The sun hung low in the sky, its crimson light spilling across the empty field.
A group of children were playing cricket nearby, their laughter echoing freely through the quiet evening.
"Bowling!" one kid shouted.
The ball flew.
Another boy swung his bat—
THWACK!
The ball shot high, arcing far beyond the field.
It vanished through a broken window on the first floor of a long-abandoned building.
Silence.
All eyes turned toward the structure.
"…See what you did," the bowler snapped. "Now you go get the ball."
The boy who had hit it scratched his head nervously. "O-Okay…"
He walked toward the building.
"Why did you send him?" another kid whispered urgently.
"What do you mean?" the bowler asked.
"You don't know?" the kid said, lowering his voice. "That place is haunted. People went inside… but never came back."
The boy was already stepping into the shadows of the entrance.
Inside the Abandoned Building
The air inside was cold.
Too cold.
The boy hugged himself as he walked through the narrow corridor, his footsteps echoing unnaturally loud.
Tap… tap… tap…
"That ball went in through a first-floor window," he muttered. "I'll grab it quickly and leave."
The walls were covered in deep scratches—long, uneven marks carved into concrete itself.
"…Why are there so many scratches?" he whispered.
A shiver ran down his spine.
"I don't like this place…"
He spotted the ball resting near a broken staircase.
Relief washed over him.
"There it is!"
He picked it up.
The temperature dropped instantly.
His breath turned white.
"H-Huh…?"
A strange pressure filled the corridor, crushing the air.
Slowly… painfully… he looked up.
From the ceiling—
Seven eyes opened.
Glowing.
Watching.
His scream tore through the building.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"
Outside, the children froze.
They heard it.
Every single one of them.
Without a word, they ran.
Later That Night
The abandoned building stood silent beneath the moon.
Then—
KRRRRSSHHH—
Space twisted.
A dark portal tore open in front of the building, bending reality itself.
One by one, figures stepped out.
Lioran.
Sharin.
Aishwarya.
Then—
Skanda.
The portal snapped shut behind them.
"So this is the place," Lioran said, his eyes narrowing.
"Yeah," Sharin replied. "This is where the signal came from."
Aishwarya cracked her knuckles, fire flickering faintly around her fingers.
"We came here for revenge."
Lioran's Prāṇa surged.
"This time," he said coldly, "we'll kick your ass, you Kroors."
Five Hours Earlier
Lioran and his friends stood before Skanda and Shourya.
The air was tense.
"Are you ready to take revenge?" Skanda asked.
"Revenge?" Aishwarya repeated.
"Yes," Skanda said. "Against the Kroors."
The word alone sent shockwaves through their minds.
Images flooded back—
Pain.
Fear.
Helplessness.
The Kroor's cruel laughter.
"What do you mean?" Lioran asked quietly.
"We detected three Kroor signals," Skanda continued.
"Their Vargh levels are 30507, 29867, and 32945."
Sharin's eyes widened.
"What?! That's higher than the one we fought!"
"You're sure?" Aishwarya asked.
Skanda nodded.
"I know the frustration you three carry. Losing to a Narvan… it broke something inside you."
Lioran clenched his fists.
He remembered Sharin's and Aishwarya's lying bodies on ground.
Helplessness burning through his veins.
"…You're right," Lioran said slowly.
"My entire body is screaming for revenge."
"Then I'm giving you a mission," Skanda said.
"Exterminate them."
"We're ready!" all three shouted.
Shourya stepped forward sharply.
"Think again, Skanda. They've only just learned Prāṇa-tability."
"This training was designed for this exact purpose," Skanda replied calmly.
"And I'll be with them."
"But—"
"Gramps," Aishwarya interrupted with a grin. "We'll be fine."
Shourya hesitated.
Then sighed.
"…Alright."
Back to the Present
They stood before the abandoned building.
"We've received reports of people going missing here," Skanda said.
"Our mission is rescue first. Extermination second."
"So why wait?" Aishwarya said. "Let's go."
They entered.
The house groaned under their weight.
Creaking wood.
Rotting walls.
"This building was constructed in the 1960s," Skanda said.
"Be careful—it could collapse anytime."
"What?!" Sharin snapped. "You should've told us that first!"
"I forgot," Skanda replied casually.
Lioran tightened his stance.
"Stay on guard. Last time, we lost because we dropped our guard."
"I'll never forget that," Aishwarya said.
"We thought we'd won… and that's when it happened."
Then—
Heh… heh… hehe…
Laughter.
Children's laughter.
Sharin froze.
"…Is it just me, or are you all hearing that?"
"It's coming from that direction," Aishwarya said.
"Let's check it out," Skanda said.
As they walked, Skanda spoke calmly—
"Remember this," he said.
"Kroors are nothing like Bhools. Bhools destroy blindly. Kroors are intelligent."
"They set traps," he continued.
"They break your mind. They torture you before killing you."
Lioran nodded silently.
Finally, they reached a door.
"That's the source," Aishwarya said.
Skanda opened it.
CLICK—
Light spilled out.
They froze.
The room was… a nursery.
Bright.
Clean.
Filled with toys.
Toy trains ran on tracks.
Stuffed animals lined the walls.
It was completely different from the rotting house.
"…Where are we?" Lioran whispered.
"Is it right place?" Sharin said.
"I don't know." Aishwarya said.
The laughter stopped.
The door closed behind them.
CLICK.
Darkness crept in.
TO BE CONTINUED…