Chapter 19. Meeting Someone In The Forest

"Have they stopped coming for us?" Samay huffed while running.

"I think. They are not chasing us anymore," Vismay, who was floating behind him, replied with a serious tone.

Advik suddenly paused in the middle of the dark forest after hearing that. He released the hand of Samay and turned around to look at him. Advik had some drops of sweat but no sign of getting tired. Whilst, Samay was the total opposite of him. 

Samay bent himself and placed his hands on the knees while breathing heavily. Some drops of sweat fell down on the ground from his forehead.

Advik looked serious. Grimace covered his face. He came to Samay and patted his back lightly, "Are you alright?" he had a worried tone.

"Hmm… I think," rubbing his chest, Samay answered. 

Tara floated around Samay to make him feel better but stopped when he grimaced and flinched because of the Firefly. It felt a little sad still it didn't dare to come any closer to Samay. 

Advik could only look some meters away thanks to the cruel night falling there. He noticed a big bush that shook lightly. He felt that there was something off about the big bush hence he took his feet toward it. What could be behind it was unknown to him so he remained quiet but alarmed. 

Samay looked at him going in an unknown direction therefore he asked, there was ninety percent of irritation and ten percent worry mixed in his question, "Wh… Where are you going?"

Advik gestured to him to stay silent while he slowly murmured, "Shh… don't speak. Wait a minute."

Samay put up an eyebrow of his, "Whatever." He let the soul do whatever the hell he was doing, thinking he wouldn't help him if he really got himself in any danger because of his recklessness and sighed. 

Vismay was silent though Tara was blinking like always. Maybe cheering for Advik like she always did.

With almost soundless steps he reached the bush in no time and glanced at it with caution. "Oh, so this is it," his lips curved upward while his eyes twinkled. Samay and the Fireball asked what was wrong and followed in his footsteps. 

The eyes of Samay widened, he was a bit shocked at seeing the thing which Advik had just found. He knitted his eyebrows. The teenager felt like asking how this guy can always find something or someone totally unexpected. 

Samay sighed helplessly, looking slightly disappointed in a weird way. He stared at Advik for a moment before saying, "Really… Now… An elephant's baby and a demonic one at that!"

Not just any elephant's baby but this realm's elephant who were infamous for their aggressive nature and truly fierce behavior when someone unknown enters their territory. They were totally different from the common ones found in the mortal realm who were famous for their calm and peaceful nature. 

A small snicker puffed out of where Vismay was flying. Samay heard it and looked at it with dark eyes. The kid again refocused himself on the current situation. He was brutally lost at words. He tried to say something but nothing came out. Vismay noticed that no one was talking so he spoke with a gentle and imposing voice, "What happened to this baby elephant?"

The elephant was laying on the ground while its eyes were half-opened. It was covered with many bruises, scratches and some not so grave wounds. Its breathing was really shallow as if it was trying too hard to take some air into his lungs. In reality, it doesn't look much different from the elephants of the mortal realm but the demonic energy coming out of him overwhelmed the whole area. All of them sensed the strong energy which was filled in the air around them.

Samay also asked with slight curiosity and uneasiness, "What's with all these wounds and scratches?"

Advik looked at the baby elephant from a safe distance. His eyes had some warmth covering them. "Maybe some vicious thing tried to kill it but failed." He tried to carefully go closer to the shivering animal. It started to quiver and tremble more when seeing some unknown people surrounding it. It opened its eyes with rage and alertness filled in them when Advik came even more close to it. 

Advik raised his hands, his voice softened, "Don't worry. I will not hurt you in a million years. I promise." His tone was soothing and calm as though he was with a baby. The elephant flinched but it had no strength to even back down itself. 

Advik hesitantly touched the demonic animal's long trunk. The trunk was thick with various wrinkles on it. The texture of it was rough. "Everything is fine. Everything will be alright. I am here." Advik's voice was so gentle and comfortable that the baby soon accepted him and his touch. He sat down near the animal. The sword he took from Samay was still in his hand. He looked at the weapon and raised it toward the owner of it, "Here. Take this. And thank you."

With a trembling hand, the kid took the sword from Advik. However, the soul did not notice the trembling hand and focused his eyes back on the injured animal.

Samay put the sword back in its cover. He raised his eyebrows, he couldn't digest what he was seeing. 

Tara went for the elephant's baby and circled around it. The baby's lifeless eyes sparkled seeing a star so near. The elephant felt pleased it was all over its face which started to glow again. It tried to raise his trunk up but the effort was in vain. Its trunk was too heavy for it due to its injuries. It could only make some low noise while looking at the Firefly. 

"It's fine. Don't do anything," Advik comforted the elephant. "We will do something for you." He gently rubbed between the space of its eyes. Advik lightly touched his and the baby animal's forehead. He shut down his eyes and whispered, "I am here so stay calm. You will be alright, little one."

The voice of the person ahead of the demonic elephant had a soothing and assuring voice that calmed it down. The aura of Advik also comforted the baby with that soft, unharmed whisper. 

The demonic or celestial animals were way more sensitive to the aura, life, and cultivation energy than any other being. And the aura coming out of Advik was so intense that even demonic and fiery beings would calm down. It was nothing magical or celestial but the persona of the man was enough to calm down the animal's frightened heart. 

Advik's forehead was still attached to the elephant's forehead even after some time passed. He heard some footsteps going away and fade in the distance. Then the same footsteps came back after a whole long while. His eyes were still closed. He didn't pay attention to those footsteps because they were not filled with any wicked energy. Suddenly a voice came to his ears.

"Here, take this."

