Sharv and Kant were standing at a makeshift bus stand one kilometre away from the military camp. They were under a tin shade beside a tree.
Sharv was looking at the black ID card with golden letterings. Sharv, his original name, was written on it boldly.
"I was really worried for a moment there." Kant's voice still had lingering fear." You're not…. Voidheart, are you Ari?" He added with hesitation.
"I was living with my father just a few days ago. And he said I am not." Sharv answered in a melancholic manner.
" Yeah." Kant nodded with a wry smile.
A bus's horn got their attention. Kant offered a weak smile to Sharv. There were many thoughts in his head but he couldn't ask them now.
"How long will the ride be?" Sharv asked as he walked to the bus. The red colored bus, hovered above the ground with antigravity.
"It takes about an hour, generally." Kant answered as he climbed in the bus.
'Then I will finish reading the diary. Just a few pages remain.' Sharv thought. They entered the bus and Kant took the tickets. The conductor scanned their faces and issued their tickets. Sharv took out the diary as he settled down in his seat.
"What's that?" Kant asked with confusion looking at the unnamed diary.
"You can say it is a guide book I am supposed to finish before I really start my journey." Sharv said, opening the book.
"Okay then, I'll take a nap while you read." Kant extended his head rest and closed his eyes.
Sharv also opened his diary.
[Son, I have already told you every useful technique of Keepers. Now just a truth remains that you need to know. I couldn't bring myself to tell you personally but I am writing it here.]
'So Father hid something from me' Sharv thought while reading the opening.
[ When you were born, the tattoo on your chest glowed red, radiating a chilling aura. The midwife couldn't sense your heartbeat. You being completely silent but watching everything with wide eyes didn't help either. They were about to execute you as a Voidheart but somehow your heartbeat came back as the glow of your tattoo dimmed down.]
'So this label has been with me since birth.' Sharv noted to himself.
[ But that's not all. We, Keepers, live in deep forests to avoid the general populace and any direct confrontation with the government. But the day you were born the village we lived in got attacked by Voidhearts. We were able to finish every single foe but our losses were immense. We were attacked every year on your birthday and results remained the same. After your third birthday, you and by extension we, were excommunicated to keep the village safe. Our people nicknamed you as the HARBINGER OF DEATH. Your mother, on the other hand, gave you the name Àrí Màrdàn as not a single attacker survived.]
Sharv, who was reading this, had a calm face as if he was not reading his own past but a poetry. Nobody could guess his internal thoughts by looking at his face. But his mind was in chaos reading all this for the first time.
[ During our exile, we found out that almost everyone who came close to you went through a near death experience. Later, your mother and younger brother lost their lives in an attack by Voidhearts. Though I got cursed and lost my Chakras, I lived because I had already accepted myself as dead and embraced death. Every village we lived in, our house was always away from the main village. This was the reason why.]
'I am really cursed, aren't I. Even my family died because of me, huh. Then why… no, how am I still alive?' Sharv's mind was really a mess.
[Remember Sharv, stay away from the general populace as much as you can. But don't and… this is my dying wish, don't think of yourself as a curse. I believe you were born with a power you can't control. And you are my only son, last of our lineage, alive. So, please, stay safe. I won't be able to witness what you achieve, but I wish you unravel what you are.]
There were uncolored patches on this page as if water droplets had stained the writings. Sharv could see his father writing and few tears falling on the page. For the first time he was about to feel something in his heart.
There were a few pages still left. But Sharv was jolted awake from his reverie. Something had hit the bus pretty hard shattering the front shields. As Sharv moved his head upwards, he saw a wild bison was rammed in the front shields of the bus and another one was on the road.
The bus was moving through a forest and these beasts jumped in front of the bus while fighting. He noticed the reaction of other passengers. They were calm and unbothered indicating the common occurrence of such incidents.
Then he looked at Kant who was looking at the triangular glass shard which had pierced his seat after scratching his neck. " I can't go to the next city with you. I will get off the bus before it reaches there." Sharv spoke to Kant in a solemn but firm tone.
***********
Meanwhile at the next city Gate.
"Hello, Sujay."
" Oh Hello, Vijay."
Two men greeted each other. They were wearing blackish golden military uniforms with a pitch black overcoat on their backs. The coat had a purple peacock insignia on it, above which VOID was written in golden letters. They both had subtle beards with faded haircuts. The only difference was Sujay had a scar above his right ear.
"What do you think, will there be a new addition in our forces today?" Sujay asked in whispers.
"That will depend on how that unawakened behaves." Vijay replied. " We don't need weaklings anyway."
Both of them had fifty men behind them, who were wearing golden uniforms with black embroidery and black badges with the same insignia. Vijay turned and addressed them.
" Knights, this might be the last battle you fight," He started, " But remember you are fighting a Voidheart. You will be fighting for your family, your loved ones and humanity. Fight for glory."
"We will fight for glory." The Knights echoed.
Both Vijay and Sujay turned with a grin. Their whole eyes turned pitch black for a second. All the knights followed them.
Unknown to Sharv, destruction was coming his way.