Pralaya turned around and went towards a tree. He saw blood on the ground, along with a stone with flesh and blood sticking on it.

"I can’t properly access the boy’s memories," Pralaya kept thinking as he sat down near the stone. "But from the looks of it, that woman and the man truly hated him."

"Hmm... The boy said he never saw his father’s face, indicating a disease or deceased."

[FWOOO]

He suddenly felt a warm gust of wind on his left. He got up and began walking on the dirt path. He saw blood and drag marks on the path, with the help of moonlight. He arrived in front of a large pile of ash.

"Recently burnt," Pralaya thought as he noticed small flames under the ash.

"Ugh... Again." He held his head as the ringing sound returned, as a memory of the boy cooking on a clay furnace surfaced.

"Haah... This will get annoying." Pralaya shook his head.

[TAk... TAk... TAK]

He suddenly heard footsteps in the distance behind the trees. He quickly hid behind a boulder at his left.

"Yeah... I wonder how long it will take," one soldier said while smiling, as two others kept walking with him while holding swords.

"Do you think the king's going to do anything?"

"No... not a chance... he's probably going to die soon."

"I missed that rat."

"Huh?... You were the worst one of us all, what are you talking about? HAHAHA," the three of them began laughing while standing in front of the ashes and began to urinate.

"I meant I will miss my shit dumpster... HAHAHA," the soldiers continued laughing.

[TAK.]

The three of them turned as they heard footsteps behind. All of their faces went pale, as if seeing a ghost.

The boy stood in front. He suddenly began laughing, adding to the horror of the soldiers.

"Man... that's small." The boy stuck his fingers forward and pointed towards them.

"HOW IS THIS FUCKER ALIVE?!" The three of them unsheathe their swords and sprinted forward. The boy's expression suddenly went serious,

“STOP” His voice vibrated strangely, then suddenly;

[CRACK…]

“Ukk…” The three of them fell on the ground, with every single bone of their body shattered in pieces,

The boy slowly walked forward, while staring in the eyes of one of the soldiers, the three of the soldiers froze, as they failed to even lift a finger;

“Wh…what is this?..” One of them whispered while sweating heavily, with blood gushing out of his mouth.

“Where are the demi humans?” The boy asked while placing his left feet on the soldier’s face and leaning down towards him;

“I…will nev…”

“SHUT UP” The soldier’s chest shrunk in a single point instantly, his mouth stayed open, he died instantly, without even realizing. The other soldiers got horrified to their core, and began shaking wildly,

"You, tell me where the demi-humans are?" the boy asked again while turning his gaze away from the dead soldier.

"They are in a prison in the city center, under the drainage," the soldier began speaking as he slowly walked towards him.

"So, humans still hate them...how not surprising," Pralaya thought.

"You seem smart." He sat down and stared at him. Upon the boy's reaction, he felt the hope of his survival.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Tell me about me?"

The soldier was confused and horrified at the same time as he saw the smiling face of the boy.

"Uhh...you are..."

"YOU'RE TOO SLOW!" The strange voice returned, as the soldier's head exploded, his flesh and blood splattering on the third soldier and the boy.

"Now, let's see how smart you are." The boy kept smiling as he stared at the last soldier.

"You are considered a curse! The entire kingdom hates you as the son of a demon! And...the Queen heard the prediction of a Rishi, and he told her that you will be the strongest and rule above all! She wants her son to be the king! And..." The soldier went silent as he ran out of words to say.

"Hmm, that was quite helpful. Bite your tongue, or you'll get one of my special treatments." The boy pointed at both of the dead soldiers while smiling. The soldier stared at the corpses, his face darkened, and tears flooded his eyes.

"I am sorry," the soldier said.

[SPLURT]

Blood gushed out of his mouth, and the glow of his eyes disappeared.

[THRRR]

Thunder roared in the sky, and rain began pouring down, washing the blood and flesh off Pralaya. He stared at the last soldier's corpse. Suddenly, blood flowed out of his mouth.

"[COUGH]...Ugh, I can't use it for long...haah..." Pralaya fell on his back as rain fell on his face. With a disappointed expression, he stared at the sky.

"I need to make this body stronger. It can't handle even the weakest of my spells," he said as he turned towards the soldier.

"I am sorry," he says. "What meaning does it have after you tormented a helpless boy for years...humans...I cannot understand them," he thought while getting up.

"These corpses will be discovered, along with the fact that the boy isn't dead," he stared towards the castle top, slightly visible behind the leaves.

He glanced at the corpse once again, and the corner of his lips rose.

{Few minutes later}

"Haaaah...haaaah...this...body...seriously," Pralaya stood in front of a naked corpse with a missing head. While he was breathing heavily and covered in sweat.

"This should suffice! TEAR!" His voice vibrated, and instantly hundreds of wounds appeared on the corpse. The smell of blood overwhelmed the surrounding.

[GRRR]

Dozens of wolves surrounded him within moments.

“About time...STOP.” His voice echoed, causing all of the wolves to fall on the ground. A large amount of blood gushed out of his mouth.

