When everyone stepped out from the magical door, the majestic door automatically dissipated from their vision. However, as they stepped out, suddenly Mr. D paused his footsteps.
"My intuition suddenly began to warn me as if a hidden danger is in this place..." Mr. D whispered with cautious tone.
Hearing that, everyone even Azrael became extremely surprised.
Everything was crystal clear in that place. They actually arrived at the entrance to the ruins, from where they had begun their journey at midnight exactly two days earlier. They could clearly saw their vehicle through which they had come in that place. Azrael also could clearly noticed his broken car. Remembering that, he slightly smiled painfully. The lane was completely deserted as almost all people of the city had been avoiding any movement in that lane.
So, Mr. G then asked, "Mr. D, what happened to you? I haven't seen you act like this before. Everything seems to be in order. Where is the problem?"
"I don't know. I just have a feeling that, something very bad is going to happen... Just don't know, what!" Mr. D replied.
Although Azrael felt that feeling long before. But, he decided to not involve in that matter So, he remained silent and began to observe everything.
At that moment, Mr. B seemed to realize something. She suddenly shouted everyone among the team to be extremely cautious.
"Everyone, be cautious. Do you guys really think it's that easy to leave the deepest part of this ruin? This move of ours may actually be more dangerous than we think... Mr. D's intuition maybe correct in this situation..." Mr. B shouted.
"But what can be wrong in this situation..." Mr. G was just speaking when, suddenly... "Oh no, everyone check your communicator. Our connection with the headquarters got disconnected all of a sudden..." His voice got interrupted by a sudden piercing scream coming from all the directions.
No one could resist that scream. As a result, everyone began trying to cover their ears with their hands. After sometimes, that scream stopped. With its impact, their ears bled.
However, the most shocking part was, at that moment everyone realized that they had reached in front of their camp again, which they had built yesterday in the mountain forest. In addition, they had time traveled back in that midnight where their master Dr. Agni had appeared with a killing spree. But this time, everything had changed. Now, there was no star-gazed sky, no tall pine trees, no serene peacefulness in the atmosphere, and no thunder happening there. Rather, a stifled roar, tension, fear, and palpitation was filled in the atmosphere.
Realizing that sudden transferal, everyone started panicking, including Azrael also. At first, nobody could process what was happening with them. But after some moments, all of them realized that they were stuck in a loop and couldn't leave the forest anymore. Even then their connection got cut off from the headquarters, so that they couldn't even able to ask for help.
At that moment, they again experienced Dr. Agni's killing intent. They realized that the deadly game was about to begin again.
"If we're stuck in this loop, it means master is also stuck in this loop, right?" Suddenly, Mr. E spoke. He was one of the healer in the camp with Mr. B.
"It means, if we can return master back into his reality, then maybe he can find a way to break this loop..." Mr. C spoke in excitement, although she didn't forget the fact that she was injured by his sword. So, although she spoke excitedly, she was scared from inside.
"This is not a bad idea, I think. What's your opinion on this, Mr. D? You have already purified him before..." Mr. B asked Mr. D.
"Previously, it was tough. But now It's more than easy. I will win as always." Mr. D replied in a confident tone.
Not like previously, this time everyone was ready to fight back. Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Azrael also became very excited to see the fight, though he was enough cautious to observe their moves, so that he can easily blend into them.
At that moment, they finally noticed the arrival of Dr. Agni with his killing intent. With his arrival, a stormy wind began to blow madly in all directions. Seeing him, Mr. D alone stepped forward. Rest of the team were left behind.
This time, Mr. D confronted him first.
"Master, come here!" He shouted.
Within a second, Dr. Agni flashed like a lightning and appeared in front of him. That he didn't expect. But he was prepared. Instantly, the golden halo appeared over his head and spun once. In an instant, an invisible barrier created around him.
As a result, Dr. Agni was flung far away. However, he again stood up. His sword was covered with blood and he was giving off a dense killing intent than before. Under the moonlight, he looked like a bloodthirsty killer. With that intent, suddenly, he began to move his fingers to create a hand sign.
Seeing that, Mr. D slowly began to ascend in the mid air. His halo gradually increased its size. A powerful yet a serene aura started spreading to all directions from the halo. His dark black attire gradually changed into a white hooded robe. His eyes glowed with dense white color. It seemed as if some divine priest had been descended onto the ground.
Seeing that, Azrael became astonished very much. Such magical sight he never experienced in his entire life. Although they came only ten years ago, it seemed Mr. D had been waiting for that fight for almost hundred years. Although looking at Mr. D's such stance, rest of the team was very chilled, as if his appearance was very common to them.
On the other hand, by that time, Dr. Agni's had sign was completed. With that, instantly, he disappeared from everyone's sight. It seemed he became dissolved into the surroundings. The moment he disappeared, multiple slashes suddenly started rushing towards Mr. D from all directions.
