BLACK AND WHITE #BOOK 1 - SWORD OF SILVER

Aarav’s clanmates hadn’t taken the news of him being the master of the sword of silver well as he had expected. Though , what he had presumed had turned out to be wrong. He had thought that once they knew he was the one they would probably take him back, but it turned out quite the opposite .

They had found one of the safe houses , and were now all there .Mayank and Pranay were near the man whom they had captured , he was sill unconscious so they were waiting for him to wake. While , Megha ,Reva and Aarav were in the inner room.

“You could have atleast told us.“Megha said, “It would have been a lot easier if we had already known.”

“I figured it out just the other day when i killed the 5 men who attacked us. What exactly would i say? How could i blame the sword for murdering them?“Aarav argued.

“It wasn’t you who killed them , or any of the men who were injured today.“Reva said.“Aarav, i know you enough to say that wasn’t you . I clearly saw you were fighting back. You avoided yourself from killing anyone else.”

“Whatever you say , but the reality is right in front of us. Whoever the person who took control over me was , doesn’t matter. It was my body that was causing the wreck , that means i am the one who caused it. “Aarav told her.“And , i could hurt you , i could hurt anyone. I don’t know what’s going on , and i can’t control if it continues. Reva , you’re hand is hurt , because of me.”

“Think about yourself for once.“Megha said.“Look at you . Your hand is burnt , you’re the one who’s gotten the most out of it. ”

“She’s right...“Reva agreed with her .“I told you , though you warned me , i didn’t listen and that’s what caused it . And anyway-”

“Guys, the man’s awake.“Pranay said from the other room . Megha nodded and headed there. Reva and Aarav were left alone . She kissed him and said,

“Don’t blame yourself for everything that happens . Anyways , lets go and see what we can get to know.”

Aarav smiled and walked to the interrogation room with her. In there , the man with the brown beard was tied up , at hands and ankles . His mouth was gagged with a cloth , and he was all wet with sweat and blood . His chest was bare, after Aarav’s attack impact had blasted his armour away.

He looked up to Reva and Aarav , and the moment he saw Aarav , he was shivering . Megha pulled the cloth away from his mouth , and he began to yell.

“Monster ! You bloody monster ! Stay away from me ....I don’t want to die. Stay away you blood greedy bastard!”

Reva moved swiftly and the dagger had given her was on his throat,

“Listen , asshole . You call him a monster once again , and your hand will have only 7 fingers. ”

“Um...Reva , let him go . We’re looking like the bad guys here.“Aarav told her. “Listen , we don’t want to hurt you. If you answer us , we’ll leave you.”

“I won’t tell you a thing, you bastards ...“He said.

Megha bent down and sat beside him. She said, “We don’t have time , and if u don’t answer us we wouldn’t care less if the answers came from the full you , or you with lesser body parts . So as he said , answer us , and we won’t hurt you...”

“Some girl power...“Pranay said “Brown beard , if i were you , i wouldn’t mess with the girls .They’re hot and all , but they’re badass and really dangerous.”

“Should we take that as a compliment or a mocking?“Megha asked him. Mayank and Aarav gave a laugh.

“Alright ...“Reva said , and pulled out a chair to sit right in front of the man ,she asked,

“Who are you?”

“I won’t say , bitch!” He spat.

“I’ll ask you again , who are you?” Reva asked him again.

“I said , i won’t say shit , you bloody slut!“He bashed.

Aarav saw that the interrogation was going no where , so he had opt to some other way.

“Reva...“Aarav said ,“Let me try.”

The man flinched , he was again shivering .“Not you , no, stay away!”

Reva got up , and Aarav took the seat . He saw the man , and smiled at him.

“You have quite a rotten tongue there. I’ll ask you nicely , who are you?”

“I-I’m ...Robin Dough.“He said.

“Leave it to the professional . Just look at him go!“Pranay said , impressed about how the man answered Aarav on the first go.

“Alright Robin , tell me why exactly were you after us?“Aarav asked.

“We had orders...from the lord commander, Lord Hector...“He said.

“Oh...that bastard , he owes me an eye..“Pranay said , placing a hand on his once intact eye .

“What has happened here? Only the truth.“Megha asked .

“A week ago , Lord Hector told us he’d pay us if we keep any intruders from entering the kingdom . So we agreed . That same day , he called some woman , a witch , she cast a spell on the town , and whoever were within the town borders were all put to coma .“Robin said.

