"... Uncle, why do you still carry the burden of the past?" Samrat Vikramaditya murmured to himself. "Can you not take a step forward... and embrace the present?"
He watched Pradhāna-Samanta Rudrapratap walk away, his shadow stretching long under the golden hue of the setting sun.
Rudrapratap paused, looking skyward with a weary sigh.
"Why not name Dev as your family's heir?" Vikramaditya emerged from the palace garden, catching up to him.
"Him?" Rudrapratap scoffed bitterly and kept walking. "I've never even seen his face. How can I entrust the legacy to him?"
-----------------
Two boys arrived at the grand gates of Vidyānanda Gurukula, the sign above them gleaming in the soft light.
One had short, oreo-coloured hair swaying gently in the breeze under the sun. The other — his brother — had short, blond hair and calm turquoise eyes reflecting quiet wisdom. Clad in identical cyber-yellow uniforms, their striking appearance drew attention as they approached the entrance.
"You have no idea how worried I was when you blew up the Aushadhi Kendra[1] room at home — just two months before arriving here!" the blond-haired boy said, his voice tinged with concern. "Then your legs finally healed, but you walked like a baby deer on ice. And just three months after that, when demonic beasts attacked the northern borders... the only news we got about you came through scattered reports — no messages, no word from you at all..."
The oreo haired and black-eyed boy quickly covered his mouth, beads of sweat trickling down his temple. "Alright~ alright~ Dev. I get it. You were worried. But can we please keep your voices down?"
Okay, okay, I get it~ Devdutt Bijlani's gestured to the boy with his eyes, shooting the boy a look before gently pulling his hand away from his mouth. He grinned and stepped back, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "But I still remember! When you walked three years ago, it was like this..."
He began to mimic the boy's old, clumsy stride. The boy chuckled despite himself, his black eyes warm with amusement.
"Okay, okay. Enough. From now on, I'm—" The boy began, hoping to stop Devdutt from teasing him any further.
"I know, I know. You're Ved Arya now." Devdutt said, finishing his sentence playfully.
The two walked deeper into the Gurukul grounds, their laughter light and genuine. They didn't notice the subtle stares following them, or the whispers behind their backs.
"Do you think we should try talking to them?"
"Oh, please! That'd be so embarrassing."
But the murmurs weren't out of admiration — they were taunts, half-hidden behind smug grins and sideways glances.
Through family status might be forbidden within the walls of the Gurukul... the aura they carried — and the way others sense it — couldn't be hidden.
The divide between nobility and commoners... that deep-rooted sense of social rank... still lingered in everyone's minds. It couldn't be erased so easily.
Ved heard the scoffs, and sneakily glanced back with a sly smirk. How childish! He thought.
"I wonder what kind of person the missing heir — young master Chauhan — really is?"
"Some say he was kidnapped in his early years and still hasn't been found."
"Others say he was found but never attends any public events, not even ones sponsored by the imperial family."
"And then there's that other teen — Dev Goenka — walks the same lonely path."
"Yeah, I heard he's a portion genius... scary levels of talent."
"He entered the battlefield at the age of twelve!"
"For what? A monster who drained his own comrades to survive. Doesn't even have the guts to show his face in public. What's so majestic in this!"
After hearing the gossip — Ved froze, his expression dimming.
The gossip darkened further.
A cold-blooded teen...
Rumored to have made a pact with a devil...
Extracted life force from comrades...
Shuns society...
Infamous for his hidden face...
Supposedly so ugly, even children fear him...
All the modifiers exist around Dev Goenka, the young prodigy.
Ved felt heaviness in his chest.
Devdutt sensed the shift — then suddenly — like a storm — he turned. "Ha~ Here we go again. It's this kind of feeling again."
A deadly aura emanating from him, he turned to face the mockers. Ved smiled wryly, grateful for his brother's protection — not by blood, but still...
The mocking boys started getting jerks due to the pressure of the aura. Under the pressure, the mockers were hardly able to catch a breath — it felt like someone was blocking them to breath.
Ved blinked. Wait... this pressure... isn't just Dev's... whose pressures are those? Wow, so high!
He looked around — but the source remained hidden.
