Satvik was lying awake in his bed with his eyes shut.
Then suddenly someone knocked on his door and without waiting for an answer entered his room in a rush through the door. The door's creaking hinges were followed by the sound of the trotting foot.
Then Satvik felt his mattress sink a little indicating some other person had climbed over his bed.
Satvik already had a hunch about who this person was but he didn't react. He kept his eyes closed and wished that the person would go away taking the hint, but deep down he knew that the person wouldn't. Still, Satvik tried to keep his face blank and eyes closed shut.
"Happi Burdae Bhaiya!" said the person in a cheerful voice and then she landed on him and hugged him tightly.
Satvik sighed, gave up, and sat up while hugging her. He said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, which wasn't much, "Thanks kiddo."
"Hehehe! Hurry up and get ready. Ma has prepared your favorite dishes for breakfast" said Vani and dashed out of his room.
Then Satvik followed suit but headed straight towards the bathroom instead. After getting ready he went for breakfast.
Aisha gave him a tight hug and then after showering him with kisses, wished him. Dhruv was next to her and wished him while ruffling his hair.
The breakfast table was piled up with his favorite meals and he started chomping on them as soon as he sat down.
Then Aisha asked the question she had been holding on to since morning, "So what class did you receive?"
Satvik's hand which was holding the fork came to a halt. 'Good way to ruin an appetite, mum!', he thought.
He had forgotten that he should've obtained a class till now. Aisha must have been holding this question for the past few days. She wasn't aware of the fact that Satvik knew that they were not his real parent and that today wasn't his real birthday.
Dhruv also was speechless. This question has caught them off guard.
*Knock!* *Knock!* They both were trying to think of a way out of it when suddenly someone knocked on their door.
Aisha rushed to the door and opened the door with a smile.
"Shivani! I was waiting for you. Although you are late" complained Aisha with puffed-up cheeks with folded arms.
Shivani didn't spare her any look and pushed her aside.
Her eyes landed on Satvik and she looked at him with a dead gaze and expressionless face.
Then she stepped aside while pointing towards Satvik and said, "There he is."
Satvik looked at her with a confused expression. She had spent a long time with her mother in the past few months but today she was acting very cold towards her.
Then suddenly a pair of Soldiers walked in through the door wearing full-plate Armor. By now Satvik had identified the mark in their Armor, a mark he could never forget.
'Theocracy, not again!' he cursed his luck.
The soldiers came and held Satvik by his collar and dragged him out. Satvik tried to protest but that was all in vain.
The other soldier dragged Dhruv and Aisha while Shivani grabbed Vani.
Satvik was thrown in front of a woman who was sitting on a makeshift throne with elegance and a face showing distaste.
The woman had honey color straight hair which reached her waist and azure eyes. She was a beauty with chiseled features
"Anyone left inside?" asked the woman in an authoritative tone.
"No, my lady," said Shivani with a bow.
Satvik looked around and found that they were surrounded by what seemed to be a battalion of soldiers.
The citizens of the city were also there, just looking at the family with pity. They couldn't even help them if they wanted to in any way.
Then suddenly an old man popped next to the woman who was Satvik's acquaintance. He bowed and said, "Why is the priestess of humility, Lady Aneeta herself being hard on this small family?" asked the old man.
"Oh! The black alchemist, Haldi Vasoo himself blessed us with his presence" said Aneeta.
"What other option did I have? The priestess is holding the whole city hostage" said the old man.
"Ahh right! you're now the mayor of this city, right?" said Aneeta.
"It is as you say, my lady. So why are you treating this family in such an aggressive and barbaric way?" asked Haldi.
"Please cut me some slack Mr. Mayor. I just want to be sure of a few things" said Aneeta while raising her hands.
She then gestured for Shivani to come forward and said, "Begin your report."
Shivani nodded and soon began her report.
"Satvik, without any family name. Adopted by a couple of Doina town 12 years ago. No record of the birth mother and real father except rumors of them being dead at the hand of monsters. Pampered by family and neighbors. Friends with only one kid and closely acquainted with the Mayor of the city, Haldi Vasoo."
