A Parting Gift and a Serpent's Kiss
The dawn came, not with hope, but as grim finality, slamming the door shut. The golden light in Suryapuri seemed a mockery, bathing the forlorn faces congregating at the palace gates in its radiance. The air was heavy with unsaid words and the perfume of jasmine, now acrid with the memory of smoke and sorrow.
Maharaja Viraj, Maharani Sheetal, and Yuvaraj Aaditya now stood in a silent, regal row. Devansh stepped aside and inclined his head to them, the formal gesture woefully small for a bond forged in fire and magic.
"Prince Devansh," Aaditya's voice was carefully modulated, the tone of a prince cloaking the ache of a friend. He extended a hand toward a wondrous sight. "A parting gift for your journey. Shakti is yours. She has chosen you as her rider, and a horse of such spirit cannot be commanded by another."
Devansh's eyes widened and he protested immediately and sincerely, "Yuvaraj, no. This is too great an honor. I cannot accept such a royal gift."
Smiling softly, yet firmly, Maharaja Viraj said, "Please, do accept her. It would pain us to see any other steed carry you from our kingdom. Let her be a living reminder of your time in Suryapuri."
Devansh's eyes darted toward Aaditya; in those fiery depths, a silent plea reflected his own reluctance to cut ties completely. "Then. I accept with a grateful heart," he whispered, laying his hand on Shakti's warm neck. The horse nudged him softly, a comforting presence.
As Devansh moved toward the massive white horse, Aaditya's hand shot out and gently caught his arm. "Wait. You will ride in the royal chariot. The roads can be treacherous, and a contingent of my personal guard will see you safely to the Chandrapuri border." His voice dropped, meant for Devansh alone. "Let Shakti follow, unburdened. She carries enough. memories."
The unsaid words hung between them: So do I.
Devansh nodded, understanding the unvoiced concern. He turned and offered a final, deep bow to the Maharaja and Maharani. "My thanks for your boundless hospitality. I take your leave now."
The Maharani's eyes, ever observant, shone with unshed tears. She took a step forward and put a tender hand against his cheek, a motherly benediction. "Travel safely, beta. This palace will seem devoid of its beauty without your music. You must return to us."
Then, Devansh turned to Aaditya. The formality between them crumbled. "Prince Aaditya. Adi," he began, the name a soft confession in the morning air. "The rides through your forests, the conversations under the stars. they are treasures I will carry always. My home in Chandrapuri will feel incomplete until you stand within its halls. I will wait for you."
Pain was a physical force in Aaditya's crimson eyes, but he mastered it, offering a strained, brave smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You will not wait long. I swear it."
Their hands met in one final, fierce clasp-a promise, a farewell, and a silent scream against the separation. Then, Devansh stepped into the chariot. As it began to roll forward, their gazes locked one last time. Aaditya's eyes held a storm of grief he could not voice, while Devansh's blue depths swirled with a secret-the truth of his magic and the love that did not dare speak its name.
As the chariot gained speed, flanked by the finest of Suryapuri, a portion of Aaditya's soul was taken along with it.
Were there preventative measures available that were not divulged to him?
Lost behind the Shadows of the Grand Archway
As the dust from the chariot that had finally ridden off began to settle, the shadows behind a huge marble pillar seemed to suddenly congeal and deepen. From within them, the man in the obsidian mask materialized. His form was a void in the bright morning-a tear in the fabric of reality. A low guttural sound of pure malice escaped him.
"No. this bond must not be allowed to strengthen across the distance. The ache of separation is potent fertilizer for their power," he whispered to the stillness, his voice like the grinding of stones. "Let us replace that ache with a more. permanent silence."
He raised his gloved hands; fingers contorted in some sort of cruel mudra, a deep bruise-colored viscous energy pooled within his palms. It hissed and writhed, coalescing into a serpent of pure shadow. But as it took form, it became physical: scales blacker than midnight, eyes that glowed with the same malevolent crimson as the bull from the forest, and fangs dripping with a venom that smoked where it hit the sun-baked stone.
"Go," he hissed, his voice a venomous thread of sound. "Find the Sun Prince. Let your kiss extinguish his fire before it can call to the moon again."
His will extruded a serpent that lifted its head, tasted the air, and found the peculiar, vivid stamp of Aaditya's life force. Then, it flowed over the ground, but not slithering, rather like liquid darkness slipping through cracks and up walls, an unstoppable phantom going straight for its target.
-
In Aaditya's Chambers
Aaditya stood still at his window, his knuckles white while his fist gripped the sill. He watched until the chariot was a speck on the horizon, until the dust fell back onto the road, leaving an emptiness that echoed in the core of his being.
"Why does it feel like this?" he whispered into the vacant room, his voice hoarse. "As if a part of me has been carved out and taken away. We only shared a few days. but it felt like a lifetime."
A faint, almost imperceptible rustle reached his ears. It was not the sound of leaves or the distant palace life. It was the sound of scales whispering against cold marble. He turned slowly.
There, coiled upon his windowsill, was the serpent. It was no organic thing, but a manifestation of raw hate. Its forked tongue licked the air and its glowing red eyes fixed on him with intelligent, chilling purpose. The venom dripping from its fangs sizzled, eating tiny pits into the stone.
The blood of Aaditya ran cold. This was no accident. It was the same dark magic that had conjured the bull and set the fire. The enemy was not waiting for them to reunite; it was seeking to make sure they never could.
The serpent reared back, its hood fanning, a living shroud of death poised to strike. Aaditya stood frozen, not in fear, but in cold, clear understanding. This was a battle for his very existence, and it had found him in his moment of greatest vulnerability.
: Chapter End Note: A farewell from the heart has been given, but the strings of fate are far from cut. Aaditya is alone, pursued by a magical assassin commissioned by a shadowy foe who knows their connection is the key to a power he fears. The tender love that had hardly begun to blossom now stands at a point where it may be silenced for eternity. But as the serpent strikes, will the bond between the two faraway kingdoms be enough to invoke a miracle? Or will the light of Suryapuri be snuffed out before it can shine again?