“You!!!”
PAK!!!
Surendranath slammed Sharv into the ground, choking him by the neck. He was now hell-bent on killing Sharv.
But...
“Tch! Tch!”
Sharv clicked his tongue, and the sight of it made Surendranath burn with even more rage. He was just about to choke the breath out of Sharv when...
“You’ll lose your last clue too…”
‘?!’
“...Try to think with a cool head for once.”
Surendranath's mind started to run.
The beads were already shattered crumbled into dust like sand. But this boy, Sharv had read the words carved on them.
If he killed him right here, then the secret of which martial arts was inscribed on those beads would die along with him.
Grit!
Surendranath clenched his teeth hard popping veins on his forehead but, then he loosened his grip on Sharv’s neck.
“Haa!... You made the right choice…”
Sharv said, while Surendranath held his forehead. He didn’t know what to do anymore.
‘You reckless kid!’
The Master’s voice echoed in Sharv’s mind. Sharv said nothing, showed no expression.
Just by sensing the man’s internal energy, Sharv already knew he wasn’t his match.
And from his words, he had also understood one more thing. The man had come here for the beads. And most importantly, he had no intention of letting Sharv live.
That’s why Sharv didn’t do much he simply lied.
The martial art Sharv mentioned being written on those beads… was nothing but a lie.
‘That lie could’ve cost you dearly...’
Vijay said. Sharv wouldn’t deny it.
That lie could have been fatal. Because if Surendranath had already known whether or not something was written on those beads… then Sharv’s death would have been certain.
But he gambled on that lie. It was his last hope to survive. And with luck, that gamble paid off.
‘But now, I’ve got a new obstacle ahead of me…’
Surendranath; an elder of the Crimson Heaven Society, would take him to their base. There, they’d probably keep him captive to dig out every secret he knew about the beads.
Now, he couldn’t continue his journey to the northern plains. Which meant he’d have to postpone chasing the Black Spear King for a while.
‘Well… maybe that’s not so bad after all.’
Because, if the Black Spear King was a member of the Crimson Heaven Society, then going there might give him some solid clues about him.
The more information he gathered, the better it would be for him. The only drawback is that… it might take time.
‘I also need to get strong… fast.’
Tak!
‘..!’
A hand struck the back of Sharv’s neck. His vision dimmed, and his eyelids grew heavy.
From inside Sharv’s sacred thread, Vijay’s voice rang out.
‘What’s happening to you?!’
‘…Don’t worry, nothing’s happened to him. He’s just unconscious. That strike isn’t enough to kill him.’
The women; Sharv's master replied.
Soon, Sharv’s eyes closed completely, and he collapsed on the ground. Surendranath lifted Sharv’s limp body onto his shoulder.
Bam!
Then, with swift movements, he leapt from branch to branch, disappearing into the distance.
Sharv was now being taken to an unknown place, a place where he didn’t even know whether he’d live or die. Whether his death would be swift or painfully slow didn’t matter to him.
But...
What he was thinking was just how powerful was the Black Spear King? If he were to face him now… would he be able to fight him and win?
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Maybe not now. But in the future...definitely.
***
Far away from the great Himalayan ranges, on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, many people were performing rituals, immersing the ashes of their family members and loved ones into the waters.
This river marked the origin of the Ganga, so crowds here were a common sight.
Among them stood a young youth, around sixteen years old, in white garments, immersing someone’s ashes into the flowing river.
This was none other than Anvi; Sharv’s cousin sister. Or to be more precise... Sharv’s cousin brother.
‘My real name is Anuj.’
Anuj, that was his true name. He was hiding in the guise of a girl named Anvi. And there was a reason behind it.
“That bastard Sharv!”
He shouted to himself. He could never forget that day.
***
Some years ago...
Anuj approached Sharv in full spirit and said,
“Sharv! Let’s fight!”
“uh?... But you’re no match for me.”
“Come on, don’t act all arrogant! Just because you’ve beaten me 28 times doesn’t mean you’re invincible. This time, I’ll definitely win!”
“I’ve got no interest in fighting you. Don’t waste my time.”
“No! You’re not walking away! Fight me!”
Sharv ignored him and walked away. But even then, Anuj never gave up. Whenever he met him, he’d challenge him again.
Well he was in his puberty stage and getting defeated by Sharv 28 times... He just couldn't accept, so he was eager to fight and defeat him.
And finally, after so many times, Sharv accepted but...
“Uh?... What do you mean by what's on wager?”
Anuj asked, to which Sharv replied.
“I’ll only fight you if you’re willing to put something on the line.”
“Fine. What is it that you want me to bet?”
Hearing that, Sharv smirked and said:
“Nothing much, just our manhood. Whoever loses must becomes a eunuch.”
‘!!!!!’
“T-the... fuck?!—A-Are you insane?! Who the hell bets something like that?!”
“I do...”
“You're insane!”
