Inside the rotting house, the floor creaked with each step that Eldrain and An took towards the couch that was in front of the doors.
"Miss Amesha?"
An eerie silence filled the house. Not that there was a lot to fill, it just had three sections.
A bedroom to the left, in the middle a living room and the far right corner of the house was the kitchen.
A simple house befitting a Rishi's lifestyle.
"Simple and minimal. Just like it was."
He walked forward, and his hand landed on the chair in front of the sofa.
What was a forgotten moment now became the centre point in his mind.
"Take a seat, Eldrain. The food will arrive soon."
Eldrain sat down with Rishi Purrn in the living room.
"Why are you doing this, Rishi Purrn?"
"My child, within you I saw The One; he inspired me to act and serve him through you."
"I see. Still, I must thank you." "Do not thank me, Eldrain, thank The One. He seems to have blessed you. In ways that even I am envious."
"What ways?" "You will learn someday."
Confusion took over Eldrain as Rishi Purrn's words went over his head.
Today, he smiled as the meaning behind those words finally hit him. "It took me a long time, but I understand now."
"Eld. How did you know this?"
"I was going through this village when I was Raghav's age, and I was living on the streets. I did not have the money to eat a stomach full of food. Rishi Purrn fed me once. That was all that happened, yet it was a turning point in my life."
Another tear escaped his eyes as he looked at An. "I never met them again and moved on with my life. To think that this happened, and I was not there to help them like they had helped me."
Cupping her husband's face, An wiped the tear away. "It is not your fault; what happened was what was supposed to happen."
He held onto her hand and nodded. "You are right. But I need to know what happened. I need the truth."
"Then let us find it together."
Both of them hugged each other and stood there in silence.
It would not be long before the silence was shattered. "Eldrain? Is that you?"
They separated, and Eldrain looked around. "It is. Is that you, Miss Amesha?"
"Indeed." In the bedroom, the wind began to swirl, and a shadow fell from the ceiling like black goo.
Slimy and smooth in texture, the shadow began to move and take form, a form Eldrain had once seen a long time ago.
Bread alongside rice, milk and curry were served before Eldrain and Rishi Purrn.
"Eat, my child. We will talk once we are finished eating."
"Thank you, Rishi Purrn, for helping me." "You need not thank me, thank The One. For I am neither the doer nor the receiver of the results."
Rishi Purrn took a piece of bread and held it in front of his chest, and closed his eyes.
One of the many behaviours that the believers of The One have. Offering food to their chosen one who resides in them.
Inspired and intrigued, Eldrain followed in his steps and began offering food to The One.
That was the moment he heard the sounds of footsteps walking across the house from the kitchen to the bedroom.
Something tempted him to turn to the left, and he could not resist. At the arch between the bedroom and the living room, with her back turned to them, stood a figure clad in white from head to toe.
Now that very same figure stood before him and An, now utterly black.
Yet, there was no room for mistake; it was the same figure.
"Miss Amesha?"
Eldrain called out once more, his voice trembling as it travelled through the creaky house.
"How many times will you repeat that?"
Asked the black entity, her voice cold and stiff like a corpse.
Utterly different from the warm and soft voice Eldrain had heard on that day.
"Young child. Did you like the food?"
Eldrain kept his head lowered and responded with a nod, and in a soft and silent voice answered the question. "It felt like I was back with my father and mother."
Amesha smiled gently under the veil and patted Eldrain's head. "Take care of yourself on the Journey. If you ever need a place to stay. Our doors will always open for you. You will always have a home here."
Joining his hands, Eldrain bowed and touched the ground in front of Amesha's feet, taking her blessing and walked away with Rishi Purrn.
Those were the only words she ever spoke to the young man; normally, one would forget them as they grow older, even if they were able to recall the memory, they would never be able to remember them word for word and gesture to gesture.
But Eldrain was anything but normal; he wasn't even a normal being elf, nor a normal dwarf. He was a hybrid, a Grand Master, who had unparalleled control over Mana, yet right now, he was losing control over himself.
"Why are you here? Eldrain."
"It eludes my understanding as to why I am here, but I believe to repay your kindness, I was guided by the planets…" "PLANETS?"
Yelled out the spirit, cracking the floor and the walls, travelling towards Eldrain and An.
The shockwaves stopped the moment they came in contact with his body and vanished. "DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE PLANETS WITH ME! NOT AFTER EVERYTHING THEY HAVE DONE!"
Taking one gulp, An stepped forward, holding her husband's hand. "Miss Amesha. The planets are not to be blamed; they act and guide our lives based on our past deeds."
There was a silence for a few moments.
"No! They do things that they want as well. All these beings who are the caretaker of the world, entrusted to keep it in motion, are beings who abuse their power."
Sadness rested on his face as Eldrain looked down at Amesha's feet. "What happened? The villagers are spreading rumours that you…you were…That you did something immoral, and Rishi Purrn cursed you. That you have been attacking women and killing their lovers. Tell me this is not true."
"Knowing all that, and you still brought your wife here. You made a mistake, Eldrain."
The darkness around the figure moved and shifted, revealing her true form underneath the darkness.
Eldrain, throat ran dry, and his heart began beating faster and faster. He felt a temptation that he had never felt before.
LUST
It came not from her but from within him, guiding him towards Amesha.
The darkness spread around, covering the entire house.
As Eldrain's self-control began to slip, he called out for help. "RAGHAV!"
Just as he called out, a white flash of light emerged from his chest and penetrated the darkness, tearing through it and engulfing everything in the house.
Within seconds, the light disappeared, and Amesha was gone.
All that remained in the house were Eldrain and An, looking at each other in silence.
A knock was heard on the door as they walked towards it. Eldrain stayed behind An as she opened the doors and saw Aurelia standing there.
