"Why....?"
The man said, looking straight at the dagger that pierced his heart, stabbing all the way from the back of his body and exiting from the front. It was miraculous he could still speak in this state with a puncture going straight through his heart.
His body was leaning forward, borrowing the strength of his hand to keep itself from falling. His legs, originally in the lotus position, had now opened and lay sprawled powerlessly on the ground. A single piece of cloth was draped all over his body, wrapping around his legs and draped over his shoulder. The garment was bone-white, with gold edges, a symbol of high status within the temple.
Raising his head, he looked back at his attacker.
He wore a similar cloth, evidently of a similar status. A long dagger in hand, the hilt shone with a golden hue, and the blade gave off a sharp and sinister aura. The man himself had a calm and sagely vibe on the other hand. The entire scene looked out of place.
Anyone who saw the scene would not be able to believe that such a man could wield a dagger. Much less such a sinister one! And those who knew him would deny the scene even if it happened in front of him as a hallucination. He simply could not do it.
"Why, Arun? I was always devoted to the temple! Working tirelessly for the benefit of everyone. Selflessly, I contributed my research, my sweat, my blood, and even my karma. Changed the lives of the entire population and even helped change the scales of war in our favour. You also stood with me throughout the entire process, showing even greater spirit of sacrifice than I." Saying this, he took a slight pause. His eyes lost focus as he reminisced about the past events. Thinking about them, this scene now looked even more absurd.
He continued, "You almost sacrificed yourself to save my life when the king turned mad. The scar still present on your body. How could that be a lie? Yet this right here is also the truth! I am not angry, but confused. If you wanted my life, you just needed to say it. I WOULD GIVE IT TO YOU MYSELF WITHOUT A SECOND OF THOUGHT," he shouted as if to emphasize his point. Yet the voice that came out was as low as a whisper.
Arun continued to watch the scene with no change in expression. He looked so different compared to the past. A scar ran from his shoulder to his waist. His skin old but not wrinkled. His face showed no expression, looking odd as he always had a compassionate smile on his face.
He looked on as blood continued to flow out of the wound his hand made, listened to the complaints made, the low whispers as loud as a temple bell in his mind.
"My time is coming to an end. Arun, I hope whatever you wanted by killing me, you get it without any problems.", he spoke. Towards the end, his voice was fading. One hand on the dagger, another on the ground. Leaning into the dagger that pierced his heart, back almost touching the hand that held the dagger, he went limp.
With only questions on his mind and betrayal eating at his soul, he was not satisfied.
....
Looking at the limp body and feeling the weight of a genius on his hand, Arun could no longer maintain his expressionless face. He, too, remembered all the times they had spent together. When Shakti came to him, he found him to be very likable. When the cute kid who came to him won a bitter fruit in the year-end competition, he smiled. When he found the cure for a poison, saving the life of another child, he acknowledged his talent. While fighting at the frontlines, he researched day and night to protect the citizens, and the drive in him was also plain to see.
Now this rising genius, never seen before, lay dead in his hands. Dying by the hand he sought to protect. Arun could not maintain his composure. He looked towards the sky. His eyes were gaining focus and turning resolute.
He laid the body down on the ground. Looking at the cute face, he smiled.
Shockingly, in the next second, he dug out his own heart. As the heart was taken out, various changes occurred. Divine wood appeared out of thin air, bursting into raging flames the next second. Heavens were shrouded in darkness by the clouds, and rain fell like divine intervention. Yet shockingly, the rain did not affect the fire.
Arun calmly looked at the changes. His heart was in one hand, and the other formed a fist. He began chanting; the karmic ocean in his heart was raging. Boundless karma raged out. One could see it was turning black faintly. Yet Arun was resolute; he mobilised the karma he had gathered throughout his life into his heart.
The heart was glowing, shaking intensely. An ocean of karma was being pumped into it. The weak organ was struggling to maintain this power. Yet it held on. It was Arun's heart, it would not burst by being overwhelmed; he was already resolute, and even the god in the sky would not stop him today.
This was Arun's secret ability that he gained. Using all his gathered energy, life, soul, and karma, he could turn his heart into a divine object. Whoever the divine object landed on could be sent back in time, carrying the knowledge of the future along with them. He had never used it before, and it looks like he will never use it in the future either. The cost was too damn high, HIS LIFE!
Soon, Arun was only a shriveled-up man, losing his former healthy appearance. Yet his smile remained, the brilliance of his eyes could not be hidden as it looked at the heart in his hand, "Shakti, I believe you, with your infinite brilliance, will light a path free from this hell. Where the surface seems righteous and miraculous, but underneath, the demon controls all aspects of life. Without his permission, even a strong and brilliant man could only meet your end. Take my heart and live another life! For I believe that in the next one, you will defeat this demon."
Saying all this, Arun placed the heart in Shakti's hand. The magical heart burst, disintegrating the two on the spot.