The night's darkness was slowly deepening around the village, but there was a strange kind of silence in it. The silence that comes after a battle. The kind where people begin counting their wounds — the visible ones, and those buried deep inside.
Aarya was sitting on the ridge, Feran beside him. Below, Crimson Village was breathing a new breath. Everything seemed calm, but inside Aarya, a faint voice still echoed — as if someone had said something, or some memory had returned... but only partially.
He took out the shattered Bloodthorn core from his pouch — the same one that had reacted in his hands after the Fiend Queen's death. The purple glow inside it now looked stronger. Every other second, a faint vibration reached his hand, like a heartbeat.
Feran glanced sideways, "It's alive."
Aarya said softly, "No… it's not just alive. It's waking up."
He placed the core between his hands in his lap and closed his eyes. Maybe he could see something, maybe feel something.
And then — a flash.
A vision burst open inside his closed eyes.
It was a jungle — but not Crimson. It was something else. Red mist oozed from every tree. And a silhouette… a beast whose body was half crystal, half bone. In its hands was another symbol of the Granthnishaan — but it burned in black. Behind it stood another shadow… a girl… her face wasn't visible, but her eyes held a strange kind of rage.
Aarya opened his eyes. His breath had quickened.
"Feran… I saw something."
"Memory?"
"Or warning. Maybe both."
"Did you understand anything?"
Aarya paused, thinking. "There was something in that jungle. It looked like Bloodthorn… but more ancient. And that creature…"
"Was like you?" Feran asked.
Aarya shook his head. "No. But it carried a Granthnishaan. Like… a corrupted Beastbound."
Feran growled, but this growl was more thoughtful. "So the disease isn't limited to beasts. The Granthnishaan itself can be corrupted."
Before Aarya could respond, a small voice came from behind the ridge — Riya's.
"You two are still here?"
Aarya turned. Riya walked up with a light shawl over her shoulders, carrying a handful of forest berries. "Maybe have something to eat? You haven't eaten all night."
Feran rolled his eyes, "Couldn't you find someone less motherly in this village?"
Riya smiled and placed the berries in front of him. "You don't need food anyway."
Aarya picked up a berry. "Where were you?"
Riya looked toward the village. "Meera fell asleep. Her mother's memories keep coming back in her dreams. I stayed with her for a while."
Feran spoke softly, "Do you see yourself in that girl?"
Riya fell silent. After a while, she said, "Not just myself. I see my mother. Her eyes… looked at people the same way — as if she could protect everyone."
Aarya asked gently, "Your mother was a Rakshak too, right?"
Riya nodded. "Yes. But her death wasn't just because of a beast. The system killed her."
Feran became alert. "System? The Divine Hunt?"
With a sharp pain in her eyes, Riya replied, "The system appears impartial, but deep inside… it lets some people die, and gives chances to others. My mother was 'collateral.'"
Aarya placed his hand on the Granthnishaan. "And that's why you chose this path? Revenge?"
Riya took a piece of the berry. "Maybe at first. Now… I just want the truth. Is the system true or false? I want to see everything."
Feran looked at both of them closely. "Maybe that's why you both came to the same zone. You're both trying to finish something — for someone else."
Riya looked at Aarya. "What about you? What do you want?"
Aarya paused. Then softly said, "I'm still trying to understand. The visions I'm getting — I can't tell if they're memories or warnings. But one thing's certain — something's being hidden from all of us. And if I really am the Beast Emperor… then I need to know what he did."
Riya said lightly, "And what if you turn out to be exactly what the world thinks you are?"
Aarya looked again at the shattered core. "Then either I'll destroy myself… or I'll rewrite the entire world."
Riya said, a faint spark in her eyes, "You think you're that powerful?"
Aarya smiled. "No. But there's something inside this Granthnishaan… that's pulling me. And if the system brought me here… then I'm going to use it."
Riya sat beside him and took another berry piece. "Tomorrow morning we'll meet Elder Varin. Maybe he knows more."
Aarya nodded. "And Grace?"
"She's at the training ground. But… I think she's hiding something."
Feran growled softly, "Or deciding something. Her bond with the villagers is deepening."
Aarya looked up at the night sky — the stars were clear, and a shooting star streaked by.
"Whether Grace stays or not… we have to take the next step. This Bloodthorn cycle won't stop now."
