"It's a misconception that mages are born with magic," Jyran said, "We are not. Nobody is. In reality, we are born with raw talent. The talent to draw the strength which helps us wield magic from one specific source that's been buried somewhere beneath the ground of this country. We utter a spell, urging the source to give us the power to see them through. Same as how humans pray to the deity, expecting her to listen and give them great gifts. Knowingly or unknowingly, we draw power sometimes, but the Paramarashtrian study of Magic teaches mages the long and the hard way to draw with precision and methodically use magic. Everything needs practice, and so do we. That is what I'm going to teach you today, Rahu. So, listen carefully and do as I say."
"What is this source?" Rahu asked, folding his hands. If Jyran wanted him to listen, then he deserved more information. Give and take. "I want to know more about it. If it's something that interests me, then I'll decide whether or not to learn anything from you."
Jyran stood upright, outwardly calm but jittering internally. He gaped at his son, his jaw constricted. In the bleak, soulless room somewhere in the basement, Jyran's expression seemed stern with pomposity. "Lady Drishtika," he said with a powerful tone. "She is the one who gave birth to magic. Our country redefined itself in extraordinary ways since the inception of supernaturality, which is unknown and indiscernible to the minds of humankind even today. Lady Drishtika decides which human is worthy enough to wield magic and continue her legacy. Thus, making her the power source of magic in Paramarashtra."
The story of Lady Chandrika trapping a boy in order to gain Shaatrumani stone raced through Rahu's mind. "Drishtika? Do you mean Lady Chandrika's relative? Isn't she older?
"Yes. The relationship between Chandrika to Drishtika had been the same as that of Haimavathi and Chandrika. The famous women who spent their entire lives checkmating each other. While Haimavathi and Chandrika were the two High Priestesses in their era for their sincere devotion towards Vrindahina, Lady Drishtika on the other hand was known as the High Demoness, for she was the unimaginably better and skilled performer of magic."
"Checkmate?" Rahu asked, getting involved in the story. It was getting hard to keep his face expressionless. "Because Chandrika stole Shaatrumani from Drishtika's son? Is that it?"
"The animosity is beyond that," said Jyran. "According to the legend, the prevailing clash between humans and mages started way before the era of Lady Chandrika. Drishtika handpicked certain humans and turned them into mages with or without their permission. This was deemed as slavery. In turn, provoking a wave of strikes and protests. Normal humans condemned the existence of the transformed mages. They tortured and abused the mages in their own way while the mages exploited their powers to dominate humans.
Drishtika desired to demolish the classification among humans, that is humankind on the whole. This could be grounded as an act of kindness, that is to make everyone equally powerful and eradicate the sense of fear and defeatism from everyone's minds. The number of mages began to grow. The Great Transition, they called it. But those who wanted to stay humans and preferred to have classification among humans could not agree with the mages placing stranglehold. It had to be the normal humans leading the country. It had to be the High King."
"Let me guess," said Rahu. "This must be why Lady Chandrika introduced the concept of Samagraha. To fight them. We are neither normal humans nor mages, but we're humans stronger than mages."
"Correct."
"Wasn't Lady Chandrika a witch herself?"
Jyran gave a single nod, the corners of his mouth twisting into a prideful smile. "A clever and daringly innovative witch. Owning the powerful Diamond guaranteed that the Deities were on her side. Humans trusted her. They revered her. They sought her help to which she listened. She promised to slow down the growth rate of Great Transition, and let humans lead the country on a condition that they allowed her to introduce Samagraha to the country and let her practice limited magic that improved the welfare of humans."
YOU ARE READING
(Book 6) Hayden Mackay and The Third-Eye of the Pancharatna
Fantasy"Mrs. Zutshi, how different was Zarina Khan from you? She was a clairvoyant, that makes her a witch too, right?" "Mages have their own history, Hayden. They have categories too. Since the time of Lady Chandrika's authority over the sections of the p...
