After two days, the real test finally arrived the investigation of the missing villagers. The team had prepared well, and though everyone looked calm on the outside, a quiet tension hung in the air. It wasn't just another mission this one felt different.
On their way to the Rose Village, they decided to stop at Aarav's house for lunch. His home was warm and filled with the scent of freshly made food. That's where they met Sanvi, Aarav's younger sister bright-eyed, bold, and full of mischief. She was the kind of girl who couldn't stand being left out of anything exciting.
As soon as she heard about their mission, she clasped her hands together and said, "Can I come with you guys? Please? I'll be careful!"
Aarav sighed, already knowing where this was heading. "Sanvi, no. It's not safe. This is a mission, not an adventure for fun, anyways next year you will probably be in one of the houses completing your missions just like us."
Ruhi, ever the kind one, smiled softly but tried to reason with her. "He's right, Sanvi. We can't take risks today."
Kian leaned back with his usual arrogant smirk, arms crossed. "She'll just slow us down anyway."
That, of course, made Sanvi's eyes flash. "Excuse me? I could handle more than you think, Mr. Arrogant!"
Ekaksh chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Uh-oh… someone's in trouble."
Aarav pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough, both of you. Sanvi, stay home. That's final."
They left soon after, walking toward the forest road that led to the Rose Village's forest. For a while, everything seemed fine until Ruhi suddenly stopped. "Guys," she said quietly, "is it just me, or do I hear footsteps behind us?"
They turned around, and there she was Sanvi, grinning proudly, pretending as if she hadn't been caught red-handed. Aarav's jaw dropped.
"Sanvi!" he said sharply. "What are you doing here?"
"I told you I wanted to come," she said, brushing her hair aside, completely unapologetic.
Before she could argue further, Aarav raised his hand, his expression serious now. With a flick of his fingers, a dark blue shimmer opened behind her a portal glowing softly. "Go home. Now."
But Sanvi stood her ground, folding her arms. "No. You can't just make me vanish whenever you want. I'm coming with you."
Kian rolled his eyes. "She's impossible."
Ekaksh grinned. "Yeah, but kinda brave, too."
Aarav looked at his sister. Her determination mirrored his own it was hard to say no to that. Finally, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. But you stay close. You listen to what I say. One mistake, and I send you home. Deal?"
Sanvi's grin widened. "Deal."
And so, instead of four warriors, there were now five each with their own spark.
They reached the edge of the forest as the afternoon sun began to dip behind the trees. The air felt unusually heavy, as though the woods themselves were holding their breath. Ruhi glanced around, her expression thoughtful. "Alright," she said softly, "we'll cover more ground if we spread out, but we'll stay connected through mind communication. That way, no one gets lost."
Kian shrugged, adjusting his katana. "Fine."
Aarav chuckled under his breath. "Okay, here's the plan. Ruhi stays in the center. Kian, you search the area in the front ten kilometers from ruhi. Ekaksh, right side. I'll handle the left. Sanvi, you'll stay ten kilometers behind Ruhi. If anything feels wrong, we report immediately."
Sanvi raised an eyebrow, her tone confident. "Got it. But don't expect me to run away if something happens."
Aarav gave her a pointed look but didn't argue. "Just be careful."
They each took their positions, their forms disappearing one by one into the vastness of the forest. Through their mind link, the sound of rustling leaves and crunching twigs filled the silence between them.
Ruhi's voice echoed gently through their thoughts.Ruhi: "Everyone okay so far?"
Ekaksh: "Yup, just found a rabbit that looks friendlier than Kian."
Kian: "You should try looking at yourself in a mirror, Ekaksh. Might find the dumbest monster alive."
Aarav: "Focus, both of you. Remember why we're here."
Ruhi: "He's right. Keep your jokes for later."
Despite the light teasing, there was an undercurrent of unease. The forest seemed endless, and the deeper they went, the quieter it became. No birds, no animals, not even the buzz of insects. Only the whisper of the wind and their steady footsteps.
Minutes turned into an hour. Each of them scanned their areas carefully, but there were no traces of the missing villagers no footprints, no dropped tools, no signs of struggle. It was as though the people had simply vanished into thin air.
Ruhi stopped for a moment, pressing her fingers against her temple. "This doesn't make sense," she murmured through the link. "Even if they were taken by something… there should be clues."
Aarav: "Maybe the rain washed everything away. Still, keep searching."
Kian: "Or maybe this whole thing is a waste of time. I told you, Ruhi, the villagers probably just-"
He paused mid-sentence.
Ruhi: "Kian? What is it?"
Kian: "Nothing… thought I saw something move. Probably just shadows."
But before Ruhi could respond, a sharp static cut through their mind connection, followed by silence.
Ruhi: "Ekaksh? Report your position."
No response.
Aarav: "Ekaksh, do you hear me?"
Still nothing.
The link that once carried Ekaksh's connection was now dead quiet.
"No," Ruhi whispered. "We just spoke a moment ago."
Kian's voice came through, low and tense. "He could be playing a prank on us ."
Aarav clenched his jaw, his calm composure cracking for the first time. "Everyone, regroup. Now. We find Ekaksh before anything else."
And with that, the four of them began racing through the dense forest, the echo of their footsteps mingling with the unsettling silence that now surrounded them because for the first time, they weren't sure if they were alone anymore.
