Harun's body jerked violently as another unseen force tore through him, this time deeper than before, slicing across his torso with a precision that felt unnatural. For a fraction of a second, there was no pain—only a strange delay—before everything hit at once. His breath shattered in his chest, his ribs tightening as blood spilled out in a thin stream that quickly turned heavy.
"What the hell is happening?!" he shouted, frustration and panic mixing in his voice as his eyes scanned the space around him. "Why can't I see the attacks?!"
There was nothing.
No movement in the air.
No distortion.
No incoming strike.
And yet—
Another cut appeared across his arm.
Then one across his thigh.
Then three more at once across his back.
His body flinched violently as if something invisible was tearing him apart from every direction at the same time. The wounds didn't follow any pattern. They didn't come from a single angle. It was as if the space around him itself had turned hostile.
Blood dripped from his fingertips.
His breathing grew uneven.
Still, he forced himself to stay standing.
Khaizar stood a short distance away, completely still, watching him with calm, almost bored eyes. Around him, faint crimson threads shimmered into existence—not clearly visible, but if one focused enough, there was a slight distortion in the air, like heat waves bending light.
"You still don't understand," Khaizar said quietly, his voice steady and composed. "You're not being attacked."
Harun's gaze snapped toward him, anger flashing despite the pain. "…What?"
Khaizar lifted his hand slightly.
The air around Harun flickered.
"You're already inside the attack."
The words settled just as another wave hit.
This time, the effect became clearer.
For a split second, Harun saw it—not directly, but through the reaction of his own blood. Thin crimson lines, almost invisible, stretched across the space around him like a web. They weren't moving toward him.
They were already intersecting him.
The moment his body shifted—
They cut.
Instantly.
Brutally.
Harun's eyes widened.
"…Threads…?"
Khaizar smirked slightly.
"Exactly."
He extended his fingers lazily.
"Red Phantom Threads."
The threads pulsed.
And Harun's body reacted.
Dozens of micro-cuts appeared at once across his arms and chest, shallow but numerous, stacking over each other. It wasn't one powerful strike—it was hundreds of precise, controlled slices hitting simultaneously.
Harun gritted his teeth.
He tried to step forward—
The moment his muscles contracted, the threads shifted slightly.
And then—
Deep cuts.
Not random anymore.
Targeted.
A sharp line opened across his abdomen, forcing a pained sound out of him as blood spilled more aggressively.
"Ughhh—!"
He froze again.
Breathing hard.
Now he understood.
The threads weren't chasing him.
They were placed around him.
And his own movement—
Triggered them.
"You can't dodge it," Khaizar continued, taking a slow step forward, his voice carrying quiet superiority. "You can't block it. And you definitely can't escape it."
Another step.
"You move—"
The threads tightened slightly.
"You bleed."
Harun's fists clenched.
His body trembled.
Still—
He tried again.
Even a slight shift—
And again—
His body opened.
Blood burst out from multiple wounds, deeper this time, as if the threads punished him for resisting.
His knees shook.
"…Damn it…"
Khaizar's smirk widened.
"You really thought," he said, his tone turning sharper, "that at this level…"
The threads pulsed again.
A clean diagonal cut opened across Harun's shoulder.
"…you could even scratch Gautam?"
That line hit harder than anything else.
For a moment, Harun didn't respond.
His body was already breaking.
But his mind—
His mind refused to stop.
Memories surfaced.
Fast.
Uncontrolled.
"I will protect Bhouldera."
Aqsa's voice.
"Big bro…"
Rehman's warning.
"Don't fail."
The statues.
Frozen.
Waiting.
"I'll fix everything."
His fingers tightened despite the blood slipping through them.
"I won't fail again…"
Harun forced his body to move.
Just a step.
Just forward.
"YAAAAAHHHHH!"
The moment he pushed himself—
The threads reacted violently.
Dozens of deep cuts opened simultaneously across his body, far worse than before. Blood sprayed outward, his vision shaking as pain exploded through him like his body was being torn apart from inside.
He staggered.
Almost fell.
But somehow—
Still standing.
Khaizar watched carefully now.
"…Still trying."
His voice carried faint interest.
But Harun couldn't continue.
His body had reached its limit.
His vision blurred.
His breathing collapsed.
And then—
Khaizar moved.
Not fast.
Not rushed.
Just walking.
Harun saw him approaching and instinctively closed his eyes for a moment, expecting the final blow.
But it didn't come.
Instead—
Silence.
Harun opened his eyes again.
Khaizar had walked past him.
Straight toward—
"Aqsa…"
Harun's voice broke.
Khaizar stopped in front of her.
The crimson threads around him shifted, but this time not for attack—for sensing.
A faint pressure spread outward.
Searching.
Scanning.
Then—
Khaizar's head tilted slightly.
"…Oh."
His voice dropped.
"So this is it."
He looked directly at her.
"YOU are the vessel."
Aqsa froze.
"W-What…?"
"Big bro—!"
Harun's eyes widened instantly.
"WHAT?!"
His voice tore out of him.
"She's NOT the vessel! I checked TWICE!"
He tried to move—
But the threads reacted instantly.
"RED PHANTOM THREADS."
Another wave.
This time—
Final.
Deep cuts tore across his entire body at once, far worse than anything before. His body convulsed violently, blood spilling uncontrollably as his system finally gave up.
"Aaahhhhh—!"
His legs gave out.
His body collapsed.
Darkness.
Aqsa screamed.
"BIG BRO!"
She tried to run—
But crimson wires shot forward instantly.
From Khaizar's arm, thick tendrils of red energy burst out, forming into snake-like coils mid-air. They wrapped around Aqsa in an instant, tightening around her arms, waist, and legs, lifting her slightly off the ground.
"Ahhh—!"
The wires constricted.
Not cutting.
Crushing.
Restricting her movement completely.
"I'm not—! I'm not the vessel!"
She struggled desperately, twisting, pulling..but the more she moved, the tighter they became.
"Big bro please! Help me!"
Her voice cracked.
"You promised…!"
The coils tightened further.
Her ribs compressed.
Air left her lungs.
"Ahhh—!"
Blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Still—
She resisted.
"Big bro... please…"
Her voice weakened.
"Get up"
The wires tightened again.
Harder.
More painful.
"BIG BRO.!"
"SHUT UP."
Khaizar's voice cut sharply.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"He's not even conscious to listen."
Aqsa froze.
Tears fell silently now.
But her eyes.
Still fixed on Harun.
Darkness surrounded him.
But it wasn't empty.
It was filled with memories.
Failures.
Moments he couldn't change.
His team turning to stone.
Sahil slipping away.
Promises breaking.
"I couldn't do anything…"
His voice echoed.
Weak.
Then.
A sound.
Thump.
His heartbeat.
Thump.
Faster.
Stronger.
"…Why…?"
Back in reality.
Harun's body lay motionless.
But his right shoulder.
Glowed.
The Dravillian stone pulsed violently.
White light burst out.
And within it.
Dark fibres emerged.
Spreading across his body like living veins.
The air around him distorted.
Heavy.
Unstable.
Something had awakened.
And it wasn't stopping.