Past Trauma

Several years ago, before Mahendra was cast into the Sky World, chaos reigned in his old world, the land of his birth. A civil war had raged on for about four years.

The kitchen knife he held was not enough to protect his family. Against the adults, with their superior stamina, a young Mahendra had to fight for his life against them.

The stench of blood hung in the air, along with the smell of burning flesh from several places. Mahendra stood trembling with fear, his legs shaking, but his hand gripped the weapon tightly.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll do it!" he screamed with all his might, warning the adults who were approaching him.

Just behind him was a small, damp house. But this wasn't about protecting a home, it was about protecting the person waiting inside for him to return.

The men, of course, paid no mind to the child's words. Their resolve didn't waver, especially when they saw the fear in Mahendra's eyes.

"Hahaha! What did he just say?"

"Just an annoying bug. A kid's better off getting out of the way if he wants to live. Don't worry, we'll just take your valuables and put them to good use."

"Nonsense!" Mahendra retorted, charging at them with the tip of his knife.

"There are no valuables here! So please, just go away!" he added.

Unfortunately, he was too weak, and his frontal attack was easily dodged. As a result, Mahendra lost his balance. Just before he fell, one of the men kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying back to where he started.

He shuddered uncontrollably, a twisting pain in his gut. Mahendra vomited water mixed with blood, and his body instantly went limp.

The knife slipped from his grasp, falling far away from him. Mahendra crawled, trying to retrieve his weapon, but they had already taken it.

Mocking laughter and vile insults echoed as the two shameless men continued to torment him. They punched, kicked, and even deliberately stabbed him in non-vital spots to prolong his suffering.

This world had lost its morality. There was no such thing as compassion once the war began. People fought each other simply to survive.

Stealing food or valuables was their intent. Mahendra himself had sometimes resorted to the same, for the sake of his little sister, though never with such cruelty.

After they were done beating Mahendra, they rushed into the damp house.

"Don't... don't go in!" With his last ounce of strength, he managed to grab the ankle of one of the men, holding him back, if only for a moment.

"Tch, what a nuisance!" The man easily broke free and stomped on the child's hand.

"Argh!"

He repeatedly called out his little sister's name in his mind, praying for her safety. But his prayers went unanswered.

"No!" A piercing shriek came from a little girl. Ningsih was crying out in pain.

Even though he could only crawl, Mahendra kept going, determined to see his beloved little sister.

"Ningsih!"

Annoyed by Ningsih's presence, they deliberately pushed her against a wall. In an instant, the girl fell unconscious with a head wound.

"Ningsih... Ningsih! Ningsih!"

Tears mixed with blood streamed down his face. Powerless and sprawled on the ground, Mahendra bit his lower lip, filled with immense anger and hatred.

"Ningsih, I'm sorry. I'm too weak. I couldn't save you. I'm so sorry... Ningsih."

Days passed. The war had taken a great toll on many people. But not long after, the fighting subsided for a moment.

On the verge of death, Mahendra met a girl one year his junior.

"You're still alive?" the girl asked.

"Who... are you?"

"Thank goodness you're still conscious. I'm Jasmine."

She secretly helped him until he recovered. They often met at a small hut located far from the settlement, on the edge of the rice fields.

"Why are you helping me? Where did you get these medicines? Who are you, really?"

"You ask too many questions. First, I got the medicines from someone I know. He's a foreigner."

Hearing this, Mahendra was shocked.

"He's a good person," Jasmine said. "And I'm helping you just because I want to," she continued.

"You want to?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with me helping someone?"

Mahendra, still surprised, fell silent. He couldn't think of a single thing to say.

After two days, the girl didn't come back. Mahendra grew worried and quickly left the hut, heading into the settlement that still hadn't truly found peace.

He crept cautiously, wary of his surroundings, afraid of being found by anyone.

After walking for a while, a large, relatively luxurious house suddenly exploded. Everyone nearby fled from the horrifying disaster. Flames raged like they were dancing, and the big house was still on fire.

Mahendra assumed there was no one left inside, but when he heard a sound not far from the house, he immediately went to investigate.

"Mahendra? Cough, cough!"

A girl was trapped under a collapsed wall. It was Jasmine.

"Hang in there!"

Fortunately, the rubble wasn't too big or heavy, so Mahendra could remove it by himself. But Jasmine wasn't just trapped, she was gravely injured. A slightly long piece of steel had pierced her stomach.

"Was this an accident? Or was it... someone?"

"Don't worry about that. Just help me pull this out," Jasmine pleaded, holding the steel.

"You shouldn't. It'll make your wound much worse. Wait here, I'll go get someone."

"That's exactly why," Jasmine said, holding him back and not letting him leave.

Mahendra clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes filled with sorrow at his friend's suffering. Jasmine, however, was still able to smile.

Jasmine couldn't hold on any longer. She could only ask her friend to do something so painful.

With a trembling hand, he slowly pulled the steel out.

"Pull harder and let me rest sooner," Jasmine said.

Mahendra gripped the steel tighter, pulling with all his might as tears streamed down his face. Blood gushed from the wound, quickly pooling around them. But before the steel was fully removed, Jasmine closed her eyes forever.

With the steel still in his hand, Mahendra looked as if he had just murdered her.

This was the beginning of why the people there immediately sentenced him to death. Although, in the end, Mahendra was cast into another world through a wormhole that couldn't be seen by ordinary people.