Veil of The Sun

Prologue II

As he fell down that seventy foot waterfall, Moksha knew this would be the end of everything. He thought of his father, and even his mother, though he never could quite remember the sweetness of her face. It had always been hard to remember. Moksha, the little prince, could only wish he had listened to his father who had warned him all his life of the dangers in the jungle. If he hadn't been so careless, perhaps he could have lived to see his father again and beg for forgiveness. Moksha's father was a forgiving man– he would forgive Moksha.

But, you can't forgive a dead person. There were so many problems in life but if one kept living– everything would eventually sort itself out. There was no peace for the dead. When you die, you lose even the possibility of changing your circumstances. Death is to lose the possibility of change.

Moksha didn't want to die.

And he didn't.

Seconds after he slipped on the rock and began to topple down, someone had caught him midair. Someone had saved his life. He felt that person's hands hold his back and legs gently as if slowly bringing him to a tepid stop. The hands were small... the same size as his own. When he opened his eyes to the light, he saw his savior. They floated in the air, carrying him like it was no big deal, with eyes as blue as the water's hue.

"...You look like someone I've searching for... for a very long time," The girl smiled as gently as she carried him. Her hair was dark with the underside a glowing blue– the same color as her eyes. Everything about her mesmerized him. What sort of creature was she...? She sparkled even in the shadows. In his mind, Moksha could only think 'this person... is incredibly special'. She felt special immediately.

"Me...? Who do I look like?" Moksha asked, feeling his face grow warm.

She replied, "... I'm not sure but, I've been searching for you. I know that. The more I look at your face, the more familiar you become to me."

"..." Moksha muttered a question, "Is that why you saved me?"

"...?" She chuckled, "Oh, no, no– not at all... I would have saved you even if I didn't feel any sort of familiarity with you. No one deserves to die because of a mistake."

Moksha gulped down his nervousness, "... Then, could... could I ask for your name...? I should know the name of my benefactor."

"If you insist, my name is Chadani," Chadani said with a charming laugh, "I'm glad you asked. Can I ask for yours now?"

"I am Prince Moksha of Virinagara," He explained, "... Crown prince, that is...! You saved a crown prince!"

Her eyes widened in surprise but not shock before chuckling, "What a great honor! Though, for some odd reason... I think you may be a little young to act like that."

"You seem to be the same age as me..." Moksha replied as she floated to proper ground. She carefully let him go and he felt relieved to have his feet planted again.

He commented, "Then again... I don't think I've met many girls my age who can fly. Are you perhaps... an Apsara?"

Chadani laughed like a river, "No! No! Not at all! Apsara, you say! Oh, that's funny! What makes you think I'd be an Apsara if not a human?!"

Moksha blushed in embarrassment, "W-well... you know... you're... pretty."

"Sorry, what was that?" Chadani asked, unable to quite make out the last word.

"P-pretty...."

"What?"

"Pretty!!" Moksha yelled, "I said you're pretty!!"

Chadani nodded with a smile, "Very much so! But, I'm no Apsara. I'm what one may call... a 'Yaksha'."

Moksha's mouth gaped at the very mention of a 'Yaksha'.... Yaksha's were incredibly rare in all of Prithvi Mata. The continent was home to many many different races and beings but Yakshas were rarely ever seen and when they were, many of those who saw them say they were tricksters who weren't fond of humans. Chadani didn't seem to be anything like that description. Chadani was beautiful... and kind enough to a human to save his life when she could have easily ignored him. It made him wonder.

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