Aarya leapt toward the seed, the glow of the Granthnishaan slicing through the air around him. On the ground below, the Fiend Queen released a screech — a final, desperate cry filled with rage and survival instinct. Riya and Grace saw as Aarya's body descended like a bolt of lightning — landing right at the seed's core.
There was a massive explosion — but it wasn't fire. It was a burst of pure energy, a vibrational shockwave that silenced the entire battlefield for a moment. The Fiend Queen's tendrils froze, and cracks began to appear across the bloodthorn residue spread on the ground.
Aarya had landed. Beneath his feet was the shattered husk of the seed — a dark crystal now reduced to ash. The glow from his Granthnishaan faded from both his hands, but his eyes still burned with focus.
The Fiend Queen immediately reacted. She launched her massive red spines and sent a wave of tendrils hurtling at Aarya. In a single step, he shifted his position, sliding beneath her spine and striking with a powerful uppercut beneath her back.
The creature's body shook but remained active.
Riya didn't waste a second. "Aarya, behind you!" she shouted.
Without looking, Aarya flipped sideways, but a second tendril scratched his back. No blood spilled, but pain flashed across his face. Grace immediately threw his spear — it sliced through the tendril midair. "You've got cover," he said. "Now attack!"
The Fiend Queen began to spread her roots into the ground again. Something beneath the earth began to shift. Villagers felt the tremors, and a few stumbled and fell. Rudrak pushed them toward the healer's dome. "Retreat! Get inside now!"
Aarya glanced at Riya, then Grace. "This time… together." His voice was calm but commanding. Grace nodded, spear ready. Riya crossed her blades and took her stance.
All three moved in sync. Thorns from the Queen's back pierced the ground rapidly, and between them, tiny fiend sprouts began to grow — each one acting like a mini monster seed. The battlefield was evolving.
Grace took the left flank, Riya the right, and Aarya charged the center. Each cleared their path with precision strikes. Aarya's Granthnishaan shattered every tendril, but the Fiend Queen was adapting. She released organic shields from her back, starting to absorb their blows.
"She's growing a defense layer!" Riya shouted.
"Then we'll have to shake her base," Aarya replied.
Grace formed a plan. "I'll break the root bindings from the ground. You two target her back."
He drove his spear deep into the soil. Bloodthorn roots lashed up at him, but he spun through them with a wide attack. Riya leapt high, spinning midair and slashing the Queen's left spine with her blade.
The Fiend Queen screamed. The sound spread like a wave, activating the surrounding mini-fiends. But by then, Aarya had reached her back. He fully charged his Granthnishaan — its aura now glowing like bright blue fire. His eyes lit up, though his face remained calm.
"This is it."
One single strike — vertical — gravity aiding the blow. His target: the Queen's central growth — the origin of every thorn and tendril.
The strike landed cleanly at the core.
A solid crack. Then a vibration. Then — explosion.
The ground stopped shaking. The tendrils froze. The Fiend Queen's massive body stilled for a moment.
As Riya landed, she saw red mist rising from the Queen's back. Grace steadied himself by slamming his spear into the ground.
The Queen let out one final roar — but this time it carried no power. Only hollow anger and pain. Her body began to collapse. Roots sizzled. The mini-fiends screamed and started to vanish, as if their signal had been cut.
And in just a few moments — silence.
Only heavy breathing remained, and the burnt-metal scent still lingered in the air.
Aarya stood motionless, Granthnishaan embedded in the ground. His hand trembled slightly, but his eyes remained steady.
Riya walked over to him. "You okay?"
Aarya gave a small nod. "A bit fatigued. But this time… it's over."
Grace scanned the surroundings. "No movement. Area's clear."
One by one, the villagers began to emerge. Children, women, elders — all looked toward the three of them. And then — clapping. Soft at first… gradually growing louder. Crimson Village — which had lived in fear just a day ago — now stood tall, applauding.
Rudrak saluted with the hunter trainees. "From today, you're not just outsiders."
A soft smile formed on Riya's face. Aarya didn't look at the clapping — his eyes were fixed on the shattered core of the Fiend Queen.
Feran approached him and muttered, "This was just one piece. You know that, right?"
Aarya picked up the core. Its color was black — but a faint purple glow pulsed within. It wasn't like before.
Grace asked, "Is this… a new phase of Bloodthorn?"
"Maybe," Aarya replied. "But this time… it's reacting. To me."
Riya looked stunned. "You mean…?"
Aarya didn't answer. He slipped the core into his pouch and said just one thing: "This war… it's still on the surface."
—
Night wrapped around the village. The skies were now clear, but held a strange chill — like a great eye was watching from above. Far away in another jungle, on a distant continent, another Bloodthorn began to bloom.
