Child of prophecy
Chapter 5
"I don't have money," Aksh said with a blank expression.
"So what are you hiding inside that pouch beside you?" the black-haired man replied.
"That money is for my mother's treatment. I can't give you this."
He took a step forward, reaching Aksh's face.
"Oy, brat, you would've already died if some other officers had found you. Just drop the bag here and crawl back to the slums you came out from."
Aksh slowly bent to put the pouch down—but in a split second, he grabbed a fistful of dirt and threw it into the black-haired man's eyes. The man screamed, rubbing his face, blinded.
"You're dead, you brat!" he shouted. "Catch him and bring him to me!"
The two officers behind him charged toward Aksh.
As one of them nearly caught up, Aksh jumped, planted a foot on the man's face, and used him as a springboard—pushing forward with momentum.
The other officer launched a kick from the side. Aksh immediately realized and ducked low, narrowly dodging the blow. He planted one hand on the ground, spun his body upside down, and used the momentum to land a sharp kick to the officer's neck. The force sent the officer to the ground, his head hitting first.
The other officer caught his leg as he was spinning, but Aksh immediately grabbed the officer's leg with his hand and bit into it. The officer screamed, lost his grip, and Aksh swiftly pulled his leg free. He then pulled the officer's legs forward with his hands and threw him to the ground. Without wasting a single second, Aksh jumped and landed his knee on the officer's face, breaking his nose and knocking out two of his teeth.
The first officer, holding his bleeding head, ran toward Aksh, attempting to catch him. Aksh turned and stared at the officer. His eyes started glowing crimson red, and his hair began to rise.
His voice became deep, like that of a demon.
"Stop it, or I will kill you."
The officer froze in place due to fear. Sweat poured down on his face.
Suddenly, a sword hilt slammed into the back of Aksh's head, and he collapsed, unconscious.
"Hahaha, we finally found him."
Aksh slowly opened his eyes as he came back to consciousness, his head still hurting. He immediately jumped off the bed as he regained consciousness and scanned the surroundings. He was in a hospital room. The man with black hair was sitting in a chair beside him.
"So, you're finally awake," the man said, his legs crossed and his face resting on his fist.
Aksh instinctively got into a fighting stance, his eyes narrowed as he demanded, "Where is the money?"
The man grinned. "Oh, that? We used it for the treatment of the officers you injured. Don't blame me—it's your fault, after all."
"Give me the money! I need it to treat my mother before dawn!" Aksh replied loudly.
The man rolled his eyes in annoyance. "What are you talking about? It's already noon. You fought us yesterday evening."
Aksh stood frozen, his eyes wide in shock. A storm of thoughts raged inside his head.
No…
No…
No…
What—what about Mother? Is she already—? No, that's not possible. It can't be. After everything… after all that struggle… am I still powerless? What's the point of it all? Maybe… maybe I should just die.
His breath became heavy and his vision became blurry due to the despair he was feeling.
Then there was the sound of a sudden hit. Aksh turned. A woman in her early twenties, with short brown hair of ear length, a piercing in one of her ears, wearing a loose jacket over a sports bra and shorts with long boots, had hit the black-haired man on the head. Aksh hadn't noticed her before—maybe due to the chaos in his mind.
"You shouldn't joke about things like these, Arihant. Just look at the kid's face—how terrified he is."
"Ouch!! I was just messing around with him, Jasmine. Why do you always have to be so violent?" Arihant replied while rubbing his head.
Jasmine, with an annoyed expression, said, "Because you deserved it, you jerk." Then, with a louder voice, she said, "Bring them inside."
Then the door opened.
A wheelchair rolled into the room.
It was Reena.
She looked weak, pale, but alive. Her eyes softened the moment they met his. And his little sister was peeping from behind the wheelchair.
"Are you alright, son?" she asked gently.
Aksh didn't speak. His body moved on its own. He ran—no, crashed—toward her and dropped to his knees, throwing his arms around her legs.
And then… he broke.
He started crying uncontrollably. Tears poured down from his face—everything he had bottled up, all of his trauma, spilled out. For the first time, there was an expression on his face—an expression of overwhelming relief.
His mother, with teary eyes, patted his head. "I am really sorry for making you worry, son," she whispered with a trembling voice.
Aksh, still crying, held her knees tightly. "It was so scary, Mother. I was scared that I might lose you forever."
Tejasvi slowly came and hugged Aksh from behind and started crying as well.
Aksh finally felt relieved, and the exhaustion from the past two days came crashing down on him. He slowly fell asleep, his face resting on Reena's lap.
Arihant sighed and gently picked him up, placing him on the bed. "He's still just a kid after all... I think I went a little overboard."
Then, turning to Reena, he said, "I think we need to talk. Let's go to another room and let him rest."
In the other room, with the previous officer standing guard outside and Jasmine taking care of Tejasvi, Arihant and Reena began their conversation.
Reena spoke first. "Why are you helping us, Arihant? And weren't you in the military?"
Arihant replied, "I left the military after that incident thirteen years ago, and as for the reason we're helping you... it's that kid, Aksh. He's special, isn't he? I want to train him so that he can properly wield the power he has inside of him."
She paused for a moment, then spoke with a serious look on her face. "You might have a misunderstanding. He is just a normal kid. He was already tested for Tejas—his core is broken. He's useless to you people."
Arihant smirked. "We're not that stupid. We already know that he successfully awakened his Tejas. As for why Dhruva couldn't sense it, there's a reason behind that too. And don't worry—we won't just take advantage of him. We'll provide you with a proper house in Trigarta and take care of all living expenses for the three of you."
"We don't need anything like that," Reena said firmly. "Rajit is dead, and for the first time, I've seen Aksh showing some emotions. I can't throw him into a war now. We just want to live a normal life."
Arihant's expression darkened as he folded his arms. "Do you really think Aksh can live normally after everything that has happened to him? And do you really believe we wouldn't find out the little secret you're trying to hide?"
Reena stiffened for a second. "What-What secret are you talking about?"
Arihant leaned in, his voice turning soft. "So, you won't admit it, huh? Then let me be clear—we know that Rajit's death wasn't an accident."
A wide grin spread across his face as he stepped even closer, whispering, "He was murdered… by Aksh."