The jungle quaked again.
From the shadows of the trees, two more tiger spirit beasts emerged, their eyes glowing crimson, their bodies rippling with killing intent. Their roars merged with the first beast's cry, a sound so violent it shook the very air.
"No…" Ashwini whispered, her face paling. "Not more of them."
Vijay clenched his fists, summoning his energy. "Three of them? Together? That's insane!"
The two newcomers snarled, their fangs dripping with fire. With a unified cry, they lunged forward and smashed through Ashwini's bindings, freeing the wounded beast.
All three turned, their furious eyes settling on the young disciples.
"They're coming!" Ansh yelled, pulling Daav closer.
The ground exploded as the beasts charged. Ashwini and Vijay rushed forward, desperation etched across their faces.
"Defense! Together!" Ashwini commanded.
Roots shot up from the earth, weaving into a barrier, while Vijay's wind swirled into a protective shield. The beasts slammed into it with crushing force. For a heartbeat, the shield held. The jungle rang with the sound of earth cracking and branches snapping.
Then, with a shattering boom, the defense broke apart.
"Move!" Ashwini screamed.
The three leapt aside as flames erupted from the beasts' mouths.
Two lunged straight toward Ashwini. The third barreled toward Vijay and Ansh.
"Not happening!" Vijay snarled, slashing his arm. A blade of wind erupted, striking the beast across the snout and forcing it back a step.
Ashwini raised her arms as roots coiled up to block the two charging her. She struck back with a burst of tree energy, vines lashing like whips. One beast staggered, but the other's claw raked across her shoulder. Blood sprayed as she was thrown to the ground.
"Ashwini!" Ansh cried, his voice breaking.
On the other side, Vijay stood his ground. He unleashed another wind blade, but the beast's fire engulfed it. The explosion sent him flying into a tree. He crumpled, coughing blood.
"Vijay!"
---
Ansh's chest pounded. His friends lay broken around him.
Rage boiled.
He turned to Daav, who hovered weakly at his side. "It's just us now. We have to end this!"
Daav's eyes narrowed with determination. Together, they gathered their strength. Flames swirled in Daav's beak, while Ansh pulled every ounce of energy he had left. With a roar, they launched a massive fireball that blasted into the beasts, halting their charge.
"Come on, you bastards!" Ansh yelled, turning and sprinting into the deeper jungle. "Follow me!"
The beasts snarled, enraged, and gave chase.
Ansh and Daav darted through the trees, turning suddenly and launching another fireball. Flames roared, striking the lead beast across the chest. Daav followed with a fire strike of his own, but the retaliation was merciless.
A beast lunged at Ansh.
"Ansh, look out!" Daav cried.
Ansh dove aside, but another beast struck from the left. Daav threw himself in front of the attack, unleashing desperate flames. The blast collided with the beast's claws, but Daav was hurled aside, his small body crashing into the dirt.
"Daav!" Ansh screamed, running toward him.
The third beast intercepted, its claws raking across Ansh's side. The force flung him into the rocks. His body slammed hard, and a sharp stone pierced deep into his back.
"Ughhh—ahhh!" Blood poured down his spine, soaking the ground. His vision blurred, pain searing every nerve.
He forced his head up. Ahead, the beasts had surrounded Daav. The little flamingo lay trembling, unable to rise. One beast lifted its paw, flames swirling, ready to crush him.
"No… not him…" Ansh's lips trembled. He clawed at the ground, his bloodied fingers slipping.
"Not Daav…"
---
Then—blackness.
Not the fainting kind. Not the death kind. Something else.
A shadow spread from within his wounds, curling like smoke across his skin. The air thickened, suffocating. Even the beasts hesitated, growling uneasily.
Ansh's body twitched, his eyes rolling back. From every cut, every bruise, black smoke seeped out, coiling like serpents.
The beast's paw descended toward Daav.
It stopped.
Held in place by Ansh's bloodied hand.
Ansh stood. His body trembled violently, but his grip was unbreakable. His face was half-hidden in shadows, his eyes glowing with an eerie, void-like light.
"Touch him," Ansh whispered, his voice hollow, "and I'll tear you apart."
The beast snarled and swiped at him.
Ansh caught its paw mid-swing. With a roar that was no longer human, he lifted the beast by its neck.
"Die!"
He leapt high, dragging the beast with him, then descended with crushing force. Bones cracked. The tiger spirit howled, then fell silent, its skull shattered.
The other two beasts roared, enraged. They pounced at once.
Ansh didn't flinch. He vanished.
Reappearing in front of one, he grabbed its paw and ripped it clean off. Blood sprayed like a fountain, covering his body. The beast shrieked in agony, collapsing.
"You bleed just like the rest of us," Ansh muttered, his voice echoing unnaturally.
He stepped onto the beast's back, tearing through its ribs with his bare hands. With a violent twist, he ripped it apart in a storm of gore.
The final beast, the one first freed, froze. Its instincts screamed of danger. For the first time, it hesitated. Then it turned to flee.
"Coward."
Ansh appeared above it in a blur. His blood-soaked hands wrapped around its neck and waist. With one motion, he twisted. Flesh and bone split apart.
The beast's body collapsed into pieces.
Blood rained down on him, staining his face, his hair, everything.
Silence.
The jungle, once deafened by roars and battle, now cowered in quiet. Even the spirits in the shadows dared not breathe.
Ansh stood in the middle of the carnage, chest heaving, his body drenched in blood. Black smoke coiled off him in streams, rising into the night like a curse.
His eyes—still glowing with that unnatural void-light—slowly shifted to Daav.
The little flamingo chirped weakly, fear and love mixing in its gaze.
Ansh's body twitched again, the smoke thickening. His breaths came ragged, each one darker than the last.
"Ansh…"
A faint voice echoed in the distance. Ashwini. Her figure stumbled toward him, supported by Vijay. Both of them pale, injured, yet alive.
She froze at the sight of him—soaked in blood, surrounded by corpses, his aura nothing human.
Vijay whispered hoarsely, "What… wh
at the hell is he?"
Ashwini's eyes widened with both horror and awe. "No… not what. Who."
Ansh turned toward them slowly, his face shadowed.