The Last Rudra

Ishit flattened himself on the ground, not daring to move, or breathe, just like the inanimate rocks around him. 

Millian was standing just a few feet away from him. Ishit could feel his powerful spirit sense sweeping over his shield. There was no way he was an apprentice. He should be a master, or maybe even beyond that. Ishit felt lucky that the man hadn't tried to kill him in a single attack, or else he would be in Nysa, the city of death fairies. 

His assaulter wanted to capture him alive. 

Ishit's chest wound was on fire. The arrow must have been soaked in poison or been cursed. 

Ishit could feel his body going hot as if some invisible fire heating it up like a cauldron. 

What should he do now? He couldn't stay here and wait for Millian to leave. His wound wanted his attention, or the poison would paralyze him soon. 

A spirit shield could conceal a wielder so long as he didn't use the spirit or create ripples through his movement. Of course, if someone had a deep insight into the law of space, he could still smell you out. 

By the way,, Millian was scanning the surroundings; Ishit knew his assaulter was not one of such rare geniuses. 

Should he take the risk? He deliberated for a while, watching as he walked away, retracting his sharp spirit sense. 

Ishit knew it was his chance. So without using the spirit, he slowly moved his frozen body while keeping his awareness on alert. He waited until Millian's spirit sense didn't come in his direction. The assaulter had given up his search. 

Ishit began to crawl away while keeping his shield on. It was extremely difficult to see where he was heading; he only hoped he was running away from Milian.

After a long crawling, Ishit stopped to take a deep breath. His body was burning with high fever, his vision was zooming. 

He was on his limit. Ishit steadied himself as he looked around for a place to hide. 

He saw a cave-like structure among the boulders. He dragged his paralyzing body inside, ignoring the thought, telling him it might not be a good place for taking a rest. 

He leaned against the hard rock as he tore off his sweat-drenched tunic to take a look at his burning bound. 

The skin around the gruesome wound had turned blue. Ishit stifled the rising moan.

He mumbled the water spell, and water appeared in his cupped palm. He washed his wound carefully, shuddering with each throb.

He realized there was nothing much he could do except hoping that the body cleansing spirit diagram would expel the sinister energy creating havoc in him. 

What kind of trial it was, he wondered again. Had Bhadra known what was waiting for him here? 

Ishit felt his blood boiling as the spirit completed a full circulation. The pain was numbing his brain. Ishit found it hard to keep maintaining the shield.

The pain was consuming his rationality. His vision was going blurry. And then something snapped in him..it was like something burst in his chest...

And before Ishit could check his body, for his mind blackout. 

The shield around flickered and vanished, leaving his body open to prying eyes if there was any. 

Two things happened simultaneously; the emblem that Bhadra had given to Ishit glowed with faint white light. The eye carved on it winked.

And the second thing was the buzz of strange mosquitoes with red eyes swarmed in. 

The mosquitoes attacked the convulsing Ishit. Piercing his sweat-stained skin with their needles to suck his blood. However,  as soon as fiery red blood went into their tiny bellies, they got incinerated. 

Not a single bloodsucker was able to escape the uncanny death. 

The small cave fell silent. 

Ishit, who was writhing in pain, calmed down. But he seemed unaware of the little incident.

****

Ishit woke up to the blinding light of the sun. He scrutinized his surroundings, and for a moment, he couldn't conceive why he was in a small stone cave with only a rugged floor as his bed. Then, memories of last night came rushing to him. 

He hurriedly checked his chest; the wound had disappeared, leaving nothing, not even a scar. 

Had he been dreaming again? He thought as he fixed his torn tunic. But the salty breeze told him he was not. 

Ishit checked his body; everything was normal except his blood. Its fiery color had deepened.

Ishit had many questions buzzing in his mind, like what had cured him or what had burst in his body. 

But it was not the right time to care about them. What Ishit needed the most right now was a hefty meal and the answer to the question that had been bugging him since he had got here.

Where was he? And What did he have to do to pass the trial? 

So, he crept out of his hiding place, hoping Millian had left by now. 

