The smoke of the Bloodthorn Sentinel was slowly dissolving into the air. The red petals that had floated in the wind during its roar now lay quietly on the ground. The air was still heavy, but there was a strange silence in it—as if the valley had held its breath for a moment.
Aarya was kneeling on the ground, his breathing heavy, and the Granthnishaan was slowly calming. His hand was still stuck with thread residue, and faint red lines shimmered on his fingers.
Feran approached him, his large body looking slightly tired. His silver eyes were fixed on Aarya, and his voice echoed softly: "You maintained control. The voice inside you... you suppressed it."
Aarya tried to smile a little, but his face showed more exhaustion. "It was hard... but I don't want to become that anymore."
Riya joined the two. Her blade was still in her hand, but her face looked more relaxed than before. She knelt near Aarya and examined his hands. "Your hands... still bear the marks of the threads. Are you in pain?"
Aarya slightly nodded. "A little... but it's manageable."
Riya pulled out a small herbal wrap from her sling bag and began applying it to his hands. Aarya looked at her, a little surprised. "You... know how to do all this?"
Riya gave a faint smile, subtle but strange on her calm face. "It's basic survival. New people like you are always careless."
Feran made a dry comment: "She's not wrong. Your hands are filled more with pain than battle."
Aarya chuckled lightly, "You both sound the same."
Riya looked at him, and for the first time, a slight softness sparkled in her eyes. "You're smiling... that's good. Not every place is just about fighting."
---
The path in the middle of Bloodthorn Valley was deepening. The trees were getting denser, and red threads were spreading everywhere from beneath the ground.
Riya looked around and said softly, "We should camp here for today. It's not safe to travel further at night. The valley becomes more alive after dark."
Feran growled and checked a large open spot. "The scent of beasts nearby is weak. You will be safe here."
Riya pulled out a small fire-stone and lit a small fire in the red soil. Red petals were fluttering around, but Riya sprinkled some herbal powder on them that calmed them.
Aarya sat near the fire, relaxing a little. This was the first time they were sitting at a proper camp.
Riya opened her sling bag and took out some dried meat and jungle fruits. "Do you have anything to eat?"
Aarya looked a bit surprised. "Just some stale bread left."
Riya gave him a small fruit. "Your Granthnishaan needs energy. You need to stay strong."
Feran growled, but this time his tone was teasing: "You humans... for you, food feels like a bonding ritual."
Aarya chuckled a bit, and Riya looked at Feran and gave a faint smile. "Coming from a beast like you, that's a new experience."
As they sat around the fire, there was a strange calm vibe among the three. Aarya looked at Riya and said softly, "How long have you been here?"
Riya narrowed her green eyes in the firelight, as if recalling something. "Many years... so many I lost count. Learned to survive everywhere. Being with you... feels different."
Aarya simply said, "With you too."
Feran added telepathically: "Looking at you two, this hunt doesn't seem just for fighting... maybe you'll find a new family."
Aarya heard his words and gave a small smile, but in his heart still clung the guilt stuck in his memory shards.
---
As the fire slowly burned into the soil, there was a slight movement. Tiny shadows were flickering above the trees.
Riya instantly became alert. "Something moved."
Feran growled and stood up. "Someone is watching us."
Aarya felt a faint warmth in his Granthnishaan. His heart raced as he looked around—but saw nothing.
And then... the shadow slowly vanished, as if it had never been there.
Riya sat back near the fire and said softly, "Some guardians of the valley observe how far we can survive. Tonight feels safe... but tomorrow? Who knows."
Aarya just nodded quietly, but in his mind that glowing red eye still lingered—the one that was watching him from the shadows.
---
The first sunlight of morning filtered through the dense red trees of Bloodthorn Valley, but even the light had a crimson tint—as if the valley was coloring the sunlight in its own hue.
Aarya opened his eyes and saw that Riya was already awake. She was mixing red petals and jungle herbs near the fire. Feran was sitting like a large guard by the fire, his fur now slightly dry.
"You wake up this early?" Aarya asked with a soft chuckle.
Riya looked at him, her green eyes glowing in the firelight. "It's safer in the morning than sleeping at night here. You're lucky the Sentinel didn't send more last night."