Kian's footsteps slowed as he moved through the forest. The scent of damp earth hung thick in the air, and somewhere in the distance, he could hear the faint crack of branches breaking under something heavy. His eyes narrowed, every sense on alert. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it a low, guttural growl that made his grip on his katana tighten.
Then, through the fog, he saw it.
A creature half shadow, half flesh its limbs long and twisted, its eyes glowing faintly reddish-black. It looked like something born from rage itself, crawling out from the deepest corners of fear. Kian's usual arrogance faltered for a brief second as he realized it wasn't just some forest animal it was a god damn monster.
He took a slow step back, whispering through the mind link, "Guys… I've got company."
Ruhi: "What do you mean by company?" Her voice trembled slightly, though she tried to sound calm.
Kian: "I mean a monster, Ruhi. A real one. small, ugly, and definitely not friendly."
Aarav: "WHAT .... Stay where you are. Don't engage alone."
Kian gave a small, humorless laugh. "Please, I'm not stupid. Well, not that stupid." He ducked behind a large rock, his eyes never leaving the creature as it sniffed the air. The monster moved slowly, searching for him.
Kian clenched his jaw. "You know what's strange?" he said quietly through the link. "This reminds me of something I heard a few days ago at the auditorium."
Ruhi: "What did you hear?"
There was silence for a moment as Kian tried to remember exactly. "Two days ago, at the auditorium… I overheard two people whispering. They said they were planning to open some kind of portal, to let monsters in. They mentioned they've been doing it for a while."
Sanvi's eyes widened. "What? And you're telling us this now?"
Kian said I never knew that even humans or warriors, or whatever they are could summon monsters from beyond. because monsters are not exactly from another realm, but from that strange space known as nothingness that exists between the three realms. It isn't a world of its own; it's more like an empty place, a void where all the hatred, fear, anger, and despair that living beings release slowly gather and take form. Over time, those dark emotions twist into life, shaping themselves into demons. The more hatred that fills that nothingness, the more monsters are born within it. I used to think they just appeared out of nowhere ,creatures formed by emotion alone. But now, it seems someone might have found a way to open the door to that empty void… and let them through.
Kian shrugged, brushing off the guilt that tried to sneak in. "Anyway, that's not all. They mentioned something about a Shinigami's deadly wish."
The air turned heavy. Aarav straightened. "Shinigami? As in the underworld?"
Kian nodded. "Yeah. There are fifteen Shinigamis, each with a deadly wish under their name. Even they can't stop their own wishes once they're used. The only way to fight them is with strategy… brains."
Sanvi crossed her arms, frowning. "So someone impressed a Shinigami and got one of those wishes?
"Exactly," Kian said, his tone sharp. "That's what I heard. Someone's using it. And it's hidden somewhere in the Earth realm."
Ruhi frowned, her gentle tone holding quiet disappointment. "Still, you should have said something, Kian. Even a warning would've helped us prepare."
He didn't answer for a moment. Then, almost grudgingly, he muttered, "Fine. I'm sorry."
It was the first time any of them had heard Kian say that.
Ruhi's voice was quiet, but firm. "That means whoever's behind this isn't just dangerous they're clever."
At that exact moment, the monster's head snapped toward Kian, eyes blazing. Kian straightened, his wind magic swirling faintly around his blade. "Alright, ugly," he murmured, "let's dance."
Through the mind link, Aarav's voice came quick and steady. "Don't fight alone. We're coming."
But Kian was already moving. The forest filled with the sound of rushing air and snapping branches as he struck, his katana slicing through the monster's dark form, sending shadows scattering like smoke.
And as the others began running toward him, one thought echoed in all their minds If Kian's story was true, this wasn't just about missing villagers anymore .Something far darker had begun.
The monster that Kian had spotted wasn't a huge one like they had expected. It looked more like a child small, trembling, its eyes wide with confusion instead of rage. For a moment, even Kian froze. He had seen plenty of terrible things in his life, but this one this one felt different. It was scared.
Before he could speak, Kian took a cautious step forward, his tone gentle but steady. "It's a kid… not a threat," he said, scanning the area. "Let's just stay calm."
For a long moment, nobody spoke. The wind rustled through the trees around them. Then Ruhi took a deep breath. "We need to find Ekaksh. He's alone, and if monsters are being let in, he could be in danger."
Kian shook his head. "No. First, we handle the villagers. They need help right now."
Ruhi said, her eyes soft but determined. "I know, Kian. But there's nothing more important than finding a friend. Villagers can wait for a while. I'm going to find Ekaksh."
Her words carried the weight of something unshakable i.e. friendship. Kian hesitated, jaw tight, but then sighed. "Fine. I'll come with you. You'll get lost without me anyway."
Ruhi gave a faint smile. "Then try to keep up."
Aarav nodded, understanding the silent plan forming between them. "Alright then. We'll split. Sanvi and I will head ten kilometers ahead try to track any clues we can. You two find Ekaksh."
Sanvi smirked. "Just don't do anything stupid, you two."
Kian turned away, his voice firm . "You worry about yourself."
And with that, the group divided two paths, two purposes, but one shared hope. Somewhere out there, Ekaksh was waiting, clueless and probably cracking bad jokes even in danger. But they would find him no matter what monsters, Deadly wishes, Shinigami, or portals stood in their way.
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