Child of prophecy
Chapter 4
"Hah! Those fools will never be able to sense my divine presence with the measly Tejas they possess," a deep voice echoed inside Aksh's mind.
"Just shut up, old ghost. I told you many times—don't speak without my permission," Aksh replied back.
"Yo… yo… you rude brat! You should be honored that I've chosen you!" The voice shouted in anger
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Aksh replied nonchalantly.
It hadn't always been like this. The voice wasn't always there. It started the day he transformed. When he lost consciousness, he heard a deep voice calling out to him from afar.
"Hahaha! Brat, you should feel grateful. I have chosen you as the vessel to wield the power of the Great Demon God!"
Since that day, the voice always remained. But Aksh didn't care about it, nor did he try to find out the reason behind it. He wanted nothing to do with this strange presence.
Aksh looked toward his stunned mother standing there. It didn't bother Aksh that no one could sense any Tejas in him. But he knew that his mother was quite shocked by the news.
He reached out to her, and in a calm voice, he said, "Don't worry, Mother. It doesn't matter whether I'm the awakener or not, I'll always protect you and Tejasvi. And soon, we'll leave these slums and that bastard behind."
Reena fell to her knees and hugged him tightly. Tears rolled down her eyes. "You don't have to protect me. Just promise me that you'll always take care of Tejasvi."
"I promise that I'll always protect her—and you as well," he replied.
The next day, before dawn, Aksh, as usual, stepped out of the house for work, with little Tejasvi following from behind.
But the moment he took a step out of the house, he felt a cold and unshakable feeling in his heart. His instinct told him that something ominous was going to happen, that he shouldn't leave.
Maybe… if he had followed his instinct. Maybe… if he had stayed home that day… The horrible thing that was about to happen—would have never come to pass.
The next day, a strange whisper spread through the slums like wildfire—
Rajit, last night, after returning drunk, burned down his house with his family still inside. But Reena battled through the flames and managed to save her kids. In the process, she got severely injured and was on the brink of death.
As for Rajit… He never made it out. He got trapped inside and perished in the inferno he unleashed himself.
Tejasvi slowly opens her eyes coming back to consciousness as she heard distant murmuring.
"I'm telling you, that kid is a monster."
"He dragged a wooden cart all the way from the slums to here—while carrying his sister in one arm! No normal child could do that."
Another voice in a disbelief replied.
"What?! From the slums? That's at least ten kilometers away! You might be right… just look at his eyes and hair. He might even be cursed. Why did you let him into the hospital anyway? He doesn't look like someone who can pay."
After a little pause, a hesitant reply came.
"I just… couldn't bring myself to turn him away. Not after seeing the state he was in. And… he said he'll pay whatever it takes for his mother's treatment."
Tejasvi looked around, she was lying on the bench , her head resting on Aksh's lap.
But the place around her… it was nothing like home.
The walls were white and the air was clean. The people moving around them wore spotless and unwrinkled white coats. It felt unreal and different from the slums.
Aksh noticed her moving. Without a word, he placed a hand on her head, patting it gently. His face was unreadable, his voice steady.
"Don't worry. We're at the hospital."
Before Tejasvi could respond, a voice called from the hallway.
"Is Aksh here?"
Aksh slowly got up. "Yes, I'm here," he replied and followed the nurse inside a small room where a doctor waited.
The doctor had a serious expression and while holding a pen in his hand said
"Your mother's condition is very serious. She might not survive the night. And… the treatment will cost quite a lot of money."
Aksh remained expressionless and replied with a firm voice.
"How much?"
The doctor hesitated. "Look, kid… the bill isn't something a child like you can pay. I'm telling you this now—if you have any savings, use them for yourself and your sister instead."
"I didn't ask for your suggestion. I asked how much." His voice louder and colder this time.
The doctor sighed and replied. "The full treatment will cost… 8,000 mudras."
Without a moment's hesitation, Aksh responded.
"I'll pay it. Just begin the treatment."
The doctor looked toward him in disbelief—but something told him this boy could pay.
The doctor replied "Alright We'll begin the treatment as soon as you pay the bills. But keep in mind—your mother has only about twelve hours without treatment."
Aksh stood still for a moment and then he replied.
"Take care of my sister."
He turned and ran out of the room. He came out of the hospital and began running toward the slums. His body was already exhausted, his breath uneven, and his legs shook—but he didn't stop.
Soon, his vision started blurring, his heart pounded harder—but still, he didn't stop. His eyes flickered with red lightning as he pushed himself further.
"Stop it, brat. You're not in any condition—neither mentally nor physically—to use my power." The voice came in his mind. "If you don't want to die, stop now."
Aksh didn't answer. He just ran faster.
By the time he reached the outskirts of the slums, the world around him was a blur. Instead of stopping, he moved left—toward the dense forest behind the slums.
After running for a while, he reached the front of a massive tree. Without hesitation, he grabbed onto the bark of the tree and began climbing. He reached one of the branches quite high up.
There was a hole in the trunk. He moved his hand inside and took out a pouch from there. He untied the strings and opened the pouch. There was money inside it.
Exactly 8,000 mudras.
This was the money he had spent the last five years saving—by selling scraps and doing countless labor—to take his mother and sister out of the slums.
It was nowhere near enough to buy them freedom. But it was a start.
And now… he had no choice but to use it.
Without wasting another second, he jumped off the tree, landing on his knees, and ran again.
But as soon as he reached the slums' outer edge— A sharp voice came.
"HALT RIGHT THERE! Where do you think you're going?"
Aksh skidded and stopped. There were three people standing in front of him.
Two men in official guards' uniforms—and in front of them, a man in his mid-20s. The man had short black hair and wore a casual white T-shirt and jeans. But what stood out the most—was the sword strapped to his belt.
Aksh replied, breathing heavily, "I need to go. My mother is in the hospital."
The man clicked his tongue. "Tsk. Do you think I'm a fool? Didn't you just come out of the slums? And looking at your clothes, I can tell there's no way your mother could be in a hospital."
He rubbed his forehead in irritation as he spoke further, "You slum rats never learn, do you? You people aren't allowed in the city, but you still come up with all kinds of lies to get in. But…"
He leaned forward with a smirk on his face, "If you really wanna go… you gotta pay the toll."
Aksh's grip tightened around the bag.
"How much?"
The man's smirk grew sharper.
"Eight thousand mudras."