The hunter's village was roughly two miles away through the dense patch of forest around them. It was a scape brimming with all shades of green, everything from the tiniest shrubs to the lofty trees. Rowdy troops of monkeys scatted the small chirping birds that covered the vast network of branches. Their broken feathers sprinkled like snippets of reds and blues.

Abundant nuts and berries lay on the forest's floor that attracted many small residents out of their burrowed homes, only to be preyed upon by bigger, hungrier foes. Sadly, there weren't many large animals to be seen anymore; the ever-expanding villages surrounding the woods had already hunted a vast population for their meat and fur.

Karna remembered last time he was in that forest. It was on an unplanned trip with his uncle while his father and younger brother sold fish in a nearby settlement. Karna's uncle, Varun, was the only person who supported his dream. In fact, he was the one who made Karna his very first bow. Sadly, it had been two years since Uncle Varun's passing. He was a drinker, and his health had finally caught up to him. But before he died, Karna remembered promising him that he wouldn't give up on his dream. Karna swore that one way or the other, he would find a way to become a warrior. It was in that very forest, Karna's last memory of a good day spent with his uncle.

"You look young to use the bow so well. As you can probably tell, I am not nearly as good. My dad wanted me to hunt dinner today. Usually, it's my younger brother Shaan who does the hunting. Oh my god, where are my manners, I didn't even tell you my name. My name is Surya. What is yours?" rambled the hunter.

He clumsily tripped over every other rock in their way, needing to switch back and forth between talking and panting as he tried hard to not fall behind a brisking Karna.

"I'm Karna."

"Oh, that's a wonderful name! I will remember that, Karna. Rolls smoothly off the tongue. I am so glad you were there today, Karna, otherwise I would have been a goner for good. I cannot wait to tell Shaan about you; he is also a great archer. I have always been more of an, if I say so myself, academic."

"What does that mean? Academic?" asked Karna.

"Oh! It is someone who reads and writes for a living. Or in my case wants to," replied Surya.

Surya seemed excited when Karna asked him the question. The pitch of his voice jumped for a moment, but then it quickly faded, and his neck dropped.

"My father hates it; he wants me to be more like Shaan. He says it is disgraceful for his oldest to be so feminine. But I don't think that books are feminine, they capture the world's past, present, and possibly even the future."

"I wish I could read. I would love to know my future," said Karna in a sarcastic tone.

Karna still couldn't believe what he was doing. Walking a stranger like an escort while his father, Adhiratha, awaited him with a stick back home. It had happened way too many times to keep count. And the punishments had only gotten worse, especially since Adhiratha found out about the secret training. He believed that his son was better off living by the rules of Varna if their family was to continue a peaceful life. He felt that in the end, Shudra or Kshatriya, there was no difference as long as they slept under a roof with a full belly.

"Oh, look! It's my bow!" exclaimed Surya, abruptly running off to the side.

He picked up what appeared to be a shiny piece of metal from afar before running back towards Karna. It was a thing of beauty, a heavy bronze longbow with elegantly curved limbs engraved with annular patterns depicting Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. The five primal elements that are said to have made up the universe.

"I am so glad we found it. My father passed it down to me when I turned eighteen. He claimed that it was created by one of the finest craftsmen in the kingdom. I guess it doesn't really matter if you don't know how to use it."

Karna looked at the magnificent weapon with envy. His eyes were gleaming with the light reflected from its smooth polished surface.

"Do you want to try it?" asked Surya extending the bow towards Karna.

Karna resisted his visibly apparent temptation with much effort.

"No, you are correct. The measure of an archer's skill is not judged by his bow," stated Karna as he started to walk again.

"So who taught you? I mean your Guru," asked Surya.

"I don't have one. Never did. I taught myself."

"Oh, that's ...interesting," said Surya.

Karna was expecting a more exhaustive line of questioning to follow. But for the first time in their stroll, Surya did not continue talking.

"You are not going to ask? Why I don't have a teacher," inquired Karna.

"Oh, I suspected it from the start but didn't want to bring it up. Isn't it because you are not Kshatriya?"

Karna slowed his stride, looked back at Surya's repentant expression, and nodded in response. And this point, Surya's comment felt like the least offending thing that had happened all day.

"It is a shame that a talent like yours is a prisoner to such an archaic social norm," added Surya.

"It is not the norm. It is the law." Kara said in an audibly bitter tone.

"I have been training for the past seven years, yet earlier today, I was humiliated and rejected from even participating in Yogya Parichaya. I was told by Drona to give up on my dream of becoming a warrior. He said that he'd never teach some like me. A Sudra."

Both of them walked the remainder of their way in silence. It was during the last few steps of their journey that Karna slowed down, allowing Surya to walk beside him. And soon, they reached the edge of the forest. It was almost sundown when a small village came into sight. There were bamboo houses adjacent to animal closures made of wood. Men and women looked busy tending to the cattle while kids were busy playing near a large well at the center of the settlement.

"I think I can find my way from here," said Surya.

He stopped and stood in front of Karna. So far, Karna had witnessed every emotion but happiness from his companion, but then he saw a long smile manifest on Surya's chubby face.

"I am in your debt. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude."

Surya gracelessly bowed, offering his bow to Karna. His body was preventing him from bending much at all.

"I thought you said that your father gifted this to you?" asked Karna in a confused tone.

"I think it is better if you take it. It will serve you far better than it could ever serve me."

Karna gently held the bow's leather grip and lifted it off Surya's hands. It was much heavier than he expected. The material of its bowstring was alien to his touch. It was an incredibly soft surface but with unexplainable durability to it.

"Rahageer is its name," said Surya.

"Rahageer..." Karna repeated, mesmerized.

"One more thing, there is a Guru who lives far north of here, somewhere in the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. It is said that he is an immortal warrior who chooses his pupil irrespective of their Varna. His name is Bhagavan Parashurama. Maybe he'd agree to take you under his wing when he recognizes your potential. Beware though, the journey to the peaks is extraordinarily difficult. The deadly cold will be the least of your worries."

Karna could not peel his gaze away from Rahageer. He kept inspecting it as he listened to Surya talk. Hearing of this great warrior who'd teach a Shudra lifted Karna's spirit. He felt like a jolt of excitement resuscitated his heart that had stopped beating the very morning.

"How do you know this? And How can I find this Parashurama?" asked Karna as he looked back up.

But Surya was gone. He stood in front of him a second ago, but not anymore.

"Surya? Surya!" yelled Karna.

His voice was loud enough to reach past the village in front of him. There was no response. Karna looked at the bow in his hands once again; he wanted to show his gratitude for having received it. But the man who gave it to him had suddenly disappeared, just like the sun, setting beyond the horizon.