Consequences, 20000 Years After | Teachings

5th month of 980 ANB

They lived beside hills, three kilometres from Kubuyashi slum on Amen Island in Jotei of Suantan. The House of Bhārata and Shakhai Amir with them.

 Like a blink of an eye, time flew. Ilm became ten years old, so his martial arts training had been started. He never understood why they had to be trained in martial arts, sword-fighting, archery, and other weapons. His mother was also trained with them. And it was not like a hobby or passion, you needed to take a proper test and had to pass it, so regular practice is important. It was like how parents force their children to go to school and to study, but instead of studying, there is self-defence. Of course, you could do other things but as a hobby. The Bhārata family was different.

 "Did you insert information about martial arts into your brain? I advised you yesterday to do that," Pema asked.

 "Yes!" Ilm answered.

 "Well, what do you know about martial arts?"

 "Okay, so, martial arts are the arts of fighting?" Ilm burst out laughing at his own answer.

 "No, it's not," Pema replied with a serious tone. A strict voice that Ilm stopped laughing. "Martial arts are not solely for fighting; they are about preventing conflict. This is a defence mechanism. The main thing here is to keep your mind calm, fighting cannot keep your mind calm. Understand?"

 "Yes Maa," Ilm nodded.

 "Call me Sifu."

 "Yes, Sifu."

 "Look like, you've lied to me. Don't do that again. Tomorrow, you must be prepared before the class. Anyway. Today, we will practice with hand-punches," Pema started her teaching. She continued her instructions. "But at first you have to know how to make a good fist. Here like that."

 She made a fist with her right hand placing the thumb on the rest of the fingers.

 "This, this is a powerful fist. Now, let's get to go to learn the basic punches. First Straight punch. In favour of martial arts, our body is divided into three parts. the face, the middle body, and the lower body part. I'll show you Straight punch."

 She held her right fist by her side while extending her left hand forward in a tight fist. She held her body straight and made a strong stand. Then she launched the right-hand fist straight with the all force and took back the left hand with the same energy. She shouted "Kiai" with the punch.

 "Wow, it's impressive. But one question. Why? I mean why should we learn this? Can I just focus on Business studies taught by Baba?" Ilm shrugged. His eyes were full of fear. For a moment his soul left his body, as he regretted what he just said. He knew his mother could scold him again.

 "Simply for self-defence" Pema calmly replied.

 He sighed with relief and asked, "But who is going to attack me? I heard about the school from Baba. He said that there he was bullied by other kids because he was an orphan. But I don't go to school like him or like other kids; you and Baba didn't send me there. So, who will bully me?"

 "Are you complaining about not sending you to school?"

 "No." Ilm chuckled. "I am very grateful for that. So, why to learn self-defence?"

 "Well, you don't know about the future. For now, you do not need self-defence art, but who knows what'll happen next? Moreover, all of your previous generation of Bhāratas were taught this." But there was one more thing she wanted to say, in the end, self-defence wasn't the sole reason for learning martial arts.

 The grassless training ground was situated in a shrine field. It was just in front of the dusted faded red haiden, the worship hall. The whole shrine was on top of a hillock, beside House Bhārata's villa and was separated from outside surroundings by a gigantic upside-down bowl-shaped glass shield covering the top of the hillock. Maybe, it was due to the 'bad' environment. People could see the sky covered with dusted and yellowish clouds from inside of the shield.

 The transparent entrance 'door' of the glass shield was connected with the torii, the main gate of the shrine. From the torii, stairs cut through the hillock.

 This land had no trees, so no sacred forest, and no trace of life. Even the purification fountain was dried and the ruins of Guardian Lion-dogs were still in the ground.

 Toddler Rov was sleeping beneath the shade of haiden. His head was still bandaged after the operation of installing an extra 10 Yottabytes memory storage and an extra intelligence chip in his brain. You could solve triple integral calculus in the blink of an eye or even remember how your mother made you sleep if you had this operation before that. Every member of the Bhārata family had done this operation.

