The forest was silent.
Not the silence of peace, but the suffocating stillness before calamity.
Ashwini and Vijay stood frozen, their gazes fixed on Ansh. He did not move, did not breathe like a human. His face was empty, his eyes shrouded in void, his aura rolling off him like endless darkness.
Ashwini whispered, her voice trembling, "That… that's not the Ansh I know."
Vijay clenched his fists, though his hands shook. "I don't even think that's… human anymore."
They stepped forward cautiously, but before they could reach him, the ground began to tremble.
Thud.
Thud.
The air grew heavier. The trees swayed violently as though bowing to something greater.
And then—
From the shadows of the mountain ridge, a beast emerged. Its colossal frame towered higher than Rudradeva's five-story palace. Its fur was a stormy black, rippling with muscle. Horns like jagged mountains curled from its head, and its eyes glowed red with fury.
The ground itself seemed to cower beneath its steps.
Ashwini gasped. "Vaarna…"
The name itself carried weight — a legend among spirit beasts. Known for its uncontrollable anger and unmatched violence. Smaller beasts bowed to it in fear, and stronger beasts never dared approach its territory.
Now, its predatory gaze locked onto one figure.
Ansh.
The beast roared, a sound that split the sky. Birds scattered. The trees shook as though the forest itself was afraid.
But Ansh… did not move.
He stood like a rock, black smoke curling around him. His blank eyes stared back at the monstrous titan.
Vaarna lowered its head, its massive fangs glistening, and stomped forward. It roared again, the ground cracking beneath its force, and stopped just inches away from Ansh.
The beast sniffed him, its gigantic nostrils flaring. It loomed above, its shadow consuming him. Any other being would have cowered, run, or died of fright.
But Ansh remained still. His aura pressed against the beast like an unshakable wall.
Vaarna roared once more—yet when Ansh did not flinch, its gaze shifted. Its eyes narrowed, turning toward Ashwini and Vijay in the distance.
Ashwini's heart seized.
"No…"
The titan's muscles tensed. In an instant, it charged at them, its speed terrifying despite its size.
"Move!" Vijay yelled, dragging Ashwini back.
They scrambled, panic clawing their throats. Ashwini's hands shook as she slammed them to the ground. "We can't run—we have to fight!"
Roots exploded upward, intertwining with jagged stone as Vijay summoned a storm of winds. Together, they formed a massive barricade of earth, roots, and steel-like vines.
Vaarna crashed into it.
BOOM!
The shield shuddered, cracks spreading like lightning. Vijay coughed blood from the strain. Ashwini screamed, forcing more energy through her veins.
"Hold it!" she cried.
"I—can't—" Vijay's voice broke, blood dripping down his chin.
With a thunderous roar, Vaarna shattered their defense. Rocks split, vines tore, winds scattered.
Ashwini and Vijay fell to their knees, gasping, as the colossal beast loomed over them, raising its claws to end it.
And then—
CRASH!
The titan was hurled backward, smashing into the trees.
Ansh stood before them, his black smoke swirling violently, his blank eyes glowing faintly.
Ashwini's breath hitched. He hadn't even spoken. His presence alone had forced the beast away.
Vaarna rose, shaking off the rubble. Its blood-red eyes fixed on Ansh, and for the first time in centuries, the legendary beast felt it—danger.
It roared to the heavens, an earth-splitting cry, and charged.
Ansh moved too, his body vanishing in a surge of smoke. They collided in the middle of the battlefield.
BOOM!
The impact threw both back. The jungle quaked, leaves raining down like a storm.
Vaarna landed on its feet, claws digging into the ground. Ansh crashed into the dirt but rose instantly, his expression still cold.
The titan roared again and lunged. Ansh's black smoke thickened, cloaking his form as he dashed forward.
They clashed.
Vaarna's claw swung like a mountain falling. Ansh's fist shot upward, meeting it. The collision erupted in shockwaves that flattened trees around them. Both were hurled apart again, but neither faltered.
Blood trickled from Ansh's knuckles. His body trembled—not from weakness, but from anger. His aura grew violent, consuming the air.
Ashwini clutched her chest. "This… this pressure… it's like he's not even Ansh anymore."
Vijay gritted his teeth, his eyes wide. "No. This is something else. Something above us all."
The titan roared, maddened by its wounds. It swung again, claws gleaming.
Ansh caught the claw mid-swing. Muscles straining, he growled, "You think you can harm me?"
With a savage twist, he ripped the beast's claw apart. Bone snapped, blood sprayed.
Vaarna screamed in agony, its roar echoing like thunder.
But Ansh wasn't done. His eyes glowed darker. Black smoke erupted, surrounding his body like a storm. He leapt onto the titan's chest, fists pounding mercilessly. Each strike dented its flesh, each blow echoing like a hammer on steel.
Vaarna staggered back, roaring in rage. Flames surged from its throat, engulfing the battlefield in fire.
Ansh stepped through the flames, untouched, his aura consuming the fire itself.
The titan tried to retreat, but Ansh appeared before it in a blur. His hand wrapped around its throat.
With impossible strength, he lifted the colossal beast into the air. Its massive body thrashed wildly, its tail the only thing scraping the ground.
Ashwini and Vijay could only watch, terror-struck.
"This… this isn't human," Vijay whispered.
Ansh's aura roared like a hurricane. His voice, dark and hollow, thundered:
"You dared to harm me."
The beast shrieked.
"You dared to harm them."
With one violent motion, Ansh twisted.
CRACK!
The titan's neck snapped. Its roar cut off instantly. Its massive body crashed to the ground, lifeless.
But Ansh did not stop. His eyes burned with fury, his aura darker than ever. He raised his fists and slammed them into the corpse again and again, tearing it apart. Bones shattered, flesh ripped, blood soaked the earth.
Each strike was more savage than the last, as though his anger could never be satisfied.
"Ansh!" Ashwini cried, her voice trembling. "Stop! Please, it's over!"
But he didn't hear her.
His aura grew more violent, like a storm consuming everything. The trees wilted, the ground cracked, the air itself trembled.
It was not the aura of a boy.
It was the aura of a supreme being—merciless, violent, absolute.
Ashwini collapsed to her knees, tears streaking her face. "If he keeps going like this… he'll lose himself forever."
Vijay grabbed her arm, his face pale. "He already has."
Ansh roared to the heavens, his voice mingling with the storm of darkness. His fury shook the world, and for a moment, it felt as though even the stars in the sky trembled.