but if they are too domineering, then you do not have to endure. Even if the patriarch of the sect is a Void (fifth) realm warrior, we of the Royal household do not yield. Once elder brother breaks into the Void Realm, ours strength won¡¯t be incomparable to them.¡±


    ¡°Yes master, I understand,¡± Kartik bowed and with his master¡¯s permission, walked out of the room.


    After he had gone, Vishwa muttered to himself, ¡°The red eyed warrior and Uttara sect¡¯s summons at once? Sigh, for me to be in a self-imposed imprisonment at this time is truly unfortunate. In any case, it¡¯s only two years now¡­¡±


    * * *


    The first thing that Sesha noted about the Sparrow village was that it was nothing like the Golden Bird city. Where the city was prosperous with food, clothes, horses and houses all around, the village had nothing of the sort. He could see thin and fragile looking children, looking at the marching party with eyes filled with expectations. There were no animals trudging around ¡ª horses or oxes or otherwise ¡ª and people seemed to move stuffs around on their own. Similarly, the houses in the village were nothing more than a hut and most of them were in dire need for repairs.


    What surprised him most though was the noise. It seemed that all around the village, the villagers were busy in blacksmithing. He could hear the sound of the hammer hitting the anvil and the hot iron sizzling as it was immersed in water. In addition, people were moving about with at least one weapon on their body, mostly swords. Even the children had a small daggers hidden with them. To say that a stranger would mistake the village for a war-camp of sorts wouldn¡¯t be that far-fetched.


    ¡°We are here,¡± Theon said as the party arrived in the middle of the village.


    It was a field with a big tent in the middle. There were many other bandits around the tent who were eyeing Sesha and Surya (who was now awake) with suspicious eyes.


    ¡°Hey fatso, go and call the boss here! We have a situation at hand,¡± Tito said to a big bodied man passing by.


    ¡°Who did you call a fatso you motherfucker!¡± the man bellowed at him.


    ¡°He called you a fatso, fatso! Do you have a problem with my brother?¡± Theon interjected on Tito¡¯s behalf.


    The man ¡°tched¡± at him and went straight to the tent.


    ¡°Heee.. You surely are something Mr. Theon,¡± Surya said, ¡°That man was so big and yet he dared not defy you.¡±


    Surya had warmed up a bit towards the bandits. The fact that they had not already killed him being the major factor. He also had formed a small friendship with Tito.


    ¡°Brother is the best archer in this camp! Even the boss respects his skills!¡± Tito replied excitedly.


    ¡°You guys¡­ I just know a bit of archery that¡¯s all. I mean, the boss did mention that I was the best archer around, but that was a one time thing really. You could say that I am a bit important around here and I have a little bit of extra arm strength, that¡¯s all. My aim isn¡¯t even that good. I once shot a bird from the distance of 500 meters¡­ that¡¯s all really. It isn¡¯t even anything noteworthy,¡±


    Or so Theon said. He seemed to be quite enjoying the one sided conversation.


    ¡°Haughty as ever I see,¡± a powerful voice interjected his monologue.


    He paled slightly at the sight of the figure who was now standing in front of him. She was a very attractive girl. Dressed in warrior like attire with twin swords on her back, she carried herself with evident pride. She had cut her hair short, which, coupled with her lithe figure gave her a tomboyish look. She was smiling slightly at Theon but it wasn¡¯t warm at all. Instead, it felt as if she was saying, ¡°Time to knock you down a peg or two.¡±


    ¡°B-Boss, I was just, you know, I mean, I didn¡¯t really¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea yea, cut the crap, tell me who are these two?¡± She said, slightly irritated.


    ¡°Reporting to boss! We found them lurking around the outskirts of the village. They claim that they had no knowledge of the Scorpian bandits occupying the village.¡±


    ¡°We have only established our gang recently so it¡¯s natural that people do not have any idea about us, stupid! Why didn¡¯t you just stripped them of everything and chased them away? Did you have to bring them here at our base? Do you want to die?¡± The boss said in a very agitated voice.


    "Surya, you did hear of the Scorpian gang right?" Sesha whispered to him.


    Surya moved his head sideways, "Nope, didn''t hear anything of them at all !!"


    "Oh, then why did you faint when that Theon mentioned Scorpion bandit?" Sesha asked, again in a hushed voice.


    "That brother... fact is, I am afraid of Scorpions. Somehow, that made them seem too intimidating," Surya confessed.


    Sesha took a huge sigh. There went his plans down the drain.


    A bit ahead, the bandit boss and Theon were still arguing.


    ¡°Err¡­ boss, they didn¡¯t really have anything valuable,¡± Theon replied.


    ¡°Brother! Brother! You forgot about the roots!¡± Tito whispered urgently on his brother¡¯s ears.


    The boss arched her eyebrows at Theon.


    ¡°I mean¡­ they did have this root. And you know how my mother¡¯s joint pain is and how that old man is always rambling about Yarsa¡¯s roots and joint pain¡­ They didn¡¯t have any money or food though.¡±


    The boss facepalmed.


    ¡°Then take them away from the village and set them free,¡± she replied.


    ¡°But boss! They have already seen the base!¡± Theon said.


    Veins popped on her forehead due to anger as she kicked Theon mightily, making him fly.


    ¡°Why did you bring them here on the first place then!¡± She thundered.


    Theon landed flat on his back and began clutching his butt in pain. The bandits gathered around and spectating the scene giggled on his misery.


    ¡°Today is Monday, we do not kill on Mondays. Let them go. With the beasts around, they will die within a day or two,¡± she said, taking no heed of the fact that both Surya and Sesha were within the hearing range.


    ¡°Oh, and take that rabbit. I¡¯ll have some rabbit soup today,¡± She ordered some men while gesturing to Linny the rabbit perched on Surya¡¯s head.


    Surya paled instantly and hid the rabbit in his bosom.


    Two of the bandits moved towards him to take the rabbit.


    Sesha moved in between the bandits and Surya.


    ¡°You know, we have been listening on and on to you all from quite some time. It¡¯s kinda disrespecting that you decide everything on your own without taking heed of our presence.


    ¡°You want to eat rabbit soup? Fine with me. But as you can see, my friend here is quite attached to this rabbit. So won¡¯t you go and find your own rabbit?¡±


    The instant he had finished saying that, Sesha moved sideways and it was good that he did so. Because, not even a second after he had moved, the boss had kicked the ground so hard that a crater was formed on that place.


    Third realm! Sesha observed.


    ¡°Oye oye,¡± said Sesha, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t kill on Mondays?¡±


    ¡°That,¡± the boss said with an extremely sinister smile, ¡°is just a guideline. Not a rule!¡±