Chapter 5: Away From Home [Part 3]
AFTER THE HUG ENDED, Junas, with his parents, ate breakfast together.
And with him not knowing when the time to experience something like this would come again, he cherished every moment.
Today was the day he would set out for the capital.
He did not quite know what to feel, as if his mind was devoid of what to feel.
It could be because he had already experienced such partings before, time and time again.
But he knew better to hide his real sentiments from the interceptive eyes of his parents.
Everything was ready; what was left was to depart now.
The steam train was to arrive at ten in the morning; currently, it was eight, and because Daarunda is on the borderlands, the nearest station was at least an hour and a half away.
After breakfast, both men, well, one and a half men, took the carriage and started their journey towards the station.
The parting was as sad as he had expected, with his mother crying her eyes out and hugging and kissing him.
This sight again made him feel the emotion he previously thought was lacking in himself; he felt sad.
It left him astonished, for it was not new for him to part ways frequently with the people in his life.
It was different from those times he felt.
At last, he also hugged and consoled her, telling her not to worry much.
"Write letters, brush your teeth and shower daily" were the instructions he got as a parting gift from her; funny, he thought.
It was not as if he was some child who needed such instructions.
"Oh wait, maybe I do..." thinking of his situation, a hearty laugh escaped his mouth.
"Eh, boy, are you that happy to leave your home and lovely mother behind?", Nastka asked in a jolly mood, "Do not worry, I know all about it.
"It was when I was your age..." Nastka was like a chirping bird, talking and talking, telling Junas all kinds of stories.
The stories from his childhood, teenage years, everything and anything, as if he was pouring it all out.
"He is sad", felt Junas from Nastka's expressions, not that it was hard to see; Nastka was not the talkative kind of person.
His talks were all to the point and brief.
And now, seeing his father behave like this, Junas did not dare to disturb him.
He listened closely and carefully, recording the voice of the man whom he knew as his father in this world-in his mind.
...
...
...
...
"Now, do you know of the legends of the far east, boy?" asked Nastka.
To this, Junas replied, "No...What legends?"
"This is what my Grandfather told me.", he added in a suspenseful tone, "Be careful...lest you fall into the darkness... Well, if you do, then..."
"Yeah, yeah, tell the story already, old man", said Junas sarcastically to Nastka. Who was he trying to scare, a child?
"Listen..." Nastka started telling the stories of the Mysterious Far East.
In the Far East exist objects desired by many, for they possess limitless power unimaginable to us mortals.
Antiques, as they are known to the world, are believed to be remains of a past civilization.
The civilization was so powerful that it possessed the power to harness the starlight.
Some legends describe that they fished suns and moons from Sun Wells and Moon Wells and used them on their ships as energy sources, while others say they decorated their houses with star glitter.
Never was there a night that people had to worry about darkness invading their houses, for they controlled the power of the elements and used that to illuminate their nights.
They wielded fire to warm their homes and used the wind to cool them whenever they wanted.
Their warriors were so strong, possessing the power to cut not just the rivers but oceans apart.
They could smash mountains, mightier than any present in this world right now, and could also split the ground with just a wave of their swords and arrows.
As they say, a good weapon is what makes a good fighter.
These weapons were what people called Antiques.
As Divine Antiques, they possessed the power to grant even a beggar the power rivalling that of a Demi-God.
To this day, the Legends Of The Far East still inspire the greed of power-seeking individuals.
Alas, it was just that the beings of that civilization lusted for power too much.
They wanted to change their destiny and were not satisfied with just long lifespans and their current strength.
They wanted to become immortal, never die, gain limitless power, and control every living being and the universe itself.
They wanted to become gods.
They desired to turn their fates around.
The story goes; to punish these mortals who were foolish and daring enough to challenge the universe itself, the Gods themselves decided to descend on Araxis. And punish they did.
The Gods killed many Demi-Gods and sealed the ones that could not die or the ones they did not want to die.
Otherwise, who could oppose Gods?
Could you?
Could I?
Could anyone?
No, no one could.
But then, why did they leave them alive?
It was their will, and it was absolute.
It was also their will to leave the remains of the civilization that dared to challenge them.
To showcase their power and warn future generations of the consequences of daring to go against the natural flow of things.
"So what do you think is the moral of the story, Junas?" asked Nastka finishing his story.
"Too much greed is the first indication of a calamity", replied Junas.
"Correct, son. Now, do you know why I told you this story?"
Not letting Junas answer, Nastka continued, "It was to make you understand that too much lust for anything leads to trouble. You are going away from home for the first time, so I wanted to warn you of some things. I know you're smart and understand it. Do you not?"
"I do, father..." pausing for a second, he continued, "Do not worry. I will always act within my limit."
Suddenly a thought came into his mind, and he blurted out. "That civilization...what was its name? Is it even known? Were there any ruins of it? Father, I want to become a Historian when I grow up", he said, and in the last sentence, excitement was visible on his face.
"Wait, wait, you rascal, asking questions and questions. Well, the answer to your first question is 'Prominus Valley Civilization'.
"Its ruins are in the country of Bhondhia Republic on the North Sura Continent in the east.
"Our Mayurian culture's origin also lies in The Prominus Valley.
"Maybe not just ours, many mythologies have similar or the same gods portrayed in them."
Nastka looked at his son and said, "You know of Lord Araxis, right?
"The God Of Love and Fertility, in the Prominus Mythology, is called Rasis. And not just Him; there are many other gods with similar descriptions and names."
"Hey, don't go telling other people this, certainly not Granny Nina. And although we're not believers, others are, and this may hurt their sentiments, you understand?" added Nastka and turned towards the boy.
There, on the seat just beside him, was sitting Junas with a sceptical expression on his face. "What happened?" he asked.
To this, Junas replied, "Hey, Dad, answer truthfully. You were a scholar, were you not? If you are not, then how do you know so much?"
"A scholar, I would not say that. I was just a lowly--history professor.", Nastka said.
"Professor?" shocked Junas screamed, "Then why do we live in a village?
"If we lived in a big city, mother would not have to suffer such difficulties daily.
"I could study and still not be away from home. Why?" anger was flaring in his eyes, and his brows creased in a frown.
'How cute', thought Nastka and said in a sad tone, "Well...you will understand when you become an adult. And speaking of comforts,
"Are you not going to provide us with just that when you become a historian and earn good money?
"Why do I need to work when I have such a good son?"
Nastka took Junas in his hands and held him up--though he was twelve, he was still tiny for Nastka--and tickled him hard.
Laughter resounded from the carriage making the morning atmosphere more beautiful and full of melody.
---------------------------------------------------
The train station:-
A carriage dragged by two strong bulls came to a halt in front of the station gates. On its back was a suitcase tied with a rope securely.
The passengers, a boy and a man, probably in his mid-twenties, got off it.
"I will miss you.", said Junas while getting off, as he hugged Nastka. "Me, too, son. Me, too", replied Nastka. They hugged each other hard for some time. Junas only reached Nastka's waist, so it was a bit awkward. Nonetheless, neither minded it. Everything unsaid was said with this gesture alone.
~Whistle~~Whistle~
The steam train's whistle sounded out; the train only halted for a total of ten minutes at this remote station, so Junas untied his suitcase from the carriage and ran off hastily towards the station. But midway, he stopped and turned back.
What he saw made him feel a rollercoaster of emotions.
He saw his father waving towards him while shedding manly tears.
He also waved back and shouted, "I will RETURN SOON."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Crow_Fog
Crow_Fog Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone