Ascension

Chapter 2: Changes

Changes are a funny concept, aren't they?

Transient, they don't wait for anything or anyone. Maybe they do, for the luckier ones, just standing by and watching them have one last moment of emotion, or maybe, just maybe, they do act like caring guardians who swoop down on them and offer them a brilliant chance to transform their life forever. For some, they may be  godsend, for others, the most bitter enemies. In truth, changes aren't anyone's companions or blood-thirsty rivals, they are just omnipresent, granting us a chance of exploring horizons or being abandoned in deserted lands.

Ira wasn't sure about the nature of the change Fate brought to her doorstep. On one hand, she wanted to dwell in the memories of her father, on the other, she was increasingly getting curious about 3 figures sharing a carriage with her. The lantern inside the carriage swung lazily as a steady sound of hooves paved their midnight journey. Ira was still wearing the coat and the skirt together, she wondered how had they not laughed at her, yet.

Beside her, sat a tall-faced lady with bronze skin and a determining look in her eyes. If the pocket watch in her hand didn't tell her it was nearly 2 at night, Ira would've believed this lady was an educated aristocrat who was just returning home from an upper-class soiree where educated people talked about the world with good food, good music and good ambience. She wore a long saree made of foreign fabric and was decked with some peculiar ornaments. Her tone was commanding, but her voice made you want to listen to the wisdom she brewed in her mind. One look from her eyes made Ira understand that her penetrating curious stare was one step away from severe reprimand.

On the other hand, the man who sat in front of her radiated glow, warmth and kindness, as if he were a long-lost companion. His black locks fell to his shoulders, his jaw set in a permanent friendly demeanour as his smile made her feel as if she was in the right place. His nature was so welcoming that, if it was permitted, he would hold her hand for reassurance. But for now, his eyes were enough. His skin shone in an otherworldly manner in the soft glow of the oil lamp, which was threatening towards being extinguished.

The person, who sat beside him was an enigma that Ira failed to decipher. Maybe they weren't meant to be deciphered in the first place, their features maintaining a strict neutrality against a turbanned and heavily robed body. They preferred solitude, but they ensured Ira didn't feel like an outsider, despite her torn coat and skirts vehemently reminding her about it. Ira became conscious about her appearance in front of the well-decked visitors, but frankly, she stopped caring about it once they watched her and not her appearance.

Ira couldn't believe that she was travelling with a group of serious-looking people in the middle of the night. The Carriage wasn't overly opulent, but it hinted at refined tastes. The oil lamp was encased in polished glass, where the smoke faintly caressed everyone in the compartment. The space smelt of tobacco, flowers and amber, as the cushions of the seat coaxed Ira to have a good rest, making her forget the cold floor against her bare feet. Staring outside at a canopy of stars, Ira recollected the intriguing conversation that took minutes ago but seemed as if it was a tale of another day:

"Ira, there's something you must know", said the woman, as she gently caressed her head and sat down with her. The other two people stood in front of her, gauging every response and emotion elicited by her. Her touch had a maternal instinct and a sense of sharp discipline.

"You can consider us as your father's friends. Alok was entrusted with safeguarding you as a child because you aren't a normal person".

"What do you mean I'm not a normal person?" Ira snapped back, already irritated with the intrusion of her privacy, cursing her hapless look with her open hair and unwashed face.