The rescue team stood among fallen ruins and scorched earth, blood still dripping from fresh wounds. Ashwat lay defeated, Shaya sealed away, but the darkness in the heart of Asuravana remained unbroken, an oppressive force that pressed against their very souls.
Veer wiped sweat and blood from his brow, voice hoarse yet steady. "Enough," he declared, though his heart still raced with fear of what might come. "We're not going deeper."
Meghna, closing her eyes, felt the sacred energy around her, the delicate web that connected Trinetra's life to the divine. "The village barrier… it's broken," she whispered, voice shaking. "I can feel it."
Revati's eyes flashed open, and her expression grew grave. "The sacred flow is disturbed. The wards are failing. We must return to Trinetra immediately."
"They lured us here," Veer muttered through clenched teeth. "They wanted us far from the village, to leave it undefended."
Bhairav stepped forward, his body bruised and battered but his spirit unbroken. "Then let's go back. Even in this condition, we can't abandon them."
While Meghna and Revati worked their healing arts—soft chants, symbols traced in the air, faint silver light dancing across torn skin and shattered bones—the team gathered what strength they had left.
Veer reminded himself of their purpose: protect Trinetra at all costs.
As the rescue team prepared to leave, every step felt heavy with the memory of their fallen ally and the dread of what awaited them back home.
Meanwhile, in Trinetra :
Dark clouds gathered above the sacred village, as if the heavens themselves foresaw what was coming. The air was still, and even the birds fell silent.
At the courtyard's heart stood Agastyan, the village chief. Robes fluttered around him though there was no wind. His gaze, usually gentle and wise, was now fixed and unyielding.
From the darkness stepped Varunaas, black flames dancing around his arms, each step cracking the ancient tiles. His presence felt like a wound in the world itself.
"So," Varunaas's voice echoed, cold and mocking. "Are you truly going to fight me… teacher?"
Hidden among the gathering villagers, Kartik felt his breath catch. Teacher? The word hit him like a stone to the chest.
Agastyan's voice was calm, yet every syllable cut like iron. "A student like you has no right to call me that."
Varunaas smirked, cruel satisfaction in his eyes. "Your warriors went to Asuravana to save a lost comrade. Let me end their hopes—I killed him myself. Turned him into something monstrous. And while they were away… we came here." Pain flickered in Agastyan's eyes, but only for a heartbeat. "Divine energy belongs to those devoted to
Shiva—not to be twisted for your own darkness."
Varunaas's expression twisted, pain and hatred battling within. "You always said to fight for what I believed in. And I believe this is the only path left to me."
Agastyan's tone grew heavier, ancient power behind every word. "Then your path ends here."
Varunaas's smirk vanished. He thrust out his hand, conjuring a lance of black fire. It roared forward, dark as the void, heat bending the very air.
Agastyan raised his fist, ink bands glowing with deep power, and struck forward. The fire shattered into ash, the force sending cracks racing through the courtyard floor. The ground trembled; leaves fell like rain.
The villagers gasped. Kartik's heart pounded in awe and fear. I've never seen such power…
Varunaas snapped his fingers. From the shadows crawled undead beasts—tigers with hollow eyes, rotting wolves bound with chains of darkness, each footstep echoing dread.
Agastyan closed his eyes. His voice became a quiet chant older than memory. "From the sacred heart of this land… come forth."
The earth quaked. Trees bent low as if bowing. Stone split, and from the depths rose a figure vast and majestic: a bull, its body shimmering like the night sky, swirling with constellations. Its color, a deep blue, seemed to hold eternity within.
The villagers fell silent, sinking to their kneeseven animals bowed down seeing the pinnacle of divine power. Even Varunaas hesitated. " Nandi… you never showed me this, teacher."
Agastyan's voice was steady. Teacher never shows his full potential to his students and asks "Lord Nandi, please protect the entrance. Let none pass."
The divine bull lowered its head. Hooves crushed stone as it charged. Undead beasts flew through the air, bones splintering under divine strength. Darkness recoiled before the bull's celestial light.
Varunaas snarled, gathering power into torrents of black fire. "You think one Divine spirit beast will save you?"
Agastyan stepped forward, divine aura flowing like a river. "This is no mere beast. This is manifastation of my devotion towards Lord shiva."
The air crackled as black fire met divine light. Shockwaves tore roof tiles from distant shrines. Dust and leaves whirled into a storm.
Varunaas's eyes, filled with fury, held a flicker of sorrow. "Why couldn't you believe in me, teacher?"
Once, you were like my own child… Agastyan's heart whispered, but his voice did not waver. "Because your path will destroy everything we vowed to protect."
They clashed again—fist against fist, light against darkness. The ground caved beneath them, tiles shattering into dust.
Villagers shielded their eyes. Kartik could barely breathe, watching the man he admired face the student he loved.
"You're old, Agastyan!" Varunaas roared. "Your strength won't last forever!"
"I don't need forever," Agastyan's voice was calm as moonlight. "Just long enough for next chief to be choosen."
Varunaas's snarl deepened. "Then die with them!"
Nandi reared, stars blazing across its transparent hide. Its roar was not just sound, but a force that rattled bones and hearts alike.
Varunaas conjured all his power, a sphere of black fire darker than the deepest night, pulsing with hatred and sorrow. "This ends now!"
Agastyan's fist glowed, ancient symbols shining along his skin. "So be it."