श्रीशुक उवाच

ततश्चानुदिनं धर्म: सत्यं शौचं क्षमा दया ।

कालेन बलिना राजन् नङ्‌क्ष्यत्यायुर्बलं स्मृति: ॥ १ ॥

Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali. ||1||

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The sun was up high in the sky, parting a soft glow from between the cloudy cover. As a gentle breeze blew across the array of trees, rooted around the wind monastery, swaying softly, cherishing the entity.

The monastery was situated high up on the hill, walled by a barrier of woods and greens, built atop a thread of streams falling below in the misty pit. The terraced gardens around the monastery bloomed with flowers, as the refreshing scent of the nectar reached every courtyards.

The monastery had numerous courtyards, but one such space was always utilized for teaching the junior students the values of mortals and the Gods.

Even from far one could hear the loud echo reaching the halls, the corridors ringing with the monotonous phrasings. "Yuga is a four age cycle," the old wise taught, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration as he took rounds of the class hall where he imparted his knowledge, his voice deeply repeating the sacred scriptures followed by the servants of the God.

"Satya Yuga, The age of truth, was the first and best era or yuga we had ever seen. It was the age of truth and perfection... This yuga had no crimes and all humans were kind and friendly. It was so named because there was but one religion, and all men were saintly: therefore they were not required to perform religious ceremonies. Humans were long lived, powerfully built, honest, youthful, vigorous, erudite and virtuous. All mankind could attain to supreme blessedness. There was no agriculture or mining as the earth yielded those riches on its own. Weather was pleasant and everyone was happy. There were no religious sects. There was no disease, decrepitude or fear of anything."

"Yes Guruji (master)," the students spoke in unison, which was the customary practice, the teachings were preached on a daily basis, to avoid diversion from path and to maintain perfection in practice.

However that did not mean the students were just as in harmony with the rigorous refining as was the teacher. If one looked closer and with an open mind, they could see the restlessness the class held within their minds, nobody wanted to sit for five hours straight and listen to the old scriptures being recited.

"The Treta Yuga was the second era in order." The master continued unaware of the impatience around him, carding his fingers through his beard as a habit as his hand held on to a small book and his lips parted to read, "However, "treta" means the "third". In this age, virtue diminished to some extent. At the beginning of the age, many emperors rose to dominance and conquered the world. Wars become frequent and weather began to change to extremities. People became slightly diminished compared to their predecessors. Agriculture, labor and mining became existent."

He barely even finished when his sharp ears caught a small sigh escaping from his left, and without much thought, instinctively, the chalk in his hand shot straight to their target, eliciting a small 'oof' from the source. The master grumbled, throwing a spare glance at the prey, knowing just which student had disrupted his recite. It was none other than Yeonja, the smallest member in the class, age 9, dark haired and meek.

But being sensitive to his students, the master thought it better to let the matter rest, for once in a while, he got tired of reprimanding the others.

"Dvapara Yuga, was the third era in order. However, "dvapara" means "two". In this age, people became tainted with evil entities and qualities, weren't as strong as their ancestors. Diseases became rampant. Humans were discontent and fought each other." he paused when someone sneezed in the middle, his eyes twitching but his face remaining impassive, not expressing his concerns. "People still possessed the characteristics of youth in old age,..." he paused again when someone's stomach grumbled and they let out a soft apology. "while their average lifespan was around a few centuries." he ended the para, completely unfocused on just what he spoke.

He hadn't wanted to scold the student for such minor disruptions, yet he was already far enough into his tolerance, when a small giggle reached his ear.

Knowing just whose laugh it was and whom it was shared with, the master slapped his book close and turned towards the source, his eyes carding through the group and finally resting on the two students who gave him the most inconvenience. If one was meek, the other was a trouble.

"Shishya (student) Yeonja and Taeyu, please stand up," his prominent voice broke through the silence, the breeze shifting with the static in his tone, his enraged aura making the other occupants nervous.

"Yes, Guruji!" both the students exclaimed, shooting up from their seats and by mistake flicking the whole desk over, the loud noise echoing in the hall.

"Disrupting me... time and time again, I absolutely do not condone your behavior in my class, do you both understand?"

The master frowned while watching his two students who nodded sharply, their heads going up and down with a rapid motion, almost strong enough to unhinge from their necks, "We sincerely apologize Guruji, we await our punishment," they both stated loudly, one's voice fearful while the other's cheerful.

The master sighed, his sharp eyes softening, "100 pages of citation and poems from the scripture part 21450. Make any mistake and I will be deducting from your final assessments. Tomorrow, I would like to see it on my desk."

He had full knowledge of how ineffective his punishments were for the two, yet he also knew that they did not have the courage to go against him and the assignments would be there on his table the next day as he asked.

