Viswa was cleaning the kitchen before going to sleep. Her sons had already gone to bed and were fast asleep. They had spread large beddings on the floor of the biggest room of their hut and the hundred of them slept together huddling close to each other. There was a smaller space made with a partition where their parents rested at night.

As she was almost done with her work, she felt something hitting her back. She saw it was a small pebble. Her eyes went to the open window to find Kashyap peaking through it. As their eyes met, he gestured for her to come outside. Viswa's eyes went towards the main room where their children were sleeping peacefully without a worry. She nodded at her husband looking back at him and then finishing her work soundlessly went out of the house.

She found him sitting on the front porch of his workshop. The only light dispersing the darkness was coming from the glowing moon. Her steps took her to him automatically in the guidance of that light. Viswa sat beside him with a smile. Kashyap returned the smile and forwarded his hand.

"Jaggery? Good that you bought it. I'll make some jaggery rice tomorrow. It has been a long time since I made something sweet for the kids."

"Bohot kast uthana pad raha hai na tumhe Viswa? Kaha tum raj bhabhano mei pali badi, aur kaha yeaha thodi si gud dek kar khush ho rahi ho!

(You're going through so much trouble Viswa. You're the one brought up in the palace, and here a little bit of jaggery is making you happy!)"

"Kast? Mujhe koyi kast nehi hai Arya. Main prasanna hu. Aabasakta ki har bastu to hai mere paas. Aap hai, hamare putra hai. Aur kya cahiye.

(Trouble? I have no troubles Arya. I am happy. I have all that I need. You, our sons. I don't need anything else.)"

Viswa replied and gifted him with a beautiful smile. Kashyap returned the smile and hugged her from side. Viswa found her place close to his heart and sighed in contentment.

"I'm just worried a little about our sons. We have provided them with primary knowledge that they needed. But for further education, they need a Guru. Who can bestow them with the knowledge of both weaponry and scriptures. Who can discipline them."

Viswa added after a while. Kashyap nodded in understanding. He too was in search of such a capable Guru for his sons.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine."

***

Life.

The best place that can show you the value of life, is the cremation grounds. Where the cycle of life ends and salvation is served.

But those visiting the grounds, only see the depression, the pain, the mourning.

That day people saw the same. The pain, the mourning and the depression of the one hundred children as they lost both their parents. The father was murdered whereas the mother followed her husband in grief.

Ranakrit stood a little far from his crying brothers in front of the inflamed pyre of his father. His eyes remained dry. His face devoid of any emotions. He remained stoic. But behind this veil of calm, no one saw the storm. The storm that was enlightened inside the heart of a fourteen year old.

That evening, it wasn't only two pyres that were burning. It was much more. In that fire, a family was burnt. The happiness and contentments were burnt. The innocence was burnt. The childhood was burnt.

And all those were replaced by a raging fire of vengeance that was going to turn everything and everyone to ashes.

***

"They'll come with me to Silachettr." Sumedh said with determination.

"No, they'll not. They're the descendents of Vajravansh. They're my brother's last memory, his deposition. And now it's our responsibility to look after his sons."

"Where were you all these years? My sister was never accepted as the daughter-in-law of Vajravansh! And now after their demise, you have come here to take responsibility?"

Ranakrit listened to the ongoing banter from inside the hut for sometime as his brothers huddled close to each other in different positions around the room. As the voices of Rajkumar Durdharsh and Yuvraj Sumedh kept rising, he slowly placed Agamya's head on the bedding. The boy had fallen asleep keeping his head on his brother's lap while crying. He looked around the room at the scared and uncertain faces of his brothers for a moment before going outside.

Ranakrit came out of the hut to find his both uncles still arguing over where the sons of Kashyap would go. Amvasthapuram or Silachettr? The two had yet to notice him.

"We will go to Amvasthapuram." Ranakrit's voice interrupted them. And both looked at the boy in surprise.

"Ranakrit?" Sumedh called him questioningly. The boy had changed a lot in a matter of days. So much that he could not recognize him anymore.

No one knew what happened to Kashyap and how he died except Ranakrit. And Ranakrit never talked about it. Only said it was an accident.

"After our parents demise, my brothers are my responsibility. And they'll do what I say. And it is my decision that we will go to Amvasthapuram." Ranakrit stated solemnly.

"But putra---"

"No buts Mamashree. It's decided."