Chapter 21. Farewell Hurts

The sun shone through the clouds above in the sky while its rays poked into the eyes of Advik, making him open them after getting irritated by it. He looked above with squinted eyes while trying to stop the sunlight with his left hand. The sunlight filtered through the fingers of his hand, "Woah, I never thought that I'd see the sun in this Realm," he gave a warm little smile.

The Soul glanced at his crossed legs which felt heavy to him. He thought his eyes would fall out of their sockets seeing the scene; Samay was resting his head on his lap. The kid was sleeping soundlessly with comfort covering his attractive face. The teenager looked like an adorable puppy or a small mouse with his closed eyes. No one would think that this kid is the same kid who could be so arrogant when awake. A strange smile crossed over Advik's face. He thought of teasing Samay for fun. His hand came close to the kid's cheek to pinch it. He was smiling pleasantly, thinking of getting an amusing reaction from Samay. But he snapped out of his thoughts of teasing Samay when the kid moved a bit in his sleep.  

Unexpectedly, Samay opened his eyes feeling a little sore all over his body. A blurry person was looking down at him with a mischievous expression. The kid's eyes expanded with shock. As if getting struck by lightning he jumped off from the lap and stood straight. Questioning everything around him inside his mind, he pointed a finger at Advik who was still lively, smiling.

Samay shuttered, "Y-you!! Why was I-I sleeping on your…lap?!" His whole face burned with embarrassment while he felt that maybe his heart would leave his chest. His ears and the back of his neck turned red. This kind of thing never happened to him because he was not close enough to anyone, to become this intimate or close to someone, therefore, he didn't know how to handle a situation like this except getting angry and embarrassed by it. 

Advik's eyes were broadened hearing the question. First, he giggled but in a moment he started to laugh really hard. He fell down laughing so hard. His mouth and stomach began to hurt a little. The expression of Samay was too funny to Advik. He laughed hard but stopped after seeing the icy-cold glare of the kid. He may be thick-skinned or even shameless however he wasn't down to the level of some dimwitted human. 

Out of nowhere, a trunk patted the shoulder of Advik. He turned his head in a second after the sudden touch. It was the baby Elephant which they helped last night. His whole face glowed up with a grin. The baby elephant was safe and sparkled like a newborn. It looked as energetic and healthy as an elephant of its age should be. 

Advik stood up in a blink, having put his hands on his waist. With a twinkle of satisfaction of seeing the animal in good shape. He spoke with a gentle and friendly tone, "Little thing! Are You really alright now? Seeing you like this is so good."

The baby elephant closed the distance between its savior and itself, reaching out his trunk and wrapped around Advik, making him come into a warm, calming hug of gratitude. The soul was stunned with the sudden gesture for a moment then he hugged back as well. 

Witnessing such a scenario almost made Samay puked. He looked at the Soul and the Elephant with a little weird eyes. He inhaled some air before thinking. What a scene of affection and love! He clicked his tongue.

It was normal for him to feel like a stranger to those kinds of emotions that others could show and receive so effortlessly. He never understood the meaning of loving someone and having to leave them. He knew that he was too emotionless about it but that was how he was. Furthermore, he never had any intentions to learn or try to understand those feelings.

He was just a small baby when his parents left him and his big brother in front of the gate of the Lost Soul's Realm Palace. He was in his brother's small hands, that's what Sidharth told him. Even his Brother was just ten years old at that time. He grew up well in the Palace without worrying about anything; however, he saw many disciples of his age miss their parents, grandparents, siblings, or anyone they loved.

He was unaware of those emotions others would feel for someone. One day he asked Sidharth, "What is love? What is emotion and what are feelings? Why do people feel like that for someone? Why don't I feel like that for anyone?"

Sidharth pleasantly laughed hearing that honest question but soon found his composure to speak. "Everyone has those emotions and feelings," he glanced at his disciple with a smile, "everyone has their own way of feeling and showing their emotions or feelings. Do not say that you do not know and understand them." 

Sidharth patted Samay's head, "It's just that your way of expressing and feeling your feelings and emotions is different from others." Samay was little taken back by those weird words from the Chief Minister. "The way you look at me, Prime Minister Svapn, and His Majesty are full of respect. Respecting someone can be a way to show how much you love them." 

Samay's eyes were leaking with confusion but stayed silent to listen more. 

Sidharth pleasantly and calmly spoke, "The way you see other people having fun with their loved ones, your eyes have that grief-filled longing to be like them, to have someone close to you. To long for love is a sign that you also have too much love in you to give." He looked at the sky through the window beside him, "Love is not just love between two lovers. The way a mother feels about her child is a different form of love. The way a friend loves their friend is another way of love. The way you love swords and martial arts is a form of love as well. This list can go on and on. Love, feelings, and emotions are not only contained in one form as some books say it is. It is as you see it, feel it, show it. All three of these things have way more form than the stars in the sky or the grain of sand. It depends on you which form you want to feel, give, and receive, which you want to see, feel, express, or show." 

