Chapter 61 - Nitya

"Is he a lunatic or something? He should be in the Occum Shrine, not here."

"O! What did he say just now? Whose son is he? "

"Oman"

"You mean lord Oman!"

"Ah! I've recognised him. He is Lord Oman's son. "

"Wasn't he sick or something? How can he be here?"

"You've always holed up in your forge, so you don't know he has come around a week ago.  "

"It is him. "

As soon as the crowd got over the initial shock they burst into frenzy conversations 

Some were laughing at his stupidity; some were thinking that he had lost his mind. Senior smiths were enjoying the show with an interest. 

Many apprentices, especially those whom Viswa was mentoring, were glaring at Ishit as if wanting to burn him alive.  They wanted nothing but to kick his ass for humiliating their mentor. 

The reason was simple. Viswa might be able to punish the audacious boy later, however, this stain that a boy had thought his reputation was undeserved would give his rivals an edge over him. 

Even more so, when Viswa was vying for the guild head position against Nitya. 

It was also possible that Nitya might have set the boy to do so.  Their suspicions deepened as they found the identity of the lad. 

Viswa had a row with Oman over some unknown reason 13 years ago, which had turned into a hostile brawl.

If Upin, the last guild head, and  Lord Ayan hadn't intervened Lord Oman, infamous for his fiery temper, would have beheaded Viswa.

So Oman would never wish Viswa to be the guild head. If the guilds weren't out of his authority he would have thrown Viswa out of Minaak long ago. 

However, sending his own son to challenge a renowned master smithy for Jalpa was not a wise move in any way.

That was why Nitya frowned when he saw Ishit standing before the mirror of Mitra. He knew Ishit too well to think that Lord Oman had sent him here to cause trouble. 

He had attended the feast a weak ago thrown by Oman on the boy's successful recovery.

As one of the trusted men of Oman, he knew the lord had already a lot on his plate. He couldn't afford one more mess, not when Inna's feast was just a few days away, and spirit-defilers were being arrested all over the city. 

So when Nitya found Ishit, the puckish boy, waiting for Jalpa to begin, his head throbbed.

However, Mitra's eye had emerged, it had noticed the challenger and the respondent both. Now all he could do was to wait and see if he could attenuate Viswa's retribution. However, he doubted the possibility when he saw his colleague, getting off the podium to accept the challenge. 

Viswa got off the podium and looked into the blazing eye of Mitra.

"Viswa, the son of Sura, accept the challenge." the veteran smith said in a solemn. He turned to Ishit, a cruel glint flashed in his raven eyes. 

"In what way do you see me unworthy, son of Oman? If I'm not wrong, you were in a long coma. I wonder if you dreamt about me or something so you came running to expose my tricks as soon as you woke up." said he. The crowd chortled. 

"You think too highly of you, Viswa. One doesn't need to go into a coma to do that." Ishit replied with a smile. " And I'm not here to expose your tricks or anything."

"Then, may this old man know what young lord is here for? " asked Viswa, trying to look amused. However, Ishit knew he wasn't. The tightness around the smith's square jaws was giving away his anger. 

"To show people that you're a selfish prick who after gathering little knowledge over the years is acting like Rishabh. (the legendary man who forged Kaal-Ghosha) " 

The crowd let a long gasp. Viswa's thin lips twitched, his nostrils flared up.

He took a deep breath to swallow the boiling rage as he glared at Ishit. 

"I can see you have inherited Lord Oman's tongue. Let's not waste any more time by exchanging foul words. So tell me how I can prove myself.  " 

"You're right I'm tired and feeling sleepy. So let finish it as soon as possible. "Ishit said, yawning. He was not lying he was really sleepy. 

If he didn't need a forge urgently he wouldn't have challenged the old man, at least not until the next day. 

Of course, Ishit wasn't challenging Viswa for revoking Nandani's order. It was a happy coincidence and nothing else. In reality, Ishit had pondered over it in Avida while studying the scrolls in Pratima library. 

There was no way he could forge Astras in the castle. He needed the powerful shields to control violent energy, a good furnace and other forging tools. Above all precious and rare forging materials were not something he could buy from the city market, not even after his lord father agreed to help him out, which Ishit doubted he would. 

And as for becoming an apprentice of the smithy, that wouldn't work as well. As an apprentice, Ishit had to work under a smith. He wouldn't get a forge of his own. 

Besides Ishit wanted to pursue the Glassian smithing which was starkly different from the Vartian, so he couldn't let anyone see what he was doing in his forge. 

So considering all the facts, he had left with this hard choice to kick out one of the smiths and snatch his forge. 

Of course, it was not that easy;  at least not for  Ishit who hadn't forged even a mortal Astra. 

Ishit 's only strong point was the in-depth theoretical knowledge he gained in  Avida.

With his untested knowledge, his odds of winning the Jalpa was not high. However, Ishit still decided to take a risk as he hadn't had time to wait. For some reason, he was having a feeling of crisis, as if an invisible hand was closing in on him. 

Then his father's warnings about defilers wanting him dead for some reason. So Ishit had to increase his power as soon as possible one way or another. Or else only a merciless death was waiting for him. 

*****

"As you can see, I'm just a beginner; So there was no way I can forge an Astra. So I won't question your forging techniques, nor do I question the quality of the astras forged by you." Ishit said looking at the sneering face of Viswa. 