"Attracted towards the old woman and young men. Not interested in girls of his age whatsoever. After losing his limb to Priestess of Patience has indulged in physical training daily."
"Hobbies mainly revolve around stories and legends and he mostly spends his time researching over them with his friend." A pause in Shivani's report and then she finishes her tale with a downcast gaze.
"That's all the information I could collect, my lady," said Shivani.
"Hmmmm, What about the demigod that came to his rescue? Or was it sheer coincidence?" asked Aneeta.
"I've never seen him with any demigod, my lady," said Shivani.
Aneeta nodded and started to think of something. Her expression remained passive and no one could judge the mood she was in. This scared the people even more.
Meanwhile, Aisha fell to her knees with a devastated expression. She had kept the fact that Satvik was adopted by their family a secret till now. Even the whole town knew to let this fact remain a secret.
Aisha looked at Aneeta and said with sorrow, "Your family is nothing more than a curse to my family. I hope in the end you all pay for your actions"
Aisha's eyes were filled with tears. But Aneeta ignored her remark and looked at the soldier and gestured for him to bring Satvik closer.
Aneeta then gestured to another soldier while muttering, "Bring that thing."
The soldier brought a wooden box and opened it. Inside was a black colored stone.
She looked at Satvik and ordered, "Put your hand on it."
"Left or right hand?" Satvik questioned with a fearless smile.
"Don't test me kid" as soon as she said that, several cold blades were aimed at his family.
Satvik put his hand over the stone without any delay. The stone glowed and a holographic projection appeared over it.
[SATVIK]
[AGE:12]
[RACE: HUMAN]
[CLASS: None]
[LEVEL: 1]
[TITLE: NONE]
[STRENGTH: 9]
[ATTACK: 3]
[DEFENCE: 4]
[AGILITY: 10]
[STAMINA: 13]
[MANA: 6]
[SKILL: Concealment Level 2, Mana Sight Level 3]
Satvik already knew from the beginning that his status will be similar to the average Earth child until his status is unlocked.
After looking at his stats only one word came to his mind 'shit'. That was the best way to define his stats and he knew it.
"Hmmm, it seems I was paranoid for nothing. I have never seen such bad stats throughout my life" said Aneeta with a smug expression.
Her smug expression was like blades piercing Satvik's ego. 'Just wait for another 6 years bitch!' thought Satvik while cussing.
"Tch! I can't believe I wasted my time on this crap!" said Aneeta with a disgusting annoyance written all over her face.
"Well, you don't deserve to be the priestess of virtue. You are like witches of sins" said Aisha.
"Jayanti was right, you have a quite loose tongue woman. You wanna lose some limbs as well?" said Aneeta while glaring at him.
"Sure go ahead, that's all you can do. Make people weaker than you, suffer. That's 'Priestess of humility' for you" said Aisha with eyes wet with tears.
Satvik came next to her and used his hand to shut her mouth.
Aisha looked at him with wide eyes but he simply shook his head and prevented her from talking anymore.
"If you are satisfied that I'm weak then let us go," said Satvik with a poker face.
Aneeta looked at Shivani and asked, "Had he ever done anything to raise your suspicion?"
"Not that I know of, my lady," said Shivani.
Satvik was still confused regarding Shivani's identity. He was sure that her aura was never of violet color.
After observing his gaze on Shivani, Aneeta smiled a little and said, "She's my personal disciple and is good at deceiving people. If I had known you were into boys, I would've made choices accordingly."
Satvik wanted to shout out loud that he was straight but he choose to keep his mouth shut.
After a while, the Baimum troops retreated and a dragon landed next to Aneeta. She gave one more glance to Satvik and said, "I'm still not satisfied, I will always have my eyes on you."
After saying that she mounted her dragon and the dragon soared through the sky.
Shivani came to the family and bowed to them while saying, "Thank you for your hospitality" and left after saying that.
________________
Satvik was standing before the door of his mother's room.
