The Warmest,Barafzaar V
Enter PARVEZ, cloaked in frostweave. ARBAAZ hovers nearby, glowing faintly.]
PARVEZ Now the design nears its end. My calculations hold. My agent obeys. How long until the sixth hour?
ARBAAZ It is now. You said your work would end then.
PARVEZ I did. When I first summoned the storm. Tell me—how are the others?
ARBAAZ They remain where you left them— Trapped in the memory ring. Ali, Arsalan, and Sabeih— Each one unraveling. And Ghouse—your “good old friend”— His tears freeze before they fall. If you saw them now, Even your logic would soften.
PARVEZ Do you think so?
ARBAAZ If I were human, I would weep.
PARVEZ Then I must. If you, made of code and conscience, Can feel their pain— Shall I, made of blood and betrayal, Feel less?
Their crimes cut deep. But deeper still runs reason. The rarer act is mercy. Go. Release them. I will break the charm. Let them return to themselves.
ARBAAZ As you wish.
[ARBAAZ exits. PARVEZ draws a glowing circle in the snow with his staff. He speaks to the island.]
PARVEZ You spirits of frost and silence, Who helped me bend the auroras, Who cracked the sea and stilled the sun— I thank you. But this rough magic I now renounce. When I hear the music, I will shatter my staff, And bury my book beneath the ice, Deeper than any sonar can reach.
[Soft music begins. ARBAAZ returns, leading ALI, ARSALAN, SABEIH, and GHOUSE. They stand frozen in the circle.]
PARVEZ There. Stay. You are spell-stopped.
[He walks among them.]
To GHOUSE: You were loyal. You preserved what little light I had left.
To ALI: You exiled me. You took my name and my daughter.
To ARSALAN: You helped him.
To SABEIH: You plotted again, even here.
To all: And yet— I forgive you.
[The spell begins to lift. ARBAAZ brings PARVEZ his old coat—the one he wore before exile.]
PARVEZ Thank you, Arbaaz. Soon, you too will be free.
ARBAAZ I drink the air before me. And return before your pulse can count twice.
[ARBAAZ exits. The others awaken slowly.]
GHOUSE What place is this? What power holds us?
PARVEZ Look at me. I am Parvez. The one you cast out. And now I welcome you.
ALI Is it really you? Or some illusion?
PARVEZ It is me. And I ask no apology. Only this: Let us not burden our memory With the weight of what’s already melted.
GHOUSE Then let us rejoice. In one journey: Fardeen found love, I found my friend, And you—your name.
ALI But my son— I lost him.
PARVEZ And I, my daughter.
ALI You too?
PARVEZ Come. Let me show you what the storm returned.
[He pulls back a curtain of frost. Behind it, FARDEEN and MEERA sit at a table, playing chess.]
MEERA You’re cheating.
FARDEEN Never. Not even for a kingdom.
ALI Is this real?
FARDEEN She is Meera. Daughter of Parvez. And now—mine.
[ARBAAZ returns with the CAPTAIN and MARINERS.]
CAPTAIN- The ship is whole. As if it never broke.
ARBAAZ [to PARVEZ] Was it well done?
PARVEZ Bravely, Arbaaz. Now—set the others free.
[ARBAAZ exits, then returns with SAFEER, TABISH, and CARBAAN in stolen coats.]
CARBAAN These are spirits! They will pinch me again!
SAFEER Courage, beast. We’re among influencers now.
PARVEZ These three plotted against me. But I forgive them too.
[To CARBAAN:] This thing of darkness—I acknowledge mine.
CARBAAN I’ll be wise now. I’ll seek grace. What a fool I was To follow a ring light.
PARVEZ Then go. Clean the shelter. Prepare it for guests.
[They exit.]
PARVEZ Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we sail. And I— I will return to the world. Not to rule, But to repair. From this day forward, I dedicate what remains of my life to the climate.
[He turns to ARBAAZ.]
PARVEZ Your final task: Guide us home On calm seas And auspicious winds.
ARBAAZ And then?
PARVEZ Then you are free.
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