The air shimmered with light and heat.
Vick pulled back his bowstring, every muscle in his body still and focused. It felt like the whole world stopped to watch him. His heartbeat, his breath, his blood — all moved in perfect rhythm with his bow. Even Thundra, the mighty Pred warrior, paused for a brief second. The sight of the man known as the "Demi-God" aiming his bow with such calm power made even the thunderous beast hesitate.
"Arrow of the Phoenix!"Vick's voice roared like thunder itself.
The arrow flew, but it was no longer an arrow. It turned into pure fire — burning, alive, taking the form of a massive bird with wings of flame. The cry of a phoenix echoed through the valley, sharp and beautiful, shaking the hearts of every Pred. The heavens lit up as the flaming bird soared across the sky, its wings spreading wider than clouds.
Thundra roared and raised his arm, lightning bursting around it. He struck forward to block — but the phoenix screamed again, louder, brighter. It broke through the thunder like it was paper. Flames wrapped around Thundra's arm, burning away flesh, burning through the lightning itself.
In one blazing slash — the phoenix's wings cut through the air.
Thundra's right arm fell, torn clean from his body.
His roar shook the earth. It wasn't just pain — it was fury, pride shattered, and rage beyond control. Lightning exploded from him wildly, tearing the ground apart.
But Vick didn't stop. The phoenix shattered into thousands of smaller arrows, each one blazing with fire and divine light. They rained down across the valley like a storm from the heavens. Every arrow pierced through the Pred army — through thick hides and monstrous skin — setting them ablaze. Screams echoed everywhere as flames spread like waves of judgment.
The ones chasing Vid through the forest were hit too. Burning arrows fell among them, cutting through branches, tearing flesh apart. Their bodies sizzled and smoked. Some screamed before they even hit the ground.
But three of them survived.
Three Preds, faster and stronger than the rest, still followed Vid's trail with furious growls.
Vid stumbled through the forest, every breath a stab of pain. Branches tore his skin as he ran, his chest heavy, his heart pounding. Ahead, through the trees, he saw the faint white stone pillars of Lord Vishwa's temple. It stood tall above the forest, shining like a promise of safety.
He could almost hear the temple bells in his mind.Just a little more… just a little more and I'll be safe.
But fate wasn't so kind.
The trees behind him cracked apart — the sound of heavy steps shaking the ground. The three Preds emerged, their bodies burned but still burning with rage. The biggest one leaped forward, moving faster than Vid could even think.
His huge arm — black as iron, sharp as a blade — shot forward.
Vid turned, too slow.
The blow struck him straight in the chest.
The world went still.
Vid gasped. He looked down and saw the creature's clawed hand sticking out through his body. Blood dripped from its claws. His breath stopped. For a second, it felt like time itself froze.
Then the Pred leaned close, grinning with jagged teeth."Don't worry, boy," he growled. "I didn't hit your heart. Not your lungs either. Not yet." He smiled wider, cruel and proud. "I'll kill you right in front of your god's temple. Let the last thing you see be the silence of your useless prayers."
The claw slid out of his body, and Vid fell to his knees. Blood poured from the hole in his chest, soaking the dirt. His vision blurred as he coughed, gasping for air. His shaking hands pressed against the wound, but blood kept slipping through his fingers.
Tears welled up in his eyes. He wanted to scream. To crawl. To beg. But no sound came out.
Why… why am I so weak?
Memories flooded his mind. His mother smiling before their home burned. His father, bleeding, holding a broken spear as Rakshas soldiers stormed their village. His brother's scream as he was dragged away. The fire. The smoke. The silence.
Vid's tears mixed with dirt. His voice was just a whisper."Lord Vishwa… please…"
But there was no answer.
Then, through the pain and fading strength, another voice echoed in his mind — Vick's calm voice from their nights of training.
"Meditation is the key, Vid. If you can't master your fear, if you can't silence your pain, then your soul will never awaken. Only when you face your past — not run from it — can you find your presence. That's where true power begins."
Vid clenched his teeth, blood still spilling down his chest. The Preds laughed behind him, waiting for him to die. But he stopped shaking.
He couldn't cry anymore.
Vick had told him once: "Tears are the chains of memory. Break them, and you will stand."
With trembling hands, Vid forced himself to sit cross-legged on the ground, even as blood flowed freely from his wound. He pressed his palms together and closed his eyes.
The pain was blinding. But he focused. Deeper. Deeper.
He fell into darkness.
In that darkness, he saw his younger self — weak, trembling, bullied, afraid. He saw his mother's death. His father's defeat. His brother's scream. The Rakshas soldiers laughing.
