*From To Sathish* - Thread 3 - Page 32

Chapter 103

"If nobody in the world were to think that I am a good person; I wouldn't care! I am aware of the fact that goodness does not materialise due to popular opinion! Goodness in fact is a state of the heart, and the heart is something that is only seen by those who have good enough eyes to see it. I am in fact more interested in being good; than in maintaining the appearance of goodness."C. JoyBell C.


Many,many chapters and years ago

Azhagan lay on the leaves with his head on avini's lap and he stared intently at the night sky.The stars were like pearls on a dark maidens skin and they beckoned to him.He smiled to himself and tenderly touched his mothers cheek and said ' mother,what are those white dots in the sky and why do they twinkle so ' ?
Avini running her fingers through her sons curly hair ' they are stars my beautiful one and there is one for each of us.They twinkle for it is their way of telling us that they see everything and will watch over you and me '.

Azhagan tried counting the stars and tiring of it slowly drifted away to a deep sleep.In his sleep his dreams were full of stars,light and lot of blood.But then he saw a pair of feet running away from him and followed it for his soul asked him to and led him behind them.The feet had golden anklets and they made soft tinkling noises but they also ran through puddles of blood and yet azhagan ran behind the feet for he knew that somehow they were part of him.The feet stopped and turned towards him and azhagan woke up in a start hearing the lion roar in the forest,alerting him of strangers that did not belong to their land.

At just six years,azhagan was already tall for his age and strong and absolutely fearless.He woke up swiftly and silently and vanished into the darkness of the forest where the huge lion waited for him.Both ran up the mountain to get a better view of who it was that were trespassing their village land and even in the dark of the night,azhagan's eyes saw more clearly than the lion and they blazed with a strange light.He turned to the lion and whispered ' soldiers from the chola kingdom and they are roaming the territories looking for young men who will be forced to fight the war on their side and also here to loot temples of their gold and other valuables '.

The lion rumbled in its throat and looked sideways at azhagan and swatted him with its huge paw as if warning him to stay put while it went about taking care of the intruders.Azhagan shook his head angrily,implying that he would not stay put and the lion gazed into his eyes and warned him again as if to say that he was not ready yet and also to tell him that his time would come and would come soon.

Quietly on padded feet the lion raced down and into the forest.Azhagan stood and watched as a few minutes later a loud roar shattered the darkness of the night and it was soon lost in the screams of people dying and those who ran for their dear lives.the village was alive and awake now and the villagers stood on guard,old men and old women and they knew it would be over soon.for just as the screams rose into the night it died and silence once more wrapped itself with the dark as lovers do and the villagers knew and azhagan knew that the lion,the forest and the night had not spared the intruders.

Azhagan's senses alerted him and he turned from his mother to see a soldier coming towards them.He was bloody with deep wounds and and yet life hung in him as did vengeance in his soul and he wanted to wreak it on the blind woman and child.He stumbled towards the child who boldly came forward and in the forest the lion moved faster than light and sped towards its responsibility.


The soldier raised his sword and screaming the name of Kulothungan Cholan ran towards the little boy but he died before taking a few steps.for in a split second the boy had jumped towards him and just as the huge form of a lion jumped on him from the side.like fire from the forest and like a streak of lightning from the skies the soldier was wrapped and killed and death came to him in two forms and he watched in amazement as life slipped away from him the incredible sight of a lion standing over him roaring in anger and that of a boy whose eyes blazed with a strange light.


Light and darkness


Rajendra cholan taunted azhagan " You come to fight me and these mighty warriors with the help of a crippled,old man and a tribal woman.Have you also brought along cooking vessels to prepare your meals and mats to take a nap.But good that they are here,for somebody needs to collect what is left of you after me and my men have finished with you."

Azhagan smiled " the mighty king is all talk and no action.I am here,right before you and all you do is chatter like an excited and nervous monkey.Yet,nothing is lost for there is a chance for a peaceful soultion to this problem of yours."

Rajendra cholan's face darkened with rage and shame.

