The Guardian: Heart Of Magic

Journey Remorse

Lyculn was still baffled about why Lycurgos told him to avoid Arda and also why he saw Arda with Idahali's soldiers on the street. He tried to put the two pieces together, he then thought of it deeply while walking. He then realized that the danger Lycurgos was telling about was Arda handing Helena over to Idahali. He told him to also avoid him so that he would not go and meet him when he sees him on the street.

"But why would Arda try to hand me and Helena over to Idahali, I was ready to take him like a brother because of my promise to his father," Lyculn said. He was talking to himself as he was walking through the streets of Azerihania Province.

Meanwhile, Arda had assured Idahali that he would bring Lyculn and the golden child to him but all he needed was soldiers and Idahali gave some to him. While Lyculn was fast asleep, Arda went out of the hut and jumped on a horse, and started to head to Dahacra Kingdom, he decided to hand Lyculn and little Helena over to Idahali as a punishment. Arda wanted to avenge his father's death by telling Idahali where to find Lyculn and little Helena and also helping him to capture them. He was always pretending when he was with Lyculn, he never forgave him for endangering all the villagers in his village and also allowing Idahali to kill them all.

*While Lyculn was fast asleep*

Arda made his way to Dahacra Province on a horse, he became to ask about where he could find Idahali. He encountered one of the soldiers of Idahali and he took him to him.

"Master, I saw this man roaming about the street asking everyone about you, he said he has something to discuss with you," one of the soldiers of Idahali said to him.

"Thank you, leave us alone" Idahali replied.

Arda could not yet see Idahali but he heard his voice when he replied to the soldier that brought him here. It was the Dahacra Province palace that Idahali was now saying since he had killed the King and taken control of the province.

"Why are you here?" Idahali asked.

"I am here to negotiate with you, I have something you want" Arda responded. Idahali began to laugh until he came out of where he was.

"You want to make a deal with the devil, what do you have that you are sure I want?" Idahali asked.

"I know where the golden child and Lyculn are currently, I will help you capture them if you promise me that you would make me powerful as you are," Arda replied.

"Hmmm, you know where Lyculn is with the golden child, What do you need to bring them before me," Idahali asked.

"I need some soldiers because it will not be easy to lure them both here" Arda replied.

"I will grant you as many soldiers as you wish but if you default to provide them, I will feed you to my hyenas," Idahali said. Idahali has two hyenas as his pet, he feeds them anyone who trespasses in Dahacra Province. Anyone who goes against his will in the town will either die by him sucking their soul or he would feed them to his hyenas.

"And once I bring them here, you would empower me so I can also be a powerful man, people would also start to fear me," Arda said.

"We have a deal, it would be good if you bring the both of them here as you have promised," Idahali said. He then provided Arda with ten soldiers, all the soldiers including Arda then rode their horses back to Azerihania Province.

*Back to current time*

Arda passed Lyculn and little Helena on the way without even knowing, he led Idahali's soldiers to the hut where he left Lyculn and the golden child with the aim of meeting Lyculn fast asleep the way he left him. When they got there, seven of the soldiers surrounded the hut while the remaining three soldiers followed him inside the hut. When they entered the hut, Arda saw that it was empty, the soldiers of Idahali that followed him began to ask where the persons he said were here are. Arda began to wipe when Idahali's soldiers began to bundle him in order to return him to their master. Arda was already regretting ever planning to revenge on Lyculn as he was being taken back to Dahacra Province to meet Idahali, he began to wish he had forgiven him ever before they left his village. Idahali was already expecting his soldiers and Arda to come back with Lyculn and the golden child because he saw the confidence while he was talking about bringing them.

When the soldiers arrived at the Dahacra Province Palace, Idahali saw that they were coming with no one else, they returned the same way they left earlier. Idahali was already angry even before his soldiers brought Arda before him.

"Please I am very sorry, they were at the hut, we left the village in the woods together, he even promised my dad that he would protect me, If you can spare he would come back for me by then you would be able to capture him," Arda said.