“Tch…”

He ripped his shirt, covered in blood, and wrapped it around the knight's neck.

"Eat your fill," Pralaya said and began sprinting in the opposite direction of the castle. He shivered as the rain kept pouring heavily.

[THUD]

He went under a tree and lay down, metres away from the wolves' location, completely out of energy, his eyes closed.

***

"Hello? Hey, wake up." Pralaya heard a soft voice, causing him to slowly open his eyes. He found a young girl leaning towards him with a basket on her back.

"What are you doing here?" she asked while stepping back.

"I...was sleeping?" Pralaya said as he got up and saw sunlight around him.

"[AHEM]...your clothes," she said while turning away. Pralaya looked down and found he was standing half-naked, with every bone in his body visible under his skin.

"Uhh...things happened," Pralaya replied while getting up.

"You are too thin...are you sick?" she asked while putting the basket down and began rustling inside, trying to find something.

"I don't know... It's been only a little while since I woke up," Pralaya replied while his eyes stared towards the wolves' direction.

"Here," she stretched her arms towards him, holding clothes without looking at him.

"Thank you," Pralaya replied while taking the clothes.

‘This girl...she’s one of them..I’m glad they are still alive,’ Pralaya thought while wearing the clothes with a proud expression.

"What are you smiling about?" the girl asked with a confused look.

"I'm just happy you helped me," Pralaya replied as he finished putting on the clothes.

"Oh. Why are you here in the forest?" she said while quickly hiding her gaze.

"I just woke up here... I suspect some individuals threw me inside to get eaten by the wolves," Pralaya replied nonchalantly.

"OH MY GOD!" She covered her mouth, with her eyes beginning to shake.

"Are... Are you hurt?"

[GROWL]

"No... but I seem to be hungry..."

"Follow me," she stepped forward and grabbed his hand and began sprinting on the dirt path.

"This girl..." Pralaya did not resist and kept following her.

Pralaya's gaze got locked on his surroundings. The water droplets that were still stuck on the tree dripped on the ground, as the fragrance of soil wet with rainwater got mixed in the air. The surroundings got colored red, as the initial rays of the sun illuminated the area. A flock of birds flew in the sky, with their chirping creating a soothing sound. Pralaya closed his eyes while taking a deep breath, truly appreciating what he had been devoid of for centuries.

After a few moments, they both arrived in front of a few houses made of mud and wood surrounded by grass covering the ground, with a red son peeking behind the mountain tops, at the back of the town. Young boys sat on grass with their eyes closed, while a few small children ran around holding sticks while laughing. Men wearing orange clothing walked around, while women wearing orange saree came from the south, with a clay pot on their head. A sweet aroma covered the town, making Pralaya’s stomach growl in anticipation.

They both kept walking, and entered the house in the middle.

After a few moments, they both arrived in front of a few houses made of mud and wood surrounded by grass covering the ground, with the red sun peeking behind the mountain tops at the back of the town. Young boys sat on grass with their eyes closed, while a few small children ran around holding sticks while laughing. Men wearing orange clothing walked around, while women wearing orange sarees, traditional cloth worn by Indian women, came from the south with a clay pot on their head. A sweet aroma covered the town, made Pralaya's stomach growl in anticipation.

They both kept walking and entered the house in the middle.

[COUGH...COUGH]

Pralaya saw a middle-aged woman sitting. She was cooking on a clay furnace while smoke filled the room. Her eyes were black, and her face appeared pale.

"Huh?... Drishti?... You're back?... The food isn't ready yet..." She said while turning towards them as she heard them entering. Her eyes suddenly widened as she saw Pralaya standing behind the girl.

"Who is that young man?" She asked while walking towards them. Her tired and slow movements showed a sign of sickness, which was instantly noticed by Pralaya.

“I…” Pralaya started to speak.

“He was left alone in the forest to get eaten by the wolves,” the girl quickly replied before Pralaya could speak, surprising him.

“Dear... lord... Are you alright, son?” The woman placed her hand on Pralaya’s shoulder, with her eyes filled with concern. In that instant, out of his control, a stream of intense emotion made his heart ache, with tears streaming down his cheek.

“Oh my! Why are you crying?”

‘Huh? I’m crying? But why?’ Pralaya got confused as he couldn't understand the reason behind the intense emotions suddenly storming inside his head.

“I somehow managed to survive. I'm not really hurt,” Pralaya quickly turned away and wiped his tears, leaving the woman and the girl still concerned.

“Where is grandpa?” the girl asked while putting down the basket on the wooden floor.

“He’s on the hill,” Pralaya began to answer.

“Let’s go!” she again grabbed Pralaya’s hand and began sprinting outside.

‘Tch... This girl...’ Pralaya got annoyed as he didn’t get the chance to eat. They both arrived at a small hill just behind the town.

The girl stopped and placed her finger on her lips, signalling Pralaya to stay silent. She released his arm and began walking towards the trees in front.

[SWOOSH]

Pralaya quickly turned back as he felt a strong aura behind him. An old man with a long white beard reaching his chest stood while holding a yogdanda.

[Chapter 2.9: END]