Crack Of Dawn

Chapter 15• The Wizardry Saga

The Saga had happened in the wrong way.

The atmosphere was lifeless and the clouds nor the stars were not visible. The leaves fall off and all the green life was withered. The Sun was forced to go away as the magical forces were being weak. The darkness reigned and it blew out the little flame of hope.

The people had chosen him to be the warrior but Adrima walked into the battle field. Adrima, the ordinary among their folk but greedy like no others. Knowledge in the wrong hands was always a death trap.

He had used the alchemical portion to win the saga of magical powers and disobeying the rules of nature angered her that a curse fell upon the land to lose all contacts with the world in all terms. It slowly disappeared from the people's mind and the nature also abandoned the land leaving only darkness for it. 

With no hope to break the curse, with the urge to live, more than half of their people migrated to live among the commoners. The Wild Miracle lived hiding their magic and gradually forgetting it. 

A few tried to survive in the Lost Land where the magical creatures were beginning to endanger. They believed they were cursed by Mother Nature whom they called Goddess Scarlet. 

No one later bothered what happened to the Lost Land but Adrima was still lurking in the dark, working on means to earn all the magic. He had sacrificed the fairy plants that would take millenniums to sprout and he won, creating him the potion to earn all that he desired but he did make some mistake in the procedure. 

He was back in time for the next Saga but there was no people to watch him losing the battle for from then neither unicorns, ponies, dragons nor phoenix were controlled by magic but deep emotions that connect to it. That is why no Wizardry sagas were won since then.  

Those who still stayed back in the Lost Lands doubted whether they would exist as they believed there was no more mythical animals. The youngest and the wildest animal which had revealed for the last saga, a unicorn, was won through dirty tricks and it reached the people that Adrima had killed their next saga's legend, a Dragon, the child of Scarlet.

The Adrima had shown himself only the last Saga in which he won. He defeated the real Warrior, who was chosen by the unicorn and the Wild Miracles. 

The last warrior was beaten to death just because he was betrayed. He was given a portion to drink but he never knew it wasn't water but another alchemical portion send by Adrima that made him weak and unconscious. 

He was knocked down and Adrima flew on the unicorn, escaping before the warrior stood up again.

He was taken by the people to the palace where he was treated for a week till he was conscious and then he himself was wrapped in guilt and regret of not being good enough or responsible enough to save his people. He somehow ended up blaming himself when things went wrong. For getting all the thoughts out of his head and for continuing the treatment to completely heal his wounds he went away himself to a faraway place, away from all contacts promising to return whenever there was a need.

The saga came up every decade, one could say, whenever the tribe would see the stars aligning themselves to form the Scarlet's child or a unicorn or a phoenix. 

***

"Undermined was the curse and divine magic was the only cure to the spell. The needs and wants are the tormentor of the condition and only the real miracle will serve." Kashvi would say, "People have chosen us to protect the way to their home from any more disasters, so we, the Dira family should fulfill our promise."

The history may not repeat but it is believed that the consequences have a better cure.

***

Adya and Srishti had been playing by the side of the river as they had stopped hanging out with Ridhan. Kashvi was just in the garden and the place was just as lonely as any other times. 

Suddenly they heard the gate open and the girls ran to the front door to see who had come because it had become a rare scene to see the gate being opened to that house by some outsider. 

There stood at the doorway their mothers, still pretty and rude. Srishti shouted. "Grandma, visitors!"

Although an year had passed after they left, no one had forgot anything. Kashvi ran in. "Oh my children. How are you?"

They hugged Kashvi. "Well fine. We only received vacation now as we completed the studies and now we are appointed as the professors there. So we have to return by this weekend. 

Adya ran and hugged her mother, "I missed you." 

"I missed you more, baby." Sanvi wrapped her tightly.

Srishti stepped back to stand by Kashvi as her mother stared down at her, "How is she doing here, mother?"

"Many a times, she says she wants to meet you, her father and brother and wants to go out," Kashvi placed her hand on Srishti's head and rubbed over, "but she has not went out for a few days."

"Realize it sooner or later, you will not go anywhere. They are dead and so will be you by the Adrima." Dikshita rudely pointed out. 'Adrima,' even though they never knew he existed or not, his name was a synonym to ghost or a murderer then to scare children.

Srishti's eyes was welled up with tears, how could mother say it that easily. She was not ready to cry. At least not in front of her mother who had turned out to be more like a stranger.

* **

Dikshita was then the madam professor of the village who taught even in the village, whenever she came.  And it was one fine day Srishti knew her mother was coming home and it was her fifteenth birthday.

***

Srishti got up early in the morning knowing that her mother was going to pay the annual visit. She washed up and cleaned her room. She then went downstairs greeted her grandmother, and had breakfast and went back to the room and packed her things in to a backpack and counted her pocket money as she pushed it down into her pocket. Adya came in and kept staring at her, "Do you have school today?"

"Yes!"

"But didn't we apply for a holiday?"

"Yes!"

Srishti felt Adya staring at her as she zipped her bag and pulled on the bag. "But I am going. And I will be back before you know it."

"I smell mischief."

"Of course, you know."

Adya immediately hugged her with a hand. "Whatever you are up to, I believe you will take of yourself and be good and will come back soon.'

"Thank you. And" Srishti kissed her cheek, "I love you Adya."

"I love you too but before you leave, promise me that you will keep me informed, either letter or call."

"Promise. Daily, once I find myself a shelter."

"Learn well as always."

"By the way I am changing my school but I will meet you in front of our school daily."

"Where? What! When?"

"I made Kashvi sign a paper and applied for admission near a library so I can work there part time."

"Wow! Too many surprises, one after the other for me." Adya laughed as she rose her hand to show a cup cake with a candle. She lighted it quickly with a matchstick and informed. "You will leave only after you cut the cake with me."

Srishti laughed as she cut the cake and Adya gave her the first piece. "Happiest Birthday crime partner. Chase your dreams."

***

That night there was a commotion in the house after her mother arrived. But between chasing the dreams, Srishti never met Adya always but kept writing letters to her, hoping she received them all and Adya did get it all which she would read at night and then bury it in a secret spot by the river bank. 

Surya_SK

And also, Happiest Holi, may all our lives be as colourful as this festival.