In a dimly lit room, a young woman stared at the night sky, her restless eyes gazing blankly at the moon, forming a silver reflection in her dark eyes. The moonlight fell on her smooth white skin, and with her silver hair glowing, she appeared as a goddess living on earth. She moved her hand to her abdomen, feeling a slight movement inside. The corner of her red lips rose as she closed her eyes and whispered, "It's alright dear... your father will return safely." Her smile stretched as she lightly laughed, covering her mouth as her hand felt a sudden movement.
Then her eyes suddenly opened wide and her face grew dark as a sharp pain originated from her abdomen. She fell to the floor, succumbing to the intense pain, and sweat covered her entire face with her lips getting dry. She felt an intense heat throughout her body as she coughed up dark blood.
"H... hel..." She tried to cry for help, her eyes staring at the metal door, but she failed to produce sound. Her hope of getting help disappeared in moments, and her heart began racing with her vision getting blurry every passing moment. She turned towards her left and found a sheathed sword lying on a table. She tried getting up, but the intense pain made holding on to consciousness a daunting task. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and began dragging her body forward using her elbow. Her hands often slipped on the smooth floor, but her eyes stayed on the sword. After a seemingly endless struggle, she felt her shoulders touching the wooden legs of the table. She stretched her shaking hands, with her eyes still staring at the ground. Her palms restlessly moved on the table surface, and her hands gripped the cold metal. She used all of her strength to unsheathe the sword in an instant.
"Ugh..." She dragged herself back and placed her palm on the sharp blade. Blood began flowing out of her palm as she placed her finger on the cold floor. With her vision getting darker, she trusted her instincts and began drawing symbols. She felt her heart beating slower and slower, losing the strength to keep her eyes open, but, in that desperate moment, with her fleeting life, her hands refused to stop, creating symbols by her own blood. Within moments, her movements stopped, eyes stayed open while staring at the moon.
A dark energy appeared out of the symbols and rushed towards her.
***
{Eighteen years later}
A large castle, made of gold, stood tall. Just beside the castle, a small group of trees waved in the wind, separated by a thin dirt path.
A silver-haired boy walked slowly on the dirt path with shaking legs. His skin almost touched his bone, with eyes deep inside his skull. He held a bundle of twigs on his shoulder. His eyes blankly stared forward, his mouth stayed open, with teeth hitting each other in unison with every step forward. Cold wind kept flowing, causing him to shiver constantly, as his tattered clothes failed to provide him warmth.
[SMACK….THUD]
The boy felt a strike on his back. His body, not possessing even an iota of resistance, fell instantly on the ground, causing his nose to bleed.
[TRR…]
Twigs fell and got scattered on the ground. He felt immense pain in his nose, quickly covering it with his hand. Warm blood covered his palm. Even after getting hit, he dared not look at the one responsible, seemingly aware of the person. He tried to get up, still staring at the ground.
Another strike made his face crash into the ground.
"HAHAHAH….look at this filth…won't you greet me?...I am the only one who bothers to meet you," someone said while standing right beside him.
"Ah," the boy groaned softly, trying to lift his body again.
"Just crawl like a worm," the same voice said again, as he felt something pushing on his back, forcing his face on the ground.
"Why are you even alive till now?" the man whispered in his ears.
The boy clenched his fists and began resisting.
He heard hasty footsteps from his left. Managing to slightly turn his head, he saw a maid rushing towards him.
"Kunwar Vijay, your guests are almost here," the maid said in a concerned tone while breathing heavily.
(Kunwar: A word to respectfully address a prince in ancient Hindi)
"TCH!"
He felt the force on his back disappear, as he heard footsteps slowly leading away from him.
Soon, a man with golden hair reaching his shoulders appeared in his vision. He placed his hand on the ground and began lifting his body up.
"Ugh…" He groaned as immense pain overwhelmed his entire body. He grit his teeth and finally got up.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Haaah…" He gasped for air, as his eyes gazed at the twigs on the ground. He began picking them one after another, forcing his feeble body to struggle at its limits.
[WHISPER]
His ears caught voices of the people whispering in the distance, his heart felt the hidden mockery among the whispers. He glanced and found a group of young girls standing behind a tree, staring at the man moving towards the castle, with eyes filled with envy and amazement.
He continued his slow walk after picking up the twigs. The blood in his nose froze, forcing him to breathe through his mouth. The cold air made his mouth dry, worsening his condition.
