by Nihar Sharma
The commander lowered his head and listened to his master. “Ask soldiers to search every single huts and find the flesh and make a team of hunters and dispatch them with me, we will hunt some unicorns for returning home” the king smiled.
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Dark lord flung the sword at monster. It roared hard at him. Dark lord stopped and it also stopped roaring. “Son” lord said to it “stop there….”
It groaned. “Son” lord scorned again. Monster wore silence. “Son” lord touched his head gently and said “you are my flesh and blood; I created you not to be used, I made you the master of unknown world.”
The monster groaned seemed responding his father, panting in tiredness and kept his huge head on his father’s foot. Lord knew the dark secret “a scion of devil is always devil at cost of death and death of its own kind.”
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Vikram was inside the chamber holding sands in his hands. His eyes were wet and swollen in tears and angry.
Dark lord ran inside the chamber and stopped in middle of the chamber. Whole chamber was in chaos. The lockers were broken almost; sharp claws damaged a lot to the walls of the chamber. This was the holiest chamber and one of the oldest since the inception of third world.
He saw dust on Vikram’s lap and in his hands. Tears were running out of his eyes. He loved his friend and he lost him again. Dark lord put his hand on Vikram’s shoulder and gave condolence “we meet another time in another world, always meet with each other’s.”
Vikram looked at him with his swollen tearful eyes. “Let him go” dark lord insisted “we shall avenge those who killed your friend.” Vikram looked at his sword; it was bathed in green blood.
“The lightening stone” Vikram murmured looking at the blue stone in the corner of the chamber. “The blue stone” dark lord smiled “the stone which can change the fate.” Vikram frowned, lord continued, “Your friend, we thought him the prodigy soul but he wasn’t. It was you, always you the prodigy soul. Your presence enlightened the chamber, only thing the door opened because it was opened by son. Only three people can open it, a prodigy soul, my son and me.”
“Now rise and get the stone” lord added “and please bring the sword with you” lord smiled and vanished in fog behind the door, seemed like a dream to him. He was alone in that chamber and picked up the stone and then the huge blow of wind blew on his face.
A beam of light passed through his body, he landed on ground made of blue tiles and blues pebbles, and everything was in blue, walls, roof even his shadow was in blue.
“Hello” Vikram said… “Hellllooo…” the sound echoed back. He realized nothing good about calling anybody, he was alone, and stepped back and turned around, there was a little door leading to a small chamber. He lowered his head and entered through that door and reached to that chamber.
“Papa” he was surprised to see his father, he was in his home, and ran to him but he couldn’t touch him. He tried again and again but he was unable to touch him. There was an invisible wall between him and his father. Then he stopped trying, tears flooded his eyes. Stone had played a trick on his mind. “Vikram” his mother called. A cold wave of relief flowed in his body, after long time he heard his mother’s fruitful voice. “Maa” he muttered, he knew she couldn’t hear him and he also couldn’t touch her too. This was a delusional game by the stone and it’s magic. He was in stone’s world.
He turned around and found a table, there were a sword made of gold and silver line on hilt, a ruby was engraved on hilt, and a golden glass filled with water. And there were notes below both, he pulled out the note from below the sword and read “Use me and see the power lies in your hand, gods will cry before you and demons will follow.”
Vikram reached for second note which read “Drink me and I will allow you to travel across the boundary of mine, I am the silver queen’s blood, and he betrayed her whom the world knows her as TIME.”
Vikram shouted “I have questions.”
“Ask” the sound came from the wall.
“If I have the sword, the war will end, will it not be?”
“Yes”
“But, what kind of world we will have after the war”
“A land of dead and world will be in dark chaos.”
“And if I ….” He stopped in middle.
“Yes, you will be free from your pain forever, a long lasting peace will prevail and all worlds will be one” the wall replied.
Vikram seemed puzzled and had no idea what to do. He closed his eyes and took a long breath. “Take me to the world where you belong to” he asked.
The alone mine, no men were working, a mine where no leverage machines, no noise. “Is it close?” Vikram whispered in air and then the lift in which he was standing started moving down towards the bottom of the mine. Now, he could hear some chattering voices, there were two men standing at bottom floor as he reached down. They were discussing something. Vikram exhaled and murmured “Where am I?”
The lift touched the ground and he stepped out. There was no one but he still could hear their voices, he started following them in dark underground path. After following some miles he reached to the last little chamber from where the light was more shining. He peeped and tried to hear them.
