Villain: The Play of Destiny

"Samrath, look!" Samantha suddenly smiled and excitedly pointedly at the stall which was serving Fairy Floss.

They had been searching for it for several minutes now, and Samantha did not waste any time as she rushed up to make an order. And though she did not like the girl who had come here with them, she still ordered one for her as well.

However, she regretted it immediately when she looked back and saw Sunaina happily chatting with her boyfriend.

"Here." She rushed back to join them as soon as the old man handed him the three freshly made Fairy Floss, and she gave Sunaina the one with the yellow colour.

"Thank you." Sunaina politely smiled at him and did not show any reaction when the girl with pigtails protectively hugged Samrath's arm.

"Where do we go next?" She curiously looked up and asked him, munching on her Fairy Floss.

Samrath did not have anything on his mind so he glanced around them, searching for something interesting, and he did manage to find something even if it was not really anything interesting.

There was a cute little girl of around six years old, who was helping an aged couple run a stall that had beautiful sculptures on it and several eye-catching handicrafts.

He had a very keen eye for these things, and he could tell at a glance that these were all high-quality products and had been made with great care and patience.

However, it was not the things that were on the stall that caught his attention, but the little girl who was wearing a very bright smile, but possessed a sickly pale complexion.

"Come, let's check out that stall." He lightly said and without waiting for an answer, he started walking towards that stall.

"Good evening!" The little girl was excited to have some more customers. "Please feel free to look around, hopefully, you will find something to your liking."

"Awww..." Samantha could not help but gush over her cuteness and knelt to offer her Fairy Floss to her.

"Thank you, but I just had my dinner." The little girl politely refused her, and Samantha could only pout before she stood up and happily checked out the beautiful sculptures that were displayed in the stall.

"They are all beautiful." She honestly said, and the aged woman smiled at her words.

"Thank you, Young Lady."

The three of them learned that the elderly couple had been Sculptors all their lives, and the little girl, whose name was, Rukka, was their granddaughter, who was also aspiring to become a Sculptor.

Samantha decided to buy a few sculptures that she guessed her father would appreciate a lot, and Sunaina bought a few handicrafts as well to show her support.

And whilst they bought the things, Samrath was keenly observing the little girl, and then audibly sighed.

"Old man, your granddaughter is poisoned. Her health is deteriorating." He suddenly said, and everyone at the stall froze, including the little girl who was horrified at his words.

"She just has a fever..." The old woman tried to deny but Samrath shook his head, and then gently caressed the little girl's head who was about to shed tears.

"If I am not wrong, she had been sick for the past four months. Had it been a normal fever, it could have worn off, and she would not have grown so weak." He spoke and then looked at the elderly couple. "She looks like she's coping well, but her immune system has grown very weak, and if she catches even a minor flu, she might..." He stopped, knowing well that he did not need to say the next words.

The elderly couple seemed to have aged even more after listening to his words, and the woman immediately walked over to him, grabbed his arm, and asked him if he was a doctor. And after he nodded his head, she started begging him.

"Don't worry. I will help her." He smiled at her assuringly and then caressed the little girl's head. "I promise that you will be fine."

Their conversation had caught a lot of attention from nearby people, and so Samrath asked the old lady if she could lead him to the place they were staying.

All the Villagers who were gathered here lived in communal or independent tents, and luckily, the elderly couple was living in the latter.

Samrath did not ask the old lady to wait outside and allowed her to watch as he started treating the little girl. And her presence made the little girl feel at ease as well, but it was not exactly needed as he soon put the little girl in a deep sleep before starting the treatment.

Though the elderly couple could not pinpoint how she might have gotten poisoned, Samrath knew the answer when he checked the legs of the girl and found a faint scar with a purple tint to it.

She had most likely scrapped her leg against something that was poisoned, and luckily for her, the poison was slow-acting poison.

When he asked about the scar on the girl's leg, the old woman informed him that she had scrapped her leg when they took a boat to cross the river a few months ago, and he did not say anything more.

It did not look like someone deliberately targeted her, so he was no longer worried about the safety of the young girl and her family.

The treatment took time, nearly half an hour, and the old woman was amazed when she saw how her granddaughter's complexion visibly improved.