By that time, Mr. D also opened his eyes. Instantly, he pointed his index finger at upward direction. Within a moment, another huge halo appeared at that spot and completely restrained that space. Immediately, before those slashes could reach near him, got dissolved into the air.
"You can't beat me. Never..." With a smile, Mr. D shouted, looking at that invisible space.
After a few moments, that space gradually materialized into Dr. Agni. However, he still hadn't given up. At that moment, he let out a painful scream from his mouth. That scream's impact was so huge that the ground trembled for a moment and everyone of the team, excluding Mr. D, felt extremely numbness throughout their veins and spines. Only Mr. D remained unaffected due to the covering of the halo.
As a result of that scream, within a second, Dr. Agni got released from that restraint. After that, he didn't stop there. Within a few seconds, his blood-stained sword transformed into multiple blood threads, which began to penetrate his own body instead of attacking Mr. D.
Seeing that, Mr. D became serious. "Oh, so now you want to blast your body? Not a chance. After all, I think you surely remember that what I did to you in our previous fight..." He spoke Dr. Agni in a calm voice.
However, from the other side, everything was silent, as if Dr. Agni was performing that action like a puppet.
When Mr. D observed that action very carefully, he realized one thing. Then he tried to connect with the other team members spiritually. But he understood that their spiritual connection was also severed this time. So, he decided to take action alone like previously.
After that, Mr. D cut his finger with his teeth and then sacrificed a drop of his blood to the halo. Within a second, that halo gradually began to condense into a dense white liquid. After the halo transformed into the white liquid, it appeared on the fingertip of Mr. D. The moment it appeared, a calm aura began to spread across the the area. Even, after it appeared, it could control the rest of the members, standing so far away from the battle.
Feeling the sudden calmness during the battle, Azrael was stunned. Looking at him, Mr. B smiled. Then, she said, "This sudden calmness is not strange. It's happening because I think he already has revealed his trump card. His halo can transform into a dense white liquid, called as 'Tears of Love.' It can purify everything in this world into a divine calmness if it reaches into its full potential. So, your sudden emotion change is it's effect..." After that, everyone looked at the fight. By then, the whole battlefield in the sky was covered with a white dense aura.
On the other hand, in the battlefield into the sky, within that liquid's effective zone, the turbulent space became extremely calm. Even, Dr. Agni's self detonation process was stopped at that moment for sometimes. And, Mr. D was waiting for that moment. Immediately, he shot that liquid on Dr. Agni's forehead.
Within a second, the liquid penetrated Dr. Agni's forehead.
In an instant, a 'bam' sound burst across the forest. Dr. Agni fell upon the ground unconsciously. Till then, he couldn't self-detonate his body. As a result, he was on his full piece.
At that time, Mr. D finally descended on the ground. Then, he raised his that fingertip, aimed at Dr. Agni's body, and uttered one word, "Purify..."
In an instant, the sky burst. A dense golden aura spread across the forest. The clouds were scattered instantly and the dark sky was filled with dazzling and majestic golden light. The moon disappeared and a serene, calm yet dense golden halo appeared into the high above the sky. Into its effect, everything in the forest, be it living beings like trees or the non-living things like wind bowed down aiming at the vast golden halo. It seemed everything acted like a devotees of that halo.
Gradually, a grace creamy-white ray of light flowed from that halo, and entered into Dr. Agni's body. As a result, slowly, his body was covered with the light. For a few hours that phenomenon was continued.
From the far away, the moment that halo appeared, everyone except Azrael immediately bowed down before the sky. Although Azrael also felt an urge from his heart as if he wanted to bow before that halo, he somehow resisted that feeling. The pressure was so extreme that he couldn't even looked at the sky. Still, he glanced only a fleeting glimpse of that skysight. However, instead of he could see anything, a sudden inner voice triggered in his mind.
"Looks like, you're quite rebellious than others..."
It was completely unknown voice, as if from the sky, some unknown entity noticed him. He became extremely sacred as he didn't know the supernatural world thoroughly. He felt numb in his entire body. A chill wind ran across his spine. He didn't know that entity's intentions. So, he was so frightened thinking of future probabilities. He shuddered with fear that before even entering into the supernatural reality, he had been marked on the watch list of an unknown entity.
However, he pretended to be calm in front of others.
After a few hours, that phenomenon gradually disappeared from the forest. Everything returned back to its normal position. At that point of time, Dr. Agni finally woke up. He was completely healed and also that killing spree was completely disappeared from his body.
Upon seeing that, everyone rushed towards him with joy and excitement.
"Thanks, D. If you didn't come, I couldn't be saved at all. Previously, you although healed me, that evil seed hid itself inside my heart. That's why, even though, I was healed, I wasn't completely healed. That's why I stuck in the loop again and couldn't actually stepped out of the forest. And, for your information, everytime the loop will start, that seed will grow more stronger and more the hypnotization will happen with me again and again..." Dr. Agni told Mr. D in front of others.
