The Promise

Summer of 2010                                                                                                                             Outskirts of the Capital of India New Delhi.                                                                                     Time: 11 AM

The rusty sound of the fifty years old mechanical fan echoed through the class, causing the students seated under it to shudder in fear of being crushed underneath the vintage trash. While others looked at them with pity.

It was the last class before the summer break and everyone in the classroom were more focused on what they were going to do during holidays rather than concentrating on the theorem the teacher was writing on the board.

Chattering only became louder until the beautiful lady as many students considered her, snapped her chalk and looked at them with the angry smile sending shiver down the ten year old.

"I see." She stated in a sly tone. " You all have more interesting things to do rather than what I am teaching?"

"No teacher you have got it all wrong." Kabir intercepted "It's not that what you're teaching is not interesting it's just that you chose the wrong time to teach it"

His awesome answer was received with entire class erupting with laughter along with a nice piece of chalk hitting his forehead.

"You can't talk with your teacher like that!!" Prishu shouted from the other end of the room.

The eternal class monitor as dubbed by Kabir due to her strict nature, always abiding the rules and remaining at top nature, he had bestowed the holy name upon her.

"Not again Eternal Monitor!!" Kabir threw back at her only to be hit by the fat math book few seconds later.

Well the holy name was never conceived nicely.

"What did I miss????" Nitin screamed as he entered the chaotic classroom. He had just returned from his usual tour to the principal office.

"Nothing just the usual. Kabir trying to act cool but getting thrashed during the process" Avinash stated lazily. His eyes totally uninterested with the event going on.

"SHUT UP EVERYONE!!!!!!" The beautiful lady's angered tone echoed through the room. Making everyone actually shut up.

"Since all of you are so uninterested in what I am teaching, let's have an oral question answer session and whoever gives the wrong answer shall get his holiday homework increased"

"EHHHHH" Entire class shouted in unison.

"Yes let's start with you Cosmo" she called out the name of the transfer student.

"Yes"

"What do you understand by freedom??"

"To be free?" Cosmo replied.

"Wrong! Kabir you're next! Same question"

"Yes!" Kabir shouted. No one knew where was he getting all the confidence from.

"When India won India Vs Britain back in 1947!! That's freedom"

"And…" trying control her laughter"wr..wr.. wrong"

"Prishu."

"Yes teacher" she replied with utmost respect and stood up elegantly.

"Freedom stands for something greater than just the right to act however I choose—it also stands for securing to everyone an equal opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To most reasonable people, freedom means more than just 'free to do whatever I want'."

"Correct everyone clap for her!!"

"Tsk eternal monitor" Kabir whispered in distaste.

"Nitin you're next"

"What Prishu just said!"

"Good extra homework for you"

"Avinash…."

"Not interested" he replied while yawning. "No matter what I say you will definitely a say it's wrong so I humbly request to not answer and embarrass myself"

The teacher just blinked in surprise as she started calling other names. This went around for more than an hour until she reached the final student Sidharth.

The first bencher, problem child as well as the one with highest grades.

"Sidharth? Sidharth?! SIDHARTH!!!"

Sidharth was sleeping peacefully until the chaotic scream of his not so favorite teacher shaked him and brought him back to the real world.

"Were you sleeping in my class?!"

"Yes I mean no!"

"Which is it?!" She replied. "Anyways What does Freedom means to you?"

"Freedom you ask? As in the term or word or the feeling?" He asked rather interested in the question.

"Anything you like"

"It's a lie."

"Excuse me what did you just say?"

"It's a lie."

"Would you mind to elaborate your answer Mr. Zou?!"

"I mean it's an illusion. You can never be truly free more like you're never free. You're always slave to something or the other. Slave to the system to yourself to the school. So in reality you can't ever be truly free. So in short there's no freedom" He paused. His brilliant black eyes deep in thought.

"But there's one scenario when you can actually be free and that is………..

At the same time a conversation of same nature was taking place around 3,782 kilometers away from our heroes.

At the capital of the Chinese Alliance Beijing a mass of more than three thousand Imperial Soldier stood in attention as they listened to the command of the Emperor Astralagus XII Pendragon of the Avalon.

"Listen to me my strongest warriors of Imperial Army. What do you understand by Freedom? What is it to all of you?

Is it a feeling. Or maybe the right to make your own decision, giving equal opportunity to everyone who is alive or the simple pursuit for happiness. It's neither, freedom is nothing but a big fat life. A lie that has been fabricated through the years and served to us in a silver platter by our predecessor. Made us believe that as long as we are free peace will exist.

But no longer we will believe in this lie. There's no such thing as peace without violence and there's no such thing as freedom.

However there's only one way a person could actually be free and that is…"

At the same time Sidharth Zou as well as Astralagus XII Pendragon's voice synced, no one knows till this day how did that happen and no one has solid proof that it's true but those who heard him and the emperor later said 'The two of them spoke as if they were one voice one entity'

Sidharth and Astralagus in sync.