 Beside Rov, it was a five-foot black robot with a dustbin-like body, two thick arms, large wheels for legs, and a spherical head that could rotate 360 degrees. He was tagged as Yan-969-c-001 on his chest, and this family called him Kuro.

 There was a little pause between Pema and Ilm. Then Ilm said, "I don't understand what you have said."

 Pema sighed but smiled. After all, Ilm was just a ten-year-old boy. "Okay, let's continue," she said.

In just two hours of training, Ilm was taught all the basic punches. He was panting. "Oh, no more training, or else I'll die," he yelled.

 "I'm twenty-two years older than you. I've practised with you equally. But ironically, I'm not tired but you are… oh my… this generation of kids is dooming, no more energy? Okay, for now, that's it. Now you will fight with me using all the punches you have learned. Remember only those basic punches, don't try to be clever or do more extra things," Pema said.

 "But you are a pro fighter. My bones will be broken," Ilm looked tense. His forehead was full of sweat.

 "Relax, your mother is not going to break your bones—"

 "What!"

 "I shall be defending myself while you will be in attacking position. Deal?" Pema had cleared all the circumstances.

 They bowed to each other. And soon after, their fight had begun. Ilm made the first move using a jab punch. He lifted both his hands, right hand in the lead position. Quickened and delivered the blow. Pema dodged it by tilting her head. With the corner of her eye, she saw Ilm clenching his teeth.

 "Wonderful!" she thought. At that moment, Ilm made another move and threw another punch with his left hand targeting her stomach. Pema blocked it using the lower block technique. With every move, Ilm quickened his moves, but Pema was faster than him.

 And then, Ilm made a mistake. He used a kick. Pema smiled; she found an opening—an opening to end this dodging game. She picked up his leg, hung him around, and then threw him to the ground. His face became dusted and mudded blending with his sweat.

 "Aaa, my back," Ilm yelled. "You said that you would be defending yourself."

 "But you didn't keep my word. I said not to use extra things. Didn't I?" Pema Replied.

 "But you were not surrendering?" Ilm said puffing out his cheeks.

 "Is that so?"

 "Now, can we end our class?"

 Pema sighed. "Okay, okay."

 Kuro came to them. He said in his mechanical voice, "It seems like your class is done. Little master was quietly sleeping. May I bring those suit boxes? And does young master need something to drink?"

 "Yes, yes, of course," Ilm replied quickly.

 "Command following," after saying this, Kuro changed his chubby five-fingers-hands with pincers. He brought two boxes and a bag from the honden, the main sanctuary of the shrine.

 "Here the suit boxes. And inside this bag, there are the shield capsule for little master and a water bottle."

 "Give me that bag, Kuro. Let me get that bottle," Ilm yelled.

 Pema was holding Rov with her motherly caring hands. Rov was sleeping until Ilm's noise made him awaken. He was crying.

 "Aww, look Ilm, you made him cry. No Rov, no, your mother is here. I know your brother is a little naughty."

 "Yes, yes, the world is rotting because of me," Ilm puffed out his cheeks again.

 Pema rubbed Ilm's hair with her long, soft, and delicate fingers and smiled. Her face was bright. Ilm felt like a goddess was blessing him—a goddess in his mother. He blushed. His eyes were glittering. She said, "Let's get back to the home. Your Grandpa is waiting for us."

 Pema opened the capsule and kept Rov into it. Then they pressed a button on each box and a blue light was turned on. Both boxes were opened. They inserted their hands into them. As they did, the shape of each box shifted covering their entire bodies in metallic suits. Nanotechnology. Only the faces remained visible through transparent face-cover. Then they lifted their left hands and clenched their fists activating a holographic screen. They gave some inputs and the material of those suits changed into lead.

 Then they went near to the entrance door. Pema used her index finger to trace a pattern on the door—a circle with seven smaller circles around it and a dot in the centre. The door was opened. And they got down through the stairs. Kuro was following them slowly maintaining the balance of his wheels with each step. The door was closed.