“Why?“Reva asked.

“That girl, the double blood...“Robin said “The one they brought a year and a month ago from another kingdom.”

“Shiba? What about her?“Aarav asked him.

“Yes , Shiba , that’s the name . Before the spell was put , Lord Hector asked the king’s permission to meet the girl . He called me and my team and gave us some weird drink so that we shouldn’t be affected by the spell, and then took her...”

“What do you mean took her?“Megha asked, “Where?”

“To his kingdom, Phantom ...in the white world.“Robin said.

“Wait , wait , what? Who’s kingdom?” Pranay asked.

“The girl’s and Lord Hector’s . He is the white spy working here. He earned the trust of the king and for years worked till he became the lord commander, once he did , he planned on capturing the girl . I don’t know what the girl’s role is , but Lord Hector convinced the king and finally was successful in bringing her here.”

“Hector’s a white?”

“White prince...“Robin said,” He’s the Phantom king’s cousin...”

“What’s this Phantom?“Aarav asked.

“Its a kingdom in the White world . A huge one too.” Megha said .“Who is Shiba then?”

“She’s a white too...“Robin said, “I don’t know much , but Lord Hector was highly obsessed with the girl’s safety . Everyday , he himself used to check her food and all .”

“When did he take her?“Megha asked.

“A week ago , he left to the door of split as soon as the spell was put...“Robin said.

“What did you mean by double blood girl , earlier?” Reva asked .

“She’s both.”

“Both what?”

“She’s Black and White ...”

Please do read my latest story , ‘Orbs Of Magic ’ .

Go on...

After they had gagged , tied , blindfolded , and used one of Megha’s runestones to make him partially deaf , only then did they go to the other room for discussion .

“Bloody hell , what’s going on here?“Pranay said.“We’re black , Hector’s a white , Shiba’s a black and white .”

“I don’t know why Aarav , but this has something to do with you.“Megha said.

“What do you mean?“Aarav asked her.

“Look, first we thought you were the seventh incarnation , but you weren’t . If you’re not , and Shiba is , then she should be one with the sword of silver , and not you. But , in reality , you hold the sword of silver. There has to be a reason .“Megha said.

“I wouldn’t care less if she’s black or white or mortal, I swore to save her , and I will!” Aarav said.

“Aarav , don’t be crazy!“Reva said,“She’s out of our reach now , she may not even be in the black world right now!”

“If she ’s not in the black world , then I will go to her...“Aarav said.“And bring her back no matter what.”

“Don’t be stupid , its not possible . We can’t cross the border . Afterall , Shiba’s a white . So that means she’s at home.“Reva said.

“I’m in the black world right now , and i’m a black , but this isn’t my home . My home is where my mom is . I will cross the border if that’s what going to bring Shiba back, I promised to bring her back . And I can’t go back empty handed after coming so far.“Aarav said.

“I won’t let you go!“Reva said.

“Try and stop me if you can.“Aarav said.

“Ah...bloody hell, the stubborn couple.“Pranay said.

“Stop it you two.“Megha said.“Aarav listen first . Reva’s right , we aren’t allowed to cross the border!”

“Not you too , Megha!”

“Someone has brains here...“Reva said.

“But...“Megha continued,“...we shouldn’t actually cross the borders if we want to go the White world. There is one way...”

“What?“Pranay asked her.

“But its really dangerous . We go through the Trident..“Megha said.

“The prison?“Aarav had heard Megha’s brother , the lord commander mention the trident when he had asked about the T symbol on the map.

“Yes, The prison.” Megha said.“You see , the only building which is present in all the three worlds . Three doors , at three ends . One in the black world , one in the mortal world , and one ....”

“In the white world.”

Megha altered the memories of Robin as soon as they decided that they would be heading towards the Trident to rescue Shiba . So they had planned that on the morrow they would leave the kingdom of Phoenix .

They had it all planned , though still Reva was not so happy about it. Her doubt could be seen right on her face , atleast by Aarav. They had taken up the duty of watching over till 3 in the morning.

Reva was sitting with a gloomy face by the torch .

“Cheer up . We’ll be back before you know.“Aarav told her.“There’s no need to worry about it much. We’ll go , find Shiba , kick that Hector guy’s ass , and bring her back safe and sound.”

“You really think that’d be so easy ? “She said, “Its the highest guarded place in the three worlds. Going in as a team of 5 , then coming out with yet another person along and that too unnoticed ? That’s a pretty long shot if you ask me. Breaching the defenses once seems out of hand , but twice?”