“Yes my lord, I will protect it over my life” dark lord said.
“Oh, I am now free from all these. I am relaxed now, Naduse. I always love you and trust you like my own son. We have lost so many brothers during the war running since thousands of years. But during your reign it should stop.”
“I won’t make you disappointed my lord” dark lord bowed down before him.
Curiosity started coiling inside Vikram’s mind, who could be the lord to dark lord. He tried to see the face of his lord but due to glow on his face his eyes got closed, but he managed to see the two golden horns on his crown and the white string hanging on his muscular body from left shoulder to right. The most powerful weapon thunderbolt was in his right hand. “Is he Titan?” a thought crossed his mind.
Dark lord asked “May I ask you something my lord?”
“Yes, you may ask my son”
“Why me?” lord asked “You could have given this stone to your son.”
“My son will become the king of gods very soon, but he wants everything in his controls. The good kingdom is when there is a rebellion. Rebellion with weapons should be suppressed but rebellion for some ambition for some great task is acceptable and welcome. He will try to destroy you and that will bring chaos, the stone will give you the strength. Before this no weapon can stand, it is mixture of all divine weapons” and he touched the stone with thunderbolt and chanted divine spells. “Only a prodigy soul can unlock this stone’s power.”
The light did glow brighter striking Vikram’s eyes. He opened his eyes and found dark lord was in front of him and staring at him and the stone in his hand. Dark lord chuckled and patted on his back “bravo” and he lifted him “let’s celebrate.”
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“In mine, where the Titan gave you the stone” Vikram spoke. Lord exhaled, “Son, I have waited for long time, gods want to destroy our world but we cannot let them do so. I need this stone for my victory.”
“I was inside the stone. The stone told me that if war is over then there will be more chaos and ….” He stopped.
“And what” lord asked, “Complete your words.”
“I have been given a chance to choose one of two options, the sword and the glass of queen’s blood” Vikram said to him and sighed.
Lord smiled and said “It is bound and your destiny.”
“May I ask you a question?” Vikram pleaded.
“My soul is not here, it is my shadow travelling through time. Otherwise you would own my soul and get whatever you want” Vikram asked “then where is it?”
&
nbsp; Lord realized that he found the truth, “prodigy souls are not any world’s property.” “I never want to own you my son” lord answered with a wan smile.
“Let’s not destroy time and I need the sword” lord asked “and you have selected this sword, haven’t you?” Vikram nodded and stepped forward, “If my soul belongs to none…”
“Don’t worry, you can stay here with us” lord interrupted “this is your home now.”
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“Where is my father?” prince shouted with anger, and punched on the wall of the small closet where they were hiding; others also hid wherever they found places to hide.
Commander replied with fear “If lord doesn’t come for rescue we will all die here in this filthy world.”
“He will kill me, that is what you said, commander” asked prince.
Commander looked down and he was speechless; he could neither disobey his lord’s command nor let him go into death pit. Prince patted on his back and suggested, “Let me go if I am the only one who can do this.”
Commander insisted “Then I will come with you my lord, let’s face the death together.” The other soldiers cheered. “No, you should lead them to others and wait for father to come, I will stop dark lord and buy some time, a diversion will help us and if I don’t come back then please tell my father that I have died valiant” and prince left.
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King turned and smiled, “Look at there, a sliver light comes out.” The commander had no idea why the king pointed out the light in the night. “When did you see the silver light last time commander?” king asked whimsically.
“I never did, my lord” replied the commander.
“Then prepare the best hunters for hunting now, or we will die tomorrow of hunger” king left for this tent to wear his armory.
There were seventeen best hunters standing outside with spears, arrows and swords in hands. They all saluted king by putting right hand on their chests and bowed down. The king got on his horse and galloped, along with seventeen hunters excluding the commander who stayed back.
They reached there and found the huge fire lit up seemed a kind of carnivals but at their arrival all ran and escaped. Then king heard a distinct sound of foot, and turned around and looked at his hunters and asked “was anybody with me in hunting before?”
An old hunter replied “yes my lord, when you were a prince.” The king nodded “you stay with me and you rest make round surroundings, we have found a treasure” he smirked.
A unicorn along with a centaur was standing under the banyan tree. All the hunters surrounded them. King exclaimed “bravo, looking for one and found two holiest animals.”