His struggle led him in front of a wooden shed. The walls had begun rotting, webs seemingly everywhere. The shed reflects its owner's condition remarkably.
He threw the bundle on the ground, near a small pile of ash, and entered the shed. The conditions inside weren't too dissimilar from the outside, with the only place missing cobwebs being a pile of dried grass in the corner. He moved forward.
[CREEK]
The sound of wood under his feet echoed, alarming the rats inside, causing them to run around. He reached the pile and lied down, instantly falling asleep.
***
{In{Inside the castle}
Vijay stood at the entrance with a bright smile, his gaze staying fixed on a wagon arriving, followed by hundreds of soldiers. The wagon finally stopped at the entrance, and all of the maids and soldiers standing there bowed their heads, including the boy. An old man, with a beard reaching his chest and wearing ordinary orange clothes, exited the wagon. He raised both of his arms, one holding a YOGDANDA and another holding a KAMANDALA.
{YOGDANDA:- A wooden rest used by yogis in ancient India while meditating}
{KAMANDALA:- A small pot used to carry water with a handle}
All of the bowed heads rose up, seemingly getting permission from this old man.
"I welcome Rishi VISISTHA to PADMA Kingdom," the golden-haired man spoke with a smile.
{RISHI:- Enlightened human beings who spent their entire life meditating}
The old man stayed silent, his eyes scanning his surroundings, finally stopping at the very left of the castle, staring at the garden.
"Uh...haha…sir…you might be tired..." The man tried to speak but got interrupted as the old man raised his hands.
"Lead us to the king, boy," the old man replied, and the golden-haired man instantly clenched his fists behind his back, but his expression remained humble.
"S...sure...please follow us..." He said while stretching his arm towards the castle and walking inside. The old man followed the man and arrived inside a large luxurious room, with a middle-aged man lying on the bed at the center. His face had turned completely pale, with eyes turning red and lips dry. A woman with golden hair and wearing royal clothing stood beside the bed with her head bowed down.
"Mahodaya, I am thankful for your presence," the man on the bed struggled to speak.
"King Varathi, I am called here, so I suppose you want to know of the future," the old man spoke, turning a blind eye to the king's condition.
"Not his future, Mahodaya. I want to hear the future of the next generation," the woman spoke, while glancing at Vijay, smirking.
"Hearing your voice is nothing but sin," the old man spoke instantly. The woman frowned but stayed silent, then the old man turned towards the king.
"Your son will rise to become the lord of lords, completely shattering our perception of power and will shine like an unreachable star, looking down at us. We will do nothing but look up and stare in awe at his majesty, living under his mercy," the old man spoke with his eyes closed, the entire room went silent, only the sound of wind entering through the window was audible. The old man opened his eyes and found the woman smirking.
"You seem to contradict your predictions from a few years ago," she spoke while bowing down with a satisfied smile.
"Hmph, cunning woman, the only thing contradictory is your words and your actions. I never said it will be YOUR son," the old man said as he turned back and began walking away.
"What do you mean?" the woman spoke in a loud voice, completely shattering the act of respect, but the old man never halted his steps.
"Destiny... you can't change it no matter what you do... even gods had to accept it with their head down... what power does a puny human like you hold?" he said as he exited the room.
The woman's face had turned red, as veins on her forehead bulged.
"Usha... stop your madness... please..." the man on the bed said with teary eyes, as he stared at the ceiling with a heart filled with regret.
"I... I will never accept that treacherous destiny!" the woman said while clenching her fists, causing her palm to bleed. Vijay frowned while stomping out of the room.
[CRASH]
A loud noise woke the silver-haired boy. He rubbed his eyes to get rid of the blurry vision.
"I will kill the reason." A woman spoke while entering. She held a sword in her left hand while her eyes were filled with bloodlust, appearing as if they would devour the boy.
"M... mother..." The boy quickly got up and moved towards the corner. His heart began racing as he sensed immense danger to his life.
[THRRR…]
Thunder cracked in the sky, revealing the woman's demonic face. Rain began pouring inside the shed, soaking the grass pile in front. The woman began walking, with his fear increasing with her wet steps, while her sword kept carving the wooden floor.
"What... what happened?" the boy asked in a shaky voice. He suddenly crashed into the wall and fell down, leaving him nowhere to run for his life. Usha stretched her hand and held his hair.
"You... and that bitch... you both are curses... I will get rid of this curse... just like I did that day..." Usha began dragging the boy outside, with her eyes engulfed in madness.
[Chapter 1: END]