Palace — The Raja's Office
It was midday in the middle of winter. The air was cold, but the sunlight felt pleasant against the skin.
The kitchens across the district were busy as lunchtime approached, and the air carried the warm smell of burning firewood.
While snow covered parts of the Royal District where magical heating stones could not keep the cold away.
Inside his office, the Raja worked through reports and daily work.
A messenger arrived, bowed, and waited quietly.
"You may speak," the Raja said without looking up.
"Your Majesty, word has arrived that the Rajkumar will be taking the mountain route due to unforeseen circumstances," the messenger reported. "According to the message, His Highness Rajkumar Hamsa should return to the capital by the time of the festival."
The messenger bowed again and left.
"Bhima," the Raja called.
One of the guards stepped forward.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Send a message," the Raja said calmly. "'Is the nest ready?'"
"As you command," Bhima replied before bowing and leaving. Another guard took his place as he exited.
Several hours passed. Eventually, the Raja felt hunger settle in. Looking outside, he decided to eat in the Royal Residence instead of remaining in his office.
He stood and made his way there.
______
Royal Residence — Common Room
The Raja entered the common room where the royal family usually gathered for meals and conversation. After taking his seat, he waited for his wife and second son to arrive.
Soon, they entered.
After greeting him, Mahadevi Bhadra took the seat beside the Raja, while Rajkumar Garuda sat in front to the left of them.
Servants brought fresh food to the table. After offering prayers, they began their meal.
When lunch was finished, they remained seated as the Raja spoke.
"Garuda, your brother should return by the time of the festival."
"But Father," Garuda said, "isn't that later than the time elder brother gave before leaving?"
"There seem to have been unforeseen circumstances," the Raja replied, taking a sip of water. "They were forced to take the mountain route back."
"Do we know what happened?" Garuda asked.
"All we know is what was written in the report," Mahadevi Bhadra said. "Your brother didn't explain much."
She then turned toward her son. "How are you holding up, Garuda? It has been over two months since your awakening."
"I'm doing fine," Garuda answered. "Rajaguru Devasharma has been teaching me well. Though now that the mana brother left me with has faded, I need to focus more to control my own."
"That's good to hear," the Raja said as the Mahadevi nodded along.
"There's one more thing," he added. "You will take your brother's place at this festival. If a blizzard or anything else delays him, he may not arrive in time."
"But isn't the firstborn supposed to go each year until they're married or declared Yuvraj?" Garuda asked.
"Yes," Mahadevi Bhadra replied. "But even if your brother arrives, the report suggests he may need to rest indoors for several days — maybe weeks. He didn't explain why, which worries me. I just hope he doesn't fall sick again."
"Don't worry," the Raja said in a calm tone. "Hamsa isn't weak anymore. And if the last nine years have taught us anything, whenever he ends up bedridden, he comes back stronger… along with a new headache for us to handle."
Mahadevi Bhadra laughed softly at the memory. Even Garuda let out a faint chuckle.
"Well," she said, smiling, "knowing him, he'll probably bring some kind of trouble back even if nothing goes wrong."
They continued talking for a while before the Raja excused himself and returned to the palace.
Just as Mahadevi Bhadra was about to leave, Garuda stopped her.
It wasn't unusual for him to ask his mother to stay, but this time there was worry in his expression.
Seeing this, Mahadevi Bhadra suggested they move to his chambers to talk.
______
Rajkumar Garuda's Chamber
The two entered the chamber. After they sat down, Mahadevi Bhadra signaled for the attendants to leave. Once everyone had gone and the doors were closed, Garuda finally spoke, his voice weak.
"A few days ago… I lost the connection I had with big brother. It came back later, but for a while it just disappeared."
Mahadevi Bhadra felt alarm rise within her, though her face remained calm.
"What exactly do you mean by that, Garuda?" she asked gently.
"I don't really know how to explain it," he said. "The mana he left with me felt like a direct and strong connection between us. Then suddenly it was cut off. His mana started dissolving into the air… and before all of it could disappear, the connection came back again."
He swallowed before continuing.
"And ever since then, I can feel his presence again… but also something else. It feels more like nature itself. And his mana has been fluctuating a lot, and from what—"
He couldn't finish. His throat tightened, and a few tears slipped down his face.
Mahadevi Bhadra placed a gentle hand on his head.
That small gesture was enough.
Garuda finally broke down and leaned into her, crying quietly.
"Will big brother Hamsa be alright?" he asked softly, the words barely leaving his mouth.
Mahadevi Bhadra held him close and comforted him as best she could. Slowly, his breathing steadied. The relief and exhaustion took over, and soon he fell asleep in her arms.
She remained seated, deep in thought.
This is troubling.
From the report I received, he has grown stronger, though it did not explain how or why. We know he is healthy — otherwise the shadow sent along would have already sent an emergency message through the network.
But they haven't.
And based on the timing, it shouldn't even have been more than half a day since they entered the mountains.
She let out a quiet breath.
"Lata," she called.
The door opened, and Lata entered, bowing.
"You summoned me, my lady."
