Junia 105 C.D
"Adrian, come here, baby; your food is served."
"Yeeeeessss Ma.", came the stretched reply from the mouth of a young toddler.
"Honey, I told you not to call me Ma in public. You're not allowed to do this."
"But why, Ma is Ma.", after hearing the innocence reflecting from Adrian's reply, Eliza couldn't help but feel deeply loved by her son. Yet, she understood that she couldn't be seen as Adrian's mother. Otis had made this extremely clear to her the first time Adrian had said the word. Eliza's past couldn't cast a shadow on Adrian's present or future. Although she had steeled herself to do so, Adrian wouldn't cease using the name. She couldn't hurt the boy she treated as her son. So, she came up with the idea to only allow it in private.
"I know, sweetie, but there are just some things you can and cannot do. Calling me Ma is just not allowed…at least not when we are in front of other people. Now tell me you will do as I ask."
Still, in confusion from what was being said, Adrian hesitated but eventually relented and nodded. He was young, he had yet to understand the intricacies of the world, but he certainly understood what his mother was hinting at. Some time ago, he had called Eliza 'Ma' in front of the tall man. That man was the General. From seeing the behaviour of the people in this mansion, Adrian had understood, this man was above everyone there. Whenever he passed by, all the servants bowed to him. Adrian had even asked Otis if that man was his father. Otis had severely rebuked Adrian that day. He had said that the General was not his father but could be seen as his guardian.
Adrian had been happy after hearing that, but the worst was yet to come. That night out of sheer joy, Adrian had mistakenly called Eliza 'Ma' in front of the General. After he said that, there was extreme silence all of a sudden. All the servants emptied the room except Otis, and they took away Adrian and his sister Riya to their rooms, leaving their mother alone. Late at night, his mother had returned, Adrian had pretended to be asleep, but he heard the muffled cries of his mother. She literally cried herself to sleep. The following day, he saw his mother walk weirdly as if she had forgotten how to walk correctly. She even winced once in a while; Adrian had become scared after this.
Although he had suppressed this memory, it came crashing down to his mind after listening to his mother. His eyes were once again enveloped by fear. He remembered the stern face of the General that night. He hugged his mother as she lifted him up and took him to eat supper. He loved his mother very much; she was the only person that had stayed with him from the moment he was capable of thought. He did not wish anything bad to happen to her.
"I'm sorry, Ma, I won't do it again.", after whispering such to her ears, he hugged her neck even more tightly. He was afraid of letting go; this sense of loss had been with him forever, he did not why, but he always felt it within his being.
Eliza was comforted by Adrian's obedience. She patted his head as they continued to head towards the dining room. As they entered, they saw a little girl sitting on a chair. A plate in front of her was being filled with food by a maid. The girl immediately looked up, seeing them arrive, there was a smile on her face. Her green eyes glowed as she looked at Adrian within her mother's arms. She immediately ran over to Eliza with her brown ponytailed hair swinging.
"Mama", she hugged Eliza from below. Eliza also responded by patting her head as she put Adrian down.
"Let us eat then, children."
""Okay"", came the simultaneous reply.
They all settled into their seats and began eating. Eliza sat in the centre to care for both the children. She fed them lovingly and patiently. Slowly they finished their meal, and then Eliza took them to bed.
"So which story is it tonight? Who is choosing today?"
"Riya is Ma."
"But isn't it your turn to choose today, honey?"
"It was, but then she beat me in a race, so I had to give it up to her.", the pain of losing his privilege was clear to tell from Adrian's voice.
"Hehe", Riyana had a victorious smile on her face due to her victory.
"This is bad Riya, you shouldn't bully Adrian like that. You know he can't run fast."
"Nooo, mama, he said it was okay and allowed me to get it. I didn't do anything wrong. Adrian had accepted.", Riya protested, trying to justify herself.
"Even so, you shouldn't try to beat your own brother Riya. You should care for him."
No one said anything after this for a while, but Riyana nodded to affirm what her mother told her.
"Well, okay then, which story do you want to hear?" Eliza moved off from the previous topic to cheer up the children.
Without hesitation, Riya replied to her mother's question, "Ooh, the one where there are gods."
"Haven't you heard that already?"
"But it's the best story. I wanna hear it again."
"Oh alright", Eliza assented to her daughter's whims.
"A very long time ago, when there was nothing, the great being of the void willed three existences into the world. They were the three supreme laws of the universe, Creation, Sustenance and Destruction. From Creation, everything you know today was created, then from Sustenance, everything was preserved as it is today, and someday Destruction will take everything back to the great being of the void.
