Chapter 218: Chapter 216: Mysterious Follower... Tail Strong Enough To Overpower Devara...
(A/N):
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The evacuation of Malikavana Village continued steadily.
Groups of villagers, escorted by royal guards, disappeared one after another into the underground sanctuary beneath the ancient Temple of Lord Vishnu.
The streets that had once been filled with music and laughter now lay almost deserted.
Devaratha continued walking through the village, personally inspecting every route to ensure no civilian had been left behind.
After several moments...
His footsteps slowed ever so slightly.
"...."
Someone was following him.
The sound was incredibly faint.
Light.
Measured.
Almost as though the person believed they were being discreet.
Devaratha’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Without turning around or revealing that he had noticed anything, he calmly continued walking until he reached a narrow lane lined with abandoned houses.
He casually stepped inside one of the empty homes.
Silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
A few moments later...
Chink... Chink...
The delicate sound of silver anklets echoed through the quiet street.
A graceful figure cautiously appeared around the corner.
Princess Indhumati.
She looked around the empty lane in confusion.
"...Where did he go?"
Only a moment ago, she had been certain Devaratha had walked this way.
Now...
He had vanished.
She took another careful step forward, looking from one abandoned house to another.
Before she could react...
A hand suddenly shot out from the doorway of the nearest house.
In one swift motion, it grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her inside.
"Eek!"
Indhumati instinctively struggled.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
For a brief moment, she genuinely believed one of Pushpasura’s hidden followers had captured her.
She raised her hand to push her attacker away...
Then froze.
"...."
Standing before her... Looking at her with mild curiosity...
Was Devaratha.
The panic disappeared instantly.
Instead...
An entirely different kind of panic replaced it.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Far more than it had during the brief struggle.
"...Y-You..."
She found herself staring into those familiar emerald eyes.
Before she realized it...
She had become completely lost in thought.
Devaratha blinked once before lightly snapping his fingers in front of her face.
"Princess?"
The sound brought her back to reality.
"Hm?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Would you mind explaining... why you’re following me?"
His tone was calm. Almost teasing.
"Weren’t you supposed to be resting inside the temple?"
Indhumati suddenly realized how this situation must appear.
She...
The Princess of Pushkarnya...
Had secretly followed a man through deserted streets.
Her cheeks immediately turned pink.
"I..."
"I wasn’t following you!"
"...I was merely..."
She stopped.
No explanation came to mind.
Her embarrassment only deepened.
Unfortunately...
Her thoughts chose that exact moment to betray her.
Without warning, she remembered another time they had hidden together.
The hay shed.
Escaping Kumara Varma.
The two of them standing much closer than propriety would have allowed.
Her face instantly became crimson.
’N-No...’
Her thoughts only made matters worse.
Devaratha watched the rapid change in her expressions with growing amusement.
The corners of his lips slowly curled upward.
For reasons even he couldn’t quite explain...
He suddenly found himself wanting to tease her a little longer.
"Oh?"
"So you weren’t following me?"
He leaned slightly closer.
"Then I suppose it was merely a coincidence that we walked through the same streets... and happened to stop at the same abandoned house?"
Indhumati’s eyes widened.
"T-That’s not..."
Unable to endure the embarrassment any longer, she lightly pushed against his chest.
"W-What are you doing?!"
She immediately stepped back, trying to compose herself.
Devaratha couldn’t help but chuckle.
Watching the usually composed Princess become so flustered was unexpectedly entertaining.
He was just about to continue...
When his expression suddenly changed.
"...."
The smile vanished.
His gaze shifted toward the sky.
"...Someone’s coming."
Indhumati immediately noticed the change.
Only moments earlier he had been teasing her.
Now...
His eyes had become sharp once more.
Curious, she stepped out of the abandoned house beside him.
"What happened?"
Neither of them had to wait long.
A brilliant golden streak suddenly descended from the sky.
It crossed the sky like a shooting star before landing several paces in front of Devaratha.
BOOM!
The impact was surprisingly gentle.
No explosion followed.
Instead, the golden light slowly unfolded into intricate ancient symbols that floated in the air.
It was an Astra of communication.
One known only to a handful of warriors trained by the same master.
Devaratha immediately recognized it.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...Karna."
The golden symbols shimmered before a familiar voice echoed from within the Astra.
"Devara."
"If you’re hearing this..."
Indhumati listened silently, surprised to hear the message speak.
"...."
Karna’s voice continued.
"I have completed my training under Gurudev."
"Today..."
"Lord Parashurama placed the Vijaya Bow in my hands."
"My education as his disciple has officially come to an end."
A brief pause followed.
Then Karna’s voice became warmer.
"Do you remember what I told you on the day you left Mahendragiri?"
"I said that once my training was complete... I would return to you."
"I would no longer stand behind you chasing your footsteps."
"I would stand beside you."
"My promise has not changed."
"Gurudev and I are already on our way to Malikavana."
"We shall fight in this war."
"And this time... I will prove that my words were never empty."
"You once laughed when I declared that I would become your shield."
"This is your final chance to laugh."
"Because when I arrive... I shall become the unbreakable shield standing before King Devaratha."
