Chapter 2

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Is he the worst or the best visitor I could ask for?

I had seen stuff in my life that would rock any average person to the core if they ever find themselves in them. But the past week of my life has been something that makes me realize how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things.

Let's start from the beginning. My name is Ayaan. The only big accomplishment that I have is qualifying a scholarship test at one of the grand schools in Mumbai.

Am I a problem child, I don't know. I was found at the foot of a temple when I was a newborn baby. The warden of the orphanage made it his solemn duty to remind me how insignificant I was, so much so that even my parents had left me at the foot of a temple with nothing to call my own. Not even a name. He said I was born literally hours before the priests found me, but no one ever found any record of my birth so no one could ever track my parents.

My early childhood was not the best. I was taken care of until I turned three by a lady whom I don't remember from back then. The warden said she left the orphanage when I was three and never returned. She was the closest to a friend I had at the orphanage, but even she had failed to leave a name behind.

By the time I was five, most of the kids who came alongside me or before me were adopted, leaving me the oldest of the ones who were left at the orphanage. No one ever took me in; the reason being five burn marks on my body. The orphanage and the priest said that the burns were birthmarks and that I had them since my birth, but most parents were repulsed by them so I was never considered.

By the time of seven I was running small jobs like helping at a local Dhaba, helping in delicate works on construction sites, helping transport goods, anything that could net me enough money to buy decent food and clothes since according to the warden at the orphanage, 'You are old enough to bear your own weight. I have fed you enough, now go feed yourself.'

I only got one dingy room from the orphanage and that was it. But I somehow managed to survive until one day I met a young librarian by the name, Karthik Malhotra; he was impressed by my work that I did for him and when I told him that I had never been to a school he offered to tutor me to pass a scholarship exam and attend one myself, the one at which he worked himself.

I almost didn't make it to the exam when it was time. The day I was supposed to go there, my wallet was missing and I had no money on me. I was in a panic as to what I would do. With no money, I couldn't get to the school in time to give the exam.

I was left scrunched at the end of my room. That day, I was left with no hope of ever succeeding at anything. I was eight after all. But when, Karthik got wind of me missing my exam, he came to check up on me.

When I saw him at the gate of my room, he had a swollen eye, a few cuts and bruises and he was holding my wallet in his hand with a poker face. 'You missed this?'

With his help, I managed to give the exam and was accepted in the dormitory of the school.

After eight years of living in a dark, gloomy dungeon, I was now living peacefully in a school dorm. The room was small, but it was more than what I was ever offered.

I made sure I was living up to the expectations that Karthik had for me and I managed to maintain a good enough place that I was continuously retained as a scholarship student.

When you are someone like me, the status quo of that school is all you could ever desire.

Until the day he came.

**

It was a few days before the day I met Galvarinus. I was walking at the roof of the dorm after having dinner.

It was a normal warm night of the summer and I was enjoying the view of the passing streets below from the railings on the dorm roof. At least, that is what I remember.

The next day I was found unconscious and was rushed to the hospital where I woke up in the evening.

According to the doctor there was no identifiable illness that caused my unconsciousness and even after a thorough testing, he was so bewildered that I fell unconscious as if I was on the verge of death but there were no visible signs as to what could have caused such a condition. My vitals at one point were nearly gone. But it took me a mere hour to recover to my natural state from last night.

The doctor made sure he checked everything and he even consulted all the specialists he knew about my case. Evidently, he found nothing and after about an entire day under observation and testing I was relieved. I never knew what was so special about the way I collapsed until very later on. But, when I found out, I could relate why the doctor with all his knowledge of the world couldn't diagnose me.

I had no clue what had happened to me that night, and for some reason there was this huge bubble of anxiety and self-consciousness that kept me utterly perplexed for the next few days.

It was Galvarinus who explained to me what was going on and man that was quite a big show he put up when he came out to search for me.

