The Scavenger tried to say something but James interrupted. “Okay, I think I am getting something. We need to use the Trail of Fire to reach the second piece of the Crown. And no one will ever prevail. The Trail of Fire malfunctioned. That means we couldn’t prevail. Unless the lost soul is found. It means that the Trial of Fire could only work if we find a lost soul first. And it closes the Golden Wound. The open Golden Wound must be the reason why the Trail of Fire is malfunctioning.” James looked around. Everyone stared at him dumbstruck.
“Are you guys understanding me or am I just blabbering like a fool?”
“A fool,” Archer instantly replied.
“Great. The next line is:
Must find the Shrine of Youth
And get the nectar from the womb
So that the soul will not be mute;
Come on, start the way, from the tomb.
I think only the ‘lost soul’ knows the way to cure and close the Golden Wound, but it is mute. To make it talk, we have to find nectar from this place called the Shrine of Youth. Once the soul starts talking, it will heal the Wound, and BINGO, we can use the Trail of Fire.”
Everyone clapped.
“I remember something else!” Matt said, “Before I got out, a voice whispered to me, ‘Find it in the grave only…’” he paused, looking around, “the Wasp knows.”
The Scavenger nodded. “Yes, I heard the same thing, but I am confused. I know…”
It struck James suddenly. “This lost soul – it’s Mascae, isn’t it? You were there at the place of Mascae’s murder – you should know where his grave is. I am sure Mascae’s soul is still wandering at the place he was killed. We need to find the soul and take it to the Shrine of Youth. On Earth, there is a country named India, where the people believe that the soul can only attain salvation through various means, as prescribed in scriptures. Troubled souls remain mute until they get salvation. I believe Mascae’s soul will be no more mute if it is given salvation. This will happen only when the soul breaks its muteness and heals the Golden Wound. The soul will get salvation and only then will we be able to take the Trail of Fire and get closer to the second piece.”
“Absolutely, everything appears so logical,” the Scavenger said. He turned to Mars. “Let’s get the prerequisites first. We will come back for the Trail of Fire.”
Mars bowed. “Good luck.”
The children followed the Scavenger out of the tomb and boarded their chariot. The Scavenger whipped the horses and headed back to the forest.
After what seemed like ages, the Scavenger brought the chariot to a halt. They all climbed down. The Scavenger clicked his fingers, and the chariot disappeared. From there on, they marched on foot.
Soon they reached Mascae’s graveyard. The grave was built of huge rocks, with ancient shiny letters inscribed on the tombstone.
The Scavenger neared the grave. After having examined it reverently, the Scavenger turned to the others and declared, “I am going to talk to the soul of Mascae. Someone needs to accompany me, someone brilliant to make him understand.”
“That’s James.” Archer gave him a poke. “Go on.” James walked up to the Scavenger. The Scavenger turned to the grave again and extended his hand.
James did the same and held his hand on the grave. Within moments, his consciousness started drifting away.
***
It was pitch dark.
“Come on, Mascae, come on,” the Scavenger whispered in the eerie silence.
“Where is he?” James asked.
“Just concentrate on your surroundings. If you feel anything near you, spread your arms and try to grab hold of the soul.”
They waited silently. Within a few moments, James heard a sound. It was as if someone was drawing out a knife.
He immediately extended his arms and caught something that felt solid, not ghostly!
“It’s me!” the Scavenger hissed.
“Oh, sorry.” James quickly backed away.
They waited again. James was able to feel for the first time that silence was unbearable to live with.
“Try waving your hands without any noise,” the Scavenger said.
James silently shuffled his hands.
Something slammed into him at once, and they both stumbled to the ground. James clutched the thing tight and cried for help. It writhed hard to free itself, jerking him violently in the process, until it finally shot out of his hands.
Before it could flee, the Scavenger clasped it with both hands.
“Stop it, Mascae,” the Scavenger said. “Stop struggling. We need to talk to you.”
Mascae’s soul took a physical form and appeared.
“How dare you come to me?” Mascae asked. “What face do you have to talk to me?”
“Well, you are mistaken. Let me clarify,” the Scavenger said.
After a momentary silence, Mascae spat with rage, “Get out from here. You left me to die when I needed help! I don’t need any clarification.”
The Scavenger frowned. “That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.” Mascae tried to wriggle free.
“You have got it all wrong, like all the others,” the Scavenger sighed. “You don’t know the real story.”
“I am not interested in any of your stories.”
“I can prove it,” the Scavenger asserted. “Do you remember the two halves of the Lightning Sword the Twin Assassins had?”
“Of course!”
“Then you must know that only the person who never did one evil thing can join the Lightning Sword.”
Mascae nodded.
“You say I betrayed you. As a sworn servant of Arcane and his descendants, I have sinned.”
“Absolutely.”
“So I cannot join the Lightning Sword.”
“Obviously.”
“So then what’s this?” the Scavenger said, pulling out his sword, which glowed in the dark.
Mascae gasped, “The Lightning Sword! But how?”
“You are a soul now, Mascae. Your divine powers can be easily kindled. Just touch my Lightening Sword and you can reel back to that fateful day. Why not find the truth for yourself?”
The Scavenger raised his Lightening Sword. Mascae floated over it and vanished in an instant.
“You think he will return?” James asked.
The Scavenger nodded. “Yes. Truth ultimately prevails.”
A minute later, Mascae reappeared in his physical form.
“I am shocked. For centuries, I misunderstood
