The battle had been fierce, with plumes of smoke darkening the skies and distant screams being heard amidst the rumbling sounds of the Jipa attackers as they gyrated to the sound of victory. All this Neem saw through squinted eyes as he lay on the ground with blood oozing from his thigh. The light seemed too bright; he couldn't fully open his eyes. Even the pain was too unbearable, and he grunted, followed by ridges forming on his face, signifying the agony.
But it was clear to him what had been done by the Jipa barbarians. It had been a long time coming, but eventually, they had destroyed his community. More fires were set to huts as the dancing and chanting continued. The battle had long been lost, but the remnants of the distraction were still evident. In the brief moment when he had lost consciousness, he noticed that the bodies he saw of his comrades were no more, seemingly burnt or taken to a mass grave. He slipped in and out of consciousness, but every time, it seemed as though the Jipa took little interest in him, and he had the strange thought that he may as well have been dead and that was why they didn't see him.
But that theory was quickly disapproved when a lanky man came to him and knelt gracefully beside him, looking straight into his eyes like it was his way of diagnosis. He stayed for a period that was uncomfortable for Neem, who thought he was there to finish him. But the man didn't have a weapon on him or the markings of the Jipa warriors. It became uncomfortable that he kept on staring, and Neem thought he would say something to the man. But no word came out; he was too weak to speak and now labored to breathe, again slipping in and out of consciousness.
"Don't you know protocol?" a man asked from afar. The lanky man quickly turned toward him.
"I know," he replied, "But it seems to be taking longer this time."
"It always happens; it won't be any different this time."
"I don't know."
Neem, in his lack of strength and clarity, still wondered if these were morbid men who took joy in watching a man suffer unto death, the kind who savor the moment when the soul leaves a man. At that point, he thought it better than someone put a dagger through him and take him out of his misery.
"I'm going to stay here a while longer; you go on and tell them that I will give the signal when it happens," the man said, now sitting near Neem and gently rubbing his head with a motherly tenderness, as if to hasten his death, albeit peacefully. Every time Neem opened his eyes, the man was there.
His colleague returned later, "I'm beginning to doubt; how much longer do we have to wait for him?"
"I can't tell; I was worried for the first time."
"He is silent now," the friend quipped. "Check him."
"I don't need to; if the dark ring doesn't form around his neck, then he's yet to cross the line."
"Everyone is getting agitated and anxious with the waiting."
"They should wait; this is the ninth time; they ought to have gotten used to it."
"They say it's different this time; a whole day is being spent on something that often took minutes."
"Patience; we can't rush this."
Neem only managed to catch the last part of the conversation and still couldn't make out what the two men were babbling about. Through squinted eyes and severely impaired vision, he still saw the man seated next to him.
"Why won't you cross over?" the man spoke pleadingly. Neem grunted inaudibly and then stayed silent again.
"It's okay; everyone of your people will be there, renewed the same as you. It can't happen if you hang on," he spoke in a low tone, as if whispering. Neem had no idea what the man was on about.
Like in a sudden jerky movement, the man stood up in one quick motion, seemingly shocked, and screamed at the top of his voice, calling a name Neem couldn't discern. Two men came running.
"What happened?"
"The thigh is black again," he spoke hysterically through heavy breathing.
"What does that mean?"
"It's bad; it's bad," he mumbled under his breath.
"Please explain why it's bad."
"If he doesn't cross over, we are stuck in this realm with him, and if he has achieved immortality, we are stuck in this realm forever." There was visible panic on their faces, and one of the men drew the sword to pierce the dark spot on Neem's thigh, but he was stopped.
"Have you gone mad? Don't you know how much judgment you bring on the colony when you pierce it a second time?"
"What should we do now?"
"We should take him to Mountain Xax and consult with the priest. Prepare the men; we aren't going to fail at the 9th time."
Neem was getting better without medication; the pierced thigh had patched itself together without intervention or incident, and it perplexed him what sort of sorcery was happening. He was conscious but still weak, owing to how much blood was lost before the wound miraculously healed. They carried him and put him in a wooden carriage on top of wheels, and the whole thing was dragged by horses through the forest as the men followed along. From the holes, he could see outside the carriage, but only identified himself as a prisoner of these men in that moment. He saw the man who had sat beside him as he lay on the ground walking along the carriage.
A stout bearded man walked to him, and this Neem saw through the holes of the carriage.
"Is it true what I heard?" He spoke with a tinge of fear in his speech.
"I can only confirm if you tell me what you heard."
"About us staying in this realm forever if Xander doesn't cross over."
"Yes, and in this realm, he is called Neem."
"I thought only names in the true realm matter, so I will stick to Xander."
"Suit yourself."
"Why do we hop from one realm to another looking for him? Can't the Supreme Lord bar him from making these journeys to these lesser places?"
"Neem is the supreme world's prince, and since a million years of no wars in the supreme realm, he has had to take his adventures to places where he is needed for liberation, and our lives as this regiment are tied to him."
"Then isn't it ironic that it is often times through war that we get him back, seven times out of the last eight we had to fight people who thought he was their own."
"We may decimate villages, but those people don't necessarily die under our swords. As soon as he crosses over, they regain their lives and never feel like the war happened when we leave; they just have to start over when it comes to property because we can't leave a trace of Neem in these places."
"What if we lose a battle to regain him in one of those realms?"
"It hasn't happened before, and it won't. We come from the supreme realm." None of what the men spoke about made sense to Neem, but he felt a strange familiarity in their speech and a weird comfort.
The procession crossed beyond places he recognized, and soon they were on a mountainous path that seemed dangerous and laborious. Outside, the conversation continued.
"What will the priest help us with?"
"We are ordered that if we find ourselves challenged retrieving Neem, or Xander, we should ask the priest for guidance. It's the first time we've needed a priest."
They entered a dark cave in the mountain that was pitch black, and they staggered about in darkness for a few minutes before a very bright light shone, and at this time, the carriage was opened to let Neem out. He was stronger and feeling well; none of his injuries remained. An old man emerged from behind a large curtain, and Neem knew who the man was. He was the old man he often met at the village when he went to draw water from the river; he was always seated by the riverbank, and they had spoken at length about many things.
"Neem, why can't you return home this time?" The man quickly came forward and said, "We were hoping you would tell us what we did wrong this time and why Neem can't go home after the success of the last eight times." The old man concocted some bitter fluid that Neem was forced to take; after convulsing for a few minutes, he was stable again but with white foam in his mouth.
"This is unheard of. But he has achieved immortality in this realm."
"That's impossible; what can we do?"
"Build his kingdom here," the old man said. "The supreme realm is being replaced, and the Supreme leader doesn't know it yet. Someone will have to pass on the information."