**

After an entire day of earsplitting lectures and boring discussions of where the other kids were being taken to for vacations, I was helping Karthik in the library to settle out the backlog and return the books back at the shelves they were supposed to be.

'So, what are you planning for this vacation sir,' I asked him wholeheartedly.

'Oh nothing,' he called, 'Firstly I still have to work here for another week before my holidays kick in. When they do, I am planning to spend it with, you know; my wife.'

'Ah, how has it been between the two of you since the marriage.' I asked. Karthik had gotten married just two and a half months ago, since then he hasn't had enough time to spend with his wife.

'Oh, it has been going pretty well, for a new one; although that is that, it is still new and only a couple months old. Now that I get holidays, I was hoping I could take my wife to a trip that she has been quite anticipating.' He said while he placed the books on the higher shelves where I couldn't reach while smiling ear to ear.

'Panchmani,' I advised, 'I saw some illustrations of the place in a heritage book. I think it is going to be quite a destination for you.'

'You really think so?' Karthik asked with a smile.

'Yeah, as far as I can tell, she loves forests right; I could tell by the photos she has of herself and the sceneries she has bought for your new house's décor.' I remember the talk I had with Karthik's wife when they invited me over for dinner. She was quite the nature enthusiast.

'You can seriously tell just by those things,' Karthik chided, 'damn kid, you are already pretty good husband material. Well, my wife did ask to go to Pehelgaun, you are right about her liking nature, she just prefers cooler places in summer.' Karthik pointed.

'Ah, you have to consider that too,' I regarded with a finger under my chin, 'Well, I think it will be a great place to be at since the abolition...'

My words were struck down by a sharp bang that came from outside. Both Karthik and I were startled by it, I looked at the direction it came from and assumed it was from the front playground of the school.

'What could that be, huh?' I turned to ask Karthik and as I did, I saw him fall like a plank of wood to the ground, totally unconscious. 'Karthik!' I rushed by his side and checked on his head.

Karthik managed to survive any severe injury, but falling like a limp doll definitely would have hurt him real good.

As I was helping Karthik up to the couch on the library I started feeling; well, awkward.

First thing I noticed was that I didn't feel Karthik's weight too much, it was as if he was like a five-year-old and extremely light. I was sure I hadn't been to a gym because I felt repulsed from those, so I wondered where the strength came from.

Then the second thing hit me. I was shining.

There was a faint glow covering me like an outer shell. When I touched my own skin, I felt nothing. I had seen bizarre stuff but this took the cherry from all the candidates.

'What... in the world, is going on?' I asked myself.

'That... is spiritual energy.' I heard the voice of a man coming from the door of the library.

When I turned, I saw the most alien thing that could possibly exist in this world. There was a man standing in the doorway, wearing a lose cotton shirt- those tunic style ones- he had two swords that were sheathed at his back alongside what looked like a weird assortment of shining gems at his belt ranging from shining emeralds to burning rubies. A couple of them were not shining like the rest.

The man had quite a withered face, I would say he was somewhere around fifty. He had wrinkled cheeks, silvery-white hair and a sharp brown color to his eyes.

Well, that was all well and good, you might be wondering why in the world was I not being on edge when I saw a man with two swords hanging on his back walk into the room.

Well, the man was standing tall and in perfect form of a teacher until you looked at his lowers. I mean, I couldn't control it...

'Hahahaha!' I started snorting like a pig. 'What in the world are you wearing!'

'Oi! What is it that makes you crack like that, was that a joke unique to this place?' the man asked sincerely.

'Of course, how can I not laugh, do you have any clue what you are wearing,' I laughed, 'those shorts, they belong to a girl around twelve or maybe younger, how come a grown man like you, is wearing a young girl's skirt!'

'Wait, isn't this supposed to be a battle gear that people used to wear here on this planet.' He asked and I could see his cheeks getting pumped with blood.

'I don't know what you are talking about, but one thing is clear and that is the fact that what you are wearing is generally something teenage girls wear. I hope you saw the girls outside; this was part of their uniform, wasn't it?' I pointed out.

