One Year Later: Temple District
Morning settled gently over the Temple District.
Birds chirped in the pale light, their calls echoing softly between stone walls. Gurus and students filled the air with low conversation as the district stirred awake, voices overlapping in a steady, familiar rhythm.
In the kitchens, servants cleared away the remnants of the morning meal while others began preparations for the evening. The scent of cooked grain slowly faded, replaced by the sharper, calming smell of incense.
Across the many shrines, pujas and ritual observances were already underway. Bells rang softly. Mantras were murmured under steady breaths. Smoke curled upward from burning incense, lingering in the air and giving the entire district a pleasant aroma.
At the heart of the district stood several large structures—old, carefully maintained buildings supported by circular stone pillars. Long corridors connected them, their walls lined from floor to ceiling with scriptures and records.
Here were preserved texts on medicine, mana theory, history, law, administration—everything the temple had gathered over generations.
Within one of these corridors, seated near a pillar where the morning light filtered in, was Rajkumar Garuda.
He sat quietly with a scroll open before him, legs folded neatly beneath him, brow slightly furrowed as he read. Around him, the world continued to move—voices passing, footsteps echoing, incense drifting—but Garuda remained still, fully absorbed in the words before him.
For now, this was his place.
He continued reading until, after some time, a voice called out.
"Garuda."
He turned to see his brother standing a short distance away, hair still damp, clothes fresh. He looked as though he had just come from the baths.
"Have you finished your morning training, brother?" Garuda asked.
"Yeah," Rajkumar Hamsa replied. "The captain didn't go easy today. And training with Rajaguru Devasharma was rough as well."He gave a small sigh. "I was soaked in sweat, so I went to bathe. That aside you've been here since dawn, haven't you?"
"Yes," Garuda said. "I am focusing more on my studies now. My body cannot be trained the way yours can."
He turned back to his scroll.
"Now, if you will excuse me, I need to finish this before breakfast. I have classes afterward."
Hamsa stayed where he was, watching him. Before heading to do his own studies.
-----------------------------
What the hell happened in just one year?
This kid used to cling to me nonstop. Big brother this, big brother that. It reminded me of my friends back on Earth—always sticking close, always getting themselves into trouble.
And somehow, I was always the one keeping them from doing something stupid and getting themselves—and me—killed.
I thought this time around I'd do it properly. Take things slow. Actually enjoy it. Treat him like an actual younger brother, not like before. Well not that I know how to.
But now he's changed.
I mean… it's a good thing. He's studying. He's serious. That's not bad at all.
Still. It feels quiet.
And for some reason… I feel a little lonely.
Well, putting all that aside, my life has been going fairly well—for the most part.
I usually wake up around sunrise. Sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later. Then I change… or rather, I'm changed. Being royalty has its perks. You just have to get past the embarrassment first.
After that, I head to the guard house for physical training.
Fun fact I learned recently: the Captain of the Royal Guards and Rajaguru Devasharma are actually old friends. Because of that, my physical training was assigned here instead of the temple.
But now, you might be wondering why a seven-year-old is doing full physical training.
That ties back to what I learned about mana.
Basically.
When a person is born, they're like a seed just planted in the ground. It takes time—usually between fifteen to twenty years—for that seed to sprout. In other words, for mana to fully develop throughout the body.
But that age has been steadily decreasing over generations.
During my parents' generation, developing mana at fifteen was considered early. My biological mother was an extreme outlier—hers awakened at ten.
In the current age, fifteen is common, and ten is considered early.
And then there's me... at five.
Well once mana fully develops, the body undergoes rapid growth—like a plant suddenly surging upward after breaking through the soil.
So even though I'm seven years old by count, my body is closer to that of a mid-to-late teenager.
That's why I tower over my younger brother Garuda now. I'm even a head taller than my mother.
Still… I'm nowhere near my father's height.
All this age talk reminds me—the dating system here is surprisingly reasonable.