Samay was just a seven-year-old kid there was no way he understood the depth of Sidharth's words. One thing he understood was that he can never understand these so-called emotions and feelings and love which others have for someone. He just needed to understand the lessons taught in the classes and swordsmanship; everything else was just a mystery to him and he let it stay a mystery. 

Even after so many years, those confusing words of the Chief Minister hammer themselves inside Samay's head. Sometimes he started to wonder if he was the problem but he was still indifferent to those emotions and feelings he once talked about with Sidharth. He just did not know, he just never understood those things and he thought it was better this way. He sighed coming out of his daydreaming. He couldn't stand the drama ahead of his eyes, thus he called out, expressionless, "We have an important matter in hand if not forgotten by someone?"

Advik heard Samay and separated himself from the baby Elephant. Gently rubbing between the eyes of his small friend, maybe Big friend!? He opened his lips, "Friend I have to leave you now. Our meeting gave me such joy. Thank you and goodbye. May we meet again." He was overwhelmed with what he was feeling.

Samay tried to digest those sweet words and tone of the Soul. Was Advik really this sweet before? Or this sweetness is only for this animal. First that Firefly and now this demonic Elephant. But who cares? Samay frowned and put a step ahead without any care.

For Samay, Svapn and Sidharth were thousands if not millions of times more important than any demonic animal. People who have raised him all those years when he was just a baby when his parents left him and his big brother in the hands of fate. People who are still raising him when his only brother also disappeared without a word. People who come for him after just one call of help. People who he can at least call home if not family—those same people are missing. How can he have any time for anyone else or anything else? He was arrogant. A brat. Someone unworthy of their attention still, they came looking for him when he thought they wouldn't. Then now when they need him how can he have the heart to think of anything but finding and saving them. How can he think about anything else but them? 

Sure, the Elephant is important. Everyone and everything is important in one or another way. That's what a Master in the Palace said thousands of times in the classes. Even then, nothing is more important than Svapn and Sidharth right this second. Samay sighed and closed his eyes then opened them again and started to walk rapidly with wet eyes. He said without looking back at Advik, "Come or I shall go alone to find Svapn and Sidharth."

Advik heard Samay once again and saw the desperateness of finding the people he cared about in his voice. Advik knew exactly what Samay was feeling because that was the same feeling he had been filled with since the time he found himself in the Palace of Lost Soul's Realm.

However,  Advik still did not want to leave a small baby animal in a place like that. So what if it was a demonic one? It was still a baby! Moreover, it was injured. Even after taking care of its wound, they were still not healed completely; hurting the poor Elephant so intensely.

But what else could he do for it except help it a little? The wandering-soul did not know his own situation even now, so what could he say to make things better for an animal. His heavy heart started to throb thinking about the consequences of their journey which seemed way more life-threatening than ever. Taking the Elephant would slow them down or even put the animal's little life in danger. Hence, leaving it behind was the better option. 

Though Advik's heart was against the decision still it would be better to leave it behind. After all, he had learned that he cannot protect everyone. Playing a hero was not for someone like him. Because having to live in the guilt of not being able to save someone, in the end, is the heaviest thing one has to hold in their heart until the end. And that guilt will kill you before your death. He didn't want to experience that guilt once again. 

Samay asked one last time when he stopped some meters away from the Soul, "Are you coming?" Advik was snatched out of his thoughts. "Or are you going to rub its forehead forever?"

"Vismay?" Samay doubtfully looked at the Fireball from a distance, "Right?" He wasn't sure if he spoke the name correctly. "Please guide me again. I cannot afford to waste any more time." Arrogance was there in his tone whilst worry floated in his glassy eyes which Vismay clearly noticed. 

With his imposing voice, Vismay replied, "Of course. Follow me up close." And flew ahead. 

After a glance at Advik, he marched forward. Light green clothes flapped after him. Seeing this Advik touched his forehead with the Elephant's as a farewell and strode to catch Samay before he could leave him behind. Tara twinkled and circled around the animal as its way of saying goodbye. Advik and Tara together tried to catch Samay though they were still way behind Samay. He heard a sad voice from the Elephant. He was sure that was the way of the baby Elephant to bid farewell to them. Trying to catch the pace of Samay Advik tried to ignore his twisted emotions which swirled inside of him for the farewell with the baby animal.  One thing became vivid to him— Farewell hurts, always. Regardless of time and place.