In the 1900s the land of Bengal was in turmoil. Occupied, pre-colonized, divided it had gone through all.
Upheavals and changes so vast it brought out powerful individuals who shaped that day's society and for a while it seemed nothing could shake it.
That was until the rakshasas arrived.
From the bay of bengal they made their inroads to cities through the rivers or through the swamps, overwhelming a weaker force.
It was just one of many cases of the larger emergences across the world at that time and probably the oldest recorded. So the site became a warzone.
With most being pushed towards the border and across it to Bangladesh. For their suffering was deemed lesser than the subcontinent's.
The sky was a gloomy red today, birds barely seen except for the ones who preyed on the dead with clouds dark.
The ground was a mix of bodies, holes, large swathes of muddy terrain and slushy mud from the rains.
Heavy breathing came up from the low trenches as the men covered their heads with a shared tarpaulin. The offensive today had intensified and the casualty on their side wasn't helping.
A plea for help from bangladeshi villagers had led the army to investigate only to be surrounded by a horde of wolf rakshasas.
"saab! we won't last long at this rate."
"I know dammit, I know. What have the command said?" the officer in charge turned to the communications operator who had a huge transportable backpack carrying their comms.
"They're sending help, I briefly made contact with them before the dead zone began."
Outside a commotion erupted as refugees began to push against being held back by the forces.
"Stay back you eager fools. When you're told to evacuate you keep mum and do so. And since you didn't, you pay."
"Sir!" A shout alerted them all and the officer turned before looking up at the sky.
"Oh it's her."
Far above them, hundreds of feet in the air was a flying Ilyushin Il-76, painted dark against the red sky with its cargo door open.
And out of it fell out small dots. Well small for the ones seeing from below but at the height of around ten thousand and five hundred feet it was a different sight.
These were elite paratroopers of the army paired with Awakeners who had been airlifted from the nearest airbase. All had been on standby except for one of them.
The winds splayed against their bodies, their faces still feeling the brunt of the fall.
"Is everyone good? Enjoying the fall?"
Their collective comms crackled through their helmets as a voice spoke up. Their leader, who led the mission today. Bhupen.
"Why the fuck is it so cold up here?" A complaint rang out from an Awakener who was one of the fifty falling dots.
Bhupen's laugh was heard by all of them, "oh you kids. Man up!"
They were at eight thousand five hundred feet now.
A static feedback ran through their helmets and they jerked. Their pace picking up slowly.
"It's nothing. It'll be more specific when we get closer though. To the dead zone. By then we'll be cut off but hopefully on land already. It's a steady fall, weather's a bit stark but not too windy."
"Is the commentary necessary?" An Awakener cheekily responded and a few of them laughed. The troops not so much.
"It's not you I'm speaking to. You can get lost for all I care. I want my men and me to do well. Jai Bhavani!"
Only his troops responded eagerly with gusto, "Jai Bhavani!"
They had descended to four thousand feet now and could see the faint muddy terrains now.
"Alright boys! Get ready to do this!"
"What the hell?! Hey!" Bhupen yelled into the comms.
A solitary female figure flew past them like a dive bomber, not falling horizontally but rather flying right into the ground with her head held down.
"Is that...?"
"Leave her dude," the Awakeners responded, "she's too op to listen."
Now at a thousand feet their chutes automatically deployed slowing them all down but only she went further and further away from them till a large dust cloud enveloped her landing.
"Whoa," Bhupen remarked genuinely impressed before he got serious again.
☆
Down in the ground the camp members huddled close as the incoming hordes screeched and snarled from beyond the trench line.
RUMBLE
TREMBLE
The ground vibrated as giant roots sprang up and transported a singular figure into the spotlight. it was a female awakener and a good looking one at that.
"Yamika's here!" A shout rang out.
She grabbed dozens of rakshasas to squeeze them with her roots. Their shouts of protest amplified as she threw them away just as quickly as she pulled in newer ones to play with.
Awakeners were recognized by the types of weapon constructs they used. But not all had physical constructs. Some had the power to weaponize elements or substances hence called elementors. Which Yamika was. Hers was the entire nature of earth which suited her the look of the daughter of earth.
It lasted for barely a minute before they had turned tail.
It was only then that the girl finally broke out of her haze and stood on her feet to her full height.
Her light, flowy garment whose lowers were parted into three to allow her bare legs to move freely while the fabric itself hung like drapes next to her legs and thighs. The color of it as beautifully pale as her fair skin.
Her thin arms were fully sleeveless letting the slow sun paint on her hairless skin there. Her long, slender fingers now glowing with colored powder but sensual nonetheless.
Her dark hair fell in droves on her shoulder, parted uniformly at her forehead to reveal a face so sublimely angelic it takes the breath away from almost everyone who lays eyes on her the first time.
A small pink flower tucked in her ear gave her a very feminine look like no other.
Coupled with a smile so warm with emotion that extended to her overarching love for all things living and sweet, she was a mesmerizing sight to behold in that corner of the world.
This was Yamika. She turned to see the group she had come along with from the sky drop land slowly in the distance.
"Hey, mam. Uh thank you but are you the only one sent here?" the on ground officer asked to which she replied with a curt nod in the far direction.
"The others are there. There's some relief supplies as well. You can have them bring it over or...forget it, I'll do it myself."
Before he could even thank she had taken off supported by her roots as she began to distribute the supplies to a mix of people who were thankful, envious, proud and jealous of her presence.
