The Last Rudra

After a moment of consideration, Ruchito agreed to Ishit's plan.

Though it was risky, it was the only way to alert Avida before the invaders got to Vasta. 

The plan was simple; they would lead Adard to Sukrita's statue and trick him to attack the stone warrior. 

"Are you sure he doesn't know the secret of the statue?" Ishit asked again. He was worried that if the fake healer knew their motive, their plan would fail apart. 

"Yes! You can be sure about that. Not many in Glassia knew the secret of nine statues," replied Ruchito, 

Ishit gave his saviour a long look. 

"Are you sure? I mean even an apprentice of a blackwater shrine, like you, knows it, then how come a man , who has been conspiring against the empire for years, doesn't know about it" said Ishit. 

"You don't need to know ." Ruchito replied, "By the way, the interlude is over. Adard is coming for us"

Ishit face turned grim, as he looked at the figure in tattered clothes. Adard had lost his graceful demeanour. 

Enraged like a wild beast he was coming for them demolishing the commoners' houses on his way.

Ishit got up, all his spirit senses were on. 

"Remember, we don't have to fight with him to death,"  said Ishit to Ruchito, who was already in the air, and was preparing his attack. 

Ishit commanded the spirit to take him up, and it did.

"Let's welcome him!!" Ishit condensed his attack. The air around them swirled as it turned into a small tornado filled with razor-sharp wind blades. 

Adard halted a few houses away from them, glaring at them coldly.

"Hey, Traitor! How was my attack? Do you like it? I have one more for you "Ishit called out,  laughing, as he set free his tornado of wind blades. 

The houses below them shred to dust, people were fleeing in all directions for their lives. 

Adard didn't take the attack head-on, as if he was afraid of the razor-sharp blades. 

He dodged aside, condensing a shield. But suddenly, a whirlpool appeared below him, making him lose his balance. The wind blades grazed his shield sending sparks in the air. 

Ruchito dissolved his whirlpool. 

Adard stabilized himself, his eyes changing colours. There was something wrong with the fake healer. 

His face was reddening like a tomato. 

The discovery made him worry. Was his earlier attack too fatal? 

Ishit recalled the spirit paths of his earlier attack. A rare combination of his understanding about souls he learned from Dhrita, and the destruction laws from the spirit scrolls. 

Dhrita, the priest of Lamia, had explained how a soul chooses a womb suitable for itself. 

"Every soul has an innate sound unique to it, a divine song that changes according to Karma. And the same is true for a body or womb. They all have their innate songs, unique to them. In fact every being whether trees, stones, mountains, all have their innate sounds. 

When nature allows a soul to take birth, the soul searches for a womb that resonates to its song., and occupies it.

It continues living in the body until one of them changes their songs. "

Ishit pondered the theory for a long time and came up with an attack. A soul attack that would disturb the resonance of the soul with its body. 

His earlier attack had such power accompanied by other destruction laws. 

As it was his first time when he had used it on a man he was not sure how lethal it was. 

However, he soon realised his worry was unfounded. Adard raised his hand and his fury came for them. 

The morning breeze around them turned into a summer loo. The appalled commoners saw another sun appear in the air. 

Ishit's face fell. He summoned his strongest shield and ran at his full speed. 

The giant fireball came crashing, burning everything in its wake, houses, trees, and the commoners alike. 

It blasted the house where Ishit was resting, creating a giant crater at its spot. 

The charred bodies of commoners were sent flying into the distance. The howls and screams filled the air. 

Ishit, who had narrowly escaped death, stood beside Ruchito with mouth agape. 

What was that! 

There was no need to be so furious. He looked at Adard whose face contorted with rage. 

Where was the cool guy he had met in the chamber a while ago?

"What do you think of our friend's power? " He asked Ruchito, whose face had lost colour. 

Clearly, it was his first chance to see so many people dying at once.

Ishit could only imagine what his new friend would feel once the defilers got here. 

They were running out of time. 

"He killed all of them just like that,"  Ruchito mumbled. 

"Many more would die if we don't succeed in our plan. So let's bring our enraged friend to the statue." Ishit said as he dashed back towards the statue. 

***

Izidor had never imagined after working so many years, his meticulous plan would be thwarted by a mere boy, who hadn't even mastered the spirit path completely. 

He now understood why Ventus had said the boy was one of them. 

The soul attack was proof that the boy knew the ways of death worshipers. As for how he discovered the well-hidden secret of death, Izidor didn't need to know. 

The emblem the boy was wearing told him everything. Udalf, one of the seven survivors of Kemet, whom Izidor had thought dead, was alive. 

The All-Knowing -Eye carved on the emblem was his symbol and nether-iron was his metal.

The fool who had single-handedly ruined Kemet now foiled his last chance to revive it. 

The thought made him filled with fury.

He grimaced as a sharp pain stabbed his soul. The young healer's dormant soul was awakening.  The boy's attack had broken his spell. 

Izidor looked at the two boys who had escaped his attack and was running away.

He knew it was futile to kill the boys, but Izidor never accepted grievance meekly. Udalf had to pay for what he had done. And it would start with the two boys. 

Izidor suppressed the host's soul forcibly, as he dashed towards the boys.

**

Ishit glanced back and felt relieved when he saw Adard was coming for them.

The fake healer was apparently adamant about burning them alive.

within a breath, they were before the giant statute. He told Ruchito to be ready, the real battle would begin now. 

They had to survive the attack while making sure it hit the statue. 

Ruchito, who had turned quiet after watching the gory sight nodded solemnly. 

Ishit noticed the aura of Adard was fluctuating, as he came towards them. Now, he was sure his attack really caused some serious damage to the arrogant traitor. 

"Why are you so angry, the puppet of defilers?" Ishit took a jibe. Forming a shield around him. Ruchito moved his hand and a transparent sphere covered him. 

Adard didn't reply at once. He seemed to swallow something down his throat, his face was flush red. 

"You've really surprised me, the minion of Udalf. I will settle my score with him later. First, let me teach you, Izidor is not someone you could mock at, and still remain alive." Izidor voice was hoarse.

"What are you blabbering about? Has my attack screwed your brain?"Ishit laughed. "By the way, how many names do you have? That night on the beach you were Millian, just a while ago you were Adard, and now You're Izidor. I think Man, you've personality disorder. Go visit the Occum shrine in Varta. Folks say they are best out there.  "

Ishit signal Adard to attack, as he too sent his fireball at the mad Adard. Of course, it was not frightening like Adard's, but it did have destruction laws that could blast a bow house easily. 

Ruchito's lips moved, and the cobble-stones rose from the street below, swirling into a whirlpool.

Izidor sneered at the ant-like struggles of the boys. If he hadn't feared that his magic would alert Arch-Druids, and thus disclose his identity he would have long burned them to ashes. And then the healer's soul who was wanting to throw him out. He had to finish the two pups soon, and leave. Or else once the healer's soul completely regained control of the body, he should forget ever making it to the Astral plane. 

So, Izidor summoned his strongest attack that he could muster in his current state. He was glad boys were not running away. The little edge they had got earlier over him must have made them cocky.

****

Ishit watched with grim-faced as a fiery dragon as large as a statue slowly materialized behind Adard. Cindering everything below just by hovering in the air. Despite being protected by his strongest shield, he felt as if he was standing before the fabled son of Uddor from Asharar. Ruchito's face had lost its colour. The young druid had summoned icy armour to ward off the scorching heat. 

"Face the wraith of Izidor."  Adard raised his hand and shouted.. And the fire dragon roared as it breathe out the river of red lava.