The new year begins with the start of spring and ends at the close of winter. No celebrating new years in the middle of freezing cold. That alone earns my approval.
The calendar itself counts years from the fall of the last great empire, which ruled over a thousand years ago. I don't remember its name yet, but the current year is 1024.
Months are based on lunar cycles, and days follow the phases of the moon.
There was a dating system before that, but whatever happened a thousand years ago was so significant that it became the reference point instead.
Unfortunately, records from that era are nearly impossible to find. Later texts are often poetic or symbolic rather than factual, so anything said about that time is uncertain at best.
But still, from what I've gathered through temple discussions and scripture study, the general consensus is this:
A massive war occurred, followed by some kind of natural disaster.
Civilization was devastated, and the overall amount of mana in the world dropped sharply.
That would explain why even Acharya Ram, a person who is over 150years was shocked to see the amount of mana I posses.
Anyway, enough ancient history.
Moving closer to the present.
About four generations ago—roughly two hundred years—there existed a massive empire that ruled the entire continent.
The Saurya Empire.
Literally translated, the Empire of the Sun.
They were the first to unify the subcontinent known as Bharatha Kanda.
That similarity to my old world is… uncomfortable.
Well can on topic.
Around five hundred years ago, Chakravarthi Saurya I unified the continent and established the Saurya Dynasty. It lasted until roughly two hundred years ago—around the 800s in the current calendar.
Then corruption, internal decay, and a succession crisis tore it apart.
The current Mahavarsha and Dharmaraj Empire are a semi-direct descendants of that dynasty.
In the south, the Kalingar and Saravan kingdoms emerged—though not without nearly a century of constant war, mostly against Mahavarsha attempts to reclaim them.
Eventually, an alliance formed, and the Girivala Kingdom was established as a buffer state between the southern powers and the northern giant.
In the west, my house—the Valangar—had served as generals and administrators under the Saurya Emperors.
Five generations ago, my ancestor—my great-great-great grandfather, I think—was betrayed by the last Saurya Emperor. So he defected.
Most of the lands that now make up Valangar territory followed him, as they had long historical and familial ties to our house.
That defection was one of the final blows that shattered the empire.
In the west, the Ranga and Mayala kingdoms rose. The Mayalas were originally under Ranga rule, but they broke away around fifty years ago.
They followed the same path as the southern houses—declaring independence once the empire weakened.
As for the north, the main Saurya bloodline was nearly wiped out. A secondary branch—the Mahavarshas—took the throne.
But disputes over legitimacy never ended.
Another Saurya branch, the House of Dharmaraj, initially supported the Mahavarshas… then broke away.
Now there are two massive empires in the north and east, both claiming to be the rightful heirs of the Saurya legacy.
And that's the world I woke up in.
Messy and complicated.
Here's the simple version.
The Surya Empire once ruled the entire continent.
Near its end, the Emperor betrayed my ancestor. Because of that betrayal, my ancestor broke away from the Surya Empire and declared independence, taking much of the western lands with him. Those lands followed because of long-standing ties and loyalty to his house.
That secession was a massive blow to the empire and marked the beginning of its collapse.
After the west broke away, the southern houses followed suit. In the south, the Kalingar and Savaran houses declared independence and fought each other for dominance while also resisting repeated attempts by the Mahavarshas to reclaim control. Eventually, peace was reached, and the Girivala Kingdom was created as a buffer state between the southern powers and the northern giant.
In the west, the lands were initially united under the Ranga Kingdom. About fifty years ago, the Mayala Kingdom split off from the Rangas and became independent.
In the north, the main Surya bloodline was devastated. A secondary branch, the Mahavarshas, took the throne. However, after losing the west and south, their authority weakened further, leading to a civil war.
That civil war split the north into two powers.
The Dharmaraj Empire emerged in the north and central regions, while the Mahavarshas retained control over the eastern territories.
That is how the current political landscape was formed.