The clearing echoed with the growl of the tiger spirit beast, its body coiled with burning qi, flames seeping through the cracks in its striped hide. The three disciples staggered back, still bruised from the earlier clash, but the fight was far from over.
Ansh clenched his fists, his chest heaving. His eyes darted to Daav, who was trembling in his arms, his feathers charred in patches but his spirit unbroken.
"No one hurts my Daav," Ansh growled, his voice raw with fury.
He staggered to his feet, veins bulging as he lifted a massive stone from the ground. With a roar that matched the beast's, Ansh hurled it straight at the monster.
The rock smashed against the tiger spirit's shoulder, dust and sparks bursting on impact. The beast roared in fury, eyes glowing red, and turned its blazing gaze toward him.
"Ansh!" Vijay shouted.
Too late. The beast lunged, fire flaring in its jaws.
But Ansh wasn't standing still this time. "Not today!" he spat, diving to the side as flames scorched the earth where he had stood. Heat licked his cheek, and his heart hammered, but he grinned despite the danger.
"You'll have to try harder than that, furball!"
The tiger snarled and swiped with its massive paw, claws ripping trees apart.
Vijay dashed forward, wind force gathering around his blade. "Don't think you're the only one fighting, Ansh!" he shouted.
With a slicing motion, he released a wind blade that struck the beast's flank. The cut tore through fur and flame, forcing the spirit tiger to stagger back with another roar.
Seizing the moment, Ansh scrambled toward Ashwini and Daav. "Hold on, Daav… you're not dying on me."
Ashwini, blood trickling from her lip, struggled to rise. She looked at him with pain and frustration. "You idiot… why do you always make things worse?"
"Save the lecture for later," Ansh snapped, gently laying Daav beside her. "Just don't let him out of your sight."
The tiger spirit roared louder, enraged by Vijay's strike. Flames burst from its maw, scorching the air.
"Try and catch me then!" Vijay taunted, sprinting across the clearing. The beast charged after him, trees snapping under its weight.
"Vijay!" Ansh shouted, but the boy was already weaving between the attacks, unleashing another wind blade.
The tiger leapt sideways, dodging, then lashed its fiery tail. Vijay barely ducked under it, the gust of force nearly knocking him down.
"Is that all you've got?" Vijay gritted his teeth, launching another blade. The wind screeched, slicing fur and flame again, making the beast roar.
Ashwini staggered forward, clutching her staff. "Enough running!" Her voice shook but carried power. Roots burst from the earth, coiling like serpents, winding around the tiger's legs.
"Bind it!" she cried.
Vijay nodded, focusing his force again. As the roots held the beast for a moment, he unleashed a barrage of wind blades, striking its chest.
The spirit beast howled, shaking the ground.
"Take this too!" Ansh shouted, lifting another stone. This time Daav's eyes flashed with determination.
The little flamingo flapped his wings weakly, sparks igniting around him. He spat a jet of fire at the rock in midair, superheating it until it blazed like molten iron.
"Cannon shot!" Ansh yelled. The flaming rock struck the beast's side with an explosion, smoke and flame bursting outward.
The tiger reeled back, its shoulder seared and bleeding golden spirit blood.
"Yes!" Ansh pumped his fist. "Now who's the beast, huh?"
But triumph lasted only a heartbeat.
With a roar that shook the heavens, the tiger broke free of Ashwini's bindings. Roots tore apart, the ground split, and the beast's flames doubled in size.
It lunged. Straight at Ashwini.
"No!" Vijay roared. He thrust his palms down, raising a wall of stone in front of her.
The beast smashed into it with brutal force. The wall shattered like glass.
Ashwini's eyes widened as the tiger's fiery jaws rushed at her.
And then—
The world slowed.
Her breath froze in her chest. The beast's movements stretched, every muscle pulling as if through water. Even the crackling fire became a slow, deep hum in her ears.
"What… is happening?" she whispered.
Green light swirled around her, like invisible vines in the air. It pulsed softly, warm and alive, and her body trembled with an overwhelming pull toward it.
"Is this… life force?" she thought, heart racing.
The beast loomed closer, each inch dragging out like eternity.
Behind her, she saw Ansh frozen mid-step, reaching desperately. Vijay's blade of wind still forming but crawling at a snail's pace. Even Daav's fiery feathers shimmered in slow motion.
Only she moved freely.
Ashwini lifted her hand. Power surged through her veins.
"Tree of Life… answer me."
From her palm, a massive branch erupted, glowing green, thick and unyielding. It struck the tiger spirit across the face with a thunderous crack, sending it sprawling backward into the trees.
The ground shook.
The spirit beast roared, staggering up, but now dozens of trees burst from the earth, ancient and towering, encircling it. Their branches lashed out like whips, striking again and again.
The tiger spat flames, searing bark, but more trees rose, relentless, binding its limbs, striking its flanks.
Ashwini stood firm, her eyes blazing emerald. "You will harm no one else."
Roots exploded upward, wrapping the beast in an unbreakable prison. It roared, louder and louder, but the bindings held.
Ansh and Vijay stumbled forward as the world sped up again.
Ansh stared, mouth open. "What… what the hell was THAT?"
Vijay's eyes were wide with awe. "She… she awakened it. Tree-nature… in its purest form."
Daav fluttered weakly, managing to land on Ansh's shoulder again. He chirped, almost as if bowing to Ashwini.
Ashwini trembled, sweat pouring down her brow, but her power still surged. She raised her hands once more, and instead of striking, the branches began to glow.
Warmth spread outward, soft and soothing.
"Hold still," she murmured. "Let life mend you."
Vines wrapped gently around their wounds, glowing with emerald light. Cuts closed, bruises faded, and Daav's feathers shimmered back to life, his energy returning.
Ansh held Daav close, tears pricking his eyes. "You… you're really alive."
Daav chirped proudly, flapping around his head in circles.
Ashwini swayed, exhaustion pulling at her, but she smiled faintly. "Don't thank me yet. That beast… it's only bound, not defeated."
Ansh, still stunned, looked at her with a grin. "Ashwini… you're scary when you're mad, but damn—you're amazing."
Vijay chuckled weakly, shaking his head. "Looks like the demon's den has a goddess after all."
Ashwini shot him a glare. "Shut up, both of you."
But her lips curled, just slightly, into the faintest smile.