A week before
Mahi had started to recuperate from the elf incident. He was everyday visited by Ruhi, Maurya, Amogha, Chanakya and Maya. Rest of the time he spent alone in his room lying on the bed. First few days he just slept all the time. Due to this his mental state recovered to it's natural condition. Then he started to have a itching all over his body. It was like tickling one's body with feathers all over. He rolled, all over his bed for quite a while. It was not painful but was really annoying.
This happened to Mahi due to the aura inside his body was completely filled. After awakening his ability he never used it again. So the aura just kept getting stored in the body. He just had to release it by using his ability.
Mahi did everything he could think with little brain of his to stop the itching. Then he went outside to take Ruhi's help.
Standing at the door of her room, Mahi saw Ruhi mediating with closed eyes. Mahi called her but she didn't respond to him.
Ruhi was practicing the method to lure the aura in her body to a single point to use her ice ability. She was really immersed , in what she was doing.
Watching Ruhi for quite a while, Mahi returned to his room.
' If I do what Ruhi was doing I'll also get sleepy', Mahi thought sitting in a posture same as Ruhi to mediate.
Mahi closed his eyes for half an hour, this reduced all his distractions helping him concentrate. The itching in his body slowly turned into a comfortable sensation starting from his head. It was very nice. Mahi kept this for another hour savouring the warm sensation all over his body. The aura started to emit out of his body.
He followed the sensation of the aura being released from his body. The sensation ended near his hand.
Then he could strangely feel a part of himself outside his hand.Mahi opened his eyes to see a small chain in the air hanging down turned towards him.
Seeing this Mahi ran to the corner of the room , rubbing his eyes to confirm again what he had seen, he picked up the wooden sword lying there. He pointed the tip towards the chains, but it was no where to be seen.
Then Mahi sensed the same feeling and turned towards his right seeing the same samll chain hanging in the air. The chains moved on it's own towards Mahi, binding itself to his hand gently.
" Oye oye get of my hand , why is it stuck" Mahi kept shaking his hand, but the chains didn't even bulge a inch.
He kept moving back swinging his hands , finally falling down on his butt.
" Haha Mahi , are you doing a circus show." , Ruhi just entered the room to see Mahi falling down on his own. She had meditated for a quite a while, so she came to see Mahi.
" Ruhi help me my hand has something on it" , Mahi lifted his hand for Ruhi to see.
" There's nothing, did you have a bad dream and fell down" Ruhi came forward taking his hand to lift him up.
Mahi then saw his hand to find nothing as Ruhi had said. ' Wait did I have a bad dream , must be. After I closed my eyes I must have been fallen asleep' ,Mahi thought.
Ruhi started to prepare all the things needed for her to go the academy. She would only return home only twice in a year.
Mahi just kept starring at her with eyes filled of jealousy.
Ruhi kept teasing to him about how she'll have enjoy in the academy adding fire to it.
Then Chanakya entered the room.
" Princess Ruhi his majesty asked you to go to him", he said while eyeing Mahi to stay.
Ruhi quickly ran away to see Maurya.
" Uncle you will show me that sword move today right" Mahi told doing a sword action with his empty hands. Mahi liked Chanakya , as he was also the one he spent most time along with Ruhi and Maya.
He always teached him a little flashy sword move which he practiced with his wooden sword.
" Prince Mahi in the coming days you should meet King Maurya in the training area. He wants to teach you combat lessons. I'll tell you once the king finishes with the issue of the meeting", Chanakya said while correcting the posture of Mahi's hand.
Mahi followed Chanakya's movement and made his posture correct.
" Father said he will teach me. Then I'll definitely go", Mahi said being excited as he would learn from Maurya himself.
Chanakya went in deep thought for a moment ' Mahi I don't think you will ever smile again like that after you go to the border camp. I should give him a small sword for him as a gift later. Once he knows what we are doing to him, he will hate me too'
He left the room heading towards the palace blacksmith to tell him to make one.
****
Inside the palace hall
Ruhi just entered the hall through the corridor which was connected to it.
She saw Maurya sitting on the throne talking with the five generals seated nodding their heads .
" Papa I'm here." Ruhi went near Maurya holding her hands up for him to pick her up.
Maurya picked her up easily, " Ruhi tell your maid whatever you need for your stay in the academy. I'll have it prepared for you. Once you go to the academy you will become a student of there. I'll not help you with anything unless it is serious. You should learn to face things yourself. Since you are my daughter the academy people will take good care of you. Ok" Maurya said to her while patting her head.
Ruhi puffed up her cheeks , " I'll become stronger than you papa you just wait.Then your daughter will take care of you."
Maurya then took out something from his storage device.
