High above the bustling, noise-filled streets of Vijayawada, the wind howled around the edge of a towering skyscraper.
A figure stood silently at the ledge, staring toward the northeastern horizon. He wore a striking, avian-styled mask marked with crimson blood-red stripes, completely hiding his face. Clutched tightly in his right hand was Akahata—a cursed blade that hummed with a quiet, lethal hunger.
Suddenly, a pulse of crimson light erupted from beneath the left eyehole of his mask.
"Found you," a muffled, distorted voice rasped from behind the bird mask.
In a fraction of a second, the space around him distorted, and the masked figure vanished into thin air.
Deep within the dense canopy of the forest, the air was thick with mist. Team Veer had set up a temporary campsite beneath the sprawling roots of an ancient banyan tree.
Veer sat sharpening his dagger against a whetstone, his ears twitching as the quiet rustle of leaves suddenly cut short. His eyes snapped open, glowing with immediate alertness.
"Shani!" Veer shouted, jumping to his feet and pulling his blade. "Look alive! Nineteeen o'clock, elevated position—there's someone standing in the trees!"
Shani didn't hesitate. Gripping his heavy iron trident, he spun around and channeled his aura into the weapon, hurling a wave of concentrated force straight into the shadows. "Identify yourself!" Shani roared as the energy sliced through the branches.
CLANG!
The attack was deflected with an effortless flick of a blade. A tall, masked man stepped out from the smoke, landing lightly on a moss-covered log.
"Calm your fury, young warrior," the masked man said, his voice echoing with a strange dual resonance. He slowly sheathed his blade. "My name is Aushal."
Shani gripped his trident tighter, his knuckles turning white as he stepped between Aushal and his camp. "Aushal? I've never heard of you. Why are you stalking us through the forest like a vulture?"
Aushal gave a low, mocking laugh beneath his avian mask. "Stalking? No, Shani. I am merely delivering a present."
With a flick of his wrist, Aushal tossed two heavy, marble-sized glass spheres toward the center of the camp. The moment they hit the dirt, they shattered with a blinding flash of light. When the light faded, two unconscious figures lay sprawled across the forest floor, bound in faint spiritual chains.
Shani recoiled, eyeing the unmoving bodies. "What is the meaning of this? Who are these people?!"
Aushal tilted his head, his red-striped mask gleaming in the dappled sunlight. "You really don't recognize them? How tragic. Look closely... do you not recognize your own brothers?"
Veer gasped, stepping forward to look at the two men lying motionless in the dirt. "What?! Brothers? Shani, what is he talking about?"
"He's lying!" Shani barked, though uncertainty flashed across his face as he looked at the features of the two men—Amar Raghu and Vasuki. "Neither of them are waking up! What did you do to them, Aushal?!"
"They are merely sleeping, little god," Aushal purred. "But if you're so worried about them, perhaps you should worry about yourself first!"
Before Shani could react, Aushal's red eye flared with terrifying intensity. He activated his passive tactical skill—a domain-level calculation that mapped out every single movement, weakness, and angle of attack to inflict maximum pain on his target.
"First rule of survival, Shani," Aushal whispered, appearing directly in front of Shani like a ghost. "Never drop your guard during a conversation."
Rather than striking with his sword, Aushal scooped up a handful of dirt and shattered spirit runes, hurling it violently directly into Shani's face!
"Gah! My eyes!" Shani cried out, stumbling backward as the abrasive, enchanted dust burned into his sight.
Spurred by pain and desperation, Shani tapped deep into his core, forcefully unlocking a power he had kept sealed. "Fifty Percent... OBSERVE POWER!" Shani screamed, pulsing a wave of divine perception outward to lock onto his opponent's absolute location.
The invisible wave swept over the clearing, but as it passed over Aushal, it slipped right through him like water through a net.
"What...?" Shani gasped, wincing through his burning eyes. "My Observe Power... it's not locking on! It's not working on him at all!"
"Your parlor tricks mean nothing to me," Aushal mocked. He reached into his cloak and hurled a third sphere straight into the air.
BOOM!
The sphere burst, and as the energy settled, a young, radiant woman materialized in mid-air, falling gracefully onto her feet beside the unconscious Amar.
"Shani, move!" Veer yelled, seeing Aushal distracted by the summons.
Veer put his entire weight into a throw, hurling his enchanted dagger straight at Aushal's throat. Aushal reacted instantly, tilting his head back, but the sharp edge of the dagger sliced across his chest sash, cutting through his pouch.
As Aushal leaped back to create distance, three distinct artifacts tumbled out of his cut pouch, crashing onto the forest floor between the two sides:
A strange, ornate ring pulsing with temporal energy.
A solid golden statue depicting a majestic goddess sitting in a meditative yoga pose while holding a trident.
A dark obsidian tablet carved deeply with the glowing runes of the Language of the Demon God.
Aushal touched the tear in his cloak, looking down at the dropped artifacts, then back up at Team Veer.
"Feisty," Aushal hissed, his red eye dimming slightly. "You have quick instincts, Veer. But you are playing with forces far beyond your understanding."
Veer stood in a defensive stance, his weapon drawn, eyeing the strange artifacts and the newcomers. "Who are you three really?" Veer demanded, his voice echoing through the silent forest. "And why are these ancient relics carrying Demon God runes?!"
Beside them, the man named Amar began to groan, slowly pushing himself up from the dirt. He rubbed his temples, his eyes fluttering open as he looked around at the standoff.
"Ugh... my head," Amar muttered, looking at Veer and Shani with sharp, analytical eyes. "Who are you three? And why are you shouting about Demon Gods?"
Shani wiped the grit from his bleeding eyes, glaring down at Amar. "We are the true lineage! We are the sons of Lord Rudra!"
Amar froze for a moment, then let out a sharp, incredulous laugh as he stood up to his full height. "Sons of Rudra? Don't make me laugh. We are the sons of Rudra!"
Veer stepped between them, his blade pointed directly at Amar's chest. "Everyone claims to be offspring of the gods these days. You want us to believe you? Prove it!"
Amar stared down the length of Veer's blade without flinching. His expression turned deadly serious.
"Proof?" Amar said quietly. "I don't need to prove my bloodline to a stranger, but if you need facts: I am the true biological son born of Mother Isha and Father Rudra."
"Words are cheap!" Veer shouted back. "Show me proof, or I strike!"
Amar closed his eyes and breathed out a slow, cold mist. He raised his right hand, snapping his fingers softly.
FFFT!
From the shadows beneath Amar's feet, a cat made entirely of dense, swirling black dark-matter energy emerged. It slithered up Amar's arm, stretching its claws and letting out a low, ethereal hiss that resonated with pure divine pressure.
Veer's eyes widened in shock, his arm trembling slightly as he lowered his dagger. "That energy... That shadow familiar... It really is the proof. You carry the primordial core..."
Amar lowered his hand, letting the dark cat dissolve back into his shadow. He then turned around, his gaze softening immediately as he reached out to the young woman who had appeared from the sphere. He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder.
"And for the record," Amar said, staring cold eyes at both Veer and Aushal, "this is Sita... my wife. If any of you lay a finger on her, bloodline or not, I will destroy this entire forest."
Aushal chuckled from the tree line, crossing his arms over his chest. "How touching... a family reunion in the middle of an execution field."