Chapter 19 Father and Phantom
The air in the corridor froze Nirag shove jolted Anvay backward and his feet stumbled on the verge of losing balance His heel slipped on the stone floor and he was about to fall backward when a shadow with a red aura came between him and the ground Agni hand firmly gripped Anvay shoulder and steadied him Anvay breath escaped in a jolt and his eyes were wide
Agni looked at Nirag His fists were clenched so tightly that the joints of his hands turned white Small red sparks emerged from his palms and fizzled out in the air like the fire escaping the nostrils of an angry dragon
Nirag Agni voice made the air of the corridor tremble That voice echoed like thunder rumbling inside a cave and bounced back from the walls
Nirag smiled at Agni But that smile was not his His lips were stretched crookedly in a distorted grin that did not fit his face A blurry purple aura began emerging around his head swirling in the air and spreading like rings of black smoke His pupils had turned completely black as if a drop of ink had fallen into them and the whites had disappeared And at the center of his forehead the skin split and a third eye emerged Open wide without eyelids and within it pulsed a throbbing purple light like a poisonous insect fluttering
Agni You came Nirag voice was double One tone was his own scared and suppressed The other was a deep echoing voice that made the inner bones shiver like the draft rising from old graves
Agni pushed Anvay behind him moving him to a safe distance Nirag He said and his voice carried anger along with a strange pain
Nirag clenched his fist so tightly that his nails dug into his palm leaving faint red marks Not Nirag Andhak Void I am Andhak Void His head jerked backward and a hollow broken laughter escaped his throat echoing off the stone walls of the palace and turning into a distorted reverberation
Agni stepped back as if struck by an invisible force Andhak Void His words hung in the air
Nirag or whatever was inside his body kept laughing and the purple glow of his eyes was intensifying Yes Andhak Void The same Andhak Void whom you and your friends ended in the great war But you could not sever the connection of my essence Agni A fragment of my soul remained hidden inside this very body
Agni eyes widened and an old forgotten memory flashed within them Nirag stepped forward and his steps were heavy and dragging Surprised Agni Have you forgotten that Nirag is my offspring Of my blood And now this very body will become the gateway for my re entry into this world
Agni right hand moved swiftly to his waist The hilt of his sword Jwala came into his palm and as soon as he touched it the blade blazed as if the eye of a sleeping dragon had opened The flames emanating from its edge filled the corridor with red light He took a step towards Nirag
Nirag immediately stepped back but the smile remained on his face No Agni no Have you forgotten His voice took on a false tenderness Nirag is your son Your nephew The child you lifted from the riverbank
Agni froze in place The flames of Jwala flickered uncertainly Nirag stepped forward spreading his arms wide What happened Agni Come strike me Do it this very moment His smile widened and his teeth showed What happened Agni You cannot do it You are thinking this very thing are you not If you kill Nirag what answer will you give to Neer Will you be able to look into those eyes when he asks what you did to his only son
He raised his finger and pointed at Agni and his nails had turned black You Agni you cannot kill me Remember this This body is my prison If you strike it Nirag will also die along with it
Agni jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth creaked Andhak Void He growled Your enmity is with us Leave this innocent one Fight your battle with us
Innocent Andhak Void voice turned into a scream This innocent one is my greatest enemy He is the one who turned my centuries of preparation my crafted game into defeat in the great war My own blood became my opponent So how can I let him go so easily He raised his fist in the air Remember Agni I will destroy you him and this entire elemental realm Slowly With pain And his laughter echoed again
But just then a voice cut through that laughter Nirag
Anvay stood beside Nirag He had placed both his hands on Nirag forehead right above that black throbbing eye Anvay eyes were closed and his brows were furrowed From the stone floor beneath his feet faint cracks began to spread as if roots were growing
Nirag listen to me Anvay whispered His voice carried a strange rumbling vibration like some deep power beneath the earth was speaking You are who you have always been My friend The child found in the river who laughed like the stars This This is not you This is a sickness A shadow Come back
Nirag body began to writhe The light of the black eye on his forehead flickered and then dimmed Nirag own eyes rolled upwards and he collapsed unconscious into Anvay hands The black aura disappeared like sucked smoke
Agni immediately stepped forward He sheathed Jwala and took Nirag lifeless body from Anvay lifting him into his arms He carried him to a nearby chamber and gently laid him on the bed Nirag face had turned pale and his breaths were shallow and jerky Agni sat on the ground beside him feeling his pulse
Anvay slowly entered the chamber and his breath was still fast Margdarshak What he was saying
Did you know Agni cut him off He did not raise his head and his gaze was fixed on Nirag face
Anvay remained silent Only the sound of Nirag ragged breaths filled the air
Agni slowly raised his head and looked at Anvay There was no anger in his eyes Only a deep tired curiosity Did you know Anvay
Anvay gaze fell to the floor He nodded slowly An admission
Agni stood up His size filled the chamber Anvay unknowingly stepped back Agni advanced
If you knew Agni voice was now in a dangerously calm tone Then why did you not tell me Watching him suffer Watching this thing take possession of him Why did you remain silent
Anvay clenched his fists Forgive me Margdarshak He said and his voice was suppressed Nirag made me swear on him He made me swear that I would not tell anyone He said that if I told he would take his own life He would slit his throat
Agni breath stopped What
Anvay raised his eyes and there was a conflict of pain and loyalty in them Yes Margdarshak Nirag thought He feared that if you or Pitashree learned the truth you would leave him forever You would throw him out of the palace You would remove him from your lives He did not want to lose you He was afraid that after knowing the truth you would not know what to do with him How you would look at him
Agni slowly turned and looked at Nirag He went to him and sat down on the ground again He raised his hand and placed it on Nirag head stroking his hair His fingers were trembling slightly
Son He whispered so softly that perhaps only he heard it You did this Did you truly think that we would so easily cast you out of our lives At a time when you would need us the most Would we have left your side son He lowered his head Did you have so little trust in your Pitashree and your Tauji
From the corner of his closed eyelids a tear slipped and fell It fell directly on Nirag forehead on the spot where the black eye had once been The teardrop glistened there like a tiny diamond and then slowly dried
Nirag eyelids fluttered He opened his eyes blurry and wandering His gaze fixed on Agni face For a moment he was startled and then a spark of recognition came into his eyes He clutched Agni wrapping his arms tightly around his back and hiding his face in his shoulder
Tauji His voice was muffled and trembling I will not go anywhere Forgive me But I did not do it knowingly Do not push me away from yourself
Agni held him tighter with one hand on his back and the other on his head Calm down Nirag Calm down I will not do such a thing son I will never push you away from my life And neither will your Pitashree You are our son Not of that Andhak Void We will never leave you We will never throw you out of the palace
There was a soft sound at the chamber door
All three of them raised their heads and looked Neer stood at the door and his blue eyes moved from one face to the next Nirag pale on the bed Agni holding him And Anvay standing against the wall His brows were slightly furrowed and there was no expression on his face
Then he asked slowly with a dangerous calm in his voice
Is there talk of throwing someone out of the palace
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