The Last Rudra

-------------------------Unit Of Time-------------------

From now on, I'm going to these units for time...

Truti ----(base unit) ~0.30 microsecond

Renu -----60 truti      ~18 microsecond 

Lava ------60 renu      ~1080 microsecond 

Likṣaka --60 lava        ~64 ms 

Lipta---64.8 likṣaka    ~0.4 s

Pala---60 lipta        ~ 24s 

ghaṭi or ghadi ----60 pala ~ 24mins

muhūrta -----2 ghaṭi    ~ 48mins 

ahorātram ---30 mahutra ~ 24 hours 

masa  (month)

ritu =2 masa 

ayana =3 ritu 

samvatsara (year)=2 ayana 

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one day = eight Pahar (watch) 

first pahar----6 pm to 9pm

second pahar----9 pm to12 Am 

third pahar----12 am to 3 am 

fourth pahar--3 am to 6am and so on.

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After deliberating the thought for a while, Mahipal had decided to ask Ishit about the rumors, for it concerned the future of his kind.  However, what the headmaster hadn't excepted the boy had ignored him. In fact, he didn't seem to hear him at all.  His quill continued dashing parchment after parchment, scribbling his answers, while the boy appeared asleep. No ... he was asleep. Snoring and drooling couldn't be more apparent.  What the hell was going on?  Was he here for the test or to nap? The headmaster screamed in his head as he got up to see if the lad had brought someone to help him with the test.  He opened the window and swept the courtyard with his spirit sense. There was no one around except a few first-year students sitting on the dais of Gargi's statue listening to Miss Aparna, the history teacher, with stifled yawns. In the distance, master Janaka was instructing the second years how to levitate perfectly. No one but Sanku, the peon,  was sitting on his stool beside the door, dozing off like always. 

And the discovery made the headmaster frown. Who was controlling the quill then?  He checked the boy with his spirit sense. (though it was regarded as unmannered and sometimes an offense), The rhythmic flow of breathing, heartbeats, all confirmed that the boy was in a deep sleep, but the unusual spirit ripples about the boy's head said otherwise. It was the lad who was controlling the quill and scrolling with lightning-fast speed. 

Mahipal sat down in his chair, astounded at his finding, feeling more sure of the rumors now. Only Nyx, the queen of dreamland, could teach such miraculous spirit-arts. After all, she ruled over dreams, over mortals' minds. Her knowledge of the human consciousness was unrivaled.

He needed to act cautiously. The headmaster said to himself or if he upset the boy there was no way he would share his secret with him. He needed to make the boy open to him. But how? 

Seeing the age gap between him and the boy, Mahipal realized it wouldn't be easy.

Mahipal continued to ponder all the options he had while watching the quill. 

When only a ghadi long time left, he called Sanku chaprasi (peon), a commoner old man with a stubble beard. 

"Inform Master Ugra. The young lord of Minaak was coming to take the exam. So make everything ready."Sanku left with a courteous bow.

After a half ghadi, the quill stopped.    Mahipal watched the lad with curiosity. Ishit's still pupils stirred, and then closed eyes slowly opened. The boy yawned and stretched his body, looking around. 

"I hope all the masters would have arrived by now. " Ishit said, wiping away the saliva. 

"Yes, they have.  Let me put away the parchments first, then we can leave for the trial ground." Mahipal said. "I hope you have practiced all the spirit paths well.  "

Mahipal put away the parchments in the drawer. 

"I think so," replied Ishit, looking out of the window, at students all clad in sky blue cloaks. He would never know how It felt to be a schoolgoer.  Ishit recalled how he would throw tantrums to come here with Esha, and couldn't help sigh, thinking of Suta's advice.

"Remember, we are consequences of circumstances.

****

Though it was an elementary school, it sprawled in a wide with its five towers,  a courtyard, and a garden. 

Ishit stepped out of the headmaster's office, which was in the Academy tower, on the second floor.  The fifth pahar was close to its end. Classes had already started. As Ishit passed in the wide corridor, students watched him through the windows. 

Ishit saw no familiar face in them; They were all younger than him. 