Aarya sat atop the highest stone slab of the ridge, the entire village spread beneath him. He was far from the voices, yet could sense every movement. The villagers sat around the firepit — talking, some laughing, others quiet, and some simply watching Riya as if she were their protector. Riya sat among them, yet apart. Her body relaxed, but her eyes still carried the weight of a battle that never truly ends.
Aarya pulled out the shattered Bloodthorn seed's core. Now the black crystal emitted a faint purple glow. There was no warmth in it, only a steady pulse — like a heartbeat. Every few seconds, the glow would throb gently. Feran, seated beside him at the ridge's edge, growled softly.
"It's still alive. You feel it, don't you, Aarya?"
Aarya stared at the crystal. "Why does it react to my touch?"
"Maybe… you're not resisting it. Maybe… you're drawing it in." Feran's voice — telepathic as ever — sounded deeper now, more serious.
"I'm not part of the Bloodthorn," Aarya said, but even to him, the words felt uncertain. Feran said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on the crystal.
Riya now sat alone by the fire. Grace was likely on patrol. Rudrak was checking the hunters' wounds. Riya held a small cloth in her hand — one that belonged to the little girl she'd rescued during the battle. A tiny rabbit symbol was sewn into it — once white, now faded with mud. She folded it gently and tucked it inside her coat.
Aarya noticed her eyes were fixed on a point — but not seeing. She was searching within — or perhaps trying to forget something.
Someone called her name from below. "Riya?"
It was Grace, approaching from the other side of the fire. He carried no spear, but his body was still alert. "Everything okay?"
Riya nodded. "Everything's quiet. And that… feels strange."
Grace sat across from her. "This wasn't just a mission for you, was it?"
Riya thought for a second. "No. This place… these people… they remind me of what I've forgotten. I didn't just come here to protect them. I came back — to a place where people once called my mother the 'Rakshak's daughter'. And then… she became a corpse."
Grace didn't look at her directly. "That's why you always run into danger first. You want others to live — not yourself."
Riya tossed a small stick into the fire. "I'm not afraid of dying. I just… think that if I stay alive, maybe I can be something for these people."
Grace met her eyes. "You already are."
From the ridge, Aarya watched them. He didn't interrupt. Didn't speak. Just observed. The fire cast glowing reflections on their faces. Beneath Riya's strong jawline, a soft sadness still lingered. Grace looked unusually calm — but his eyes hid something. Like a man not ready to believe everything he was feeling.
Aarya slipped the crystal back into his pouch. Feran leapt onto his shoulder. "Will you go to them?"
"Not yet," Aarya replied. "Grace is hiding something. And Riya… she needs to be honest with herself first."
"Then what aren't you being honest about?"
Aarya gave no reply.
At that moment, movement stirred near the fire. The little girl Riya had rescued approached with a small flower in her hand. Her mother followed behind.
"This is for you, Riya didi," the girl said.
Riya smiled and accepted the flower, though her eyes welled up slightly. "Thank you," she said. "What's your name?"
"Rivya," the girl replied.
Riya paused for a moment. "Did you know my mother?"
The girl's mother nodded. "She used to protect us when we were young. You're just like her."
Hearing that, Riya's face softened — like a quiet breakdown. She hugged the girl tightly, then gently released her. "Go now. It's late."
Grace watched Riya's face closely. He saw it — inside that warrior, a little girl still lived. A girl who always carried the weight, but never cried.
On the ridge, Aarya saw a small circular wound on his palm — the spot where the seed had touched him. Beneath the skin, a faint purple light pulsed. Feran noticed it too and bowed his head.
"That Bloodthorn seed… left something inside you."
"Or maybe… it awakened something."
"Where are you headed, Aarya?"
"Wherever that core… is pulling me."
Suddenly, a sharp vision struck his mind — a burning forest, a distant continent, a white-eyed warrior fighting beside him. That warrior too held a Granthnishaan.
The vision lasted only a second — but it stopped Aarya's breath. Feran asked, "What did you see?"
"Someone… like me. And he was calling to me."
"Another you?"
"No. Another Rakshak… the Bloodthorn is hunting."
Cold wind swept behind the ridge. The village was now fully inside the protective dome. Grace still sat by the fire. Riya was once again staring into space.
Aarya rested his hand on the pouch holding the shattered seed.
"This is just the beginning," he said. "And we… are now at its center."
Far away in a lonely mountain range, a shadowed figure stood — tall, cloaked in white, glowing red eyes beneath the hood. In his hand was a black Granthnishaan.
And he spoke one word — "Arya…"
---
TO BE CONTINUED…