" And that is for one person to stand at the top with the world in his palm. Free to do whatever he feels like with the world. And in that way one can truly attain freedom."

Back in Beijing.

"So today I Astralagus XII Pendragon command you all to bring India under the flag of our nation Avalon. Long have I waited for them to understand us long have I waited for them to surrender but no more. If it's war they desire then we as the Imperial army must give it to them!

My bravest warriors I await the news of our victory.

All hail Avalon!!!!"

"All hail Avalon! All hail Avalon!" The entire Imperial army erupted in cheers as the emperor finished. It was on that fateful day when the world changed forever.

It won't be until two hours the peaceful classroom would be buried and the laughter of kids would change into wailing of help and cries of fear.

12:30

Indian Airspace

Location: Flight Control Tower IGI Airport

It was just another routine morning for the bored employees at the control tower keeping their eyes plastered to the screen monitoring every flight coming in or going out of the airport.

"Air India 720B you have clearance to take off from Runway 29/11." The flight controller Raghuvir informed Captain Singh aboard the Airbus A320 carrying around 145 travelers on a scheduled flight to Beijing.

"Roger that Alpha 127…Do you have a cold coffee up there cause I am craving one here inside this ultra heated cockpit…over"

"Ha I wish... But I do have some water with ice if you want some…"

"Nah I am good to go"

"Roger that Air India 720B" Raghuvir finally cut off the radio and took of his headset. Finally drinking his cold water.

He gazed at his wrist watch, his eyes lit up as only thirty minutes were left on his shift. Considering everything went well this was going to be the last flight he had guide for the day. His mind drifted off from the busy and loud control tower to his three year old daughter who was waiting for h everyday to return home.

He couldn't help but smile thinking of what he would buy for her today. Maybe a teddy bear or maybe some dolls. Or maybe a story book.

Story book might be good cause she has been pestering him for one for like more than three weeks.

"Story book it is" he declared particularly to no one.

Soon after his silent declaration the control tower started picking up weird signals coming from the northern as well as the eastern gates of the New Delhi Airspace. According to the monitor. Around 85 unidentified aircraft had just entered the Indian Airspace.

"Raghuvir Sir. There has been an illegal breach. in our Airspace. Monitor is picking up 85 unidentified aircraft approaching from the north as well as eastern corridor."

"I can already see that! Contact the higher authority now. I will try to establish contact with them. And also check with Air Force first they might be carrying out an surprise training." He urgently ordered his colleagues while he hurriedly put on the headset and tried to establish contact with the unidentified aircraft. While wishing it was the Indian Air Force.

"This Alpha 127 do you copy…"

radio silence

"This is Alpha 127 do you copy!!"

"Oh Man you're going to rupture my eardrums!.." The other side finally decided to reply. Raghuvir was relieved bit he didn't knew was it the usual air force training or maybe something else.

"Alpha 127… this is Avalon Imperial Fleet A9998 heavy. Approaching the Delhi Airspace in T -10 minutes…over"

"Avalon Imperial Fleet A9998 heavy you don't have clearance to enter the New Delhi Airspace kindly perform a turnover…over"

Raghuvir quickly replied while signalling his colleagues to contact the higher authorities as fast as they could.

"Alpha 127 I think you are mistaken… We are the Avalon Imperial Fleet, we are not asking for clearance we are warning you that we're going to enter your airspace and you have ten minutes to evacuate" a lazy reply came from the other side.

Raghuvir has worked as an ATC for fifteen years now, he was there when the Air India flight was hijacked and he was also there when the spice jet made an emergency landing due to loss of one engine. But never had he ever encountered a scenario like this.

He was trying his best to understand the situation he was in. But before he could have settled down another problem arises.

This time it was AI 720B. They were requesting emergency contact with the control towers. Which Raghuvir quickly accepted.

"Alpha 127 this is AI 720B. We have been surrounded by four unidentified airplanes.. do you copy"

"Yes AI 720B I copy. Can you tell me what you see" he frantically replied.

"There's a golden colored jet plane hovering on my left and right while a heavy carrier on top of us. They are not replying to any kind of message..over." the pilot replied, with distress eminent in his voice.

"Give me five minutes"

He quickly started to contact the the Avalon Imperial Fleet A9998 heavy.

"A9998 heavy this is Alpha 127 again. Have you surrounded AI 720B…"

"Oh uf course no... We are just greeting each other… Hey Alpha 127 can I ask you a question"

"Umm okay?" Raghuvir replied confused.

"What do you understand by freedom?"

"Um excuse me??" He was stunned.

"Oh come on it's just a simple question. You guys should know about it better than anyone after all you are citizens of a free nation"

"To be free I guess" Raghuvir replied cautiously.

On other hand the news of the Avalon's Imperial Fleet approaching the capital h already reached the Indian Army HQ and they had already begun to take action. However they won't be able to counter the fire power of the enemy due to the difference in technology.

"Well you're not wrong. But you know my King believes otherwise. According to him the person who stand at the top with the world in his palm is the one who has freedom... And to achieve that you all need to die."

