21st February, Year 4987, Second Age of Astron;
In the hidden dimension;
The city of Videha was decorated with flowers and artwork as if there was a festival going on.
Scholars, nobles, wealthy merchants, ministers, princes of the ruling family, and some kings of vassal states were arriving at the city. In order to prevent spies or assassins, there was also heavy security all over the place. More than ten thousand soldiers were deployed for this event.
So, what is the event?
Well, it's the birthday of Prince Indra, who was said to be a heavenly genius; born with reserves of mana almost a thousand times greater than an average adult human and rumored to have awakened the spirit of lightning itself.
During the past 11 years, he was kept hidden and is finally going to be displayed to the public for the first time. Naturally, everyone is curious.
However, it isn't the primary reason for their arrival.
It is because of the fact that the king is going to make an important announcement on this day.
Since the eldest prince is at a place called Gurukula, where students live with their teacher in a residential setting until their graduation without any outings or holidays to return home, the guests couldn't help but wonder whether the matter is related to the position of the crown prince.
It is known that the eldest prince was adopted and not appointed as the crown prince. As a result of that, people expected the Emperor to announce Prince Indra as one, now that he has awakened such power worthy of the throne.
The time has come for the Emperor's announcement.
The guests sat down alongside the birthday boy. One seat, however, remained vacant despite the fact that the Emperor already sat on his throne. It belonged to the eldest prince.
Seeing the Emperor, who appeared to be lost in thought for a while, a minister gestured for the prime minister to do something. The Prime Minister walked to the throne and spoke in a low tone, almost like a whisper.
The Emperor returned to reality and addressed everyone as the prime minister backed away.
"I once again thank all the guests who accepted our invitation and came here to bless my grandson. However, there is another reason that I invited you. I intend to make an important announcement that might change the shape of our kingdom's fate forever. Please note that this decision wasn't taken on a whim, and I expect everyone would accept it."
A few gazes landed on the young prince Indra, while a few landed on Prince Rudra, the Emperor's youngest son, who also had considerable support from the vassal kings. The others wondered whether it was going to be something unexpected.
It was then that the Emperor closed his eyes and slowly reached out to his crown, taking the spectators by surprise. "Last week, I was visited by the Great Sage Puru, informing me about the prophecy. Today, I will reveal to you what the prophecy is."
There was a pin-drop silence in the throne hall; everyone concentrated on the Emperor.
"The mute avenger, fueled by ancient grievances;
The soul collector reborn, amassing power with each departed spirit;
the hero's descendant, wielding the cosmos' strongest eyes;
The true heir of Aryavarta, born to command mystical forces.
Simultaneously, a vanquished evil resurfaces, threatening all realms.
Celestial convergence dictates their destinies, entwining the fates of these chosen ones.
Will they unite against encroaching darkness, or witness the cosmos succumb to an eternal abyss?
The celestial dance begins, and the Kin of the Gods hold the key to salvation or doom."
The individuals exchanged glances, their expressions reflecting bewilderment. They really hoped for the Emperor to give them clarification instead of throwing puzzles at them.
However, the Emperor continued by announcing, "I won't go into details, but what you need to know is that, soon, a great evil is going to threaten our very existence, and this realm needs young blood to face that challenge.
Everyone knows that my eldest grandson, Prince Ayush, is under the tutelage of Great Sage Nirvikapla, but what no one knows is that he has already completed his basic education long ago and continued to stay there to master various Divyaastras (Divine weapons).
At the mere age of 15, he has already attained the knowledge of Brahmastra (A divine weapon akin to that of a thermonuclear bomb of greater than a gigaton yield), and for the past year, he has been working at the Ashram as a mentor to his juniors on the order of his teacher. But that ends now.
Prince Ayush and the Great Sage left the premises of the Ashram and were on their way here. Within a few hours, they might reach here. Once they arrive, we shall proceed with…"
He didn't even get to finish his announcement, but the assembly was interrupted by the sudden change of weather in the capital city. Thunder, louder than ever, was roaring in the sky, forcing everyone to get out after some time.
Roughly ten minutes later;
As the Emperor was wondering what was wrong with the abrupt change of weather, which usually indicated that some Great Sage was angry at him, a soldier whispered something to Prince Rudra, and he walked forward and patted the old emperor, "Father, it's regarding nephew Ayush."
"Hmm?" The Emperor and the other prominent guests who were standing on the balcony alongside turned around.
With a deep frown on his face, he said, "On the way to the palace, it appeared that Ayush went missing after expressing his desire to. At the same time, right before these thunderous clouds occurred, there was an entry made to the outside realm. The guard was being escorted to the palace, and we will find out who it is, but…"
"I know…" The Emperor let out a sigh as he looked down at the floor.
"What now, Your Majesty?" asked the King of Trilinga, a vassal state located in the southern part of the empire.
The Emperor calmed himself and made a serious expression, "Rudra, summon Bairava."
"The Dreaded Berserker Bairava?" Prince Rudra and others collectively let out a gasp of surprise.
