Villain: The Play of Destiny

Friday, January 12th, 2046

Arya Estate, Dehradun, India

A black Land Cruiser climbed up the hills in silence, and the passengers inside it were curiously looking at the beautiful sceneries that surrounded them.

"This is not Iceland, Keith." Diana, who had been curious ever since their private jet landed on an abandoned strip, finally spoke.

"We are in India." Keith smiled and informed her, and she, together with Alana and Ingvild, surprisedly looked at him.

"Why?" Alana could not help but ask, but then the sudden change in Harud's expression caught her attention. "What happened?"

"Are we in Dehradun? The Arya Estate?" The young boy pensively asked.

"Yes." Keith nodded and smiled at the boy's conflicted emotions.

The Arya of Dehradun and Mir of Pahalgam, two of the most honourable and renowned Medicinal Families in the world, did not get along well with each other. They shared an antagonist past as well, and even to this day, they were borderline enemies. Neither of them had taken a drastic measure against the other in several decades, but the rivalry was still there, and both searched for every opportunity to undermine each other and even do some damage.

"They won't raise any objections if you are with me." He met the boy's eyes in the rearview mirror and watched him obediently nod his head. "Besides, we are here to offer condolences."

"Condolences?" Diana curiously raised her brow.

"The Young Lord of Arya lost his life."

"Samrath?!" Both Alana and Harud exclaimed in shock.

"Yes." He nodded his head.

"How?" The young boy was in sheer disbelief.

He, of course, had heard about the genius Young Lord of the Arya, who was hailed as an exceptional talent, someone he had always been compared to. So, it was only right that he was in shock at such a sudden and alarming news.

Alana, on the other hand, did not know why she felt restless in her heart, and despite herself, her eyes turned misty.

"Keith... Did he die in Magic City?" She apprehensively asked.

Keith looked into her eyes from the mirror but then returned his focus to the road.

His silence weighed heavily on her heart, and even Diana now felt a little restless.

"Keith..." His Songbird called out to him again, and when she watched him sigh, a tear escaped her left eye.

"Yes." It was Minami who answered her, and Alana immediately turned to look at her pleadingly.

She was scared to ask the next question, but Minami knew what made her restless and gave her the answer that made her feel dizzy.

"Yexuan attacked Samrath and his Shadow Guards a few days after the Trials. He laid a trap and ambushed them, killing them all."

There was a deathly silence in the car as Diana felt a little suffocated, knowing well what sort of pain Alana was now drowning in.

Harud too sensed the gravity of the situation, and he wisely kept quiet, keeping his head lowered.

He felt very sorry for Alana, whom he now looked up to as his older sister, but he knew that no consoling would help her in this situation as he was sure that Arya would never give up unless the culprit was dead.

The rest of the journey to the Arya Compound was a silent affair, where Alana lightly sobbed into Diana's arms, but by the time they arrived at the destination, she had sobered up a little.

"Lord Erebus!" An aged man, together with a middle-aged man, stepped forward to greet him as soon as he exited the vehicle.

Both of them bore an uncanny resemblance to Samrath, and it was because one was his father and the other was his grandfather, the current and the old Patriarchs of the Arya Family.

"Your loss is saddening, Lord Arya." Keith lightly said. "Samrath was a bright student and a very talented and honourable person."

The old man sadly lowered her head and just nodded his head, but Samrath's father held himself well and bowed to him again.

"We thank you for everything you did for him."

They had, of course, known how much he had been helping Samrath in Netheria as the boy had been keeping them informed about it.

Even though they had lost their child, they would not forget the favours bestowed upon them and would always remember the person who helped them in their time of need.

Keith sighed at his words and then patted the man's shoulder.

"I am here for the Blood Debt." He said, and both men nodded their heads before they lightly bowed to the people behind him, and then the two gestured them to enter the compound.

Alana felt her heart constricting at the solemnity and melancholy that the house was drowning in, and every person they came across had a hint of sadness in either their eyes or expressions.

Lord Arya led them to the smaller compound, and by the time they arrived there, the Main Family members of the Arya Clan had already gathered outside the cottage.

An aged woman, who looked terribly frail, with hollow eyes, stepped forward, and despite herself, she could not hold back her tears.

She was Samrath's Grandmother, and since she was the closest female member of his family after his mother passed away, she was the one the Blood Debt was owed as per the tradition.

"Lady Arya, your child died fighting, and he fought valiantly," Keith spoke to the woman, and she just lowered her head at his words, hiding her tears. "His Shadow Guards laid their lives to protect him, but he refused to escape and leave them behind. He was an honourable and kind man, and I can assure you that the Kind Ones always rest in peace."

Alana felt colder and colder as she stood there, watching the pain and grief reflecting on the people's faces, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she started hating Yexuan for what he had done.

However, when Keith raised his right hand forward, a Casket appeared out of nowhere, surprising and alarming the Arya Family, and she staggered a little as she understood who lay inside it.

"The one who laid an ambush for your Child and his Shadow Guards, Yexuan Parker, lies inside this casket. Blood for Blood and the Blood Debt is paid."

Silence reigned in the compound after his words, and the woman finally stepped forward, braving herself up, and then she slowly opened the lid and allowed everyone to lay their eyes on the killer.

The children who were present there winced and shut their eyes as soon as they saw the scorched corpse of a barely recognisable man, and the adults could tell that his end was not swift but very painful and agonising.

"Why did he kill my child?" The woman asked, staring at the corpse, and seeing that it was in a much worse state than the corpse of her Grandchild, her heart felt a little at peace.

"We are not certain, but Yexuan likely believed that Samrath possessed some Magical Treasure. He targeted your child to get his hands on it. He was a Madman who lusted for blood, and during the Trials, Samrath stood up against him, protecting people. So, it is also possible that he targeted him out of spite." He informed her.

The Arya Gaurd who had brought Samrath's body back home had already informed him about what was happening in Magic City, and what the possible reasons were. And Keith's words ascertained their guesses.

"Thank you for avenging my son and bringing his Killer's body to us to fulfil the Blood Debt, Lord Erbeus." Lord Arya spoke and bowed to him again, and the rest of the Arya Family followed suit. "The Arya will always remember this favour, and if there is anything you need, please say."

Keith did not immediately answer but turned to look at Alana, and the people finally paid attention to the girl who looked quite distraught.

"If possible, would you hand the body back to me?"

The sudden request took everyone off-guard.

"Yexuan Parker was Alana's adopted brother, and she wishes to bury him with her hands." He informed them, and the people were even more shocked at his words.

Some frowned as they looked at Alana, but they immediately lowered their eyes when Lord Arya glared at them.

"If you wish to take the body, we have no objection."

Keith nodded his head, but just as he was about to speak, Alana cut him off.

"I apologise for the pain Yexuan caused you all. He is your culprit, and I don't want his body back. Please do what your Traditions dictate." She did not really know what the traditions were, but she bowed to them and said those words to show her stance.

Only those who knew her realised how much pain she was in right now, and Keith nodded his head to Lord Arya to do as Alana had requested.

An hour later, Alana stood next to Keith as they stared at the funeral pyre where Yexuan's body was burning.

The Ayra were a little shocked at how much wood was consumed in the end, and how long it took. And they all realised that the man who killed their child was not some normal person.

It took hours, but in the end, the body turned to Ash, and then the Arya collected some of it inside an urn and handed it over to Alana.

She really did not want to take it, as her heart had gone cold, but she still accepted it and thanked them for it.