Terror Xanadu-Story
PART 1
‘What is your art?’She asked.
‘Forbidden…’ the small child replied.
A green flash stabbed him in the chest and he lay crouched on the floor.Neha had never seen such a young forbidden art user. In fact, arts didn’t even express themselves with stability until a user has atleast passed his teenage years. It could be a start of something new. Something far from ordinary and far from safe. The new era sure has some surprises in store for the higher ups, she thought to her self. She walked heavily to her office. She needed to write a report and submit it immediately, her latest mission had been completed.
PART 2
As Neha finished writing her report, she spread her hands in front of her. The hardcopy was lying in her palms. She started to focus. The teleportation art required precise control of time and space arts. As she closed her eyes a seal appeared on the report. The seal showed, that the report had now been frozen, it was frozen in the bounds of time and space as if in an eternal fall state where it couldn’t be touched. As she opened her eyes the report had been delivered. The delivery always took place in precisely 1 second if the teleportation art was mastered. She had to dispatch the report to the checking and control office as soon as possible. It was a prioritized mission. She sighed. Tomorrow was start of a new era. The start of the new session in the protector’s academy. Neha was a renowned sensei. She was held in high esteem among pupils of all ages. She was an advanced fighter who had showed outstanding skills and and played dynamic roles in all previous wars.
It was a crucial time. The regime was avoiding war at all costs. No country had the will nor the power to face another war. Foreign pressure was intense. This pressure was originating from the north, our largest neighbor, Freeland. Internally, the regime was weakening. Forbidden art users were showing up all over the country. They had to be taken care of. Dozens of missions were carried out everyday, all with but one purpose. Eradication of the Forbidden art. It was a hellish task, it supremely challenged the morality of all who carried out the missions. A burden which was theirs to bear. A burden which couldn’t fall on the young ones who the elders nurtured under them. The elders were like a strong and firm standing tree, which spread its dense branches such that the the young grass and shrubs growing underneath could be protected from the harshness of the changing extreme weather. Sometimesthe thunderstorm, somethimes the heat and sometimes the wind. Neha sat up, put on her brown robe, buckled her belt and left for her night mission.
It was dawn. The ground of the Protectors’ Academy had a large expanse. The floor was marble tiled greyish and white. Pupils were marching here and there holding papers in their hands looking for the assigned locations. Next to the Battle ground was a large grassland. Beautiful and quiet. In the center was statue of a woman, who held in her arms a baby and was also equipped with weapons, a collective of arrows behind her back. As Mahnoor reached the statue she gazed up at the statue. What a feminist location to be called at. It was the very first time she would meet her sensei. Who will be her guide and mentor for the upcoming 5 years. She tilted her head, and as the wind blew her long red hair she touched her arm and gazed at the grassland ahead. None of the team members had showed up and neither her sensei. It would be the first time she would be taught by a female for such a long length of time. In the junior schools the senseis kept changing. She had a wish to be sensei too someday. An expert fighter. An expert protector. To be able to protect was an amazing achievement.
Her Sensei, Neha sensei was a renowned name, she’d seen her in news, dark brooding eyes, long black hair with a fair complexion. Always wearing the sensei unifrom. Brown top, short grey skirt and the brown robe on top-which showed that she was on a mission. She had an amazing figure, so many men admired her. But she never involved herself in attachments. Rather career oriented she thought. She’d never seen her in person though. The whispers of the wind grew louder and she felt uneasy as streaks of light illuminated the sky.
A handsome face approached close and she sighed with relief. It was Saif. A student from her previous class. As he gazed at her she found herself bluishing. Okay…I need’nt be shy, although its just the two of us and such a beautiful view. Am I lucky or what. Someone noisly ran closer from behind.
‘Hi guys! It’s me Ahad, Ahad, Ahad!’
‘We heard you.’Mahnoor replied, annoyed. It was Ahad. A fellow classmate too. Class clown rather.
‘I’m so happy we’ra all together!’Ahad blurted out after he flashed a big smile.
‘And I’m already starting to question the academy’s decisions. Placing two A plus graders with n F. What were they thinking.’