"Does this old man want to capture the prince or kill him?" They couldn't help but wonder.
Several weeks later;
Somewhere in a remote location;
A teenage boy with a long ponytail was standing at the edge of a cliff and staring at the barren land beneath it. There was a buffed middle-aged man standing one step behind him like a subordinate.
Meanwhile, there was a lone giant beast roaming back and forth. It has the body of a tiger with a robust physique, the head of a lion with a majestic mane, a large horn protruding from its forehead like a rhino, and large, feathery wings like an eagle.
Even from a distance, it does look like a formidable beast.
As Ayush was watching it from the edge of the cliff with a bit of excitement on his face, the subordinate gulped a bit of his saliva and spoke, "Your Highness, think about it once again. We have barely escaped with our lives, last time."
The Prince cast a sidelong meaningful glance, "I was merely testing its capabilities, uncle. I will not waste time and finish it in one move."
"Your Highness, you don't mean…" The subordinate was taken aback and then became excited, "Brahmastra? I heard the rumors. Forgive my impudence, but did you really master one of the six strongest Divyaastras?"
"C'mon, you belittle me with such a question, Uncle. My teacher's order is absolute. A Brahmastra cannot be used for selfish purposes. It can only be used to eradicate the evil and only when it threatens society." The Prince of Aryavarta raised his hand and summoned a bow with two strings; one looked normal, and the other was glowing in light.
"This… what weapon is this…" Bewilderment took over the subordinate.
The Prince didn't give him any explanation and conjured an energy arrow by using the normal string and shot it toward the sky.
The arrow traveled for a bit and exploded like firecrackers with a loud sound, enough to attract the attention of the beast.
As the giant beast momentarily glanced at the sky and then shifted its attention toward the two humans on the cliff, "It's you again, pest. Today, your armor won't save you." Its roar echoed all over the place.
The Prince grabbed the glowing string and replied as loudly as possible, "Yali, last chance to surrender."
"Hahaha, you speak mighty for someone who ran away like a coward," The beast mocked him, remembering their previous encounter roughly a couple of weeks ago.
Upon hearing its words, he started mumbling the incantation in Sanskrit, a language unique to Aryavarta and that too only known to a small percentage of inhabitants in the realm.
"Akase carantam visvarupinam, Deva manusya ye gayanti srutih. Vaikunthe suptam kalyanagunalayam, Jagratam Narayanastra udgari.
Hrdaye cakrasya sudhamsukau-stubhe, Mantraena Narayana yo'tra drdhikuru. Kalasya ksanasya gatir-yatra yati, Uttistha Narayanastra sa srjami.
Garudaksa-saktih sarvajagatpraneta, Bhutani yanti pathikopamani. Mantraena Narayana yo'tra drdhikuru, Uttistha Narayanastra sa srjami."
[Translation:
In the cosmic realm, where the formless wanders, the gods and humans sing in the scriptures. In the dormant abode of auspicious qualities, Awaken, Narayanastra, with thunderous roars.
With the nectarine essence in the heart of the divine discus, By the mantra of Narayana, strengthen here. Where time's moments find their destination, Rise, Narayanastra, I release you.
Possessed by the power of Garuda's wings, the leader of all existence, Travelers on earthly paths are like shadows. By the mantra of Narayana, strengthen here, Rise, Narayanastra, I release you.]
The beast waited until a celestial arrow appeared between his fingertips.
"You took so much to invoke such a simple arrow?" Disappointment could be sensed through the beast's voice.
Prince Ayush didn't take its words to heart and shot the arrow into the sky.
As it transformed into a giant circular disk with 108 sharpened edges, eleven mysterious silhouettes appeared above the disk, and their hands stretched toward the disk at the same time.
"It's… it's… it's…" The subordinate immediately fell onto his knees with shock on his face, "His Highness is just 16 years old. How in the hell did he…"
*
Meanwhile, the beast calmly stared at the sky as a barrage of various types of weapons made of divine energy released by the circular disk and attacked it.
Spear, Mace, arrow, sword, saber, club, etc, whatever types of traditional weapons known to man are currently bombarding the beast at a speed faster than rounds fired by a machine gun.
At first, the beast only felt a tingle from those little divine energy weapons but as time passed, even its sturdy body started to feel the full effects of repeated attacks.
But it neither tried to dodge the attacks nor did it attack its challenger. The beast stood its ground, purely focusing on defending itself atleast until the attack finished.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours, and hours turned into three whole days.
During this time, the circular disk didn't stop sending a barrage of energy weapons for even a moment. The source of its inexhaustible energy is the abundant natural energy of the planet, as well as the celestial bodies.
The eleven figures continued to absorb the natural energy and provide it to the disk, which attacked the enemies nonstop until they surrendered to its power. What's more, they somehow nullify all kinds of healing powers. If its caster didn't dismiss the weapon, this was the only way this divine weapon would stop its wrath.
However, the beast's huge ego stopped it from either surrendering to the weapon or evading.
