The First Tremor
It was late afternoon. The skies hung heavy with the weight of unfallen rain. The wind, once whispering through trees, held its breath. Even the birds stilled—no song, no wingbeat.
Then it came.
From the forest's edge—shadows moved. No, swarmed.
Black. Armored. Monstrous.
Giant ant-like creatures surged into view, each the size of four feet. Their jagged exoskeletons gleamed in patches of light. Their legs scuttled with unnatural rhythm.
A living nightmare had awoken.
Screams tore through the village.
Children scattered. Farmers dropped their tools mid-harvest. Mothers ran, snatching their children. Peacocks screamed as they took flight. Even the stream turned muddy, tainted by the movement of the monstrous horde.
The elders, brave but unprepared, grabbed sickles, axes, even wooden rods—forming a trembling ring of defense around the young and old.
Then came Ashvik Malhan.
Warrior instincts surged back into his veins.
Beside him, Naren and Bhairava—rushed to the frontlines. His eyes, usually calm like still water, now burned with a tempest's fury.
"Hold the line!" Bhairava roared, his sword flashing like silver lightning.
Naren fought with a bladed staff, spinning, blocking, slashing—his every move a dance of controlled violence.
But the swarm was endless.
They came in waves.
They scaled rooftops. They tore through wooden walls. They dragged screaming villagers beneath the soil.
And then—
The sky darkened.
Not from rain.
But from wings.
Some had evolved—monstrous fliers. They dropped like death from above. These monstrous ants grab onto shoulders, necks, spines.
The Frozen Flame
Inside their home, Isha gave baby to Kanak and asked to look after her. She started fighting these monsters, but they were large in number.
Kanak took the baby in her arm. She would die before she let these monsters kill the baby.
And in the courtyard—
Shaurya froze.
He stood paralyzed, heart hammering against his ribs. Fear crawled up his spine. His hands clenched. His knees locked.
He wanted to help. To move. To fight.
But his body refused.
He watched, helpless, as horror unfolded around him.
Until—
A monster crashed through the side of his house—its claws dripping with venom, its eyes locked on the newborn in Isha's arms.
The creature's started preparing to strike.