In the path of life we get to choose our destiny but often we are afraid of failure and let go of it…
Gods are not allowed to interfere in the life of mortals but they choose to live among us and entertain themselves…
Sometimes even Gods are helpless and have to suffer…
THE TEMPLE OF MEDHA GODDESS
"Melu, no! That is not the way for us. Come here to Mama's side."
Afraid her daughter might offend someone, Kajil called Melu toward the side entrance of the Temple of Goddess Medha in the town of Unikur. Today was the Medha Goddess Festival, celebrated throughout the Chautya Empire to mark the day the first Medha Princess ascended to the heavens.
Festivities filled the temple premises; shops selling sweets and children's toys lined both sides of the path. In the Chautya Empire, only the powerful were permitted to use the main gateways of temples and public institutions. If a commoner offended the powerful, they risked losing their life. Some even said that if you offended the Emperor, you would lose your chance to reincarnate into the Seven Worlds.
Just as Melu reached her mother's side, a chariot halted directly before the temple's main gateway. It was a shocking sight; even the Emperor would never stop a chariot there, for fear of blocking the deity's line of sight.
A portly man stepped out of the horse-drawn chariot. Though he was short, he held his head high with an air of arrogance. This was Chendayan, one of the richest merchants in the district. In the Chautya Empire, merchants controlled every profitable venture, and the Emperor collected taxes from merchants and farmers alike.
Chendayan traded in all manner of food, but his favorite merchandise was sugar and sweets. Every year, he donated sweets to the temple for the Medha Goddess Festival. This year was no exception; he had brought a donation of sweets, which servants were currently carrying into the temple through a side door.
"Mama, why can't we walk through the main door?" Melu asked, her curiosity piqued as this was her first time worshipping the Goddess.
Her father, Masi, who was walking behind them, answered before Kajil could. "Melu, it is not that we are forbidden from the main doorway. But on festivals, busy people cannot wait long in the queue, so we leave the main door for them. That way, they can worship the Goddess with ease."
Masi spoke calmly, but deep down, even as a common man, he too wished to walk through the main gates. Yet, as a low-level artisan, offending the affluent minority was a risk he simply could not afford to take today.
"Papa, if Goddess Medha listens to him first, will she still listen to us later?" Melu asked, her curiosity matching that of every other child her age.
"Daughter, the Goddess listens to all prayers," her mother replied, telling Melu what she believed to be true and right. "If we have enough devotion and good karma, she will surely hear you."
As the family of three passed through the gateway, moving slowly with the long queue, a different reality existed far above them. High in the clouds, a war raged—a bloody battle where an army of lakhs clashed against another force of equal number and strength...
THE POXI BATTLEFIELD OF MILLIONS
"Commander Lujoshi, we lost 11,061 men in the last battle." The report of the decisive clash against the Deriles was enough to break the Second Prince's heart. He knew that every death led to a mourning family somewhere in the kingdom.
"How many are severely injured? And what is the status of medicines—pills, syrups, and oils?" The Prince knew that preventing further loss of life was his priority now.
"Reporting to the Commander: provisions are stable. There is enough stock of medicine and food, and rations are being supplied to all."
"Good. Go and rest first. After that, collect the remains of our comrades; we must bring them home," Lujoshi ordered.
"Yes, Commander."
Darkness fell slowly over the camp. Soldiers lit campfires around the tents, a necessary precaution on the POXI battlefield. This land of millions of dead attracted vultures and scavengers; fire was the only way to protect the remains of the fallen.
Some distance away, the scouts of the Second Prince's army remained oblivious to the danger hiding in the surrounding forest.
"Are you sure they have finished collecting the remains and are settling down to rest?" asked a man dressed in black and green robes. He spoke to a soldier wearing the uniform of the Second Prince's own army—a traitor.
"Yes. The scouts won't come this way; I have diverted them to the other side."
"Good, good. In ten minutes, we will attack from both the left and right flanks. Then, we will assassinate Lujoshi exactly at the twelfth minute," the man in black and green declared.