'Ah, not that you mention it I did find it odd that only the ladies were wearing this.' He said stroking his chin. 'Well, if that is the case then...'

He picked a slightly silver translucent gem from his belt. He took it in his hand and squeezed. Suddenly, there was a surge of light particles diffusing around him and forming what looked like a cloak of light. Until now, I was not feeling anything in particular wrong about the guy, but the moment he released that light from the orb, my whole body sprang up with a jolt. Without even realizing I stepped back and stood in front of Karthik holding a protective stance, the air was now charged and ready to crack the moment someone made a move.

'Damn,' the guy wondered, 'this planet sure has a pretty poor tolerance for spiritual energy.'

'What did you just do?' I asked, my tone serious.

'Wait you felt it?' the guy asked in shear amazement.

'Yes, I felt it; whatever it is you did.' I confirmed.

'Oh boy, then you are in a greater danger than I first assumed.' He told me. 'Mind if I have a look?'

'At what,' I asked as the man took out what looked like a stone and waved it towards me.

After a few waves, it turned a slight gold shade right in front of my eyes and I was left there dumbstruck.

'Oh boi,' the man sighed, 'You have already awakened, and at this rate, your body will only hold for about a couple days max.'

Hearing his words made me shift more towards the edge, I clenched my fist and prepared for anything that could happen. But there was a problem, this guy had managed to reach this place without me even noticing. And the fact that no one had stopped him, or no one was coming to interfere right now when someone was clearly entering a school armed, was big concern. Something was definitely wrong with this man.

'What is it you mean? What is it that you seek? What do you mean by my body holding in?' I asked.

'Whoa cowboy, one thing at a time.' The guy said, 'mind if I take a seat, I have been running for hours searching for you, I at least deserve a breath of fresh air, not that this planet has any fresh air.'

'You were searching... for me?' I will admit that was something that knocked the wires in my brain lose.

'Yes of course. Why would you assume I would be here talking without a reason to be here?'

'How can I believe you?' I asked. 'I don't have any family, who would ask you to search for me.'

'Hmm,' the man grabbed his chin, strode for a second and then took the visitor's chair at the other side of the table, so much for permission. 'Think of it as a business deal.'

'A deal?' I asked.

'Yes,' the man agreed, 'I am here on a search request from the Eirineftes, the order I work for. Their intentions are to save from something that might happen in a few days and which can possibly end up with you exploding into a gigantic firework.'

'A gigantic firework? Me?' I asked to reassure, 'You are talking clear gibberish at this point.'

'You must have collapsed unconscious a couple of days back am I wrong to assume that? Considering the planet, no one understood why you fell and you still don't know the reason. If that information is correct, I wish for you to sit down so that we can discuss what we are about to do further on.'

When he mentioned what he knew, my eyes popped out of my sockets and I felt as if I was punched by my martial arts instructor from two years ago.

After a short second and a drink from his flask of water, the man began talking.

'First things first, my name is Galvarinus,' he began, 'I, am one of the four grandmasters that serve at the city of Trinitus. Let's start by covering one topic at a time, shall we?'

'Trinitus,' I asked, 'where is that, I have never heard of it.'

'Yeah,' Galvarinus scratched his head, 'You see, Trinitus doesn't actually belong to Earth.' His expression was calm and composed, I sensed no forgery from his words.

'Wait, are you saying,' I tried to ask gingerly, slowly stepping back even more.

'Yes, I come from a different planet, namely E'htan,' Galvarinus informed, 'Trinitus is the host and headquarters of the Eirineftes in the Human Realm. It is quite a beautiful place and I would daresay you are going to love it.'

With every word my mind started slipping even more and I was losing the sense whether I was actually listening to these words or not.

'Hmm, I assume that will be a little too much information for now,' Galvarinus implied, probably from studying my expressions, 'and I would assume you wouldn't believe it even if it came from the young man you are trying to protect.'

