Deathsworn: Siddhi Chronicles Book 1

by H. K Oby

  “That bad, huh? Did you sneak into the women’s quarters or something? Well, no matter. You’ll be punished, and that would be that. While you’re waiting, would you mind helping us out? We are putting on a play for some bored girls, and we need someone to play a rakshasa. I’ll drop you back here before anyone knows where you went! You can stop agonizing about what’s-“

  “Okay!”

  Amin’s abrupt answer made the figure pause, but a second later, that long tail reached down. He was boiling with questions, but he had learned never to look a gift horse in the mouth. He wanted to leave and was being given the means to do so, so the less he talked, the better.

  He stared at the tail intensely, so he noticed when it reached a certain point above him and then began to grow in size, both in length and volume. By the time it reached him, it was as big as he was wide. It curled on the ground, allowing him to step on top and catch the part of it beside him, and just like that, he was out before he could say, ‘fuck you, elder!’

  The tail stopped when he was at a level with its owner, and his first look of his visitor was far different than anything he could have expected. Dark fur was present all around the face, but its features were clearly visible. The monkey man looked like a fairly good-looking late teen, with canines that flashed when he grinned and waved to Amin. As for the rest of his body, it looked almost exactly like that of a gorilla, with clear swathes down his chest, bushy fur covering the rest. The fur, itself was far softer than any he had felt in his life, making him suddenly wonder how it would feel to sleep in a bed made of it.

  The thought was so weird that he needed a moment to erase it and smile back. The monkey man, thankfully, took it as a sign of the same nervousness he had shown before.“Hang on tight,” he said with a bob of his head.

  Turning around, he jumped towards the next stake, moving among the forest of sharpened edges as casually as if he was walking on flat ground. Amin held on for dear life; clearly, the monkey man didn’t have practice carrying people around on his tail. It didn’t stay upright, sometimes even tilting so that his head faced the ground. Wondering whether this was how it must feel to be on a rollercoaster, he focused all of his attention on staying on the tail, not sparing even a glance to anything else as he was afraid of what would happen if he fell and was later discovered moaning on the ground.

  Right when his hands began to ache so much that he began to wish that he had never set out on this endeavor, the monkey man slowed and came to a halt. They had entered the forest sometime before, a fact that he knew because of the branches that whipped against his body. They were in a small clearing in that forest now, as big as a basketball court, covered on all sides by the hanging branches of trees so massive that they were as big as buildings themselves.

  The clearing wasn’t empty. Six of the monkey men, four of whom were as large as Amin’s savior and two who were even larger—standing at least 8 feet tall—stood striking poses for six figures resting on the ground at the edge of the clearing. He blushed when he realized that he was staring at the six. They were similar in some ways to the others, but significant bulges were present in the chest area and they were more slender, with delicate features.

  Those are… Monkey ladies? I shouldn’t stare!

  One of the bigger monkey men spoke, saving him from his embarrassment. Finding a welcome distraction, he focused on that voice and realized what had struck him so oddly before: there was a low growl in that tone, one that would have been at home in the sounds a lion or a tiger would make.

  “That’s who you found? Not a great rakshasa, is he? They’re supposed to be gigantic and powerful in the stories, inciting fear and terror with a single look. This guy looks like he can be sent flying by my tail.”

  All twelve laughed, and Amin chuckled along, suddenly very conscious of how all twelve of their bodies were so muscular that they would put avid gymgoers who were so proud of their body to shame. How thick they were varied, but even the one with the least muscle was twice as big as Amin.

  Setting him down on the ground, the one who had brought him there said, “It was him or one of us playing two characters, and we all remember what happened the last time that happened. We don’t want to sit around wondering whether you’re acting like a rakshasa or a Mahasiddhi. One would think you would know not to jumble the dialogues, but one would think you had the capacity to think, too, when you actually don’t.”

  The eyes of the big monkey man who was the butt of the joke flashed as the others roared in laughter. His mouth opened, showing those canines that looked like they could easily puncture stone, but after a moment, he glanced at the six watching figures self-consciously and visibly controlled himself.

  Turning to him, the one who had brought him said, “Don’t mind him. We are all set to begin. Just stand over there and look menacing. You have no dialogues, but it really spoils the fun when there’s no one to point at.”

  Nodding hesitantly, Amin walked to the spot the monkey indicated. Standing there, he raised his hands, feeling like an idiot, and made the most threatening sound he could.

  “RAAAAAaaaawr?”

  They all turned to him, then they all burst out laughing, some even slapping their thighs so hard that he was convinced he would be slapped into a pound of flesh if he took the place of that limb.

  They took their sweet time to recover, eventually taking up positions around him, all six wiping tears from their eyes, sometimes abruptly breaking out in a chuckle whenever they remembered his pathetic performance. Amin didn’t know what else he could have done. He had suddenly felt as if he was in a place where he didn’t want to make even a single mistake, didn’t want to give even a single reason to attract the ire of any of these strange creatures. He had resolved to do everything he could to keep them happy, so he was actually glad that he had made them laugh.