"From the report that reached the palace this morning — was there anything else of note?" Mahadevi Bhadra asked.
"No, my lady," Lata replied. "There was nothing of major importance. The only other report we received mentioned that storms may hit the road the Rajkumar is travelling on sometime next week."
Mahadevi Bhadra thought for a moment.
"Regardless," she said, "send another detachment from the capital. Have them meet the group and serve as escorts."
"As you command, Mahadevi," Lata said. "Shall we inform the Raja?"
"No," she replied firmly. "Keep this under cover."
"Very well, Mahadevi."
Lata bowed and left the chamber.
Silence returned.
Mahadevi Bhadra looked down at Garuda, still asleep in her lap, and sighed softly.
I hope nothing has happened to him… and that nothing will.
____________________
Hamsa, Naga, Gopala, and Mina were back on the road again — though here it was less a road and more a narrow clearing through the snow along the mountainside.
The blizzard had finally subsided, and they had decided to move as quickly as possible.
Hamsa rode in the middle, carrying CHOTU with him. Mina led the way, Naga followed behind her, and Gopala stayed at the rear as vanguard.
Soon they reached a hilltop valley. They stopped briefly to eat before moving on, knowing that staying there to sleep would be dangerous if another storm hit — or worse, if an avalanche occurred.
Just as they prepared to leave, a silhouette appeared from the direction they were heading.
Everyone stiffened.
Naga and Gopala took the front, while Mina moved toward the center, closer to Hamsa this time. Hamsa shifted to the rear and tucked CHOTU inside his coat. His mana flared as he released it.
Oi kid, what are you doing? Adi said. Your body's already tired from all this travelling. Your mana's unstable. If you push it now, you might lose control… or overload.
Let them handle this. They're skilled, and you already boosted their power.
Besides, escorting you is their job.
I know, Hamsa replied internally. I'm just trying to intimidate them. If they think we have a strong magic user, they might talk before attacking.
"Why does this have to happen now?" he muttered.
This is your fault. If your mana hadn't started merging with mine, we wouldn't be in this mess.
How is that my fault? Adi shot back. I couldn't predict when it would start. For all I knew, it was supposed to happen the moment I entered you.
While the argument continued inside Hamsa's head, the situation outside grew tense.
"Bala," Mina said quietly, drawing her weapon, "if they attack and we start losing, you run. Even if we can't make it, you must reach the nearest town. Members of my unit are stationed along the towns and villages down the mountain."
As she said this, one of the approaching figures dismounted and walked forward with his hands raised, though the others behind him kept their weapons ready.
"Who are you? Speak up!" Naga shouted.
"We're hunters from the capital," the man replied. "We heard there were more animals up here lately, so we came to hunt."
Before he could continue, Mina spoke from behind.
"Yeah? And what exactly are you hunting?"
"Nothing much," the man answered casually. "A few dozen goats, half a dozen lions, and maybe a few tigers."
"Stand down," Mina said calmly, sheathing her weapon.
The others looked confused but obeyed.
Mina stepped forward and spoke with the man privately. After a short exchange, she returned as several others from the group approached.
"Rajkumar," she said, "they're part of the unit stationed in and around the capital. It seems Mahadevi Bhadra sent them as reinforcements."
Everyone relaxed slightly. One of the newcomers stepped forward.
"We'll escort you from here," he said. "You can relax now. But… Rajkumar, if I may."
"What is it?" Hamsa replied.
The man removed part of his robe, revealing his face.
"Could you tone down your mana?" he asked carefully. "It's becoming hard to stand."
"Oh," Hamsa said, realizing he was controlled leaking of mana had become uncontrol.
He focused and forced it back under control — but as soon as he did, dizziness hit him. His grip loosened, and he nearly fell before someone caught him.
"Are you alright?" several voices asked at once.
"I'm fine," Hamsa said weakly. "Just tired."
They helped him sit down.
CHOTU poked his head out from Hamsa's coat, and was immediately startled by the crowd.
After being lifted down, the cub wandered around before returning to Hamsa, rubbing against his hand as he meowed in his little voice.
"I'm alright, buddy," Hamsa said softly, patting him. "No need to worry."
"We should move," the newcomer said. "The longer we stay, the worse the conditions will get. Rajkumar, can you ride?"
Hamsa looked up — but instead of answering, stared at the man's face.
"Are you related to Mina?" he asked.
The man blinked, surprised.
"He's my younger brother," Mina answered.
"Ah… that explains it," Hamsa said vaguely, sounding almost intoxicated. "You look alike."
"He's getting sick," Naga said quietly. "We should keep moving. Though I doubt it's serious."
"How can you be sure?" Mina's brother asked.
"Because I've guarded the Rajkumar the longest," Naga replied flatly. "The last two times he got sick, he started acting silly first."
The man stared at him for a moment, then looked toward Gopala and Mina. Seeing neither disagree, he sighed.
Then—
Once Hamsa was settled properly on a horse, they continued moving.
CHOTU stayed with him, refusing to go with anyone else.
They travelled through the mountains and finally reached the capital just as the festival was beginning.