He turned to the brothers and the son of Moorkan and asked them to destroy azhagan.

Azhagan calmly raised his hand " fair enough that you have brought along moorkan's family for help but i want to know what the huge army is for.Are they here to do your dirty work and are they here to help regain your lost pride and honor.But tell me,what honor was there in killing a blind woman and some innocent old villagers who had nothing to do with you or your evil affairs."

The words of azhagan were like sharp arrows that tore into his body and for a second he was embarrassed and ashamed of his actions and felt humiliated that they were being reminded to him before everybody.

Azhagan now growled " rajendra chola,if you want to regain your honor and lost pride,then you will have begin by saying sorry for all the wrong that you have done so far.But more importantly,you have to first ask forgiveness from the great man who sacrificed his own life to bring justice to me and my people.can you do that."

Rajendra cholan roared in anger " enough talk.all that you have said is now dust in the wind and that includes my father for i am now king.My word is now the command for your people and mine.pride and honor is all good,but i am above all that and my actions cannot be questioned by you or anyone."

Azhagan sighed deeply in sadness and resignation for he knew that the man was beyond reason and words and all that was left to do was go with the flow of things.

He closed his eyes and whispered to the source " forgive me for my actions.every thought and every action is yours and my hands are guided by your will.your breath flows in my soul and if you can hear me then stand by me now."

Azhagan looked at malar and kulashekaran pandyan and requested them to step back and gently placed the stick in the king's hands.

He looked at rajendra cholan " you want to fight me.okay,i am ready.but what if you lose this fight.what will be your position and with what face will you go back to your kingdom.Have you thought about that.most importantly what if you die here today."

Rajendra cholan felt fear clutch his heart for what azhagan spoke was true but then again he had a army of nearly twenty thousand men waiting to unleash hell and surely one man couldn't vanquish an entire army for that would be a miracle and miracles were the domain of gods that dwelled in the heavens.

But looking at azhagan standing alone all those doubts vanished and a smile bloomed on rajendran's face " we will see what we will see."

He turned to moorkan's brothers and his son to attack azhagan.

So it started and it sent doubts racing through everyone's minds.

Thenmozhi remembered how easily azhagan had killed moorkan and then attacked the group that had been chasing them.But that was one moorkan and a few dozen people but what azhagan faced was four giants and a massive army and to defeat them would be a truly an impossible task


Malar's heart lost a beat as she saw the giants advance on him and she whimpered in fear and clutched her stomach and she felt the heat and a glow in her womb.At first she was not able to understand what she was feeling but then a woman knows and malar knew she was carrying his child and she knew that she was going to be a mother.She sank to the ground frozen in happiness and terror.

In one voice kulashekaran pandyan and the chola people who now called perumalvaram their home roared " azhagan,Pakalon,Maasilan,Kathiravan,Meykandan,Koman,Nikaran,Mamannan kavin."

They circled him and came at him at once and only found air and themselves for azhagan had jumped over them and stood smiling at them.It had happened so fast that nobody had seen him move and yet he had moved.

With bloodcurdling roars they charged at him and this time rather than move,azhagan stood his ground and in the last moment threw a heavy punch at the nearest giant and the sound of fist hitting flesh and the sound of bones cracking was so loud that everybody winced and jumped in fright.

The eldest of the four lay dead with his chest caved in and blood spilling out of his mouth and pouring out of his nose.

Seeing him maddened the other three and with huge swords they flung themselves at azhagan who stepped aside and casually lifted one giant high in the air and flung him to the ground.

The giant landed on his head and the sound of his neck breaking was like the sound of lightning as it crackled and raced from the clouds to embrace terra ferma.

The other two looked at each other and knew that it was either kill or be killed.But unlike rajendra cholan they had brave blood coursing through their veins and were not ready to back down.

It flickered,embers of orange fire and they flickered deep in his eyes and then the light sprang from his body and he stood in the aura and light for his senses were completely aroused and now beyond control.

The remaining two again charged and just as they neared him,azhagan flung both his arms out and held them in his arms.Like the steel coils of a massive python they clenched and in a single effort he broke both their backs and dropped their lifeless bodies.

