Chapter 60: Harsh Reality Vs False Expectations
Ludwig was about to chop off Aliyah's head, when Vexana and Elgin made a protective net around her and Ludwig's cleavers made a loud noise as it hit the net. Elgin rolled at blew green dust in Ludwig's eyes and he became blind. Vexana broke the net and Aliyah picked her dagger and thrusted it inside Ludwig's neck. Ludwig said, "It is unfair." Aliyah pulled out the dagger and said, "Unfair people deserve unfair treatment." She slashed his throat and broke his windpipe. Aliyah ran towards Isabella who was lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. Her whole body was cold and lifeless. Vexana looked at Isabella's dead body and asked in sorrow, "How many more innocent lives will have to go in these baseless war?"
Aliyah said grimly, "The war is not baseless, Vexana. Death will occur in their side too when we will raid and kill all the culprits and annihilate Xao Chang and his minions from the world." Vexana said, "I have been listening these words since my birth. But, nothing changed. Not even a bit. People who are good, die young and the bad guys live their lives happily. No one dares to raise a question to them and they remain immune to all the punishments that they deserve." Aliyah said, "That's why we are fighting this battle. Our enemy is not Xao Chang, but the idea that he garners and spreads. It is a battle between good and evil and we are win it at any cost." Vexana said, "That's easy for you to say. You are not the one who is going to fight the war. Your student Alice will fight and if she loses and dies, you will wait another five or six centuries and repeat the same circle. But, we are not immortal. We have a time limit on our lives. If we don't win this war, we will not be alive to fight another one." Aliyah said, "Don't say like that, Vexana. You know perfectly that I care about all of you. You are not my soldiers, but my comrades. My strength. How am I going to win this war without you guys?" Vexana slapped her and said angrily, "That's the problem with you, Aliyah. You are selfish just like your mother. Your mother was always a bitch to you and now you are doing the same to us." Vexana disappeared in pink smoke.
Aliyah was sitting near the window, drinking vodka. She has already finished fifteen bottles and this was her sixteen. Alice looked at Elgin and said, "Whatever happened at the hotel. Please, sort it out quickly. Mom is going to kill me if she gets to know that I almost emptied my three months savings on buying vodka."
Elgin asked, "Aren't you of legal drinking age?" Alice said, "Yes. But, who the hell drinks SIXTEEN bottles of vodka?" Elgin rolled his eyes and said, "Sorry. But, right now if even the whole world's vodka bottles can save my ears from a sobbing Aliyah, then I'm happy to pay the price." Alice asked, "What happened?" Elgin narrated the whole scenario and Alice said in horror, "She said all of these and is still alive? How? If I had said all these to Aliyah, she would have thrown me down from a cliff." Elgin said, "Aliyah and Vexana are very close friends since childhood. In fact, Vexana is one of the few friends Aliyah trusts with her life. Vexana was born in a normal farmer's house and raised very simply with mediocre facilities and expectations. Vexana's father was the local grain seller who was renowned for his honesty and precise calculation skill despite being completely illiterate. King Alacapa also liked him very much because he reduces the price of his goods when there was famine or any local civil mutinies that were quite common in the later part of King Alacapa's reign. I don't know Vexana's father's name, but some called him "Poor King" due to his poor conditions but a heart of a king. Vexana had six siblings that were all died by the age of twenty to thirty due to starvation, poor medical conditions or warfare. Vexana's father was killed by Bacca when he refused to stop giving free food to the poor and needy. Bacca publicly executed him and hanged his body in front of his shop. King Alacapa adopted Vexana and treated her like a daughter. Aliyah and Vexana had pretty much the same childhood with same privileges and education, but Vexana was more interested in magic then warfare and used to openly criticise the theories and principles of General Goenka who was quite a great influence for the young warriors then. General Goenka never felt bad by Vexana's harsh criticism.
He smiled and said, "If everyone was as determined as Vexana, then no one can defeat us." Vexana learned many difficult magic skills in a very less period of time and soon became a professor in the local school. She liked Aliyah quite a much like Aliyah liked her. Aliyah and Vexana were quite the lovers and soon their secret meets became viral and Aliyah's mom send Vexana at the western corner of the kingdom where there was only dense forest and a very remote territory which was to be guarded according to Aliyah's mom. Everyone knew that it was just an excuse to separate Aliyah and Vexana. Aliyah too was send in the eastern side of the kingdom where the toughest demons were present. Weeks turned into years and years turned into a decade. Aliyah finally managed to neutralise the situation in the eastern side and killed a good amount of demons to make Kenchi and Assayah to flee from there. Vexana's position was quite the contrary. She never faced any demon and her only kills were otters and giant spiders that were her food. Aliyah went to the western corner of the kingdom and met Vexana. That night, they had the best sex of their lives and I stood guard at the door to evade any intruders both royal and demonic.