‘They obviously understood my capabiliteies.’Ahad chimed in.
‘That must be it.’She scorned turning her head.
A tall lean figure came strolling near. It was Hira, a fellow student but from another class.
‘Hey’She waved. She bent down as she was panting. She wore a white sleeveless top and blue jeans.Looking as beautiful as ever. Her straight yellow hair wet with perspiration.
‘I checked into the wrong grassland expanse, I had to run my way back here.This is Ground Zero I suppose.’
‘You’r at the right location. You checked the order sheets? Its written ground zero next to the battlegrounds.’
‘Yes. The guards told me that it was a grassland so I guided myself to the grassland near the parking lot but that turned out to be ground eleven.’
‘Hah! You’re such a baby.’Ahad poke in.
‘You’re one to speak. You always ended up in the wrong places in school, remember.’Mahnoor snapped.
‘I did that on purpose.That’s my style.’he was confident.
Another figure joined the team.It was a new face.The sun was above them now but no one recognized the new boy.He was loaded with weaponry. Multiple arrows and a bow, spears and swords. He had a green buttoned robe and wore black fitted pants.Dusty brown hair covered his face.
‘Hello! I’m Joy. Nice to meet you all…fellow team mates.’he had a sparkle in his brown eyes.
Explicably Handsome, Mahnoor thought to herself.’Hi! I’m Mahnoor.’
‘And I’m Ahad.’
‘I’m Hira, nice to mee you too.’
As they were busy talking a black figure appeared in front of the speech.
Everyone was dazzled. They stared in disbelief as they recognized the Teleporter, Neha.
She opened her arms and put them on her sides.
’Im your sensei. Welcome here Team Zero.’She spoke in a grim but firm voice.She scanned her students.
PART 3
‘What is your art?’She asked.
‘Forbidden…’ the small child replied.
A green flash stabbed him in the chest and he lay crouched on the floor.Neha had never seen such a young forbidden art user. In fact, arts didn’t even express themselves with stability until a user has atleast passed his teenage years. It could be a start of something new. Something far from ordinary and far from safe. The new era sure has some surprises in store for the higher ups, she thought to her self. She walked heavily to her office. She needed to write a report and submit it immediately, her latest mission had been completed.
PART 2
As Neha finished writing her report, she spread her hands in front of her. The hardcopy was lying in her palms. She started to focus. The teleportation art required precise control of time and space arts. As she closed her eyes a seal appeared on the report. The seal showed, that the report had now been frozen, it was frozen in the bounds of time and space as if in an eternal fall state where it couldn’t be touched. As she opened her eyes the report had been delivered. The delivery always took place in precisely 1 second if the teleportation art was mastered. She had to dispatch the report to the checking and control office as soon as possible. It was a prioritized mission. She sighed. Tomorrow was start of a new era. The start of the new session in the protector’s academy. Neha was a renowned sensei. She was held in high esteem among pupils of all ages. She was an advanced fighter who had showed outstanding skills and and played dynamic roles in all previous wars.
It was a crucial time. The regime was avoiding war at all costs. No country had the will nor the power to face another war. Foreign pressure was intense. This pressure was originating from the north, our largest neighbor, Freeland. Internally, the regime was weakening. Forbidden art users were showing up all over the country. They had to be taken care of. Dozens of missions were carried out everyday, all with but one purpose. Eradication of the Forbidden art. It was a hellish task, it supremely challenged the morality of all who carried out the missions. A burden which was theirs to bear. A burden which couldn’t fall on the young ones who the elders nurtured under them. The elders were like a strong and firm standing tree, which spread its dense branches such that the the young grass and shrubs growing underneath could be protected from the harshness of the changing extreme weather. Sometimesthe thunderstorm, somethimes the heat and sometimes the wind. Neha sat up, put on her brown robe, buckled her belt and left for her night mission.
