"Will you come with me to the Water Monastery?" Yeonja asked softly, so as to not startled anyone with unwanted curiosity.
But Taeyu did not seem excited to go, even if his heart seemed to be craving the same. "I cannot hide my mana, and I wouldn't want to be punished with you in case you get caught, because if that happens, I will bail you out saying you were with me, studying."
Yeonja was thankful for the kind consideration his friend held for him, yet he wasn't sure he felt good about it. A company would have been better than going alone on a lonesome journey. Although he understood why Taeyu would decline his offer.
Going against the order was risky and almost a crime. For a mere shishya would never be allowed to see the most high ranking official without prior notice. The system was strong and solid, their punishments weren't just for namesake.
Both the boys soon reached a passive agreement to not speak about their plans again as they reached a crossing where a cluster of many pathways merged into one roundabout. Each of the paths leading to different districts. And each district was allotted to the students according to their abilities and possessions.
Yeonja's ability was to hide, he was good with controlling his mana, and that was the reason why he fell into the 11th category. They had 12 categories and he was from the second last, other students dared not make fun of him for it was frowned upon, but the feeling of inferiority always remained in his heart.
"I will see you tomorrow then Yeonja, wait for me by the fourth gate."
Yeonja nodded with a small goodbye and they set to their different paths.
Taeyu's ability was categorized in 4th, which was for controlling elements like air and water, that Yeonja never could. He had always wondered why Taeyu would entertain him, but Taeyu always did, and may be it was his kindness or humbleness, but Yeonja was lucky to have him by my side.
Yeonja watched as several other students stood in groups, discussing assignments or other works, all of them rather excited to talk. But he was different, he did not have many friends, only a single boy took interest in his talks and that was Taeyu.
Trying to walk faster and pass through the gathering, he almost missed the earliest gossip, and that was related to Nipun Ruan.
"Did you hear... Nipun Ruan got selected as one of the five superior Nipuns, and now he is here to pick his own batch of sevaks. It is sad that I am still a shishya, or else I would have loved to be a part of his army."
"I heard he has already chosen many of them, almost 40."
"That many?!"
"Yes yes, even I heard that, but none of them are... how do I say this, strong."
"But why would he take in weaklings?"
"They say he just wants to show his empowering status and dominate with his rank."
"How can you say that, aren't you just s-spreading negative information about him? Do you have any proof?" The sharp argument made everyone silent, as Yeonja was too late to realize that it was him who had said that, and the hollow eyes of the students talking, shifted to pay a bare minimum attention at him.
"And you are?" a cold voice asked, belonging to some pale haired young man, a few years older than Yeonja.
"I am shishya Yeonja, pleased to meet you senior."
"Isn't he a flower?" a girl asked with a frown, her eyes looking down on Yeonja just because of his birth status.
"Oh no, that Yeonja?" another asked, "isn't he scolded almost everyday for his dumb senses?"
"I have heard he got scolded again today."
"Seriously? Wasn't it Guruji Vieta today, how can he be this immature in front of the head shikshak?"
"I am wondering the same, now all chances he has for getting into the field at the earliest stage is gone."
And laughter followed, the jeering words dampening Yeonja's heart. Who couldn't understand why they would degrade someone just for their personality and birth... it was beyond him. Their sense of righteousness baffled him.
"I might be a l-low ranking shishya," he spoke up shakily, mustering courage even if his palms sweat and his legs shook, "but I am also m-more aware than you all, in the very least I don't spread f-false rumors."
"F-False rumors," one of the senior imitated with a girlish tone, exciting his fellow mates into laughing with him. The senior group of almost 10, Yeonja counted, were rather peeved upon hearing his complaint, but from their navy garbs styled into long robes, Yeonja concurred they were the primary batch of revered students, those students who had the most proficient skills and high chances of becoming a Nipun candidate in the long run. No wonder they took offense so fast.
Shishyas like them were given priority and more thought, even the shikshaks invested more time in them than for the others.
Yeonja nervously looked down at his own robes, which were solid black and coarse cotton laced with a sash belt on the waist.
The Servants dressed like humans for the most count, and looked like ancient nobility, but their status in the community was defined by their uniform and the quality of it. The more delicate the uniform, the more light the colours, the better the rank, but the duller the colour and duller the clothes, the worse the rank.
The Nipun wore pure white silk robes and undershirts, while the Maharishi wore saffron robes and beaded jewels. The lowest ranking Sevak were the only ones who didn't wear robes, but rather, lose shirts and pants colored pale blue and brown.
"Do you even have the status to argue with us?" one of the senior, a female student with bright green hair asked Yeonja, her crimson eyes sharp and frosty, almost biting.
"He is just barking sister Yuva, please don't get mad at him." Another sister countered, her subtle features not as beautiful as sister Yuva, but very soothing and soft. If one looked closer, they would find that feature to be almost chilling, but Yeonja wasn't moved.
