दाम्पत्येऽभिरुचिर्हेतुर्मायैव व्यावहारिके ॥ ३ ॥
Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, and success in business will depend on deceit. ||3||
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"Your whole body is damaged, how did you end up like this?" Ruan asked Yeonja even though the young boy never answered him for anything he asked, which was to some degree unappealing and even off putting. "I am sure you can talk, so why keep the silence from me?"
Yeonja wasn't trying to anger the Nipun, but he did not know how he would state his mind to such a high ranking servant without lowering his own pride as a shishya or revealing how poignant his life so far was. Wouldn't his situation look piteous? He did not want to reveal that side of himself to such praiseworthy almighty Nipun.
"Fine," the Nipun sighed, sitting in front, scrubbing Yeonja's hair with natural herbs to cleanse it of dirt.
They had both came back to the water monastery and Ruan had taken it on himself to cater to the boy until he was fit to move out. And thus they ended up sharing a bath as Ruan decided to wash the boy and apply medicinal herbs on his injuries before they got worse. The faster they would heal, the faster the boy would smile, and that was Ruan's plan.
He had seen the boy that afternoon but the boy had ran away before he could talk to him, and when he was out on a stroll, he had seen the boy crying by the kerb.
The sight had been heart wrenching, and Ruan was left with no choice but to see to the cause.
The squashed white lotus and the weeping silhouette did not project any kind of story which would fit, so Ruan had been trying to pursue the boy of his secret, wanting to know how the flower fit into the picture, what had been the story, why had he been crying.
He wasn't omnipotent, neither a God, but for him, the crux of the issue mattered, it wasn't for gaining good deeds, but to comfort the little boy whom he had grown so attached to.
The attachment wasn't some familial bond, but that of responsibility. He had seen the boy coming in since the first day he started his rehearsals, the timing was never slotted to one particular duration, but it fluctuated and the boy would try to control his mana to nullify his presence.
Ruan had been aware of how rare such potential was, many would pass it as only controlling the mana, but to be able to cut off the entire mana circuit was not a capability every shishya had potential for.
In the long run Ruan was sure the boy would achieve glory unparalleled, however if his personality remained this reserved, there might be severe competition and backlash from his circle.
Now having met the little boy, Ruan was incapable of letting the matter rest, and until the festival he would try his best to condition the boy to a better communicator, because if they had met in accordance with the fate, then something must be done to maintain that delicate bond.
Ruan had never taken care of little boys before, but it was interesting for him to see if he was capable of guiding someone else other than himself.
"Will you let me bathe you?" Well he was doing that, but for now he had just cleaned the gritty hair, he did not understand why the shishya would have such coarse hair. Or why his body would be this delicate. Didn't the mess hall of his district provide him with good food? Or good facilities?
"You have such lean figure but you look so fragile, do you not eat properly, should I talk to your district official?"
His answer was received in the form of frantic head shakes, which disheartened Ruan, he really had wanted to see the expressions on those official's faces when he took the lead and started poking his nose in their work. But if the boy was being this unsettled with his suggestion, Ruan could only let the matter rest.
"I want to raise you, like humans do their child, I wonder if they let Nipuns do that..." he mumbled, very much interested in getting a chance to feel the same way the humans did when they raised a child.
He was always curious about them, the humans, had always wanted to know their values or how they worked, how they lived or what functions they gave priority. He wanted to feel, feel emotions them servants rarely did in their line of work.
"Hmm, but seems like they would refuse, I don't believe any servant has ever raised a child... like humans do... maybe we are incapable to doing that." Ruan stated, peeling the layers of black shirt and scrubbing the boy's pale back.
Yeonja the whole time did not know why this Nipun would want to raise him, and why did that thought make him so pleased. But he was clear on the fact that somehow Ruan really wanted to know humans.
Humans were different, they were different, what was so interesting about them, Yeonja wouldn't understand.
He hadn't seen a human before, but he also had no thirst to explore their mortal world, for him, they were a bunch of filthy creatures who had lost their way and would die out eventually. So he was a bit disconcerted knowing maybe his thoughts did not match what Nipun Ruan felt.
Or was his apathy to humans too severe... Yeonja would find the answers when he would become a Sevak, but the time wasn't now, for now he was sitting in a washroom carved with rich stones and clay tiles, as a soft glowing lamp sat at the edge of the doorway, parting upon them an unnatural hue of yellow and red.
The water in the pail of bucket next to him was cold, but the actions of Ruan were warm enough to make him feel blessed.
The time passed as the night deepened its shadows, and the two servants, one a shishya and the other a Nipun, both of them took to resting in a separate chamber that belonged to Ruan. The medicines had been applied and the scent of herbs was still fresh, when both the parties laid down on the mattress.
Of course, Yeonja was midway to heaven and he felt like he would die anytime, for what shishya had the chance of sleeping with their revered Nipun? Yet it also made him panic, for he didn't know if he snored while sleeping or if he smelled bad after waking up.
He really did not want to disturb the Nipun, but Ruan was already asleep on his mattress, his short pale hair flaring beneath his head like a halo, as he rested in a straight posture, the white sheet reaching till his chest.