I looked around and saw Karthik lying face down on the couch in an utterly defenseless position. He was right, even though on instinct, my body had moved reflexively to guard Karthik and even if it was Karthik telling me all this, I would struggle to believe it.

'Well,' he cracked his fingers and continued, 'Now, let's deal with your position to trust me.' He pulled out a small pouch from the back of his belt and brought in a small gem the size of a peanut and smashed it.

Two things happened at one time here.

A sharp pain spiked from the gut of my stomach. It was as if my body was trying to churn up all the food I had ever eaten in one go. I collapsed to my knees and started writhing. My muscles felt as if they had lost all connection to my brain, my breathing lost its rhythm first and then stopped altogether. In a few seconds, I lost all five senses of my body, my vision was the only thing that remained even functional.

For some time, my vision blurred and then all of a sudden, everything ceased. The pain was gone and my focus returned. It went away way faster than it came.

I first took a few long breaths, when I regained my composure, I focused on Galvarinus again. He was sitting there without a change in expression as he saw me stand back up.

But Karthik was also present there, kneeling in front of Galvarinus as he addressed him.

'Might you need anything else master, or should I say grandmaster?' he asked.

'Karthik, right? You did a good job guiding the kid to a peaceful life until now. 'You are an outrider operative right?'

'Yes sir, I have been posted here for seven years now. Although it was a job at first, now I wish to stay here and spend the rest of my life.' Karthik told him.

'Were you the scout that reported the kid?' the man confirmed.

'Yes sir, I scouted him and helped him get a sustained life,' Karthik told the man, 'But last month I noted the anomalies that I reported to my higher up Mrs. Victoire. Thus, I asked for someone to assist. The kid is brimming with spiritual energy. Now that I have spent this much time taking care of him, I consider him as something of a little brother to me.'

'Wait, you know him, and you are the one who asked him to come and get me?' I asked him in confusion, watching Karthik that way had been a big shock, but him in this position with the man meant that he trusted him, and didn't he call him a master?

'Listen kid,' Galvarinus called, 'we can do these two ways, first you trust this guy here and believe me, second I force you to comply which is the one option I hate.'

As if to prove his point, Galvarinus vanished.

'Huh!' I couldn't believe what I just saw. The man vanished from the chair that he was sitting on and he reappeared behind me scaling books on the shelf right behind the couch on which Karthik was lying down.

'When...' I couldn't even complete.

'As I said, I am a grandmaster, the Grandmaster of the Sword to be precise. I am way too fast for you to even sense me, much less react. So, let's not resort to violence because there is one basic thing you are missing, did you notice the lack of people right now.'

I looked around, no one had come still to this point. I wasn't the brightest of the students around, nor the bravest, but I knew one thing for sure. If someone armed with swords would try to enter a school full of kids, there was no way the police would not pursue him.

But there was no one: no police, no guards, no staff, not even a single student from the clubs. I turned around to face Galvarinus and realized.

'I am not dead, am I?' I confirmed.

'Bingo,' Galvarinus snapped the book he had picked right now shut and smiled at me, 'you are smart I will give you that. I hope you can tell that I could have killed you easily if I meant to, because even if you were to fight me with your friend at the couch on your side, I had swords and you would be barehanded. As much as it might possible, you wouldn't accomplish it even with your instincts. And just to establish, I am way higher ranked than Karthik, so he wouldn't have been much against me.'

Galvarinus summed it all well. If he wanted me dead, he would have killed me the moment he stepped foot in the room.

'Now then.' He vanished again, I turned to find him seated back at the same place where he sat before. 'Now that you trust me to a degree where you would listen to me, let's begin our explanation.'

He gestured to a seat beside me and I sat at it. My palms were sweating. There was a man here who could slice me the moment he gets the chance. He can practically teleport between places, that could be the only way he could move that fast without me noticing. I knew this could very well be, my last conversation. 


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