"Yes, Commander." The spy gave a slight bow and vanished from the forest.
Lumohan, I killed your father in the Upper Heaven, yet your soul escaped to this place. Let's see where you can escape to now, the Commander thought, a cruel smile unseen in the dark.
Ten minutes passed. Suddenly, battle cries erupted from both sides. Though it was dark, the glow of magical spells illuminated the distance.
"It is time. Let's finish Lujoshi for good," the Commander said to the assassins waiting eagerly behind him.
"Yes, Commander!"
"Attack."
"ATTACK!"
Chaos engulfed the camp.
"Commander, we are suffering heavy casualties! We have already lost two thousand men!"
Lujoshi's face betrayed his inner turmoil. His army was sandwiched between unseen enemies and being slaughtered. He looked around, seeing the eagerness in his soldiers' eyes, but he knew the truth: they were exhausted from the three-month campaign.
"I know you are tired, but we must choose a direction and break through! The other two sides are forest; likely an ambush. We will retreat to the North. Everyone, march North and attack!" Lujoshi commanded.
At that exact moment, an arrow pierced the head of the officer standing right next to Lujoshi.
"Silent arrows! Protect the Commander! Assassins!"
A volley of magical arrows followed. Some materialized directly in front of the soldiers; low-ranking troops without protective mana were pierced instantly. Others were smoke bombs or contained irritants that blinded the eyes.
Under the cover of this chaos, a group of men closed in on the Second Prince. Although Lujoshi was currently a Third Level Mana User (a Mana Manipulator), he had only been a Second Level Conjuror before the battle began; his foundation was unstable.
Through the smoke, a dark figure swiftly approached. "Lumohan, you escaped death last time. This time, there is nowhere to run." The voice resonated directly in Lujoshi's mind.
The Second Prince felt his head nearly explode from the mental attack. Sensing the danger, General Naji instantly formed a protective mana shield around Lujoshi. As a Fourth Level Mana User, Naji was the most powerful warrior in the battalion.
"Protect the Prince!" Naji roared. But when he turned, his heart sank. Three Mana Origin Practitioners stood against him. "Who are you people? What do you want?" Naji stalled, desperately looking for a way to break through.
"Haha! Ajanka, keep him busy. Ajaya, come with me—let's finish Lumohan," the leader in black and green sneered.
"Who is Lumohan? We have no Lumohan here! This is Second Prince Lujoshi!" Naji shouted, his anxiety rising.
"I know he is Lujoshi. Then let's kill Lujoshi! Hahaha!"
Ajanka unsheathed his longsword, injecting mana until the blade glowed blue, and charged at Naji. Meanwhile, Ajaya and the leader lunged toward Lujoshi.
Lujoshi, who had dropped his sword during the mind attack, snatched it back and tried to dodge the incoming mana slash. He wasn't fast enough. His left arm was severed cleanly from his shoulder.
Crying out in pain, Lujoshi gasped, "We have no grudge... why are you trying to kill me? Who are you?"
"Don't worry. When you go down, your father will tell you everything," Ajaya said with a devilish smile. The leader stood back, blocking Lujoshi's escape routes.
"Ajaya, finish him," the leader ordered.
Ajaya struck, but Naji, having momentarily forced Ajanka back, leaped in to block the blow, trying to drag Lujoshi away.
The leader slashed at Naji, forcing him to drop the Prince. It was the opening Ajaya needed. Lujoshi raised his sword with his one remaining hand, but he was helpless against a mana user a full level stronger than him.
"No, Your Highness!" Naji watched in horror as Ajaya pierced Lujoshi's chest, not even needing mana for the final kill.
As death claimed him, Lujoshi saw a black, pearl-sized oval stone floating before his eyes. With his last ounce of strength, he caught the bead in his palm.
Swiftly, the black-clad leader, Ajanka, and Ajaya retreated into the forest darkness. Ironically, at that very moment, General Naji received reports of victory from both fronts of the battlefield