Chapter 20:
The Cursed Prince
Tatva- The Awakening of Elements
The ruin trembled like a living being as Kedar descended further into its depths.His steps echoed not against stone——but against time.
The air grew thicker, heavy with the scent of old incense and something else… grief.
---
The First Vision — The Palace That Once Was
Kedar entered a chamber lit by ghostly chandeliers.Silk curtains moved without wind.A distant flute played — melancholic and proud.
In the center stood a throne.
Upon it — a young prince.
Handsome, arrogant, lounging with a bored expression.Decorated in jewels and silks, surrounded by servants — but his eyes were empty.
Kedar recognized him.
> “Mayan.”
The illusion didn’t speak, but the walls began to whisper.
> “His father ruled a kingdom thriving beneath these same mountains.”“Mayan was the heir, but he cared not for discipline, only comfort.”
The prince waved away a warrior sent to train him.Ignored a scholar offering knowledge.Allowed the world to revolve around him.
On one wall, an illusion showed his sword collecting dust.His books unread.His people starving beyond the palace walls while he slept through feasts.
---
The Fall of the Golden Child
The illusion shifted.The prince stood now before an older king — stern, unyielding.
> “You shame this bloodline,” the king said.“You will not inherit my throne.”
Mayan’s face cracked — for the first time, anger stirred beneath the surface.
> “You cannot cast me aside.”“You cast yourself aside.”
And with a gesture, the king banished him from the palace.Stripped of title.Stripped of protection.Stripped of purpose.
Kedar felt a flicker of something — pity, maybe. Or recognition.
A prince who had lost everything.A flame with nowhere to burn.
---
The Pact in the Dust
The scene darkened.The air thickened.Chanting vibrated against the stone.
The illusion revealed Mayan in a deep desert cave, surrounded by Tantrika.Symbols scorched into the sand.Sacrificial offerings burned.
A void opened — and a voice whispered.
> “I can give you everything… if you give me everything.”
Mayan kneeled, trembling—Not in fear.In desperation.
> “I offer my soul… my blood… my life. Make me king.”
A shadow took his hand.
The pact was sealed.
---
A Crown of Ash
Suddenly, the chamber burned away, and Kedar stood on a balcony overlooking a dead kingdom.
The land was barren.Houses burned.Statues shattered.The palace half destroyed.
And upon a stone throne sat Mayan — but twisted beyond recognition.His skin stained black with curse-marks.Eyes glowing like dying coals.Crown broken upon his head.
He laughed, low and hollow, surrounded by illusions of people cheering him… but all of them were corpses.
The voice returned.
> “He got what he bargained for. A kingdom untouched by anyone… because no one survived.”
---
The Seal of Betrayal
The vision fast-forwarded — Mayan fighting someone unseen in a great hall.Chains glowing with spiritual seals wrapped around him.
A group of silhouettes stood in judgment.Their leader, cloaked in darkness, spoke only one sentence:
> “A king of illusions deserves a prison of illusions.”
On the final chant, Mayan was sealed into the ruins — not killed, only imprisoned.Left to rot in the very kingdom he wished to rule.
But the seal had a flaw.
The illusions lived on.
---
Back to the Present — And a Question
The illusions faded.The chamber returned to its cracked, ruined state.
Kedar stood alone.The atmosphere was silent.His thoughts were not.
“Was he always like that? Or did the world make him that way?”He wondered if there was a difference.
A slow clap echoed in the dark.
From the shadows, a shape emerged — cloaked in mist and sorrow.Mayan.
> “Do not pity me, Fire Bringer.”“Your heart is soft. It will break.”
Kedar squared his stance but didn't draw the chain.
> “You could have changed your fate.”“I did.” Mayan extended his arms. “I chose to rule — and they chose to betray.”“This isn't ruling.”“No,” the cursed prince said, smiling through cracked lips. “It is reminding the world how easily reality unravels.”
And with a gesture, the entire chamber spiraled — once again becoming his palace. Alive. Burning. Screaming.
The illusions were back.
And stronger.
Kedar gritted his teeth. He couldn’t break all of it by force.He had to learn to see past it.