He knew the seniors, he realized belatedly, because they were once in the same batch as him, however because of his reserved and apprehensive attitude, they rose in status and rank and now studied directly under the head shikshak, just waiting to be picked by some well known Sevak.
Their rankings went like this, Nipun>Maharishi>Sevak>Head Shikshak> Shikshak>Senior Shishya>Shishya.
Yeonja was still a Shishya, not even a senior. Demoted for his lacking skills, he was very sure he would end up as a lousy Sevak stuck with filing and record work.
"Let's just ignore him, sisters," a fellow brother announced, frowning at Yeonja, "he is a troublemaker."
Yeonja wasn't one, but to refuse that statement meant he would be picking a fight, and he was already given enough punishment this week to play defender.
Deciding to take his leave, he bowed once in respect and silently left the area, begging his fate to have mercy and not push him into a wildfire that was his seniors.
He left the area before the seniors could call him back, as his legs ran until he crossed the thick forest and valleys, reaching a point which was far away from his district, the 'River Mountain' it was called, from where five rivers originated and fell upwards towards the sky, the reverse flow a miracle of the supreme.
Belief stated that these rivers were a tribute of the servants to the Gods, a worshiping gift still alive from years back, when the first family in the Dvapara Yuga was born. And impressed with the tribute, the Supreme Gods blessed the land with fertility, prosperity and the river with immortality.
His head tilted up as he watched the heavy streams of water moving upwards towards the crimson sky, as the sun went down, leaving a saffron hue reflecting back on the land. The chain of hills and mountains, shadowed with the heavy darkness that came as soon as the day transited into night.
The valley at the end of the River Mountain was where the visiting Nipun resided, and the plateaus on the sides were unified for visiting Sevak and Maharishi.
The monasteries were connected via a stretched wall, that hid the walking passage made for the valets to mingle and serve the visitors. The Sevak were meant to serve themselves, while the maharishis were served by a joint staff of 20 individuals, called Servor.
Only the Nipun had the authority to keep a personal attendant called, 'Valet'.
The three monasteries, Water, Fire and Metal, were humongous, the perimeter walls extending to a huge radius of more than a 100,000 meters, which was hard to cover in one night.
There were no guards in the monasteries, since stealing, assassination, thievery, pranks, such notions did not exist in their world. They weren't humans.
Because once their hearts got corrupted, their powers were snatched away and they were sent to the human world to atone for their sins. Those who came back were successfully taken in, but those who lost themselves in the atonement period, they were morphed into humans and never taken in again.
Yeonja walked the long passage of stone which rode the curves of the valley, going down towards the walled monastery, and ending at the foot of the giant Torii gate.
Bowing with the sentiment of veneration, he placed his hands up to do a Namaste, clasping them together in front of his eyes and then bringing it down to the level of his heart, "The divine in me respectfully recognizes the divine in you," he greeted the monastery, and right after continued to walk the path getting closer to the walls.
In their world, bowing, kowtowing, and namaste were the official recognized arts of greeting, where respect was given to the seniors and a great sense of positivism was spread.
The fleeting sights of trees and natural green, passed his view without pleasing him an ounce, since his entire focus was directed at how to sneak in again and take a look at Nipun Ruan.
There was a reason why he was so enamored by Ruan, and that was because there was a rumor that he was born from a flower as well, the flower called Spirea, a flower that symbolized love and beauty, was often used in weddings in the human world.
But it was only a rumor, nobody knew the exact details of his birth or from which birth station he was, but since Yeonja had heard that Ruan was also a flower, he was excited to check that for himself.
Because if Ruan could be a Nipun, then maybe he had a chance as well.
So just to quench his own curiosity, he was trying his best to meet Ruan, or maybe just see him. He knew if he was caught then severe punishment awaited him, but if not, then he would see the Nipun again, and that was a chance he wasn't going to miss in a thousand years.
Upon reaching the Torii gate, Yeonja stopped to look in all directions, noticing that the path was clear and the view inside the gate was as enchanting as ever, because inside, the visitors were greeted with a cluster of glowing banyan trees which represented wisdom, knowledge and serenity. They weren't the usual tree one would see on earth or even in their class hall, they were spiritual trees that could only grow in a place laced heavy with mana. And this valley was just that, a concentration of pure light energy, that attracted the Servants, who were often injured or poisoned, came to the monasteries to heal and recuperate.
Yeonja expanded his mana once, feeling the energy tingling his skin as a wave of light shot from inside him, expanding and traveling in the air, reaching a few meters far. It was the art to sense a presence if one was hiding in the vicinity, however he did this not to search for any intruder, but to find the range of the Domain of the seniors who resided in the monastery, since if he entered the domain range without preparations, then he might bring a series of mishaps upon himself.
