The city of Kochi was breathing its usual rhythm. Horns blared, ferries cut through the backwaters, and the smell of fried pazhampori drifted from tea shops that lined the streets. Life was normal—until the sky cracked.
It happened at dusk
The clouds twisted into a whirlpool of fire and shadow, right above the Marine Drive skyline. People stopped mid-sentence, phones raised, recording what looked like lightning—but it wasn't.
Arjun stood in the middle of the street, his backpack slung over one shoulder. He had been arguing with his best friend Nihal about who was paying for parotta at Hamsa Chettan's kada, when the air turned heavy.
The tar road under their feet vibrated like a drum. Cracks spread, glowing faintly with golden-red light. And then… a door formed. Not a physical one—more like a rip in reality, shaped like a gate of black stone. Strange carvings glowed on its surface. Old letters. Malayalam, but ancient.
People screamed, running. Some stood frozen, phones still up, livestreaming.
The gate opened.
From within spilled a cold wind that didn't belong to Kerala. It smelled of burned flowers and iron. And with it came… her.
A woman stepped out barefoot, her white mundu streaked with red at the edges. Anklets jingled with each step. Her face was beautiful—too beautiful. Long hair fell like a river, her smile was warm, almost kind. For a moment, the crowd relaxed.
Until she laughed.
It wasn't human. It was the kind of laugh that made the old stories rush back—the ones whispered by grandmothers about Yakshi Nilli, who lured men with her beauty and drank them dry.
"… so many faces," she cooed, tilting her head. "I wonder whose blood will taste the sweetest tonight."
Panic exploded. People ran in every direction. Cars crashed into each other. The Yakshi's eyes glowed faint red as she lifted her hand—one man flew screaming into the air and landed in a spray of blood.
Arjun grabbed Nihal's arm. "Run!"
But Nihal froze, whispering like a child. "… this is real."
Before Arjun could pull him, Nilli's gaze turned to them. A smile curved her lips. "Ah… young blood. The gods will enjoy watching this."
The words made Arjun shiver. The gods? Watching?
Nilli floated forward, her feet not touching the ground. Arjun's legs wanted to bolt, but something in him burned. He saw the people screaming, dying around him. And he couldn't just run.
" what are you doing?!" Nihal shouted as Arjun picked up a broken metal rod from the wreckage.
Arjun didn't answer. His heart was hammering. His mind was screaming at him to flee. But his body moved. He stepped forward.
Nilli tilted her head, amused. "Oh? A little lamb with teeth? How entertaining."
The ground shook harder. The gate behind her pulsed like a beating heart. A voice—deep, booming, not hers—echoed from the sky.
"Let the first trial begin."
Everyone who heard it felt their blood freeze.
Arjun gripped the rod tighter, sweat dripping down his forehead. Nilli's smile widened, her fangs just beginning to show