Soon after the troops left everything went back to normal but for Aisha, her world turned upside down.
Satvik knocked on her door and asked permission to enter. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Aisha lying in her bed on her stomach.
Satvik knew very well that she was covering her face from Satvik. Satvik sat next to her and gently brusintod her hair.
"What's wrong mum? Don't wanna have dinner with us?" he questioned.
Aisha didn't say anything to him but after a while, a muffled voice came, "We always wanted to tell you that."
"Tell me what?" said Satvik acting all surprised.
"Don't make it hard for me. You know very well what I'm talking about" said Aisha while lifting her face from her tear-soaked pillow.
Her eyes were swollen and her tears had dried out but the sorrow was still heavy on her heart. The hours of crying were very evident on her face. Satvik remained silent.
Aisha started speaking again, "We were quite happy when you came in our lives. We had even decided on telling you about your real parents when the time was right, but that bitch!"
"We prayed to every god for years to bless our lives with a child. Your arrival felt like our prayers have been answered. To be honest, I was quite afraid of how will you react after knowing the truth that I'm not your real mother."
Saying all this made Aisha tear up all over again. "I, no, we want you to know that...." Satvik used his fingers to stop her from saying more.
Aisha looked at him with wide eyes while Satvik leaned and gave her a warm hug.
While hugging her he said, "Sheesh! What nonsense are you spouting?"
"I know that you and father have always loved me. Heck, you stood up against demigods and wannabe 'priestess' for my sake. Who does that?" questioned Satvik.
Aisha remained silent.
"Only a mother would do that," he said.
"You have stayed awake all night when I fell ill, fed me great meals, spoiled me rotten and showered me with all the love. You are my mother, always have been, and always will be. Even gods cannot say otherwise" finished Satvik.
After hearing this, Aisha hugged him tighter and started crying again while muttering, "I love you," again and again.
"I know that mum. So can we go before Vani munches on the whole cake?" said Satvik jokingly while wiping her tears.
Aisha nodded with a smile.
Satvik was lying awake in his bed with his eyes shut.
Then suddenly someone knocked on his door and without waiting for an answer entered his room in a rush through the door. The door's creaking hinges were followed by the sound of the trotting foot.
Then Satvik felt his mattress sink a little indicating some other person had climbed over his bed.
Satvik already had a hunch about who this person was but he didn't react. He kept his eyes closed and wished that the person would go away taking the hint, but deep down he knew that the person wouldn't. Still, Satvik tried to keep his face blank and eyes closed shut.
"Happi Burdae Bhaiya!" said the person in a cheerful voice and then she landed on him and hugged him tightly.
Satvik sighed, gave up, and sat up while hugging her. He said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, which wasn't much, "Thanks kiddo."
"Hehehe! Hurry up and get ready. Ma has prepared your favorite dishes for breakfast" said Vani and dashed out of his room.
Then Satvik followed suit but headed straight towards the bathroom instead. After getting ready he went for breakfast.
Aisha gave him a tight hug and then after showering him with kisses, wished him. Dhruv was next to her and wished him while ruffling his hair.
The breakfast table was piled up with his favorite meals and he started chomping on them as soon as he sat down.
Then Aisha asked the question she had been holding on to since morning, "So what class did you receive?"
Satvik's hand which was holding the fork came to a halt. 'Good way to ruin an appetite, mum!', he thought.
He had forgotten that he should've obtained a class till now. Aisha must have been holding this question for the past few days. She wasn't aware of the fact that Satvik knew that they were not his real parent and that today wasn't his real birthday.
Dhruv also was speechless. This question has caught them off guard.
*Knock!* *Knock!* They both were trying to think of a way out of it when suddenly someone knocked on their door.
Aisha rushed to the door and opened the door with a smile.
"Shivani! I was waiting for you. Although you are late" complained Aisha with puffed-up cheeks with folded arms.
Shivani didn't spare her any look and pushed her aside.
Her eyes landed on Satvik and she looked at him with a dead gaze and expressionless face.
