Drona’s eyes widened, the previous shock and sadness got overshadowed with a surprise. He released Arav’s arm and stepped back, his pale face said more than words ever could. All the while, Arav silently scanned Rishi Vasistha’s smiling face.
“Don’t be surprised my lord…I’m here to convey the message of my late queen.”
‘A sage…aware of my return..’ Arav thought;
“Are you perhaps a prophet?”
“I might be, but this information about you isn’t one from my abilities.”
“...What is the supposed message?” Arav asked after thinking briefly;
“You must visit a certain place.”
***
[THAK!...]
The door opened with a loud thud, followed by dust particles falling on already dirty floor. Drona and Rishi Vasistha followed Arav, while he stepped inside the room, which was completely devoid of any kind of light. Arav gazed inside, the room was infested with rats and other pests, while not even a meter of the place remained without cobwebs.
“This place lost its glory along with its master..” Rishi Vasistha said in a regretful tone, startling Drona who still appeared to be lost in his thoughts.
[WOOO!!]
Arav got goosebumps all over his body, as he felt an ominous energy filling the atmosphere. He stepped towards what appeared to be a corner of the room. A wooden table, rotten halfway and infested with termites caught his attention. Arav stretched his hand and rubbed off the powdered wood from the table surface. His hands felt something metallic, he lifted it up and it turned out to be an empty sheath.
“It’s said that the late queen comitted suicide by the sword inside that sheath..” Rishi Vasistha’s voice echoed inside the room, causing a pair of bats to flatter around.
Arav placed the sheath back on the table, he walked towards his left and opened a window. The entire room got filled with sunlight, with small dust particles escaping outside while visible in the light.
‘Hmm…so here it is…’ Arav sensed something from the floor;
Arav sat down and placed his palm on the floor, Rishi Vasistha and Drona both confusingly stared at him, but not one dared to question his intentions.
[HUM!]
Suddenly, the floor began radiating an ominous energy, forcing both Rishi and Drona to step back. The atmosphere inside the room became too heavy for them to breathe, but surprisingly Arav did not react in the slightest.
[WOOSH!]
The energy began forming strange symbols around Arav, creating a circle that completely surrounded him.
[HUM!]
From the symbols, a dark energy emerged and began forming an image of a dragon with an alarming rate of similarity with one on Arav’s back. Rishi Vasistha and Drona, both gazed at the phenomenon with astonishment, not understanding it, but still sensing a strange nobility that demanded respect.
[FWOOSH!]
The energy entered Arav’s body as he closed his eyes. Arav’s mind began recreating the entire occurrence from years ago. He re-lived the entire moment by Chandrini’s eyes while witnessing her struggle.
“....”
After a brief silence, Arav opened his eyes, and he stood up with the energy disappearing immediately. His restless expression frightened Vasistha and Drona, as they weren’t aware of what to expect.
“That day….not one…but two deaths had occurred.” Arav spoke, breaking the silence in the process.
Rishi Vasistha and Drona gazed at each other, sharing the common state of confusion;
“Those symbols…and that energy…belong to the Dragon seal.”
“Dragon seal?” Rishi Vasistha asked in a confused yet curious tone;
“It’s a soul bonding technique that only the dragons ar….well, were aware of.” Arav continued while placing his palm on his chin;
“She was poisoned by Usha…and the poison had managed to kill both her and the boy in her womb.”
“Then who…” Vasistha tried to speak;
“But,...in her last moment she managed to cast the dragon seal…and created a new body for her son and bonded his soul to it, using my lifeforce.”
“How did the queen know of the dragon seal?” Vasistha asked;
“....Upon seeing the current condition of the world, I’m not surprised by her being aware of it. My concern is…that this specific alteration of the technique was known by only a single person” Arav’s tone went more serious as he continued speaking;
“Wh..who?”
“Me.”
***
Yaksh walked back and forth in front of the large banyan tree. His eyes were clouded with concern, while he rubbed both of his palms together.
[WOO]
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A sudden gust of wind gave him goosebumps, he swiftly turned towards the source and found Arav floating midair.
“What happened?...What kind of mantra did that human use?” Yaksh quickly asked, without waiting for Arav to descend;
“....That wasn’t just mantra, it contained demonic energy…and the magic of the dragons.”
“.......Why would the dragons help humans?”
“I wouldn’t consider it helping..” Arav landed on the grass and forwarded towards the tree;
“Why so?”