"She's safe now. The weakness will stay for a week, but it will go away if she eats healthily. And make sure she gets some good rest." He advised after he stood up.

"Thank you!" The old woman stepped forward and hugged him, truly grateful to him, and then sat by the side of her granddaughter, not in the mood to tend to the stall.

Samrath excused himself from the tent and was surprised to see the old man standing there with the girls. But the surprise soon wore off, after all, the man dearly loved his granddaughter. How could he have kept tending to the stall with peace of mind?

"She's fine now." He told the old man what he had told the old lady earlier, and immediately stopped the old man from dropping to his knees. "I accept your gratitude. And it's enough." He assured him and then took the chance to leave with the girls before the old man could feel more indebted to him.

"That was an interesting technique you used back there."

The three of them were about to exit the campsite where the villagers were staying when they heard a voice from right behind them, and all their hearts thumped in unison.

Samrath immediately turned around, narrowing his eyes at the middle-aged man with a Scholarly beard. He tried to remember if he knew this man but failed to do so.

He could sense that this man was very strong, almost as strong as the Grand Elders of his Family, and right now, he was worried that he had been sent to kill them. Though he highly doubted that the enemies he had made in the last few weeks could afford a man like him, he still prepared himself for the worst.

"Who are you?" He asked as he protectively pulled Samantha behind him, and as if on cue, Sunaina stepped back as well.

"Relax." The man smiled. "I am just a wanderer who is a little curious after seeing something interesting."

"Juts a wanderer?" Samrath smiled.

"And a Doctor." The man added, scrutinising him the same way he was scrutinising him.

"It's a secret technique from my family. I am sorry but I can not talk about it with you." He spoke, intending to take his leave and avoid speaking again to this mysterious man.

"I have never seen an Arya use it before. And believe me when I say it. I am aware of all the techniques that your family possesses." He lightly said, and Samrath froze at his words.

He was just about to signal to his protectors when the man spoke again.

"But if you say so, I will believe you." He smiled.

"Good night." Samrath nodded to him and then grabbed Sunaina and Samantha's hands before turning around.

"Are you sure you want to leave?"

The man suddenly asked, and despite himself, Samrath stopped with a frown.

"Go. I will meet you two in a few minutes." He told the girls, who were a little worried now, but after he assured them that he would be fine and that he just needed to talk with the man, he relented and walked to the main base where the Fairy Festival was taking place.

As soon as the girl disappeared from his sight, Samrath turned around and coldly looked at the man.

"Who are you?"

"I have a proposal for you." He smiled. "It's rare to come across a twenty-year-old who is in True Profound Realm and also a skilled Aura Doctor. How about you spend the rest of the night with me?"

"I beg your pardon?" Samrath did not hide the warning in his eyes and frowned when the man started chuckling.

"We will compare notes in Cultivation and Medicine." He cleared the confusion and then smiled again. "And when the night is over, I will pay you in the form of a treasure, a token of gratitude for your time."

Samrath did not like the sly innuendos he was making and narrowed his eyes even more.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we can compare notes on Combat." The man shrugged.

A pregnant silence followed his words and Samrath kept scrutinising the man standing in front of him. Just when he started considering the man's offer, a voice sounded out in their ears, and he saw the man visibly tremble.

"I must say, I am surprised to see that one of you is still present in this world. How old are you this year, Mikaros?"

"Who?" The middle-aged man was dismayed that someone recognised him and immediately turned to look to the side.

Samrath did the same, and both their hearts palpitated in fear when they saw the tall young man standing quite close to them, wearing a light smile on his lips.

"Dr. Keith..."

"Go, be with your ladies." Keith nodded to Samrath, and the Child of Destiny glanced at Mikaros and then back at him before nodding and taking the opportunity to leave.

Mikaros frowned at seeing Samrath leave, but with the pressure locking on him, he did not dare to do anything about it.

"My Lord." He bowed to Keith, having already guessed that he was in the presence of a Mortal God.

"A wizard like you is a rare sight in this world. But I have heard of you, Mikaros, envoy of Hekau, the God of Magic and Medicine." Keith stepped forward and freed the man from his Divine Presence.

"May I ask your name, My Lord?" Mikaros politely asked, keeping his apprehensions in his heart.

"Erebus." He replied and watched the man raise his head and look at him in astonishment.