It was dawn. The ground of the Protectors’ Academy had a large expanse. The floor was marble tiled greyish and white. Pupils were marching here and there holding papers in their hands looking for the assigned locations. Next to the Battle ground was a large grassland. Beautiful and quiet. In the center was statue of a woman, who held in her arms a baby and was also equipped with weapons, a collective of arrows behind her back. As Mahnoor reached the statue she gazed up at the statue. What a feminist location to be called at. It was the very first time she would meet her sensei. Who will be her guide and mentor for the upcoming 5 years. She tilted her head, and as the wind blew her long red hair she touched her arm and gazed at the grassland ahead. None of the team members had showed up and neither her sensei. It would be the first time she would be taught by a female for such a long length of time. In the junior schools the senseis kept changing. She had a wish to be sensei too someday. An expert fighter. An expert protector. To be able to protect was an amazing achievement.
Her Sensei, Neha sensei was a renowned name, she’d seen her in news, dark brooding eyes, long black hair with a fair complexion. Always wearing the sensei unifrom. Brown top, short grey skirt and the brown robe on top-which showed that she was on a mission. She had an amazing figure, so many men admired her. But she never involved herself in attachments. Rather career oriented she thought. She’d never seen her in person though. The whispers of the wind grew louder and she felt uneasy as streaks of light illuminated the sky.
A handsome face approached close and she sighed with relief. It was Saif. A student from her previous class. As he gazed at her she found herself bluishing. Okay…I need’nt be shy, although its just the two of us and such a beautiful view. Am I lucky or what. Someone noisly ran closer from behind.
‘Hi guys! It’s me Ahad, Ahad, Ahad!’
‘We heard you.’Mahnoor replied, annoyed. It was Ahad. A fellow classmate too. Class clown rather.
‘I’m so happy we’ra all together!’Ahad blurted out after he flashed a big smile.
‘And I’m already starting to question the academy’s decisions. Placing two A plus graders with n F. What were they thinking.’
‘They obviously understood my capabiliteies.’Ahad chimed in.
‘That must be it.’She scorned turning her head.
A tall lean figure came strolling near. It was Hira, a fellow student but from another class.
‘Hey’She waved. She bent down as she was panting. She wore a white sleeveless top and blue jeans.Looking as beautiful as ever. Her straight yellow hair wet with perspiration.
‘I checked into the wrong grassland expanse, I had to run my way back here.This is Ground Zero I suppose.’
‘You’r at the right location. You checked the order sheets? Its written ground zero next to the battlegrounds.’
‘Yes. The guards told me that it was a grassland so I guided myself to the grassland near the parking lot but that turned out to be ground eleven.’
‘Hah! You’re such a baby.’Ahad poke in.
‘You’re one to speak. You always ended up in the wrong places in school, remember.’Mahnoor snapped.
‘I did that on purpose.That’s my style.’he was confident.
Another figure joined the team.It was a new face.The sun was above them now but no one recognized the new boy.He was loaded with weaponry. Multiple arrows and a bow, spears and swords. He had a green buttoned robe and wore black fitted pants.Dusty brown hair covered his face.
‘Hello! I’m Joy. Nice to meet you all…fellow team mates.’he had a sparkle in his brown eyes.
Explicably Handsome, Mahnoor thought to herself.’Hi! I’m Mahnoor.’
‘And I’m Ahad.’
‘I’m Hira, nice to mee you too.’
As they were busy talking a black figure appeared in front of the speech.
Everyone was dazzled. They stared in disbelief as they recognized the Teleporter, Neha.
She opened her arms and put them on her sides.
’Im your sensei. Welcome here Team Zero.’She spoke in a grim but firm voice.She scanned her students.
PART 3
Neha’s eyes darted from one student to the other. The tall blonde girl was an animal whisperer. The tall boy in green robe was a migrant. An expert archer. A short squat but broad-shouldered boy in blue sweater and baggy trousers stood in the middle smiling. A girl in pink frock and brown boots wearing long red hair stood next. The analyst. In the corner stood a boyin white shirt and black pants, his face half hidden in his black scarf. A breath escaped from Neha’s mouth. This is the formidable Mahashix clan.
‘Seems like you’re done with introductions. It is best if as much time is saved as possible. Time is priceless. Your task can begin immediately.’Neha commanded with authority.
All the students exchanged looks. Shocked and confused they focused to catch as much detail as possible for the task ahead.