"Ok! Then should we compete in quibbling and swearing? I'm sorry young man, this is not my area of expertise," said Viswa. The crowd cackled at his lame joke. 

According to the code of Jalpa, one could only challenge someone in his area of expertise. Otherwise, the challenge would be revoked and the challenger would be punished for insulting the respondent.   

Sitting amidst the crowd, Nitya and other smiths shook their heads, for they knew what was coming for the reckless boy. 

However, Ishit ignored Viswa and went on 

"During my long stay in the dream world, I had a fortunate encounter with the dream-fairy. The celestial beauty took a liking to me because of my quibbling. She brought me to her sky soaring castle of mirrors. After some uncanny trials, the queen of dreams decided to teach me the ways of spirit wielders. And from her, I learned the knowledge of smithing. "

Viswa looked at Ishit as if he was looking at him for the first time.  What the hell was the lad spouting? Did he think that he was a child to believe such nonsense that one told a weaner? 

Ishit noticed Viswa's dumbfounded face and added solemnly 

"I know you will not believe me. It's not your fault, though. 

Only nightmares have hunted your nights. Anyway,  I will challenge you in the academic understanding of forging. That's what I'm capable of right now. Besides, it will be enough to make you realise you're a just frog in a well, and nothing else " 

The crowd's jaw fell to the floor. As for why it wasn't clear. Perhaps, they had bought Ishit's story of meeting with the dream -fairy. Or Maybe they were dumbfounded after hearing his childish tale just like Viswa. There was no knowing. 

Nitya couldn't help but smile. The boy had an uncanny ability to make someone kick his butt hard. He marvelled at Viswa's ability to stand the boy for so long. 

If he were at his place he would have booted the boy's ass. Young lord or not, one shouldn't push someone too far. 

As for Ishit's challenging Viswa in the theory of smithing, Nitya didn't know what he should say.

The theory of smithing was a very vast subject, mainly studied by spiritualists cum smiths–meant one who was both spiritualist and smith. 

Cramped with principles and complex laws, one could only master it after years of hard study. 

Most of the smiths learned only the practical elements of smithing and started to forge Astras, leaving the theory for researchers, and spiritualists. 

So challenging Viswa in this field was a wise move, for Viswa like all the other smiths in Minaak, had spent his time in his forge. 

However, for Ishit, who hadn't gotten even the basic lessons on smithing, this weakness of Viswa had no use.

Nitya was sure Mitra's eyes wouldn't even approve of this debate. Because to challenge someone, the debater had to be on the same ground as his respondent. 

Precisely for this reason, Viswa laughed and agreed to have a Jalpa (a hostile debate) with the ignorant lad without giving it any thought.  He might have not buried his head into the dusty tomes, however, his thirty years of experience in smithing of all kinds Astras had taught him almost everything that a good smith needed to know. So there was no way a mere boy, who didn't know even the alphabet of smithing, could be considered his opponent. 

Karni, the caretaker of the symposium, brought the Bhojapatras (birch-tree leaves), two spirit-peacock quills, and Ashta-gandha 1(a mixture of eight fragrant herbs) ink. 

Both the challenger and the respondent inscribed their names and the subject of the debate on a birch leaf. Karni took the yellow leaf. And his long fingers folded it (using the ancient art of Origami1) into the shape of a dove. The dove fluttered and flew towards the mirror. The crowd watched the paper bird holding their breath. Though they all knew what would follow, the ritual still made them excited. 

The dove entered the burning mirror as if the mirror were a window to some invisible chamber. However, in the next second, it got incinerated to ashes by the blazing fire. Suddenly, Ishit felt the spirit around him tense up, and something invisible, even to his spirit sense, gently brushed his soul. 

The crowd let out a loud gasp as their jaws hit the floor. The most surprised were Viswa, Nitya and Durjaya. 

They felt the ground was slipping beneath their feet. What was going on here? 

Wast the All-Knowing-Eye playing prank on them?

Viswa's mouth was swallowing flies. The colour of his face had drained. How was it possible?    the only question that was buzzing in his mind. 

Though it was Ishit's first time witnessing the ancient rituals of Vada (debate or scholarly duel). He knew the touch was a sign the spirit had agreed to preside over their duel, and it had approved the subject of the debate. 

Ishit let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the All-Seeing-Eye wouldn't accept him as a challenger because he hadn't forged any astras so far. It was a gamble all along, and he had won the first bet. 

However, it didn't mean he had won the duel. 

-------------------------Basic Info------------------------------------

All-Seeing-Eye, All-Knowing Eye or Eye of Mitra all these terms have the same meaning and refer to the mysterious eye that presided over the pacts, treaties, and duel. The eye can be summoned in many ways. We will see them in the coming chapter. 

The awakener called it the eye of mother spirit. However, According to the spiritualists of Varta, it is just ancient magic. and they are not wrong to think so, for the summoning of the eye, either involves a yantra or a spell. 

Whatever may be the truth, the presence of eye makes sure none employs trickery to win the duel. It validates the facts put forth by debaters. 

Whether one is eligible or not for a debate is decided by Mitra's eye. If one doesn't eligible for the debate and still challenges someone, it is considered the act of defame. The challenger is harshly punished by the respondent. 

Your comment is like a strong coffee. In the next chapter, you will get a deep insight into how Astras are forged and how they work.