Wednesday, December 20th, 2045

Mourntale Estate, Magic City, Netheria 

Sitting on the porch of a cottage, two young men were busy playing a game of chess against each other, and on the board, the whites were in a very sorry state. 

Samrath always thought he was really good at chess, but after playing his third game against Keith, he had never felt as helpless in it as he did right now. 

He sighed when he realised what was about to happen in the next five moves, but instead of resigning, in a show of respect, he kept playing. 

"Checkmate." Keith lightly said, and then leaned back in the chair, allowing the Child of Destiny to take a good look at the board and think over his mistakes. 

When the young Arya finally took his eyes off it, the pieces magically moved and were reset for another game, and it made him chuckle helplessly. 

"I am sure it is not fun playing against me, Dr. Keith." 

"I would not be so blunt about it." He smiled, making the boy chuckle some more. "So, you are leaving for India?" 

"Yes." Samrath nodded his head and lightly smiled. "I want to see my mother." 

Keith knew that his mother was long gone, and the young Arya only wished to go and visit her grave to speak to her, pouring out all his pain and clearing his mind.

"I always feel better after I have told her everything." He said, and in his voice was all the love he held for his late mother. 

"They say that the Laws show some extra favour to a child as long as his mother lives, and after she's gone, no longer there to hope and wish for her child's well-being, they are left vulnerable to the terrors and realities of the world." Keith smiled at him. 

"I believe it." Samrath nodded his head, and his eyes turned a little misty as the face of his late mother crossed his mind.

There was a brief period of silence between them where Samrath reminisced about the days when he had his mother to dote on him. And his yearning to go and visit her grave only grew stronger. 

Of course, he knew that she was not there in the ground waiting for him to hear what he had to say, but it was the place he always visited for the peace of his mind and heart whenever he terribly missed her or felt low. 

And now, it was almost as if his mother was calling out to him to return home. 

"I will be back in January." He informed Keith, who nodded his head. 

"You did the right thing by sorting out your differences with Ozell." 

"I have not forgiven them yet." There was a hint of coldness in his voice, and he lowered his head, sighing again. "It's hard to forgive." 

"That's understandable." Keith smiled.

He was there the other night when everyone had gathered at the feast. 

The Ozell reluctantly apologised to Samrath in public and thanked him again for sparring their Heir's life. 

And young Arya had not made it too hard for them and helped them keep their face in the fraternity. 

"I hope they will keep their promise." 

The Head of the Ozell promised him that he would get to the root of Sunaina's disappearance and that if anyone from his family or Sect was behind it, he would punish them and hand them over to him. 

"Let's hope for the best." Keith nodded and then stood up, ready to take his leave. "Be safe."

"Thank you, Dr. Keith." The young Arya respectfully bowed to him. 

Keith patted his shoulder before walking past him and heading towards the Main Compound. 

"We are ready to leave, Samrath." Old Vidya approached her Young Master and informed him. 

"Let's go." He nodded his head and took a deep breath before walking down the porch and rushing towards the main Gate together with his Shadow Guards. 

They had an early morning flight to catch from the Southern Airport of the Magic City, and though there was still a lot of time before their departure, Samrath had to go to the city to buy some gifts and presents for his family members, especially his younger cousins. 

When they arrived at the Main Gate, they frowned a little as the two Shadow Guards who were supposed to be there by now were missing. 

"Where are Jelash and Aditya?" Samrath asked, and for some reason, he had a bad hunch about it. 

"I will go and check the campsite." Old Bali suggested, but Samrath shook his head. 

"Let's go together." Saying it, he rushed forward first, and then their entourage travelled through the woods to reach the Rosario Valley where their campsite was situated. 

When they arrived at the location, they were pensive at seeing the obvious signs of a battle that took place there, and Samrath clenched his fist when he saw some blood on the grass. 

They suddenly heard the birds cry and chirp in the sky to their north, and as soon as their Young Lord nodded, all of them summoned their Aura Soul Avatars and rushed towards the hill the birds were flying away from. 

It was not long before they heard a wail of a man, and all their hearts constricted as they recognised old Aditya's voice. 

"Adi!" Bali's face paled when they arrived at the scene and found a bleeding man on the ground with his limbs severed from his body, and his eyes listlessly looking at the sky. 

