Bitter Truth
“Where are we going?” Rudhra asked as Yodhika led him out through the palace gates. She had covered her face with a black kerchief.
“Just keep quiet and follow me.”
Rudhra did as told, confusion etched across his face.
“Do you know why Akira—your past King—trusted the Pranvars?” Yodhika asked as they walked.
Rudhra considered this for a moment. “Yes. The Pranvars possessed weapons called Tamaskara that could defeat us. But before the King’s eyes, they threw all of them away—except one spear. That spear is still kept and is used only if an Amirthya commits an unforgivable crime and must be punished by death.”
He paused. “Why do you ask?”
“Who has that spear?” Yodhika asked, ignoring his question.
“The current Warden of the Amirthya clan—Mr. Perumal.”
“Where is he now?”
“Building A of the Amirthya compound.”
“Have you seen this weapon?”
“Yes. It has a metal handle and a unique black-colored spearhead. You must already know this.”
They stopped before the Prayer Home.
“We came here to pray?” Rudhra asked.
“Wait here. Outside,” Yodhika said. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”
She disappeared into the prayer hall.
Fifteen minutes later, she returned.
“You’re early,” Rudhra said, smiling slightly.
Yodhika’s face remained expressionless.
She reached into her pocket and took out two small objects and a knife—each marked by the same unique black sheen.
Rudhra stared at them, dumbfounded.
“W… what are these?” he asked, fear slowly creeping into his voice.
“These are bullets,” Yodhika said calmly. “They go into the weapons that you have seen carried by Pranvar security. Have you seen how those weapons work?”
“N–no,” Rudhra replied, his eyes fixed on the objects in her hand. “I thought they were some kind of specially designed hammer. How do they work?”
“That weapon is called a gun,” she said. “It fires these bullets the way a bow fires an arrow—only a hundred times faster, and with far greater piercing power.”
She paused.
“But that’s not why I showed you these.”
Rudhra continued to look at the bullets and the knife.
“The Prayer Home,” Yodhika said slowly, “is a front. Beneath this place is a massive research laboratory. There, weapons and technologies far more powerful than what you see in my hands are being created.”
She paused again. Rudhra’s face drained of color.
“And among them are hundreds of weapons made of Tamaskara.”
Rudhra’s breathing turned ragged. “What are you saying? Who is making this… and why?”
“We are,” Yodhika replied. “The Pranvars.”
Her voice did not waver.
“To use them against you—the Amirthyas—one day. And that day is not far away.”
Rudhra grabbed Yodhika’s collar, forgetting for a moment that she was a princess.
“What the hell are you saying?” he demanded.
Yodhika remained unfazed. “That your clan has been living a lie.”
Rudhra collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
“Y… you’re lying,” he said, staring at the soil beneath him.
“No. I’m telling the truth,” she replied evenly. “I can bring you more weapons from inside if you need proof. Not just here—these facilities exist across the island, and in many more bases beyond it.”
“K–King Devansh…” Rudhra looked up at her, defiance trembling in his eyes. “He would never do such a thing. He would never allow anyone to harm us.”
“He is the one leading the operation now,” Yodhika said. “He took the helm from his predecessor—my grandfather.”
“Y–YOU ARE LYING!” Rudhra shouted.
People near the Prayer Home turned to stare.
Yodhika dropped to one knee and leaned close, her voice sharp and controlled.
“Lower your voice. You’ll only frighten your clan members—and hasten their end. Calm yourself.”
But Rudhra couldn’t. His breathing grew erratic as his fingers dug into the soil.
“Stand up,” Yodhika ordered. “Come with me. Now.”
He didn’t move.
“Do you want to know the truth?” she asked.
Slowly, Rudhra looked up.
“Then get up,” she said. “And follow me quietly.”
He rose unsteadily. Yodhika walked ahead, and Rudhra dragged his feet after her. Gradually, the crowd returned to its routine.
“Why did you tell me this now?” Rudhra asked in a weak voice as they passed through the market.
“I don’t know,” she said, not looking at him. “I shouldn’t have. Maybe. But I haven’t slept in days. I would have followed the plan to the end—if we had never met.”
They left the town and reached the edge of the perimeter jungle, where no one else was in sight.
