Night curled its claws around Trinetra, turning every breath sharp with dread. Ranthak stepped forward, voice like stone breaking silence.
"Hear me! They have sent four of their vilest: Varunaas, master of black fire and resurrection; Nishaara, curse-weaver whose venom shadows drain life; Maayak, illusionist with mirrors sharper than blades; and Kraan, beast binder of the undead."
The four figures stood cloaked, the crescent moon symbols on their robes gleaming like cold knives. Shadows twisted at their feet, alive with hate.
Varunaas lifted his scarred face, words deep and echoing.
"At last… the day has come to witness this village burn. We will leave nothing but cinders."
Behind him, Maayak's laughter rang, thin as broken glass. Nishaara's shadows shifted hungrily, and Kraan cracked the whip coiled at his belt, its tip dripping black mist.
"You think your few warriors can stop us?" Varunaas mocked. "Weak warriors, guarding crumbling walls. We have faced far stronger."
Ranthak's gaze narrowed. The ink bands on his arms pulsed, ancient symbols writhing. His divine eye shone brighter, as though it wants to fight.
"Weak?" His voice was low, every syllable sharpened by faith and fury. "Then watch, and remember why even our weakest warriors can cut down a hundred of your kind without a scratch."
The air thickened. Strange, echoing voices rose around him — whispers of old prayers, chants from ages past. His ink bands glowed a deep violet, and with a single gesture, the ground split.
Two massive astral spirit snakes uncoiled beside Ranthak, scales swirling with cosmic light, fangs gleaming like pale crescents. They hissed, the sound rolling like thunder across stone.
In the trees and shadows, the forest stirred. Lions padded out, their eyes burning gold; wolves slunk forward in silent unity; bears rumbled, shaking dew from heavy fur. Countless smaller snakes slithered,
forming a living tide.
Varunaas's grin widened. "Pretty tricks."
Beside him, the enemy summoner raised rotted hands. The soil of Trinetra trembled, split by dark rites. Cracked bones, rusted blades, and eyeless skulls crawled free — a legion of the dead answering his call.
Corpses dragged themselves from graves, jawbones clacking like drums of war.
The warriors of Trinetra stood ready, weapons carved from sacred woods, iron inlaid with runes. Tension tightened every chest, but resolve burned brighter and the trust in shiva was unwavering.
Varunaas's voice rolled across them.
"Then let this massacre begin."
A heartbeat later, black fire streaked through the air. The clash began.
Far within Asuravana…
Rot curled thick as smoke. The rescue team stepped into a clearing ringed by dead trees. Bone charms clinked in a wind no one felt. Shadows twitched between twisted roots.
Veer, divine eye aglow, whispered, "Stay sharp."
Bhairav grunted, gripping his hammer. Devansh's palms flickered with ember and ash. Meghna's twin blades glinted, while Revati's gaze grew distant — seeking what's ahead. Aranya stood tall, his beast
companion low to the ground, muscles coiled to spring.
Then they heard a terrifying roar and the monster appeared in front of them.
Its body was swollen, muscles torn and healed in ugly knots. Its skin bore scars layered over scars, veins pulsing black as oil. Shards of old Trinetra armor clung to its bulk, symbols twisted by dark corruption.
Worst of all: the eye on its brow, once divine, was now fully open and leaking black void energy that shimmered like oil on water.
Veer's breath caught. "What… is that…?"
Meghna's voice trembled with horror and certainty.
"A lost brother. One of ours… turned into this."
Silence fell. Memories burned behind every gaze — days of training together, shared laughter, silent prayers before dawn.
Veer : I remember his voice. We shared bread by the old well…
Bhairav : What curse could twist a heart so brave?
Revati : His eye… opened fully, yet consumed by darkness.
Aranya : Brother, forgive us…
Devansh : If this is what they do to the fallen… what fate awaits us?
The monster roared, black mist rolling from split lips. The ground shook under its first step.
"Steady!" Veer shouted.
The beast charged. Bhairav met it head-on, fist sparking against rotted armor. The force of the blow rippled through the ground, knocking leaves from dead trees. The monster stumbled but lashed out, sending Bhairav sliding back, boots carving trenches in the soil.
Meghna's twin blades danced, silver arcs cutting deep wounds. But the creature healed with every scratch, flesh knitting around darkness.
Devansh hurled fire; black mist swallowed the flames, leaving only steam. Revati's afterimages blurred around it, her barrier flickering as the monster's fists pounded the air itself.
Veer chest burned. The eye mark seared like hot iron. Why do I feel it pulling? Darkness brushed against his mind, whispering, Join us… He shook his head, sweat cold on his brow.
Aranya's beast companion leapt, fangs sinking into the monster's arm. The creature roared, black veins bulging, and slammed the beast into a stone pillar. Aranya stumbled, pain flashing in his eyes but
steadied his breath.
Bhairav : Brother, if your soul still sees… forgive what we must do.
Devansh divine eye flared. "Now! Strike together!"
They moved as one.
Bhairav's hammer crushed a knee, forcing the monster to fall. Meghna's blades flashed, carving deep through shoulder and side. Devansh's flames roared, searing where darkness was weakest. Revati's
barriers channeled light, splitting black mist. Aranya's beast companion, bloodied, sank its fangs into the monster's throat, holding it still.
Veer stepped forward, chest burning, and for an instant he felt something: a flicker of pain behind the monster's black eye, as if a dying mind whispered, End this…
With a final roar, Bhairav's hammer fell, cracking the corrupted skull. Dark mist howled skyward and scattered among dead branches. The monster's body slumped, the last shudder passing through ruined
limbs.
Meghna knelt, voice low. "Rest now, brother. May your spirit find peace beyond this darkness." while chanting mantra to free his soul and with tears in her eyes.
A silence heavier than stone pressed on them. Veer chest throbbed in quiet pain.
Veer : Is this what awaits us all if we fail?
Aranya whispered, voice thick, "Let's move. More will come."
They stood, breath ragged, shadows clinging to every step.
The heart of Asuravana still far from them — and they wanted to go back home as soon as possible and they were feeling something wrong has happened but they thought this feeling was because of the comrade turned in to a monster but they were unaware of the tragedy going to befall on the village.