"I warned you before you left but you kept on assuring me that you have them in your custody, the wages of this sin you have committed to me is death, I will feed you to my hyenas," Idahali said.

"Please I can make it up to you, all I need is just a second chance, please I don't want to die," Arda said.

"I warned you beforehand, boys, take this man away from here and feed him to my hyenas, they must be hungry by now," Idahali said.

Arda was begging, screaming, and crying as Idahali's soldiers began to carry him to Idahali's hyenas to be eaten. In no time, Idahali's soldiers threw Arda inside the hyena's den, they were happy to welcome Arda inside their den, they jumped on him, tore him with their paws, his blood began to splat about, the hyenas began to bite and drag his body on the ground. After a while, the hyenas were done eating all parts of Arda's body including some parts of his bones.

Idahali then reached out to some of his soldiers, he told them he wants them to go back to the village they attacked in the woods to see how it is. Idahali was thinking that Lyculn would go back to the village so he wants his soldiers to capture him and bring him for him.

"Go to the village, bring me, anyone you find there, do not fall me this time," Idahali said to the soldiers he was sending on the mission.

After listening to the order from Idahali, the soldiers rode down to the village that they recently attacked with their master to check if anyone was there. When they got there, they saw everywhere was silent, beautiful, and smelling nice because of the flowers that were growing around. If it is not that they were involved in the attack on the village they will never believe that the village was attacked, they would just think it is an abandoned village. On their way from the village, they were hearing a baby cry, they began to trace the cry till they got to its source, they saw a man and a baby. They arrested the man and took the baby from him immediately, the man was pleading innocent but the soldiers told the man that only their master can tell if he is innocent or he has committed a crime. They all rode back to Dahacra Province to report their journey to their master.

"Master, we have returned from the village, we could not find anyone there, the village looked so beautiful like all the dead bodies transformed into beautiful flowers with nice fragrances," one of the soldiers of Idahali said.

"Is that all you have to say,?" Idahali asked.

"No master, when we were coming we a the cry of a baby in the woods and we traced the cry till we found the baby, it was a man with a female child, we brought both of them with us, they are outside the palace" the soldier replied.

"Why did you not come inside her with them, bring them in immediately, I want to see them if they are who I am looking for," Idahali said. Idahali was already thinking that it was Lyculn and the golden child that his soldiers found in the woods.

When the man came inside the palace with a baby in his hand, Idahali was disappointed because it was not his brother and he doubts the child would also be the golden child. He dismissed the man and told his soldiers to allow the man to go back to where he was from.

Meanwhile, Lyculn and little Helena had made it into the territory of Invaquam Province, the neighbor province of Azerihania Province. Lyculn journeyed there as Lycurgos ordered him to do, few walks away from the main gate of the province, there was the market square, he could hear how people were advertising what they were selling. He did not know where he would go in the province, he just kept on walking forward. After some minutes, he saw an old man riding a horse towards him from the front, he thought the man was in a hurry with the way he was riding the horse so he left the way so the man won't hit him with his horse but when the man reached him he stopped. The man was chubby and had very long pure white hair, the man stopped his horse next to him and talked to Lyculn.

"I have been waiting for your arrival, hop on the horse let me take you to my dwelling place," the man said.

"You must be Shelrun," Lyculn asked.

"Yes and I will be your host for your visit to this province," the man said.

Lyculn then climbed the horse with Helena wrapped around his chest with a cloth. Helena was already asleep. In a few minutes, they arrived at a ranch, the old man looked like he was a farmer if it happens to be his dwelling place they arrived at. Farming is the richest profession in the Stronas, farmers are the only ones privileged to have a huge land all to themselves.

"Welcome to my dwelling palace," Shelrun said.

They both came down from the horse and walked into the big hut, one of the workers of Shelrun took care of the horse he and Lyculn arrived with. Lyculn and Helena were safe once again, this time they were in the hands of someone assigned by the gods.