The moment they crossed into the trees, a sword pressed against Yodhika’s back.
“Stop,” Rudhra said.
She turned calmly. “What are you doing?”
“Why are we here?” Rudhra asked.
“To tell you the truth.”
“What truth?”
“The truth of my clan.”
“I don’t care, convince me,” he said. “Convince me that you weren’t lying earlier.”
Yodhika released a deep sigh.
In one swift motion, she drew the Tamaskara knife from her pocket, knocked his sword aside, sliced his upper arm, and kicked him backward.
Rudhra scrambled to his feet and lunged again, blade raised.
Yodhika summoned her trident and blocked his strike effortlessly.
“Look at your arm, idiot.”
Without releasing pressure on his sword, Rudhra glanced down.
The wound wasn’t healing.
His strength faltered.
Yodhika knocked the sword away, then clicked the trident back into its rod form.
“Do you believe me now?”
Rudhra collapsed onto the ground, elbows on his knees, palms pressed to his forehead. He said nothing.
“Do you remember when I told you about the voice?” Yodhika asked.
No response.
“The voice tells us to conquer the world. The Pranvars plan to use the Amirthyas as pawns.”
Rudhra looked up, his face hollow.
“And the past you believe in,” she continued, hesitating, “was fabricated.”
His expression shattered.
“Your king Akira never handed over power. He was erased. Our ancestors massacred your clan—leaving only ten newborns alive.”
Rudhra’s breathing hitched.
“You were raised as slaves first. Then studied. Over generations, we searched for ways to use you. When your fighting spirit wouldn’t die, we chose a different path—trust, comfort, obedience.”
She swallowed.
“We created a story. A way of life meant to dull your edge. And now… it’s almost time. In six months, the Pranvars will enslave you again—and use you to step into the world.”
Rudhra slammed his fist into the ground again and again.
“WHY?” he screamed. “Why are you telling me this?”
Yodhika stayed silent for a long moment.
Then she said, “Run away with me.”
Rudhra stared at her. “Run away? With you?” He laughed bitterly. “Another trick, right?”
“No tricks,” she said. “I can’t let them have you. I need you. I want your presence.”
His face burned with rage. “You think I care how you feel? I’d rather die.”
A tear slid down Yodhika’s cheek. She wiped it away.
“There’s no escape,” she said quietly. “The Pranvar military is too strong. If you tell anyone now, you’ll only die sooner.”
“THEN I’LL DIE WITH MY FAMILY!” Rudhra roared.
She sat opposite him, saying nothing.
After a long silence, Rudhra spoke again.
“Was it all a lie too?”
Yodhika raised her gaze towards Rudhra.
“When you said you felt something… when you touched me?”
“No,” Yodhika said softly.
She looked away for a moment, then met his eyes again.
“It was all true. I felt real peace when I touched your hand—when your hand touched mine. When you hugged me.”
Her voice trembled, just slightly.
“That peace was something I had never known before. That is why I want your presence all the time. That is why I wanted us to run away.”
“But you still see my clan as enemies,” he said.
“I have no evil intent towards anybody. I was only following my father’s orders and yes, if we had never met, I would have done whatever my father asked me to do.”
Another silence passed.
“Then why did Sabo train me?” Rudhra asked.
“To perfect you,” she said. “Sabo brought out the best possible warrior in you. After that, Ashura and I—who were meant to be the key players when we stepped into the world—fought you, not to train you, but to train ourselves: to learn how to defeat you, and to plant fear in you subconsciously for the day it would matter.”.
Rudhra studied her face.
“We did nothing wrong,” he said quietly. “My parents… my clan don’t deserve this.”.
He looked at her. “I want to save them. Will you help me?”
“How?” she asked.
“Fight with us.”
She looked shocked, then steadied herself.
“They will overwhelm us with numbers,” she said. “I don’t see us winning.”
“With or without you, we’ll fight,” Rudhra replied. “There is no other choice.”
Yodhika hesitated. “I can’t let you die,” she said. “Give me until tomorrow. I’ll think—see if there’s even a one percent chance for your clan’s survival.”
He nodded. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“And don’t tell anyone,”, she said. “Not even your parents.”
Reluctantly, he agreed.
They rose and walked back toward the town.
(To be continued)
Karun G Nath 
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