Azhagan stood sadly looking at the dead people who had been alive just minutes earlier and then looked up at rajendra cholan " i just killed four people,four of the best you could throw in single combat and unarmed.Now,tell me are you still willing to fight.I am ready.come let us end this madness of yours forever."

The fight went out of him just as air leaks out of a balloon and he desperately looked at his generals not knowing what to do or how to save his life.He had heard they story of azhagan killing moorkan from eye-witnesses and yet he had doubted them but there was no doubt left now.

The speed and the ease in which azhagan killed all four of moorkan's family not only left rajendra cholan shivering in his clothes but it put the fear of death in everybody who stood by the chola king..Even from far away the huge army of the chola king was witness to the mighty feat and although it started with a few,soon many took up and roared his name " azhagan,azhagan."

As now and as then and as it has been throughout history,heroes and acts of heroism are priced and valued above all,even above mighty kings and gods.Nearly half of the chola army slowly shuffled and now assembled behind azhagan,malar and kulashekaran pandyan.The soldiers laid down their arms and shouted their support to kulashekaran pandyan.This was not a sudden turn of events but an explosion of anger and resentment against rajendra cholan and his henchmen.


Rajendra cholan was at his wits end and looked around for a way to make his escape like a rat does when it is found in our kitchens.

Then azhagan did an astounding thing and yet it turned out to be the greatest moment in the history of the pandyan kingdom.

Azhagan shook his head in pity " rajendra cholan,i know what you are thinking after seeing me kill those four giants.But do not worry for i am not going to fight you.There is a greater and mightier warrior here who is waiting for his chance to regain the pride of the pandyas.you can fight him for that will be a fair fight."

Rajendra cholan was surprised as was everybody who were there and all looked to see who this warrior was who could be mightier than azhagan,for that was impossible.

Azhagan turned to Kulashekaran pandyan " come my king,come forth for this was the day you have been hoping for and this is the moment you have been dreaming about."

Kulashekaran pandyan roared his challenge and stepped forward with his shield and sword ready.

Rajendra cholan did not know how to react when he saw the old king step forward but he smirked " i accept defeat and i will leave but i will not fight a crippled old man."

Azhagan laughed " you will leave and sneak of like a coward but you are unwilling to fight to regain what you just lost here.But i am sorry,if you leave now then you leave not as a king but a coward running away from the battlefield.Fight now and win or lose you can leave as a king.so decide."


The few generals of rajendra cholan whispered to him " fight my lord,fight for you have been training really hard for this moment and you can defeat this old man easily."

Reluctantly Rajendra cholan agreed and taking his sword and shield faced Kulshekaran pandyan.

Not a single leaf stirred,not a single hair blew in the wind,not one bird spoke or sang and everything was silent and it felt as if time had come to a halt.

Then suddenly Rajendra cholan charged with an angry roar and Kulashekaran raised his shield and absorbed the blow easily but did not strike back.Again and again Rajendra cholan struck mighty blows on the shield that Kulashekaran pandyan was carrying but it did little to damage it.But for Azhagan not even Kulashekaran pandyan knew what that shield was made of for any normal shield would have at least cracked and shown signs of damage from the tremendous blows that Rajendra Cholan was raining on it.

The Chola king continued to strike and attack Kulashekaran but slowly and steadily his arms started to tire and Azhagan caught Kulashekaran's eye and nodded.

With a roar that would put a lion to shame Kulashekaran launched himself and struck at Rajendra Cholan and it was only due to the rigorous training that he saved himself from the mighty blow.

The second the blow fell on his shield,Rajendra cholan knew he was doomed for the impact was not absorbed by the shield and was directly transferred to his left wrist holding his shield and it broke like a twig.

With a pitiful cry he dropped the shield and looked at Kulashekaran in shock and in resignation.

With just one blow the old king had put an end to the fight and with just one blow the chola empire had been brought to its knees.