Fear filled him again. His breath grew uneven.
Then, in that void, he heard it — Vick's voice once more:
"Don't bury your pain. Face it. Own it. It's yours, but it doesn't define you."
Vid's trembling stopped.
In his mind, he faced the burning village again — but this time, he didn't turn away. He stood before it. He didn't scream.
And in that stillness… something flickered inside him.
A small warmth began glowing in his chest, faint but real. It pulsed slowly, steady and alive. It wasn't his heartbeat. It was something deeper.
His presence.
The spark of spiritual energy.
Outside, one of the Preds tilted his head. "Meditating? Hah. Pathetic." He raised his claws again to finish the job.
Vid didn't move. Blood poured from his wound, but his eyes stayed closed. His lips moved slightly.
"Lord Vishwa… if you won't answer…" he whispered, voice faint but steady, "...then I will."
The warmth in his chest grew brighter.
The Pred snarled. "You are weak! Your god cannot save you. Lord Joud will rise above all — even your Vishwa! You'll die as his last believer!"
He raised his arm for the killing blow—
—but suddenly, everything around Vid went quiet.
The pain, the screams, even the thunder faded away.
Above him, the sky darkened — not with clouds, but with something endless. It felt like the world itself had vanished, replaced by an infinite void.
And then, from that silence, a light appeared.
A vast, shining presence filled the emptiness — not fire, not lightning, but something greater. It felt alive, gentle, and infinite at once.
The being lowered itself toward him and wrapped him in warmth. The pain vanished. His wounds still bled, but they no longer hurt. He could only stare in awe.
A voice spoke — not through sound, but through his very soul.
"Do not fear, my child. I am with you."
Vid's eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat.
There was no doubt. It was Lord Vishwa.
The god he had prayed to for years. The god who had been silent while his world burned — now stood beside him.
He wanted to speak, to ask why He had waited so long. But no words came. He only cried as that warmth filled him.
"I cannot walk your path for you," Vishwa's voice echoed. "But remember this — the fire you seek already burns within you. The day will come when you awaken it completely. Until then… endure. Grow. Remember me."
The divine light leaned closer, like thunder wrapped in kindness.
"We will meet again when the time is right."
And just like that, the light faded.
The world came rushing back — the dirt, the forest, the smell of blood.
Vid gasped. He was still in the Pred's grasp — but something inside him had changed. His eyes no longer showed fear. There was light in them now — calm, steady, and alive.
The Pred stepped back, uneasy. "What… what are you?"
Vid didn't answer. He took a breath, slow and steady, remembering the warmth that had filled him.
His fingers brushed against a broken stick lying nearby. He gripped it tightly, even though his strength was nearly gone.
"In the name of Lord Vishwa…" he whispered, "I will defeat you."
His chest burned with faint light as he forced the spark of presence to flow through his veins. The stick in his hand began to glow.
He moved.
In a blur of pain and will, Vid struck. The glowing stick slashed across the Pred's face, cutting deep into one of its eyes.
The creature screamed, staggering back, clutching its bleeding face.
Vid fell to his knees, gasping. His whole body screamed in agony. Blood poured from his chest, but even so — he smiled faintly.
He had landed a strike. He had drawn blood.
From far away, Vick saw it. His eyes widened — that boy, covered in blood, still standing against a Pred.
Something inside Vick ignited. His presence exploded like a storm. The ground trembled beneath him. Trees bent from the force.
He raised his bow again, voice echoing like thunder.
"I'll end this — all of you!"
Energy swirled behind him — thousands of flaming arrows forming in the sky, twisting like dragons.
"Thousand Arrows of the Raged Dragon!"
The arrows shot upward, bursting into a fiery storm that lit up the heavens.
Thundra, furious and half-mad from pain, spread her wings. The sky darkened again as lightning gathered into a single, enormous sphere.
"Thunder Missile of Death!" he screamed, sending it crashing down.
The two forces met in the sky — flame and lightning colliding in a blinding explosion.
The world shook. The air cracked apart. The valley turned into a storm of fire and thunder. The shockwave tore through the Pred army, vaporizing their bodies in seconds.
Those torturing Vid screamed once before they were reduced to ash.
The ground split. Mountains rumbled. The forest burned in the aftermath.
At the center of it all, Vick and Thundra's clash burned a scar into the earth — a mark of gods and monsters colliding.
And when the light finally faded… only silence remained.
Vid lay on the ground, breathing hard. His body was broken, but his heart still beat. He had survived.
He had struck down a monster.
And for the first time in his life — he didn't just pray to Lord Vishwa.He fought in His name.