Hemagiri

Prologue

"The goddess is gone."

The words had the impact Thiru had expected. The entire fourth realm fell into chaos as cries and sobs filled the air. What was once a place with hues of blue and white fell into the darkest of reds as the auras of the souls grew restless. He tried to will the power he had once wielded effortlessly but it was gone. Neither he nor the other warders could direct the souls in the fourth realm into their new life, just as it had happened in Meghapatinam a week before.

The rebels across the nine kingdoms were closer to victory than ever, with the gods and goddesses banished. Without them, there would be no powers. Without them, these souls were going to be stranded in the fourth realm, with nowhere to go. No soul that stayed too long there remained sane.

It took everything in Thiru's power not to break down. As much as he wanted to, he knew the souls in the realm were losing more than him. These were souls who were caught between their previous and next life.

"How?" Demanded someone, the red of his aura intensifying.

Thiru swallowed. "The kingdom has fallen to the hands of the king."

"What about the protector?" Snapped someone. Thiru couldn't even bring himself to get angry at the tone, but he knew better than to tell the truth. It didn't matter that Akhilan was a child, a protector was a protector.

It was why he chose to just say, "Gone."

He could sense the agitation of the people growing and knew he had to get out. He was going against everything he had learnt, everything he stood for, but there was nothing he could do to change what had happened, only focus on the future. The first realm was waiting for him, and he needed to return to salvage whatever was left.

"I need to leave. I am sorry," he choked on his last words.

"You can't leave us here!" "Promise us you will change this!" "This can't be happening!"

There were too many cries and Thiru's heart broke at each lament. When he wasn't with his wife and daughter, the fourth realm was his home. More often than not, he had spent countless hours visiting the realm, taking joy in seeing the result of what he worked for. 

Every time he visited, the souls would be waiting for him, happy to see the man who wrote their fate and chanting his name in excitement.

Except now, he hadn't come to guide them to their next life, but to tell them there might never be another life for them. He had failed them, and the souls in the realm knew it. Any love and respect they once held for him was gone, replaced by an unquenchable anger because of their helplessness.

With one last look, he closed his eyes and let himself fall, the feeling so familiar he didn't want to think about how this would be the last time he would be able to travel.

When he returned to the first realm, the temple of Narvasi was on fire.

Warders were trying to douse the fire with water to no avail. The rebels stood outside the temple with the king, dragging out the defeat of the worshippers. They basked in joy over the pain and suffering they had caused. Ancient books that had been salvaged sat in the middle. The war had ended the previous night, and the priests knew it would've only been time without her protection before the king had brought his soldiers to the sacred temple.

The temple was the beginning of Hemagiri. The goddess was the life of the kingdom. The gods were the creators of the nine kingdoms.

Yet here they were, defeated with everything lost.

Shivu was the first to break the silence, "After everything..."

"There's nothing we can do to save this temple," said Bhalla.