King Vena was born into the illustrious lineage of Dhruva, the steadfast devotee of Lord Vishnu, and the great kings of the solar dynasty. His father, Anga, was a just and noble ruler, beloved by his people. However, fate had other plans. Anga, disheartened by the growing wickedness in his kingdom and his inability to guide his son onto the righteous path, abandoned his throne and retreated into the forests, leaving young Vena to ascend the throne at an early age. Without his father’s wisdom to temper his ambitions, Vena grew into a ruler who saw himself as invincible. His mother, Sunitha, who came from a lineage tainted with Asuric influence, fueled his arrogance, whispering to him that kings were the true gods and should be worshiped as such. Over time, this belief hardened into a dangerous conviction.
The darkened halls of King Vena’s palace trembled with an uneasy silence. Once a mighty ruler, Vena had let arrogance cloud his wisdom. Rejecting the sacred rites and dismissing the priests, he declared himself the supreme god, demanding that no worship be offered to the deities but only to him. Temples were defiled, sacred fires extinguished, and those who dared to oppose him were punished severely. Farmers were forbidden to till the land without his express permission, and traders were taxed so heavily that their livelihoods collapsed. His messengers patrolled the streets, ensuring that no offerings were made to the gods—anyone caught praying in secret faced brutal punishments. The kingdom, once prosperous and vibrant, now shuddered under the weight of his tyranny.
The sages, bound by their duty to dharma, watched in horror as Vena’s oppression deepened. Crops withered, rivers ran dry, and a strange unease settled over the land. Famine and unrest crept into the hearts of the people, and the once-thriving civilization was now a shadow of its former glory. When their pleas fell on deaf ears, the sages made a fateful decision—one that would change the course of history forever.
Gathering in the royal court, the sages stood before Vena, their faces grave. "O King, your rule has turned against the very order of nature," they warned. "Retract your blasphemous decrees, restore the faith of the people, and allow prosperity to return."
But Vena merely laughed, his voice dripping with contempt. "Fools! The gods you worship are powerless! I alone am the ruler of the heavens and the earth. Worship none but me!"
The sages exchanged a final glance. There was no reasoning with a man who had let his arrogance consume him. Their voices rose in unison, chanting ancient words of immense power. The air crackled with divine energy as the curse took hold. Vena's mocking laughter turned into a gurgling gasp. His hands clutched his chest as an invisible force seemed to squeeze the life from him. He staggered, his eyes widening in terror as his body convulsed violently. The mighty king collapsed, a final breath escaping his lips before his body turned eerily still.
A deadly hush followed. The once-feared ruler now lay lifeless before them. A moment of silence was soon replaced by gasps of both relief and dread. The mighty king was dead.
But with his death, something far more sinister was born.
The sages, fearing the descent of anarchy, performed a mystical ritual to extract goodness from Vena’s body. From his right hand emerged the noble and virtuous Prithu, the first consecrated king. His presence brought a glimmer of hope to the kingdom. Under his rule, rivers flowed once more, the earth flourished, and civilization took root anew. Yet, what the sages failed to foresee was the consequence of their actions.
From the depths of Vena’s lifeless form, a dark force stirred. The residual evil—unrefined, untamed—spilled forth like a shadow escaping its master. Out of this darkness arose the first band of robbers, creatures of cunning and chaos, driven by greed and lawlessness. They spread across the land, pillaging villages, lurking in forests, and creating a reign of terror. It was said that their whispers carried the remnants of Vena’s wrath, a curse that could never be undone.
Prithu, the newly anointed king, knew he had inherited not just a kingdom but a curse. To restore balance, he would have to face the legacy of Vena’s arrogance. With wisdom and strength, he tamed the land, bringing order where chaos reigned. But even as he fought against the forces of disorder, a new mystery loomed on the horizon.
Far to the east, beyond the great rivers and dense forests, lay the kingdom of Bhadra—a land of splendor and untold riches. Its towering temples and golden palaces were whispered about in distant lands. But as Prithu strengthened his rule, strange tales began to surface. Merchants who traveled to Bhadra never returned, and envoys sent to its grand halls found nothing but empty streets. The kingdom, once thriving, had begun to vanish into the mists of time.
Was this another curse unfolding? Or was there something even more terrifying lurking within the shadows of Bhadra?
To be continued…
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