‘This grassland has EXACTLY ONE FOUR LEAFED CLOVER. You have one hour to find it. Whoever performs worst will be at a disadvantage tomorrow. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW.’Neha vanished.
What is this?Mahnoor held her head. What is the meaning of this task? In such a short notice?No help, no detail. Only one hour to complete this task.How in the world are we supposed to do this task?This is truly a nightmare.
PART 4
Neha, our sensei is truly awe-inspiring. She is a true fighter. She is famous in the city as ‘the green blaze’.Our first meeting was supposed to create a comfort zone between us and our sensei. We would introduce ourselves and share our strengths and weaknesses. but nothing like this happened .instead, we’re facing a super pressure situation. This is our very first class under our new sensei. A pressure situation only means one thing. She’ll be judging our capabilities. this is my first chance to demonstarate my talent. I can’t miss this opportunity.I have exactly 1 hour. Which is 60 minutes. Each minute is precious. No time to analyse the situation. MY ONLY HOPE IS TO GO ALL OUT.
Mahnoor closed her eyes and focused.she held out a hand sign. Wrinkles appeared on her forehead. within seconds she called out’the art of vision’.her eyes widened.she could see clearly now. Better than crystal clear. she could count faster and change her vision quickly from one object to the other.but one question needed to be answered.
How big exactly is this grassland?quickly she spun around and completed a full rotation. Her eyes widened. Exactly 400 m square. Her head started to spin. As panic prowled inside her she pressed her feet to stand her ground.she jerked it off.and then she smiled. ‘art of time’she whispered. Now she could observe faster. The art of vision and the art of time had been activated. Even with these two arts she couldn’t possibly cover the entire ground in 60 minutes. This only meant one thing. My only hope is to depend on fate that I’ll find the lucky clove in the land I’ll cover. She breathed. Standing from her place she started observing EVERY clove from one corner of the ground.her eyes went wider and her focus deepened. Her head started to rotate as she performed her task.
Joy glared at the expanse. Calculating the size of this grassland will be of no use.it wil not help me in finding the clove in any way. How can I find one clove between millions. What is a four-leafed clove, joy thought to himself. Then it hit him. Legend of the four leafed clove is a myth. Sensei’s orders clearly directed us to find A FOUR LEAFED CLOVE. This means this specific clove is an artificial plant planted by our sensei. If I use the art of time on this grassland and speed up time, all the cloves will die with the exception of one. Theres only one problem. I’ve never used the art of time on anything so huge, let alone a grassland with countless miniature plants. Well, there’s always a first time to everything. Lets try it out. Joy sat down and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes. He raised his hand and exclaimed’art of time.’ A greyish fog began to cover the grassland.
Mahnoor gazed at the grey fog from the corner of her eyes. Another art has begun she thought. A few minutes later the whole grassland was enveloped. Joy changed his hand sign. A huge seal appeared on the grey envelope. At a distance Mahnoor gasped. She read the name on the grey fog ‘time seal’. Someone was practicing the time art on the grassland but why?The grass started to dry out. Weeds and cloves begin thinning out.Dried leaves browned and fell underneath. A dreaded process had begun, she thought. Who is this?What the hell is he thinking?She span and looked for Ahad. She looked through her art of vision. Ahad was bent down and he was manually looking for cloves near the statue. It wasn’t him. Whoever was using the time art wasn’t doing it by mistake. By the looks of it, the art had been mastered to a great extent. The entire grassland had been placed in the time seal in a matter of seconds.
Her eyes scoured for the time art user. Dried out cloves covered one third of the grassland now. Suddenly she stopped. She recognized Joy’s hand signs. He’s the time art user! Our orders were crystal clear. Locate a four-leafed clover. If he kills each and every weed on this grassland he won’t find what he’s looking for. what is he aiming at? is he trying to kill the task? If none of us find the clover we all fail. we’ll all be equals then. Is that what he wants ? We’ll all be at a disadvantage tomorrow. But he’s missing one major point. We’re not rivals. Only if we’d worked together we would’ve found the clove. IN EXACTLY ONE HOUR. But, who’d be the last one then? And more importantly who’d be the first one to claim the lucky clove. If everyone agreed to work together, who would call out orders? It was likely that all the team members would come to an agreement regarding these questions, but it would take several hours. this is the reason why mahnoor let it be and she decided to go solo in her search.
