The soft hum of the central air conditioning mixed with the steady click of heels against polished marble as people drifted through the bright corridors of Avani Riverside Mall. Advika walked at an easy pace, several expensive shopping bags hanging from one hand.
Despite the luxury around her, she had made sure not to stand out. A black crop top, skinny jeans, and a fitted red leather jacket gave her a casual look. A cap shaded her face while dark-rimmed glasses hid her features just enough that most people wouldn't recognize one of India's ten Divya Rakshaks.
At least, that was the plan.
I wonder how those idiots are doing in the Draconic Realm... she thought with a quiet sigh. Knowing Armaan and Samar, they're either arguing over something stupid or throwing themselves into another life-or-death fight without thinking twice.
She adjusted the shopping bags and kept walking.
Then everything changed.
A cold shiver crawled up her spine.
Her steps stopped.
An overwhelming wave of Prana washed over her. It was rotten, suffocating... unmistakable.
Shaitaan.
Her expression hardened in an instant. The relaxed teenager vanished, replaced by the battle-hardened warrior beneath.
The shopping bags slipped from her fingers and crashed onto the floor.
Without hesitation, she sprinted.
People barely had time to react as she shot through the crowd. Divine Prana burst from her body, wrapping around her in brilliant crimson light. Within a heartbeat, the glow faded, revealing the unmistakable armor of a Divya Rakshak.
"What... wasn't that Advika?"
"She's really a Divya Rakshak!"
"Quick! Record it!"
The mall erupted into chaos.
In today's world, famous Rakshaks were treated like celebrities. Seeing one transform right in front of them was something people would brag about for years. Phones appeared from every direction as flashes lit up the corridor.
Advika clicked her tongue.
"Tch... not now."
Prana surged into her legs.
A deafening burst of wind exploded behind her as she launched through the nearest exit. The shockwave scattered shopping bags, posters, and loose flyers into the air while she disappeared like a crimson streak racing across the city.
Within moments, the sounds of traffic and crowded streets faded behind her.
The Hooghly River came into view.
She crossed its banks and entered a stretch of dense forest where the city lights couldn't reach.
Darkness swallowed everything beneath the thick canopy.
The air felt unnaturally heavy.
Not a single insect chirped.
Not a single leaf rustled.
Only the foul, suffocating scent of evil lingered between the trees.
Advika landed without making a sound. Her glowing eyes swept across the darkness as Prana quietly flowed through her body.
Somewhere ahead...
Something was waiting.
"Come on," Advika called into the darkness, her voice calm with just the right hint of mockery. "You can stop playing hide-and-seek. I know you're here."
For a heartbeat, the forest remained silent.
Then the shadows rippled.
A massive figure stepped into the clearing.
The Shaitaan stood nearly eight feet tall, its crimson skin looking raw and cracked. Two twisted obsidian horns rose from its head, while ghostly cyan flames spiraled around its muscular arms, casting an eerie glow across the trees.
"So..." the monster growled, a cruel grin spreading across its face. "A young woman... all alone."
Advika let out a quiet laugh.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Nice to know Shaitaans have decent eyesight these days."
A soft hum echoed through the forest.
Her Aethar weapon materialized in her right hand, a pristine spear with a flawless white shaft and a radiant golden blade. Divine Prana surged through its length, making the weapon glow as if its very spirit hungered to purge the evil before it.
Her smile sharpened.
"Let's get this over with."
She vanished.
SWISH!
A streak of golden light tore through the clearing.
Advika unleashed a relentless barrage of spear thrusts, each strike aimed to kill. The Shaitaan's eyes widened in panic as it desperately rolled away, using short-range spatial jumps to evade the storm of attacks.
Barely.
"I've seen enough."
Her gaze sharpened as she read the rhythm behind its erratic movements.
She tightened her grip with both hands. Golden Prana erupted around the spear, bathing the forest in brilliant light.
"Fragments of Light... Seventh Pulse: Aegis Cleaver."
She moved.
No wind-up.
No warning.
One instant she stood still.
The next, rings of golden light carved through the darkness.
SHHK! SHHK!
The Shaitaan didn't even realize what had happened.
