At Lohitpuri, the war room was lit dimly with flickering lamps. Maps, scrolls, and marked parchments lay scattered across the central table. Around it stood the twins, Ashvapati and Savignya.
"These are the latest messages from Chorpatta's whisperers in Jangal Mandala," she said. Her voice was calm, but there was a tightness in her jaw. "Whatever you do, stay away from the city of Aghorvan. The festival is taking place in the city of Padmapur. That city is controlled by Rankriti herself. She doesn't want anyone going near Aghorvan."
"Yes! We thought of that," said Rudra, tapping the map. "It seemed a little strange that there was no ruler in either Aghorvan or Padmapur. But if Aghorvan is under Rankriti's control... what about Padmapur?"
Savignya looked up from the scroll. "Because she cannot take over Padmapur that easily. She has faced resistance from that city. Earlier, the entire Jangal Mandala was under one single ruler. It was a self-contained Mandala—high-functioning, prosperous. They didn't interact much with the outside world, but within, they flourished."
"What happened?" Raghav asked.
Savignya's fingers traced a path on the scroll, pausing over a faded symbol. "Some time ago, their ruler was assassinated. The city was looted. Blood flooded the forests. The Jangala army fought long and hard, but the enemy was unlike any they had seen. They perished. Now, the survivors live in Padmapur, trying to survive, clinging to the last remnants of a lost order.
"Aghorvan was left without a ruler. The enemy vanished after the slaughter. Before Rankriti could make her move, they were already gone. No one knows how or why. Only fragments remain—rumours, whispers, things half-remembered. Rankriti took Aghorvan in the aftermath. But she rules it cautiously, almost from a distance. She barely visits. Either she fears what lingers there... or she carries the guilt of what happened."
The room fell silent. Even the torchlight seemed to still.
"Rankriti is afraid?" Rudra asked softly, eyebrows raised.
Savignya glanced at Ashvapati. He hadn't spoken yet.
"We aren't sure if it's fear," Savignya answered. "But she avoids the city. Rankriti is a woman who has survived countless battles. She's no stranger to violence. But even she knows some battles aren't worth repeating."
"You're telling me there are beings more powerful than Rankriti?" Raghav's voice was half-incredulous.
Ashvapati finally spoke, his deep voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Definitely. Rankriti is one of the strongest. But not the strongest."
The twins turned to him. Rudra's eyes lit up, as if seeking reassurance from a mountain he believed unshakable.
"But you can take her in a fight, right?" he asked, not hiding the respect in his voice.
Ashvapati met his gaze calmly. "No. She is far superior to me in strength and power."
A shadow passed over the twins' faces. Fear crept in—not of Rankriti alone, but of the unknown scale of power she represented. They hadn't seen what happened to Kalanemi. They hadn't seen her fight.
Savignya shifted, drawing their attention back. "We don't know what Rankriti truly wants. But she controls the board in that Mandala. The people there... they have resisted assassins, Rankriti, and now Sarthak. We don't even fully understand their motives."
"And hence the warning," Ashvapati added.
Raghav leaned forward slightly. "We met some of them, I think. A woman and her companions. Turns out, they're the Vanmargis."
Savignya's eyes narrowed. "I read your letter. So you've already stepped into that world. Be careful. Don't provoke them. They possess powers—ones we cannot explain or understand."
"Yeah," Rudra murmured, his memory flashing back to the standoff. "We got a taste of it."
The tension lingered. Then Savignya leaned over the table, eyeing them both. "So, you're going to Jangal Mandala?" She tried to keep her tone steady.
"That's the plan," Raghav said.
She looked at Ashvapati, hoping for a word of disapproval, a firm rejection. But he stood unmoving, eyes fixed on the map. Then, slowly, he nodded.
It was settled. They were going.
They didn't know what waited in Padmapur. Only that Rankriti might be there. That Sarthak would attend the festival. And that a city which had resisted death itself still held its ground.
They had five days to prepare.