Sootputra: The Unsung Hero

Slaps

The maimed warrior fainted, unconscious. His head is tilted forward, his lips drooling down on his flesh. The blood still flowed on the black wet soil after tracing the contour of his chest. There are too many scars on them, they acted as a hurdle for the blood. The red thick liquid isn't warm now, it's barely a degree above what you call cold. Keshav has never seen this kind of blood on a man before. Not unless he has already left the world. But Karna is different, he is something else.

Any other man he would call dead by now but for Karna, he crawled closer and tapped on his forehead. For he knew he is still alive. Breathing. For he still wants to live. Even if he is begging for death, for mercy. The man still wants to struggle.

"Hey, buddy wake up." He said, "You haven't finished the story...Don't leave me hanging. I like to create suspense, not to be left in it."

Karna's eyes are a mountain. Lifting them takes too much effort, too much strength. And lift them to see what? A scenery of death and destruction, corpses, and blood? In his moment of a brief blissful dream, he was standing and watching Shon. Their father, mother, and the woman with black hair sitting in the shade of a tree wearing a blue saree. The world was burning in the silvery fire of the moonlight only she was calm and soothe that permeated in his eyes. The stillness that he needed came with her thought. The world turned to mist when a voice echoed and he is yanked back to Keshav. To the world of the living. To the world of suffering.

"You scared me!"

Really?

He smiled. "Yess, I thought you were a goner. I get worried easily, you know."

Keshav sat back leaning on the broken Chariot. This time a little closer than before. His feather still in his hands. "What happened next?"

Duryodhan happened. Pandavs were back in the capital. Barely two months went by until his restless call came once again.

"Even after he knew what had happened to Anga?" He asked, plain.

It was precisely because of it he waited for two months or else he would've called sooner. Malini's resources helped a lot in the restoration but the people there weren't much happy that it all went to some other kingdom than theirs. But Anga needed all the help. So I had to do it. And in the meantime, the charities had increased too. Alms and quarters. Clothes, animals even lands were asked of me. I won't say that I fulfilled every single one but none left empty-handed from me then on. That I was sure of.

"You should've ditched him then, you know. Even after that he still thinks about himself. Things would have ended differently."

Karna smiled. Not because of what Keshav said but because of how he'd have reacted to the statement when he was alive. The Karna from a month ago would have retaliated, argued, or shouted. Even fought for his friend but this time he only let his words speak.

With all the dark and twisting paths in my life, with the destined end in my mind. I still walked on it knowing where it all will lead. Whether it occurs in this battle or other, I never backed out. I never thought of betraying or hurting Duryodhan. Cause in the end the last person to lift me up was him and only him.

"They say that Friendship is a mutual relationship. Equal contributions from both sides."

He helped me once when I needed it the most without asking and I have tried to repay without him asking.

"Even if he is wrong, good or evil?"

He is my only friend.

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