As the group finally paused to rest, shadows closed in around them. Dozens of henchmen emerged, weapons raised. Bhumi, Forge, and Shiva were drained — their spiritual energy almost gone. With no strength left to fight, they had only one option: surrender.
Everyone was shoved into a van. Blindfolds went on. The engine roared, and they were taken north. No one knew where they were going.
After an hour, the van stopped. When the blindfolds came off, they found themselves in the middle of a remote forest. The air was cold and silent. The henchmen pushed them toward a hidden trapdoor in the ground, forcing them down a ladder.
The underground prison was pitch-black… and strangely empty.
Priya frowned. "Why is no one here?"
Forge answered quietly, "This place was built to imprison the Protector and the Centurion. After they were captured, all unnecessary guards were removed. Only three wardens run this entire facility — all of them masters of spiritual energy."
Arjun swallowed. "What does that even mean? And… what are we going to do?"
Bhumi's face was grim. "Right now? Nothing. We need a full day to recover our spiritual energy. During that time, they'll try to break us and get information about our organization. You two will be fine because you don't know much. Whatever you do… don't say anything."
Forge glanced at Priya. "They haven't separated her yet. That means they don't know she's a Centurion."
With the last of his fading strength, Forge formed a glowing band of energy in his hand.
"This is a spiritual-energy nullifier," he said weakly. "Wear it. It'll suppress your energy for one day so they won't detect you."
They reached the holding area — a massive circular chamber with three long corridors, each ending in a giant reinforced cage.
Shiva pointed. "Those cages… they're made from the same material as that nullifier. Priya will be safe, but Arjun—if you touch those bars, even for a second, they'll drain every drop of spiritual energy you have. You'll die instantly."
The henchmen split the group.Forge was dragged to the left cage.Shiva to the right.Arjun, Bhumi, and Priya were forced into the central cage.
Then the henchmen left.
Footsteps echoed.
Three women appeared — calm, confident, terrifying.
"We are the wardens of this special-grade prison," the first one announced. "I am Tara. On my left is Vidya. On my right, Kamala."
Tara's smile didn't reach her eyes.
"You know how this works. You have six hours to tell us everything. After that… we extract the information ourselves. And by 'extract,' we mean torture."
Vidya added, "Whether you speak now or later doesn't matter. We always get what we want."
Kamala leaned forward slightly. "So decide — do you want to die easy… or die hard? Let us know."