The sun was glaring at him in the blue sky. Ishit swept his spirit around to check his surroundings and realized nobody was there. 

So he dashed off in a direction opposite to the sea. 

Soon, he left the rugged terrain behind. 

He picked up a winding path leading away from the seacoast. After travelling almost an hour, he saw a village nestled among the green-carpeted mountains.

Relief swept over Ishit's tensed face as he saw the humans working in their fields. 

For the last hour, he had seen nothing but rugged hills and Palm trees. Not even a bird had welcomed him on his way here. 

So, when he finally saw human civilization, his heart leapt up.

He walked down the muddy path with renewed enthusiasm. 

***

As he passed the fields, the men gave him curious glances. Ishit didn't blame them, for he was looking like a beggar. What could he do? He didn't have anything on him, not even a spatial pouch. Bhadra hadn't given him any time for preparation. 

Ishit gave them a smile, but it must have looked weird, for people frowned and returned to their work. 

Ishit wanted to talk to someone, so he could ask about the place. After looking at their expression, he doubted they would help him out. 

So, he continued on his path till he heard a female voice. 

"Hey, could you lend me a hand?" 

Ishit turned around; in the distance, under a grove of mango trees, a girl of his age was standing beside a bundle of grass. 

Her bronze skin was glistening in the afternoon sun. Her unkempt hair was messy and grey. 

Ishit was more than ready; he needed someone who could answer his questions. 

"Yes, what do you want?" Ishit walked over to the girl.

"I can't lift this bundle alone. So, can you help me to put it on my head ?" The girl said her bright black eyes looked into Ishit's.

"Oh!"Ishit was surprised by such a simple request. Living all his life in a castle, he was unaware of the village life. 

"Of course," Ishit replied.

The girl's face brightened up. As she thanked him. Ishit had realized the girl was a commoner with no spirit power. 

As much as Ignorant he was of village life, he knew how wielders treated commoners. 

For them, commoners were servants and had no use other than to cater to their needs. 

So, Ishit didn't use telekinesis as a spirit wielder usually did to lift anything. He was afraid that his real identity might spook away the poor girl. 

As Ishit hoisted the grass bundle, he realized it was too heavy for a skinny girl like her. 

"My father had helped me earlier, but it was too heavy for me to carry it all the way to my home. 

By the way, my name is Diya, an earthen lamp which brings light." She said as they walked along the road. 

"I'm Ishit," Ishit said. He didn't explain his name, for he was sure it would make the girl laugh at him. 

His father had explained it to him.  Ishit meant 'ruler.' 

"I've never seen you around. Have you come here to visit your kins? I too want to visit my aunt, who lives in a nearby village but Mother hates her." She said, her voice full of sadness. 

"Ah! I'm kind of new here." Ishit replied while thinking how he should ask the girl about the village's name. 

" So who is your relative? " Diya asked, 

"Ah! I'm kinda travelling, and just happened to pass by here."

"Oh! you're a nimoi. " 

"No! I just ...I'm just searching for work." Ishit wiped the sweat from his brows. What the hell? It was supposed to be an easy job to find out where he was.

"Why? I mean your village must have something that you could do. For example, Jubi, the blacksmith's boy. He doesn't want to be smith. His father sent him to work in my father's farm. " Suddenly, Diya halted her steps. She turned towards ishit; her face turned grim. Ishit wondered what happened; he looked around.

"Don't tell me you have run away from your home?"Diya said in her solemn voice. Her eyes fixed at Ishit's face.

"What!" Ishit was startled, "No, no.. I asked my parents first. Anyway, What's the name of your village?"

"You'd better. Because I hate runaways. As for your question, It's Lamia." Diya said in a threatening tone. 

Ishit was amused. He recalled his friend Guha. The girl was a chatterbox like him. 

"By the way, you could come with me to my home. Of course, not for work. " Diya said, "Your belly is grumbling. I will ask my mother to give you some bread. But let me warn you first. You'd better not mention that you are a runaway."

"I'm not a runaway." Ishit objected.

"You are. I can smell one when I see any." Diya said as she hastened her pace.. Ishit followed her speechlessly.