Kulashekaran pandyan walked up to Rajendra cholan " do not worry for i am not going to kill you.It is not in our customs to kill injured,weak and old people.run away now and never return.but remember this for from this day onwards the land of Pandyas is free,free from your rule.

I am sparing your life totally aware that you would not have spared mine.I am doing this out of respect for your father and the mighty king Kulothunga cholan who though strict was fair and wise in ruling us.

So take your men and leave these lands and never return.If your father was here and maybe he is for his remains are blowing in our lands he would agree with my actions.rule wisely and treat people fairly for that is the job of a king.You are a king because people look up to you and respect you otherwise you are just an object,a namesake,a puppet.

So rise now Rajendra cholan,rise and become the great king your father dreamed you would become.I give you my hand in friendship and in memory of your father."

Rajendra cholan rose and stared daggers at Kulashekaran pandyan and spat at the ground.He turned and started walking away towards his men.

Azhagan threw his senses and read everyone's thoughts and he realised what was going to happen.He knew he could not be at two places in one moment and he moved like a blur.

Rajendra cholan screamed " Kill the old man.kill the crippled king."

Thenmozhi knew this was the moment to strike and she drew an arrow dipped in a concoction of deadly poisons and let loose it towards malar's womb.

The generals let loose their arrows at kulashekaran pandyan and they raced towards his body.

When it comes to my own turn to lay my weapons down, I shall do so with thankfulness and fatigue, and whatever be my destiny afterward, I shall be glad to lie down with my fathers in honor. It is human at least, if not divine. -Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1895)

10th Grade
As I sat there in English class, I stared at the girl next to me. She was my so called best friend'. I stared at her long, silky hair, and wished she was mine. But she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it. After class, she walked up to me and asked me for the notes she had missed the day before. I handed them to her.
She said thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

11th grade
The phone rang. On the other end, it was her. She was in tears, mumbling on and on about how her love had broken her heart. She asked me to come over because she didn't want to be alone, so I did. As I sat next to her on the sofa, I stared at her soft eyes, wishing she was mine. After 2 hours, one Drew Barrymore movie, and three bags of chips, she decided to go home.
She looked at me, said thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek...I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Senior year
One day she walked to my locker. "My date is sick" she said, "he's not going to go" and I didn't have a date, and in 7th grade, we made a promise that if neither of us had dates, we would go together just as best friends'.
So we did. That night, after everything was over, I was standing at her front door step. I stared at her as she smiled at me and stared at me with her crystal eyes.
Then she said- "I had the best time, thanks!" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Graduation
A day passed, then a week, then a month. Before I could blink, it was graduation day. I watched as her perfect body floated like an angel up on stage to get her diploma. I wanted her to be mine-but she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it.
Before everyone went home, she came to me in her smock and hat, and cried as I hugged her.
Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and said- you're my best friend, thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Marriage
Now I sit in the pews of the church. That girl is getting married now and will drive off to her new life, married to another man. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn't see me like that, and I knew it. But before she drove away, she came to me and said you came!'.
She said thanks' and kissed me on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.

Death
Years passed, I looked down at the coffin of a girl who used to be my best friend'.
At the service, they read a diary entry she had wrote in her high school years.
This is what it read:
I stare at him wishing he was mine, but he doesn't notice me like that, and I know it. I want to tell him, I want him to know that I don't want to be just friends,
I love him but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why. I wish he would tell me he loved me!

A love story

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions. She didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month, we both try to live as normal a life as possible. Her reason for this conditions were simple. Our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me. She had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last-minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office and jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind. I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The sales girl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, "I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart".

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.

My wife had been fighting cancer for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce. At least, in the eyes of our son" I'm a loving husband.

We share for it makes our pain a little bit easier to bear

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars."

The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose." He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother." She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

Chapter 104

"That's what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end." ? Lise Hand

The boy who went into the dark and came back with light

Everyone saw everything that happened and thought it happened in a split second for azhagan it was like in slow motion.He absorbed Thenmozhis thought and Rajendra cholans intentions and he moved just as they moved.Yet,in that one instant,in that one moment,in that micro second he knew he had to save malar for more than her it was the nw life that he wanted to protect.He wanted to protect the new life,not because it was his but it was innocent and had nothing to do with what was happening outside its mothers womb.

