Ascension

Chapter 1: Mourning.

Ira stood emotionless as she saw her guardian's lifeless body before her.

No Blood, No Traumatic Expressions, someone can even assume he was just in a deep sleep, in a realm beyond where she lived.

Sympathetic Neighbours gathered around her, some whispering condolences, while others debating about the future of Ira, now that she was all alone in this world. 

What bugged her more was how her soul was devoid of all emotions; Usually, she considered herself a sensitive person who was able to gauge the social situation, and right now the situation demanded that she lament and mourn his loss.

Ira's memory flashed back to when she saw Alok picking her up as a toddler from somewhere. It was as if her brain had fogged her memories on purpose to prevent her from knowing her origins. 

"Appa," Ira would ask toothily as Alok tried to fluff her face with some talcum powder, "Did a fairy bring me to you?"

"Sit Still," he said with a stern tone as he combed her unruly hair with surprisingly good precision, "And to your question, yes, a beautiful fairy brought you to me while you were still a baby. Now hurry and go to the library. Here," he would say, dropping a single note in her lap.

"Buy something to eat in case you get hungry, haste! I'm getting late for my daily quota of moonshine. You, out of all others should know that my head starts aching severely if I'm late even by a minute!"

Is that the reason why Appa chose Moonshine's company over others? God knows. All she knew was that sanity and intelligence were all that you needed to survive in this world.

She never really shared a fatherly bond with Alok, but he took her under his wing and was a better guardian than other parents who would force her friends to study. This brought out a natural curiosity towards the world and she began reading, reading and reading, Mastering the English language, knowing whatever was taught at the village school, reading about current affairs and whatnot. For better or worse, she became Independent and a Captain of her dreams, maneuvering through tomes and scrolls of faraway, exotic lands. Ira naturally loved studying at her own pace. She frequented the library near her home as it was a realm which teleported her to different worlds for free. Perhaps this was the reason she was named Ira, as she felt attuned to Goddess Saraswati in more ways than she could imagine. Slowly, dusty tomes replaced her human friends and the library was all she could think of. Still, she made a point to interact with them every once in a while, as she heard that lonely people often went crazy.

She was not a child, she was never a child for Alok, only someone who had to be safeguarded and cared for, and he did that job phenomenally. Coming back into the world, Alok fading away with glowing wisps, Ira began hearing the sympathies for her as a lone child left in this world, a sense of emptiness pooling in her chest.

"Poor child is in shock" commented a neighbouring aunt who laid a careful hand on her head, sensing the lack of her response. Ira was brought back to reality. 

I'm not a child! Ira wanted to snap back at her. She hated the fact that despite being 19, she was being treated like a gullible minor, but social customs and logic asked her to stare fixedly at Appa's hands instead of answering back with a smart mouth.

That's when she noticed a symbol.

Before Ira could burn the symbol in her memory, they started lifting Appa's body to prepare it for cremation.

"No!" a hoarse whisper emanated from her, as she scrambled towards her father to look at the sign in detail. 

"Bring him back to me!"