We had to stop him at any cost. If we didn't, he would become so powerful that nothing we did would matter — he would become a demon and harm innocent people outside the forest.
"Bhai, are you listening? What happened to you?" I called.
"Nothing, yaar. I was just thinking… if we can't stop him, what will happen to the people living nearby?" Shivam only said a few words, but his voice felt empty.
"Think about it," I said. "Imagine how terrible the scene will be in the nearby villages. We must try — even if it costs us our lives. I will stop him. I'll use every last bit of my strength, even if I have to give my life." I swallowed hard and felt my resolve harden.
Shivam agreed. "You're right. We must stop him. But we need a plan. If we confront him head-on we won't stand a chance. We mustn't take him lightly."
At that moment Rishabha spoke up.
I, Shivam, and Rishabha walked a little away from the others until we reached a part of the forest where there were no dangerous animals. I told Rishabha to stay there while I and Shivam worked out a plan. Rishabha looked surprised and fell silent for a while, then began to speak.
He told us about the demon in the forest. His name was Gaudish, and he had come from another world. Gaudish had killed some animals and eaten them, drinking their blood and laughing loudly as he did.
"Hahahaha… so delicious. The beasts here — their flesh and fresh blood are a feast. I will stay here and eat and laugh forever," Gaudish had said. Because of him many animals fled the forest, and the remaining ones hid.
When the animals could no longer find prey, Gaudish used his power to create creatures from bones and hides — beasts animated by his dark magic. These hunters began searching for the hidden animals, but their blood had turned blue; they became strange, dangerous things.
I had wandered far away from our group. The creatures searched for me too and attacked. I fought to protect myself and managed to kill some, then ran further into the forest. Exhausted, I hid beneath a tree and fell asleep.
When I woke up, I had wings — I didn't know where they had come from. I watched the small birds around me and wanted to fly like them. At first I could only manage short, clumsy leaps, but I practiced every day. Gradually I learned to fly bit by bit, and over time I became able to soar.
Wings at the Edge of the Forest
Day by day, with little leaps and clumsy attempts, I learned to fly. At first it was only short hops — a shaky glide from one branch to another — but practice threaded those stumbles into confidence. Eventually I settled at the far edge of the forest, where life moved slower and fewer beasts dared to appear.
I lived quietly there, cutting my days away in solitude. It was lonely; my friends had either been killed or had fled the forest to save their lives. Still, I stayed. The strange power that had found me would not leave, and I had grown used to the company of wind and trees.
Then you arrived. Where there had once been a master and a slave, now there was a friend. That is my story, friend. What happened to you is cruel, truly cruel — but don't worry. Together we will rid this forest of the horror that haunts it.
"Let's go," someone warned. "If we stay and talk, the others will slip away and we'll lose our chance."
"Move, Shivam — or Gaudish's minions will spread out," I said, urgency sharpening my voice.
"Who is Gaudish?" Abhishek asked.
"Gaudish," Shivam replied, "is the demon we spoke of."
"Tell me, Shivam — how many creatures did you find? How many did you kill? What powers did you gain?" I urged as we walked.
"All right, I'll tell you," Shivam said. "Listen." He began.
As we walked, Rishabha nodded and climbed up to sit with me. "Follow those minions," I told him softly. "Make sure none of them see us. If they spot even one of us, the plan will fail."
Rishabha agreed and settled in. Then Shivam began his story. He said that when he left the camp, wandering as if dragged by some invisible current, he came upon a small chameleon that struck him as oddly familiar. He approached it, studying it carefully, but every time he reached out the creature seemed to slip away — as if its shadow had broken free and taken another form.
Without thinking, Shivam picked up a stone and struck. The chameleon fell. From beneath it rolled a pearl, glowing with an otherworldly light. The moment Shivam touched the pearl, something changed — the pearl sank into him, as if it had always belonged there.
I didn't feel anything unusual, so I kept moving forward. As I went deeper into the jungle, a cool breeze began to flow — saa… saa… saa — along with the gentle rustling of leaves.
The deeper I went, the more I realized how alone I truly was. No animals crossed my path; it was only me, surrounded by silence and shadows. After walking for some time, I noticed something glimmering ahead — a small, golden hue, almost like silver light shining faintly from the ground.
Curious, I stepped closer. To my surprise, it was a snail. Its shell shimmered with a strange glow — golden with streaks of silver, sparkling as if it held some hidden power.
I reached out and tried to lift it with my hand. The moment my skin touched its shell, a violent surge of electricity shot through my body. It felt like I had been struck with 44,000 volts. I screamed in agony, and the snail slipped from my hand, falling to the ground.
But as it landed, I noticed something strange — the snail couldn't move. It lay upside down, helpless, struggling to flip itself back. A thin, transparent layer of energy seemed to float above it, faint but visible.
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind. If it's lying upside down, all I need is one heavy stone to crush it. That would be the end of it. But then another idea struck me. What if this creature is the reason all the animals avoid this part of the jungle? Perhaps they fear its power. Maybe that's why the forest feels so empty…
The thought of gaining strength tempted me. If I kill it, maybe I'll earn some kind of point… some reward.
Without hesitation, I grabbed a large stone, lifted it high above my head, and hurled it down with all my strength onto the glowing snail.