"So, who trained in the spirit-paths?" Mahipal asked as they took the stairs.

"Ah! I'd better not tell. "Ishit said. It was a mystery to him, as well. Since when he woke up,  his experience hadn't been normal. Was his experience in Illium just a dream? or there was something more it. He needed time to sort out his thoughts and his life. 

"Why?" Mahipal said with interest.

"Nothing! I just don't want to talk about it.  " Ishit said, "By the way, how much it would take to finish the test."

"It depends on your performance. It may take one or two mahurtas at the least. " Mahipal said, feeling a little disappointed.  He had to think of some way to fork out the information he needed from the boy. 

Silence fell between them for while. Though the headmaster tried to start a conversation two or three times, Ishit seemed preoccupied with these thoughts, so Mahipal's attempts fruited nothing. 

Students were practicing levitation, here and there in groups. Ishit noticed a girl with bangs and a cute face rose in the air and fell down on the floor as if someone had removed the invisible support. The instructor which was a woman in her thirties, came running and helped her to stand. All the students were laughing at her. 

Ishit couldn't help but recall the incident which had made him and Guha Durjaya's enemy. 

The training tower was across the courtyard, a five-story building with no door.  First Ishit thought they might be on the back of the tower. However, Mahipal halted facing a stone wall. 

"Tower of Trials" was curved in bold letters on the white stone wall.

"Here is your first trial," Mahipal said, " If you are able to get past the door, you will be able to take the test. otherwise, I'm sorry, you're not ready. "

Ishit gave the headmaster a puzzling look where the hell door was. Esha hadn't said anything about such gate or had she? 

Suddenly, Ishit recalled the strange advice of the girl. 

"If you ever come across a wall just bang your head against it, and it will give you the way."

Was she talking about this wall? 

"look, someone was trying to get past the unseen door. " 

Ishit turned him towards the newcomers. A group of students was coming towards them. One who spoke was a fat boy with a chubby face, like the rest of the students in the group, he must have been in his tenth or eleventh spring. 

"Hasn't all the seniors left already? "

"He must have failed in his first attempt."

"yes, this will be the case."

"Let's wait and see, if he could pass the gate,"

Ishit ignored. As he pondered over what he had just picked up from the students' talks. 

So there was really a hidden gate here? 

Ishit didn't follow Esha's silly advice. She must have been joking.

Ishit let out his sharp spirit sense to examine the solid wall. And as soon as his awareness touched the stone, it sucked it and began to drink his spiritual sense. 

The discovery shocked Ishit. The wall was made of the philosopher stone, a precious stone, found in the valley of Mimir. It was a rare treasure to store memories. Myths said dwizas used to transfer knowledge through this stone. 

There was a tale about this stone, once told to him by Suta. 

Long ago, when Dwizas were in power, there were no such schools or academies. Dwizas used to select worthy ones to share their knowledge and teach the chosen ones in their shrines. 

Once a dwizas had a conflict with his disciple which was rare in those days.  The conflict grew so intense that the sage told the disrespectful disciple to give back his knowledge and leave his shrine.  The disciple extracted his memories in a philosopher stone and returned it to the old man.

However, no one in modern times was capable of such a feat. As the art of extracting memories had been lost with the fall of dwizas.  Now, these were myths and nothing more. The only use of this stone was now to fathom one's spiritual sense. 

Ishit kept pouring the spiritual sense into the wall. and Soon before his eyes, on the solid wall, an arched door appeared, first like faded murals, and then the two-dimensional mural turned into a real gate, with a golden knocker, and intricate lustrous door.

"Enter, if you think your wings have grown. Come, If you think you have the strength to face the world." 

words appeared, floating in the air before Arched Gate. 

"Ah! His spirit sense is even stronger than the topper of this year.  "

"Who is he? Does anyone know him? I've never seen him on the school campus. "

"Don't worry his name will appear on the wall of fame. Let's go and wait there.  "

The students were not to blame for their surprise.  Even Mahipal couldn't help but reevaluate the lad, who was supposed to be a cripple till now.

In his career as a headmaster, he had seen only a couple of students who could make the entire door appear as the boy had done.