Yeonja dared not shift around too much, but the soft scent of herbs coming from the Nipun's body, really felt suffocating, as if drowning him in natural hues. And since the Nipun wore only a thin layer of white cotton robes, the body scent was specially strong, even his delicate features were slack of any emotion, showing a calm side of him... making Yeonja incapable of sleeping by now.
He kept awake taking in the features of Ruan, how kind the lines of his eyebrows were, how small and cute his nose was, how full his lips were and how doll alike his face looked. Anyone who would be in his position would do the same, because Ruan was just as ethereal as the Gods one would imagine in their mind.
Yeonja clasped his own little sleeping robes that Ruan had given him, the feelings welling inside him were too turbulent to control this time, he didn't know what to call the emotions within him, but all he could decide upon was the feeling of reverence.
Sitting up, he carefully pulled away his own sheet and folded the mattress into a neat roll. Then taking hold of the lotus flower which was still dirty and withered, he marched through the wooden hallways and finally reached the corridor which lead to the washing area.
Once inside the dimly lit washroom, he started to wash the flower and give it some sort of presentable semblance.
More than an hour passed, but Yeonja was somewhat satisfied with the result, quickly lifting the flower and running back until he reached Ruan's sleeping chamber, he kept the flower down near the sleeping Ruan. The interior was full of uplifting scripts hanging from the wall and the colourful partitions shielding the bedding glowed under the rays of the moonlight.
The windows and doors were closed, so Yeonja was relieved to know the flower wouldn't float away again.
But now he had to leave, he did not know what repercussions there would be for Nipun Ruan because of inviting in a shishya, so wasn't it better to leave?
With that resolute inclination, Yeonja left, leaving with a furtive glance at his idol.
Alas, he wasn't as secretive as he thought he was, because Ruan had already noticed him leaving, he never slept at night, his consciousness would always keep awake, for he believed even their world wasn't safe against trouble, not now when the gate was activating without their knowledge.
Sitting up on his mattress, he drew blood from his finger tip by biting on it, the whole process hurt every time, since it wasn't meant to be practiced by a Nipun, although Ruan did not care for the minute details. The drop of blood rolled onto his palm and morphed into a small round sphere, thick and dark.
"Tava hridayam anugaccha (Follow your heart), Rakshaka (Protector)."
Blowing the drop away into the air, Ruan watched as the fluffy sphere splat on the wooden floor, and started to roll over back into shape, crossing his room with an expeditious proficiency.
Relieved that he would be notified if something happened to the boy, Ruan leaned back on the mattress and closed his eyes, regaining his vitality while circulating his energy and maintaining his form.
He did not see the lotus, but he didn't need to, he was well aware of the extra entity placed for him, and the thought that the boy wanted to give him that Lotus had really made him happy. Never would he have imagined that his self would be gifted what Gods received, it was unexpectedly heart warming and overwhelming.
~~
The next day Yeonja stayed back with Taeyu and they both played along the districts until they got tired to the bone. It wasn't unexpected of them to be this playful, since they were still young boys, but Taeyu did feel the slight change in Yeonja's presence, as if it was hard to detect yet also heavy, laced with a happiness and fluffy emotion. He rarely saw Yeonja this carefree and calm.
"What happened yesterday? When you gave that lotus to Nipun Ruan?" Taeyu asked his friend, eyeing the initiation of nervousness as his friend started to twiddle with his thumb.
"N-Nipun Ruan was... I d-don't know. I ran away before I could see his reaction."
Yeonja tried not to sweat under the hard stare, he was wishing he would be left alone, for hiding the fact that he got hurt was bad, he even had to cover his entire leg with proper winter slacks, which was quite noticeable. Although he was in luck when nobody inquired about it.
Taeyu was depressed, "I really wanted to know his reaction, since I think you are the first one who gave him a white lotus, everyone knows how precious it is and just what significance it has."
"I am... s-sorry."
"Well what matters is you were successful in giving him the flower," Taeyu reminded, patting his friend's head in a soothing manner, "Just don't waste so much capital on flowers the next time you see him."
"I won't."
Startled, Taeyu raised his eyebrows in contemplation, "You mean you won't go there anymore?"
Yeonja nodded, looking down at his thumb, "I don't k-know if defying regulations every day is something I should be doing, and what if I g-give him trouble? What if he gets irritated, nobody likes to b-be spied on..."
"That is a point..."
"I won't go, I have d-decided, I will study h-hard and be the person who can meet him wi-without fearing the law."
Taeyu hummed, gently sighing, "You will do good then, if you want to be his friend."
"No!" Yeonja suddenly waved the comforting hand away, "I want to be h-his protector!"
Now Taeyu had heard enough stories about crazy servants, who left their world and took to becoming humans, or even stories about those who fell in love with their Gods or those who became the slave of Demons.
But this was something different, which he was skittish about, "Yeonja... think again my friend, we are barely even in the teens, you can chose your path late-"
"No... I will be his protector, then I could protect him from harm."