“The true purpose of that dagger wasn’t just to increase her strength….That dragon seal was bonded with a demon, who constantly absorbed her life force.”
“How did you find it out?”
“...It was written on it.”
“......I…have questions..”
“I’m aware…ask.” Arav sat down under the tree and closed his eyes;
“Is there a way for my sister…”
“....You should not consider me as an example for that possibility. As to your question,...yes…there is a way..”
“HOW!?”
Arav opened his eyes and blankly gazed at Yaksh, his overly excited face said all Arav had to know;
“To gain something, you must sacrifice something equal in value, such is the world order.”
“I WOULD GIVE MY LIFE AWAY!!”
“...Wrong..that won’t be enough…You must consider the circumstances as well.”
“Circumstances?”
“In simple terms, It’s easier to resurrect a soul that ascended to heaven…than the one descended in the underworld..”
Yaksh’s expression went dark,
“Are you saying my sister is in hell?”
“No…She is neither in hell nor in heaven, her soul was pure…but the cause of death was a demonic technique.”
“Where is she right now?”
“In the spirit realm.”
[TTAK…TTAK…TTAK]
“Spirit realm?” A familiar voice interrupted their conversation, upon looking they found the old man slowly approaching them.
“....Uh…father, It’s nothing I was jus…” Yaksh wore a goofy smile and tried to distract the old man;
“What is happening Young man?” The old man asked while stroking his beard, as his suspicious eyes gazed at Arav;
“...We were discussing the possibility of resurrecting your daughter.” Arav answered with a calm expression, but Yaksh’s entire face went pale.
“...WHAT?!...IS SUCH THING EVEN POSSIBLE??!!” The old man exclaimed with enthusiasm and surprise in his voice;
“The possibility is certainly present, but the path requires quite the struggle.” Arav stood up while speaking.
“I am prepared for anything!” Yaksh quickly answered, while Arav forwarded towards the old man. Upon reaching him, Arav silently placed his hand on the old man’s shoulder;
“Wha–.”
[HUM!] [BHRRR]
With a bright flash of light, the elf chief’s disguise burnt away;
“You don’t need to hide…Vanraj..”
Vanraj's eyes got filled with tears upon hearing Arav's words, all this time, he had stayed in the town while trying to hide the elves from all the chaos around. Arav’s declaration of freedom felt as if a huge stone just got removed from his chest;
“Haah…I certainly wasn’t expecting this…A shirtless human providing us the freedom we so desperately longed for.” Vanraj spoke while wiping his tears. Arav silently turned towards the direction of the destroyed forest;
Yaksh stepped forward and stood right beside Arav;
“..What would be required for her resurrection?”
“An incredible amount of power…that can defy the world order..” Arav’s answer caused Yaksh’s expression to turn serious,
“....Where will you go now?”
“To a kingdom called Chandra…”
“Why there?’
“That place holds answers that I must know.”
“...I will follow you..” Yaksh said with a determined expression;
“WHAT?!...HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY??!” Vanraj anxiously grabbed Yaksh’s shoulder and turned him towards himself;
“Father,...this is a journey I must complete..” Yaksh’s determined eyes silenced Vanraj, he stepped back while releasing his shoulders.
“If you have decided…I won't stop you.”
***
Arav entered a large room filled with various luxuries, his previous battle had damaged a huge portion of the castle, but this room was one of them which remained unscathed. Arav’s gaze stopped on a bed at the center of the room, he stepped forward towards the man lying on it.
The man heard him approaching and opened his eyes, his skin was pale with wrinkles covering the entire face. His dry lips and eyes deep inside the skull showed his extreme illness. The man’s eyes suddenly widened,
“S…son?” He struggled, but managed to speak a single word. Arav coldly gazed at the man;
“....It seems things still can surprise me..” Arav answered in an indifferent tone, utterly disregarding the man’s condition. As he spoke, a woman with completely white eyes, while wearing white clothes entered the room. Her presence sent goosebumps all over the man’s body,
[HUM!]
She raised her hand and summoned water that rapidly began treating him. The man’s eyes stayed wide open with surprise, as he felt all the pain from his body disappear in no time. Within moments, his entire body recovered, skin glowed brightly with not a single sign of wrinkles remaining. The man felt his former strength returning while he quickly stood up.
