In the suffocating darkness of the ancient forest, a single soldier led the way, hacking through the dense, thorny underbrush. Close behind him followed three heavily armored guards and a young boy, his entire figure swallowed by a heavy black cloak that perfectly concealed his identity.
Pulling the cloak tighter around himself, Abhay looked at the broad back of the soldier leading them. "Which way do we have to go now?"
The lead soldier glanced over his shoulder without breaking his stride. "We have to cross the mountain dead ahead."
Abhay frowned in the darkness, stepping carefully over the jagged rocks. "How do you even know which direction we are going in all this dark?"
"I know a little bit of Navik Vidhya (Navigation)," the lead soldier replied calmly.
"What exactly is Navik Vidhya?" Abhay asked, his curiosity peaking.
Instead of answering immediately, the soldier simply pointed a gauntleted finger up toward the sky, visible through the breaks in the heavy canopy. "With the help of the stars."
Abhay looked up at the glittering night sky. "But how can you find our way just by looking at shining stars?"
The soldier walking right behind Abhay chuckled softly at the boy's innocent question. "Do you see that one star up there? The one shining much brighter than the rest?"
Abhay squinted at the sky, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Yes! I see it." He turned back to the soldiers. "What is that star called? Does it have a name?"
The guard walking at the very back of the formation smiled, his voice filled with pride. "That is the Dhruv Tara (The North Star). It is the only star that always remains fixed in its exact place. If you ever see that star in the sky, you immediately know that the direction you are facing is North. That means South is directly behind your back, East is to your right, and West is to your left."
Abhay listened in awe. Having lived his whole life as a lowly servant, learning something like this made him incredibly excited. "So... where are we heading now?"
The second soldier from the back answered, "We are heading straight East. Towards our home."
Abhay felt a swell of gratitude for these men. "What are your names?" he asked softly.
The lead soldier navigating the path spoke up first. "My name is Pratap. The friends walking behind you are Sur, Samar, and bringing up the rear is Rudra."
Abhay tells his name, "My name is Abhay and I am the servant of the princess.
Pratap's group, welcoming Abhay into their fold, said, "You are welcome in our group, Abhay."
"I am very glad to meet you all," Abhay said, his voice sincere beneath the heavy hood. "And thank you... for saving my life."
Pratap's expression hardened, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. "The danger hasn't passed yet. Those Vyadhs are still right behind us."
A short distance away in the pitch-black woods, the seven Vyadhs were prowling through the underbrush like silent predators.
One of the hunters lowered his bow and looked at their leader. "Can you sense the soldiers' Origin Energy?"
The lead Vyadh closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the cold mountain air. "Tracking them is incredibly difficult... They have suppressed their energy perfectly." A cruel, sharp smile slowly crept onto his face. "But I can sense even the faintest trace of Origin Energy. There is nothing to worry about."
The hunter beside him gripped his sword. "Then where did they go?"
Opening his eyes, the lead Vyadh stared into the dark woods. "They are moving towards the East."
His sinister smirk widened as he gestured to his bloodthirsty comrades. "Come. Let's head East."