Journey from student to trainer

Dipendra was sitting with his students in Prantiya Parishar when Prabhas spoke up.

"Trainer, I have a question I wish to ask you," Prabhas said.

Dipendra replied calmly, "Ask whatever you wish, without hesitation."

Taking a deep breath, Prabhas asked, "Trainer, what is the enmity between you and Karl? How were you once friends? Please tell us in detail."

Dipendra, with a touch of sadness in his voice, said, "It is a very old story. It might be better if you do not know about it."

Kapil respectfully insisted, "We wish to learn about the events from 150 years ago."

After a brief silence, Dipendra began recounting the events of the past.

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Flashback:

"There was a time when I was a student of Guru Kriplani. In his gurukul, young men from both the Eastern and Central regions came to learn the art of swordsmanship.

At that time, the Raghsi community had spread across both regions in matters of trade. They had even established their own swordsmanship academy to strengthen their influence, funding it through their vast trading network.

However, despite offering free training, the Raghsi community's academy failed to gain much attention. To expand their dominance, they needed to eliminate the gurukul from their path.

But with the support of the mighty warrior Guru Kriplani and several kings, the gurukul was a strong institution.

I was the most talented and favored student in the gurukul. When I was 23 years old, Guru Kriplani introduced me to a boy named Karl.

From that day onward, Karl and I became inseparable friends, always training and learning the art of swordsmanship and shadow techniques together.

Yet, Karl always harbored a deep sadness—he was weaker than me.

By the time I was 28, Guru Kriplani made both Karl and me his disciples.

At the age of 30, I got married and was blessed with a son and a daughter.

When I turned 42, Guru Kriplani entrusted me with the role of Trainer for Swordsmanship Division 6 and gave me a mysterious sword that I still use to this day."

However, Karl was not made a trainer, which angered him. Trainer Kriplani advised him to practice and work harder so that one day he too could become a trainer.

(After this incident, Karl began working for the Raghsi community, but no one in the gurukul was aware of this.)

Nine years later, when Dipendra was 53 and Karl was 52, Trainer Kriplani summoned both of them late at night.

On a cold autumn night, the two walked toward Kriplani's chamber. As soon as they reached the door, it opened on its own.

Kriplani seated them in front of him and said, "The time has come for me to leave. From now on, you two will be responsible for managing the swordsmanship gurukul."

I (Dipendra) wanted to ask Trainer Kriplani something, but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. Trainer Kriplani gestured for both of us to follow him, and he led us to a statue.

This statue stood at the center of our gurukul and was more than 60 feet tall.

Kriplani said, "This is a statue of my trainer, Vaibhav Nath. He was the first to establish the institution of swordsmanship. His purpose was to empower the common people so they could face dangers."

Dipendra asked, "Trainer, you could have taught us how to manage the gurukul. How will we handle such a large institution?"

Kriplani replied, "With time, you will learn and understand everything."

After a brief pause, he added, "You must cremate my body using sandalwood logs."

Saying this, he sat down on the ground and passed away. Karl checked his breath and pulse and confirmed, "He is no more."

Dipendra's eyes filled with tears as he performed Trainer Kriplani's last rites. Afterward, he left the gurukul to travel to Vijay Nagar to meet his family.

Vijay Nagar was 300 miles away from the gurukul, a journey that would take about three days.

Meanwhile, Karl informed the Raghsi community of Kriplani's death and shared his plan with them. Karl told the leader of the Raghsi community, "Kriplani is no more. We should attack the gurukul and spread the rumor that Kriplani was killed by us. This will ensure that other kingdoms hesitate to support the gurukul."

The leader replied, "Some of Kriplani's students are kings, while others are generals. Why would they remain silent?"

Karl explained to the leader, "Destroy every village and town we encounter on the way. Announce that anyone who sides with the gurukul will be wiped off the face of the earth."

The leader, with cunning intent, suggested that Karl should lead the army. Karl readily agreed.

A massive army of over 300,000 warriors began advancing toward the gurukul. Their march filled the sky with dust and debris.

The army consisted of foot soldiers, horses, and elephants. As they moved, the ground trembled beneath their feet. They left destruction in their wake, obliterating every village they passed on their path.

Dipendra was riding his horse toward Vijay Nagar. His family lived in a village 12 miles away from Vijay Nagar. Although Dipendra was grieving, he moved forward with a sense of hope and anticipation.

As he neared the village, a terrible stench assaulted him. It was emanating from the direction of the village.

He guessed that the smell was caused by decomposing human bodies, and judging by the intensity of the stench, it seemed that many corpses were rotting there.

A sense of unease gripped his heart, but he continued forward with hope.

When he reached the village, it was completely destroyed and lay in ruins.

The village was littered with corpses in every corner, which were being devoured by vultures and jackals. The air was filled with a foul stench, and the houses lay in ruins. It was impossible to identify any of the bodies.

The attackers must have been incredibly ruthless. Dipendra began searching desperately for his family. After overturning and inspecting several corpses, he finally recognized one-it was his daughter's body.

Dipendra broke down, crying uncontrollably.

After hours of weeping, Dipendra composed himself and began following the tracks of horses and soldiers, determined to find the culprits.