Riya simply said, "And we're both right in the middle of it."
—
After Riya's words, a deep silence lingered. Aarya looked up at a patch of sky where stars blinked — like someone fluttering their eyes. Feran stretched softly and walked down from the stone, as if giving the two of them some space.
Riya was now very close to him. But between them was an unsaid silence — neither romantic, nor awkward. Just that stillness that comes when two people are fully present, with all their truths. No masks, no facades.
Aarya asked softly, "Did you ever think… you'd feel this again? Among people… a normal life?"
Riya gave a soft laugh. "Normal... it never really existed, even when my mother was alive. But yes, sometimes I used to think there must be a place where someone would accept me just for being 'me.' Not a Rakshak, not a warrior, not a survivor. Just Riya."
Aarya said thoughtfully, "I never really knew what 'normal' was. Just mission after mission. Trial after trial. And when you wake up without any memory, 'normal' feels like a luxury."
Riya looked at him. "You deserve normal, Aarya. Maybe more than anyone."
They stayed quiet for a while.
Then Aarya said softly, "Grace is looking for normal too, I think."
Riya nodded. "She didn't say anything to me, but it was written all over her face. Maybe she saw something in this village that we both lost — a home."
Just then, soft laughter, a small giggle, and some firewood crackling came from below. Grace was at the corner of the training ground with a small team — and for the first time, Aarya saw genuine relief on her face.
"She's exactly where she should be," Riya said.
In a slow tone, Aarya asked, "Can we ever stop somewhere like that?"
Riya simply said, "First, we'll have to break everything. Then, we can build something new."
—
The next morning, when the first light touched the ridge and fell over the village, Aarya felt a small movement near him — as if someone had come close. He opened his eyes — it was Grace.
But she wasn't holding her spear. Only a woven basket — with herbs, food supplies, and a folded cloth.
"Awake?" she asked casually.
Aarya looked at her with questioning eyes, "You…"
Grace smiled. "I'm staying. I'll help Elder Varin for a while. We're starting basic defense classes for the village kids."
Riya, who was returning with Meera from the lake, saw them and came over. "You didn't even tell us?"
Grace shrugged. "Telling you now."
Aarya asked, "You're really ready to stay here?"
Grace looked into his eyes. "I've always been ready. I was just waiting for you two to understand what this place means to me. I want to change this place… without the fear of another beast or trial."
Riya asked softly, "Aren't you scared… without us?"
Grace paused for a moment. Then said, "I am. But I want that when you two return someday, this place feels a little better. Remember… this is the village where you got your first 'pause.'"
Aarya gave a soft smile. "We'll come back."
Grace handed him the folded cloth. "It has local warding runes. The next trial might be the Heart Zone — and there… your enemy won't just be beasts."
Riya gave a surprised expression. "How do you know?"
Grace pulled a small bone charm from her shoulder. "This Granthnishaan lets me feel things. And… something's changed inside you, Aarya. You'll see it."
Aarya placed the cloth in his pouch and said, "I don't know what I'm becoming. But if I go astray…"
Grace interrupted, "…then we'll stop you. Or remind you who you were. Don't forget that."
Riya came close and hugged her — tight, warm, and final. "You'll always have a place in our team."
Grace smirked slightly, "And I'll remember your mood swings too."
Everyone laughed. That small laugh made the goodbye a little easier.
—
As Riya and Aarya reached the jungle's edge, Aarya looked back one last time. Grace was already teaching kids spear stances with Elder Varin. A small boy — Nerin — kept falling, and Grace kept helping him up, correcting his posture again and again.
"She's found her mission," Aarya said.
Riya smiled softly, "And ours… is still ahead."
Aarya took a deep breath. "Ready?"
Riya placed her hand on her blade. "With you. Always."
—
There were faint clouds in the sky, and the mist had settled in the jungle. Feran was with them — alert but calm. Ahead, small vines lined the path, and the air held a strange vibration.
Aarya gathered the past few hours in his mind — Grace's decision, Riya's truth, Feran's vision, and the pulse of the Bloodthorn core. Everything that he now had to carry forward.
As they stepped into the Heart Zone of the jungle, one line echoed in his mind:
"If I really am the one the world forgot… then I will return as a memory they can't erase."
—
TO BE CONTINUED…