“THANK YOU…DEVI!!’’ He bowed down;
“As I said…you truly surprised me..” Arav spoke again, while Ambu began walking out of the room. The man turned towards Arav and gazed at him with a proud expression;
“What does that mean son?”
“You are an anomaly…a pathetic father, a pathetic king, a pathetic brother and a pathetic husband…all these qualities in a single human are quite astonishing.” Arav spoke in a cold tone that made the man feel as if an arrow had pierced his heart.
“Your lust for your brother’s wife made you throw him away and marry her, while disregarding your own wife. If that wasn’t enough, you ignored her wrong doings despite knowing the consequences.” The man silently listened to Arav’s words;
“I don’t think sacrificing your entire life and kingdom was worth a few nights of pleasure.”
“From this day on, you are not the king of this kingdom…” Arav exited the room and flew out of the castle from a balcony. He stopped right in the center of the city above the golden statue, which had a huge dent at its face. Many workers were trying to repair the damage caused by the constant battles, while citizens were roaming around the city aimlessly.
[BHUM!!]
Suddenly, a powerful red aura erupted out of Arav. Every citizen in the entire city felt their chest getting heavier, they all turned towards the sky. Their eyes widened while faces went pale, as the intense red glow from Arav masked the sun. The top of the golden statue melted due to the intensity of Arav’s aura, making golden drops rain down the city.
“I AM ARAV…AND FROM TODAY, I ABOLISH ELF SLAVERY AND PROHIBIT ALL HUMAN CONTACT WITH THEM!..” Arav’s powerful aura made his voice be heard crystal clear by every being living in the area. His declaration sure had some disagreement among the citizens, but not one soul dared to speak against him.
Drona and Vasistha silently listened to Arav, while Drona had a serious expression, Vasistha kept stroking his beard with a wide smile on his face.
“Rishi Mahoday…Do you agree with his decision?” Drona asked in a low voice;
“Ho Ho…He sure is the true dragon lord. The humans in this city tormented the elves for years, he considers them as much responsible as the royal family. He is intending to leave the elves alone….while having an elf warrior accompany him. He’s thinking far into the future….I wonder who is the real prophet here..” Rishi Vasistha’s smile widened even further.
***
[TTAK…TTAK…TTAK]
The humanoid entered a large dark room, the only light source being a few lanterns in the corner. His footsteps echoed inside the room with only a dozen ears present to hear. He arrived in front of a red haired man sitting on a black throne, slightly above the ground with stairs reaching it. Twelve strange beings stood with six on each side in front of the throne, while leaving a clear path towards the man.
[THUD!]
The humanoid quickly went on his knees and bowed his head.
“Speak..” The red haired man’s heavy voice made the entire room tremble.
“#$&*#”
“Our wait is almost over my lord” A man standing in darkness, right in front of the six on the left side, spoke in a calm tone.
“Begin preparations..” As the red haired man ordered, the humanoid walked towards a huge dark energy sphere in the center of the room. He stretched his arms and instantly, two streams of dark energy were released from his body that entered the large sphere.
***
An old man sat on a blue throne, his long silver hair stretched till his shoulders and dark eyes reflected the image of the cup he held. His face had a sad expression with eyes appearing tired of everything.
[TAK…TAK…TAK]
Hasty steps of someone entering caused the old man’s thoughts to drift away. He placed the cup on a table beside him and gazed blankly at the soldier.
“What has occured Sevak?” The old man asked;
“Haah…haah…Maharaj…our spies just sent a message from the Padma kingdom..” The soldier was breathing heavily while covered in sweat, but the old man ignored his condition and carefully listened to his words. He leaned forward towards the soldier;
“From the Padma kingdom?...” The old man suddenly appeared incredibly interested in the news;
“The prince is still ALIVE!...The son of devi Chandrini is still ALIVE!!...He returned and took over the entire kingdom in two days and also ABOLISHED ELF SLAVERY!!” The soldier spoke in an enthusiastic tone, completely shattering the sense of formality in the room.
“WHAT?!!...” The old man swiftly stood up from the throne, he hastily moved forward and grabbed the soldier’s shoulders.
“MY GRANDSON IS ALIVE!! THAT’S THE GREATEST NEWS!…AS…AS A REWARD..YOU ARE INSTANTLY PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF A GENERAL!!” The old man exclaimed every word he spoke and quickly stormed outside the room. The soldier’s face brightened even further while he proudly gazed at his sword.
[Chapter 20: END]