Azhagan moved,moved as fast as light,faster than the arrow from thenmozhis bow and he reached malar as the arrow reached them.He took the arrow in his bare chest and it plunged deep into his body ( instantly fatal to an ordinary man).In the next second azhagan raced towards kulashekaran pandyan but he was too late to stop all the arrows.

The first arrow hit kulashekaran in his right arm (not fatal),the second hit him in his chest( fatal but still minutes before life ebbed out),the third hit him in his neck( fatal as blood pumped out of the carotid artery) and the fourth hit Azhagan in the back ( fatal for an ordinary mortal).

Kulashekaran screamed in pain and in anger at the betrayal and azhagan roared in anger at both thenmozhi and rajendra cholan.

Rajendra cholan reached for his trumpet and blew a note signalling to the rest of the army to charge and kill Azhagan.

Thousands of soldiers ran towards the group brandishing spears and swords.

Maravarman pandyan stood frozen in shock seeing his brother and his king lying on the ground mortally wounded and then his heart raced as his body pumped adrenaline and his limbs moved fast,really fast an in one movement he unsheathed his sword and in the same fluid movement he chopped rajendra cholans head clean off his body.It flew dripping blood still not knowing it was dead and his brain still focused and thinking of azhagan.

The arms still held the trumpet with which he had signalled his army to attack azhagan and his people.

All this happened in under 30 seconds and now the poison hit azhagan and he roared in pain and then the beast was unleashed.The flames leapt out and the whole place lit up like the face of the sun,brighter than the sun as azhagan's body fought against the poison that was eating into his body.


The skies thundered and everyone looked up into the overcast clouds as a huge shadow fell over the battle ground and the clouds roared mightily and then the clouds cleared as if they were swept away by a broom.

It hung in the skies,a huge machine with weird lights flashing and everyone wondered how it hung there motionless and then they realised that the gods were descending from the skies,at least that is how it looked for all those who were not aware of what the machine was or who came out of it as it landed softly on the ground.

The machine landed and the doors slid open and strange lights came rushing out of the doors.everyone stood frozen in fear,shock and in awe and the huge army of rajendra cholan stopped itself in its tracks.

One light rushed towards into the blazing roaring lights that Azhagan was throwing all around and it was getting hotter and intense by the passing second.

Nothing happened for a minute and then slowly the lights and fire slowly died down and in the middle stood a weakened Azhagan and holding him was the form in the light.Slowly the forms covering the light vanished and everyone saw a strange looking creature that looked like a human being but it was not for there were many differences.This being was tall and very slim and with a slightly greenish tinge to its skin.

Azhagan looked at the being next to him " father,you were late.You are always late."

Azhagan shrugged the arms that was holding him up and slowly stumbled towards kulashkekaran pandyan who lay dying on the ground.

Malar held the wound in his neck tightly shut with her palms and yet it the blood kept pumping out.

Azhagan gently took him in his lap and both warriors looked at each other with tears in their eyes.

Azhagan whispered softly " my king,my lord,my father, i have failed you.Please forgive me."

Kulashekaran pandyan coughed blood and gently touched azhagan's cheek " my child,you have not failed me but have gifted me a great honor.You have given me a chance to be born again and die again here in your lap.I can now go with my head raised before my ancestors and proclaim that i have won back their honor that they had lost so many centuries ago.I die happy,bleeding as a king and a warrior should do and i die in your arms.this is the greatest gift my god has bestowed upon me.I see you are different from us but know this that there is only thing that binds all of us even if our forms,creed,races are different and that is love and that is light.You are the brightest light.I love you"

Azhagan roared his tears and roared his anger as he held the dead kings body in his arms.the pain he felt was unbearable for it reminded him of he had held his mother as she died in his arms.His mighty body shuddered in grief and then the flames roared out and raced out of his body and formed a cocoon around him.

