Age of Corruption

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Zahar

Four year old, little Zahar walked home holding his mother's hand. He wore a big, adorable smile because he had just come from the marketplace, which he loved to visit.

"Mommy, mommy! Can we go play at the playground?" Zahar asks, with a heart melting smile only a cute child could conjure. His mother, just like anyone would have, had her heart melted. How could she resist him when he had that smile and that adorable voice?

"Of course, my child!" She replied, with a gentle smile. Zahar inherited his carefree and happy personality from his mother.

"YAY!" Zahar exclaimed.

Zahar hopped down the sidewalk of his small village beside his mother. His mother felt happy seeing her child overjoyed. They entered their small home. His mother knew of Zahar's truth. Her lover had only left her with a child and his true identity. Everyday, her mother wonders whether it would be better if Zahar knew the truth behind his birth. He never seemed to question his father's whereabouts, despite being a curious child who thinks about the wonders of the world. Somedays, she would see if he ever did wonder about his dad.

"Hey sweetie, do you ever wish to see daddy?" Zahar's mother said one afternoon while they sat at the top of a hill.

"Nope! I only need mommy!" Zahar smiled and laughed in his cute voice, with some of the ice cream they were having still on his cheek. His mother laughed too, however she knew that one day she would have to reveal the truth. Demigods never lead regular lives.

It seemed like any other day. Zahar had just turned nine the month before. He was on his way back from school, humming and skipping his way down to home, his oversized puffy jacket bouncing. As he emerged to his neighborhood, there was a massive boom. An explosion that sent shockwaves, throwing Zahar to the ground.

"MOMMA," he yelled, as he realized the explosion came from where his house was.

In only a couple seconds, the neighborhood was in shambles. Purple flames erupted and the air filled with smoke. Zahar's small home was wrecked, and the houses, homes, around his were also partly destroyed with people on the ground. He ran up to where his house once stood. His eyes were flooded with tears, making his vision blurry. All he could see was his mother, half buried under rubble, and a silhouette of a man who seemed well over six feet tall. His eyes were the color of a burning golden flame, and he seemed to be made of purple flames. He was too terrified to say anything or move a muscle.

She yelled out to her child. "RUN ZAHAR! RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN! YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH FOR THIS MY CHILD! Please... live." She began to cry. However, she still gave one last smile to her child.

"Enough from you. You conceived a child with Shiva. A demigod with that kind of lineage can not be allowed to live." The tall man's voice boomed, shaking Zahar to his core.

"RUN AWAY ZAHAR! FIND THOSE WHO WILL ACCEPT YOU! ONE DAY, YOU'LL FIND THEM, I KNOW IT!"

Zahar ran faster than he ever had, as far from the home he used to know.

Tears streaked down his face as the memories of his mother's laughs, smiles, dinners and hugs, flooded his head. She used to sing to him before bed with her angelic voice. There was no going back to how things were before. Screams echoed in the distance, the families of that small village forever changed.

Zahar ran until tears no longer came and his stomach ached. He had lost his dazzling, adorable smile that warmed everyone's hearts. Entering a city, he looked around for people that could give him food. He asked pedestrians if they could spare any food. Some gave bits of their food, however, he mostly received mean glares and people saying 'get lost kid' or 'no, get your own food'. At the end of the day, he was left with just enough to let him see the dawn of tomorrow. He no longer had a home, a mother, any friends, or any place to go. He felt like he didn't belong. Zahar searched for a safe place to stay, but to no avail. He settled for underneath a bridge. He used his puffy jacket he was wearing to keep himself warm over the night. By curling into a ball, he could attempt to wrap himself in his coat. It was suffocating, but warmer than doing nothing. He wished with all his heart that everything was just a dream. His mother was okay. He would wake up to her singing while cooking up breakfast. He would go to a picnic with her at the top of a hill, with the cool breeze flowing through their hair. He began to close his eyes. Not a single tear, not anymore.

As Zahar's eyes slowly opened, he wondered where he was. He looked side to side for his mom, only for his memories to come flooding back in an explosion of emotion. After a moment of complete silence, he stood and tried once again to find someone who would take him in. Not a tear; he had run out of them yesterday. No one treated him like he had a life of his own. They only saw a homeless child; to them, he was not worth their time. This feeling of being treated like trash was foreign to Zahar. The people he had grown up with were all so kind and accepting of those around them. He was confused, but he wasn't sad. He just felt hollow. His eyelids began to feel heavy. He wondered who that man towering over his mother was. He said that he was a demigod.

...

A week and a half had gone by. Zahar's body was much skinnier and malnourished. The winter was arriving quickly and he had to find a warm place to stay. Under the bridge would not last him much longer due to it being near a body of water, even with the blanket someone had given him. He wandered further into the city now, into the business district. He wished that someone kind enough would offer him a job. Maybe then he could get some real nutriance. But alas, the world is cruel and Zahar knew that. Everywhere he went, he was turned away and left on the streets. The people in the business district were even worse than the others. They wouldn't even give a single piece of food. With his broken spirit, he began to walk back towards his 'home', head hung low. When all his hopes were crushed, all his happiness dissipated over the last two weeks, a voice was heard behind him.

"Hey kid,"

Zahar heard an older man's voice,

"it seems you've got nowhere to go." Zahar turned towards the voice to be met with a man who seemed to be at least 50 years old. "I'm Aryaman, a doctor. I noticed you don't seem healthy."

Zahar's felt like a bright sun has vanquished the darkness he felt. He pleaded, "please sir! Please take me in! I'll do anything for it, all I need is to live. That's all my mommy had told me..." Zahar showed true emotion for the first time since he arrived in the city, though he still could no longer cry.

Aryaman looked at Zahar. He saw his eyes, completely devoid of happiness, desperate for someway to live on. How could he possibly say no? "Alright... You can stay with me for now. I need to make sure you are healthy enough anyways." Zahar's face lit up.

...

Aryaman decided to keep Zahar. He taught him all of his medical knowledge. Aryaman always mentioned that this was his new home.

"Hey Zahar, this place is going to be called your new home."

"Before you go out Zahar, stay safe and come back to your new home before night."

Zahar mentioned his past after a year of being with Aryaman. He felt like Aryaman was the spirit of his mother. He kept out the part about him being a demigod from the story however. After nine years of learning how to be a doctor and taking lessons on how to fight with a dagger, he left his new home to travel the world.

...

Zahar navigated the smoke of Sedjet. He tried to find those who were still breathing and attempted to save them. Of course, he succeeded because his magic helps create. However, he could not save them from their mental pain. He looked into the eyes of the injured. They showed uncontrollable terror, confusion, and despair. Zahar still gave them a sweet smile and reassured them that everything will be alright. He looked up at the crimson red sky. I wonder if Ajax is alright. I sure hope so.