Aditya took their last breath right in front of them, and then there was a deathly silence in these woods. 

They apprehensively looked around, searching for the enemy, and their hearts skipped a beat when they heard a rustle. Followed by it, there was a strange dull sound, which was soon accompanied by a cough and splatter of blood. 

Samrath immediately turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw the Sahdow Gaurd who was furthest away from them drop to the ground with a hole in his chest. 

They caught a fleeting yellow blur, and immediately a face appeared in their minds even if they had not managed to take a good look at the enemy. 

"That's Yexuan!" Vidya alerted them, and Samrath instinctively reached for the dagger on his waist. 

Yes, the Yellow Aura was all too familiar to him. After all, he had fought against him twice and lost both times.

The five remaining Shadow Guards immediately got into a defensive formation and surrounded Samrath. 

They were dismayed at the speed that the enemy was showcasing, and even Old Bali felt that he would not be able to keep up with it. 

All of them subtly exchanged a glance, choosing to trust in their instincts and make a run for it to the Mourntale Estate. 

Old Bali and Samrath frowned when they found out that their Cellphones were not working, it was almost as if an invisible EMP blast had occurred which had short-circuited their devices, and now, they were unable to call for reinforcements or inform someone about what was happening. 

Feeling a little restless, Samrath met Vidya's eyes, and they both nodded to each other. 

"Hold." She ordered, fighting against her instincts told to make a run as it would only leave them open and vulnerable. 

For the next minute, all of them vigilantly looked around, waiting for Yexuan to attack them, but nothing happened. 

They refused to let their guards down and stayed their ground, not bothered by fleeting time. 

Minutes passed, and they still stayed their ground, and now, their hearts had calmed down a little. 

Vidya's call proved to be right as their enemy was hesitating to attack them all at once, and had they run, listening to their instincts, they would have fallen into the trap. 

"It's impressive that a youngling like you possesses such a sharp mind, girl." 

They heard Yexuan speak, but his voice seemed to be coming at them from all sides. 

"I guess I will have to do it the hard way then." 

"On me!" A Shadow Guard warned and they all turned to look at the young man, who covered in his yellow Aura, reach for the Guard who was protected by his Aura Soul Avatar of a Bear. 

And the Aura-Coated Draconic claw pierced right through the Aura Soul, and reached for the man's shoulder. 

Though it had managed to get past the defence, the Claw was now a little distorted, unable to really harm the Auror, but all of a sudden, the Aura around Yexuan's hand vanished. The unprotected hand landed lightly on the Guard's shoulder, almost as if he was patting him.

The Guard closest to his partner swung his sword at Yexuan, aiming for his neck, and Old Bali threw a monstrous punch at him, intending to smash his brains, but in that instant, something strange and unexpected happened. 

*Boom!" 

The sword and the fist clashed against each other, creating an explosion, and both the Old Bali and the other Shadow Guard were pushed away by the resulting force. 

They had not realised what had happened, but Vidya and Samrath saw it. 

Yexuan had disappeared with the Shadow Guard he had touched, right at the moment the sword and the fist was about to catch him. 

But before they could even say something and make sense of it, Yexuan suddenly appeared again in the same spot, alone. And without wasting any time, he rushed at Vidya and the other Shadow Guard who were still standing by Samrath's side.

This time, however, he was met with stronger and reinforced Aura Souls, who retaliated and pushed him away. 

Old Bali and the other Shadow Guard managed to recover as well, and taking the opportunity, they rushed at Yexuan again, this time, way more alert and careful. 

They did not have the luxury to figure out and understand what happened and where their companion went. It was clear to them that it was a battle of life and death, and they had to protect Samrath at all costs. 

Soon a heated battle ensued in the woods, devastating their immediate surroundings, and five Aurors went head to head against a young man who was not even utilising his Aura Soul Avatar. 

Even together, they were unable to truly harm him. 

The young man was relentless. His combat skills were just unreal, almost as if he was an incarnation of some God of War. 

"Your resistance is futile. I am your death." 

There was this crazy smirk on his lips as he said those words that they felt compelled to believe him, but they were not the people who were going to give up their lives so easily. 

"Why?" Samrath gritted his teeth and asked, but Yexuan never answered him.