4:00 AM.
Sikdar Fortress, Ratanpur Village.
The Sikdar Fortress was no place of luxury. It was an impregnable, rough-hewn structure forged from black granite—a silent, stony witness to countless wars.
Under the flickering light of torches, the shadows of the fortress danced and stretched like restless spirits.
Inside the fortress's main War Room, the top leaders of Ratanpur sat in council.
The atmosphere was as volatile as a barrel of gunpowder waiting for a spark. In the center of the room lay a massive stone table, upon which was spread a map of Bhola Sadar.
At the head of the table sat the 'Warlord' of Ratanpur—Sultan Sikdar.
A man of colossal stature. His skin was bronzed by the sun, his muscular frame mapped with the scars of a hundred battles. Embedded in the stone table before him was a massive Battle Axe. From its blade, a smoky crimson aura billowed endlessly, like the breath of a dormant volcano.
Sultan Sikdar slammed a dagger onto a specific spot on the map.
"Last night, two of our scouts were killed on the borders of Shitapur."
Seated to his right, the General Rafiq Matubbar exploded in rage. He lost control, smashing his fist onto the stone table.
BOOM!
"They killed our men and hid the bodies! Chief, we must launch a full-scale attack immediately! We will grind Shitapur into the dust!"
Sultan Sikdar turned his single eye toward Rafiq. He spoke not a word. He simply extended his right hand and gently touched the handle of the axe embedded in the table.
HUMMM!
In an instant, the temperature in the room spiked to unbearable levels. A dense Fire Path Aura erupted from the axe. Suffocating pressure crushed down upon the room.
Rafiq Matubbar gasped for air, realizing that oxygen was no longer entering his lungs.
CRACK-CRUNCH!
Without being struck, the solid stone table fractured down the middle. The heat radiating from the axe began to curl the edges of the map.
Rafiq shrank back in terror. Sweat poured down his forehead. He realized he was sitting before a living volcano. He quickly lowered his head in submission.
The Sultan removed his hand from the axe. The temperature returned to normal.
He spoke in a calm, deadly voice, "Emotion is the enemy of a warrior, Rafiq. Kaloshal was merely a pawn's move. Our true target is far greater."
He placed his finger on the center of the map, at the convergence point of the four villages.
'The Cursed Valley'.
At the mere mention of the valley, the air in the room grew heavy.
An elderly advisor, Nasir, stroked his white beard, his voice trembling with fear.
"But Chief... that place is a graveyard. Do you know what happened to the last army that tried to conquer it a hundred years ago?"
Nasir's voice cracked.
"Not even their bones were found. Folklore says sunlight does not enter that valley. It is the home of 'Shadow Demons'. They do not eat human flesh; they devour human shadows."
The other leaders shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
Nasir continued, "And he whose shadow is eaten, eventually transforms into a Shadow Demon himself. Or, after centuries of having their life force drained, they condense into 'Dark Path Spirits' or dark materials. The spirits we use today... perhaps they were once humans like us."
Sultan Sikdar laughed. It was a laugh devoid of mercy, filled only with the hunger for power. In the red glow of the axe, his face looked demonic.
"You are right, Nasir. The Dark Path and that valley—both are dangerous. It is a tomb for common warriors."
He stood up.
"But remember—Light guides men, but Darkness rules them. If we can conquer that valley, we will possess the resources to create a vast army of assassins. Cutting the throats of those arrogant leaders in Shitapur will become as easy as slicing vegetables."
His words ignited the blood of the other leaders. Fear was replaced by greed in their eyes.
While the excitement of the meeting reached its peak, three distinct entities were working silently within the very same room. Three spies.
Seated in a corner was a young commander named Jisan.
Outwardly, he listened to the Sultan with rapt attention. But beneath the table, a complex mechanical rhythm was at play.
He tapped his big toe lightly against the stone floor.
This was no ordinary tapping. From his 'Soul Realm', invisible roots of an 'Earth Path Spirit' burrowed deep into the ground. Every tap sent a tremor traveling kilometers away through the earth—straight to the Leader of Nabipur Village.
'Ratanpur will descend with full force. Target: The Cursed Valley.'
The maid serving drinks walked slowly toward the Sultan. Her face was veiled in black cloth.
As she poured wine into Sultan Sikdar's glass, her heart drummed against her ribs like a war hammer. The Sultan was a Rank 3 Masterer; his sensory perception was incredibly sharp.
One mistake, one slip of aura—and her head would be separated from her body.
She held her breath and let the ring on her finger gently graze the glass.
For a split second, the color of the wine shifted, then returned to normal. The poison was mixed. The Sultan noticed nothing.
The maid quickly lowered her head and retreated into the shadows. A single drop of cold sweat rolled down her forehead.
Standing like a statue directly behind Sultan Sikdar was his Head Bodyguard—'Sayabir (Shadow Hero)'.
He knew himself to be the Sultan's most loyal soldier. He would not hesitate for a moment to give his life for his master. His loyalty was unquestionable.
But he did not know that he did not possess full ownership of his own body.
Many years ago, in a moment of vulnerability, Azgaar Ahmed had secretly implanted a microscopic 'Parasitic Spirit' into his body without him ever knowing.
He made no movement. He tried to send no information. Because he had no idea that his eyes were no longer his alone.
Through an invisible spiritual thread, his vision and hearing were connected directly to Azgaar.
At this very moment, what he saw and what he heard—miles away, in a dark room of the Ahmed Palace, Azgaar Ahmed saw and heard the exact same things. It was as if they were two souls inhabiting different bodies, sharing the same senses.
The Shadow Hero smiled, happy at his master's upcoming victory. But he remained blissfully unaware that using his very vision, Azgaar Ahmed had just finalized the checkmate move on his chessboard.
Sultan Sikdar raised his goblet. He did not know of the poison mixed by the spy from Shivpur. He drained it in one gulp.
"Prepare yourselves, my warriors! On the coming Full Moon... the soil of the Cursed Valley will turn red with blood. And upon that blood, we will build the Empire of Ratanpur!"
Everyone cheered in unison. The clatter of their swords echoed against the stone walls.
Outside, dawn was breaking. 4:30 AM.
Even the first light of the sun could not pierce the mist of the 'Cursed Valley'. An unknown terror waited there.
And on the other side... in the Ahmed Palace, the time for Ruhan to wake up had arrived. Today was the most important day of his life.