PART 5
Hira ran to the end of the grassland a few miles away. A few minutes had elapsed but she didn’t care. She was at an advantage. All she needed was a quiet spot where she could focus. She sat down on the brick floor and started mumbling. ’Animal whisper art. Greetings to the ant community, I’m Hira of the Malaik Clan. Im here with an agenda, Im looking for a four-leafed clover plant in the grassland region. it is your home and you are familiar with every inch. Call me out if you know or find the location. In return, I promise to sprinkle sugar granules in this area as a gift to you.’ She stood up and sat four feet farther away. Greyish fog was racing closer. It’s a foggy night she concluded. Her body relaxed. Everything is at its place. All I need to do is concentrate at their whispers now.
Joy was growing impatient. Only about half of the grassland plants had withered and his stamina was leaving him. He was exhausted. ‘Where the hell is the artificial clover?’he exclaimed gritting his teeth. In a flash someone slapped strongly at his shoulder. He lost balance and his art of time stopped.’How naïve of you to think the clover is artificial. It can easily be another four-leafed species. ’the art of vision’ ‘ firm in his tone Saif interjected.
Saif was shocked. His fellow teammate was right. He was sweating from head to toe and panting violently.
‘Reverse the time span of the clovers before the seal breaks. I can see you’re tired, you can’t keep up much longer.’ Saif ordered warmly.
Joy was doubtful ’But the plants are dead..’
‘They haven’t died out completely the roots are intact.’
Joy gathered himself and focused on reversing time of the plants inside his time seal. Plants started to re-grow as sprouts and leaflets came out. The browned area started to change once again into a more alive state.
At a distance hira spoke annoyingly. ’I’ve already requested you to not use the word four-leafed clover. Only use it when you’ve found the clover.’ she touched her forehead angrily. She was speaking to the ants. She’d spoken to a dozen mice to include them in her quest and now she was beginning to think she wanted to include the serpents too. No. Not yet. I can’t take that risk. They are a menace.
Fifty minutes had passed but to no avail. All the students were working hard to achieve the target. When the last few inches had been reversed back to the initial stage, Joy collapsed. He’d used too much of his energy. Saif ran to the grassland’s side end. His speed was amazing. an average observer could only catch glimpses of a flash as he ran. He lied down on his side. His body was straight and his eyes were fixed on the lengths of the clovers. ’Art of vision’ he spoke strongly. He didn’t use his art on observing each and every clover.neither did he waste his time counting the leaflets. He only used one single piece of information. Since four-leafed clovers don’t exist, its another specie that will differ in length. It will stand out between the rest if their lengths are observed. He only observed the lengths and was able to cover large spaces of land at once.
A smile appeared on his lips. Saif walked to the destination of the clover. Neha appeared near him. ’Your time is up.’ She summoned all of her students at her location telepathically. Neha and Hira ran to her location. Ahad carried joy on his shoulders and joined them.
PART 6
‘You all fail the task.’She ordered.
‘But why, I have located the clover.’ Saif inquired displeased. He was astonished at his sensei’s words.
‘There are many criteria according to which you are judged. Just achieving the target is not the purpose of an assigned task. Passing in each criteria is important to pass in the overall task. One of you has collapsed into unconsciousness while others stood idly by.’ Neha directed.
Saif’s eyes widened. How naïve. Task completion is the ultimate target, that’s what he’s been taught all his life. This is what all warriors strive for. The state sends orders, which are to be completed at all costs. All other aspects are left out of consideration entirely. State Orders are ultimate. If you question state orders, or think about procedures you create way for failures. Orders are to be followed. Tasks are to be completed. Even if it harms a friend. Joy fell victim to his own foolishness. He assumed foolishly that a fake clover was present without any logical proof. I, on the other hand revived the task and achieved success. Bonds and attachments only create barriers in the path of success. If the sensei is teaching us that team mates are important at this stage she’s building weak pillars in us on which our warrior spirit will stand. A smile came on his face. Fine with me. All the others will be weak. But not me. I have my own path. I will follow my own warrior’s agenda. The path to ultimate success.