But the pressure the boys felt from Dev was nothing compared to the unknown pressures. The unknown pressures were making discomfort to the mockers but comforting me.
The mockers sent stumbling backward and were holding their necks in their hands, grasped for air. They dropped to their knees in front of the Gurukul gate route. Passersby stared.
Ashamed, the boys clicked their tongues in disbelief, and muttered through dry lips. Tsk~ "We... We are sorry for our actions... We... beg... for mercy... We won't... mock on others' back... Please have mercy..."
They thought the strong pressure they felt was coming from Ved. He was standing behind Devdutt after all — mysterious and unreadable.
Ved gently touched Devdutt's shoulder. A silent signal: Let it go.
As soon as the pressure was lifted, the breathless mockers were gasping in relief.
"Next time," Ved said coldly, "there might not be mercy."
The pair nodded frantically — faces pale, as Ved and Devdutt walked away.
Behind a tree, a voice sneered:
"Useless. Can't even humiliate a nobody properly."
Then vanished into the crowd of students.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the unknown protectors who helped them solve the problem — Ved took the lead silently without anyone notice.
Ved's heart swelled with quiet gratitude for the unknown protectors.
He and Devdutt made their way towards dorms.
I sensed there was another presence — no, multiple. Four of them.
Stronger.
Older.
Four pressures... stronger than Dev's. No one else sensed them but me.
Ved glanced back, a half-smile on his lips.
Looks like you have messed with the wrong people which you shouldn't have to offend.
And then, a thought gripped him — a foreign, fragile warmth: Is this... what it feels like to be protected?
He touched his chest unconsciously.
But a thought struck him could:
Unknown protectors... or something else?
What if they're not allies?
What if one day... I have to protect others from them?
He clinched his fist as he and Devdutt continued down the Gurukul path.
---------------
Suddenly, a commotion echoed down the Gurukul route. Students parted quickly, whispering in excitement and awe.
"Panch Tatva[2]!"
"Panch Tatva have come!"
"Step aside!"
"Hurry up and make way for Panch Tatva members!"
"Get out of the way!"
"Make ways for Panch Tatva!"
A wave of gasps and admiration spread across the young teen boys' faces as the infamous Panch Tatva arrived — their beauty and charm were unparalleled and out of this world.
Ved who was preoccupied by his thoughts previously can even feel the sudden rise in gossip.
Panch Tatva — a group of seven elite students, each one possessing extraordinary beauty, power, and prestige. It is also the most famously known members in the Gurukul.
With that... if I'm correct, Devdutt is also part of the Panch Tatva...
I don't like this feeling. This group... something's off.
Better to stay out of the spotlight.
Life matters the most.
Ved thought to himself, after looking at the Panch Tatva members, and Devdutt. He prepared to run away from there, and took a step back.
But fate wasn't feeling generous.
While trying to quietly slip away, he tripped on his leg and fell face-first into something strong, broad, soft but rigid.
Ouch~ My nose!
He groaned, one hand instinctively covering his nose throbbed in pain — the other one — felt something tough.
"You okay?" A calm, firm voice asked.
"I... I'm fine." Ved answered in pain, rubbing his nose. "Thank you for asking."
He expressed his thanks to him in a mix of embarrassment and pain, when he looked up at the person he'd fallen onto — and noticed his hand still on the boy's chest.
"I — I'm sorry! Sorry!"
He tried to brush off the feeling of unease, but it only intensified as the person continued to stare at him. Ved felt like an insect under a microscope — every move scrutinized.
He tried to move past, but the stranger stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"Who are you?" The boy asked coolly. "Where are you going?"
Ved looks at the stranger with narrowed eyes — turned to the other side to leave the area.
"I haven't seen or heard of you before. Answer me." But the boy stepped forward once more.
Suddenly, a cute voice echoed in the air — unseen.
{Who is this crazy boy? Dare to block the master's path?}
[1] Aushadhi Kendra (औषधि केन्द्र): "Aushadhi Kendra" means:
"Center for Medicine" or "Medical/Healing Center".
It typically refers to a place where medicines are distributed, or where healing treatments (especially Ayurvedic, herbal, or alternative medicine) are provided.
[2] Panch Tatva (पंचतत्व): "Panch Tatva" means:
"Five Elements" .