Cursed by Destiny

Chapter 6 - At the Crossroads of Fate

After traveling for a while, Dhara stood before the imposing gate of Kaal Lok.

“I’m finally here. But why is this gate so enormous? Maybe I should knock or bang on it. This is quite a hassle. I can’t believe someone lives alone in such a vast palace. It’s hard to believe that Kaal lives here alone.”

Without hesitation, Dhara began banging on the door with determination. After some time, the gate creaked open. A few guards emerged, ready to confront her, but their resolve faltered when they saw it was a girl.

One of them called out, “Lord Kaal doesn’t want to get married. Lady, you should go and find someone else. Please don’t disturb the Lord’s and our rest in this way again. Leave now.”

At this, Dhara couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m here to challenge your Lord, not to marry him. I’m not interested in that at all. Just call him and tell him I’m here to fight. Otherwise, I’ll force my way inside. I’d prefer not to harm innocent people, and I won’t harm your Lord either—only defeat him and then leave. So if you want to avoid trouble, don’t interfere with my business,” Dhara said with a firm tone.

“Did you hear what she said? Yes, yes, brother, she wants to fight our Lord. I wouldn’t believe it even if it were a man saying it. She’s just a girl and she thinks she can fight our Lord. She can’t even get past us.” They laughed dismissively.

With a smirk, Dhara drew her sword and pointed it at them. The guards laughed even harder, but Dhara’s swift move left them stunned. “They had no choice but to draw their swords,” they thought, restricted from using their full skills against someone they perceived as weak, at least until their own safety was at risk. They didn’t realize that the girl they dismissed was one of the most formidable swordswomen in all of Brajmandal.

Realizing their mistake was too late; Dhara had already incapacitated them all. She aimed to avoid further conflict, so she silently slipped inside.

Inside, she found only a few guards asleep. It seemed no one was concerned about the palace’s security. She stood still, observing her surroundings until a large hand landed on her shoulder. For a moment, she was startled but quickly recovered. She seized the hand, pulled its owner, and threw him. The noise roused all the sleeping guards. Sighing, she readied her sword for combat. The guards were strong but far from her equal. With swift movements, she knocked them all unconscious, taking care not to cause lasting harm.

Standing among the unconscious guards, she heard a deep, commanding voice from behind. “Who are you?”

Dhara knew the question was directed at her. “I didn’t intend to harm them, but they left me with no choice. I asked them to take me to Kaal, but they refused. I did nothing to provoke them; they started the fight. I simply defended myself. They’ll wake up soon, so don’t worry. I won’t hurt you either; I’ll leave once I’ve defeated Kaal,” she said without turning.

“Why do you want to defeat Kaal?” the voice asked again.

“It’s none of your business,” Dhara replied as she turned around. She faced Kaal and said, “Kaal?”

“Yes, it’s me,” Kaal responded.

“Did you really do this to them?” he asked incredulously. All the guards were elite fighters, trained by him, and he couldn’t believe they were bested by a girl.

“Yes, I did,” Dhara affirmed. As she spoke, the guards began to stir, surrounding her once more.