The sensei observed her students. All of them were exhausted. Ahad and Saif were the only ones who hadn’t used their energy. ‘Ahad take Joy to the hospital and report in at the emergency checkup. Looking at his condition he’ll be admitted for a few days. He’s lost almost all of his energy and won’t be able to recuperate immediately. I have never seen anyone use the art of time on such a large piece of land. At his age this is exceptional. The art of time requires pin pointed focus, a large amount of energy and enduring stamina. To think Joy was able to apply it and then even reverse it back to back, under the same seal. I commend him.’ Mahnoor was taken by astonishment. Hira flinched, her awe was thinly disguised.
Ahad came up front. ’that’s my man! I knew from the very start we’d be friends, to think he’d even have talent like me.’He gave a thumbs up and then left for the hospital.
Hira dropped her annoyed face. Talent like Joy? In his dreams. But what the sensei had said. Joy was extremely talented. To show such results at this level. Simply put-he’s a big shot. How in the world can I compete with this. Impossible! No. Impossible is I’m possible. I’ll start solo practice from tomorrow to hone my arts and look for my weak areas. If such big shots are in our team I can’t afford to look bad.
Neha pitched in ‘The rest of you rendezvous at Mehnaz lake, tomorrow 8 am sharp .’ And then she disappeared. Oh My. Our official classes have started so this is okay, Hira thought. But I’m still adjusting to her style. She can appear anywhere suddenly and she even disappears like that. How does she do this? No one in the entire country has this ability. This art got her famous in the previous war as the Green Blaze. Looks like I’m surrounded by big shots. There’s no helping it now. I’ll make it my personal motive to learn this technique from her. Fired up with motivation Hira set out for home.
‘Seems like you’re done with introductions. It is best if as much time is saved as possible. Time is priceless. Your task can begin immediately.’Neha commanded with authority.
All the students exchanged looks. Shocked and confused they focused to catch as much detail as possible for the task ahead.
‘This grassland has EXACTLY ONE FOUR LEAFED CLOVER. You have one hour to find it. Whoever performs worst will be at a disadvantage tomorrow. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW.’Neha vanished.
What is this?Mahnoor held her head. What is the meaning of this task? In such a short notice?No help, no detail. Only one hour to complete this task.How in the world are we supposed to do this task?This is truly a nightmare.
PART 4
Neha, our sensei is truly awe-inspiring. She is a true fighter. She is famous in the city as ‘the green blaze’.Our first meeting was supposed to create a comfort zone between us and our sensei. We would introduce ourselves and share our strengths and weaknesses. but nothing like this happened .instead, we’re facing a super pressure situation. This is our very first class under our new sensei. A pressure situation only means one thing. She’ll be judging our capabilities. this is my first chance to demonstarate my talent. I can’t miss this opportunity.I have exactly 1 hour. Which is 60 minutes. Each minute is precious. No time to analyse the situation. MY ONLY HOPE IS TO GO ALL OUT.
Mahnoor closed her eyes and focused.she held out a hand sign. Wrinkles appeared on her forehead. within seconds she called out’the art of vision’.her eyes widened.she could see clearly now. Better than crystal clear. she could count faster and change her vision quickly from one object to the other.but one question needed to be answered.
How big exactly is this grassland?quickly she spun around and completed a full rotation. Her eyes widened. Exactly 400 m square. Her head started to spin. As panic prowled inside her she pressed her feet to stand her ground.she jerked it off.and then she smiled. ‘art of time’she whispered. Now she could observe faster. The art of vision and the art of time had been activated. Even with these two arts she couldn’t possibly cover the entire ground in 60 minutes. This only meant one thing. My only hope is to depend on fate that I’ll find the lucky clove in the land I’ll cover. She breathed. Standing from her place she started observing EVERY clove from one corner of the ground.her eyes went wider and her focus deepened. Her head started to rotate as she performed her task.