  No one suddenly decides that they need to sink their canines into the throat of someone who made them laugh, right?

  After the six were happy with where they stood, the one who had brought him there spoke.

  “Alright, let’s begin. We are going to put on our enactment of the origin of Ayodhya. Ladies, enjoy.”

  Cheers and whistles from the six watching spurred on the monkey man. Grinning, he stood up straight, folding his hands behind his back and focusing on the spot between him and Amin.

  Amin had felt a surge of joy when he heard the name of the play. He was finally going to find out more about this place, about why it existed, and about just what the old man had been talking about when he had spoken about threats that Amin couldn’t ‘comprehend’.

  Abruptly, a half-transparent image, no, a half-transparent 3D figure appeared in front of him. It flickered in and out of existence, like the screen of a TV searching for a signal, but a few seconds later, it stabilized.

  Looking behind it, Amin saw that the monkey man’s forehead glistened with perspiration. His face was also scrunched up into an expression of extreme effort. A couple of seconds later, he relaxed and smiled proudly, glancing at the spectators to see their reactions.

  They all appropriately ‘aah’-ed and ‘ooh’-ed, catching his glance and knowing what was expected. Amin felt like ‘aah’-ing himself, but he didn’t say a word, studying the figure.

  He could recognize it for what it was, although he didn’t remember where he had seen it before. It was the aftermath of a nuclear blast.

  The mushrooming cloud of death and destruction was unmistakable. It was only as large as him, but it filled him with dread.

  When the monkey man spoke again, he hung on every word.

  “The year is 1945. The Council of Mahasiddhis keeps a close eye on the world, as they always have since antiquity. They are the ones with the most accomplishments and the possessors of the most power in the world, but they have vowed to not step in and alter the events of the world in this age. Yet, something that none of them expected came to be: the atomic bomb dropped on Japan, and hundreds of years of suffering, death, and
pain came to a head, ripping open a rift connecting the lands of the demons to our world.”

  The mushrooming cloud was suddenly replaced by a dark portal, as big as that cloud itself. Massive shapes appeared out of it, monstrous beings that should only exist in nightmares, unimaginable amalgamations of beasts that made him shiver.

  “Some claim that it is impossible for such a thing to happen on its own, but there is no proof otherwise. The rift opened, and the world was at the brink of destruction.”

  The six stepped forward, then, and each of them began to talk in turn, each uttering a dialogue of what must be a single speech that they had divided among themselves so that they would all be able to show off to the maidens.

  “This cannot be! Our vow still stands, but we must do something.”

  “The gods are irresponsive. But even if we consult them, they might say that nothing can be done.”

  “We cannot stand for that! This is our world. They live up there in heaven, looking down at us, enjoying their lives while we are forced to sit by with so much power, unable to use it for anything.”

  “I agree. We must stop them. It is not time for the world to end: we all know this. But the rift is too large, and there are too many of the rakshasas to fight.”

  “Yes! Even attempting to fight will result in a scale of destruction that will dwarf any calamity the world has seen yet. What is to be done?”

  Each of them delivered their dialogues in their own unique way. The two big ones somehow managed to flex their massive muscles while they spoke, each bicep as big as Amin’s waist, bulging in a way that should not be possible. The others acted as best as they could, but there was really no competition: the one who had brought him here seemed to be the most talented, delivering his lines in a somber tone that made Amin believe he was who he was claiming to be.

  After a few seconds, all of them spoke at once, looking at the image and him behind it.

  “There is no other way. We must sacrifice ourselves, both to kill the demons and close that rift. But even after that, the world will be changed permanently. The rift has caused something irreversible: travel from the patalas, the layers below the earth where the demons dwell shall forever be easy as a pathway has been laid down. There is something else, too: the Asuras, the godly demons that rule the patalas will be able to spread their influence, directing their energy in ways they could never have even thought of before. We are entering an era of widespread evil, an era of danger for humanity. People like us must be present to defend those without power. Before we go to our deaths, we must create a safe haven where strength may be accumulated without interference. The traditional means of training warriors and siddhis is too slow. A system must be created to find individuals with talent from the general populace and accelerate their training with help from the gods and other beings of power. They must be bound to us, bound forever. Bound in death. They will be sworn to battle, sworn to duty. As Deathsworn, they will stand on the front lines. Let it be so.”

  The illusory figure disappeared, and Amin felt his skin prickle as all six turned to him. The biggest of them, who happened to be the one who had been embarrassed before raised one hand and his scream made Amin want to turn around and run.

  “Now, onward! Charge! Kill the rakshasa!”

  His legs shook, his mind conjuring up images of him toyed with like a defenseless meat bag by the six. He had clearly been deceived: they wanted someone to beat up, and he had volunteered like some dumb idiot who didn’t know what was good for him.

  “Hey, isn’t that the Keeper?”

  The question from one of the monkey women made all six look up, and sure enough, a man stood there with his hands folded. Amin recognized him; it was the buff guy from before who had wanted to kill him to stop whatever had caused that angry reaction from those halos.

