Embracing a New Existence

Present Year: 1134

As Nahusha regained consciousness after the brutal beating, his eyes met those of a girl who called him Dhruva. Her name was Anya, and she had been Dhruva's childhood friend. They had both been enslaved at the tender age of five, their lives forever altered by the cruelty of their circumstances. Nahusha, now able to access fragments of Dhruva's memories, began to piece together the events that led them to their current state.

A century ago, following the initial peace treaty between Anga and Mansaya, tensions began to rise again after ten years of conflict. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Faula tribe of the Kuki Kingdom launched a devastating attack on the island kingdom of Sai. The assault lasted for four years before the entire Sai Kingdom was captured. The brutal assault resulted in the massacre of men and the enslavement of women and children. Women were subjected to unimaginable horrors, becoming objects of sexual exploitation, while the remaining men and children were forced into labor. It was a complete massacre, and any possible rebellion was ruthlessly suppressed.

The assault on Sai sent shockwaves throughout Mansaya, which perceived the rising power of the Kuki Kingdom as a threat. In response, Mansaya turned its attention to the Kukima tribe, seizing control of their territory a few years after the Faula-Sai conflicts. It took several years of intense battle to gain control over Kukima. The Kukima tribe, once the seventh tribe of the Kuki Kingdom, was now absorbed by Mansaya, reducing the Kuki Kingdom to six tribes.

The formidable mountain ranges that surrounded the Kukima region prevented the Kukis from reclaiming their lost territory. Frustrated by their inability to regain control, the Kukis targeted the Sela Kingdom next, capturing their land and subjecting its people to the same fate as the inhabitants of Sai for the past two decades. They were able to capture the eastern area of the Sela Kingdom.

Amidst this turmoil, Anya and Dhruva became enslaved. It was during these turbulent times that their lives became forever marked by the fallout of the Faula-Sela war that occurred a decade ago.

Now armed with a deeper understanding of Dhruva's circumstances, Nahusha still remained puzzled by his friend's decision to escape from slavery. The unanswered question lingered: Why did Dhruva choose to abandon his closest friend in their shared struggle for survival? The timelines have been revised to provide a more coherent and accurate sequence of events.