... Then why did you beat her so ruthlessly?!!!
(Flashback Ends)
The scene jerks violently back to the present.
Dev was sitting on his knees in the training ground. Tears were falling from his eyes, but those tears had now turned into liquid fire. That agonizing memory of the past had awakened the dormant monster inside him.
The 6-year-old Dev who had lunged at the crowd that day... today, the 14-year-old Dev rose from his spot with that exact same hatred, that exact same speed, and that exact same ferocity!
AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
Dev charged forward at maximum velocity. In both his hands were the two sharp, broken shards of his own Prana-sword. Before the two 'Prana Clones' could even process his movement...
With absolute ruthlessness and terrifying power, Dev plunged the two broken shards in his hands straight through the chests of both clones!
Both clones convulsed violently. Their mechanical systems failed, and they dissolved into smoke, vanishing into thin air.
Dev stood on the ground, panting heavily. His face was a mixture of sweat and blood. He clenched his fists tight, looked up at the sky, and said to himself in a heavy, pain-filled voice...
I haven't forgotten that promise, Mom... I will show this world, this entire island, exactly who I am... In this 'Astra-Yagya' trial, I will wash away this stain of being a traitor's son from my forehead!
Dev's breathing was heavy. Just then... a remarkably gentle, familiar, and sweet voice echoed from behind him.
"Dev..."
The moment he heard this voice, the blood in Dev's veins froze. His eyes widened to their absolute limits.
Dev's entire body began to tremble. Slowly, fearfully, he turned his head to look back.
From his dry, cracked lips, only a single, trembling word escaped...
Mom...?
The moment the word Mom...? escaped Dev's trembling lips, the heavy, suffocating air of the training ground seemed to melt away. Dev slowly turned around completely. Standing there was his mother, her eyes brimming with a mixture of immense pride and profound sorrow. She stepped forward and gently placed her warm, trembling hand on Dev's sweat-drenched, blood-stained cheek.
Her touch was exactly as soft as it had been eight years ago.
"Do not try to inflict so much pain upon yourself, Dev, his mother said, her voice shaking with unshed tears. You are already an A-Rank Prana Hunter. In the eyes of this society, you hold immense value and immense respect.
Dev leaned into his mother's touch, closing his eyes for a brief second. But when he opened them, the raw, burning pain was still there.
Yes, Dev's voice was heavy, laced with a bitterness that cut deeper than any blade . I know very well that an A-Rank Prana Hunter commands a lot of respect in this society. But... the son of a traitor does not.
Hearing this, the faint, comforting smile on his mother's face completely shattered. Her shoulders slumped, and the vibrant light in her eyes died down into an ocean of guilt.
"Please forgive me, my Dev," his mother whispered, her voice cracking as fresh tears spilled over her cheeks. I... I failed to get you the respect from this society that you truly deserve."
Dev's heart ached seeing the tears in his mother's eyes. He quickly reached out and held her trembling hands in his own.
How many times have I told you to stop blaming yourself, Mom?" Dev said, his tone shifting from sorrow to an unbreakable, rock-solid resolve. He looked straight into her eyes, the fire of a dragon awakening within his gaze . "And now... the time has finally come to fulfill the promise I made to you... The time to erase the stain of the name 'Traitor' forever and ever."
As Dev uttered those words, the winds around the training ground began to howl, and Dev's mind plunged straight back into the darkest depths of his memories.
(Flashback )
The scene shifts back to that horrifying day eight years ago. The blazing, destroyed street. Dev's mother lying unconscious and bleeding in the dirt.
The boy from the crowd had just yelled: Because your father was a traitor! And a traitor's blood is always a traitor's blood!
6-year-old Dev, whose mind had completely snapped from grief and rage, shot forward like a bullet. He didn't have a weapon. He didn't have Prana. He only had his sheer, unadulterated hatred.
He lunged at the man with terrifying speed, leaped into the air, and clamped his jaws directly onto the man's ear!
A blood-curdling, agonizing scream erupted from the man's throat. Dev clamped his teeth down with the ferocity of a starving beast and violently jerked his head back, literally tearing the man's ear clean off his skull!
Warm, thick blood flooded Dev's mouth. The overpowering, metallic, and sickeningly salty flavor of human blood coated his tongue and slid down his throat . Dev spat the severed piece of flesh onto the dirt, panting like a rabid animal, his mouth and chin completely painted in crimson red.
