Chronicles of Karma

21~ Blood and Wood

Suyodhan POV

'Defend Duryodhan', I heard the shouting words from my Gurudev, and immediately my mind went blank. I swung my Gatha, going in for the attack at my opponent, the one that always paired opposite of me since the beginning of our birth, the second Pandav 'Bheem'. As a result, our gatha clashed and caused a massive outbreak of noise, and the ground shook as we used our ultimate power. 

At that moment, I knew I screwed up as Bheem, with a smirk, stepped back, only for me to hear Gurudev's disappointed words.

'What are you doing, Duryodhan?! ' I slowly looked into his anger-evidenced eyes, which had a tint of disappointment coating them. The anger didn't scare me, but the disappointment did.

My head stayed lower as I could not recover from my mistake. This may not seem much to outsiders, but with a teacher like mine, every mistake counts at the end of your training.

My eyes focused on the ground as I could hear his footsteps nearing his legs, which became visible to my eyes. They stayed at them, not wanting to look into his eyes again.

'Are you just starting your lessons?' he whispered, and my heart thumped. I slowly shook my head.

'Oh, you gone mute now?' he said, and I slowly raised my eyes and shook my head again. 'Open. Your. Mouth. And. Answer. Me,' he said, emphasising each word.

'No, Gurudev', I whispered back. 

'Then why did you behave like a newbie? Did you forget all the years of training and practice?' His words cut through my brain, and I immediately shook my head.

'No, Gurudev, ' I know; however, I apologize. This wouldn't be left without punishment, and I am ready for it.

'Then why did you not follow the orders? Or was you in another land in your mind?' he questioned again. How could I explain that it's not my mind but my heart?

'I am sorry, Gurudev, it won't happen again.' I apologized sincerely and looked into his eyes, taking all the heat of disappointment straight at me.

'You can't just get me to accept your apology; you must earn it. Ensure you cut all the wood you need for the next two weeks before night falls.' I stood there motionless, comprehending what had just been ordered. Slowly, I nodded and bowed to pay my respects to him as I began my way, keeping my head high.

But once again, I was stopped by his voice, 'If you fail to bring everything before the night falls, then don't bother returning; you can return to your Hastinapur as a failed student. ' His words felt sharp in my chest as I began my duty.

*chomp**chomp* I furiously cut down each wood as the skin in my pam burned. The sweat covered my body, and my breaths raged through my throat, but I didn't stop. The eyes of her burned through my heart, causing me the distraction that I am now paying the price.

Her eyes, mouth, gaze, small tug of the lips, eyebrow curves, and soft skin keep coming in front of me.

'Ahhhh!' I shouted as I forcefully hit the tree's wood repeatedly, breaking it into pieces that surely couldn't be used for anything. As My chest heaved and only her thoughts consumed me, An inability of not able to erase her from my memory made me angrier. I am unsure how much time has passed, nor do I care.

The failure of today's training, Gurudev's disappointment, Bheem's smirk—everything keeps coming back to me as I process each frame of my memory until I feel my hand bleed. 

'Anna', I snapped my eyes at the running figure of my Constance, my Dusshasan.

'What are you doing?' He quickly snatched the axe from my bleeding hand as he tied his torn angavastra cloth.