‘I can’t,’ the old master shook his head.
‘But why?’ Mayankan asked.
‘I have tried it before, this great evil has the power to make us forget. So even if I would have told you about it before. You would all forget it by the next time. Only our family descendants who are tasked with keeping watch of that old being, are able to retain their memory, after watching the great evil once.’ the old master said.
‘This, then does this mean.’ Vishwa’s father stopped. A thought came in his mind, ‘ Have you told this to me before?’ Mayankan asked the old master.
‘Yes, I have tried telling you before,’ the old master said with a wry smile.
‘Then why are you telling us again,’ Vishwa asked this time. He didn’t wanted to just sit back and ask nothing.
‘It’s because I am going to die soon.’ the old master said.
Vishwa was perplexed. He looked at the old master who extruded much vitality. ‘But how, you are still powerful, aren’t you.’
‘That is the thing little Vishwa, about time, even I as powerful as I am, I have to bow under its influence.’ the old man said with a smile.
‘You will understand, in due time.’ the old master said.
‘As I was saying, I don’t have much time, mostly one month left. I have passed down the technique to my granddaughter. But I don’t think she would be prepared in due time. The time I die, a gap will come in the seal, you have to help Maintain until my daughter gets ready.’ the old master pleaded to Vishwa’s father.
‘But how did you know, I had the power,’ Vishwa’s father asked.
‘Because I had seen it before, one time when you had used your power during the bullfighting contest.’ the old master said.
‘I had tried very hard to hide the power, such that I hadn’t tried to use it even when I was fighting. But the only time I had used the before. You had seen me, who could believe such a coincidence.’ Vishwa’s father said shaking his head. Even after all this much caution he couldn’t hide it.
‘No it isn't a thing, our family has some ways. But I wouldn’t like to mention them here.’ the old master said.
‘As I was saying you would have to help the village when I am no more. Only our blood can continue this seal as it is.’ the old master said.
Mayankan looked left and right. At times he even looked at Vishwa. After looking at the cons he finally said, ‘Alright I will help you, but I would leave this village if I see even the slightest sign of danger. And you have to give me some compensation.’
‘You are free to leave the village at the earliest signs of danger. I can’t ask someone to stay even if I would have wanted to, won’t I. And about compensation. I will give it to you.’
The conversation that happened next was something Vishwa couldn’t understand. His father kept negotiating with the old man about the compensation and such. He saw Miss Hana genuine sadness, when the old master told that he wouldn’t live past the one month.
Looking at Miss Hana, she mustn’t have known about this or the fact, that what she had received from her grandfather as her lineage. Which she had been trying hard to master, was actually something that protected this village.
Miss Hana felt the weight of her heavy responsibility. The heaviness was present in her heart, increasing its presence. It felt like she would crumble under the pressure. She didn’t know about the fact if what her grandfather was talking about was even true or not. It was something, that she who lived in reality hadn't considered before. Great evil, seal, her family. All of it was enough to overwhelm her. But listening to her grandfather saying that he had no choice in the matter. She understood him. He must have felt the same pressure when he must have been tasked to protect the village.
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At last her heart calmed down. It was her family’s responsibility. Her responsibility too. Every time she practiced the art given by her grandfather, she felt like something was pulling at her, she felt the blood flowing through her. Miss Hana, had thought it must have been some kind of exercise that helped her stay fit. As she found out, her strength improved day by day. But today she felt the weight of the matter.
The art was something which called out her bloodline. The power deep within her. Which must have come from her ancestors.
Vishwa's father at last reached an understanding with the old man. The old man took something out from his almirah.
‘This is something that was passed down in our family. It was something that is a kind of lineage along with our bloodline art. But it couldn’t be used by us. From the written accounts of our family's past. I have come to know, that no has been able to use this. Sigh, it feels too bad to part with it,’ the old master said with emotion filling his eyes.
‘Part with it already old man,’ gone was the previous respect Vishwa’s father felt for the old master. Instead it was a sense of camaraderie that developed between them. Vishwa’s father couldn’t help but tease the old master.
‘Take good care of it. And if you don’t find use for it anymore. Return it to our family.’ the old master said, reluctantly parting with a box.
The box itself looked ordinary. From how it looked, Vishwa felt it must have passed through a lots of hands and places throughout the years. There was no lock. As if whatever was inside didn’t mattered to the old man. But it didn’t took long before his father opened the box. A shiny emerald glow filled the entire room.
‘This thing,’ Vishwa’s father's hand was trembling with misbelief.
Even Vishwa felt something tug inside of him, in the presence of the glowing object.
‘Our ancestors from what I had read, found this thing out of nowhere. Some kind of meteor came, they said. There was only small shiny thing inside.’ the old master said not minding the expression on father’s and son’s faces.
‘It’s our family, fabled sacred treasure,’ Vishwa’s father was delighted beyond anything. He held it so delicately as if it would break just a small touch.
Vishwa looked at his father. What was he speaking about? Family, sacred treasure? Vishwa hadn’t heard his father mention anything about his family. It was the first time.
‘Vishwa look this is our family's lost treasure. For this thing our family separated a long time ago.’ Vishwa’s father couldn’t contain the overwhelming emotions he felt. Such that he told how this treasure was related to his family.
‘Is it your family treasure. Now it's yours only.’ the old master said.
The old master pondered over it, and finally sighed after taking a long glance at the object.
‘You don’t need to return it back.’
But Mayankan wasn’t listening, he was still reveling in the delight of finding this treasure.
Not that Vishwa was free, he was free to consider some things.
He didn’t have to worry about the evil being, after all he would forget all about it, by the next day.
But he still had to consider a way to earn the money. He pondered over June’s suggestion. Should he join the underworld? From what he has heard about the underworld from others in the form of rumors, it was mostly bad things. Then what else was there, right, there was another question. Had his father recovered?
Vishwa looked at his father, though he looked calm and collected while maintaining whatever this power was? He was having difficulty over it. In fact Vishwa felt like both of them. The old master as well as his father didn’t look good at all in this condition.
Next, It passed quickly. His father took the treasure, he had turned back to how he normally felt. The old master, though, collapsed as soon as he was relieved about the deal. They all had rushed toward him thinning something had happened to him. Infact Vishwa had thought that the old master had finally passed away. But he was only sleeping.
Vishwa and Vishwa’s father bid their farewell to Miss Hana. Now that Vishwa looked at her, she felt more responsible in a way.
Vishwa’s father couldn’t help looking away from the treasure after returning home. Such was the zeal behind him getting back his family treasure.
Vishwa once again thought of the great evil. Thinking, if the old master was right. He wouldn’t remember about him the next day. In between the thinking and imagination, Vishwa had fallen asleep.
The good thing, this time too, that horrifying being didn’t appeared in his sleep.