Centaur shot back with an angry look at king, and he slapped him hard at centaur’s face, unicorn said in between “stop” she pleaded “let us live.”
King smirked at him “we only need your flesh moron” and he slit the centaur’s throat. Unicorn breathed in anger, panted and then whistled louder. She sent a signal to her tribe. She cursed “You will rot here.”
From distance they could now hear the honk’s blow. The unicorn smiled “run and save your army.” A hunter rushed to king and informed “our army, they have outnumbered us.” King in anger chopped off her head.
The king with his hunters rushed towards, but before he could reach there all his ten thousand heaven army got killed, the blood river flowed in the middle of the jungle. The king’s eyes got wide opened and his hunters got prepared for worst, but they surrounded their king for a protection shield. The whole jungle was full of unicorns and centaurs, it was their thousand years old sanctuary hidden from all unearthed by king.
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Vikram and dark lord were discussing then they heard a voice coming from their back.
“Lord Naduse” prince called.
Vikram and dark lord interrupted in between and both turned at prince. Vikram stepped little forward but dark lord stopped him by holding his hand. Vikram stared at him with curiosity. Dark lord understood what Vikram wants to tell, so he nodded.
“Holy god” Vikram whispered and smile.
Prince screamed with anger “I have come to claim what is ours. I will make my father proud and will gift this world to him” and panted.
“Off course my lord” dark lord bowed down. This bizarre act made prince stunned. “My lord” he muttered. “Don’t you dare to play a trick on me?” prince warned him.
“No my lord” dark lord pleaded. “I know why you have come so far?”, “First, my lord, tell me how did you know the route to enter into this world when the whole world was unknown about the locker as a hidden portal” lord asked.
“I have followed my instinct” prince replied with trembling lips.
“Instinct, my lord is lost dream, seen in realty” dark lord added. Prince couldn’t comprehend the Naduse’s statement.
Vikram stepped forward and gave the blue stone to him. Prince looked at the stone and seemed he saw this before. “It looks like I have seen this before” prince muttered and looked up at Vikram and then at Naduse.
“You discovered this, my lord” he added, “Thousands of years passed, and you still kept your promise” lord said.
“Promise” prince was puzzled and surprised “what promise?”
“To return and claim what belongs to you and make a balance between and peace among chaos” lord replied.
Prince looked into his eyes but still he was not clear about the lord’s statement. “If it is a trap?” prince started thinking about it but if he were right then. Vikram was silent and looking at dark lord too. Dark lord bowed down again “god of the gods, you are the Titan.”
Prince stepped back in shock and stone slipped from his grip on the ground. His chest started thumping hard like drum beats in surprise; his lungs started expanding hard and in a rapid manner, no one had seen the Titan in millennia.
“Yes my lord, you are the one who gets reborn in millennia to make a balance between different worlds. You have given this stone thousand of years ago and that’s why you remember this stone. You are the one who helped me to create this world so you know the map for entry. You have the face of your grandfather and gods have never resemblance with their ancestors unless they themselves get reborn.”
Prince was mused and tried to recall ‘once he was said by his mother that he resembles to his grandfather.’
A droplet of tears fell from his eyes and looked at lord with sympathy, not with fear or animosity any more. He stepped towards the lord and asked “Then why don’t I remember all these?”
Dark lord nodded and replied with a smile, “My lord, you have to be the king, once you sit on throne you will remember everything.”
Prince smiled seemed he was convinced by lord and looked at the stone “then let’s do it” he said. Lord smiled and prince looked at Vikram and said “future is going to change.” Prince flipped the stone and twisted in North West direction and the brightest light beamed.
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Vikram screamed and got up from a dream “Huh…” and he looked at the well and found his best friend Aaditya sitting next to him with wide opened eyes staring at him.
“What happened?” asked Aaditya. Vikram smiled but he was still confused and rushed to his home to check his parents. He reached home, his mother was working out in veranda “What happened?” she asked. Vikram smiled but he was panting. He ran to his mother and hugged her tight and started crying.
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“My lord” a guard came in and bowed down before the king of gods. The prince became new the king of gods now.
“Prepare the ritual, it is my father’s birthday” the king said to the guard, looking at his father’s portrait han
ging on wall and a beautiful garland on it.
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“My lord, I was thinking that…”
Dark lord cut in. “I am surprised you think, Demosus” and laughed out.
Demosus sulked, the Dark Lord patted his back and replied “Torriyan will take care of it, don’t worry.”
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