The Last Rudra

"How does nature bring these two opposite forces together? " Ishit muttered, as he looked at the complicated diagram representing the formation of 'trishanu', the smallest particle of the creation. A trishanu pervaded the entire creation. It was the building block of all other five elements. 

According to the scroll, a trishanu formed when Adi and Adya came together, a process called 'methun' (cosmic sex). 

The diagrams before Ishit depicted the creation process of this divine particle. 

What Ishit didn't get was how two energies, Adi and Adya, which were banes of each other, came together and formed this divine particle. 

He read the scrolls over and over again, but couldn't come up with anything. They had just mentioned the name of the process and nothing else. Frustrated Ishit closed the scroll. 

In these four days, Ishit had memorized all the content of the scrolls with the help of his spirit memory. Of course, it didn't mean he had comprehended all the complex diagrams and theory of divine astras. It would take time and a lot of practice before he could forge even a mortal astra. However, Ishit was now confident in summoning a spirit weapon easily. That was what he was planning to do now.

Ishit stretched his body as he rose to his feet. He swept a fleeting glance around the chamber and all the scrolls and parchments flew off the floor and got arranged neatly on the wooden table. 

After continuously practising for four days, his telekinesis power had reached another level. Now he could form mental links with nearly four hundred objects at once. 

Ishit looked out of the window. It was already noon.  The street was bustling with apprentices. After this trial, Ishit thought he would also join an academy. Because after reading all the scrolls on forgoing, Ishit realised there were many things he couldn't understand without a good mentor. 

Now come to think about it, Bhadra had said he had to compete in the coming Inna's feast if he wanted to join an academy. As far as he remembered, Inna's feast was just more than a week away when he had entered the cursed chamber, and got teleported into Glassia. 

And since then more than a month had gone by, but how come the emblem hadn't ended the trial yet. He took out his emblem, the black medallion with a mysterious half-opened eye carved on its surface. He examined the emblem carefully, and his eyes widened in surprise. 

After reading so many scrolls on forging, Ishit now had knowledge of thousands of forging materials. With the help of his newly acquired knowledge, Ishit recognised the metal used in forging the emblem. And the recognition shocked him.

The seemingly ordinary-looking emblem was made of Nether-Iron, a dark metal found in the heart of the Mazia.  Famous for its self-healing property, it was also called living metal. However, it was not its main property. The object made of Nether-Iron could acquire sentience, and alter its form. 

Ishit was about to check whether the piece in his hand could do the same when he heard a knock on his cracked door. 

He quickly concealed the emblem under his tunic. 

"Amartya, I don't need anything now. Thank you for asking, " he said. He was really grateful to the librarian. The old man had been constantly checking on him all these days, bringing him parchments, and inkwells. 

"I'm not Amartya." The voice was the melody of nymphs, no, it was the song of a koyal (a spirit bird) whose voice could enchant its listener, because it was what happened to Ishit. He didn't know how he reached the door and opened it, and left rooted to the spot as soon as his eyes fell on the face before him. 

A sharp pain split his heart. His body shuddered. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He felt as if some invisible force were crushing his heart. His lips moved to say something but no word escaped from his drying throat. 

His right hand moved on its own.  Shaking like an old man's hand, It reached out to touch the tear dowsed celestial face, to shoo away the bumblebees of hair locks that were hovering around her welled up eyes, seemingly to steal the nectar. 

As soon as Ishit's hand touched the rosy cheek, which was like the lotus petal wet with morning dew, he felt as if he had been electrocuted. 

And his soul jolted as if the touch had awakened its aeons-long slumber.

Ishit stupor broke with a kick on his chest. A merciless kick sent him flying onto the wall of the chamber. 

His mind reeled, as he conceived his surroundings; the peaceful library was now in chaos. Apprentices were running towards them, screaming. 

"He has done something to the princess." An apprentice with eyes like a hawk said furiously , pointing his finger at Ishit. "I saw him touching her face.  and the princess collapsed as if he had sucked her strength. "

Ishit's confused eyes darted to the beautiful girl sprawled in Amartya's lap. She was mumbling something in some obscure tongue. Her fish-like eyes were streaming with tears. 

The face that he had never seen before seemed so familiar to him. And a name surfaced up in his jumbled thoughts. 

"Sia"

Who was she? He asked his aching heart, but all it did was throbbing. And no answer came. 

The Librarian picked up the mumbling girl,so gently as if he were afraid his touch could break her cotton soft body. 

The noisy crowd parted to give him a way. Ishit's eyes watched the old man till he disappeared around the corner. 

What just happened? 

Ishit didn't get the time to ponder. The boy with hawk eyes walked over to him. The furious crowd surrounded Ishit. They all were staring at him as if he had done some heinous crime and deserved thousands of deaths. 

"What have you done to the princess?" The apprentice with hawk eyes demanded, giving off a fierce aura. 

"I haven't done anything," Ishi said as he picked himself up, however, the boy pushed him on the floor again.

"Do you think I'm a stupid? I saw you, with my own eyes,  casting some evil curse on her. " the boy said, "You'd better undo it or you won't leave this place alive."

The crowd burst into a noisy conversation. 

Ishit's heart throbbed again with sharp pain. 

He didn't know what the hell was talking about. He knew that he was standing by the window when heard a knock. After someone kicked him on his chest for no reason. 

He didn't even know why the hell he was crying. The lad was annoying him. 

"As I said I didn't do anything. So Fuck off!!" he said, coming down from his rising anger. 

"Damn! Kush, he is sure stubborn. Let's drag him out of the library. " Another apprentice with a muscular body said, cracking his fists. 

"I think. It is what he needs. " Kusha, the boy with the hawk, said as he reached out to grab Ishit's long hair, clenching his teeth. "Let me teach you a lesson for defiling princesses with your filthy hands. "

The crowd shouted in support. 

"I said. leave me alone" Ishit shouted, but the boy didn't seem to hear. So Ishit threw a punch at his face. Though it was an ordinary punch it did have his understanding of destructive power. 

With a crack sound, the few flew off and crashed into the wall behind.  The crowd let out a gasp. 

Ishit got up, as his glowing eyes scanned the glaring crowd. 

"I said. Leave me alone. " He said again, checking his boiling temper. He didn't know why his emotions were in disarray. His heart was still crying. 

"I will kill you. " Kush jumped to his feet, and came for him, like an enraged bull. 

  Now there was no way Ishit could escape the trouble. Ishit summoned the spirit and flew out of the library. 

"Where are you going after harming the princess?." The burly boy blocked his path. "You will wait here till the guards come. "

The boy threw his blazing punch at him. Ishit dodged and gave a fierce kick at his broad chest. The boy was quick. he picked Ishit's leg before it could touch him. 

Ishit realised, a bit late, that the boy's body was not just for a show. He was a trained warrior. 

But Ishit himself, too, hadn't watched stars in the nights in Lamia. With the support of the spirit, he twisted his body and brought his free leg with such a force that the air trembled.

The boy tried to dodge, but Ishit had caught him unprepared. Or maybe He was too conceited of his victory. Anyway, the kick caught the boy's left jaw and sent him flying. 

Ishit balanced himself in the air as he rushed towards the gate. However, he was late because the red-cloaked druids were already at the giant gate. 

"It is him who has cursed the princess. Don't let him go." the crowd shouted behind him. But it was unneeded, for the warrior's green eyes were already on him. 

"Surrender, and come with us." One of the red-cloaked druids said. 

  *****