Advik opened his eyes and looked at the one who had just spoken. Samay stood beside him having some plants, flowers, and grass in both palms and some on his hair as well. There were one or two scratches on his cheeks. The irritation covered his face but he was quiet. He huffed too much while sweating heavily as if he hurried to come back.

"Th-these all are the only herbs and medicines I…I could find for this…elephant's baby," Samay's tone was a little bitter and cold but concerned could he sense in it, "Make it eat these herbs. It will feel better and will be alright after some rest."

Advik beamed, "Thank you! You are the best." He took all of the things from Samay's hand and crushed them in his hands. He lightly chuckled seeing some plant on the kid's head hence he reached out and pulled out the thing. Samay didn't think much of it because he was busy inhaling some air into his lungs.

The wandering-soul put some of the medicine in the elephant's mouth and applied some over the deep wounds and bruises caused by some vicious creatures.

The baby elephant ate the herbs and medicine from Advik's hand. He smiled at it and gently patted the baby. Just moments after he saw the animal shutting its eyes. It soon fell into a deep sleep.

Advik smiled and plunked down over the near ground. "Haa!" He closed his eyes, facing above. He was not exhausted, not physically but the things clustering in his mind were too much. Mentally and emotionally he felt exhausted to the point of not even having an appetite.

A weird feeling crept to his stomach.

Vismay and Tara flew toward the soul. "Advik, take some rest. We will continue our search after a while." 

"Hmm," Advik. His eyes were still sealed.

Samay sat beside him in the lotus position, his back was completely straight. He hesitated though after a moment he got some nerve to ask, "Umm… hey… s-so your name is… Advik?"

Advik opened his eyes with surprise leaking from them, he looked at the kid, "Y…Yes." He didn't know what to say more to the sudden and unexpected question.

After a moment of silence, he wickedly smirked, "Why are you asking this?" He giggled seeing some twisted expression of Samay, "Am I a legend now?" 

Samay was cold and irritated, "No, I am just asking because you didn't tell me your name before, and I have read a similar name in a book which is Svapn's favorite, that's all."

"Oh," Advik replied serenely, though, after a second he looked at the kid, grabbing his shoulder he eagerly asked, "What-what is the n-name of that book?" the soul's eyes sparkled even more in the dark night. "Tell me, please tell me the name of that book?"

Samay sighed before rolling his eyes, "The Downfall of The Umaya Empire… I think? I don't remember correctly." He scrutinized. He casually glanced at the soul who's color vanished in a blink of an eye.   

Advik was as silent as a statue, maybe indicating that he wanted to hear more, therefore Samay continued with confusion, "I… I don't really remember that clearly. Svapn never let me touch it after he saw me with that book." Samay frowned after seeing the pale face of Advik, "He was so angry when he found out that I touched his book. I don't know why but he loves that book so much." The kid's eyes grew bigger, complaining.

Samay again quickly glanced at the soul who was quietly looking at him with redness creeping into his eyes. Samay swallowed his spit, "W-weren't you also asking about something related to the Umaya Empire to the Brother from the Poison Duo Guards?" Samay's throat dried up. He thought that it was not the time to ask that type of question that can make Advik so miserable in a second. But the question was out of his mouth and he cursed himself for asking something that was not his business. 

There was some despair, some sadness, a hollow in Advik's eyes. There were some questions he wanted to ask but he had no strength to even move his lips. Certainly, something was wrong, Samay wondered. The pale face of the man beside Samay was so lifeless that he couldn't bear to continue the topic anymore. He sealed his lips. His eyes looked at the pitiable-soul again who shuddered light maybe because of the question he asked before, Samay thought. He felt awkward and uncomfortable but he spoke, "I-I am sorry. I think I have said something wrong."

"It's alright," Advik meekly said. He tried to collect himself and looked at the dark, starless sky which was slightly visible from the leafy canopy. It's just a forgotten past… I'm just a forgotten memory, nothing much. He thought. It was not the time to let himself fall again in that kind of place. He has many things to do now when he is here… alive or as a… soul. He wondered, still looking upward. 

Samay was patiently waiting for him to say something. Tara twinkled again. Vismay was as silent as ever. 

Tara buzzed and immediately flew toward the shoulder of Advik. It sat down and blinked again and again. This caught Advik off guard. He looked at it and forgot his worries. His frowned face calmed down. His soft yet radiant smile came back on his dried lips. With warm eyes, he said, "Thank you." 

Suddenly, he remembered that when he was in the Palace of the Lost Soul's Realm and asked if anyone knew about His Highness Shwet everyone denied it so solemnly but now Samay mentioned that Prime Minister Svapn's favorite book is about the downfall of the Umaya Empire. How was it possible that someone was reading a book related to the Umaya Empire and did not even know the name of the Crown Prince of the Empire. There was no way that the book didn't mention His Highness. It was impossible to separate the two things. 

If he had even a little bit of cultivation energy left in him that time he could have used a truth spell to check if they lied to him but he was so lifeless that time. Even now there's nothing in him. Now he is just a soul. 

A useless-wandering-soul. 

Does heaven play games with him, he wondered. A sad smile showed on his face, he clicked his tongue. Staring at the night sky he heard his heartbeat rising up and up as if he was going to have a heart attack.

Listening to his own heartbeat in the silent forest calmed him down. Advik inhaled a long breath and exhaled the air. He opened his eyes… his eyes were big as though they would fall out anytime, he wondered. Wait… m-my heart…is beating?! How is it beating if I'm a soul? He touched his chest and the thumping of his heart was loud and clear. So clear that it looked as though many thunder clouds were inside him. How is it beating? I'm a soul, I shouldn't have a heart…, especially a working one?