Joy glared at the expanse. Calculating the size of this grassland will be of no use.it wil not help me in finding the clove in any way. How can I find one clove between millions. What is a four-leafed clove, joy thought to himself. Then it hit him. Legend of the four leafed clove is a myth. Sensei’s orders clearly directed us to find A FOUR LEAFED CLOVE. This means this specific clove is an artificial plant planted by our sensei. If I use the art of time on this grassland and speed up time, all the cloves will die with the exception of one. Theres only one problem. I’ve never used the art of time on anything so huge, let alone a grassland with countless miniature plants. Well, there’s always a first time to everything. Lets try it out. Joy sat down and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes. He raised his hand and exclaimed’art of time.’ A greyish fog began to cover the grassland.
Mahnoor gazed at the grey fog from the corner of her eyes. Another art has begun she thought. A few minutes later the whole grassland was enveloped. Joy changed his hand sign. A huge seal appeared on the grey envelope. At a distance Mahnoor gasped. She read the name on the grey fog ‘time seal’. Someone was practicing the time art on the grassland but why?The grass started to dry out. Weeds and cloves begin thinning out.Dried leaves browned and fell underneath. A dreaded process had begun, she thought. Who is this?What the hell is he thinking?She span and looked for Ahad. She looked through her art of vision. Ahad was bent down and he was manually looking for cloves near the statue. It wasn’t him. Whoever was using the time art wasn’t doing it by mistake. By the looks of it, the art had been mastered to a great extent. The entire grassland had been placed in the time seal in a matter of seconds.
Her eyes scoured for the time art user. Dried out cloves covered one third of the grassland now. Suddenly she stopped. She recognized Joy’s hand signs. He’s the time art user! Our orders were crystal clear. Locate a four-leafed clover. If he kills each and every weed on this grassland he won’t find what he’s looking for. what is he aiming at? is he trying to kill the task? If none of us find the clover we all fail. we’ll all be equals then. Is that what he wants ? We’ll all be at a disadvantage tomorrow. But he’s missing one major point. We’re not rivals. Only if we’d worked together we would’ve found the clove. IN EXACTLY ONE HOUR. But, who’d be the last one then? And more importantly who’d be the first one to claim the lucky clove. If everyone agreed to work together, who would call out orders? It was likely that all the team members would come to an agreement regarding these questions, but it would take several hours. this is the reason why mahnoor let it be and she decided to go solo in her search.
PART 5
Hira ran to the end of the grassland a few miles away. A few minutes had elapsed but she didn’t care. She was at an advantage. All she needed was a quiet spot where she could focus. She sat down on the brick floor and started mumbling. ’Animal whisper art. Greetings to the ant community, I’m Hira of the Malaik Clan. Im here with an agenda, Im looking for a four-leafed clover plant in the grassland region. it is your home and you are familiar with every inch. Call me out if you know or find the location. In return, I promise to sprinkle sugar granules in this area as a gift to you.’ She stood up and sat four feet farther away. Greyish fog was racing closer. It’s a foggy night she concluded. Her body relaxed. Everything is at its place. All I need to do is concentrate at their whispers now.
Joy was growing impatient. Only about half of the grassland plants had withered and his stamina was leaving him. He was exhausted. ‘Where the hell is the artificial clover?’he exclaimed gritting his teeth. In a flash someone slapped strongly at his shoulder. He lost balance and his art of time stopped.’How naïve of you to think the clover is artificial. It can easily be another four-leafed species. ’the art of vision’ ‘ firm in his tone Saif interjected.
Saif was shocked. His fellow teammate was right. He was sweating from head to toe and panting violently.
‘Reverse the time span of the clovers before the seal breaks. I can see you’re tired, you can’t keep up much longer.’ Saif ordered warmly.
Joy was doubtful ’But the plants are dead..’
‘They haven’t died out completely the roots are intact.’
Joy gathered himself and focused on reversing time of the plants inside his time seal. Plants started to re-grow as sprouts and leaflets came out. The browned area started to change once again into a more alive state.