A heartbeat later, both of its legs slid cleanly apart.
"GROOOAAARGH!!"
Its scream echoed through the forest as its enormous body crashed onto the damp earth. Thick, black blood gushed from the severed limbs, staining the ground with a foul stench.
The battle had never been close.
This wasn't an ordinary Rakshak standing before it.
This was Advika, one of the strongest warriors in the country. An elite Divya Rakshak.
A mid-tier Shaitaan was little more than prey.
"Time to finish this."
Her expression turned ice cold as she raised her spear, aiming straight for the creature's heart.
SCHWING!
Every instinct she possessed exploded into motion.
Her body twisted before her mind could even process why.
The spear's downward strike became a sweeping defensive slash, its golden blade cutting through empty air before stopping with impossible precision.
Its razor-sharp tip rested barely a few millimeters from the throat of an unfamiliar man who had appeared out of nowhere.
Silence swallowed the forest once again.
"Whoa, whoa... easy! I'm not the enemy!"
The voice rang out with equal parts panic and amusement, cutting through the eerie silence along the riverbank.
Advika didn't budge.
Her spear remained fixed on the stranger's throat as a beam of moonlight slipped through the canopy, revealing his face.
"...Rahul?"
Recognition flashed across her eyes.
A second later, it was replaced by pure irritation.
"You scared the life out of me, you idiot!" she snapped, exhaling sharply as the golden glow around her spear faded. She lowered the weapon with an annoyed shake of her head. "Would it kill you to make some noise before sneaking up behind people like a ghost?"
Rahul laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I sensed a Shaitaan's Prana from this direction, so I rushed over to help." He shrugged with a crooked grin. "Turns out I wasn't exactly needed."
His gaze drifted past Advika.
The horned monster lay sprawled across the ground, its severed legs several meters away while it writhed helplessly in pain.
"...You've really done a number on it," Rahul muttered with a whistle.
Then his smile disappeared.
His eyes narrowed.
"...Hang on."
Advika caught the sudden change in his expression and immediately turned back toward the Shaitaan.
Its body was changing.
The crimson flesh wasn't crumbling into ash like defeated Shaitaans normally did. Instead, it was dissolving into countless shimmering particles, as though an invisible force was pulling every fragment of its existence away.
The particles drifted into the air...
...and vanished.
Advika's face hardened.
She had seen this before.
"This... again."
Her voice grew noticeably quieter as the last traces of the monster disappeared, leaving behind neither a corpse nor a single drop of blood.
"It's been happening for days," she said, unable to hide the concern creeping into her tone. "Every time I corner a Shaitaan or a Danawa, they disappear just before I can finish them."
She stared at the empty patch of ground where the creature had been moments earlier.
"And after they're gone..." she murmured, "...there's nothing. No Prana residue. No trail. No corpse. I've searched entire areas from end to end, and it's like they were never there in the first place."
"It's not just you," Rahul said, his expression turning serious. "Rakshaks all over the country have reported the same thing. Shaitaans and Danawas are disappearing before they can be finished."
He folded his arms, his gaze fixed on the dark river.
"Someone's pulling the strings. I'm sure of it. But until we have actual proof... there's nothing we can act on."
Advika let out a quiet sigh and walked toward the riverbank.
The moon cast silver ripples across the Hooghly, and the cool night breeze tugged at her hair.
After a moment of silence, she spoke.
"Your student... Armaan." She glanced sideways at him. "He's not on Earth right now. You know that, don't you?"
Standing beside her beneath the pale moonlight, Rahul looked nothing like the man who had first guided Armaan through his clumsy early days as a Rakshak.
The rough edges had disappeared.
A tailored black suit rested over a high-collared black shirt, giving him a composed, almost intimidating presence. His jet-black hair was brushed back neatly, save for a few loose strands that framed his face. Calm amber eyes scanned the river with quiet vigilance, and even the relaxed way one hand rested in his pocket carried the confidence of someone who had survived countless battles.
Rahul sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"He was never really my student," he said with a small smile. "He belongs to Master Farmaan. I just happened to babysit him for a while."
A brief laugh escaped him.
"Master mentioned something about a 'dragon case' before they left." He shrugged helplessly. "Honestly, I understood maybe half of what he was saying."