“Humph! Just admit it, you’re scared. Because I’m ready to stake my manhood for this fight. But you? Tch!”
“T-This… this isn’t right…”
“Look, if all you want to do is waste time talking, then forget about fighting.”
“N-No, wait! Isn’t there anything else we can bet on? Anything, but not that!”
Sharv didn’t listen to him and started walking away. But then...
“Sharv, don’t be so cruel to your brother… just fight him once. After all, who else in these mountains is even strong enough for him to spar with?”
Sharv turned to look at his uncle.
“I could fight him… but he’s just too weak. There’s no thrill in fighting someone like him. That’s why I told him to put something on the line. If he can’t even do that, then I've got no interest in this fight.”
“Alright then… how about changing the bet a little? I mean, don’t make it so extreme. If he loses his manhood, what kind of life would he even live after that?”
“But uncle… you already know how terrible his obsession with girls is... Once, when some merchants came here from the Northern plains, some of them were girls, he went absolutely crazy over them. He was ready to follow them on their journey.”
“…”
“If he doesn’t control this habit of his, it’s going to land him in big trouble in the future. That’s why I thought of this wager... It’s actually for his own good only.”
“Then why don’t you do this instead…”
Harshvardhan whispered something into Sharv’s ear.
“Hmm… yeah, that’ll work too...”
Sharv walked back to Anuj. This time, he modified the bet and said...
“The loser will have to live as a girl for three years. Speak like a girl, dress like a girl, and live like one. If you can’t even accept that, then forget about fighting me.”
Anuj was furious, but in the end, he agreed. After all, that was a thousand times better than becoming a eunuch.
And in the end of that fight, Sharv emerged victorious, and Anuj lost.
“I’ve always wished I had a little sister. Looks like that wish just came true. Hehe!”
And that’s how, because of that incident two years ago, Anuj was forced to live disguised as a girl, under the name Anvi.
There was still one year left according to the bet, but since Sharv wasn’t around right now, it didn’t really matter whether he continued dressing like a girl or not.
“Ah! Umh! Aghh! Damn it, after living as a girl for two years, even my voice has changed.”
Anuj’s voice had grown softer and slightly feminine. He stepped out of the river, sat under a tree, and tried to speak in his old boyish tone.
After a while, he managed to do it. It wasn’t as deep as it once was, but at least it was better than that girlish tone.
“I won’t forgive that bastard!”
He would take revenge on Sharv, for those two years of humiliation. But now wasn’t the time. He had somewhere more important to go.
The Northern Plains.
The truth was, Anuj knew that the one who killed his father is Black Spear king, and that the Black Spear King was heading to the Northern Plains. He had heard it from his own mouth before losing consciousness.
He didn’t tell Sharv the full story. He only told him enough because he wanted to find the Black Spear King first, kill him, and avenge his father’s death.
“I’ll find the Black Spear King before you, Sharv. Just wait and watch.”
Anuj stood up.
He had already immersed his father’s ashes into the river, from where they would flow and merge into the Ganga.
A deep sorrow lingered in his heart. His father had been killed by the Black Spear King. He could never forgive him.
“Haa!...”
He gazed at the river for a while, then turned around and started walking away. His next destination—The Northern Plains.
He didn’t know where the Black Spear King would be, but he’d find him no matter what it took.
“But… If I'm going, then... maybe I should also visit a courtesan house. I’ve heard that, in cities like Nalanda and Pataliputra; there are some exquisite courte—Ahhh! No! No! Anuj, control yourself, damn it!”
In the end, he shook off the thought and moved on.
After some distance, as he got closer to the Northern Plains, he came across a small village.
He decided to rest there, but the atmosphere in the village felt… different. Soldiers were pasting up some posters all over the place.
On one of the walls, he saw a soldier putting one up. The soldier noticed Anuj and said.
“If you see the young man in this poster, inform us immediately.”
“Ah… alright.”
Step! Step!
As the soldier left, Anuj focused on the poster.
‘Why… does this face look familiar?’
It was a boy’s face but for some reason, something about it didn’t feel right.
He had seen this face somewhere before.
‘If I remove those faint mustaches… and the scars on the face…’
‘..!’
‘This... This—this looks exactly like Varsha, the girl who saved me!’
That girl had saved his life. And she was beautiful enough for her face to be burned into his memory.
If you removed the fake mustache and those scars, the boy in the poster would look exactly like her.
‘What the hell is going on…?’
Then his eyes fell on the words written below the poster:
[GREETINGS!
The young man shown in this poster is a Wanted Criminal of the Som(1) Empire. If anyone spots him, report immediately to the nearest soldiers or magistrate.
Whoever helps in capturing him will receive a reward of huge sum of gold and free rations for three generations from the Som royal family.
Thank you!]
‘?!’
Anuj’s eyes widened as he read. Only a whisper escaped his lips...
“What the hell did that girl do…? A Criminal of the Som Empire?!”
1.Som Empire (??? ?????????) :