Then she stepped aside while pointing towards Satvik and said, "There he is."
Satvik looked at her with a confused expression. She had spent a long time with her mother in the past few months but today she was acting very cold towards her.
Then suddenly a pair of Soldiers walked in through the door wearing full-plate Armor. By now Satvik had identified the mark in their Armor, a mark he could never forget.
'Theocracy, not again!' he cursed his luck.
The soldiers came and held Satvik by his collar and dragged him out. Satvik tried to protest but that was all in vain.
The other soldier dragged Dhruv and Aisha while Shivani grabbed Vani.
Satvik was thrown in front of a woman who was sitting on a makeshift throne with elegance and a face showing distaste.
The woman had honey color straight hair which reached her waist and azure eyes. She was a beauty with chiseled features
"Anyone left inside?" asked the woman in an authoritative tone.
"No, my lady," said Shivani with a bow.
Satvik looked around and found that they were surrounded by what seemed to be a battalion of soldiers.
The citizens of the city were also there, just looking at the family with pity. They couldn't even help them if they wanted to in any way.
Then suddenly an old man popped next to the woman who was Satvik's acquaintance. He bowed and said, "Why is the priestess of humility, Lady Aneeta herself being hard on this small family?" asked the old man.
"Oh! The black alchemist, Haldi Vasoo himself blessed us with his presence" said Aneeta.
"What other option did I have? The priestess is holding the whole city hostage" said the old man.
"Ahh right! you're now the mayor of this city, right?" said Aneeta.
"It is as you say, my lady. So why are you treating this family in such an aggressive and barbaric way?" asked Haldi.
"Please cut me some slack Mr. Mayor. I just want to be sure of a few things" said Aneeta while raising her hands.
She then gestured for Shivani to come forward and said, "Begin your report."
Shivani nodded and soon began her report.
"Satvik, without any family name. Adopted by a couple of Doina town 12 years ago. No record of the birth mother and real father except rumors of them being dead at the hand of monsters. Pampered by family and neighbors. Friends with only one kid and closely acquainted with the Mayor of the city, Haldi Vasoo."
"Attracted towards the old woman and young men. Not interested in girls of his age whatsoever. After losing his limb to Priestess of Patience has indulged in physical training daily."
"Hobbies mainly revolve around stories and legends and he mostly spends his time researching over them with his friend." A pause in Shivani's report and then she finishes her tale with a downcast gaze.
"That's all the information I could collect, my lady," said Shivani.
"Hmmmm, What about the demigod that came to his rescue? Or was it sheer coincidence?" asked Aneeta.
"I've never seen him with any demigod, my lady," said Shivani.
Aneeta nodded and started to think of something. Her expression remained passive and no one could judge the mood she was in. This scared the people even more.
Meanwhile, Aisha fell to her knees with a devastated expression. She had kept the fact that Satvik was adopted by their family a secret till now. Even the whole town knew to let this fact remain a secret.
Aisha looked at Aneeta and said with sorrow, "Your family is nothing more than a curse to my family. I hope in the end you all pay for your actions"
Aisha's eyes were filled with tears. But Aneeta ignored her remark and looked at the soldier and gestured for him to bring Satvik closer.
Aneeta then gestured to another soldier while muttering, "Bring that thing."
The soldier brought a wooden box and opened it. Inside was a black colored stone.
She looked at Satvik and ordered, "Put your hand on it."
"Left or right hand?" Satvik questioned with a fearless smile.
"Don't test me kid" as soon as she said that, several cold blades were aimed at his family.
Satvik put his hand over the stone without any delay. The stone glowed and a holographic projection appeared over it.
[SATVIK]
[AGE:12]
[RACE: HUMAN]
[CLASS: None]
[LEVEL: 1]
[TITLE: NONE]
[STRENGTH: 9]
[ATTACK: 3]
[DEFENCE: 4]
[AGILITY: 10]
[STAMINA: 13]
[MANA: 6]
[SKILL: Concealment Level 2, Mana Sight Level 3]
Satvik already knew from the beginning that his status will be similar to the average Earth child until his status is unlocked.