“Reva , we’ll be alright . Just be a bit optimistic about it.”

“We should be optimistic at things that have atleast a little chance of actually happening.“She said .

“Come on , it’ll be alright.” He bent and kissed her .“Its almost time , lets wake Pranay for the next watch , we’ll have some rest till then.”

Megha and Mayank had already done one watch each , so the last one left was Pranay . Aarav kicked Pranay and woke him up.

“What sort of an asshole kicks to wake someone up?“He said yawning .

“Me. Now get up , its your watch...“Aarav told him.

“Why am i not the one on with a bae-watch ? You get to spend time with your girl , why should i rot alone? Un fair..“He said rubbing his eyes.

“Well, your watch is alone because you don’t have a ‘bae’ and also Megha doesn’t want to sit with you for 3 hours. Now get your lazy ass up.“Reva told him.

Slapping his face to wake himself up , Pranay went mumbling to his watch. Aarav slept and he had the dream again. A Long corridor, where he was running behind Shiba , but this time instead of she turning into the weeping woman , she turned and said...

“You killed my parents.” A tear rolled down her eyes and from nowhere , he saw his own sword, Vajra , in Shiba’s hand and the next moment it was in his chest . He felt as if it was real . Then as he was about to yell , the scene changed and Aarav was now standing in front of a cellar where in the corner of the cell , a woman was sitting . She saw him and dragged her body near him , she said,

“Save me...I’m waiting. ” and the cellar vanished .

He was moving backwards , he went back through the corridor which had nothing but damp walls on either side , then he came into a larger room , which had many floors . But the one which he came out of was the bottom most . He was now out of the large room , facing a group of many buildings , which were rotting old , and all green and mushy .

Each building had a number , and the one which he just came out from , was numbered seven. He had stopped moving , so he could see all around him . His back was facing a huge compound , which he followed with one hand on the wall . He walked and walked till he reached a place where the mud was damp . He crouched and touched it , and found a trap door large enough for him to get in . He followed it , and before he knew , he had come behind the compound , and saw that he was now standing on a cliff , with thousands of feet below him.

Unable to understand what was happening , he closed his eyes , opened them again . And in front a woman on fire with wings on her side , smiling . She bent and kissed him, he could feel her hot lips . Then he recognized , it was Shubhanka . She said,

“I loved you with all my heart...” Then she stabbed him in the chest , and he woke up with a cry of pain.

He was breathing heavily and it hurt. This was the first ever time that the dream had felt so real , and first time when he got stabbed twice. He woke up , beside him Mayank was fast asleep , and at the far end of the room , Megha and Reva were asleep . He walked in the next room to see Pranay drooling in his sleep.

He washed himself and freshened up and had a bath and sat near the window , thinking about his dream. It was almost dawn , and he feared one thing that was an old saying .

Dreams seen in the morning become reality.

But the part where Shubhanka stabbed him , he had seen this dream at almost all the times of the day. What troubled him was the other one , where Shiba stabs him .

Can it really become reality? , He thought . She had accused him of killing her parents.

He was deep in thought , and it was already orange and yellow outside when a hand startled him .He quickly turned ,one hand on his bracelet.

“Calm down , its just me.“Megha said.“Deep in thought?”

“No , not at all . Just worried .“He told her.

“Yeah , it was hard for me to sleep last night. This was my idea afterall.” She said .

“Idea was your’s , but the reason is mine. I’m the one who wants to bring Shiba back. I’m wondering whether taking you all and putting your lives at stake is really that necessary.” Aarav said sipping the tea that she handed him.

“You’re too selfless. All you think about is others . Sometimes being selfish is good you know...It keeps your head a bit sane . “She said , swirling the contents of the tea in her cup.

“What has that got to do with bringing Shiba?” Aarav asked her , wondering what exactly she was speaking about.

“You left everything for a year and a half, your mother , your studies ,your girlfriend , all of it just to bring her back . And now when you’re so close , you want to go back thinking about us ? What else can i call you if not selfless?“She said .

“Whaaaaat’s up guys?” Pranay said yawning and stretching his limbs.“Busy?”

“You lazy lump.“Megha told him.“Its guarding duty we gave you, not sleeping . What if there would be an attack when we were asleep? Useless.“She muttered at last and went to wake the others .

“What the hell is her problem?“Pranay said .

