The ground trembled again.
That large, water-filled pit was slowly getting deeper.
Moisture thickened in the air, and tiny droplets of water began to freeze on the twisted trees nearby —
as if the wind itself… was weeping.
Aarya took a sharp breath.
His heart felt like it might burst from his chest.
He looked toward the center of the pit —
where a blue, shadow-covered claw was slowly rising.
It was shaped like a wolf's paw,
but fine tendrils of shadow swirled around it,
making water ripple wherever they touched.
Riya whispered under her breath,
"Levi-hound… it's crying.
And as long as it cries… its rage will grow."
Feran stepped in front.
His large body tensed, and his silver eyes scanned every corner of the jungle.
"Stay back," his telepathic voice rang in Aarya's mind.
Aarya replied quietly,
"I can't just stand here…
This is my trial, isn't it?"
Feran's voice grew heavier:
"And your survival is just as important."
Aarya said nothing,
but his hand trembled slightly.
The Granthnishaan on his chest pulsed brighter —
as if it too could feel the beast drawing near.
---
And then… it fully emerged.
From the center of the pit, a massive, water-formed body rose.
The Levi-hound looked half wolf, half shadowed water.
One side of its face was distinctly canine —
but the other side…
was a smooth, watery mask
with two long, weeping white eyes glowing faintly.
With every step, the ground beneath it grew wetter,
and a strange chill spread around it like fog.
Its form seemed more sorrowful than predatory.
Each roar was soaked in pain —
as if it didn't want to kill,
but had no choice.
From its mouth, water constantly poured,
and as it splashed to the earth,
it formed tiny dark figures —
like shadows coming alive.
Aarya stared at it —
and for a second, his heart grew unbearably heavy.
"It's… crying."
Riya looked at him.
Her eyes remained calm,
but her voice held a hint of ache.
"Yes.
That's why it's named so.
It's a cursed hunter.
Before killing any Beastbound…
it feels their pain…
and weeps blood."
Feran's voice echoed in Aarya's mind:
"Its pain won't save you.
If you don't stop it… it will break you."
Aarya inhaled deeply.
His Granthnishaan now burned even stronger.
In his head, that same dark voice echoed again—
"…You have only one path…
steal its essence…
end it all…"
Aarya shook his head,
as if trying to silence the voice in his mind.
---
The Levi-hound let out a thunderous roar.
With it, water tendrils burst from the ground,
leaping toward Feran and Aarya.
Feran immediately jumped ahead.
His massive body formed a shield in front of Aarya,
and with his claws,
he slashed through the rushing water.
With each swipe, the water turned to mist —
but the Levi-hound now moved faster.
Aarya stepped back a little.
His breath quickened.
With every roar of the Levi-hound,
his Granthnishaan pulsed hotter.
Again, the voice inside surged:
"…It's in pain.
You must kill it.
Take its essence…
only then your memories will return…"
Aarya's throat felt dry.
"My memories…?"
He slowly touched his chest.
But then Feran's voice thundered in his mind:
"I warned you.
Don't make that mistake again."
Still, Aarya's heart warred within.
One part — that darkness — told him to kill.
The other…
felt the pain in the Levi-hound's cries.
He whispered,
"It's hurting…
It doesn't want to fight."
Feran glanced at him,
his telepathic reply firm:
"And still it'll break you.
There's no room in this jungle for sorrow or mercy."
Aarya said nothing.
---
The Levi-hound roared again and lunged.
Feran intercepted it.
The two clashed —
water and shadow crashing into silver fur.
Feran sank his teeth into the creature's watery shoulder —
but its body wasn't entirely solid.
Its smoke seeped into Feran's fur with every move.
Aarya took a step forward.
His breathing heavy,
his thoughts racing.
Two voices.
"…Kill it…
Take its essence…
Your memories await…"
"…No…
It's in pain…
There must be another way…"
He clutched his head.
His Granthnishaan flickered between red and black,
his body trembling.
His legs walked forward on their own —
toward the Levi-hound.
Riya watched him, her eyes faintly surprised.
"You…
you're not going to kill it?"
Aarya answered softly,
"If I do…
I'll fall into the same darkness calling me."
She simply looked at him,
and a faint smile formed on her lips —
as if she saw something different in him for the first time.
---
Aarya stepped before the Levi-hound.