Advika's smile vanished.
"The place they've gone..." she said quietly, "...isn't like anywhere on Earth. It's far more dangerous than anything we've faced here."
Rahul's expression softened.
"I heard Samar and Roumit went with him." He looked at her. "That's true?"
She nodded.
Silence settled between them for a few seconds, broken only by the distant sound of the river flowing through the night.
"I hope they all come back safely," Rahul said at last.
There was no teasing in his voice now, only quiet sincerity.
"That kid has unbelievable potential." A faint smile crossed his face. "He defeated a Daitya by himself... and pulled off one of the most dangerous techniques in existence."
He let out a low whistle.
"Ignition of Prana Howl."
The words struck Advika harder than she expected.
For an instant, memories she had buried resurfaced.
Tara.
The battle.
The sacrifice that had made Armaan's victory possible.
A flicker of pain crossed her face before disappearing just as quickly.
She had mourned.
She had healed.
Looking up at the moonlit sky, a gentle smile returned.
"Yeah..." she whispered.
"I have a feeling it won't be long before he becomes a Divya Rakshak too."
Rahul suddenly stopped, his hand flying to his forehead as though something he'd completely forgotten had finally caught up with him.
"Ah... right." He let out a small groan. "I should get going."
He turned on his heel with an awkward smile.
"I actually slipped away from a friend's wedding reception nearby. The moment I sensed a Shaitaan's Prana, I made up some excuse about needing fresh air and came straight here."
Advika folded her arms, a teasing grin spreading across her face as she looked him up and down.
"So that's why you're dressed like this." Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Not bad. Maybe you'll end up meeting a beautiful girl tonight."
Rahul clicked his tongue and shot her an unimpressed glare.
"I'm attending a wedding reception, not some matchmaking event, you idiot."
Shaking his head, he turned and started walking back toward the forest.
After only two steps...
He stopped.
The playful atmosphere vanished as if someone had flipped a switch.
His shoulders stiffened.
"...By the way."
His voice was calm, but unusually heavy.
Rahul looked back over his shoulder, his amber eyes carrying a seriousness that immediately caught Advika's attention.
"Have you heard what's been happening at Chilika Lake?"
Advika's smile disappeared.
The sudden change in his tone sent a faint chill through her.
"Chilika Lake?" she repeated, her brows drawing together. "No... I've been out all day."
She searched his face.
"What happened?"
"There have been reports of bodies turning up along the banks of Chilika Lake," Rahul said quietly, his face growing grim. "The victims... every single one of them... was completely drained of blood."
For a moment, the words didn't register.
Advika simply stared at him.
"They were... what?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Rahul's expression remained unreadable.
"The Rakshaks sent to investigate disappeared too." He paused before continuing. "None of them came back alive."
A heavy silence settled between them.
"When the recovery team finally found them..." His jaw tightened. "...their bodies were exactly the same. Not a single drop of blood left."
A chill ran through Advika.
Her heartbeat quickened as countless possibilities flashed through her mind.
"No..." she murmured, shaking her head. "This isn't the work of a Shaitaan."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And it's not a Danawa either."
She looked straight at Rahul, fear creeping into her voice.
"...It's a Daitya."
Rahul gave a slow nod.
"I think so too."
He slipped both hands into his pockets, his gaze drifting toward the dark horizon.
"The Rakshak Organization is already assembling an elite investigation unit. It'll be led by two Divya Rakshaks."
He let out a slow breath.
"The higher-ups aren't treating this like an ordinary incident."
A faint, humorless smile crossed his face.
"We'll find out soon enough who's being sent."
He took a step back.
"See you around."
Before Advika could answer, Prana surged through Rahul's body.
With a sharp burst of speed, he vanished into the darkness, disappearing between the trees like a phantom.
The forest fell silent once again.
Advika remained where she was, staring at the empty space he'd left behind.
"...Bye," she murmured, though he was already long gone.
The word barely escaped her lips.
After a long moment, she turned away from the river.
With the unsettling news still echoing in her mind, she began walking slowly through the shadowy forest, the darkness around her suddenly feeling much heavier than before.