"Dad! Please I don't want to go!!" said Ajay with tears streaming out of his eyes.
"Let me stay here, I'll be better." He was getting desperate now. But his father still showed no sign of letting him stay in his sect anymore. His father stared at him with dissapointment and irritation.
His father said, while trying to calm his anger. "A person who bears no mark of our ancestors, has no right to live this household."
"But I am your son, and it is not my fault that I didn't get marked!"
"I only have one son and that is Rajiv, so get lost." His father pulled out a bag of coins from his pocket and tossed it towards Ajay.
"..."
Ajay stared at the bag, his mind was in utter chaos. Why did this need to happen? Why did he need to be exiled just for not having a mark from his ancestors? He had so many questions, but his lips were sealed shut. He felt hopeless. How was he suppoused to survive with just a bag of coins? He could not even cook, let alone find a job.
"Guards, take him away."
The two guards quickly approached him, each taking one of his arms. The one grabbing his left arm was called Rayan, while the other was called Sujan. They both were his mentors, who taught him martial arts. He couldn't practice the Rakt arts because he didn't have a mark. But they trained him in basic swordsmanship and hand to hand combat.
They soon started dragging him away. Ajay didn't fight it back. What else could he do, when his own father didn't want anything to do with him.
The sight of his father clad in his blood red armour, it was the same armour the guardian of their clan, Vijay Raktavanshi, had used. The Sacred Rakt armour. It was forged by one of the best blacksmiths of that time. It was painted with the blood of all the people their ancestor slayed. Thus giving it an unpleasant, heavy, metallic stench.
His father was now out of sight. The guards opened the enourmus gate, in the middle there was the mark of the Rakt sect. It became the symbol for this clan. A gust of wind came right after they opened the door. Few sand particals flew into the nose of Ajay, causing him to sneeze. The sunlight was blinding, and he could already feel sweatglands working.
'I am already about to sweat, they must be dying.'
Ajay took a glance at both of the guards. He could clearly see the expression on the faces of the guards. Their face was also of dissapointment, but not because of him. But because of the descision his father, the patriach made.
Rayan broke the silence, and said "Young master...I'm so sorry it had to be like this."
"Hey it's not your fault. I'll be okay... I atleast think or hope so." He said, his tears had dried up already. But God did he want to cry again.
"If there's something we could do, please let us know"
"Uhhh well, it would be nice. If I could get out of here safely."
They looked outside of the gate, all they saw was a vast expanse of a still desert. There were countless of skulls laying on the ground. Some of them being covered in blood, others rotting. His mouth soured.
'Agh, it smells like shit' The smell reminded him of the smell that the Sacred Rakt armour gave off. The whole sect smelled like dried blood.
'This can't be healthy'
"Ahh yes, I will go arrange you a horse, alongside a bag with leverages"
"You will? Does my fath- I mean the patriach allow that?"
"I am not sure, but I can do at least this much. You've done so much for us"
Ajay took in those words. He wasn't really trying to help them. He just felt like doing what he considerd was right. He watched as Rayan left to go get the horse, leaving only him and his mentor Sujan behind.
"I am so grateful, but how will I even get out of here, I have never stepped foot outside of the clan"
The guard Sujan replied "We are sorry once again young master, but we can only provide you with a map and a compass. We were gonna give that to you anyways. It'll be strapped around the horse."
"That will do, I guess"
'Will do my ass, the nearest village is about 80 kilometers away!'
"And the water for the horse?"
"Don't worry, there will be plenty of rivers where the horse can drink water, after around 20 kilometers. The water there is clean, so you can drink it too young master."
Ajay nodded with a deep sigh, it was still hard to comprehend all of this. He knew that it was weird for him to be born with a mark. He was a direct descendant from their Sect Guardian after all.
A few days ago, it was his 15th birthday, signaling that he could finally partake in the Age Coming of the Blood ceremony where one had to draw a mark on their wrist with their own blood. The mark would then start to take form on his wrist. But the ancestors didn't react to his blood. Leaving him without a mark.
And now he got kicked out because the patriach that he wasn't his son. And that his wife had a secret affair. He knew his wife didn't cheat. He knew that Ajay was his own blood. But that was just him trying to cope with the fact that his own son couldn't inherit the mark of his own ancestor.
Rayan soon came with the horse.
Ajay's eyes widend as he took in the sight of the beautiful horse. The horse was elegantly black. The figure of it towering all three of them. It's dark hair was swaying with the desert wind. There were grains of sand it's body, highlitghting the powerful muscles hidden inside of it's thick skin.
"Kaal...Kaal!" Ajay ran to give the dark stalion a big hug. This is the same horse he trained his horse ridings on.
"Long time no see buddy!" He said as he laid his he wrapped his arms around the horse. His cheek flattend against the muscles of the beautiful steed. He breathed in the smell of his horse, it smelled of hot sand and sun dried hide. It's coat carrying the warm, clean scent of crushed desert scrub and baked earth. Kaal also seemed happy meeting the fellow human. The steed started smiling like a horse.
"Alright, now let me climb on you."
He gathered the reins in his left hand to hold a light, steady tension against the bit, then laid a palm on the horse's shoulder. The hide was hot and dry to the touch—he could feel the lean muscle beneath it.
Sliding his left boot into the stirrup, Ajay gripped the pommel and drove himself upward. He swung his right leg cleanly over the cantle, caught the opposite stirrup with his boot, and adjusted his grip on the leather as he settled his weight into the saddle.
"It feels great to ride a horse again"
Ajay then turned his towards his mentors: Rayan and Sujan. He then bows, showing just how thankfull he is.
"I will be leaving now."
The guards looked at him, already tearing up.
"We will miss you!"
They both shouted. Their strained voiced reaching the ears of Ajay. Causing him to give them a sad smile.
"I will miss you too"