"At least, now, show some emotions, you Monster!" Sujay cried.
"You came to kill a Voidheart. Even though I am not one, I can at least act like one." Sharv's comment infuriated the limbless man, but before he could say anything, Sharv added, "Now listen, I can keep you alive and in the same pain for as long as I want. But you will be free the moment you answer my question."
"Okay!" Sujay nodded with a grunt, his face distorted due to immense pain. "Hurry and ask what you want."
"Who ordered you to come here?"
"The City… Magistrate."
"Do you have any idea how he would have come to know about me?" Sharv asked with a frown, testing a hunch.
"I wouldn't know. He…sent us a picture…of yours…and the route you were coming from. And the order was to kill or capture the Voidheart coming from a far away village." Sujay slowly spilled whatever he knew. "Can I die now?" he added in a weak voice.
"No. You mentioned a village. What do you know about that?"
Sujay grunted in frustration and pain. But if he wanted his death to be not more miserable than it already was. He had to comply.
"All I know… is that there was a mission…. done few days ago…in a forest village and that's where… the Voidheart was detected. I don't even know if…. they were really talking about you." Sujay's voice got weaker with every rugged breath he took.
A thunderbolt struck Sharv's mind. Many thoughts ran through his mind at lightning speeds.
'So the magistrate knows where I am from. Could he also...' Sharv's thoughts were interrupted by a frustrated cry, "Can I die now? Please!"
Sharv fulfilled his wish with an earthen blade. The words 'die' and 'please' had reminded him of Kant. The boy had suffered a fatal injury because of him at least, that's what Sharv thought. He left the place at unprecedented speed to reach Kant,
Upon seeing Kant's condition, he just nodded to himself, as if it was manageable, even though Kant's charred body looked horrifying. But before doing anything else, he closed his eyes and scanned the surroundings with his Prana.
Assured that no one spied on them now, he started healing Kant. Putting his hands on Kant's chest and head, he activated all his Chakras letting his Prana cover Kant. The surrounding PRĀNÀ also moved towards Kant as if aiding Sharv.
The effects soon became visible. Kant's body was being created anew. The charred hand and leg of Kant first changed color, after his chest wound healed, then started pulsing with blood, Prana and life. Then new skin started covering it.
After the process was complete, the portion of Kant's body that had been healed looked like that of a newborn baby's: soft, squishy, with a tinge of red. Soon after, Kant opened his eyes, and after looking at his body, he was utterly shocked.
He had seen it after the arrow exploded near him but then fainted because of pain and blood loss. He tried to move his fingers, then clenched them into a fist. He pulled himself up and felt no pain. He was looking at his condition with his mouth open in surprise.
But then he looked up at Sharv. And... it was like he had seen a ghost. If it were possible, his jaw would touch the floor, smoke would come out of his head, and his eyes would pop out.
Sharv looked like a beast who had just come back from a hunt, his clothes completely wet with his own blood. Even his hair was drenched in blood and was sticky. But even this gruesome sight couldn't stop Kant from quenching his curiosity. He asked, even though in a shaky voice,
"You... you are different. Are... you a Keeper?" Sharv, who was looking at him with a satisfied look, sighed and nodded.
"Yes."
"Are you sure? Like... are you from... like those folklore stories... and tales of past legends? Like myths, are they real? Are... are...?" Kant almost had a panic attack just from the confirmation.
"Calm down, calm down, don't panic," Sharv said with a smile. "Take a deeeeep breath."
Kant somehow managed to calm down after taking some deep breaths but asked, "Is it really true...?"
And Sharv confirmed before he had another panic attack, "Yes, it is true. I am a Keeper. Yes, we exist. But before you ask me to take you to them, let me tell you, I don't know any other Keepers. Only my father knew, and he is dead." Somehow, amusement was visible in Sharv's voice.
"Okay, okay," Kant said haphazardly. "But you know, I really wanted to meet a Keeper. My Grandpa told us stories about Keepers... Keepers powerful... myste..." But he couldn't complete his sentence as he fell back, drowsy.
"You need some rest. Your body and mind are drained as of now. Even though I did my best, your low Chakra mastery and Prana made it impossible to heal you without any after-effects. It's temporary, so close your eyes and think about where we had to go. I will take you there after cleaning myself."
Kant reluctantly closed his eyes to rest, and Sharv started his shower. He simply conjured water above his head and let it shower over him. Then, using Fire Chakra, he dried his clothes and body. These kinds of tasks were not normal for people, but for him, it was like hitting the training statue.
In under five minutes, Sharv was finished, and Kant had managed to calm down. Then Sharv sat near him, looking at the devastation caused by his battle: craters filled with blood, uprooted trees, charred ground. Every single aspect and part of the forest near him told the story of a great but disastrous battle.
'Maybe it was their destiny to die by my hands.' Thinking this, Sharv asked Kant, "So where are we going?"
"Oh, we are going to my base..." Kant started with excitement but then stopped abruptly, and his face turned solemn. "I am sorry. You got attacked because of me." He bowed his head down.
"What? I am Keeper. And I will be hunted with or without you." Sharv looked at Kant as if he was calling him dumb. "Now tell me where we need to go to save your brother."
Now Kant reacted as if he had just gotten an electric shock. Yes, he was talking to the Keeper. What could be worse than that in front of the government? But he was more shocked that he had revealed something about his brother.
" You already saved my life. You don't need to save my brother." Kant tried to put his point across but Sharv cut him off.
"Just stop. I said I'll fulfill your one wish because you got attacked and almost died because of me, not that I'll do something only if you die," Sharv cut him off. "And as a man, I must keep my promises."
"How old are you?" Kant asked cheekily, somehow trying to divert him.
"That doesn't matter. It's not like one day you sleep and then you wake up as a man. It's circumstances, situations, and the environment that can make a man. But what really defines a man is his thought process, his mindset, his efforts and desire to fulfill his duties, and his grit to bear the consequences of his actions. And his words are the flag bearers of his actions. So I must keep my word," Sharv spoke with utter seriousness.
"Buddy, you really got serious," Kant said, now in a serious tone. "I just didn't want to drag you into my problems, keeping in mind where my brother is and the rebellious organization I am part of. You know I don't have any authority in the org."
His cheerfulness was nowhere to be seen, water drops shining in his brown eyes. "That doesn't matter either. I don't need somebody else to fulfill my promise and I do not have any affiliations. Unless your brother has done something he shouldn't have done, I will help him," Sharv said without any change in his expression or voice. "But I want you to keep my identity a secret."
"Your identity is safe with me. Even though my stomach hurts from keeping a secret, I will die from the ache rather than spilling it out," Kant spoke, somewhat back to his cheerful and mischievous persona.
Then he revealed where to go.