Crown Dethroned: The Betrayal of The Mighty Nation – Chapter – I
CHAPTER – 1:- Heralds of a New Dawn
As the night sky relinquished its hold on the world, the morning sky, blushed with the arrival of the large heavenly ball in pink and red. It looked as if the vast sky was embarrassed by a small but bright sun. With each passing moment, the blush deepened with more tint of red and orange. As the sun continued his ascent, the sky stopped blushing, rather turned blue. This was an unparalleled beauty, that murmured endless possibilities with the promise of a new day.
As the first tint of light reached the forests of Zanzidakjama, The wolves began their mournful howls that resonated the whole woods. The mourns were an alarm to other nocturnal creatures about their foe, light. The nocturnal creatures began their mourning screams. The mourns suggest that the kingdom of darkness has ended and a new kingdom of diurnal creatures is about to begin. In Zanzidakjama, a melodious music resonated from the temple of Solarius. Old Machair, 102, high-priest of the kingdom, came out of the temple. With the presence of golden rays over him, he radiated as the sun. The people around the temple too mistook him for sun. He folded his hands in reverence and whispered, “Solarius, the lightbringer, let the sun always rise in the boundaries of Zanzidakjama. Let ‘The Throne of Solarius’ be never deceived. Let your son, Sumaiyaik, (Emperor) Son of Xania, reign the greens and blue. Let the lands always be green and the people be loyal to you and to your son.” The luminance expanded across the horizon, as if Solarius had heeded his priest’s entreaties. This radiance painted a smile on Machair’s illustrious face, yet he knew this ephemeral brilliance would not endure.
The domain of the Zanzidakjaman empire sprawled across an incomprehensible expanse. The very word “Vast” scarcely does it justice; it must be described as indescribable. To understand, imagine neighbouring states as mere pebbles upon an endless beach. Within the empire’s borders lay a tapestry of landscapes, from lush forests to arid deserts, from frigid tundra to verdant grasslands, and from sweeping savannahs to rugged coastal shores. It encompassed every facet of nature. However, critical thinking was notably absent among the commoners. The populace devoutly followed their Sumaiyaik, Sumaik (prince), and Machair, placing unwavering trust in their decrees. This allegiance emerged not from blind faith but from the leaders’ demonstrated fairness and wisdom.
The Sumaiyaik in Zanzidakjaman means, “Son of Sumak”. Legend held that Solarius and Xanalia birthed the earth, bequeathing a vast domain to their eldest son, Sumak. Moreover, it was believed that only Sumak’s descendants could expand their borders; outsiders nust not conquer Zanzidakjama. The name “Zanzidakjama” translates to “Land of the son of Earth,” underscoring the dynasty’s significance. Nambouk Khaster, the current emperor, earned the moniker “benevolent tyrant” for presiding over a period of prosperity.
The machair felt uneasy seeing the sun for the first time in his life. He had never felt disgusted in seeing the sun in his ninety years of service to the temple. He had been the guide for three emperors, seventy two ministers, one hundred forty eight army chiefs, two thousand seventy priests and the spiritual master for all the kings of the world. But this was the first time in his life to worry as he saw the sun and prayed. He called his chief disciple and the former defence minister of the state, the current prime minister and the Chief of the Army Staff, Jhangil Bhautik. Bhautik was a handsome and middle aged man. He had alone fought in more than fifty battles and made the Sumaiyaik proud of him. One such battle was between the Zanzidakjama and Ederia. Ederia, being the largest in all aspects at that time, had more than seven million warriors in No Man’s Land. Zanzidakjama with just a quarter of a million defeated the whole army where Jhangil himself fought with about two million warriors. After the victory, the sumaiyaik gifted him a throne that was purely made of gold and studded with ruby, the ruby signified blood, war and victory, also an emerald ring where it was inscribed, “Na Rumar”. ‘Na Rumar’ which means, ‘The undefeatable sword’. The Machair said to Jhangil, “Immediately call the sumaiyaik. I need him here. Now.” Jhangill prostrated and rode on his horse to the palace of Sumak. The palace was huge and an architectural marvel that lasted over seven thousand years.
The most surprising thing in the palace was its place of worship. The place of worship was called, “Solario-Lunarosum”, which means, “The abode of the sun and the moon”. The architectural marvel of Solariosum is that the only illuminating source is the sun. It was designed in such a way that even a single ray of sun can illuminate the whole place. At night, it was the moon which illuminated with its cool rays. It was in the model of an amphitheatre but was covered by a dome. There were more than eighty thousand chairs that were made out of bricks and lime. The chairs were situated in the middle of the hall. On the east it was the statue of Solarius, having a bow and arrow. On the west side was the statue of Lunarus having a spear and a mace. The statues were designed in such a way that they rotate three sixty degrees signifying day and night. Usually, there used to be a huge ritual happening in Solario-Lunarosum day and night. It was usually carried out by the Sumaiyaik.
Jhangil entered the Solario-Lunarosum. He witnessed the detailed ritual performed by the Sumaiyaik. The sumaiyaik himself was illuminating like sun. His sapphire studded turban reflected the sunlight and flooded with bluish hue. His diamond ring reflected the light emanating from the yellow fire filled with yellowish hue. Both light rays, when intersected with each other, presented a greenish hue to the whole Solario-Lunarosum.The Sumaiyaik, Nambouk Khaster, who concentrated on his rituals suddenly turned towards Jhangil. He handed over the ritualistic pot to Sumaik, Vanad, the prince of Zanzidakjama. Khaster hugged Jhangil and asked, “My dear friend. What brings you here? Did the grandsire ordered me to do anything?” to which Jhangil replied, “He wants your majesty to come to the divine abode.” Khaster’s mouth uttered no words, but his head nodded. He took off his majestic Sapphire crown and placed it in a large tray that stood before him. Khaster held the hands of Jhangil and said, “The day has come, my friend. I believe, my dear comrade, Solarius and Lunarus will always protect me at any cost.” Jhangil could do nothing, but wonder what the words from the Sumaiyaik meant. Sumaiyaik ordered, “Let the chariot be ready as soon as possible.” Jhangil bowed down and quit the hall. Sumaiyaik turned towards his subjects and said, “Oh, my dear subjects! The time has come for us! Aristaltis, the death lord has spread the net of darkness all over the land.” The public started gossiping, “Oh my god! Our emperor, the most beloved of all, is not going to be with us soon!”; “No, Sumaiyaik is so dear to the lords of the world. May he live long….”etc. Khaster gazed at the people and continued, “No fear as the lords are with us.”
“We shall soon conquer death.”
(TO BE CONTINUED…)