Who immediately engulfed An in a hug. "Are you okay?"
"I am. Thank you for coming to save us."
Eldrain emerged from the dark house and saw Raghav standing at the bottom of the stairs.
Their eyes met and they just looked at one another, without exchanging words.
An smiled as she turned to Raghav. "Thank you, had it not been for your essence, who knows what could have happened."
Without meeting her eyes or looking at her, Raghav nodded. "You called out to me; there was no way I was going to turn a blind eye. Let us return to the tavern and discuss what we learned."
.
.
.
.
Inside the tavern, the four of them sat at a circular table in the corner, silently eating breakfast.
Eldrain took a sip from his tea and looked at Raghav, who was looking back at him.
There was no way to avoid this conversation, and he knew that he would need to start the conversation himself.
So he placed down his cup and crossed his arms. "We went to the market in the southern part of the village and heard rumours about who the spirit can be. I happened to recognise the names and went to their house. Where you found us. What happened on your half?"
Mirroring Eldrain, Raghav tilted his head. "We went to the village school, learned some valuable details from Sage Ert. Then, as we were returning, I sensed you were in danger and rushed to help. Just as we came closer to the house, I heard you call out to me. What happened in there?"
"I saw her spirit. I asked her if it was true, but she didn't respond clearly."
Right now, Eldrain was a mess, and Raghav knew it, so he lowered his eyes and tilted his head towards An. "An, is there anything else that happened?"
She chuckled and hummed in response. "Yes, she was calm at first, eerily calm, until she heard us talk about the planets. She snapped and things got violent…"
"I felt my control over my desires slip. She flamed the desires within me, and I felt lust take over."
Now the pieces began to fall into place, as Raghav hummed, his eyes grabbing the puzzle pieces before him and guiding them to their respective places.
However, his thoughts were interrupted by Eldrain.
"I knew them, Raghav, even if for a day, even if for just one lunch. I knew them, I had forgotten about them, and now I remember everything so clearly as if I am living in both the past and present at the same time."
Leaning back in his chair, Raghav looked up at the ceiling. 'Afraid, are we? Good.'
Then he brought his head back and responded to Eldrain.
"Eldrain, the past is in the past, right now our priority is to extract the truth from the rumours we have learnt and figure out a way to release Amesha."
"Can you not use your powers and simply exorcise her?"
An questioned Raghav, expressing her thoughts.
Raghav shook his head. "I can, Omniurja, tie me directly to The One, and his spark and presence can be felt by others around me. It affects people differently; those who worship him and believe in me are drawn to me, and they feel connected to him through me. On the other hand, spirits, ghosts and other dark entities are repelled from it. I most certainly can end her in an instant."
For a moment, he stopped, letting the words sink in before looking at Eldrain, who was silently shaking his head. "But that would be unjust, we need to help her move on, she was a kind woman in life and a Rishi's wife, we can save her still."
Aurelia leaned forward. "Can I say something?"
Raghav smiled and nodded. "Of course, you do not have to remain quiet around us."
"I know, I just stay back and observe how you all carry yourself and act around others. I realised, listening more and speaking less helps learn a lot."
She was gesturing on the table as she shared her thoughts.
It was something Eldrain and An had seen before as their gaze shifted towards Raghav, who listened intently to each and every word Aurelia spoke.
"I believe the planets had something to do with Amesha's current state. That is why she is triggered by them and got violent. That is why everyone is telling us a different origin for her existence. The planets were involved, the only question I have now is what the planet could have done to her?"
It was a great insight into the situation, and An responded with her own thoughts.
"Maybe she just blames them for the consequences of her own action. Many people blame the planets for what happened to them. The planets are seen as beings who shape the lives of all the others living on this planet; their position throughout the person's life shapes their fortune, misfortunes and their fate.
But as always, there is more than meets the eye.
Things are never as simple as they seem on the surface. The planets are not the decision makers; it is, as Raghav said, our deeds from our previous lives that are used to create this one. We are born under the planetary positions that align with what our life is supposed to be like.
All this does is tell us what will happen in our lives, not what we will do with the experience."
Both possibilities held weight, and there was only one person who could give a conclusive answer, right beside them, eyes closed, silently absorbing their words.
So they turned to Raghav, who sat there leaning forward, his fingers intertwined, placed under his nose, supporting his head.
"What do you think, Raghav? What could be the truth?"
Upon hearing An's question, Raghav gently opened his eyes, meeting Eldrain's gaze.
"Each variation of Amesha's history holds a certain truth behind it. Even though people twist and turn stories to better fit the things that they want to tell others. The villagers' story about her being cursed by none other than her husband for her infidelity is used to justify their abuse of their wives, and the story Sage Ert told us about her being killed by the person who seduced her, and later also led Rishi Purrn to choose exile, is used to teach, to not let a third person get between one's marriage. All these variations have some truth to them."
Raghav paused, took a sip of water and sighed. "One thing is certain, the planets are involved, and they are afraid that we will uncover something that they do not want to be known. I felt them interfere with Eldrain just now; they pushed him to act emotionally rather than his normal self. Last I remember, he was not religious or spiritual."
He dropped a bomb upon them without much care for theatrics, as he always has.
"You can sense them?" An asked.
"I can. I am not from this world, hence I am an existence beyond the cause and effects of these planets. With my powers, I can read, feel and sometimes see things that do not exist physically but rather temporally."
While the others were thinking about what Raghav had told them.
A frown appeared on his forehead, and he turned towards Aurelia, his eyes narrowed and reached forward to her face.
She noticed his approached hand and closed her mouth as it slowly drew closer.
The hand moved past her face and near her ear, he then pulled out a small leaf that was stuck in her hair and placed it on the table. "This was in your hair."
He smiled at her before looking up for a moment, then back down at his food.