But she didn't care one bit. Her heart aching only for the vast destruction of the nature surrounding her.
With her work done she silently took her leave to go back to her spot. Where she felt most at home.
Upon arriving there, nearly an hour later and a bit less muddy than before, she was greeted by the children of the street with shouts of laughter and mirth as they struggled to plan a proper decoration. So she took it upon herself to do it.
The raucous but sweet laughter of children rang through the street as they huddled over her hunched figure on the ground.
"Didi! Didi! Me next!"
"No, me! Me! Please!"
"No Didi you promised!"
She stayed calm in their midst throughout as they addressed her as 'elder sister' colloquially. Her hands slowly tracing the patterns she had in her mind and had already put in dots first as an outline.
She rested her chin on her knee in full concentration as she came closer to complete the rangoli, which was a colorful pattern of interconnected dots made with chalk powder.
Soon the children too calmed down seeing her stay sharp and composed to observe her. Each of them opening their little jaws wide with awe and even sounding them out loud.
One kid suddenly looked up to the corner of the street and beamed, "bhaiya!"
He ran in full speed followed by the others towards a figure who had just slowly drifted in from the sky and was walking to them slowly.
Even Yamika followed where they had gone and she broke into a smile at seeing Ahlad as he walked to her a little awkwardly so as not to squish the children surrounding him.
He returned her smile too with his own as he closed the distance between them and they joined hands, fingers intertwining as they gazed into each other's eyes.
"Fooling the kids again into playing with you?" He asked her, pulling on a loose hair strand from her face as he looked down at her from his height.
"Please don't reveal my intentions, my heart," she played along before leaning in for a whisper, "their parents are close by I'm sure."
They walked to the building behind them.
It was a very simple apartment. Not even four floors. But wide inside with almost no furniture for the entire ground floor.
It was their own haven and for others whom they decided to give shelter to from parties less inclined to preservation than them.
Which meant even Inborns were free to mingle and live without discrimination.
"This place is a sty. Or would be if not for you," Ahlad chuckled as he lazed around, the kids from outside now running around.
"Careful! You're gonna break something," Yamika or Yami's voice rang out.
"Hey, come upstairs. Let them hang for a while."
Yamika twisted her lips, "I know what you want me up there for."
"Then don't make me beg for it woman, unless that's what you're into these days?" He asked eyebrows raised.
Yamika gave up with a huff and blush, "no shame at all."
Upstairs was a whole different place altogether. Much more crammed and more lived in than downstairs. This was the common area where the Awakeners and inborns gathered. And they all looked up to greet them but Ahlad pulled on Yamika upstairs impatiently.
They had their room on the fourth floor. The more polished setting, which was the best of Yamika's creative outlet besides the ones already done below.
It had a sitting room, a dining table, a study, a sink, a kitchen all in one but uncluttered space while the bedroom remained in its separate space. Which meant the rest of the floor was wide open for them.
They hovered above ground as they kissed, their faces slowly meeting and parting in gasps as they undid the others clothing.
She giggled when she felt him nibble her ear and take the flower off of it.
Yamika was the first to part away, "how did it go?"
"You really wanna know?" Ahlad asked hesitant to say more, "I thought you wanted nothing to do with these things."
She shook her head, "I'm asking about you. Forget what I think about other things."
Ahlad pondered a little before spilling,
"They've been lying to us. The 3A."
"About what?" Her tone had a brief seriousness.
"Realm travel. Apparently it's possible now."
He continued to kiss her neck and even widened his jaw unnecessarily huge as if about to bite her skin but merely blew into her neck.
"Anything else? There's..." she moaned softly in response to the gesture, "always something more to these conversations with you."
"Mm not in the mood," he grumbled against her shoulder but stopped from getting rough. She wasn't that kind of girl. And that's what he liked about her.
That irreplaceable sweet gentleness that she carried wherever she could in contrast to the world outside.
Yet somehow, somewhere he knew he had made her a prisoner just to nullify the outside ugliness.
And despite it all she stayed.
"We're all going to get tired of fighting, Ahlad. Sooner or later. You're gonna have to let go."
He grabbed her tightly to himself, "never."
She sighed but patted the back of his head, "if you say so."
The feeling of familiar fullness enveloped her as she felt him sheathe himself fully inside her and move slowly while sucking on her neck like there was nectar leaking out of it.
She gasped audibly and pushed him back to see his face which was etched with concentration as he dove into her. She didn't need to look down to know what she would see happening there.
"This never gets old," she said softly.
He grunted in response and their flesh sqelched as he grinded into her sideways.
"Wrap your legs around me, come on," he urged her as he refused to stay still.
She played with her fingers that were interlinked behind his neck nervously, "I don't know, it always makes me feel very weird when I do that."
He grinned, "makes you look slutty?"
She widened her eyes and smacked his arm, "see! You know it and yet you insist on it."
"It's really not. It's just hot. Come on," he insisted.
"Fuck. You," she whispered just as she wrapped her legs around him.
"I love it when you cuss."
After their moment together, he laid on top of her breasts staring out.
They had their little disagreements on things. On how to defend, on how to protect.
She was the more preserver kind of person while he had the mentality of going all out if ever needed to commit. Without mercy. Without thought.
Yet the one thing they agreed on was that despite all the realms, their powers. All the possibilities outside of their lives. This was the one good old earth. There was no other like it and probably never would be.
And it was well worth protecting it against all improbabilites that dictated the uncertain future of their collective species.