"How can Tyrell not remember this?" asked Pruthvi, bewildered. "Hayden, remember what he told us that day?"

I nodded numbly.

Jyran replied to our uncertainties. "I have been erasing his memories each and every night that I visited him. I am not called a supreme warlock for nothing."

He turned around to stand at a different place trying to explain what had happened to Tyrell that night. "You see, Tyrell came with me. He was excited to find out who I was and why I was calling him as my son. I told him my entire story. He was devastated at first knowing his mother's betrayal. But thanks to his pure soul, he wouldn't believe me anyhow, not even after I showed him his mother's last letter."

"He didn't accept you and your atrocious demands," I said, already predicting what could have happened then, "You erased his memories and left him there, all alone, in the world where he isn't allowed to use his stone."

"Well, I knew Doctor or atleast his friends might come and get him. Believe it or not, I have a implicit faith in his choice of friends."

"This doesn't prove at all about Tyrell giving you permission for your stupidity."

Jyran fingers deftly searched for another bead from his chain and recited a command soundlessly. The screen shimmered and colors formed forming into Tyrell bedroom.

For once I thought why was he even interested to show us the truth, if it was some kind of trick to forcibly diminish our fondness for Tyrell. But can anything in the world has the power to do that? I think not!

He was crying with pain again. He was pleading for it to stop...again. My eyes filled watching him in that poor condition. He must have been enduring the same intense pain almost each and every night and I had no idea about it. I averted my eyes away from the screen unable to watch him suffer. There was so much going on in his life and we always thought about Celina being the reason for his sudden change.

"STOP IT! PLEASE STOP IT!"

Tyrell's heart wrenching voice squeezed my heart. He was on his knees beside Jyran's feet begging him to stop giving him pain.

"Try to use your stone, I swear I'll give you more pain."

"I'LL NOT. I PROMISE."

Within a span of few seconds, Tyrell removed his hand from his head, panting and wiping his sweat around his temple.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice shaking, "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

I heard Jyran clicking his tongue. "Tyrell, Tyrell, same question each and everyday. Aren't you getting bored of it?"

"What?" said Tyrell, aghast, who had his memories erased.

He snapped his hand and Tyrell was startled. He rubbed his temple feeling a little uneasy.

"Now remember me?" asked Jyran, in a sarcastic voice.

Tyrell face was filled with utter shock and his eyes started streaming. He was batting his eyes dramatically, and  it took about a few seconds for him to find his voice.

"I am still feeling the pain," he said, his expression fierce and deadly, unlike him at all, "You promised me I won't feel anything."

I and Pruthvi glanced at each other warily, uncertain of what was happening. Was Tyrell really asking for it? No, nothing in the world can make me believe that.

"Patience, my boy," said Jyran in the screen, "As a father, it becomes my responsibility to fulfil your wishes."

The scene changed. Before the colors formed I nervously looked at Jyran. I so wanted to smack that smug grim on his face, and I was about to react on my impulse.

"Hayden," Pruthvi said, his voice shaking, "Leena's birthday."

Controlling myself, I looked back at the screen. It was Tyrell's room once again. In his baggy trousers and full length sleeve shirt, he was sitting on the floor facing at us. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be in some sort of meditation. There was something different around there, n his room. I shrunk my eyes to notice that his room was filled with lightning but appearing sporadically.

Tyrell's face twitched when there was knock on the door. He opened his eyes out of exasperation and looked at the screen for the permission from the person.

"Go ahead and open," Jyran in the screen said, "Just be careful though."

Tyrell quickly stood and Jyran kept looking at him making the screen turn around towards the door.

"What?" he said, peeping out through a partially opened door.

And I looked away. I just didn't want to see myself in it.

"Hey," I said, "Do you want to come to Leena's room, it's her..."

"No!" He snapped.

"Tyrell, it's Leena's..."

"I SAID NO!"

He slammed the door making me in the present, slightly startled. That was what he was doing that night? All the lightning was for the process to shut his soul down? Now I understood why he couldn't remember anything later awhile. God! Why didn't I just barge into his room to see what he was doing, when I had the opportunity to save Tyrell and all this wouldn't have happened.

I am such a fool!

The screen shimmered and turned completely white, slowly and gradually fading away to bring back the colors of the tainted wall.

There was silence for a few minutes. I was looking down at the floor. Everything that Jyran had showed us did prove that somehow Tyrell had asked him to perform the dark magic on him. But still, I wouldn't accept.

"That is how he turned into the son I was looking for," said Jyran, his voice making my breathe hotter. "No soul. No feelings. Lost his emotions. And the good news is he finally accepted me as his father. I am even glad that he is willingly let me borrow his blood to lift of the curse off the stone, anytime and anywhere. Hayden Mackay, I win. Now about the pact..."