Seeing this horrifying spectacle, the entire crowd froze in absolute terror. The air was thick with the suffocating stench of spilled blood and the burnt remnants of Dev's home .
But that terror quickly morphed into murderous fury.
He's a monster! Kill the traitor's spawn! the mob roared in unison. Hundreds of people picked up heavy stones and thick wooden clubs, surging forward as one massive wave to crush the 6-year-old boy. Dev stood his ground over his mother's body, bearing his blood-stained teeth, ready to die fighting.
But right at that moment...
HALT!
A voice so impossibly heavy, so overwhelmingly powerful that it felt like a physical weight pressing down on their shoulders , thundered across the entire street.
The crowd stopped dead in their tracks. The weapons slipped from their trembling hands.
It was Acharya. The supreme leader of Garuda Dweep. He walked through the parting crowd with steps that demanded absolute submission. Right behind him were heavily armored soldiers. Acharya immediately gestured to his men. The soldiers rushed forward, carefully lifting Dev's critically injured mother and rushing her toward the hospital.
A man from the crowd, still fueled by blind hatred, pointed a shaking finger at Dev. They have no right to live, Acharya ji! This is a traitor's family! Kill them!
Yes! Yes, kill them! the rest of the mob began to chant.
Acharya stood tall like an immovable mountain before the 6-year-old boy. His piercing, eagle-like gaze swept across the enraged crowd.
Every single person has the right to live on this Garuda Dweep! Acharya declared, his voice cutting through the noise like a sharp blade. And our intelligence has confirmed that Vikrant's treason had absolutely nothing to do with his family. They are innocent!
But another man, his face twisted in disgust, shouted back, Acharya ji, they might not know... but the blood flowing in his veins is still a traitor's blood, isn't it?!
Acharya slowly turned his head. His eyes locked onto the man. His glare was so piercing, so terrifyingly cold, that the man physically staggered backward.
Are you... going against my word? Acharya's voice dropped to a dangerously lethal whisper.
The crowd was instantly silenced. Not a single person dared to take another breath, let alone speak.
Acharya then turned his back to the crowd and slowly approached the shivering, blood-soaked 6-year-old Dev. He knelt down, bringing himself to the boy's eye level. The calming scent of sandalwood radiating from Acharya's robes somewhat soothed the frantic beating of Dev's heart.
Your mother will be fine. Trust me,Acharya said in a surprisingly gentle tone. He then looked deep into the boy's eyes. What is your name?
Dev, the boy answered, his voice hoarse and trembling.
Acharya raised his large, calloused hand and placed it gently, firmly on top of Dev's head . The warmth radiating from his palm felt like a protective shield against the cruel world.
I have complete faith in you, Dev. I know that you are absolutely nothing like your father, Acharya's words held an undeniable conviction. And one day... these people will believe in you too. But you have to prove it to them... You must become a warrior. A warrior so unbelievably great, so magnificent, that the word Traitor is completely buried beneath the glory of your name. You must erase this stain of treason from your mother's name forever.
Acharya stood up, signaling his soldiers, and walked away. The frightened, disgruntled crowd slowly began to disperse. The noise faded away, leaving only the sound of the howling wind.
Dev was left alone on the ravaged street.
He slowly dropped to his knees in the dirt. His eyes fell upon a shattered piece of green glass lying on the ground. It was his mother's bangle—broken when she had thrown herself over him to save his life.
Dev reached out with his tiny, trembling hands and picked up the broken bangle. His palms were already coated in his own blood and the blood of the man he had bitten. As he placed the jagged piece of glass in his palm, he slowly began to close his fist.
Tighter. And tighter.
The sharp edges of the broken bangle pierced deep into the soft flesh of his palm. Fresh, warm blood welled up from the cuts, mixing seamlessly with the blood already staining the glass . The metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils once again.
Tears of pure, unadulterated resolve streamed down his face, mixing with the dirt on his lips, carrying a bitter, salty tang.
Staring at his bleeding fist, the 6-year-old boy made a vow that would bind his soul for the rest of his life.
PI promise... I promise... Dev whispered to the empty, destroyed street, his voice echoing with the weight of a thousand storms.Until I erase the stain of my traitor father's name... until I wash this stigma away... I will not....
(Author's note : Welcome to all the new readers from New Releases! If you like the dark world of Kaal-Chakra, don't forget to save it in your library and drop your Power Stones! Thank you for reading! )