After Creation started creating, they found that they could not manage everything, so they created Gods. The Gods were given power over the elements, Indra is the god of rain, Varuna of water, Helios is the light god, and Agni is the fire god. These taught humans the power of meditation and devotion. The humans, in turn, used these powers extensively to please the gods, and in return, they were granted boons. However, with the advent of boons came the greed and ambition of humans. They grew to loathe each other vying for power over other humans. This led to many wars.
The wars continued for 1000 years, and then it happened, Emperor Alexander was born. He hailed from a minor kingdom, but he did something that none imagined could be possible. The Emperor was the first person to unite the continent after a millennium of constant conflict. He was strong enough to even make the Gods bow before him. He was the great unifier who ushered in a new era for humanity.
And 300 years later, here we stand at the cusp of a new era waiting to be led to it. Somebody will rise in these conflicting times; he will be the harbinger."
"Mama, I will do it…I will be the great hero of humanity.", Riya declared triumphantly. Eliza knew that the child was just herself. Adrian, on the other hand, also had a gleam in his eyes. He was feeling exhilarated even after having heard the story so many times. On many levels, he identified with Alexander; everyone did on some level.
The night slowly seeped into the three of them as they entered the world of dreams, free of prejudice, fear or reality. It was their safest place.
…
On the streets of Junia in the evening, the people were engrossed in their own work. Some were purchasing food, while others were simply roaming around. In the midst of this buzzing atmosphere stood a man. He wore the same white tunic as all the regular citizens, his black hair feeling the air around him. In his dark eyes was a glow. He was observing his surroundings as he stood there in his corner.
The man was young, his face had no wrinkles, and there was an energy in his body that only youthful people had. He was waiting for someone, and his wait was soon to be over. He saw a woman buying wares along with two children walking beside her. In the distance, two soldiers could be seen tailing them. The man smiled upon seeing this trio, and he began to walk towards them. He did not approach them but followed from a distance. His attention was mainly focused on the young boy.
The boy, too, was a sight to behold, it would seem he was very eager to explore as he would wander away from the woman once in a while, but she would restrain him soon enough. The girl walking with the boy was the same. The man waited for an opportunity; soon, it presented itself.
The boy wandered off far enough that the man could approach him without the woman noticing. He increased his pace as he approached the boy. He was soon near the boy, and with a flash, he picked him up. He made a beeline towards an empty ally, where he placed the boy on the ground. The boy was caught unaware and was wary of him. He certainly was clever, for he made the distance between them as soon as he was free. The boy looked at him, then behind him, he was planning to run away. Alas, he was simply no match for a grown man.
"It's alright young one. I mean you no harm."
The boy stopped after hearing this. He just looked at him, unsure of whether or not to believe this strange person.
"You don't need to worry. I will send you to your mother soon. Before that, though, I want you to answer some of my questions. Would that be alright?"
The boy nodded hesitantly. The man smiled after hearing this, and he bent down to the boy's level. "What is your name, young one?"
"Ad-Adrian"
"Adrian, what a beautiful name. Now tell me, where do you come from?"
"Ju-Junia"
"Are you sure about that, young one?"
The question made Adrian pause as he entered deep thought to substantiate his own answer. He really wondered what the question meant but could not come up with a better solution. Coming to his own conclusion, he simply nodded.
"Hmm…it would seem we have a lot to work with. No matter everything shall set in place with time." He then focussed his attention on Adrian as he began to look into the boy's eyes. There he saw it, the newborn embers of desire.
"Tell me, young Adrian. What is it that you wish to be?"
"Emperor"
"Hahahahah…is that so? Well, alright then, I have an offer for you, young Adrian. I will give you something that will help you in the future in return you must do something for me. Will you accept?"
"Un", Adrian nodded along with the man's proposition. Despite not grasping the gravity of the situation, he had judged the man to be helpful and not someone who would do him harm.
The man then took Adrian's right palm forming a handshake. Light began to glow from his palm, which then seeped into Adrian's. Adrian was amazed by this show as he started in open-eyed wonder. Slowly the light died out, and in its place was a crescent moon symbol on Adrian's palm. Adrian continued to stare at the mark, wondering what it was.
"Listen closely, young Adrian, when the time is right, a person will find you, and this person will be the only one who will recognise the mark on your palm. He too shall have this mark on his forehead. Follow him, young one. He will help you more than anyone in this world can. Do you understand, Adrian?"
"Ye-yes I-I do"
Just as Adrian committed everything to memory as he was told, a flash of light entered his eyes, and he found himself back next to his mother. It would seem she had not noticed that he had wandered off. Riya, too did not speak a word as she continued to look at what their mother was doing.
Adrian looked at his palm. The symbol had now turned white. Adrian closed his fist as he began to wonder who the man was. He also remembered to follow what the man had told him.