He stood with the dead kings body in his arms and then the flames exploded and the body was turned to ashes.

Azhagan stood quietly and then slowly turned towards thenmozhi and his face thundered as anger and rage blazed in both eyes.

Thenmozhi whimpered first and then she screamed in pain and collapsed inside the chariot.

Maravarman pandyan tried to run to her help but Azhagan held him and asked him to stay still.Maravarman pandyan did not know what to do but listen for it looked like azhagan would have burnt him to ashes if he had not done so.

The screams from thenmozhi split the air and Azhagan slowly walked towards thenmozhis chariot and gently lifted the baby that she had delivered.Bright orange flames leapt out of the new borns body and swiftly azhagan walked towards malar and gave his hand and gently raised her.

She held his arm and slowly they started walking towards the machine that had landed near them.

Azhagan stopped near Maravarman pandyan " My king,i hope you rule wisely as kulashekaran pandyan did.unite the lands and treat everyone as your own.Make us proud and be worthy of all those who have sacrificed themselves for this moment.I will return one day."

Azhagan and malar slowly walked into the machine with the baby gently cradled in his left arm and he was amazed to see the new born had the same markings as he did.

Azhagan whispered " Kulashekaran,you will be called Kulashekaran pandyan."

The machine slowly lifted itself off from the ground and silently rose higher and higher and vanished into the skies.


I am Azhagan.I am the son of Avini.I am the light that travelled from the stars.I am the light of the race that has wandered from a distant galaxy.I rise now into skies,into the darkness of space and i make my voyage towards my new destiny and a new goal that awaits me.


"A single tiny light creates a space where darkness cannot exist. The light vanquishes the darkness. Try as it might, the darkness cannot conquer the light." Donald L. Hicks, Look into the stillness

Hi,
In the next chapter which will be the final one of this story i will try and explain everything and will bid farewell to azhagan and avini.

Chapter 105

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Roald Dahl


Many years ago or rather many decades ago when i must have been about 7 or 8,the power went out in our area and soon unable to bear the stifling humidity that the day had left, me and other smaller ones followed our elder sisters to the terrace.It was nearly 8 p.m and so we all laid down on the mats that we had brought along and watched the night sky.Back in the 1970's there was no such thing as UPS or Inverters and only very big shops had disel generators.So the whole area lay under the black veil of powercut and we lay under the dark sky shining,twinkling with stars and planets.We counted a few and soon it ran into hundreds and that count was taken over by my sisters for i did not know how to count further than 30 or 40.well,i admit i was always weak in numbers and even now i become cross-eyes if people try to explain something with numbers.

That night,that night sky,the stars remain in my memory.That night i lay wondering about all those shiny jewels and wondered what they were.But now when i have a chance to look up into the night sky i know what the stars are and their given names.But i also know that like our sun which is a star there are trillions of stars in trillions of galaxies and stop and think about who or what lives there.I smile and my memory races back to that night without power when we lay under a galaxy and under a roof of stars.

Final analysis


"Ends are not bad things, they just mean that something else is about to begin. And there are many things that don't really end, anyway, they just begin again in a new way. Ends are not bad and many ends aren't really an ending; some things are never-ending." C. JoyBell C.


Sadashivam did not know his mouth was wide open in shock and awe and Dhana gently pushed his lower jaw shut.

Sadashivam squeaked " aliens,spaceships,galaxy travellers.But how,and why has this been never revealed before."

Dhana smiled " They are called The ancients and their race is really ancient.Yet you will find bits and pieces of information here and there in epics of most countries.The term " VIMANA" and references of flying chariots breathing fire that are described in mahabharatha and ramayana come from incidents where a few people had seen The ancients taking off into space."

Sadashivam could not take in everything and understand it although he was blessed with a great mind.He took a deep breath and realised that the man was only telling them a bit of what really had happened.

He looked at dhana " If the ancients were flying in space ships then their technology must be really advanced and if that was so why did they not share all that knowledge with us.If they were so far ahead in all fields of science and technology why didn't they teach us more and give us the power to also explore deep space."


