The soldier brought Arush to the castle, in front of the king. A wave of chatter spread through the throne room. Arush came forth, bowed to the king, and said, "At your service, my lord." The king ordered him, "You will go to investigate the coastal region again. I have appointed a female assistant for you; she will help you." A girl with long black hair, dressed in a saree, approached the throne and bowed to the king and Arush.
Arush said with surprise, "My lord, thank you, but I cannot accept her." The king said, "Just take her; she is good in a fight and very clever."
Arush had no choice but to accept her as a companion, so he bowed to the king, and they both left.
After that, the chief minister stood up and said, "My lord, she was a newbie, and we haven't been able to find her background." The king said, "I end the court for today." The king left for his room with two soldiers guarding him.
The subjects in the pavilion started leaving, and some ministers also left. The chief minister was still seated on his sub-throne, deep in thought, his expression still, serious, and worried. One minister approached him and said with curiosity, "Mantriwar, what happened? You look tense."
The chief minister remained silent for a few seconds and then said with a deep breath, exhaling, "Mantriwar, our lord has been behaving weirdly since yesterday." The other minister said with confirmation, "Yes, the lord is taking serious matters lightly." The chief minister said, "No, I am not talking about those things. Our king is used to staying tidy by bathing many times daily, but it's like he has started hating water. He hasn't bathed since yesterday and hasn't even been seen drinking water."
The other minister said, "Mantriwar, this could be due to fasting or something, and regarding bathing, he could be feeling sick, so don't worry, it's normal!..." The other minister left after saying this to the chief minister.
The chief minister was seated on his sub-throne alone, the entire throne room empty except for him, lost in deep thought. Sunlight streamed onto the floor from the windows.
Suddenly, a figure in black clothes appeared on the upper floor, observing the chief minister. Slowly, he descended towards the chief minister, and with a swift movement, he grabbed the chief minister's head.
He twisted it with force, and the head was pulled off the body. Then, the black-clad figure's hand started glowing red, and the chief minister's head burned until nothing was left.
He then pointed his hand at the bent body and, with a flick of his finger, the whole body caught fire. The figure cleaned the entire area, making it seem as if nothing had happened.
SCENE SHIFTED TO ARUSH:
Arush was packing his important belongings for the journey, but his cheeks were slightly red because the girl was helping him. Suddenly, a knock on the door reached Arush's ears. He said to the girl without looking at her, "I am going to open the door." The girl said, "Master, no need to worry, I will open it." They began a silent back-and-forth of "yes" and "no" gestures.
Suddenly, Arush's mother entered his room, completely stunned, and said angrily, "Arush! Who is she...?" Arush stammered nervously, "Mom... she is my assistant for a mission given by our king."
The girl, standing silently, said, "Yes, Madam, I am his assistant, more like a servant."
Then Arush's mother asked her, "What is your name then...?" Suddenly, Arush also realized that he hadn't asked her name.
The girl said in a calm and low voice, "My name is Kyra... Kyra Agni." Arush thought to himself, "What a bold name, she is really stronger than I think."
They all slept, and Kyra slept in the room with Arush's mother. That night, the same figure who had killed the chief minister came to Arush's house door and, after a few minutes, emerged and disappeared into the shadows.
NEXT MORNING:
Arush woke up late in the morning, but Kyra was already ready for the journey. Arush packed his breakfast, and his mother instructed him to eat it on the way.
Arush sat down and lightly tapped the bullocks with his stick, and the bullock cart started moving. They began to travel. On the way to the port, a sound came from Arush's stomach. Arush tried to suppress it, but Kyra noticed and said in a loving tone, "Master, are you hungry...?"
Arush, blushing, said, "Ye... yeah...!" Kyra began to unpack the breakfast and served it to Arush in the same wooden box. Then Arush said, "Wait a sec... I am coming back." Kyra stopped him, took a bite with her hand, and brought it near Arush's mouth, saying, "Master... let me help you." Arush simply opened his mouth as an indication for her to feed him.
After eating, Arush was driving the bullock cart, and Kyra was enjoying the view of the forest. Some butterflies were following her as if they wanted to play with her. Kyra noticed that Arush seemed to be looking for something. After observing him, Kyra came in front of the cart and asked Arush, "Master... are you looking for something...?" Arush said, "Yeah... I am looking for the note by Senapatiji."
Kyra also began to look around to find the note. She then saw an arrow pierced into a tree with something like a page attached. She immediately told Arush about this.
He stopped the cart near the tree, descended from the seat, and told Kyra to stay there. Arush pulled out the arrow but mistakenly touched the sharp edge.
He immediately pulled his hand back and put it in his mouth to stop the bleeding, but a few drops of his blood fell on a stone, which Arush ignored. He took out the note and started reading it calmly.
Then Arush picked up some soil from the ground and said to Kyra, "Can you detect if there is blood in this area's soil?" Kyra said, "I can, Master." Kyra took soil samples and placed them in betel leaves.
She then said, "Master, can you bring some luminol leaves from the woods...?" Arush said, "I can, but how will I identify those leaves...?"
Kyra said, "Luminol leaves are red in color and don't have any smell." Arush said, "Okay! Now I can find them easily." Kyra said with concern, "Master, be careful in the woods and please return...!" Arush nodded in agreement and left for the forest.
Arush had gone to collect the leaves, but Kyra realized that the day would soon end, and they needed a safe place to sleep. Kyra started gathering leaves and bamboo tree bark to make a hammock.
Meanwhile, Arush was trying to find the leaves, searching amidst bushes, over big rocks, and even in the soil, but he couldn't find any and was now completely exhausted. He decided to leave the forest without the leaves when, as he was about to depart, he found a red rose on a rock, and the luminol leaves were kept on the same stone.
Arush was astonished but very happy to see them, so he took the leaves. He thought for a moment and also took the red rose from the stone and returned to their base.
Kyra clapped her hands and said, "Master will like this..." Arush arrived from the woods, his clothes completely messy. He suddenly looked at what Kyra had made and said to her, "You are awesome! I have wanted to sleep on a hammock since childhood!"
Kyra thanked him for the applause and took the luminol leaves from Arush. She then saw the red rose and blushed deeply, saying, "Ma... Master... why did you bring a ro... rose...?" Arush said, "I found it near the leaves." Kyra said nothing and seemed a little disappointed, then started doing her experiment.
While Arush was bathing in the river that joined the main sea where those incidents had taken place, Arush suddenly heard Kyra's voice shouting his name. He dressed rapidly and reached where Kyra was. She asked him, "What happened, Kyra...?" Kyra showed him all the blood samples and...
CHAPTER 2 ENDED:
FOLLOW ME FOR MORE BIGGER ADVENTURES...