" Take this, it is a communication device. You can talk with me even at the academy too. It's my gift to you. If you become stronger than me I'll give this throne of mine to you as a gift in the future"
Ruhi quickly grabbed the box type device touching it all over not paying any attention to his words. She knew that it was used to talk with far away people, as she talked with her mother with it. But she didn't know how to use it.
Seeing this Maurya laughed, " I'll tell Chanakya later to teach you how to put aura inside it . Go sleep now"
****
The darkness had swept all over the bright sky. A white ball shone brightly in the middle of the darkness.
Night had turned up with a full white moon shining brightly.
Mahi was sleeping alone in his room. He had learnt to emit aura out of his body indirectly. So whenever he felt the same itchy feeling returning, he just closed his eyes concentrating to feel a warm sensation going out of his body.
This time , he felt again something spirally binding his hand gently.
When he opened his eyes he found the same chain around his arm.
' Am I dreaming again or is it real'
He pinched his cheeks with his left hand , they turned rosy red against his fluffy cheeks.
" Aah it hurts " Mahi said rubbing his cheek.
Maya just entered the room bringing a cup of milk .
" Prince Mahi are you fine? " , Maya spoke as she saw Mahi pinching his own cheeks. She took a healing potion from her storage device. It was used to heal some minor injuries.
She applied the potion on his cheeks.
The pain reduced as the cheek returned to his normal colour.
" Sister Maya there is something on my hand" , Mahi again lifted his hand , but himself saw there was nothing, and got confused.
" Prince Mahi are you fine?" Maya asked the same question twice now.
Mahi became embarassed and quickly took the cup from her hand lifting it to cover his face, drinking it full.
Maya chuckled seeing this and didn't bring it over again.
She took the cup from his hand , made him sleep on the bed covering his body with bedsheet.
" Prince Mahi I'll be going with your mother as she wishes to travel again. I'll have to prepare some things with her. So you have to sleep alone."
"I'm very brave you don't have to worry about me" Mahi said the same way Ruhi used to puff her cheeks. He had watched her many times do it.
He was used to this sudden departures of Maya every year.
Maya gently kissed his forehead. Even though Amogha didn't like Mahi, it had nothing to do with her. She liked Mahi and he was a good kid too.
" Ok I'll keep this light turned on for you " Maya said while turning off all the lamps which emitted bright light, leaving one with a dim light near Mahi.
Mahi kept nodding his head as he completely agreed with her.
( The lamps were emitting light due to the mana crystals. Ofcourse it is the invention of our Sir Chidam)
Maya left the room closing the door.
Mahi quickly closed his eyes getting sleepy. He unknowingly started to release the aura in his body.
Again he felt the same feeling a part of himself outside his hand. His right hand felt something wrapping around it.
Mahi opened his eyes to see the same scenario as it happened previously. This time he wanted to call someone to see it was actually there.
' I'll keep watch until someone comes , otherwise it will vanish again'
Mahi thought taking the lamp near his bed under his bedsheet.
This time he saw clearly. A black thin small chain wrapped around his arm from his forehand till the elbow.
Mahi kept starring at it quite a while holding his hand up. He touched the chain by his left hand. The chain feeling the touch quickly wrapped around his left hand.
Mahi got scared by this development quickly sat up.
' what is this ? Is it a new toy someone has kept in my room. It should be. It just wraps around one's arm. So if I again touch it with my right hand it should go to my right hand' Mahi felt proud thinking he had discovered what it was.
" Now come to my right hand ", Mahi touched the chain with his right hand. But nothing happened. In turn the chain lifted it's one end shaking from one end to other.
Seeing this Mahi just fainted on his bed
The chain felt his left hand more comfortable than his right hand since Mahi always practices the wooden sword with his right hand. It was a bit rough.
After a while the chains disappeared once Mahi ran out of aura in his body.
****
This happened everyday whenever Mahi released his aura, the chains kept wrapping around, now to his left hand. Mahi got used to this , he kept talking to the chains all about himself eventually. The chains always nodded with it's one end, Mahi wanted to show this to Ruhi but it just vanished everytime it sensed someone.
Anyway Mahi was happy since the chain always listened to him. It became his dearest secret friend in a short while.
Back to the story
After a while Mahi was resting under the same tree 🌲 like usual.
He quickly placed his hand near his head. After a while a small chain came out which seemed to stare him.
" Which ability do you think I'll awaken .I want to go to the academy too, don't you?" Mahi asked the chains as if he was talking to it.
The small chain nodded as if it wished the same. After seeing a guard near the corner of the corridor the chains disappeared.
" You are so weak and shy always hiding from everyone . You are like a bug, bug, buggy. Haha I'll call you buggy from now on" Mahi kept mocking it while laughing showing all his teeth which were still growing for a five year old boy.
Then he quickly slept with the warm breeze hitting his face.
****
Even a friend can turn into a foe. What about Mahi's secret friend?