The sky above Dharavanar bled into twilight, streaks of orange melting into deep blue. The streets were quiet, too quiet. Ariv walked ahead, his gaze locked on the horizon while Neel, Vaishnavi, and Rohit followed close behind.
The air had changed. Heavy. Thick. Each breath felt like wading through water. Ariv didn't need words to know Neel sensed it too. They both slowed their steps at the same time.
"Ariv," Neel said under his breath.
"I know," Ariv replied, his voice steady as steel.
The others noticed the shift in their tone. Vaishnavi frowned. "What's going on? Why are you—"
A ripple ran through the shadows ahead. Then another. And another.
Figures crawled out of the darkness like a nightmare given flesh—long limbs bending wrong, bodies flickering like smoke, crescent eyes glowing white in the dim light.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Then more.
Until the street swarmed with them. Twelve in total. All towering, radiating an aura so suffocating the air itself felt brittle.
Vaishnavi staggered back, clutching Rohit's arm. "What… what are those things?"
Rohit's voice cracked. "No way… no way this is real—"
"Stay behind me," Ariv said calmly, stepping forward without a trace of hesitation.
"Ariv, wait!" Vaishnavi cried.
But he didn't look back. His star-shaped pupils glimmered faintly under the fading sun as his focus sharpened on the approaching beasts. He could feel their hunger, the murderous intent bleeding from them like poison.
Beside him, Neel's jaw tightened. His hands slipped into his pockets, then curled into fists. The silver ring on his right finger shimmered faintly in the half-light.
Ariv tilted his head slightly. "Neel," he said, voice low but clear. "Are these the highest level?"
Neel gave a humorless chuckle. "Not even close." He stepped up beside Ariv, eyes narrowing. "But they're strong enough to kill anyone else."
The creatures screeched, the sound like metal tearing in water. Then they moved—fast.
The street exploded into chaos.
---
The Clash Begins
The first Kalarak lunged straight for Ariv, claws slicing the air. He sidestepped with razor precision, his movements fluid, calculated. No panic. Just instinct honed sharp. His fist slammed into the beast's midsection, sending it crashing into a wall. Bricks shattered like sand.
Another came from behind. Ariv twisted, grabbed its arm, and hurled it over his shoulder. The impact cracked the pavement.
But there were too many.
Neel moved like a shadow, slipping past Vaishnavi and Rohit in a silver blur. His kick tore through a Kalarak's chest, black mist spraying from the wound. Another lunged at him—he spun mid-air, striking its jaw with bone-breaking force.
For a moment, it seemed like they could hold their own.
But the Kalarak weren't ordinary monsters.
One lashed out with a tail like a whip, catching Ariv across the ribs and throwing him into a lamppost. The metal bent like paper. Ariv gritted his teeth, wiped blood from his lip, and stood without flinching.
Another clawed at Neel's back. He pivoted, grabbed its arm, and shattered it with a twist. His ring pulsed again—faint silver energy flickered around his hand.
---
Neel Unleashes a Glimpse
Ariv's eyes caught the glow. "Neel," he muttered.
"Later," Neel snapped, his voice cutting like ice.
Three Kalarak charged at once. Neel exhaled slowly—and then his aura bled into existence. A faint crescent of silver light curved behind him, like a fractured moon. Power rippled through the air as he moved, faster now, every strike leaving silver trails.
He tore through two beasts in seconds, their bodies crumbling into black mist.
But it wasn't enough.
Six remained. All stronger than the first wave.
One caught Neel off-guard, its claws slashing across his shoulder. Blood sprayed. He hissed but didn't falter. Another lunged for Vaishnavi—Ariv blurred forward, intercepting with a brutal kick that snapped the creature's spine.
Even without Galaxy Zenith, his raw strength was monstrous. But for every beast they dropped, two more seemed to press harder.
---
The Breaking Point
Ariv panted, sweat sliding down his jaw. His knuckles were raw, his hoodie torn, but his stance never broke. The locket around his neck burned against his skin, pulsing faintly as if mocking him.
He could feel the power inside him roaring, begging to be unleashed. One thought burned in his mind: If I remove it…
"Ariv!" Neel's shout snapped him back. Two Kalarak slammed into him, pinning his arms. Another came from the front, jaws gaping.
"Move!" Neel roared, lunging toward him—but a fourth beast blindsided him, slamming him into a parked car. Metal crumpled under the impact.
Vaishnavi screamed. Rohit pulled her back, eyes wide with terror.
For the first time, the fight tilted toward death.
---
And Then… They Arrived
A sound split the air. Not a screech. Not a roar.
A whistle.
Then came the blur.
The first Kalarak's head fell clean off its shoulders. Black mist sprayed like ink as its body collapsed. Another beast turned—only to be skewered through the chest by a blade wreathed in faint light.
Figures dropped from the rooftops like shadows cast by gods. Twelve of them, moving with precision, cutting through the Kalarak like wheat under a scythe. Their movements were too sharp, too perfect—every strike fatal, every motion silent.
Ariv froze mid-struggle, watching as the creatures that had nearly killed them were erased in seconds.
And then, he heard that voice.
"Well, well, well…"
Boots clicked against broken pavement. A tall figure stepped forward, his coat fluttering in the dying wind, eyes gleaming with a calm authority that silenced even the chaos.
"I am back."
Rudraen.
The man who had saved him once before now stood at the head of twelve warriors, each cloaked in black and silver, their blades dripping with shadows.
The last Kalarak fell. Silence swallowed the street.
Ariv stared, chest heaving, fists clenched so hard his nails dug into his palms. Questions burned in his eyes—but no words came.
Rudraen's gaze locked on him, a faint smile curling his lips.
"Ariv Senra," he said softly, almost like a secret. "Things are about to change."
---
TO BE CONTINUED IN VOLUME 3…