The Pages of Destiny (The Four Elementals Book 3) by Yajat Sharma (best authors to read TXT) 📕

Several weeks had passed since the war with the Skull Warrior had gotten over. They were able to form one of the most legendary weapons in the Universe – the Slayer – and banish the Skull Warrior to a different dimension. But in the process, they lost their brave friend Matt, who had made the ultimate sacrifice by jumping into the dimension, taking the Skull Warrior along with him.

James knew that the Scavenger had his priorities well laid out. They needed to find Matt, and from the very next day after the war, they had started to work on their mission with full determination. The Kings of Necron – Ekthatep, Othos, Aproph, Kakhom and Thekten – were entrusted to rule the Dark World after the Scavenger declined the offer. The Scavenger, like a true friend, was determined to find Matt.

The scene of Matt disappearing along with the Skull Warrior to save the Dark World was unforgettable. The four children had promised that they would return to Earth together.

In one of the last few words he spoke before embracing death, their friend Lynx had told them to search for Pyros, who might help in their mission.

Lynx.

James’s heart filled with respect and sorrow while thinking of Lynx. Lynx and so many others had sacrificed their lives in the war against the Skull Warrior. Lynx, Aronicle, Insanity, Venoz and countless others... Nothing could bring them back again.

But Matt could be saved. And finding Matt was their only mission in life right now.

The King of Necron told them that Pyros could be located in an area called Nervon, which was surrounded by dense forests and was challenging to reach.

It had been weeks that they all had left the Castle of Fate. James, Archer, Daniel and the Scavenger were no longer fugitives in the Dark World, instead they were now celebrities – with everyone honouring them wherever they went. Leaving the cities and towns, they finally entered the dark forests where no one lived. They knew it could be months before they could find Nervon but they were determined to find and rescue Matt.

James’s stream of thoughts was broken as the Scavenger sat down beside him, his arms full of berries.

“Are we ready to go?” James asked.

“Soon,” the Scavenger said. “Once Daniel and Archer wake up.”

James plucked a berry. “How long will it take?”

“We have almost reached Nervon,” the Scavenger said. “We need to find the exact spot.”

“What? I don’t understand,” Daniel said.

The Scavenger said nothing and started to walk. The children followed. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped. There was nothing except dense foliage.

“This is Nervon. Pyros lives here,” the Scavenger announced.

“Are you crazy?” Daniel said, “How can someone live here?”

“Just be watchful; you’ll find an opening,” the Scavenger told everyone.

They examined every single detail – every leaf, every tree trunk and all the branches – but could not find any signs of Pyros living there. The Scavenger seemed nervous and frustrated but determined.

Suddenly, something moved.

“What is it?” Daniel asked.

The Scavenger replied grimly, “Someone is watching us.”

James looked about but saw nothing out of place. Archer, Daniel and the Scavenger huddled together with James.

Archer groaned in exasperation. “This is insane. How do we find this guy?”

“You don’t find him,” said a voice from behind them. “He finds you.”

Before they could turn, the ground they were standing on disappeared, and they fell.

They landed on soft mattresses in a well-decorated room whose walls were adorned by flowers.

In the middle of the room stood a wizened, aged man, dressed in a long cloak and carrying a staff.

“Welcome,” he said, smiling. “I am Pyros. I was expecting you.”

“So why did you make us wait for so long?” Archer muttered.

The Scavenger said from the corner of his mouth, “Warrior tactics. We might be impostors. Pyros needed to be sure.”

Pyros nodded. “Exactly.”

“We are delighted to meet you,” the Scavenger said, “Lynx mentioned about you -”

“I know everything,” Pyros interrupted. His eyes brimmed with tears. “Lynx was such a dear friend. His loss is unbearable. The world was a better place with him.”

There was silence as everyone prayed for Lynx’s soul.

James broke the silence. “If you are such a good friend of Lynx,” he said in a cold voice, “then why didn’t you come to help us in the war with the Skull Warrior?”

Pyros raised a hand, and a scroll flew into his hand. “This is a letter from Lynx. It’s almost ten pages long. I will tell you its summary. Remember the message the Gods had sent in everyone’s minds?”

The group nodded.

In their war with the Skull Warrior, to call the Scavenger’s allies spread out everywhere in the Dark World, Paragon – the leader of the Gods – had sent a mental message to everyone on the good side in the Dark World, alerting them to come to the Scavenger’s help.

“I got the message too,” Pyros said. “I had almost started to leave to help you all, but a bird delivered this letter. Through this letter, Lynx told me not to come.”

Pyros handed the letter to the Scavenger who started reading it. Pyros continued, “Lynx never wanted the Skull Warrior to know about me. Lynx had planned for everything. Just in case the war turned in favour of the Skull Warrior’s side, someone trusted had to act as the backup and as a last resort. That’s why he stopped me from coming. You see how visionary Lynx was? No one anticipated Matt’s disappearance, but now at least we have hope.”

The Scavenger handed the letter back to Pyros and said, “Fate has aligned many things in order. It has -”

James said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I don’t believe in fate and destiny anymore. If there were fate, it wouldn’t have been so cruel.”

“The loss of your friend has rendered you a little rude,” Pyros observed. “But don’t worry. That will all pass.”

James’s heart lifted with such hope that it almost skipped a beat. Here was an all-knowing man telling them that the bad times would