ASRAN SERIES- ACROSS THE BORDER

Chapter - 50

In the militant camp, Peter was placed inside a tent to rest. Even though Nina had frozen his body to stop the poison from spreading, his subconscious mind was still awake. His mind kept on traveling to other places searching for a way out. 

Suddenly, Peter felt like he was traveling to some other planet out of his will. He was pushed through several obstacles and when he opened his eyes he saw a place that was fully covered in ashes and nothing else! 

In the middle of the Ashes piles, he saw a man sitting above the mountain of Ashes and the ashes kept on flowing out of his body filling the space with more ashes. He at once got pulled towards the place where the man was sitting.

“I have been waiting for a long time now, Peter. I was even losing my hope thinking about whether I would even be able to meet you or not. Right now, my life is almost over and I am on the verge of dying. So all I can do for you is give my soul to save your life.” The man told Peter.

Peter could not speak and neither could he refuse the man. All he could do was stand in front of the man and accept what he gave him.

The man picked a little ash from inside his heart and he gave it to Peter. Then he said to him, “Eat this! The poison in your body will be destroyed immediately. This is only a small gift from me as I expect you to do me a favor in return. Once you are awake, do not trust anyone other than your mother.”

‘My mother? My mother… She must be worried about me… I must go back and tell her that I am fine and there is nothing to worry about as I have found my sister, Elly too,’ Peter thought but then he couldn’t move from that place and also could only stare at the man with Ashes in front of him.

It felt like he got glued to that place and could not make a decision of his own. When he was struggling to get out of that place, the man told him,

“I have given a book to your mother for safekeeping. It’s a part of me and my soul. Remember this, no one must know of its existence other than you and your mother. No one! Promise me, you will protect that book with your life and would never let it fall on the evil hands.”

Without his consent, Peter’s hands automatically moved towards the man’s hands that were filled with Ashes from his heart. He then took the ashes from his hands and started to eat the ashes as if he was desperate.

‘What am I doing? Why is this happening to me? Where am I?” Peter’s subconscious mind asked several questions but no one gave him an answer.

So, Peter looked at the man with a feeling of uncertainty. Then when he realized that this man is sacrificing his life to save him, he also felt worried for the unknown person in front of him. 

Suddenly, he realized that he got his voice back after he ate the ashes that the man gave him.

“Who are you? Why are you helping me? And why does your body have ashes flowing out? Are you sick? Can I do anything to help you feel better?” Peter asked many questions to the man in front of him.

For which he only got a sad smile from that man. Peter thought he was suffering from pain, so he rushed near him and held that man in his hands. The Ashes lord smiled at him and said, 

“Peter, if I have only met you before, how good it would have been! You would have not been poisoned by her and I could have stopped everything. I am sorry, I came too late now. But trust me, I would never let anyone harm you. Even if I have to give my life again to save you, then I will do it to you all over without any hesitation.”

Peter could not understand why someone would sacrifice his life to save him. His mother had taught him that using anyone as a shield to protect himself is a sin. Every life is equal in this universe and no one is high above the sky and no one is low under the ground.

So he begged the Ashes Lord, “No, please do not do that! Is there a way I can reverse everything that has happened now? I don’t want you to die. Please tell me what I should do to save you!”

“Listen, Peter, I am, anyway, dying and right now, you cannot do anything to save me. Also, I am just a replica that was created by the Lord Ashes before he was chosen to serve as the king of Asran a long time ago. So, listen to me carefully to what I am going to ask you and also please promise me that you would do it for me!” The Ashes Lord asked him.

“Ok… I promise,” Peter said as he realized that he could really not save the replica of the Ashes Lord.

‘Maybe the replica of the Ashes Lord is dying because his time is over. But the original Ashes Lord must be doing ok, right?’ Peter thought.

He knew that the Ashes Lord was one of the most powerful people in this universe. He could do anything but it is really impossible to ignore the pain the Ashes Lord is going through.

“Peter, my child! Please take care of yourself until you meet the Ashes Lord. You need to promise me that when you see Ashes Lord you would forgive him for what he did to your family and help him out of his misery. Please give him some hope in his life, so that he could continue to live,” The replica of the Ashes Lord asked him.

“Why should I forgive him? Did he do something wrong to us? But we have never met the Ashes Lord before, so how could he have done anything bad to us? Also, doesn’t he always live on the Ashes planet?” Peter asked innocently.

“You have to figure out all the details by yourself, Peter. But remember your promise well… You are the only hope, Ashes Lord has right now. His soul had turned the darkest and he is on the verge of losing his desire to carry on with his life any longer. Please save him,” The replica of the Ashes Lord almost begged him.

“Promise me… Promise me, Peter… please…” Before the man could finish his sentence, Peter drifted away.

When Peter woke up from his dreams, he noticed Robert lying on the floor next to his bed. He then examined his surroundings and found that they were not in the evil witch, Bairania’s cage. Everything looked completely different and he wondered,

‘Did we escape from that place? But where are we right now?’

He tried to get up from the bed but then he felt too weak and almost fell on top of Robert. In an instant, his dream flashed in front of his eyes and he had a splitting headache.

“Ahhh… No… No… Don’t die… Don’t… please… no… Why is everyone I met dying on my hands... ” He screamed while holding his head with both his hands.

Robert woke up with a jolt and saw that Peter was lying on him. Peter was struggling to get up but then his hands and legs wouldn't just listen to him. So, Robert helped Peter by lifting him, and then he made him sit on the military cot.

“Peter! You are finally awake! Thank goodness, I thought I would never get to see you alive again,” Robert hugged him tightly which made Peter gasp for air.

He had trouble breathing as his chest got compressed by the bulky Robert’s affectionate hug. So, he lifted his hands and hit Robert’s shoulders while hissing,

“Let me go, Robert! Let me go. You are holding me tight, release me at once. If I hadn’t died before then I am going to die now because of you.”

Robert instantly let go of him and said in an apologetic tone, “I am sorry… I am sorry… I was only happy to see you awake and I went out of control after I saw you on top of me…”