A while later, a soft sense of tingle ran across his skin and he knew whose domain he had touched upon. The calming sense was obviously that belonging to Nipun Ruan, since he was the only Servant Yeonja had ever sensed, whose domain did not send back hot flames or static upon been sensed.
He immediately retracted his own wave of mana, which was a very amateur version of Domain he created by myself. Since maintaining a domain all the time was tiring, so he did not know how the senior ranking members did it. The only answer could be that they were extremely powerful and that was what Yeonja aimed for even if his rank wouldn't impress anyone, but did it matter to him? It did not. He would try to stay true to his path and enjoy his work as much as he could.
Compressing his mana, Yeonja managed to retain a form which was mostly human, and went inside knowing his presence wouldn't bother any visitors, since it could also be passed as an insect entering the gates, since insects, animals, birds, humans, these beings did not share mana, but were only born to complete their duties and live their part of cycle.
So just like yesterday, Yeonja sneaked in and peeked around the huge courtyard that greeted the entrance, the several trees swaying with the strong gust of wind. Almost uplifting him and enough to uproot the trees.
He shivered anxiously... because even the weather answered back to the servants. The more strength they had, the stronger the impact. But compared to the shikshak who was teaching Yeonja earlier, the static around this monastery was actually disrupting the wind flow, completely different, stronger. And that was what one would call strength, this powerful impact on weather, was obviously the work of a Nipun.
Yeonja was in awe and full of admiration, he tiptoed further inside, and took a similar route of path as he did previously when he came here yesterday. The wooden hallways and corridors, or the courtyards that came in his way, they all were similar and seemed familiar, so he felt good to know that his memories weren't misplacing him at such a critical hour.
Time passed and he finally reached the walls which guarded Ruan's court, the area which was forbidden to enter since Ruan liked to be alone in his free time. Mostly meditating or reading scrolls.
Pleased to have climbed up the wall without the help of his mana, Yeonja rested his legs at the edge of the thick stone wall, looking inside the border to search for his target.
It did not take much time to find Ruan though, since he was in the courtyard practicing his traditional liturgical dancing. A set of steps that were meant to praise the Gods and not perform art or entertainment. Praise Dancing was a high level spiritual dance which many were unable to do, since the required body movements overlapped with elements that could only be maintained if the joints were flexible and the shifts were smooth.
The usage of a fan and a bell tucked in the waist belt were the major components, but many a times the dancers also wore musical anklets which were called Ghungroo, they produced soft sweet sounds when the foot would hit the pavement, and that added to the beauty of the dance.
Yeonja watched Ruan whose movements with the fan were raising the strong winds, it was clearly him, because no one else would have his charisma and charm.
Each pause was followed by a graceful step that sung along the drum beats, as the hand would curl around the body to signify love and the steps would rapidly transit into a more provocative allure.
Yeonja rested upon the edge of the wall as the master of spiritual dancing, Nipun Ruan, danced around in the courtyard, his movements graceful until the end.
The fan he held onto was a shade of rich maroon, almost red, and that made Yeonja gulp, since Ruan's white robes fluttering with the dancing steps and the pale hair swaying with the wind, were making such an astonishing sight, as they contrasted with his pale beauty, that Yeonja was honestly jealous of the man who was drumming by the corner, he was lucky to be watching Ruan practicing his art form up close.
Although, the soft thrumming of the beats vibrating the air, complimented the dance beautifully.
And as Yeonja waited, the more he felt excited, to be feeling the change in the weather, the air and the nature. The strong buzz of static and the long lengthy rumble of clouds, it was as if Ruan was calling forth the attention of the Deities.
"Beautiful," Yeonja murmured, as the young Nipun finally ended his practice, the white robes dirty on the tip with all the brush ups with the ground, and his breathing harsh, making Yeonja wonder for how long he had been dancing.
His eyes were closed as he breathed in to compose himself, and his red lips were moist since he drank something from a clay cup given to him by his personal valet.
Yeonja wasn't sure why his heart was beating fast, but simply watching the performance and the real Ruan with his own eyes, felt like he had almost sinned, sinned by giving him his unwanted attention. It was really true he thought, that people compared Ruan to a God, otherwise, who would be able to look so spectacular while dancing as Ruan.
Noticing the Nipun talking about something with his attendant and the drummer, Yeonja was desiring to hear him, to see if his voice was as pleasant as was his aura. Or if it was sharp like his presence.
Whatever the case, Yeonja couldn't stay any longer, otherwise he might get caught by someone, thus, deciding reluctantly, he climbed down the walls and exited the monastery, careful for not getting caught.
He had heard the Nipun would be staying for long, almost 10 days until the festival, so he decided he would be coming here everyday and would definitely search for more information about Ruan.
But what he missed was the sharp blue eyes catching a glimpse of him as he raced across the archway.