Aliyah's mom never got to know that her daughter was interested in women and loved a poor farmer's daughter. Aliyah and Vexana never met then and only met after the end of the Second War of the West when Aliyah wanted to know who was in-charge of the school of magic. The old flames re-ignited and the rest is history." Alice asked, "If Vexana loves Aliyah so much? Then, why did she offended her?" Elgin smiled, "She didn't. Vexana knows Aliyah's heart. Aliyah cares for you and she knows that you still need much time to develop into the divine warrior who will have the power to defeat Xao Chang. But, she also fears that if things don't work in time, the outcome will be disastrous. That's why she is ready to make any sacrifice for the cause. But, Vexana is a peaceful person and doesn't like bloodshed and today when she saw Isabella dying because of us, she couldn't control her emotions and scold Aliyah." Alice asked, "Isabella is dead?"
Elgin said, "She was still fortunate to die in a clean way. Chloe was raped and hanged by the chandelier and Biba's hands and legs were ripped apart. Isabella was a bad girl, but she didn't deserve to go like this." Alice said grimly, "I cannot blame Vexana for being angry. She was right to question about the morality of the war and its consequences." Elgin said, "War has no morals, Alice. People die both sides, the lesser one loses and the bigger one wins. Consequences favor the winner and slams the loser. History is proof that only the winners has the right to change or make history and the losers just becomes history." "You are wrong, Elgin. This war is different and it has to be. If there is to be triumph over evil, then we have to righteous. If we think like our enemy, then what will be the difference between us and them? It is not a war between two armies or kingdoms, but a war between two ideologies and beliefs. People will die, but they will die for different causes. One will die for his greed and ego and the other one will die for his justice and righteousness. History will be written and will be written correctly by us because we will not only win but bring on a new era. An era of justice and prosperity. Happiness and satisfaction will be the pillars of our kingdom." Vexana appeared and said all these. Aliyah heard Vexana's voice and said, "Who do you think you are, Vexana? A goddess or the supreme deity of righteousness and justice? Can you defeat Xao Chang and annihilate all the evil? Can you make me proud? Can you be my wife and love me all my life?....." Aliyah fell on the ground, completely drunk.
Elgin said, "I thought ghosts don't get drunk." Vexana said, "She is not a ghost right now. She is a human who is drunk and honest." Elgin said, "Aliyah loves you very much, Vexana. She drank so much only because you hurt her heart." Vexana said softly, "Don't blame me, Elgin. She has to know that Xao Chang is not the first nor he will be the last. Even if we kill him, his ideologies will remain alive and another Xao Chang will rise from his ashes. She only read the books that teaches violence and warfare, but I read the books written by people who watched Xao Chang grow. His development and his rise to power. His madness and greed. His surrender to the evil deity, Xao Lin. I know how evilness borns and prospers in the shadow of uncertainty and anarchy. Trust me, the war has began already and we are already losing it." She disappeared in pink smoke.
Alice asked, "What was she talking about?" Elgin said, "She has access to many scarce books in the Ancient library, so I can falsify her words or beliefs. But, even I wholly believe in her words. Evil takes birth in the womb of greed and anarchy and feeds on fear and rules over uncertainty. Any living being is full of virtues and vice. There character depends on their education and mental training which is given by his or her parents. Then, the society comes in play. Situations, opportunities, misfortunes, passion, ambitions, love, hatred, envy, competition, greed, uncertainty, fear and needs all determines the scales of virtues and vice. Xao Chang grew in a clan full of theives, dacoits and bad elements of society.
He himself was a product of reproductive coercion. His father abandoned him when he was born a weak and ugly baby. His mother threw him in a river where he was saved by a bunch of theives. They trained him robbery and all bad habits and soon Xao Chang was a notorious bandit. But, when faced with a life-threatening situation, he found Xao Lin and soon he became a very powerful sorcerer. His life story was written by many small and big writers but only one biography was the most precise. It was written by Xanderus Olap Leo. He remained anynomous during the writing period and revealed himself only after handing over the whole manuscript to King Jalacapa's royal poet, Sir Manus Tanysen. Both of them died under mysterious circumstances and many blame Xao Chang for their deaths. But, learning Xao Chang's biography never proved any beneficial in stopping him or his army from creating chaos. So, his biographies were stored in the Ancient library for any curious reader who was interested in knowing that monster. Even though, many feared the books would divert the minds of people, but no one got influenced by Xao Chang. Military schools consider these biographies utter nonsense as they were only about the man, but not about the ways he does his work. Scholars, prominently ministers and royal wizards reads these books to learn some very hard and dangerous magic mantras that Xanderus managed to imitate from Xao Chang. But, I will not recommend those books as it describes an old version of Xao Chang and now you won't meet him. Atleast, not in a friendly way." He took Aliyah and slowly tucked her into a blanket and disappeared in green smoke. Alice looked at Aliyah and sighed, "Even the most firm mountains can break. I just hope that Aliyah connects with Vexana and be happy." She closed the door and went outside. Aliyah slowly opened her eyes and smiled as the sun slowly set behind the horizon......
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