At a distance hira spoke annoyingly. ’I’ve already requested you to not use the word four-leafed clover. Only use it when you’ve found the clover.’ she touched her forehead angrily. She was speaking to the ants. She’d spoken to a dozen mice to include them in her quest and now she was beginning to think she wanted to include the serpents too. No. Not yet. I can’t take that risk. They are a menace.
Fifty minutes had passed but to no avail. All the students were working hard to achieve the target. When the last few inches had been reversed back to the initial stage, Joy collapsed. He’d used too much of his energy. Saif ran to the grassland’s side end. His speed was amazing. an average observer could only catch glimpses of a flash as he ran. He lied down on his side. His body was straight and his eyes were fixed on the lengths of the clovers. ’Art of vision’ he spoke strongly. He didn’t use his art on observing each and every clover.neither did he waste his time counting the leaflets. He only used one single piece of information. Since four-leafed clovers don’t exist, its another specie that will differ in length. It will stand out between the rest if their lengths are observed. He only observed the lengths and was able to cover large spaces of land at once.
A smile appeared on his lips. Saif walked to the destination of the clover. Neha appeared near him. ’Your time is up.’ She summoned all of her students at her location telepathically. Neha and Hira ran to her location. Ahad carried joy on his shoulders and joined them.
PART 6
‘You all fail the task.’She ordered.
‘But why, I have located the clover.’ Saif inquired displeased. He was astonished at his sensei’s words.
‘There are many criteria according to which you are judged. Just achieving the target is not the purpose of an assigned task. Passing in each criteria is important to pass in the overall task. One of you has collapsed into unconsciousness while others stood idly by.’ Neha directed.
Saif’s eyes widened. How naïve. Task completion is the ultimate target, that’s what he’s been taught all his life. This is what all warriors strive for. The state sends orders, which are to be completed at all costs. All other aspects are left out of consideration entirely. State Orders are ultimate. If you question state orders, or think about procedures you create way for failures. Orders are to be followed. Tasks are to be completed. Even if it harms a friend. Joy fell victim to his own foolishness. He assumed foolishly that a fake clover was present without any logical proof. I, on the other hand revived the task and achieved success. Bonds and attachments only create barriers in the path of success. If the sensei is teaching us that team mates are important at this stage she’s building weak pillars in us on which our warrior spirit will stand. A smile came on his face. Fine with me. All the others will be weak. But not me. I have my own path. I will follow my own warrior’s agenda. The path to ultimate success.
The sensei observed her students. All of them were exhausted. Ahad and Saif were the only ones who hadn’t used their energy. ‘Ahad take Joy to the hospital and report in at the emergency checkup. Looking at his condition he’ll be admitted for a few days. He’s lost almost all of his energy and won’t be able to recuperate immediately. I have never seen anyone use the art of time on such a large piece of land. At his age this is exceptional. The art of time requires pin pointed focus, a large amount of energy and enduring stamina. To think Joy was able to apply it and then even reverse it back to back, under the same seal. I commend him.’ Mahnoor was taken by astonishment. Hira flinched, her awe was thinly disguised.
Ahad came up front. ’that’s my man! I knew from the very start we’d be friends, to think he’d even have talent like me.’He gave a thumbs up and then left for the hospital.
Hira dropped her annoyed face. Talent like Joy? In his dreams. But what the sensei had said. Joy was extremely talented. To show such results at this level. Simply put-he’s a big shot. How in the world can I compete with this. Impossible! No. Impossible is I’m possible. I’ll start solo practice from tomorrow to hone my arts and look for my weak areas. If such big shots are in our team I can’t afford to look bad.
Neha pitched in ‘The rest of you rendezvous at Mehnaz lake, tomorrow 8 am sharp .’ And then she disappeared. Oh My. Our official classes have started so this is okay, Hira thought. But I’m still adjusting to her style. She can appear anywhere suddenly and she even disappears like that. How does she do this? No one in the entire country has this ability. This art got her famous in the previous war as the Green Blaze. Looks like I’m surrounded by big shots. There’s no helping it now. I’ll make it my personal motive to learn this technique from her. Fired up with motivation Hira set out for home.
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