"Yes Guruji!" the voices resounded.

"Then recite what Kali Yuga is, slowly and accurately, I won't tolerate any mistakes. Shishya Yeonja, you go first."

The master also knew that Yeonja was very poor in recital, his temperament was mild when it came to his subject and their was not one day when he wouldn't be scolded by him. So even now the timid little boy was nervously chewing his lips and shifting on his feet without uttering a single word. The rest of the class watched him and even Taeyu, who was mostly loud, stood silently, supporting his friend.

The master respected the two students for their support to each other, but when it came to recital, they both got on his nerves on a daily basis.

"K-Kali Yuga is the f-final age," Yeonja remembered, his nervousness rendering his speech into a stuttered mess. Although the master did not mind, since his motive was to praise his student if he succeeded, as the praise might boost the meek heart and give him a zealous push.

"And?" The master encouraged, his aura increasingly becoming tense for the present class. The air clinging to them with a static and the breeze almost turning cold. The change was inevitable since every servant of God held on to a small amount of mana, that was a part of their soul, and this mana continued to echo its presence, involuntarily affecting the neighboring elements of nature, like wind, land, water, and others.

"I am s-sorry," Yeonja gave up, and the master was left disappointed once again. "Add more 50 pages to you apology assignment, " he gave the verdict, "and next time come prepared for the class, or else I am failing you again."

The master dared not waste his time on shishya Taeyu, since the outcome might be worse and his patience was not as thick as the others believed it to be.

"Kali Yuga is the final age," he himself continued, "It is the age of darkness and ignorance. People stop following their religion and they lack virtue. They become slaves to their passions and are barely as powerful as their earliest ancestors in the Satya Yuga. Society falls into disuse and people become liars and hypocrites. Knowledge is lost and scriptures are diminished. Humans eat forbidden and dirty food. The environment is polluted, water and food become scarce. Wealth is heavily diminished. Families become non-existent. The Kali Yuga is the end of cycle and its end marks the start of the Satya Yuga of the next cycle."

....

"You should be more attentive in class you know," Taeyu scolded Yeonja, even if he himself was the same. But today he was even more worried about his friend than usual, because the day before yesterday, his friend had told him very clearly, that he was going to secretly infiltrate the Water Monastery, "Don't tell me you seriously went along with your plan. Are you an idiot?"

Taeyu was far too much adaptive to Yeonja's mood and behavior than any other, so he clearly understood why his friend seemed so lifeless early in the morning.

Yeonja reluctantly nodded, his soft lips pouting as he tried saving face by walking faster, almost shoving Taeyu down on his nose. The students from the class had dispersed long back and they were the only ones left alone as they walked through the veranda. The wooden floor board creaking under their feet.

The spaces were planned like on hill stations, the terrace garden blooming on the side as a cluster of independent units sat at the center, all of them styled like the Japanese monasteries, the wood dark and the roof carved with even darker gilded tiles.

"I was t-trying to search for him," the feeble voice reached Taeyu, reflecting an excited undertone which was hard to miss.

Taeyu looked comical to Yeonja when the boy's eyes widened and almost popped out of his head, "He is a Nipun you dummy, obviously you cannot see him! Did you really go there??!"

Yeonja hummed, nodding his head again, his eyes shining and bright as the gaze settled somewhere far, almost dazed.

Now Taeyu was not a boy who would entertain such suicidal notions, yet even his own heart desired to see a Nipun, even once would bring him significant joy, "What did you see?" his eyes sparkled under the sun as he shifted closer to Yeonja, his hands automatically clinging on to the boy's arm, pulling him back to get closer. "Ne Ne, tell me tell me what did you see? How does he look? Is it true that his eyes hold the stars in them? Is it true that he is like a God himself?"

Yeonja giggled under Taeyu's questionnaire, his eyes mystifying as he remembered the brilliance of what he saw, "He has deep blue eyes and soft pale hair, almost white. He is unlike anyone I h-have ever seen."

"...Liar," Taeyu claimed, his eyes looking away from his friend in disgust, "You will be a Sevak in a few years, lying doesn't suits you. I have heard the person is old and a wise one at that, not some ethereal beauty."

Yeonja's excitement dwindled when he received the wrong reaction, he hadn't expected for his friend to call him a liar. But he did not know how to make his words believable, he really did go to see the Nipun, and he had. Even now he was in a daze again when he remembered his experience.

The clouds rumbled shakily as a strong gust of wind swept past them. It was almost unnatural, how the clouds kept their presence without season.

"I did see h-him," Yeonja finally collected enough courage to speak. "the air was d-different around him, unlike any s-static you feel around our shikshaks (teachers). And the constant thunder was striking the entire sky, didn't you hear it? The night wasn't calm at a-all, as if the sky was falling. I am also sure that his aura alone would be able to defeat all the impurities in one go. He wasn't any ordinary servant, even I could tell!"

