(Book 3) Hayden Mackay and The Shaatrumani Stone

21. Mixed Tears

[A few minutes ago...]

A random girl's shrill cry of pain forced Tyrell pay attention to the situation he was dragged into, fog spread in his brain eventually fading away. He watched his shadow formed beneath his feet on the grassy ground, dwindling with the brilliant lights behind him getting closed, as soon as Anmol jumped out of it.

Breathing the early morning fresh but misty air, he looked around curiously, a gush sound of the water plummeting down grabbing his interest. He wanted to be astounded, watching the scenic view he had never seen before-the lush trees surrounding the waterfall that raced down into the large pool of water, the bank of the pool occupied by the blocks of snow and resting aside were the abnormally large sized fishes. Tyrell batted his eyes several times before he could realize that he was actually looking at certain type of creature, which he would have only imagined existing.

"This is Paramarashtra," said Jyran standing beside him, and reading his mind, "Always expect the unexpected. As a matter of fact, your dear friend Ashwant Veer is one of them. He is a mer-man."

Tyrell watched the mer-people diving into the water. He swallowed heavily, and he wasn't able to react more than that, not that he wanted to anyway, in discovering the true identity of a person with whom he has been friends for nearly ten years already.

"There is so much for you to know about our country," Jyran continued, "That is why you need a real father to teach you, not Doctor who thinks of himself as a fatherly figure."

"This can't be happening!"

It was Anmol, screaming in disapproving voice. Following his stunned gaze, Tyrell instinctively whirled around. His heart dropped to his knee when he saw the two most important people in his life standing a couple of feet away from him, across the only largest hut among the hundreds. One was Doctor, staring at Jyran with his cold, hard eyes, wrath seemed to have engulfed him. And the other person, whom Tyrell truly cared, walked ahead to stand beside Doctor, her eyes dark and haunted, full of tears, was Leena Savant.

She knew about him, Tyrell thought, everything. She was looking at him with the disappointed face he has never seen on her before. He has always teased her for her habitual wasting of tears for all puny reasons, but now that he knew how precious her tears were, he didn't know why but he felt his shoulders shaking with guilt. He wanted to avert his eyes off her, but he didn't. It was mixed, there were both love and hate in those tears, that he wasn't able to take them for granted. A muffled cough passed through his mouth and he knew exactly what was happening to him. His evil mind began to overtake his entire body, reminding him to not try too hard for he wouldn't be able to carry the guilt that was already filling up inside him.

The door of the hut opened and it was Ashwant rushing out of it getting bewildered watching Tyrell standing with the enemy.

"Why don't you leave me alone?" Jyran shouted, his face exuding an animosity that was similar to acid-burning.

"We did leave you alone,"  replied Doctor, with his merciless tone, "showered pity on you, thinking that you were a good man suffering a loss of having a family. But you took advantage of the second life King Harsh gave you."

Jyran opened his mouth to retort, but Doctor seemed to have chosen the person standing behind Tyrell as his first target.

"Thanks a lot for your loyalty, Anmol," Doctor said, taking a step forward, "You taught me a really good lesson."

Anmol shivered and it was as if earth has swept off his feet. Him being scared was so normal, so inescapable. There was nothing supernatural about him, and knowing that very well, he looked at Jyran for help.