Chapter 1 : The day of the Birth

In the remote northeastern corner of the Raktdhara kingdom there was a small province called Purvottar having several small towns. On a hill outside a town called Laghu a shepherd was tending to his herd of sheep when suddenly he heard someone shouting from afar.

“Uncle Parse! Uncle Parse!....”

The shepherd turned around and saw someone running towards him and waving hands while calling his name aloud. It was a boy of around twelve years of age. The shepherd hurriedly gathered all the sheep and went to the boy.

“Hira my boy, Is it time?” he asked in a worried tone.

Hira shook his head and said with a coy smile, “Uncle Parse! I see you can’t wait to see your child come out in this world. You probably won’t even take me out-of-town anymore after today. Sigh..”

“You and your glib tongue!” the shepherd took out a copper coin and tossed it to the boy.

The boy immediately pocketed the coin and said with pleasure while waving both his hands merrily, “Uncle Parse is the best! Oh yeah, Grandmother told me that it will most probably happen within next three hours. You should hurry. I’ll tend to the herd.”

When he heard this the shepherd grew even more anxious and hurried to his way home.

The whole journey to home was filled with worry and anxiety for the shepherd. He kept remembering their first child who passed away soon after being born for unknown reasons. No medicine saint even in the nearby towns could diagnose the problem as his child kept sweating profusely and his body was unable to hold water, in the end he succumbed to internal injuries. His wife was devastated and depressed for a long time.

After that they were never blessed with another child. Slowly, but surely their family was getting torn apart day after day. Until one day, three years later, they heard about an old wandering hermit who appeared in a nearby town. The hermit appeared in several neighboring towns all of a sudden and performed many miraculous feats, cured many incurable diseases and helped people get rid of past karma. His reputation spread like wildfire but not anyone could seek his wisdom.

According to rumors he did not appear before those who sought him, he only appeared before those who were sought by fate itself.

The shepherd and his wife decided to visit the hermit as they wanted some kind of closure and thought maybe the hermit could guide them through.

The hermit was staying in the adjoining forest which most townspeople avoided as there were many ferocious beasts residing in it. Those who wanted to meet the hermit and try their luck had to hire professional huntsmen which had become a booming business in the towns around the forest thanks to the hermit. The couple led a very humble life and hence did not possess such means so they decided to venture into the forest by themselves. They decided that if it became dangerous they would immediately return. Even though it seemed that their family was falling apart deep down they cared a lot about each other and did not wish to see any harm befall the other.

They entered the forest at day break as it gets more dangerous at night. As they went deeper in the forest they encountered several beasts but surprisingly those beasts did not attack them. It rather felt like the beasts were specifically ordered not to do so.

“What is going on here?” The shepherd asked his wife.

“I think the rumors are true. Only the fated ones can come here.”

This was the only explanation she could think of. The shepherd also seemed to agree with her. It had started to get dark but they kept on going deeper.

After a while they came across a pond. The water in the pond was crystal clear, it reflected the starry sky and looked like the stars were floating in front of them. It was magnificent to say the least. While they were dazed a sound rang.

Dringg….

It was a very melodious sound. They looked in the direction from which it came. There was an old man with long white hair and a long white beard playing an instrument which looked like a sitar. He adorned white clothes which were devoid of even a single speck of dust even though he was sitting on the ground with his eyes closed. He looked otherworldly.

Dringgg…

The old man kept playing for another fifteen breaths of time. The couple didn't say a word during the whole time. It felt like it would be sacrilege to do so. At this point the old man opened his eyes. His eyes gave others a feeling of profundity that could not be described with words. He slowly stood up and turned his back to the couple and said in a very low tone.

“I see that you believe that your child has passed on from this world. Do not be disillusioned by the mundane. The time for your child was not ripe to be. Dip in this pond for the next three full moons and cast away all your previous resentments.”

As he spoke these words, he started moving away deeper in the forest. The couple could see his figure fading in the darkness. When they could no longer see him, a lingering voice echoed, "But be warned if what you desire comes true than a catastrophe will ensue and the price it will take is not something you can shoulder. At that time you will have to make a choice.”

The couple finally came to their senses and looked at each other. They did not utter a single word for a long time even after the hermit was gone but after taking in what had just happened they could see determination in each other’s eyes.

They did what the hermit had said and the morning following the third full moon they discovered they were blessed by the heavens again as the wife realized she was pregnant. They were both overjoyed by this. However, they realized that their child was going to be born with some special destiny which will bring forth a catastrophe. Still they were determined to give birth to the child no matter the consequences and so they decided to keep what the hermit had said a secret for the rest of their lives. The hermit also never appeared again after that night at the pond.

Finally it was the day when the child was going to be born!

In another part of the world

Naagkul is the capital and the most prosperous city of Raktdhara kingdom. It is said that there used to be five rivers that flowed throughout the Raktdhara kingdom in the ancient time. The water in the rivers was red as blood thus the name Raktdhara (Blood River) came to be. It is believed that a serpent was born from these five rivers and the blood which flowed through its veins had the same source as the rivers. Some others say the rivers came from the serpent itself and thus regarded the serpent as their deity. People of Naagkul worship this deity as ‘Akaal Naag’ which literally meant serpent of eternity. They believe that the serpent still resides under the land of Naagkul and protects it eternally. It is also said that the royal lineage of Raktdhara kingdom is the descendant of the serpent itself.

In the centre of the city, stood the majestic royal palace which pierced the skies itself. The outer structure of the palace looked like as if a coiled giant nine headed serpent was protecting it, looking in every direction, watching over everything in the city.

In the centre of the palace was the main hall. The walls of the hall looked like an open mouth of a serpent in the middle of which stood a throne made of snake hide. A man was sitting on the throne. He looked majestic.

“Your Highness! The ancestral temple keeps trembling. I am afraid something major is going to happen soon. We will have to make a blood sacrifice or else I believe a disaster will befall upon the city.”

A wizened old man standing in front of the throne said.

The King nodded and said, “My blood keeps throbbing. Something ominous is about to happen. I leave the preparations to the hall of elders. I think..” at this point the King hesitated for a brief moment before continuing, “I think Akaal Naag is restless for some reason.”

The old man was stupefied when he heard this, “Does this mean the immortals will soon emerge!” He said with a trembling voice.

The king also seem to be pondering the same thing, “I hope it's not the case,” after thinking for a moment he continued, “Elder relay my orders, prepare for evacuation at any moment. Close the city gates. Lead the citizens to bunkers and order all royals to gather at the ancestral temple.”

The old man wore a stiff expression when he heard this. He did not think the situation was so bad. He immediately bid his farewell and arranged the things the king demanded.

Soon the whole palace went in an uproar.