Night was about to fall soon. The moon had started appearing in the sky. Lights and candles in people's homes had begun to glow and spread their brightness. Raghuveer stood still. Someone had placed a hand on his shoulder. Raghuveer looked — it was the royal messenger. The messenger had been searching for Raghuveer under the king's orders, and now he had found him. The messenger was very tired. He took a deep breath and exhaled. The people around were looking at Raghuveer, because his body was stained with blood.
"I searched for you everywhere," the messenger said.
Raghuveer didn't say anything. The messenger looked at him.
"Blood…? You… you… whom did you kill?" the messenger asked. His face showed surprise, because Raghuveer had committed violence in the upper-caste area.
Now he won't be spared, the messenger told himself.
Raghuveer didn't speak. His face showed no reaction.
The messenger composed himself.
It's not my job to ask questions. I'll do what I came here for, the messenger told himself.
"Come with me," the messenger said.
Raghuveer stood silently and listened. People passing by were frightened seeing the blood on his body.
"Hey, come on," the messenger repeated.
Finally, a word came from Raghuveer's mouth. "Where?" Raghuveer asked.
"To the royal court. The king has summoned you," the messenger said.
Let's see why the king is looking for me. Wait, Raghuveer — first ask him why the king wants to meet you, Raghuveer told himself.
"Why?" Raghuveer asked.
"The king wants to speak with you," the messenger said.
"What?" Raghuveer asked.
"How would I know?" the messenger replied.
He's asking too many questions. Just come quietly, the messenger told himself.
He was irritated by Raghuveer's questions, but he calmed himself.
"Come to the king. He'll tell you everything," the messenger said, showing a fake smile.
People passing by were whispering about Raghuveer.
"Papa, what is that red-red thing on that man's body?" a small boy asked, stopping and holding his father's hand.
"Come, son, let's go. He's a demon," the boy's father said.
"Demon…?" the boy asked, looking at Raghuveer.
"Yes, demon… they are very bad," the father said.
"Papa, does that mean this man is bad?" the boy asked.
"Yes," the father said.
"So will he be killed like Ravana?" the boy asked.
Raghuveer quickly turned his head and looked at the boy angrily. The boy's father got scared and quickly took his son and left. Raghuveer kept staring at the boy until they were gone. There was no mercy in his heart for anyone. The messenger looked at Raghuveer's hands.
Raghuveer had clenched his fists tightly. If that father and son had stayed a little longer, it would have been their last day.
That bastard… he called me Ravana, Raghuveer told himself.
People stopped whispering and began walking away quietly. From Shudra caste to Brahmin caste, everyone in the capital considered him a demon. Because the news about him had spread everywhere.
What is the reason he's killing people? Truly, being born in the Shudra caste is a sin. How much must one endure, the messenger told himself.
In this world, upper-caste people live a life of comfort. Their punishments are luxurious, and Shudras must suffer. But Raghuveer didn't even have a place in the Shudra caste. Even Shudras saw him as a murderer. In exchange for power, he had lost happiness. He gained strength, but the smile on his face slowly disappeared. It felt like God had punished him. Raghuveer now calmed himself.
You shouldn't get angry at anyone's words. Because demons don't get angry at anyone's words, Raghuveer told himself.
Raghuveer slowly began to see himself as a demon. The messenger was looking at him. Raghuveer stood silently. Now even his anger had faded. He was looking at the moon without blinking.
"This moon is beautiful. I'll speak after a while, but that black spot…" Raghuveer said. His face showed no emotion. His eyes were fixed on the black spot on the moon. The messenger heard his words but didn't understand anything.
"Let's go to the king," Raghuveer said, looking at the messenger.
He was now ready to go to the king.
"Yes, yes… let's go," the messenger said.
The two of them left for the royal court.
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