“Freshen up, we have a prison to break in...“Aarav said.

In an hour they were all already leaving the safe house . They covered themselves with black cloaks , and wandered for a bit in the town for some essentials on the journey. Then , hiding in the shadows of the houses , they finally exited the Phoenix kingdom.

“Do you think the king and other royals of the Phoenix will be in a coma too?” Pranay asked .

“Maybe or maybe not. When it comes to saving their own selves , kings and queen put all their strength in that. No offense Reva...“Megha said.

“None taken . But I don’t know...“Reva said, “That Phoenix guy sure is creepy.”

“You’ve seen him?” Aarav asked her.

“Excuse me! I’m a princess if you’ve forgotten.” Reva said.“Even if i don’t want to , my mother pulls me in those boring major kingdom meets once a year . I don’t understand a shit what they discuss , so all that’s left is to take close looks at the people present there. And the Phoenix king is hard to ignore with that gold shop he carries on his body. That asshole son of his and his weird golden-toothed smile...ugh, gross.” She shrugged.

“Now , now , calm down your highness . What if he turns out to be your future husband to form some alliance?” Pranay mocked .

“How about we discuss about the mission ahead of us?“Aarav suggested.

“Somebody’s jealous ...Worried Aarav?“Megha said.

“Shut up.“Aarav said.

“And that building on topmost of the cliff is the Trident...“Megha said as they finally reached their destination after 4 more hours of travelling . They had to ascend the hill yet , but they had stopped to plan on the entering .

The Trident was situated on the top most hill among the 3 hills that stood tall before them . And that was at no ordinary height . As if touching the sky , clouds surrounded the hills , but due to the strong and bright sunlight , it was clearly visible to their eye . But still , most of it was clouded , and so all they could see were some 7-8 buildings.

“We can’t go any more close to the hills...“Mayank said as he had gone to take a closer look before ascending.

“There are guards all over the perimeter starting from here, and after every 10 steps as far as i can see . There’s no way we can go in broad daylight.”

“Yeah , we figured that much. So , Aarav what do you think?“Pranay asked.

“Well, actually , i haven’t thought much....“He said.

“What?“Reva said.“We’ve come so far without a plan?”

“Let me finish...“Aarav told her.“We’ll disguise as their own guards.”

“Are you mad?“Pranay asked him.

“Aarav’s right...“Megha said.“Listen... according to my brother and Father...”

“How do they know?“Aarav asked.

“Well, actually , the trident assigns commanders for a term of 5 years from every kingdom as per a treaty . They are not under any kingdom , but they agreed for a treaty . So for a term , my father , and 10 years later , my brother , both were commanders for a term each.”

“That’s awesome..“Aarav said.

“Well ...yeah. So according to them , nobody cares to come into the perimeter , so the guards at the base hill are slacks . Not that useful , and also foolish. So we will just take down 5 soldiers and ascend as fast as we can when the shift changes and they have to report to the guard post at the top hill. We'll follow them half way and then we enter and cross the dimension door and we’ll be right in the white world.”

“That’s pretty dangerous...“Pranay said.

“That’s the only choice...“Aarav said.“Guys , i know i’m talking like a fool , but i really don’t want you to be in danger , so if you want , you can stay here...”

“Asshole...Stop the courtesy. We’re a team , and if one goes then all go.“Reva said.

Everybody agreed. So as soon as it was dark , they headed , crouching , towards the soldiers at the base hill . Megha , Pranay and Mayank were already after their targets , while Aarav was helping Reva. Slowly they dragged them near the trees , and pulled out their uniforms and gagged their mouths and tied them up .

Only Aarav and Reva were left to take the positions . So Aarav undressed and was about put his uniform over him when someone hugged him. He knew it was Reva.

“I’m only on my inners here.“He told her.

“And me on mine ...Now just shut up and let me hug you.“She told him and pressed her body to his back.

“What’s with the sudden heightening of emotions?“He asked her “You worried?”

“Ofcourse.”

“Don’t worry, i won’t let anything happen to anyone of you...“He assured her.

“And who will protect you ?”

That struck him . He really hadn’t thought about it. He knew his clanmates were strong and would easily protect him.

Who will protect me from myself? ,he thought. What if the other berserk part of my brain springs up? What then?

He turned quickly , and held her waist and kissed her , and slowly lifted her up . He finally pulled off and said,

“Don’t worry . Nothing will happen to me...i promise.”

Is it?