Chapter 2 A Curse Awakens
The peace of the palace was a lie
Outside the sky was laden with deep slate colored clouds that hovered slowly over the palace as if a gigantic black wing had spread itself across the heavens The air was still but within it was a suppressed rumble like the wait for lightning to shatter the silence The first flash drenched the western tower of the palace in white light and in that very instant Nirag sleep shattered
He sat up in bed His chest heaved rapidly His breaths fluttered not like petals but like smoldering embers Sweat ran down his back in cold rivers and his white shirt clung to his skin He looked at his palms They were not dry but held a sticky cold dampness as if he had just touched ice
The room was dark but the flickering light of the lightning through the window cast strange shapes upon the walls Long crooked shadows that seemed to shift and move In his ears there was an echo Not of screams but of a whimper A whimper that seemed to come from deep within the bones
He got out of bed His bare feet touched the cold marble floor and a shiver ran through him He went to the window and reached out his hand pulling the heavy curtain aside
Outside the sky was no longer deep blue It looked murky and greenish like the color that comes before a storm The leaves of the trees were completely still as if nature itself was holding its breath watching this impending disaster Far away towards the horizon a deep oval smudge appeared between the clouds It looked as if the sky itself had been torn open right there
Nirag closed his eyes The dream returned
Grass drenched in blood Vedika closed eyes Aakshansh severed torso Anvay tears on his hands The sword plunged into Neer back Agni final breath And his own laughter Cold Hollow Echoing in an empty palace
He placed his hand on his forehead There was a light pulsating warmth there like a hidden flame smoldering inside
He turned and looked towards the large polished copper mirror standing in the corner of his bedchamber His reflection was blurry in the dim light flickering in and out of existence with each flash of lightning He walked slowly towards the mirror like a hunter creeping up on its prey
In the mirror his face stared back at him but it did not look entirely like his own The left eye the legacy of Agni burned with a deep red hue like a glowing ember inside The right eye the gift of Neer was like a calm deep blue ocean but beneath that calm surface a restless wave was visible
He took a deep breath His chest rose and his reflection shifted in the mirror
Just then a sharp crack of lightning tore through the room The white flash blinded the mirror for a moment When the light returned what Nirag saw in the mirror stopped his breath
At the center of his forehead just above his brows the skin was twitching A bulge appeared Small but unmistakable Then slowly the skin cracked open like a narrow fissure And from that fissure an eye emerged
This eye was not red or blue It was black As black as the deepest starless corner of the night It had no pupil and no shine Just a void that seemed eager to swallow everything
Nirag mouth fell open No scream came out His throat had gone dry He raised his hand and touched his forehead His fingers fell upon that warm damp bulge It was there It was real
In the mirror that black eye was staring back at him And then within that eye something moved A shadow A glimpse of a distorted face that appeared for a moment and then vanished
Nirag stumbled back His heel hit the bedframe Losing his balance he fell backwards but caught himself on his hands before hitting the ground His breaths were no longer fast but ragged and short He touched his forehead again The bulge was gone The skin was smooth Only a faint burning warmth remained
He looked back at the mirror in panic Only his red and blue eyes stared back Normal No third eye
Just a dream He whispered to himself but his voice was shaking Yet the memory of that bulge was warm on his fingertips And in his mind the void of that black eye was still spreading its cold
He stood up His hands were trembling He tried to pour water from the pitcher nearby but his hands shook so badly that the stream hit the rim of the glass and spilled over The cold droplets fell on his shirt his neck and his palm Each drop felt like the prick of a needle He gasped and slammed the glass down on the table The glass shattered and the shards scattered across the floor
He walked out of the room The palace corridor was long and dark The flames of the torches hanging on the walls flickered with the draft causing the shadows on the walls to dance Long and crooked shapes that seemed to follow him
Two soldiers clad in iron armor were guarding the turn of the corridor They saw Nirag and bowed their heads simultaneously in a mechanical motion
Maharaj One of them said and his voice echoed hollowly
My father and my uncle Nirag voice sounded cracked Where are they
The second soldier replied but his eyes were fixed on Nirag forehead as if he saw something there In the eastern garden Maharaj Should we summon them for you