  “I know why you brought him here, but he has cheated you. He is no Deathsworn waiting to be punished. He hasn’t even been initiated yet. I will deal with your altercations later. For now, he is summoned to the High Council, so we must be on our way.”

  The eyes of all twelve monkey people stabbed into him, then, all of them containing the same emotion: they looked as if he had claimed to be a bank employee and stolen their life savings.

  Before he could give any explanation, he was flown into the air while trying to keep himself upright in the dense substance that had appeared again.

  The last thing he remembered of the monkeys was, oddly, what he could swear were tears that filled the eyes of the monkey man who had saved him from the cell and been rewarded by deceit.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THEY FLEW IN silence for a few seconds. Amin was lost in his thoughts, wondering why that monkey had looked so hurt even though he had definitely come to the cells to recruit a punching bag.

  A gruff voice made him snap his head up.

  “No matter what happens next, you have earned the ire of the vanaras. They do not make friends easily, nor do they let go of grudges no matter how many eons pass. I heard what that vanara shouted, but they wouldn’t have touched you! You’ll be known among them all as a deceiver, an enemy to the race. Good luck getting out of that.”

  The chuckle that followed rankled so much that Amin felt as if his stomach was on fire. Opening his mouth, he said whatever came to mind.

  “What is the matter with you? What did I even do to you? I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t even do anything to deserve that treatment before. I –“

  The muscular man rounded on him, his eyes as red as if someone had thrown chilly powder into them. Pointing a finger straight at Amin’s nose while they continued to fly, he bellowed, “I hate thieves. If it was up to me, the sins of the past life would never be forgiven; they should be atoned for, first, before anyone becomes worthy of attaining the mantle of a Deathsworn. Oh, don’t even pretend it’s false; I know a thief when I see one. You can’t hide the way your eyes darted to where the pockets were on all of us as soon as we arrived. I know that calculating look when you tried to see whether you could run away. I know you and your ilk; if it were up to me, you would be given to my training ground for a single day, and I would have no problem with you afterward. Of course, you might never walk again... but you surely deserve it.”

  Amin gaped, jaw opening and closing as he didn’t even understand what to say. He had been outed as a thief without even doing anything, but that wasn’t what galled so much.

  It was the fact that his past life had followed him here despite all that talk about being born anew.

  It also galled that he was judged so easily, judged to deserve such a harsh punishment. True, he was indeed a scammer and a thief, but he had always had his reasons.

  Letting out a breath, he prepared to launch into a tirade unlike any the man had ever seen, but before he could say a word, they began to descend. Looking down, Amin forgot whatever he had been about to say as he saw what must be the most peculiar meeting area in the world.

  It was a green clearing with only a single tree, a tall oak that was as tall as a ten-story building, its branches covering such a large area that he would have been hard-pressed to run across it even given 10 minutes. Two roughly hewn stone slabs resting on three smaller slabs made makeshift tables arranged in a V shape behind which sat three wooden chairs each, carved with beautiful climbing vines and bedecked with real flowers.

  There was a gap between the two tables where a patch of grass was greener than the rest. The entire setup was right in front of the gigantic base of the oak, in a cool, shaded place filled with fluttering butterflies and twittering birds.

  In front of that ‘V’ was a single chair made of plain, stark metal. He was set on the ground beside it before the Keeper, as he had been called, floated to one of the chairs on the table to his left-hand side, taking his place at the very corner and glowering at Amin as if he really had been a victim of one of his scams.

  Scrambling to his feet, Amin opened his mouth again, but he was interrupted once more by the
abrupt arrival of a man, an arrival of such a fashion that he was left speechless even after everything he had seen so far. All the feats of magic he had witnessed had some basis in reality, some familiarity he could conjure based on his limited exposure to the world of superheroes and wizardry; all stuff he had seen in passing or by happenstance, without much interest.

  What the newcomer had just done was something from a realm beyond. He had blinked into existence with no preamble whatsoever, simply appearing there, on that central patch of grass in a fraction of a second before which there had been nothing there. All Amin had spotted was a twinkle of something bright being emitted from a single point, and after that, only the man’s tranquil face filled his gaze.

  This man was also garbed in a saffron dhoti in the same fashion that that first elder had employed. He had a string of beads in one hand and one around his neck, his other hand holding an apple with a bite missing. With flowing locks of black hair that reached his shoulders, high cheekbones, light skin, and a clean-shaven sharp jaw, he was quite handsome. He didn’t look that old; he only seemed a few years older than Amin, but those eyes belonged to an existence that must surely have observed the world since the beginning of time.

  Those eyes seemed to contain the entire universe; past, present, and future were nothing to it, nothing but books to be perused at will, nothing but mortal interpretations of a phenomenon they knew nothing about. Amin felt like prostrating in front of that gaze, proclaiming that he felt lucky and blessed to be here, at this moment, in front of this man who was undoubtedly more than a man.

  It lasted only for a moment that felt like a lifetime. He blinked and that gaze was back to normal, with no hint of the divine nature they had shown just now. He knew he hadn’t imagined it, but there was no way to even ask what had happened in a bid to understand his experience.