"It wasn't his choice," I said, feeling such rage and fury that I might not have felt even for Shashi, "You corrupted him."

Whatever might have happened, I wasn't ready to accept anything against Tyrell. Eight months might not be too much, but enough for me to understand what and who Tyrell really was.

"Seriously, Hayden?" asked Jyran, raising his eyebrows, "after everything you just saw?"

"You know what, Jyran Kerenza," I said, refusing my defeat, words flowing out of my mouth and  my skin burning out of anger, "I am also actually grateful to you, for giving birth to the nicest person I have ever met."

"Excuse me."

"I so want to use my stone on you and kill you instantly. Only the fact that you turned out to be my friend's father is holding me back. But yes, I am going to say something that I am sure even Tyrell will approve of."

I knew that I was out of my mind. But if I didn't say the words that were lingering in my mouth, my head might just burst with immense rage and I had to let it out.

"Until half an hour ago I was under an impression that nobody can be worse than Shashi, but here you are, standing in front of me, bargaining for my friend over my life. You are not his father. You were never his father. You are just a pawn working under Shashi. You are just one of those people who lick Shashi's stinky feet to stay alive. I pity the life you are leading and you disgust me!"

I was now standing face to face with him, each of us fuming and staring into each other's eyes. Jyran nostrils flared and he seemed to be about to attack me with his powers but I was ready too, concentrating on my stone.

"You dare speak to me like this," Jyran said, furiously, "even after knowing that I have curse-free stone with me?"

"Go ahead then," I said, feeling a strong feeling of audacity flaring in my heart, "Kill me now. I have nothing else to lose. But once Tyrell come back to his senses, I know one day he will. He is going to hate you so much that even death will be ashamed to look at you."

Jyran stepped back breathing heavily. My words must have hurt him deeply, that his eye started to shine. He lips quivered and his veins around his neck bulged.

"Hayden..." Pruthvi said, but I lifted my hand to shut him. I wanted no interruption now. I just wanted to finish this, go back to academy and deal with Tyrell. He needed me, he needed his friends.

Jyran looked at Pruthvi from above my hand and then back at me.

"You are right," he said, beginning to walk past me, "If I kill you this instant, there is nothing for you to lose. So let me start with the Samagraha who has the most problem with Shaatrumani."

I furrowed my brow, unable to understand what he meant. Before I could turn around to look at him, my head literally burst with sharp pain, like an excruciating migraine, debilitating and soaring.

"Aaaaaaargh!" I shouted bending low, gripping my head and I understood I wasn't alone enduring the same amount of pain.

Pruthvi's howl agitated me. I quickly turned around to find him bent over with his hand on his head. Jyran grabbed him by his shirt with one hand and duck his another hand inside his pocket, taking out the bright green shining oval shaped stone out.

I was about to use my stone, but the pain in my head was too much for me to concentrate on my stone anymore. I was watching with my widened eyes, being all useless as a cornelian user, when Jyran pulled The Shaatrumani Stone out of his neck and ruthlessly stabbed it on the emerald.

"NOT HIM!"

The great hall shuddered, as I cried out in agony, watching Pruthvi's shocked face, his mouth opened wide and his hand on his chest. It was as if my own heart has stopped beating. For once I imagined my whole world has taken an invisible twisted spiral making me roll all around it.

I was still hastening towards him when he completely fell on the floor, unmoving.

"PRUTHVI!" I shouted, collapsing beside him on my knees and turning him over, taking him on my laps, "PRUTHVI, WAKE UP!"

His eyes were still wide opened in shock, his breathing was labored, his chest rising and falling tremendously.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" I yelled at Jyran who was walking aside right in front of Nazira who was having her mouth cupped with both of her hands, her whole body shaking.

"What do you think? He is about to die, Hayden," Jyran said, "Five minutes, and he will be gone."

"NO! THIS CANNOT HAPPEN. I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!"

Hot and fluffy tears rolled in my eyes. Pruthvi's scared face made me remember my own parents in mortuary. But this was worse. My parents were already dead when I saw them last. Pruthvi was dying in front of my eyes and I had no idea how to save him.

"Death will be ashamed of me," Jyran mocked me, "Now you feel ashamed unable to save you friend, Hayden. That's what you get for angering  a supreme warlock."

"SON OF A BITCH!"

Jyran laughed menacingly.

Pruthvi's intake slowly started to dissipate. A single tear rolling down his right eye.

"DON'T GIVE UP, PRUTHVI," I cried, wiping his tear, "DON'T YOU DARE BAIL ON ME!"

I couldn't stop my own tears passing down my cheeks. I banged his heart, only being optimistic that some miracle shall happen and his heart start to function again. But it seemed no better. I noticed light fading from his eyes and his hands turning cold. Pruthvi was indeed dying or he might have already be dead.

-x-