Chapter 3 : two Hastinapur soldier
Hastinapur.
Thud! Thud!
The small pebbles lying on the ground trembled, and dust swirled in the air.
The cause of all this commotion was two horses. They were galloping across the terrain, letting out loud neighs as they ran.
Mounted on the steeds were two soldiers of Hastinapur, urging their mounts forward. Strapped behind them was the carcass of a deer. They had come to hunt, as they had been granted leave from their duties today. Consequently, the two had decided to enjoy themselves.
Having finished their hunt, they were now heading toward the river Ganga to wash their hands.
"Hey friend, did you hear the news today?" the first soldier asked.
"What is it, brother?" the second soldier responded, inquiring further.
"I heard that Princess Kunti and Prince Pandu got married today," the first soldier informed him.
"That Prince Pandu, who is one of the candidates to become the King of Hastinapur?" the second soldier remarked.
"Yes, brother, the very same," the first soldier nodded in agreement.
"But Prince Dhritarashtra is the elder one, isn't he? Shouldn't he be the one to become King? That is the custom in every kingdom—the eldest ascends the throne," the second soldier questioned.
"Who knows? That is royal politics. Why should we get involved in such matters? Come, let us finish our task and head home."
Chatting like this, they arrived at the banks of the river Ganga. They tied their horses to a nearby tree and approached the water's edge. Both crouched down and began washing their hands in the river water.
Suddenly, the first soldier spotted a basket near a rock. He nudged his companion.
"Friend, you see that basket too, don't you?"
"Yes, I see it as well." The second soldier nodded.
They both decided to go and investigate what was inside. As they approached the basket, they were shocked. Inside, wrapped in a red cloth, lay a baby who was fast asleep.
"A child? How cruel can someone be to cast such a baby adrift in the river Ganga?" the first soldier exclaimed.
Agreeing with him, the second soldier said, "I am also filled with rage at such people. But what should we do now? Should we ignore this child and leave, or should we take him with us?"
The first soldier shook his head. "No. We are merely soldiers; we do not know when we might die in battle. Therefore, we cannot raise him ourselves. However, we will hand him over to an orphanage."
The second soldier noticed something odd and looked at the first soldier. "Brother, this child isn't moving at all. Is it possible that he is dead?"
The first soldier scolded him immediately. "Do not speak such inauspicious words! If that is true, we will become partners in the sin of child-killing without even being at fault. Wait, let me check."
He bent down, brought his hand near the child's neck, and checked for breathing. When he realized the child was indeed breathing, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"What is it, brother? Is the child alive?" the second soldier asked anxiously.
"Yes," the first soldier nodded. "Thank goodness, the child is still alive. It is all God's grace that the child is safe and sound."
Then he stood up and said, "Come, let us not delay any longer. Let us head towards Hastinapur."
The second soldier agreed with him and carefully lifted the basket, along with the child, from the water's edge.
Then, they both untied their horses, mounted them, and began to ride back towards Hastinapur.
Meanwhile, I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in a dark place; there was darkness all around.
I thought about dispelling the darkness and imagined a lush green place where a gentle breeze was blowing.
Instantly, the place transformed to match my thoughts. I understood that this was the world inside my mind, which I had accessed after awakening my psychic powers.
Is it possible that my System can appear here too? My physical body is asleep, but I am awake inside my mindscape. Can the System access this place?
"System," I called out.
A blue panel appeared before me.
Yes, it is possible. Now, let's see what changes have occurred in my profile.
"System, show my current profile," I commanded.
New text began to emerge on the panel and was displayed before me.
[ Host: Karna (Body Asleep) ]
[ Age: 2 Days ]
[ Bloodline: Surya Dev ]
[ Soul Weapon: Golden Kavach, Kundal ]
[ Ability: Solar Energy (Not Awakened), Psychic Power ]
[ Skills: Energized during the Day, Fire Resistance, Telekinesis ]
So, that is how it is. I possess Solar Energy, but it has not awakened yet. That explains why the original Karna never utilized it; it had never awakened for him. I will have to find a way to awaken it.
And even though this ability is dormant, it still provides two passive skills—excellent. As for the last ability I acquired a few hours ago, I gained the Telekinesis skill from it.
I pondered all of this while looking at my profile.
...
Hastinapur.
Thud! Thud!
The two soldiers had entered Hastinapur. The Kingdom of Hastinapur was vast; as far as the eye could see, there were houses stretching into the distance.
They rode through the bustling streets of the city. After some time, they arrived at the orphanage.
The orphanage was an impressive structure, quite large to behold. The building was constructed from solid stone and bricks, and it was freshly painted.
They parked their horses to the side and dismounted.
They conferred briefly and decided that only one of them would go inside to hand over the child.
The first soldier picked up the basket containing the infant and went inside. Inside the courtyard, there were many children playing with one another.
All of them were orphans. Some had been abandoned, while others had been surrendered to the orphanage because their parents could not afford the cost of raising them. There were also children here born to women who had been exploited by the wealthy.
To be continued...