The Crooked Lands (Part 1)

19. Am I Ready To Say Hello To Patala?

Harsh laughed.

"Adi, just calm the hell down," Harsh commented.

"What?!"

"You get more and more bratty as you get more annoyed."

"What is this about?" Guru Parshuram asked. I started running. You wouldn't want to argue with him. If you don't finish the routine, he will put you to sparring exercise with him. That will mean you end up with several bruises. He doesn't go easy.

"Do you think the daityas, danavas, or rakshasas will go easy on you because you're not that well trained? No. They'll kill you with no remorse at all." He would tell you.

Guru Parshuram had started to train me with Kalarippayattu. It would take a little longer before I can gain any expertise. That doesn't mean he doesn't get harsh with training. I'd probably end up with at least four bruises. He's an excellent teacher, though. Like anyone who is taught by him is grateful. They achieve their greatest heights. Yet, he's a bit harsh.

After morning rounds, all of us sat in the arena sitting area. Guru Parshuram showed a few moves. Akshay and Omakara were in the arena with him.

Akshay took a duel with him. The fight went on. I was surprised. He was extremely good if he lasted even 10 minutes with Guru Parshuram. The fight went on. Even Guru Parshuram was impressed with him.

"He is really good, man." I whispered to Harsh.

"I've heard from Hanuman that he has been trained for around 10 years. He started his training when he was four years old. At the time when he started saying words properly, he was already learning battle skills. I'd say after 10 years of training, anyone would get as great as him. They also say that he has done penance for around 8 years."

"I never knew penances were still a thing. I've never heard of any Devansh doing penances." I commented.

"Penances are of several types. One is the penance of their duty and the other is spiritual penance." Sona explained. "Most Devansh do the penance of their duty. They are blood bound to serve their godly parents, the gods of Swarga. The majority of Indra's army is made up of Devansh and their descendants. The Devansh train their descendants. The descendants don't come here."

"Wow."

Akshay still hadn't given up. He was still fighting Guru Parshuram. All the students were still looking at them in awe. No one had ever lasted this long.

"I have been in this Gurukul for around 14 years and still never found anyone who could do anything close to that." Naina di commented.

"Hi..." Nandini came ahead. I smiled at her. She sat next to me.

"Hi." I replied.

"Better than before? You were a little down before. Hope you're better now."

"Starting to feel right at home." My sarcasm reached her and she laughed.

She was dressed in a dhoti and white top. Most of the white top was covered by armour. She paired it with white shoes. Her hair in two french braids. She looked pretty. A thought poured into my mind that pink would suit her a lot more. She did manage the wing eyeliner but I could tell it was a hard attempt. She had never done it before. Her nude brown lipstick was pretty much a solid choice. I could see an extremely light patch of black near her eyes. It was from wiping off the eyeliner and trying the edge again. I smiled at the thought. She had put quite some time into dressing up.

"Next time you take a few more attempts at eyeliner, you might want to use coconut oil as a makeup remover. It works wonders." I told her. She turned to me. A soft blush appeared on her cheeks.