I hurled a stone onto the shell of the giant snail. From within came a sharp cry —
"Aaahhh!"
Then silence. The snail was dead.
But its death released a strange, powerful energy. That force surged into me, filling my veins with unbearable pain. It felt as though my body would burst apart, as though every nerve was tearing. Yet along with the pain came something else — an awakening.
A new energy.
The power of lightning.
Still shaken, I walked on. Soon, I discovered a peculiar village. The people there looked unusual — all of them small in height, almost like children of ten years, yet their faces were of grown men and women. Their strength, I could sense, was far greater than their size suggested.
I entered the village and spoke to a few people. Among them, I noticed a frail man and approached him.
"Brother, what is the name of this place?" I asked.
"This is Chandrapur," he replied. "Seventy families live here, and the people are kind."
I asked again, "But why are all the people so short?"
He only smiled faintly.
Then I pressed further, "Tell me, have you seen any strange creature around? Something different from ordinary animals?"
The villager's expression darkened.
"Yes. A few days ago, a beast came here — its skin was blue, and it looked terrifying, unlike anything we've seen before."
"Do you know where it went?" I asked eagerly.
"East," he said at once.
I thanked him and continued eastward.
Not long after, a foul stench hit me. I followed it until I found a small cave, the odor seeping from inside. The closer I came, the stronger it grew, so nauseating I nearly vomited.
"Chhi… chhi… ugh, what a disgusting smell!" I muttered, covering my mouth.
Inside the cave lay the corpse of a beast, headless. Its body was rotting, clearly dead for three or four days. Something larger must have killed it and carried away its head, leaving the carcass behind. The atmosphere was thick with decay and poison.
Anger rose within me. I could not let this corruption spread. I steadied myself, summoned the lightning within, and focused on the carcass. In seconds, a surge of blazing energy shot from my body. The dead beast was engulfed in flame and turned to ash.
The stench weakened. The air felt lighter.
I walked further. Ahead, I saw it — a creature with blue skin. At once, I remembered the villager's warning. The beast resembled a small demon, and before I could even prepare, it attacked.
A heavy punch struck me, hurling me far back. Pain tore through me.
"Aaahh… damn you!" I groaned, but rose again and countered with my own attack.
My blow barely hurt him. Some invisible power shielded his body.
The demon laughed cruelly.
"Haaaaaa! Haaaaaaa!"
I clenched my fists. Fire blazed around me, and I launched flames toward him. This time, he staggered slightly. That was when I realized — he could only be defeated if I combined powers.
I fused my fire and lightning, forming a storm of energy inside me, and struck him with full force. The blast threw him across the ground. Furious, he retaliated with stronger attacks, but I dodged, pressing my advantage.
Our battle raged until, at last, I concentrated all my strength into one focused strike — a power born of mixing everything I had. The demon fell, broken, gasping. Still alive, but barely.
I walked closer, summoned lightning, and unleashed it one final time. His body convulsed and then fell still. The blue demon was dead.
The forest changed instantly. The poisoned air grew fresh, clean. His death had freed it. From his corpse, I absorbed his strength — his power was now mine.
Nearby, I found another cave. Inside were the severed heads of countless creatures. The walls were painted in blood. My anger surged. With lightning, I burned every trace of his cruelty to ash.
Then I ran. My speed had become inhuman — as if the wind itself carried me forward. I laughed in joy.
"Ohhh… ohhh!"
At last, I had proven to myself that I could fight demons. I had the power.
By the time I reached Chandrapur again, I was faster than ever. I crossed the whole village in just five seconds, leaving trails of dust behind me. Confidence filled my heart.
But something else caught my attention. Around the outskirts, I noticed strange statues — human figures, carved out of stone. Dozens of them, frozen in expressions of fear.
"These aren't statues…" I whispered.
I realized the horrifying truth. The demon's soldiers had turned living people into stone and brought them here. Why? To silence them. To keep them from crying for help.
And yet, I knew one thing — when a heart cries out in desperation, someone always comes to protect it. For the sake of dharma, for the sake of humanity… protectors will always rise.
I stood watching the stone figures, my fists tightening.
"We will wait," I whispered. "We will see what their true purpose is. And then… we will end it."
We wandered for some distance when I noticed a soldier. He was dragging what seemed like a statue — but I knew better. It was no ordinary sculpture, but a human being, turned into stone.
I narrowed my focus, using one of my powers to watch him closely without being seen. The soldier carried the stone figure into a cave and locked it inside a prison.
Inside that dark cell, I witnessed a terrifying truth: the moment the captives were shut within, their stone bodies began to change back into flesh. They were alive — living people trapped in a cursed prison, silenced and powerless.
A chill ran down my spine.
Then I noticed something else. Near the prison walls lay rows of weapons — swords, spears, and sharp blades. Some soldiers were carefully sharpening them, their faces lit with a sinister determination.
Seeing this, my heart trembled. I whispered under my breath,
"He Ram… so many weapons…"
The truth struck me like lightning. These people were not being imprisoned to live. They were being prepared for sacrifice.
Their blood was meant to be spilled.
And I knew, with burning certainty — I could not allow that to happen.
....