"Guruji, why is there a long line in front of that tower?" Sachi asked, pointing to a tall, brick tower with a squat round base as wide as ten men standing shoulder to shoulder and tapering off as it rose. The peak reached the clouds, so tall that humans did not see the very top until their deaths.
"It is the Tower Of Fate," Sage Parasu answered, pushing his way through the afternoon crowd towards Trading Street.
"Oh," was all his student said in a small voice. Parasu was miffed by how the king had brushed off his grave concerns, and perhaps, his pupil mistook the annoyance in his voice for something aimed at him.
"It is where the spirits face judgment by the tower's warden, Lord Chitragupta," Parasu explained, softening his tone. "He had been the tower's gatekeeper since it stood guard at the gates of the old heaven. Those are the souls of the dead awaiting their turn."
After the Merging of the three realms into OneRealm, the Tower Of Fate was one of the few heavenly relics that remained. The souls of the dead mortals and the rare souls of gods and asuras who had lost their corporeal form in a celestial skirmish lined up before the tower. Parasu had never been close to the structure. It was heavily guarded by the Yamadutas, the messengers of life and death, who only allowed deceased souls to enter the area.
The boy went very quiet when Parasu informed him of the tower's purpose. He glanced back to check if the boy was still following him or not. Sachi was still behind him alright, but his young face suddenly clouded with a wistful look. Parasu was in a hurry to get to the merchant, so he did not pry and left the matters alone.
The smell of the horse shed hit the nose from a mile away, and Sage Parasu sped up. It was one of the best horse traders in the entire realm; even the horses of the divine army of King Digvi came from this merchant. But the man charged an arm and a leg for each of the goods. The merchant welcomed them with a toady smile and took them over to the horse shed.
"How much for the brown charger?" Parasu asked, running his fingers through the dark mane of the horse. The horse snorted and shook his head, and Parasu stroked his neck to appease him.
The merchant's slimy face lit up at those words. He went on to mention the price and explain why the horse was worth those coins. It was not the best bargain, but the horse was a thoroughbred and looked like it could withstand a long, hard journey. Once the purchase was settled, the three of them, Parasu and Sachi with the horse, quickly left the horse shed and its stench.
"Guruji, one horse for the two of us?"Sachi asked in his usual guileless manner as they made their way towards Scholars Street. Parasu had already braced himself for the question.
"Child, the journey will be full of deadly dangers. I do not want to subject you to those when you have barely learned to weave tantra," Sage Parasu admitted frankly while pulling the horse by the reins after him. "I have decided the best course for you would be to return home."
The pupil was quiet for the longest time, following after Parasu down the narrow, winding road. And then, at last, he spoke, in a calm, dutiful tone, "Guruji, every pupil's duty is to remain by his guru's side until the training is complete. However, I cannot ignore my duties to my mother, who lives alone far from here. If I accompany you for the journey and fall into evil's hands, there is no one to look after her. I gave word to my dying father that I will train in your gurukul. But, I must fulfill my duties as a son, too."
Parasu halted his steps and turned to face his pupil. Sachi was seventeen, a small and timid youth who seemed younger for his age. He did not look much like his father either, except for his curious, teakwood eyes and bumped nose.
"Guruji, I must ask for leave. I want to return home and care for my mother until your mission is complete. I apologize I could not carry out the duties of a pupil."
Parasu gave him a thin, understanding smile and clapped him on the shoulder. "Every pupil's first teachers are their parents. Return to your mother and fulfill your familial obligations first. I will summon you on my return." Sachi bowed and touched his guru's feet before taking his leave.
Parasu continued walking down the narrow path with his horse until he reached Scholars Street. It was occupied by the oldest Universities and the most sought-after Gurukuls of the realm. There was the Tantric Guild, with their uptight, black-clad Tantrics, the Divine Music Academy with their gifted gandharva musicians, Academy of Divine Martial arts, and the ever-growing Gurukul of the Seven Divine Sages, who imparted knowledge of holy scriptures to their earnest pupils.
Amid all those grand establishments was the humble divine library. It was owned and supervised by Goddess Veenapani. She was one of the old goddesses who had remained since the first Yuga of this cycle, which made her millions of years old.
And so was the Eternal Library, ancient but still holding the supreme knowledge in the entire OneRealm. It was deceptively little on the outside, a small shack encased in gold, sitting by the road, but once you step in, it was larger than any realm that the eyes could see.
"You did not give me enough time to peruse my library," Goddess Veenapani complained when she saw Parasu approaching.
Her tall, dainty figure stood up and padded up to him. The sage joined his palms and gave her a full bow of reverence. The goddess returned the gesture with a small nod and a warm smile. She was wearing her brilliant white robe and a tall, ornate golden crown, easily the heaviest crown in the realm. It seemed odd to deem her an old goddess since she looked not one day older than thirty.
"The library lives in your mind, Veena. These pages are mere relics," Sage Parasu said with blatant flattery, and Goddess Veena's clear, bright eyes filled with amusement.
She permitted the sage to enter the small, dimly lit antechamber. It was bare and ordinary, like a simple box that hid the greatest treasure inside it.
"These pages bear witness to what has passed," Goddess Veenapani protested Parasu's remarks, "these are written by time herself; the scholars who wrote them were mere messengers."
Sage Parasu had to smile at her humble but firm words. "Then, allow me to ask, my goddess," he spoke, stroking his long, frizzy beard, "did any of them bear witness to where the Book Of Asura lays waiting?"
The goddess gave a disappointing little shake of her head. "We are not in luck, I am afraid, about the journal." Then, her eyes sparkled with sudden eagerness. "But I did think of something that might help you. There is a map pointing to where the old agni asura clan had settled. If there is someone in this realm who ever bore witness to that book, it must be them."
Goddess Veenapani crossed the small room and opened a second door. Parasu followed after her, down the stairs that led to the colossal library that had survived eons. The musty smell of old books filled his nostrils as soon as he laid his feet on the wooden stairs.
There were a million lanterns in the library, floating up and down to the very bottom of the stairs, lighting up every floor, every dark corner. Every tenth step, the stair branched off to a new library floor, and at the very end, the steps disappeared into a dark, unlit abyss.
Parasu had visited the library several times before, but the very bottom was still a part of it that he had not explored. Eons of knowledge created countless books and tomes and journals, and that required countless floors too. So, the architects planned to advance it downwards instead of upwards with every new floor. The sage and the goddess continued to descend in silence until they reached the five hundredth and fifty sixth floor.
"As you know, Parasu, every book of this establishment is treated with utmost care and regard," Goddess Veena informed, glancing over her shoulder at the sage.
"I resolve to guard it with my life," Parasu promised before the goddess even asked.
"I would not expect any less."
The goddess sauntered over to the rearmost corner of the library floor. The section was quiet as a grave, and so cold it felt as if only spirits roamed there. She, at last, stood before a tall bookshelf, that was jam-packed with all kinds of books of all shapes and thicknesses. Goddess Veena flicked her finger, and air steps appeared in front of the shelf. She climbed on the steps and reached for the slim book that she was looking for.
"Here is the History of the Oldest Asura Clans of OneRealm," she said, handing over the book to Parasu once she came down. "It contains the map I mentioned and much more if you ever feel curious."
Parasu accepted the book with gratitude. "The power of the entire realm resides in this very place, with you, Veena."
Goddess Veena gave a hushed chuckle, that sounded more like a sharp intake of breathe. "You will discover where the power of the realm resides once you find the Book Of Asura."