Right in the middle of the night, there was smoke coming out of a particular spot in the wilderness. But the beasts that roamed under the veil of the night sky avoided the source of the smoke, as if they were purposely avoiding it. Humans, however, were different from beasts. Everyone knows where there is smoke, there is fire. So, a group of bandits made their way to the source of the smoke, approaching the camp stealthily.
"You two go that way. Quick Hands and Lightning will go the opposite way. That way, we can encircle them. I believe this prey is very wealthy; only young aristocrats would be that unwise to leave a fire burning as they sleep," the man in the middle, supposedly the leader, spoke. But before they could advance, a loud clapping of hands resounded from behind them. Being seasoned bandits, they immediately drew their weapons and turned towards the clapping, but to their surprise, there was no one.
"You all heard the clapping?" the man in the middle asked, his voice containing hints of uncertainty. His doubts were cast aside when all of his men confirmed that they heard it, meaning he did not imagine it.
"Keep your eyes and ears open. We might be surrounded," the leader spoke, his eyes moving around, surveying the area.
"Do you all believe in karma?" A soft voice whispered past their ears. Looking around, they saw nothing but the vast wilderness. Fear crept into their hearts, and they got closer to one another with their backs against each other to protect and cover their blind spots.
"Why do you hide?! Come out if you are brave enough!" the leader yelled, hoping to lure the enemy out, but his plan failed. Seconds after his words, a deep chuckle rang out.
"Just because you are failing to perceive me doesn't mean I am hiding. But anyway, I asked you a question: do you all believe in karma?" The voice spoke again, and the sound resounded from all around them, preventing them from pinpointing its origin and adding to their anxiety.
"Yes, we do, but you have to understand, we have families to feed. We do not like anything about this, but we do not have a choice," the leader yelled out, trying to find a way to escape their predicament. The voice was quiet for a while, which made the leader think it was considering his words.
"Now tell me, what is karma?" the voice asked again. Mixed with their anxiety and fear was now confusion. The bandits were all confused about the voice; they truly couldn't perceive its motives.
"Karma is like the wheel on a carriage: what goes around comes back around," the leader answered, his ears concentrating, hoping to pinpoint the location of the voice. The voice was quiet again. It seemed as if the whole wilderness was shrouded in a veil that blocked off all sound except the sound of their breathing.
'What is going on?' the leader thought. 'I should probably make a run for it. No, no, bad idea. Without these idiots, I would be exposed. Screw this,' he thought, still observing the eerily calm surroundings. They could see trees swaying with the wind, but no sound came from them, and they could no longer see where the smoke was coming from. The rest of the bandits trembled, cold perspiration covering their bodies.
"Your answer is partially correct," the voice resounded again. "But the true meaning of karma is the relationship between a person's mental or physical action and the consequences following that action. It also signifies the consequences of all the actions of a person in their current and previous lives and the chain of cause and effect in morality. Meaning all of you were born scum, and the reason for that is because of your past actions in your previous lives. See, every life you got until now was a chance for you to redeem yourself and fall onto the right—not right, but fair—path. But you five continued with your unjust ways, and you probably thought you were going to get away with it, but karma had other plans. See, karma and destiny are not so different; both of them are determined by the choices you make. You chose to be bandits, you chose to murder and pillage villagers and townsfolk, you chose to attempt to do the same to me and my protégé. But karma had another thing in store for you: Me." The voice sounded sinister at the end.
"Please spare me; I'm just a boy!" one of the bandits yelled out, removing his mask and revealing his face. Truly, he was a boy.
"My mother is sick. I'm doing this to buy her medicine and help feed my siblings," another one yelled out.
"I was forced into this. I never wanted any part of it," a female voice resounded from the bandits.
"I do not want to die, please," another one pleaded.
"Have mercy. My wife is about to give birth. I assure you we can change our ways," the bandit leader spoke, falling to his knees and begging. A scoff resounded.
"So what if you are just a boy? You have killed, raped, and robbed. So what if your mother is sick? How many sick mothers have you slain? How many mothers are sick and can't get medication because you killed their only source of income? So what if you were forced into this? If you truly hated the way you lived, why not turn yourself and your group over to the kingdom's officials? So what if your wife is giving birth? How many pregnant women did you rape and kill over the seasons?" the voice calmly intoned. "But I will not get my hands dirty with your blood. Karma will take care of you." After the voice spoke, sound returned to the wilderness: the rustling of leaves, the cries of beasts far away. The sudden change in tune startled the bandits, but they felt somehow at ease because the voice's last words made it seem as if it was leaving them alone.
"Let's all get—" The leader froze before he could continue with his words. As he was speaking, he raised his hand to wipe off the perspiration on his forehead, but just as his hand passed his nostrils, a familiar scent caught his attention: blood. Inspecting himself, he found out that he was covered in blood from head to toe. But whose blood? After a short while, he discovered that all of them were covered in blood, and they all knew one thing: blood invited beasts. Just as they wanted to make a run for it, different roars and cries rang out from behind them. Beasts of all manner surrounded them from every angle: beasts that crawl on their bellies, fly in the air, hunt on the ground, venomous, scavengers, and all sorts of beasts surrounded them.
"Curse you! KARMA IS LIKE A WHEEL. REMEMBER, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES BACK AROUND. TODAY IT'S US; TOMORROW IT WILL BE YOU!" the leader bellowed, but his words had no impact and could not save him. Drawing his blade, he turned to his team and smiled. With one quick motion, he fell down, blood spraying from his neck, dead. Soon enough, all of them followed suit. A quick and clean death unworthy of a bandit. The beasts just stood there and watched. Soon, one by one, they all began to disappear, leaving only a wisp of smoke lingering behind. In no time, the beasts were gone, as if they had never existed. What was left behind were the unconscious bodies of the bandits, their chests heaving up and down, not dead at all. Their blades were all clean, unstained with blood.
"This was a mere wake-up call. Next time, karma won't be so kind." A man dressed in a simple linen shirt and grey pants rested on a tree nearby, observing the unconscious bandits quietly. His eyes shifted to display a swirling pattern of calming, harmonic colors mixed with sharp, piercing hues.
"I'm marking you. Whatever you do now, I will know it, and if you continue with your unjust ways, I will be the one to reap your lives. Goodbye. May we never cross paths again, bandits." A soft indigo light shone on their chests. If one were to look at their chests, they would see a small rotating wheel right where the heart is located: a mark of karma. The man left the scene, his footsteps noiseless.