A Poem of Submission
"A man is not free when he sheds his chains,
But when he no longer mourns their loss.
For in the abyss, there is no light to regret,
Only the embrace of endless night."
—Verses of the Damned
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The rain washed the blood from Devendra's hands, but it could not cleanse the weight of his choice.
He knelt in the courtyard, his breath shallow, his mind numb. Narayan's body lay before him, motionless, a reminder of a past that had finally been severed.
Shree Yan watched from the shadows, crimson eyes gleaming like embers in the night.
"You did well," he said, his voice calm, almost gentle.
Devendra looked up. "I—" He hesitated. The words felt foreign on his tongue.
Shree Yan took a step forward, his white robes barely touched by the rain, as if the world itself refused to sully him. "You hesitate because you still think this act defines you."
Devendra clenched his fists. "Doesn't it?"
A smirk. "No. It frees you."
Silence stretched between them.
Then, Shree Yan extended his hand. "Rise, Devendra. No longer a servant of the past. No longer a man bound by the illusions of morality. You have taken your first step toward true power."
Devendra stared at the outstretched hand.
A thousand thoughts stormed through his mind—memories of brotherhood, of loyalty, of a time when he believed in honor. But honor had abandoned him long ago.
His hesitation shattered.
Slowly, he reached out and took Shree Yan's hand.
A spark of something unfamiliar coursed through his veins. Not fear. Not regret.
Power.
Shree Yan's fingers tightened around his own, pulling him to his feet. "From this night forward, you are no longer a warrior of the Gautam kingdom. You are mine."
The wind howled through the courtyard, and the torches flickered, as if bearing witness to a new beginning.
Devendra did not look back.
He had been baptized in darkness.
And he would never kneel again.