The jungle thundered with screeches as the Monkey Tribe poured from every direction.
Ansh, Ashwini, and Vijay ran with all their strength, branches whipping against their faces. Shadows leapt through the canopy, glowing eyes flashing like fire in the dark.
"Run, Daav, or else they'll eat us alive!" Ansh shouted.
Hearing his master's cry, Daav beat his tiny wings faster, sparks flickering as he darted ahead.
"I swear, Ansh," Vijay growled, barely dodging a claw that slashed past his shoulder, "once we're out of this, I'll kill you myself!"
"Stop talking, you idiots!" Ashwini barked. Power surged through her palms as she slammed her hand against the ground. "And run!"
Roots erupted, twisting into a massive tree trunk that struck one of the monkeys mid-leap, flinging it dozens of feet away. Vijay glanced back, his eyes wide with fear, then quickened his pace. Ansh and Daav sped up too, hearts pounding.
---
Ahead, the trees opened to reveal a massive cliff, mist curling up from its endless depths.
Ansh's eyes bulged. "Cliff ahead! Do something, or we're dead meat!"
"Vijay, you idiot! Do something!" Ashwini snapped.
Vijay gathered earth energy into his hands and thrust them forward. The ground trembled as stone rose from both sides of the cliff, slowly forming a bridge.
"Hurry!" Ansh screamed as the edge came closer.
"I can't!" Vijay gritted his teeth. "Ashwini—help me!"
Ashwini slammed her palms down. Vines and roots lashed out, weaving into the growing stone. The bridge thickened and stretched forward. Together they shouted—
"Runnnnn!"
They sprinted across the bridge.
The monkeys screeched in fury, swarming after them. But Daav's eyes flashed. He inhaled sharply, then exhaled a stream of fire that struck the weakest middle section of the bridge. Stone cracked and roots burned.
The bridge collapsed halfway, sending dozens of monkeys plummeting into the abyss. The rest pulled back, howling in rage.
"Nice one, Daav!" Ansh cheered breathlessly.
Far away, on a distant mountain ridge, a figure stood watching. Cloaked in silence, Rajyugas' sharp eyes never left the children.
"Why are you here?" a calm voice asked.
Veerendra appeared beside him, his robes swaying in the wind.
"I was curious about your… special training," he said.
Rajyugas didn't turn, his sharp eyes fixed on the figures dashing across the collapsing bridge. "Your brother is growing fast," he said, his voice steady, almost unreadable.
"Yes," Veerendra murmured, his gaze lingering on Ansh. The boy's small frame moved with reckless energy, yet something within him was beginning to stir. "He has begun to rise. But his true strength is not in mastering the five elemental forces. No…" His tone deepened, carrying both pride and concern. "He carries something different — a special control, a force unlike any other. And if he is ever to master it, there is only one man on this continent who can guide him." His eyes slid toward Rajyugas. "You. The one who has perfected that power to its very core."
But Rajyugas brushed the words aside without answer. His gaze shifted instead to Ashwini, sprinting fearlessly alongside Ansh.
"Her command over tree-nature is remarkable," he said, almost to himself. "Already she moves as though her body and spirit are one with that power. It flows through her not as a tool, but as a part of her very being."
Veerendra exhaled softly, disappointment flickering in his eyes, but he did not press further. He understood — Rajyugas' attention would never stray from Ansh. It was not mere duty. It was something deeper: an obsession born of affection, the fierce devotion of an elder brother who refused to let the boy out of his care.
"Yes," Veerendra admitted at last. "Ashwini too carries great potential. One day she may grow as strong as Mother."
At that, both men's thoughts turned to Lady Meera, the renowned Rudra Warrior. Her mastery of tree-nature is legendary — roots that could shield battalions, branches that struck with the force of iron, and vines that could crush stone. Yet her greatest gift is not her power to destroy, but her power to heal. Even in the heart of battle, surrounded by fire and steel, Lady Meera could mend wounds and restore strength. She is not only a warrior. She is life itself.
Veerendra's eyes narrowed. "This assignment is pushing them to awaken their powers. But tell me…" His gaze sharpened. "Do you truly think this is good for Ansh?"
For a moment, silence hung between them.
Then Rajyugas' voice rang firm. "He must learn to control his power. And that can only happen when he first loses control of it. This is the path he must walk—alone."
Veerendra's eyes narrowed. "And if he fails? You know the consequences will be dire."
Rajyugas finally turned, his expression like stone. His words cut through the air with unshakable resolve.
"If he fails, I will not allow that power to consume him." He looked down at Ansh's tiny figure running across the bridge.
"Even if it costs my life."
The wind howled over the cliff, carrying the echoes of the Monkey Tribe's fury into the night.