Anything For You
Chapter 80

Egon took a long sigh. He knew it was the time for him to tell Akhim everything. Why was he here! Why was he digging over the past! He sat up again and started to narrate the whole sequence of events which he experienced, "The day we set out for hunting from Castle....

I was getting ready, and I thought of visiting father's room before leaving. When I happened to leave from his room after spending some time there, my eyes caught the sight of an years old urn, which had the neck just like a snake, while it's base was rounded. The artifact looked ancient, very ancient. I was wondering why I didn't notice it prior to that day.

It was amazing. I wasn't able to withdraw my eyes. It was like... it was kind of attracting me towards itself. I gave in, and picked it up. Just as I tried to take a good look at it by changing its angles, an off white colored paper fell off from its opening over the ground. I kept it's aside and crouched down to the ground to pick that paper up, only to get stunned afterwards. It was a letter, Akhim. It was a letter written by father.

He.. he wrote that he had came across a lady when he was hunting and accidently killed someone, after which his health started to deteriorate. He didn't die of that poison studded arrow, Akhim. Something else had happened. I ... I have to find it out, or else I won't ever be able to rule the kingdom, he left for me."

Egon's teary eyes were like a fountain by now. Tears were flowing uncontrollably. Akhim had never seen this young lad cry like this, ever since his father had passed away. It was like he had locked his emotions and hardened his heart. But today, he was crying like a baby. Sure, he missed his father.

Patting on his shoulders, Akhim didn't know what to say. He still managed to form some sentences gulping the lump in his own throat in the remembrance of his dear late friend, "Where is the letter?"

Egon put his right hand in the long cotton sleeve of his left arm to retrieve the letter. He had been carrying it all along with him. Handing over the letter to his fatherly figure, Akhim, Egon turned his head towards the other side, for he didn't want to be more vulnerable than he already was in front of Akhim.

Akhim gazed over that piece of paper, which looked like it had been ages old and unfolding the layers of that paper, he realized that it was written almost 20years ago, by his late friend, Egon's father. Prying over the contents of letter, he read them bit by bit and word by word, not believing his own eyes. If not for Egon himself telling it to him, he wouldn't have believed it.

He was guilty for not believing his son-figure. How much of a pain was this young lad carrying in his heart! He couldn't even imagine it. But now, with truth in his hands, he would make it sure to help his friend get justice. Confronting this fact, he was even more curious by now and hence asked Egon,

"But if this letter was with you, then why didn't you tell me? Why are you showing it to me only now? And why are we here, miles away from our kingdom?" He immediately shot Egon with numerous of the questions, almost all the questions that he could ask. Egon could already sense the feeling of Akhim being by his side, from his tone. This, not exaggerating further, her unfolded everything,

"Since the day, I have got a hold of this letter, I am having visions, Akhim. The visions of us crossing our kingdom. But we are always accompanied by a man in my visions, and he is none other than my father. I had visions of that forbidden land, and of Estella. I knew we would find her there. And then I had visions of coming to this area, to these tribal people. Now we are here. I am just following it.

And regarding why I didn't mention it to you before, Actually, I myself wasn't sure either. I thought maybe I missed father a lot, hence, I was envisioning him. But then we happened to land at the borders of our kingdom, and that forbidden land. That day, everything became quite clear. It became clear that I wasn't going insane, but I was on the right path. This was also the reason that I didn't deny you accompanying me on this voyage, because I saw both of us here."

Akhim was totally dumbfounded on listening to all these things. He wasn't in his correct state of mind. He wasn't able to digest all this. This meant that, the late King's soul was still wandering. Still, his one question remained unanswered, Why exactly they had to be here!

Before he could ask again, Egon read his facial expressions, and almost spat out immediately,

"I have found out that, there is an old magic practicing lady, who lives one village away from here. She knows the answers to all of our questions. We have to find her and ask her. She will tell us the truth, and then my father will rest in peace, Akhim." 'Magic practicing lady!' Akhim's mind contemplated all the things and he immediately blurted out, with his eyes almost getting widened in shock and surprise, "You mean to say, A Witch!!"

To which, Egon just nodded his head in a yes. Egon raised a hand in air to shut Akhim up, before he could put up any words of not visiting the Witch, and Akhim sutured his lips tightly to that gesture. He knew perfectly well that now was not the time to back off. "Fine, As you say. I will accompany you, Your Majesty." Akhim bowed down his head in respect, and left from there to prepare for the duo's journey to that witch.

Egon was happy. He was beaming inside his mind at the thought of finding the only truth, he had longed for his whole life. He wanted to share this news with his new friend, Estella, bit she was nowhere to be found, since last night. Wondering where she could have been, he paced slowly towards the tribal settlement in order to ask the ladies about her, with a thought that Maybe, that witch could help her to find her any last remaining family members.

Somewhere in a corner, someone was standing, listening to the conversation between those two people. Just then his mind made up a plan to get what he had always desired his whole life. He wasn't here for that, bit now when he knew that there was someone, who could help him, he would be a fool to let this chance go. With this thought, Valor followed Egon and Akhim so that he could find the exact whereabouts of that Witch.

-AWAY FROM THE TRIBAL SETTLEMENT-

The place was somewhat desolated, and gave off the aura like only wild animals lived there. Some broken pieces of idol sculptures were also shattered here and there, giving it a more remote and left over land. But another look at the giant idol Sculpture installation, made the place look like a sacred and worshipped land.

The statue was a giant one, and was installed over the highest rock in that plain. It was the statue of a human girl, who was half-human up to the waist and half-snake, below it's waist. The eyes of that Sculpture were carved like those of a snake. One could wonder at the skills of people who had done this marvelous work. Some kind of sacred leaves, vermillion, and some milk was spiller near the feet of that statue, confirming the idol to be a holy one.

Behind that statue, could be heard, the whimpers of a woman. It was enough from those faint whimpers that the owner was in immense pain, as if stabbed by something. But no one was in the sight. After some moments, the whimpers turned into faint sobs and then stopped, making the silence even more louder and scary in such a sunny Day.

But soon, a huge Green colored Snake with its dusky blue scales all over its body, shining like little pearls, came out from behind that statue crawling making Concertina movements. It's eyes were forest green, with slit pupils, dilating and contracting rhythmically giving it an even more scary look, to which it's huge size was doing some extra additions.

The ferocious animal looked raged, but calm at the same time, and slowly crawled out of that raised landmark, with its shedding skin tucked behind its tail. Whosoever had a look over this, would have gotten scared to death. The animals found another cooler place to sink in for the time being, as if it was planning to wait for its prey to come.

Grand Empress wasn't able to understand this. 'Why was an animal given so much of an importance to be explained in such a way in this book?' she questioned herself, even after not knowing the answers. But soon enough, she was going to get one. -DESTINY LAND~

"Choice, have you even seen a snake as huge as that one listed in that heavenly book?" Destiny was also amazed this time, not because of the contents of book, but because of her silent sister Choice.

Not getting any response, she again decided to enquire the little devil, but found her staring at the book, only to turn the beads into images.

"What are you doing, Choice?" Destiny was irritated by this childish behavior of her little sister.

"Sister, it's hard to absorb the fact merely by looking at them. So I thought to form images out of them." As she said those words, a huge Green snake's hologram appeared in front of both the sisters scarring them to core