As a result, its body was filled with thousands of cuts and wounds, the land beneath it was bathed with its blood, its legs were shaking in weakness, and its feathery wings had holes in a lot of places. But its head was always high, with its eyes fixed on the boy standing on the cliff.
It wasn't as if Ayush was in a great state either, despite the fact that he had yet to make another move.
While the beast had been attacked by the energy weapons for the past two days, Ayush was also standing there on the spot without any sleep, momentary rest, food, or even water.
His eyes were red and his vision was quite dizzy. It was as if he were going to faint at any moment.
His subordinate kept on requesting him to stop this madnes,s but he stayed there like a rock and persisted for three straight days, stating that it is not righteous to take rest or enjoy food in the midst of a battle.
Finally, after 79 hours of long endurance, the beast fell to the ground.
But, before it fell, its words of rejection were heard in the surroundings, "I refuse to submit to a human or that weapon…"
The subordinate ecstatically shouted, "Finally, you have brought down the arrogance of that beast. Congratulations, Your Highness. Now, hurry up and use the beast-taming scroll."
In response, Ayush forced out a chuckle and shook his head, "Yali hasn't acknowledged me, uncle. It is not righteous to force a contract onto a beast. Not to mention, Yali isn't an enemy. It is going to be my partner." His voice was quite hoarse and weak due to dehydration.
"So, what will we do now?" As the subordinate asked, Ayush tried to move a bit, but he lost his footing, fell backward, and got caught by his subordinate. "Take me to it," He said.
Carrying him in his arms, the subordinate took a leap directly from the edge of the cliff and landed on the barren land, which is like 150-160 meters deep.
Yet, he perfectly landed on the ground as if it were a small task and proceeded to walk toward the beast that seemed to have its consciousness.
"Let me down."
The Prince got down on his feet and stood a couple of meters away from the fallen beast before taking out a flash of dark green liquid from his storage ring.
"Your Highness, I don't think we should…" The subordinate tried to stop him, but the Prince opened the cork and splashed the liquid onto the beast without any hesitation.
Miraculously, within a matter of seconds, the beast's injuries were all healed, and it never felt stronger. However, instead of thanking him, it said in its mighty voice, "This doesn't mean my views of you will be changed, human. However, I will do you a favor and lend you a hand if you wish to capture a beast king in the future."
In response, the pale-faced Ayush shook his head, "I didn't do this to gain your favor, Yali. I was merely doing what I think is right. But, if you want to do a favor, tell me the conditions that I have to fulfill to gain your acknowledgment. What should I do so that you will consider becoming my beast companion?"
The beast didn't even mince its words as it replied, "I'm one of the four guardians of this world, human, protecting this world from external threats for millions of years. I'm tied to Mother Nature. Even if I die, I will be reborn after some time. So, I have no fear of death.
As for you, you hide behind that indestructible armor and try to use some mysterious technique from far away. Forget about accepting you as my master; you don't even have the qualifications to receive my acknowledgment as a rival.
If you want my acknowledgment, you need to show me that you are worthy of becoming the world's guardian, meaning the strongest being who can bend the world's laws to his own will. It takes thousands of years of hardcore training to achieve such a thing, and it is impossible for humans like you, born with a limited life span and weak physique.
So, get that stupid thought out of your head and get lost. Leave before I change my mind."
The subordinate furrowed his brows in displeasure, not liking how his lord was getting humiliated by the enemy that was shown mercy. But, he couldn't act against it as he knew the extent of its powers.
On the other hand, Ayush was calm. He silently stared at the beast for a few seconds before opening his mouth, "I don't need thousands of years to achieve what you require. I merely need ten years."
"Phuahahaha."
The beast laughed uncontrollably with its whole body shaking, "Ten years? I should say it is the biggest joke I have heard in the past millennium."
This time, even his subordinate thought that it was absurd.
Ayush resolutely spoke, "As you have said, a human lifespan is limited. In fact, for a being like you who lived for millions of years, our whole life should not even be worthy of one cycle of hibernation. No need for a beast companion contract. No need for submission. No need to act as my protector. Just follow me for a decade and become a part of my journey. If I fail to make you surrender to my will, you can consume my body and even my soul. That's what I'm willing to bet."
"Your Highness…" The subordinate tried to stop him from being reckless, but it was too late.
The surprised beast once again laughed, but this time, not out of absurdity. "Interesting… very well. I will follow you for a period of ten years from now."
A blinding flash of light covered its body for a couple of seconds before it reduced its size to that of an ordinary lion.
The Prince let out a smile, "Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Ayush, and this is Bairava."
"Strange names…" commented the beast before it spoke, "Evalion. That's the name my creator gave me."
Bairava (thinking): You are the one with a strange name.
"Okay, now, let's proceed with the contract in a traditional way. You shall drink my blood and I shall consume yours at the same time…" said the heavenly king of the south, one of the nine Tier-10 beasts that existed in the world of Terra.
"Agreed."