The sandstorm at the horizon rose to hundred feet. The desert lands were unobstructed, so while it seems close, it was actually very far away. By the time the storm reaches here, all the men will be corpses. They will be buried here. And when the storm settles, it will be like they never existed…

"Little Kush…" his teacher appeared beside him, standing like a mirage on the desert floor. Her voice was low, almost inaudible in the sweeping winds. She addressed his earlier question, "When a cactus dies, it leaves the spot empty for a long time. Perhaps forever. But when a blade of grass dies, a new one takes its place almost right away. This is the difference between you and the prince. If the prince loses his army, he will fall and never rise again. If you lose yours, you will get a new one almost immediately. Even if you lose this battle and the army that you managed to win with your own effort dies, do not doubt that your teacher has endless resources. I will get you a new one…but you have to first show me that you put your lessons to good use. You have to show me your resolution to be king. Your path to conquest begins here. I do not want to see you hesitating."

The commander of the troops heard her words, but his face remained impassive. Kush on the other hand felt his scalp burning from his teacher's bland words that dictated the life and death of thousands of men! It was true he was still a child, but he still understood the concept of six thousand men dying in front of him. Born in a palace, as heir to great power, even if her status is questionable now, Ashangi viewed people as numbers. Armies as units that could be sacrificed as needed. It was a very pragmatic view that was common to nobles, the princes, kings and generals. Even the commander didn't think too much about it. He was never deluded into thinking war was pleasant business in the first place. He didn't wish for his men to die, but if the lord wills it, then so be it.

But how could Kush, who was facing the decisive battle of his first ever campaign think like that? This boy conqueror was already of a mind to give everything up and run away. The only thing stopping him was a little boy's vibrant face in his mind.

He had a small, somewhat narrow face. It looked narrow because those eyebrows are always scrunched up in thought, his face mostly pensive in expression. He had a complexion like an ancient jewel. Vibrant like the trunk of an oak tree, red like rust. Eyes bright and large, containing the many myriad stars.

Back in the palace, he grinned to Kush as he was leaving, 'Grass, next time we meet, we might be enemies…'

Kush never revealed the details of his plans to him. To Vajra, he was just a boy who came to train in the desert. But, of course, the prince had more powers of deduction than Kush could imagine. Not to mention, a slew of ground teams to investigate thoroughly.

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Kush's heart skipped a beat. Ashangi would've expected this but Kush was too inexperienced to understand how far a royal hand can reach. He wondered if his friend would stop him. Even if Kush's teacher was very powerful, this was still Vajradandaka's territory.

However, Vajra just shrugged and laughed. 'Grass, if you had an army, do you think you can beat me?'

Between the two children, the air was rife with challenge. The young monarch-to-be threw up an eyebrow to look at his friend cockily.

'Grass, no matter what the numbers are, grass will always be easy to cut up, don't you think?' he winked.

'Cactus, I'm going to suck your bloated head dry until you turn into a sack!' the little warrior blew up.

'Ha ha, be sure my thorns don't get lodged in your throat O Mighty Conqueror! Lest you remain unable to swallow anything else…'

Kush wanted to lunge at Vajra and turn the farewell into a mighty scuffle. But a light change in his teacher's stance made him sensitive. The prince was subtly warning him not to turn on his hospitality. He was telling Kush that even if he subdues the barbarians during his conquests in the desert, even if Rtadhara was in a fragile state right now, if he turns his conquests inwards towards the drylands, he would be making a grave mistake. Vajra would be an eternal hindrance in his path if Kush did so.

But that's what made Kush want to compete even more! It was as though he had suddenly found his purpose and his purpose was to defeat Vajra! The warning from his friend awakened within Kush a primal ego that wouldn't give up until a winner was declared.

Kush was simple minded. He didn't want much. He wanted to make his teacher happy and he wanted to win against Prince Vajradandaka in a battle where they were both equals.

For the sake of this rivalry, he felt that no price was too big. That was the reason why he embarked upon this decisive battle. To be equal to the prince, he needed to gain an army that was united by purpose rather than his person.

But no matter what, Kush was unable to take that final step…

Minutes ticked by in stark silence. The storm on the horizon continued to roil like the blood of the soldiers. The two Generals from each camp, one small, one big, eyed each other thinking of the various repercussions of beginning a battle now. If the storm increases its speed, the battle will not be able to reach conclusion. Even survivors might be swept away or buried if they retreat a step too late. If the results of the confrontation cannot be decided today, a second decisive battle had to be fought, which meant doubling their losses!

Thinking up to here, Kush broke the stillness with a resolute look in his eye. "Leader of the Maruts, hear my command!"

"My Lord!" the commander knelt in front of Kush's horse respectfully. Both armies became sensitive to the change. Uniformly lined soldiers found their hearts resonating as they thudded against their rib cages at the same time.

Kush ignored the changes in the atmosphere, he turned a blind eye to the tension on both sides that was like a drawn string.

He continued in the same tone to his legion commander. "This Lord shall go meet the enemy general in battle. The Maruts will not interfere. Do you understand?"

The commander was petrified when he heard that. "Little Lord, you mean…"

"Yes, this Lord wants to decide the outcome of this confrontation in a one on one battle."