"Yeah. That's the thing I noticed this time. That's why I used my ultimate trump card now. But that was very risky. Any wrong step, I could be purified instead of you..." Mr. D spoke with a solemn voice.
"But, that was the right decision. Previously, you didn't use that. Otherwise, we couldn't be in this situation. Anyways, I am back. That's the whole point." Dr. Agni smiled.
Seeing them chit chat like that, rest of them became anxious, as except discussing the main thing, they were chattering everything.
So, at that moment, Mr. B stepped forward and asked, "Master, you two can talk later. But this is the right time. Please tell me, do you have any idea how can we leave this place?"
"Oh, yeah. Wait a minute..." Dr. Agni paused.
After that, he took that headless statue from his pocket. He grabbed the statue tightly in his palm. It didn't react. Then, he continued...
"This statue is not some kind of normal statues. It is the main reason why we can't leave this place. This statue is the key to break the loop. Initially, seeing that statue, I felt something different... something horrible... But, I ignored that feeling as this statue still looked like very normal. So, for safety purpose, I took it with me, thinking that it can be our guide. However, that was my worst decision ever..." He paused again. Then he gazed upon the statue and continued,
"In fact, the real truth is that we are all already on the watch list of a cosmic, extraterrestrial entity called 'Nyx'. The moment, we saw this statue in the entrance, that entity also had noticed us. I got a faint realization when we arrived at this forest. At that morning, when I went for the food, in the middle of the forest, suddenly it took control over my body. As a result, I only could see and experience everything happened after that, but I couldn't act anything, as if I had no control over my body. Surprisingly, during this time, neither I can understand anything about this entity, nor I could see any form of that entity, as if it's intelligence is beyond my understandings. When D first purified me, I had gained slight control over my body. But then I stuck here. And now it seems all that incidents were part of it's plan. Even I couldn't realize that it hid inside my body as a seed..." He paused and looked at them.
Everyone was silent. But all of them looked physically numb. Crystal clear fear was evident on their faces. Azrael was more shocked as now he became on the watchlist of two unknown entities.
Dr. Agni continued...
"However, staying under its control, I have realized something. The seed which was inside my body, is one of the rarest seeds in the city. Because, in my life, for the first time, I experienced such seed which was in its full grown form, not any fragment form. Even headquarters will be jealous if we show this to them. According to my understandings, I think the entity is the true form of that seed. And this headless statue is the baby form of that seed. Anyways, the whole point is, yeah we can leave this place. Under its hypnotism, I actually could see the mystical door at the corner of the forest. Let's go. I will guide you all." Saying that, Dr. Agni started walking ahead.
"Master, if that entity has such powers, do you really think that only purifying power can destroy that entity from your body completely?" at that moment, Azrael asked with a confused tone.
However, at that moment, suddenly, Dr. Agni's tone changed drastically.
"Do as I said. Let's go..." Suddenly, a muffled anger surfaced in his tone.
Azrael stopped and also signaled the members to pause.
"I want your opinion, Master." Azrael again asked.
At that moment, Dr. Agni turned back. He spoke, "I think..."
But, the moment he started to speak, before he could say anything more, his entire body exploded in a 'bang' noise. In an instant, fresh bloods, fleshes, bones, and skins scattered everywhere. Only a rotten greenish-gray, pale olive colored tiny seed appeared at that spot. While appearing, it began to float in the air. Fragments of blood and flesh were visible clearly on the surface of the seed.
No one had any difficulty understanding that it was that evil seed which was inside Dr. Agni's heart.
Everyone stood there like a statue, as if someone anesthetized them. Mr. D was shocked that purify didn't work on him, instead it caused such incident. Mr. B was shocked because now no one could guide them to the exit of the forest. Azrael and the rest of the team members were shocked because of the horrible sight.
But no one could even step further because of the sudden appearance of that seed. They were most scared of that evil seed.
At that moment, suddenly, the spear in Azrael's hand took action. It suddenly slipped from his hand and appeared in front of the seed.
Within a second, the spear began to float in the mid-air. From it's skin, a terrifying cold aura suddenly began to spread to all directions. On the other hand, suddenly the seed also released a bloody-cold aura to all directions. Within a second, two terrifying aura started clashing with each other.
However, that clash didn't continue long. After sometimes, the seed gradually became dull fell on the ground. At that moment, suddenly, the spear devoured the seed within a second. And then, it also became dull and came on Azrael's palm.
After that, suddenly Azrael felt a terrible blackout. He lost his consciousness at that moment...
When he opened his eyes, he was on his bed. He didn't know how he came in his room. Everything felt like a dream. But when he saw that spear beside him, he realized that was not any dream. That was real.
So, He decided to hide his identities to escape from those entities' gaze. He did not want to become a sacrificial lamb just yet...