That was the last transmission Raghuvir received from the Imperial Fleet.

"Alpha 127… this is AI 720B Mayday Mayday.. we are being fired on!!!.. Holy son of a….."

And that was it, with that last transmission AI 720B disappeared from the radar as well as this world forever. The next thing Raghuvir remember was balls of fire had filled the blue sky and descended towards them.

The war had begun!

Within the next few hours the hustling Capital of India was reduced to wasteland with debris all over the place. The high rising buildings and century old monuments all had perished under the Avalon Air strike.

To the Indians it was a war but according to the world this was nothing but a one sided annihilation.

Same time

Back at school

The tremors of bombing had already reached the lively classroom sending shiver of panic within the hearts of those who saw fire rising from the ever changing Delhi skyline. The blue sky was filled with black flying objects, it seemed as if a flock of bird where flying towards the city in big numbers.

Only if they were birds

The Avalon Imperial Fleet had begun the war otherwise known as Annihilation of Delhi. Ten seconds, it just took ten seconds for the entire skyline to be reduced to dust. High rise building came apart as if they were piece of block loosely fit together.

After the first wave passed they started dropping their soldiers for encounter.

Five hours. It just took five hours for them to take control over what was known as the Capital of India. The Prime minister was taken hostage and the entire Military HQ was shot. Any civilian found on the battle ground was killed and only a few made it out towards northern side.

Those who tried to use the Metro were long buried under the underground tunnel, the last thing that went through their brains were 'Is this how we're going to die?'.

Six hours after the horrific battle the connection returned. TVs, radios and internet all were back online. It was then they got to know it wasn't just Delhi that had been hit the entire country was under crisis.

And the annihilation of Delhi was just the beginning.

4 days later

Red Fort

New Delhi

The battle was over, the last fortress Kolkata was defeated (annihilated) and now the only thing left to do was was to make the declaration.

Ironically the King Of Avalon had decided to make the humiliating defeat of the glorious country on the very same place it had won it's freedom 62 years ago.

No matter how shameful it was the Prime Minister had to do it because it was the only way he had left to protect what was left of his country and that's what he did.

One sentence was all he has allowed to say.

"As of Today the Sovereign Republic nation of India has been defeated and…."

He was cut off by the Astralagus.

"And thank you Mr. Singh. If you don't mind I would like to make an announcement." He asked politely.

To the world it might seem as an polite request but those who had encountered this Demon King knew that when the Demon King requested something it was not actually a request. It was a absolute order.

" To all the Indians who are listening or watching this ceremony rejoice as you of this poor nation will be reborn again! You no longer will be slave to this nation and its systems since this nation will cease to exist as of now-"

With this surprising statement he signaled his officer to bring down the Indian National flag and swap it with the Avalon's Imperial Flag.

"I Astralagus XII Pendragon declare this land as 25th Colony of Avalon and from today onward this nation will not be called India but Colony 25!!"

He opened his arms as if calling for an embrace.

" Embrace me as I am your King. My words will be your law and I will be your savior. All Hail Avalon!"

"All Hail Avalon!All Hail Avalon!" The hand tied citizens of the past India had no choice but to shout out loud as they suppressed their angers and tears.

200 Km away from Delhi                                                                                                                        At a small Camp of Imperial Army of Avalon

As the declaration of the King was made all the students who had survived were washed with dread, fear and relief. They were frightened of what was going to happen in future but they were relieved to know that their life was no longer in danger.

At the corner of the room sat a single boy his eyes filled with hatred as he seeked vengeance.

"Sidharth are you okay" Nitin asked. The ten year old boy was barely holding up. He had his left leg broken as well as his left eye had a scar. And yet he was worried about his friend who had not spoken a single word ever since they had arrived in the camp.

"Don't worry he is just sleeping!" Kabir replied his left hand covered in bandages.

"Shh he is definitely plotting to steal that tank and rush to save people at Delhi" Cosmo interjected.

"Nah he is just like that. Silent all the time" Avinash with his bruised eyes replied lazily like always.

"Will you all shut up!!" Prishu shouted at them. She had no injuries from the bombings but mentally she was scarred, she had watched her teachers being shot to death in front of her eyes and the news about New Delhi being nothing but a wasteland didn't help her to calm down as her parents were still at work when the nightmare hit.

"All hail Avalon! All hail Avalon!" The chanting once again begun this time through the Television screen. The sudden declaration fabricated along with this chanting only added to the raging anger filling up inside the black haired kid.

"Guys?" His voice shaking but the anger as well as the genuineness was imminent.

" I promise I will attain it! I will attain true freedom from my very own hands. I will take over this cruel world and crush Avalon!"

It was on that day, the world entered a new era.

A/N HEY GUYS THIS STORY WAS THE FIRST LONG STORY I EVER WROTE, YOU CAN SAY IT WAS MY FIRST VENTURE TOWARDS THE LN WORLD. WELL ANYWAYS LIKE ALWAYS HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT AND HAPPY READING!!!!