"But wouldn't that mean you want to become stronger than him?" Taeyu was sure something big had hit Yeonja on his head, or else why would he be talking of something so shocking? And all of a sudden?
Yeonja sighed, pouting and sitting down next to the potted herbs in the common garden, feeling the soft texture of the leaves. "I realized yesterday that I was very powerless, I couldn't even do one thing properly without getting help from someone, and to be honest I know I am not meant to be a part of this world, but I really hope to be of help to someone... I cannot elaborate right now but Nipun Ruan is not a common person, he is... more of a God to me than the real ones. He helped me when I was feeling down and his presence always makes me happy, even if I end up acting like a coward."
Taeyu wasn't sure what the real reason was for this sudden change, but for once his friend did not stutter and the his words were solid, bold and sharp.
"... you do know that you cannot decide upon being a protector of a servant right? Do you even know how absurd that sounds? Instead of fulfilling your duties you desire to become his protector?"
Yeonja nodded, "Yes."
Taeyu shook his head, pressing more sense into his words, "He wouldn't accept your protection, if it had been friendship then that is still a clear goal, but you want to protect someone who doesn't needs it, he is a Nipun, he wouldn't want you to be that way, think this through, are you clear on what you want..."
His voice died down as soon as he heard the soft sniffling sounds coming from Yeonja, stopping him in his rant, "Yeonja... don't cry."
The boy rubbed his eyes, as Taeyu stayed next to him. "... then what can I do?" it was more of a scream this time, "I am useless, I don't have much powers and neither can I do good in academic assignments, the shikshaks don't want me and the shishyas hate me, I know even you will leave me one day."
Taeyu did not know how to calm his friend down, the self pity was glaringly obvious. "Then become strong Yeonja, become the servant that everybody would need even if they hate you, I know you have potential, you are just nervous of the outcome, that is why you never initiate anything."
"... become strong?... but, I am a flower."
"Break that mindset then, show me you can be the protector of everyone, not just Nipun Ruan, I am not asking you to be a God, you cannot be one, none can be them, but become someone whom even the Gods will rely upon. Show the supreme that you are his best creation."
Yeonja faced his friend with teary eyes, alarmed at seeing the determination in those dark irises that were always carefree and never hardened for him before. "What if I fail?"
"Then you would have at least tried."
"... and you?"
Taeyu smiled, "I would be right there behind you."
Yeonja smiled, "Right."
"So wipe those tears, we are going to watch your Nipun perform in the festival, and that day would mark our beginning."
~~
The day of the festival arrived faster than one would have predicted. With the season changing and the rain God showering his beloved plane with dozes of fortune in the form of drizzling and thunder, the most auspicious occasion in the servant's world, when the flowers bloomed and nature was at its peak, the festival of the Supreme was celebrated, this day not only marked the calendar as the ending of a year but also was meant to be the judgement day, when all the ranks were revised.
A year was just an hour for the supreme, since his world was different, and it was said that just like him, there were numerous creators who had their own worlds and their own creations. But limited to a small proportion, neither the humans not the servants could understand the philosophy which was beyond their domain of understanding.
But every year marked a change, and time waited for none.
The only significant period that meant something to the servants was this festival of the Supreme.
During this festival there was singing, music, dancing, worshiping and praising rituals that decorated the entire day. Since after this day, an entire month, the servants did not work. It was not to have fun, but take rest and slumber, since a servant's duty never ended and they did not get off work even a single day, for them the only peaceful month was that of after festival.
So everyone waited patiently for this phase to come, for they also wanted to rest their bodies and recuperate.
Yeonja and Taeyu held each other's hand as they trotted along the flowing streams and the gentle slope of the valley, by their side was a lane of never ending stalls, and several servants from diverse crowds had came to appreciate the stall and buy something or the other.
There was a constant buzz in the air and everyone was enjoying themselves as they ate delicious food and bought delicacies to their delight.
Unlike the human festivities, the servants weren't allowed to dress themselves in extravagant clothes, but wear only formals which was their only attire apart from the night attire they changed into before going to sleep. And so the sight of a group of 12 high ranking Nipuns, passing by the crowd towards the eastern platform across the stream, was breath taking, specially when they were dressed in blinding red, all of them tall, magnificent, gracious and otherworldly. As their long black hair was adorned with delicate jewelries and shapely jade crystals. A band of red thread shifting from side to side as it hung by the waist, tying their robes together at the front.
Taeyu nudged his friend in the ribs, "Aren't they the 12 pillars? I heard they work under the direct order of the Five superior Nipuns."
Yeonja nodded, "And N-Nipun Ruan is one of t-them."
"I can't wait for the ending praise dance ritual," Taeyu exclaimed with excitement, "Let's run, we need to be there when it happens!"
"Ah.. d-don't pull my hand, I am coming...!"
~~
Somewhere far in the hidden forest, the gateway spanning across the lake started to ripple with soft traces of restlessness, and Ren who had been guarding the lake with a bunch of other servants went alert instantly.
"Lock down this forest, and recite with me," he announced, as a few stood by him heeding his command and the rest few raced to alert the five Nipuns.