The golden symbols slowly dissolved into countless particles of light before disappearing into the breeze.
Silence followed.
"...."
"...."
"...."
A warm smile remained on Devaratha’s face.
"...He’s finally coming."
Two years.
It had been two years since he had left Mahendragiri and becoming king, leaving Karna to complete the final stages of his training.
Now...
His fellow disciple. His closest friend.
His brother in everything except blood.
Was finally returning.
And he would not be coming alone.
Lord Parashurama himself was accompanying him to Malikavana.
For the first time since Pushpasura’s awakening...
Devaratha felt the burden on his shoulders become just a little lighter.
"...."
The golden message gradually dissolved into countless motes of light before vanishing into the evening breeze.
For a brief moment, silence settled between them.
Devaratha looked toward the horizon where the Mahendragiri Mountains lay beyond countless rivers and forests.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So..."
"...he has finally completed his training."
Indhumati quietly observed him.
"...."
Although she had never met Karna, the warmth in Devaratha’s expression told her everything she needed to know.
Whoever this man was... He was someone Devaratha held close to his heart.
After a few moments, Devaratha turned toward her.
"The Princess should return to the temple."
His voice regained its usual calm seriousness.
"The underground sanctuary is the safest place in Malikavana."
"I don’t know when Pushpasura will begin his march."
"It may be tonight."
"It may be tomorrow."
"But until this war is over... you should remain with Queen Devaki."
Indhumati lowered her gaze before quietly nodding.
-Nod
"...I understand. I will take my leave now."
She turned to leave.
After taking only a few steps...
She stopped. Slowly, she looked back.
"King Devara..."
He turned toward her.
She hesitated for several moments before finally asking the question that had been lingering in her heart since the previous night.
"Why?"
He looked at her curiously.
"You belong to another kingdom. You have your own people. Your own responsibilities."
"You could have simply warned us and returned to Trivenivrata."
She searched his face in confusion.
"Yet... you chose to stay."
"You chose to fight the war which doesn’t belongs to him or his land."
"You’ve risked your life again and again for people who aren’t even your subjects."
Her voice softened slightly.
"...Why?"
For a brief moment...
Devaratha remained silent.
"...."
Then he chuckled quietly.
-Chuckle!
"There isn’t a complicated reason."
He slowly looked toward the villagers disappearing into the underground sanctuary.
"Every person’s actions are shaped by two things."
"Their karma... and their dharma."
He folded his arms behind his back.
"I cannot choose the karma that has already reached my doorstep."
"But I can choose how I respond to it."
His gaze settled upon the frightened civilians.
"My dharma is simple."
"If I possess the strength to protect innocent lives... then I should."
He smiled gently.
"It doesn’t matter whether they belong to Trivenivrata..."
"...Pushkarnya..."
"...or any other kingdom."
"When innocent people stand before danger... They cease to be strangers."
"They simply become people who need saving."
Indhumati silently listened.
"...."
His answer contained neither pride nor self-righteousness.
It was spoken as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Devaratha looked back at her.
"So... Return safely to the hidden chamber."
"When this war is over... Malikavana will need its Princess."
Princess Indhumati slowly smiled.
"I’ll be waiting for that day."
With one last glance at him, she turned and began making her way toward the Temple of Lord Vishnu.
Devaratha watched until she disappeared beyond the street.
Only then did he turn to continue his patrol.
He had barely taken a single step.
...when he suddenly stopped.
"...."
His brows furrowed.
-Frown!
"...Hm?"
His right foot refused to move.
It felt as though something had wrapped itself firmly around his ankle.
Devaratha looked down.
The moment his eyes reached his leg...
His expression froze seeing what it was.
"...."
A tail.
A long, powerful tail had silently coiled itself around his ankle.
Its grip was astonishingly firm that he had expected which stunned him.
He instinctively shifted his weight and attempted to free himself.
Nothing happened.
His foot remained rooted where it stood.
His emerald eyes narrowed.
"...."
He applied more strength.
The stone beneath his feet cracked.
Yet...
His leg still refused to move even an inch.
For the first time in a long while...
A look of genuine surprise crossed Devaratha’s face.
"...Impossible."
His gaze slowly followed the tail.
It stretched away from him...
Slithering across the ground before disappearing into the dense flower forest surrounding Malikavana village.
It was impossibly long.
Almost as though its owner had no end.
Devaratha’s expression became serious.
’A tail...? Could this be another servant of Pushpasura?’
Before another thought could form...
The tail suddenly tightened.
"...!"
In the next instant...
An overwhelming force yanked him forward.
The ground beneath his feet shattered.
Devaratha lost his footing completely.
"What...?!"
Without giving him the slightest chance to react, the mysterious tail dragged him across the earth at terrifying speed.
He tore through patches of flowers and scattered leaves in his wake as he was pulled relentlessly toward the heart of the forest.
The trees blurred past.
The wind roared in his ears.
For the first time since arriving at Malikavana village...
Someone... Or something...
Had overpowered his physical strength.
And whatever waited at the other end of that tail...
Possessed power unlike anything he had expected to find hidden within the sacred flower forest.
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(Author note:)
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