After looking at his stats only one word came to his mind 'shit'. That was the best way to define his stats and he knew it.
"Hmmm, it seems I was paranoid for nothing. I have never seen such bad stats throughout my life" said Aneeta with a smug expression.
Her smug expression was like blades piercing Satvik's ego. 'Just wait for another 6 years bitch!' thought Satvik while cussing.
"Tch! I can't believe I wasted my time on this crap!" said Aneeta with a disgusting annoyance written all over her face.
"Well, you don't deserve to be the priestess of virtue. You are like witches of sins" said Aisha.
"Jayanti was right, you have a quite loose tongue woman. You wanna lose some limbs as well?" said Aneeta while glaring at him.
"Sure go ahead, that's all you can do. Make people weaker than you, suffer. That's 'Priestess of humility' for you" said Aisha with eyes wet with tears.
Satvik came next to her and used his hand to shut her mouth.
Aisha looked at him with wide eyes but he simply shook his head and prevented her from talking anymore.
"If you are satisfied that I'm weak then let us go," said Satvik with a poker face.
Aneeta looked at Shivani and asked, "Had he ever done anything to raise your suspicion?"
"Not that I know of, my lady," said Shivani.
Satvik was still confused regarding Shivani's identity. He was sure that her aura was never of violet color.
After observing his gaze on Shivani, Aneeta smiled a little and said, "She's my personal disciple and is good at deceiving people. If I had known you were into boys, I would've made choices accordingly."
Satvik wanted to shout out loud that he was straight but he choose to keep his mouth shut.
After a while, the Baimum troops retreated and a dragon landed next to Aneeta. She gave one more glance to Satvik and said, "I'm still not satisfied, I will always have my eyes on you."
After saying that she mounted her dragon and the dragon soared through the sky.
Shivani came to the family and bowed to them while saying, "Thank you for your hospitality" and left after saying that.
________________
Satvik was standing before the door of his mother's room.
Soon after the troops left everything went back to normal but for Aisha, her world turned upside down.
Satvik knocked on her door and asked permission to enter. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Aisha lying in her bed on her stomach.
Satvik knew very well that she was covering her face from Satvik. Satvik sat next to her and gently brusintod her hair.
"What's wrong mum? Don't wanna have dinner with us?" he questioned.
Aisha didn't say anything to him but after a while, a muffled voice came, "We always wanted to tell you that."
"Tell me what?" said Satvik acting all surprised.
"Don't make it hard for me. You know very well what I'm talking about" said Aisha while lifting her face from her tear-soaked pillow.
Her eyes were swollen and her tears had dried out but the sorrow was still heavy on her heart. The hours of crying were very evident on her face. Satvik remained silent.
Aisha started speaking again, "We were quite happy when you came in our lives. We had even decided on telling you about your real parents when the time was right, but that bitch!"
"We prayed to every god for years to bless our lives with a child. Your arrival felt like our prayers have been answered. To be honest, I was quite afraid of how will you react after knowing the truth that I'm not your real mother."
Saying all this made Aisha tear up all over again. "I, no, we want you to know that...." Satvik used his fingers to stop her from saying more.
Aisha looked at him with wide eyes while Satvik leaned and gave her a warm hug.
While hugging her he said, "Sheesh! What nonsense are you spouting?"
"I know that you and father have always loved me. Heck, you stood up against demigods and wannabe 'priestess' for my sake. Who does that?" questioned Satvik.
Aisha remained silent.
"Only a mother would do that," he said.
"You have stayed awake all night when I fell ill, fed me great meals, spoiled me rotten and showered me with all the love. You are my mother, always have been, and always will be. Even gods cannot say otherwise" finished Satvik.
After hearing this, Aisha hugged him tighter and started crying again while muttering, "I love you," again and again.
"I know that mum. So can we go before Vani munches on the whole cake?" said Satvik jokingly while wiping her tears.
Aisha nodded with a smile.
