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Chapter 4: A Man Named Omkar
Eshan sat on the edge of the stone bed, still staring at the headless corpse in the doorway.
Krayn — that grinning monster — was dead.
Killed in a blink.
By this man.
Omkar.
The silence stretched until Eshan finally found his voice. "...You didn't even hesitate."
Omkar wiped his blade clean on Krayn's cloak before sheathing it. "Should I have?"
"He was—"
"A threat," Omkar cut in. "And threats don't get warnings."
Eshan swallowed hard, unsure whether to be terrified or grateful.
Omkar glanced at him, then grinned. "Don't make that face. You'll get wrinkles."
"Wr—what?!"
"Yeah, you look like you just saw a ghost."
"I—!" Eshan's voice cracked. "You cut off a man's head like it was nothing!"
Omkar shrugged, as if he'd been asked about the weather. "That wasn't a man. That was an annoyance."
Eshan blinked. "An… annoyance?!"
"Yep," Omkar said, casually kicking Krayn's body out of the doorway. "You'll learn soon enough. There are monsters out there that make him look like a mosquito."
Eshan stared. "What… what are you?"
Omkar paused mid-step, then smirked over his shoulder. "Just a guy trying to keep you alive."
"That's not an answer."
"Good," Omkar said lightly. "Means you're smart enough to know when someone's dodging a question."
Eshan clenched his fists. "Stop joking around! My parents—"
Omkar's grin faltered.
Eshan's voice shook. "My parents… Are they…?"
Omkar was quiet for a long moment before finally turning to face him fully.
"They fought like lions," he said softly. "Stronger than you can imagine. But even lions fall when the jungle burns."
Eshan's chest tightened.
Omkar crouched, placing a hand on his shoulder. "They knew this day would come. That's why they left you with me."
Eshan's breath hitched. "They… knew?"
Omkar nodded. "Your mother and father weren't just parents. They were guardians. And they did their job well."
"Guardians? Of… what?"
Omkar's hand squeezed his shoulder.
"Of you," he said simply.
Eshan blinked.
Before he could respond, Omkar stood and stretched. "But that's a story for later. Right now, I need to get you somewhere safe."
Eshan frowned. "Safe? Where?"
"To someone who can teach you what you really are," Omkar said with a sly grin.
Eshan tilted his head. "What I… really am?"
Omkar's grin widened. "You'll like him. He's the grumpy type, but he's the best teacher alive."
"Teacher?"
"Your Guru," Omkar said. "And trust me—"
His eyes glimmered with something ancient, something heavy.
"You'll need him if you want to survive what's coming."