Feran made a slightly sarcastic telepathic growl: "And you're lucky I was here. Or the valley would've made you its dinner the first night."
Aarya smiled slightly at his tone. "You make sense... but your delivery is always insulting."
Riya smiled faintly at that, a glow on her calm face. "Maybe that's his way of showing care."
Feran growled again, this time with a touch of irritation in his telepathic words: "I don't express emotions like humans do."
Aarya and Riya exchanged a look and shared a light laugh. For the first time, the three shared a normal morning vibe—a small family feel that seemed out of place in this valley.
---
As they wrapped up camp, a faint vibration was felt beneath the soil. Feran immediately growled and took a defensive stance.
"Something's coming," Riya said, gripping her blade tightly.
And then, from the ground emerged a small yet dangerous beast. Its body was made of thorns and threads, not as large as the Sentinel—it was a Bloodthorn Stalker, which attacks from beneath the ground.
The beast lunged straight toward Aarya.
Feran leaped to block its path, his large claw tearing through the beast's threads. But the Stalker wrapped a small thread around Feran's leg and began pulling.
"Its thread is small but strong," Riya observed and quickly attacked from the side. Her curved blade cleanly sliced through the Stalker's threads.
Aarya felt his Granthnishaan ignite and immediately joined the fight. Now he was instinctively targeting the roots of the threads, which he had learned from the Sentinel battle.
"Attack the roots!" Aarya shouted to Riya.
Riya looked at him and gave a slightly surprised smile. "You're learning."
Feran made a savage telepathic comment: "Finally, your brain is working in battle."
Aarya chuckled and landed a powerful strike on the Stalker's core. The beast let out a loud roar, collapsed to the ground, and dissolved into smoke.
The fight ended within moments, and for the first time, Aarya, Riya, and Feran felt like a perfect team.
Riya cleaned her blade and looked at Aarya. "Your moves... feel instinctive now."
Aarya took a light breath and said, "Maybe staying with you both is teaching me."
Feran gave another growl, a bit softer this time: "You're learning... and surviving too."
---
As they ventured deeper, the valley grew darker. Trees twisted, and red petals swirled more wildly in the air.
For a moment, the air went completely still. Riya gripped her blade tightly and said softly, "Something feels off."
Feran growled, his large frame tense. "Someone... is watching us."
And then—a cold voice echoed in the wind, so calm that each word felt like a psychological dagger.
"Your Granthnishaan... still glows white. You... are Aarya, right?"
Aarya stopped immediately. His heart was racing, and he looked around. A long, dark shadow slowly descended from the trees.
The man was half-hidden in darkness, but his black Granthnishaan glowed with cracks. One eye was red, the other deep blue. His body looked half-beast, as if he'd lost control.
Riya immediately went defensive. "Kael Veyth...!"
Kael looked at Riya and gave a strange smile. "Oh... so you're protecting him. You know he's no different from what we were... just hasn't accepted his darkness yet."
Aarya felt his throat go dry. "Who... who are you?"
Kael stepped forward, every step shaking the red threads in the soil. "I'm your future, Aarya. What you become when you break your guilt the wrong way. A human like you... just a little more honest with his instincts."
Riya immediately tightened her grip on the blade. "You have no right to stand in our way."
Kael looked at Riya and laughed softly. "You still believe this boy will survive like you? The more he suppresses his Granthnishaan... the sooner he'll break."
Feran growled and stood in front of Aarya. "Aarya, ignore his words. He just wants to break you."
Kael glanced at Feran and smiled faintly. "Oh, Dire-wolf... you know I'm right. Your beast understands... the darkness within him is what makes him strong."
Aarya looked at Kael, his breath heavy. The two voices in his mind clashed again— "...he's right..." "...no, you won't become like that..."
Kael spoke another line, piercing straight into his heart: "You let a little girl die by your hands... didn't you? Remember it? I can bring that memory back."
Aarya stopped breathing for a moment, and his Granthnishaan briefly glowed red.
Kael smiled faintly. "See? Your darkness is ready when called."
---
TO BE CONTINUED...