Taeyu had never seen his friend this excited before, and such long sentences never came out of that mouth even if begged. Taeyu was stunned by the sudden change in his friend. "Is he that strong?"

Yeonja nodded, his smile bright and his eyes twinkling with reverence.

The human world remained moving, as it should be according to every sacred scriptures in the world, but a servant's world remained static, un-moving and unchanging even when the time progressed as was its fate.

The servants of the Gods they were called, and they weren't humans, but those responsible for protecting the mortal race.

Humans were passionate individuals who worked for themselves and the beings they loved. Many would say they were selfish, ignorant and did not know the correct way of life. Soon the time would come when they would die away by their own hands, their blood would mark the path of destruction and their cries would resound around them like curses. But that age of ending was still not close, they still had time, and until then, it was the duty of the Servants to protect them and keep them from harm.

The Servants did what the messengers told them as their servitude directed their paths. The golden age which had long since ended was their heritage, their pride and the teachings from that era still remained, passed on every day to the younger generation for keepsake and persevere.

It wasn't like the Servants were immortals, but they had long life spans, and they were born from natural elements that came from the wind, the land, the water and the woods.

Yeonja was born just 9 human years back, but for the mature high ranking Servants, he was just a new born, literally plucked out freshly from his birth station.

Birth stations were the sacred fields where every kind of natural entity was present. The air and earth, the land and water, every element was pure and filled with love and prosperity.

Yeonja was born from a flower, the tiger lily, which was meant to represent virtues of mercy and compassion, confidence... which he lacked, sadly. Being a flower alone meant his rank could never reach higher than a 'Sevak' which was the lowest rank possible in their society as Servants.

Humans were their passion and yet they were also a curse, since one touch from them and the servants would get poisoned. But in their field of work, purifying them was the main task, the rest came afterwards.

"I cannot believe you saw him, Nipun Ruan is the master in his rank."

Yeonja nodded, the 'Nipun' were ranked above the 'Sevak' and the 'Maharishi', and they often took lead in cases which threatened the mankind. They also had the authority to order the Sevak and the Maharishi, or to take away their rank and throw them back into the learning period for however long they wanted.

So in their society, the Nipun were mostly the highest authority that ran the system. The ranks above them were a secret hidden away for the better assembling of bond and unity, so that petty emotions like jealousy and disdain wouldn't disrupt the Servant's working environment.

"He must be here to take away a few Sevaks with him, I heard that the middle east has become manifested with hoards of manifis."

Yeonja agreed, since the talk had been rounding corners within their community for long, and what was said wasn't one's own assumption, but rather facts.

Manifis were evil manifestations which escaped from the hell's prison and took residence in humans, corrupting their minds and misguiding them. Humans of course did not know about such issues and couldn't be bothered with them, because even if they knew, their abilities were limited.

In Kali Yuga, the number of Manifis had increased significantly, and the Servants were unable to control them due to shortage of staff and lacking potential.

Most Servants born were like Yeonja, meek and humble, with little to no power, so often times they weren't concerned with where they would reach, since their rank would be limited by their birth heredity.

"But didn't Ruan catch you? If I am aware, then it is said that no ordinary shishya (student) can reach his domain."

Domain, was like a giant dome of mana, which leaked from the possessor and protected them from danger. Since once the dome was infiltrated or breached, the possessor would be able to decide for the intruder, what verdict he would receive. This dome of mana was just a form of aura which surrounded the possessor, and not all could see them. So it was taught to every low ranking Servant, since young age, to always signal the high ranking members of their arrival as a form of precaution. Or else they might be punished or worse, get hurt.

And in case of the Nipun Ruan, 100 meter of area around him was his domain, he would be able to sense any and every one if they reached him without prior notice and if not aware, he might even attack the intruder if he gets the whiff of them.

"I hid my mana," Yeonja confessed shyly, almost stunning his friend into silence. Because silence was unusual for Taeyu, and even more unusual was the art of hiding mana.

"But don't the Nipuns sense even those without mana?"

That was true, since many humans lacked mana and still the Nipuns were able to search them. So Yeonja scratched his head in panic, the itchiness making him annoyed, "Then I b-believe he let me go...?" his big wide eyes looked scared, and Taeyu felt guilty for making his friend anxious.

"Don't think about it if Nipun Ruan did not do anything to you, maybe he never saw you?"

Yeonja wasn't one to believe the other person very readily, yet his anxiousness made him take up any comfort he received. He wondered if he could make Taeyu go with him this time, because being just a student, they did not receive such chances very easily.

And a chance to see the Nipun, came only once every decade for servants like them.