He had to confront not a monster — but a broken dream.
To be continued.......
The air grew thicker, heavy with the scent of old incense and something else… grief.
---
The First Vision — The Palace That Once Was
Kedar entered a chamber lit by ghostly chandeliers.Silk curtains moved without wind.A distant flute played — melancholic and proud.
In the center stood a throne.
Upon it — a young prince.
Handsome, arrogant, lounging with a bored expression.Decorated in jewels and silks, surrounded by servants — but his eyes were empty.
Kedar recognized him.
> “Mayan.”
The illusion didn’t speak, but the walls began to whisper.
> “His father ruled a kingdom thriving beneath these same mountains.”“Mayan was the heir, but he cared not for discipline, only comfort.”
The prince waved away a warrior sent to train him.Ignored a scholar offering knowledge.Allowed the world to revolve around him.
On one wall, an illusion showed his sword collecting dust.His books unread.His people starving beyond the palace walls while he slept through feasts.
---
The Fall of the Golden Child
The illusion shifted.The prince stood now before an older king — stern, unyielding.
> “You shame this bloodline,” the king said.“You will not inherit my throne.”
Mayan’s face cracked — for the first time, anger stirred beneath the surface.
> “You cannot cast me aside.”“You cast yourself aside.”
And with a gesture, the king banished him from the palace.Stripped of title.Stripped of protection.Stripped of purpose.
Kedar felt a flicker of something — pity, maybe. Or recognition.
A prince who had lost everything.A flame with nowhere to burn.
---
The Pact in the Dust
The scene darkened.The air thickened.Chanting vibrated against the stone.
The illusion revealed Mayan in a deep desert cave, surrounded by Tantrika.Symbols scorched into the sand.Sacrificial offerings burned.
A void opened — and a voice whispered.
> “I can give you everything… if you give me everything.”
Mayan kneeled, trembling—Not in fear.In desperation.
> “I offer my soul… my blood… my life. Make me king.”
A shadow took his hand.
The pact was sealed.
---
A Crown of Ash
Suddenly, the chamber burned away, and Kedar stood on a balcony overlooking a dead kingdom.
The land was barren.Houses burned.Statues shattered.The palace half destroyed.
And upon a stone throne sat Mayan — but twisted beyond recognition.His skin stained black with curse-marks.Eyes glowing like dying coals.Crown broken upon his head.
He laughed, low and hollow, surrounded by illusions of people cheering him… but all of them were corpses.
The voice returned.
> “He got what he bargained for. A kingdom untouched by anyone… because no one survived.”
---
The Seal of Betrayal
The vision fast-forwarded — Mayan fighting someone unseen in a great hall.Chains glowing with spiritual seals wrapped around him.
A group of silhouettes stood in judgment.Their leader, cloaked in darkness, spoke only one sentence:
> “A king of illusions deserves a prison of illusions.”
On the final chant, Mayan was sealed into the ruins — not killed, only imprisoned.Left to rot in the very kingdom he wished to rule.
But the seal had a flaw.
The illusions lived on.
---
Back to the Present — And a Question
The illusions faded.The chamber returned to its cracked, ruined state.
Kedar stood alone.The atmosphere was silent.His thoughts were not.
“Was he always like that? Or did the world make him that way?”He wondered if there was a difference.
A slow clap echoed in the dark.
From the shadows, a shape emerged — cloaked in mist and sorrow.Mayan.
> “Do not pity me, Fire Bringer.”“Your heart is soft. It will break.”
Kedar squared his stance but didn't draw the chain.
> “You could have changed your fate.”“I did.” Mayan extended his arms. “I chose to rule — and they chose to betray.”“This isn't ruling.”“No,” the cursed prince said, smiling through cracked lips. “It is reminding the world how easily reality unravels.”
And with a gesture, the entire chamber spiraled — once again becoming his palace. Alive. Burning. Screaming.
The illusions were back.
And stronger.
Kedar gritted his teeth. He couldn’t break all of it by force.He had to learn to see past it.
He had to confront not a monster — but a broken dream.
To be continued.......
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