He raised his hand and, amid its roars,
looked straight into its long, white, weeping eyes.
"You're in pain… aren't you?"
The Levi-hound's roar faltered.
Its watery face trembled slightly.
More water fell from its mouth,
and its paws hesitated.
Feran's voice flared in Aarya's mind:
"Aarya… this is dangerous!"
Without looking away, Aarya said,
"I have to try…"
And then —
the Levi-hound shrieked.
Its whole form of shadow and water writhed,
and it lunged straight at Aarya—
Feran growled and pushed Aarya aside,
slamming into the beast again.
As they collided,
ash and mist flew through the air.
Feran's jaws clamped around the creature's watery neck,
but its body reformed with each strike.
Aarya fell to the ground,
mud and dampness clinging to him.
His breathing quick,
he pushed himself up.
Before him, a primal fight raged —
Feran's claws tore through water,
but the Levi-hound reformed every time.
Riya stood quietly behind a tree,
her curved blade in hand.
Her face calm,
but her green eyes locked onto Aarya —
watching his every move.
The Levi-hound struck Feran hard,
sending him crashing through the trees.
His fur drenched, paws dripping.
Feran struggled to rise,
while the beast turned… toward Aarya.
---
Aarya stared at it.
His heart thumped wildly.
Those two voices fought again:
"…Kill it, or be killed…
Take the essence, or lose everything…"
"…No.
It's in pain…
You're here to save it…"
His throat dry,
his Granthnishaan now glowing a deeper red,
beating in rhythm with his heart.
The Levi-hound lunged at him.
Aarya dodged its first strike —
but the second claw slashed his shoulder.
His clothes tore, blood hit the dirt,
and a cold shadow seeped into his wound —
as if the creature's pain entered him too.
Suddenly —
a memory flashed through Aarya's mind.
A crying child…
a burning building…
his own hands covered in blood.
He saw himself pushing someone away…
and their scream echoed in his head.
"No…" Aarya groaned.
The Levi-hound's glowing eyes came closer —
as if its anger grew by feeding off Aarya's pain.
Its watery mask rippled violently.
Its cries grew louder.
---
Aarya took a risk.
He raised his wounded hand,
blood dripping —
and placed it gently
on the Levi-hound's watery neck.
Feran growled from afar,
"AARYA! STOP! It'll destroy you!"
But Aarya didn't stop.
His Granthnishaan pulsed furiously.
He looked straight into the beast's white eyes.
"You're hurting…
You don't want this, do you?"
The creature's body shook.
Its roar softened.
More water spilled from its face —
as if it wept harder.
Its paw, once pressing into Aarya's wound, lightened.
Aarya whispered,
"I don't want to kill you…
But I don't want anyone else to die either.
You want this to end… don't you?"
In its eyes,
for just a moment —
pain shimmered.
Then —
its whole form jerked.
It let out one last desperate shriek —
and turned savage again.
---
Feran roared back into the fight.
He tackled the Levi-hound from the side
and tore through its watery mask with his teeth.
Water and shadow burst into the air.
The Levi-hound collapsed to the ground,
crying in agony.
Aarya stared.
His Granthnishaan burned bright.
That dark voice whispered again:
"…End it now…
Take the essence…
This is your chance…"
But Aarya shook his head.
"No.
I won't kill it.
I'll save it."
He walked over,
placing his hand on the creature's fading neck.
His Granthnishaan pulsed —
its red glow shifting to a pure, soft white.
The Levi-hound's roars faded.
Its water calmed.
In its white eyes…
a flicker of peace appeared.
Its body turned to mist,
and its sorrow… dissolved into the earth.
And then —
a memory fragment unlocked in Aarya's mind.
He saw himself.
A small boy crying before him.
Instead of helping…
he had pushed the boy away.
The boy's scream echoed again.
"Why…
Why did I do that?" Aarya whispered.
The Levi-hound vanished into mist,
leaving behind only a small mark of water.
Feran walked over,
his voice soft:
"You chose the harder path…
But perhaps… the right one."
Riya watched silently from a distance.
Her face calm,
but a faint respect shimmered in her green eyes.
Aarya sat quietly on the ground,
his breaths heavy.
His Granthnishaan now slowly calming.
But inside him,
a new question burned—
"Who was I…
to commit such sins?"
---
TO BE CONTINUED…