The Sun had begun to slowly appear on the horizon, washing the earth with a bright red color. The air had a strange calm as it flowed with the river. Faint ripples began to form in the middle of the flowing river, and as seconds passed, the ripples kept getting stronger.

Gushing water signaled a man emerging from the river, his long silver hair waving as if unaffected by gravity. He floated above the water, his eyes closed, and his feet touching the surface of the flowing water, focusing on his other senses. He could hear the sound of wind brushing leaves, grass waving in the wind, and water droplets flowing back into the river with absolute clarity.

An energy appeared in front of him, and without opening his eyes, he realized the identity of the being by the rhythmic thumping of her heart. As he opened his eyes, the image of a woman with white hair and eyes, and white clothing appeared in front of him. As his vision cleared, he noticed a thin layer of white light enveloping the woman's entire body.

The woman's lips stretched into a smile as she gazed at him. "I feared you might have drowned," she said as she watched Arav slowly descend towards the ground. Arav tied his long silver hair back with his hands. "Have they all arrived yet?" he asked as a blue layer of energy began transforming his clothes.

“Mostly, except Drona from Padma kingdom. He sent a messenger saying that a fleet of demons attacked the border of the Padma kingdom, ending with an assurance of his arrival in a short while.” Just in time, Ambu responded to his question. Arav wore a blue attire with a crescent silver moon drawn on the back and golden stripes going down the robe on both the left and right shoulder.

“He’s still there,” Arav said while he gazed at a particular spot of Chandra kingdom. Ambu’s bright expression turned solemn. “The kid has almost lost everything... and unfortunately, he doesn’t have the heart of Pralaya,” she answered in a low voice. Arav didn’t speak any further. With a gust of wind, he began rapidly flying in the direction he previously stared at.

—

Adhrit sat on the grass, his head down – facing the grass with eyes closed. The wind caused his silver hair to continuously wave, while his blue clothes were still covered in patches of dirt from the previous battle.

In front of him, a little distance away, were three graves with the middle one’s tombstone removed from its front. The grave beside him had a sword embedded near the tombstone, while the third and last grave had a crown engraved on the tombstone. Adhrit raised his head upon sensing a slight disturbance in the air.

Before long, Arav, wearing royal blue attire, descended on the ground. The gust of air generated due to his speedy arrival caused a few dried leaves to fall on the graves.

Arav’s eyes traced Adhrit as he stood up and began picking the leaves one by one. “I wonder what you buried in my grave?” Arav decided to break the silence. Adhrit halted his hand’s movements for a moment and closed his eyes. Arav’s brows were raised while he curiously stepped towards Adhrit. “It was just empty…” Adhrit answered just as Arav appeared in front of him.

“I’m aware of what you are going through.” The moment Arav spoke, Adhrit’s palms opened, causing the collected leaves to fall on the ground. Adhrit kept his gaze away from Arav, “My tears have dried… I can’t even cry anymore. Grandfather… and Master, both believed in me… even when I was clearly a failure from the start. And what happened in the end? I couldn’t do anything to prevent their demise… only confirmed my uselessness and broke their trust.”

Adhrit raised his hands with palms open towards his face. Along with Adhrit, Arav saw calluses all around his palms, formed by his sword’s hilt due to continuous training in the last six months. Arav was reminded of his own past, “As I previously said, I understand what you are going through.” Arav placed his hand gently on Adhrit’s left shoulder. “Your biggest strength is the immovable dedication in your heart, don’t lose it,” Arav said in a calm tone.

Adhrit’s eyes flinched. He moved his shoulders, resulting in Arav’s hands slipping off. “People whispered behind my back, calling me Astraless failure of Chandra bloodline, but even then I didn’t stop and kept training…TCH! I’m not like you, brother. I couldn’t achieve anything even after trying,” Adhrit said with his voice almost breaking down.

Strangely, Arav smirked as he was once again reminded of his past. “You might not be useless, but you definitely lack some intelligence.” Arav’s words caused Adhrit’s brows to flinch. He gazed at Arav’s face and found him smiling. “Everything you achieved in those six months is what prevented the destruction of Paradise.” Arav turned towards the graves to his left. “Some things are inevitable…even if you hold the greatest power in your palm,” Arav’s face turned dark as he spoke.

Quickly brushing off the dark expression, he continued, "You still haven't reached the peak of your Mantra... Ambu could only teach you the basics and help sharpen the skills you already had. Train with me... and I'll show you what you are capable of." Arav's words had some effect on Adhrit. His previous grim expression somewhat brightened, but he still couldn't muster up the courage to accept Arav's offer.

Arav realized this might take something more. A strange strategy surfaced in his head that expanded his pupils. "Where is Yaksh? I haven't seen him since I returned." Arav said, while donning an oblivious expression on his face. This sudden mention of Yaksh caused Adhrit's eyes to widen, his mind began racing with various thoughts.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"After Master transferred the blood demon to him, he went away from the kingdom. I found a village that had elven girls captive. The chief of the village was murdered with his men in his own tavern." Adhrit described while his expression turned serious in the process. Then suddenly, Adhrit was reminded of his promise.

"Hmm... That's indeed quite an issue. I already have an important job to complete, who must I assign this task to... Perhaps Sir Drona?... But he will be quite busy with the Padma kingdom's affairs." Arav kept speaking while turning his head away from Adhrit. He side-eyed Adhrit and found his face glimmering with a previously lost determination.