No Nirag said and there was an urgency in his voice I will go myself
He walked between them He could feel their gazes on his back like two pointed spears
As soon as he stepped out of the palace a gust of wind stopped him The wind was hot and heavy laden with the smell of lightning The jasmine flowers planted along the path looked wilted and their sweet fragrance had turned into a bitter rotting stench His heart pounded loudly Was this all his imagination Or was the curse of Andhak Void which lay buried in his bones now waking up
The eastern garden was a small protected grove where a tiny artificial waterfall flowed When Nirag reached there he stopped and looked
Neer was sitting on the roots of an ancient Peepal tree His blue robes fluttered in the gentle breeze and he held a leaf in his hand that he was slowly folding His face was calm but there were dark circles under his eyes Marks of the exhaustion from the war and some unspoken fear
A little distance away Agni stood by the edge of the pond His reflection in the water shimmered like a golden red flame He reached out his hand and plucked a blue lotus from the water surface The flower glowed in his palm like frozen ocean
Agni turned and walked towards Neer His steps were slow as if he was walking on sacred ground He knelt before Neer and without a word carefully placed that blue lotus in Neer dark flowing hair
Neer looked up A faint tired smile played on his lips Do you think this makes me beautiful His voice flowed like a slow quiet river
You have always been beautiful Agni said and his voice carried a deep warm tone He sat down beside Neer and their shoulders touched lightly But today there is a different shine in your eyes Like the sky after the rain
Neer rested his head on Agni shoulder It has been a month Agni Since that war But I still feel like the shadow of Andhak Void is still hiding somewhere in these walls Like he has not left Just waiting
Agni reached out and took Neer hand in his own Their fingers intertwined One burning and one cold but together they formed a perfect temperature We will never let him come back Agni said and his voice had the resolve of iron Our son He is strong And we We are together
At that moment Nirag stepped out from behind the trees His shadow fell long before them
Both of them looked up together A flicker of concern flashed in Neer eyes for a moment and then it turned into a calm maternal softness A faint line of pride appeared on Agni face
Son Neer said and his voice had that same cool river tone Why do you look so pale What happened
Nirag touched their feet His fingers were trembling when he touched Neer feet Pitashree Tauji I He stopped His voice choked He abandoned the thought of telling them about the dream He could definitely not tell them about the third eye
Neer stepped forward and took Nirag face in his hands His fingers rested on Nirag cheeks and they were cool and moist You are scared Neer said softly and his eyes peered into Nirag red and blue eyes There is a storm raging inside you
It was just a dream Nirag said and he lowered his eyes A bad dream
Agni stood up He placed his hand on Nirag shoulder The touch was heavy and firm Like the touch of a mountain Dreams are just dreams son But the fire and water inside you They are real And they are yours The secret of your birth is not your weakness It is your strength
Nirag looked up Tears came to his eyes but they did not fall But what if that secret is a curse What if I become the very thing you fought against
Neer pulled him into his arms The hug was so tight that Nirag breaths almost stopped Neer voice whispered near his ear You are our son Not our blood but our soul flows within you And no curse no matter how ancient can be greater than a father love and a mother prayers
At that moment a sharp crack of lightning tore the sky apart The white flash drenched the garden And in that flash Nirag saw it On the highest branch of the Peepal tree sat a dark blurry figure For a single moment he glimpsed two empty black eyes staring directly at him Then in the very next instant the figure dissolved like smoke
Neer looked up too His eyes narrowed He glanced at Agni Without a word Agni nodded It was a warning It was an acceptance
On Nirag forehead where the third eye had opened a faint pricking warmth rose again He raised his hand and touched it The skin felt normal
But in his mind a voice echoed Thin Hoarse Cold as ice
The dream will not remain a dream for long heir Be ready
Nirag closed his eyes When he opened them Neer and Agni were looking at him There was worry in their eyes but even more than that there was an unbreakable resolve
The clouds finally began to burst The first heavy drops of rain fell upon the leaves creating a rhythmic beat
But for Nirag that rhythm sounded like the echo of Andhak Void laughter And within his forehead that black eye was slowly starting to blink
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