Morning sunlight spilled over the quiet village like warm honey, soft and golden. Two days had passed since the terrible night. The sickness that had filled every home, the fevered moans and coughing, had faded to a memory. Smoke from cooking fires drifted gently into the sky.
Ansh, Ashwini, and Vijay stood outside the temple gates, each of them holding a small clay bowl filled with water steeped from a fragrant powder. The pouch Rajyugas had given them still hung from Ashwini's belt, its drawstrings stained a faint green from the herbs inside.
The day before, the three of them had moved like little healers through every alley and courtyard. Ashwini mixed the herbs with water, her small hands steady as she measured out the exact pinch Rajyugas had shown them. Vijay carried the bowls to each hut, his serious eyes watching for any sign of danger. Ansh, sleeves rolled to his elbows, knelt by every sickbed, coaxing smiles from the villagers with his clumsy jokes while Daav chirped comfort from his shoulder.
"Drink this," Ansh would say, holding the bowl carefully to a fevered mouth. "Tastes like swamp water but works like magic."
And when the villager grimaced, he would grin. "See? Already better—you can still complain!"
By the second sunset the change was clear. The heat left the villagers' skin. The endless coughing eased. No one had died, not a single person. It was as if the sickness itself had simply… surrendered.
Now the three children waited at the temple steps while the village head bowed low before Rajyugas. The tall man accepted the gratitude with a single nod, then turned toward his pupils.
"You worked well," he said. His voice was quiet but carried through the still air. "The village is safe."
Ansh puffed out his chest. "Of course it is. We're amazing."
Daav gave a proud chirp, flapping his wings in agreement.
Rajyugas' dark eyes rested on the boy. "Amazing, yes," he said, a faint curl of amusement at his lips. "But I will keep the pouch until we return to the academy. Herbs are not toys."
Ansh grinned, unbothered. "Fine. But you saw me. Best healer here."
Ashwini rolled her eyes. "We all worked, Ansh."
"Exactly," Vijay muttered. "Mostly we worked."
"Team effort," Ansh said quickly, hands raised in mock surrender. "I just happened to be the star."
When the last villager had left, the questions tumbled out.
Ashwini stepped forward, her eyes sharp. "Who was that man? The one with the silver… whatever it was?"
Vijay's jaw tightened. "And why was he after that little boy? He nearly killed us."
Rajyugas regarded them for a long moment. Then he spoke, his words slow and heavy.
"There are people," he said, "who twist life to feed their own hunger for power. They see humans as ingredients—flesh and spirit as tools to awaken forbidden strength. The man you fought was one of them."
Ansh's grin faded. "He… he wanted to eat people?"
"Not eat," Rajyugas replied. "Use. The boy you saved carries a rare gift—the ability to heal wounds faster than any ordinary human. That man sought to take that gift, to increase it within himself. When you denied him, he released the plague in anger."
Ashwini's brows drew together. "So the sickness… was his doing."
"Yes," Rajyugas said.
Ansh scowled, fists clenched. "That's disgusting. Who does that?"
Vijay's voice was low. "Someone evil enough to kill a whole village for power."
Ashwini turned her gaze on Rajyugas, something fierce in her eyes. "But why didn't you come out when it began? You stayed inside while people suffered. You could have stopped it sooner."
Ansh crossed his arms, nodding vigorously. "Yeah! We were running all over, and you were just… sitting in that room. What was that about?"
Rajyugas' expression did not change. "I stayed because the man who cast the plague would reveal himself only if he believed the sickness unchecked. Had I stepped forward too soon, he might have hidden and escaped. I needed him to come to me."
Ashwini's voice sharpened. "You let it spread?"
"I controlled it," Rajyugas said simply. "I released medicinal herbs into the air, quietly, with my power over space. Enough to keep death away, not enough to calm his suspicion. No villager was ever in danger of dying."
The children exchanged startled looks.
"You… were healing them the whole time?" Vijay asked.
Rajyugas inclined his head. "Yes."
Ashwini exhaled slowly, the tension in her shoulders easing though her eyes still held a glint of reproach. "You could have told us."
"It was not a game for children," he said.
Silence stretched. Then Ansh broke it with a dramatic groan, flopping onto the temple steps. "All that running around and we could have been napping?"
Daav hopped onto his knee and chirped loudly, as if scolding him.
"I'm serious!" Ansh continued. "Do you know how many scratches I got hunting for herbs? I'm practically a walking thorn bush."
Ashwini snorted despite herself. "You are a thorn bush."
Vijay allowed a small, reluctant smile. "A loud one."
Ansh puffed his cheeks and pointed at Rajyugas. "Fine, wise teacher. Now we go back to the academy, right? I am very tired."
For the first time since they had left the academy, Rajyugas' stern face softened into something close to a smile.
"The trip," he said quietly, "has only just begun."
Ansh's jaw dropped. "What?!"
Daav fluttered onto his head and chirped, echoing his shock.
Ashwini sighed, though a spark of excitement flickered in her eyes. Vijay simply squared his shoulders.
Rajyugas turned toward the shadowed path beyond the village. "Gather your things," he said. "We travel at dusk."
The children looked at one another—tired, curious, and a little afraid.
Somewhere ahead lay the next step of their journey.