"Train me brother! I must stop the blood demon!" Adhrit slammed one of his knees on the ground, bowed his head, and spoke in a respectful tone. "Your training begins with a bath," Arav said while his eyes traced the patches of dirt stuck on Adhrit's clothes. Without speaking any further, Adhrit stretched his left arm, and a silver portal immediately appeared. Adhrit began entering the portal, just as the portal began closing, "Thank you, brother..." Adhrit said with a smile.

Arav turned towards a tree a short distance away from him. As if waiting for him to notice, Ambu walked out from behind the tree. Arav noticed her restless and partially concerned white eyes, "Apologies... but have you considered what you just did?" Ambu voiced her concerns in the form of a question. Arav's previous smile had already disappeared; his expression turned serious as he gazed at the spot Adhrit had just disappeared.

"His immense potential is buried under self-doubt; I just provided a way for it to emerge." Arav's calm answer still didn't remove the uneasiness Ambu felt in her heart. "What if the blood demon is too strong? What if he fails?" Ambu asked while she brought her closed palm in front of her chest. "He won't," Arav answered with a smirk.

A brief silence ensued, and Ambu kept staring at Arav, who looked at the main castle's top in the distance. Ambu swiftly understood Arav's thoughts, "This will have consequences." She said.

"Humans and demi-humans have been manipulated for centuries. Their hearts are eager to bathe in the other's blood." Arav turned towards her, his eyes showed hints of concern that caught Ambu off guard.

“Even if I release every single demi-human from humans' control, the moment power falls into their hands, this cycle of chaos will continue,” he added while he looked at the three graves, specifically focusing on the one with a sword embedded beside it. “I must become the bridge between their differences.”

Arav went silent after speaking.

Suddenly, he turned his head towards the castle. "He's here." He began floating right after speaking, leaving Ambu still wondering about his words.

—

A fleet of knights wearing armor, with a lotus engraved on the chest plate, followed a chariot. The chariot stopped right next to the main entrance of the castle, awaited by dozens of guards wearing silver armor, standing on both sides of the entrance. Just as the gates of the chariot opened, Arav descended from the sky, right in front of the entrance. A walking stick was placed on the stone path, followed by a single foot supporting Drona’s exit from the Chariot. Drona’s yellow eyes appeared restless as he frantically scanned the entrance. Then, his eyes brightened to the extent of almost glowing as the face of Arav came into his sight. Controlling his excitement, he spoke while lowering his head, “It’s always a pleasure seeing you, Your Majesty.”

A smile stretched across Arav’s lips, noticed by Drona. “I hope my way of addressing doesn’t bother you,” Drona said with a smirk while raising his head. Arav turned towards the entrance and stretched his hands forward, “Not in the slightest.”

As they made their way through the hallway, Drona’s mind was stormed with a thousand questions. His patience didn’t last for long, and he spoke, “Where were you for the last six months? And was this figure Prince Adhrit spoke of the same as the one I encountered?” Arav stayed silent for a brief moment, adding to Drona’s anxiousness with every step taken forward.

"Your words are true...and unfortunately, he wasn’t the last or the most powerful threat we’ll face." Drona’s heart immediately sank into darkness. He failed to comprehend the strength of the yet unknown opponent that was stronger than the figure. Completely lost in his thoughts, Drona didn’t realize that he had already entered the main hall and stood right in front of the throne.

The sound of clothes rustling was heard clearly throughout the throne room as all present swiftly bowed down in respect. Drona's trance-like state was broken; he dragged his eyes around the room and found both familiar and unknown faces present. Drona quickly realized the situation and moved towards an empty seat, just as Arav reached the throne.

Tejash and the woman standing opposite Drona had their brows furrowed. "Who is he, and why did the king himself go out to receive him?" Tejash whispered, intending to converse with the woman beside him. But her rage-filled eyes were fixed on Vanraj, next to Drona.

Adhrit bowed in front of Drona. "We are graced by your presence, Sir Drona," he said in a respectful tone, followed by the twelve shadow members bowing as well, puzzling Tejash even further. He gazed at Drona's severed leg and the walking stick supporting him. Drona turned and looked in front of him, finding Rishi Vasistha standing. He slightly lowered his head, and it was answered by a similar gesture from Rishi Vasistha.

As Arav sat on the throne, everyone immediately sat down on their respective seats except Ambu, who stood right next to the throne, and the shadow members standing behind Arav. A silence filled the room while Arav gazed at every single person sitting in front of him. "Some of you might already know me," Arav said while his gaze stopped at Drona. "But for the sake of the unaware ones, I will introduce myself." Drona, along with Adhrit and Vanraj, gazed at Arav with a calm expression, expecting the next statement from him.

"I am Pralaya...the Dragon Lord from five centuries ago," Arav spoke, causing Drona's heart to skip a beat. Drops of sweat streamed down his forehead as Arav’s words were far beyond Drona’s wildest expectations, while Rishi Vasistha appeared quite amused. Adhrit's brain rang rapidly, along with Vanraj's heart racing as it attempted to jump out of his chest. Tejash and the woman beside him couldn't comprehend his words for a few moments, with their faces turning pale as sense re-stabilized in their minds.

[Chapter 46: END]