Dhanashekara pandyan smiled " Good question but if you stop and think for a second about it,then you will know the answer yourself."

Sadashivam at first could not understand what dhana meant but he stopped and his mind remembered everything and he nodded " true,if The ancients had given us all that knowledge then i am pretty sure that earth would have been blown up into pieces by one or more madmen."

Dhana nodded " They began slowly teaching early humans about fire,agriculture,metallurgy,building huge structures and yet even that basic knowledge soon was misused and humans used it in war to kill each other."

Sadashivam " but why do these so called Ancients go around helping others in different worlds."

Dhana " They are basically farmers.but farmers on an universal scale.They went around in search of planets and worlds where conditions were right for life to begin its first baby steps and they just gave it a gentle push.This was a slow process and that which took billions of years.Yet they never interfered with the cosmos and just laid the seeds of life in simple forms and let nature do its own magic.There were many times when their work did not succeed but they just went about their work which was given to them by The Source."

Sadashivam looked at dhana " You said that azhagan and malar left in the spaceship with thenmozhis child but wasn't malar also pregnant.Did she deliver ? If she also delivered then who "

Dhana laughed loudly " shivam,always thinking and questioning .But the answer to your question is i do not know from whom i have descended from the womb of thenmozhi or from the womb of malar."

Sadashivam suddenly yelled " wait,wait who was thenmozhi and how did she have similar powers and strange lights coming from her eyes.Why did she have a green aura and why did azhagan have an orange aura."

Dhana smiled and looked down at his markings and then looked at shivam,palam swamy,dheeran and periya swamy
" Thenmozhi was like azhagan and the same blood ran i her veins.But unlike azhagan where the seed of the ancients took root in avini and something unexpected happened,the seed from which thenmozhi was born did not work as well.The connection they had was because they both shared the same blood of the ancients and so were blessed with strange powers that humans of this planet did not possess.

When it came to azhagan the ancients themselves did not expect that such a powerful being would be born,blessed with even more powers than they had and they realised that it was once in a billion chance.They knew that the combination of avini and azhagan was epic even in a cosmic scale and it meant that the source,the one true source had blinked for a second and had made a move which only that power understood.Things align,realign and in the case of avini and azhagan everything came together in one perfect moment and that is which even the ancients could not understand.that is why azhagan was so precious to them.That is why azhagan was so powerful.

Azhagan gave off a green aura in his early years but the source was strong in him from the time his heart started beating and his mind and soul were on higher plane which set him apart.then the markings on his left forearm brought real the prophecy that had been whispered by the ancients for nearly millions of years."


Sadashivam sighed and shook his head in wonder " wow,really wow sir.So now what happens."

Dhana smiled " Nothing happens.life goes on normally as usual and you travel on with it."

Everyone got ready to leave and dhana looked at them " please keep all this to yourselves for the world is not ready for all this information and knowledge."

Dhana requested periya swamy and dheeran to escort palam swamy and sadashivam safely to madurai and wished them all farewell.

A few minutes after they had left,dhana and buddha walked deeper and deeper into the cave and finally stood before a huge sketch.

He looked at both of them and smiled and his eyes flared orange and the light filled the cave with its brightness.

In the sketch Azhagan and malar stood looking at him with a smile and dhana whispered " hello father,hello mother."

"What did a happy ending even mean in real life, anyway? In stories you simply said, 'They lived happily ever after,' and that was it. But in real life people had to keep on living, day after day, year after year."
Scott Westerfeld, Afterworlds


The boy who went into the dark and came back with light

Does a story have to be like this ? Does a story have to end like this ?
Does a story have to be about one particular theme or about one particular topic.

Well,i tried my best and i hope you can see my story telling skills gradually progressing t a step further.

I really do not know why i write but maybe because i am a dreamer and i have a vivid imagination.

But in the end it is a story about love,loss,pain,betrayal and sacrifice.I hope these 105 chapters gave at least a bit of everything.

Soon as my dreams and imaginations start working i will start on the next story.

I wish you all well and give the best of my love.Be well.