✦ THE DEMON ✦
The earth trembled and buckled.
With a sound of a collapsing mountain, a monstrosity dropped from the sky, slamming into the road with enough force to send shards of stone and hot embers gevouring the air. Arjun and Gopi were thrown backward with the impact, their bicycle skidding through the soot as they scrambled for balance.
Arjun's gaze climbed the creature with a sickening, involuntary fascination. He traced the cracked, obsidian-like talons that had shredded the road, up the towering, muscular frame, to a head crowned with jagged, obsidian horns and pointy helmet. Its eyes were twin pits of serpentine fire, glowing with a cold, predatory intelligence. Beneath its leathery skin, veins of dull, rhythmic crimson pulsed.
Its wings unfurled, vast enough to blot out the blood-red sky. A barbed tail scraped against the ground behind it with a sound like a knife on a wetstone.
Then the creature laughed—slow and deliberate. A sound that crept into their bones.
Arjun's heart hammered loudly and Gopi's legs started trembling, locked by absolute terror, that has unfolded itself in front of them.
The forest seemed to recoil in its presence; the leaves turned brittle, and the shadows stretched into twisted, agonizing shapes.
The road behind them burns.
The demon's smile widened, revealing rows of teeth like serrated daggers. He loomed over them, its massive frame radiating an oppressive, gravitonic force that seemed to bend the very air. Those glowing red eyes drifted over the boys, sharp and searching, scanning them with the clinical detachment of a butcher.
Gopi thrust the flickering sandalwood torch into the black darkness, his trembling arms barely able to keep the flame steady. "Don't come near us! Stay back, I'm warning you—don't you dare come any closer!"
Mihirkul lowered his massive torso, leaning down so far his gigantic shadow swallowed Gopi entirely. "Oh, but I will," he purred, a predatory grin splitting his face. "In fact, I'm coming more closer."
"Step any closer and I'll burn you alive!" Gopi bluffed, his voice cracking with pure panic as he waved the fire in Mihirkul's face.
Mihirkul chuckled, the terrifying sound vibrating right through the dirt beneath their feet. "With what? This tiny sandalwood stick? You know... I used to adore its sweet fragrance back in my human days."
Closing his glowing eyes for a fleeting second, Mihirkul leaned directly over the embers and drew in a long, deep inhale of the sandalwood smoke, savoring it like a fine feast. Then, opening his eyes, he released a slow, deliberate exhale. With a soft whoosh, the flame vanished, plunging the path into total darkness.
A suffocating, heavy silence instantly settled over the woods.
Desperate and blind in the pitch black, Gopi and Arjun huddled together, their limbs shaking so violently their teeth chattered against the cold air. Gopi's fingers dug frantically into Arjun's arm, grabbing him like a lifeline as their trembling voices broke into a panicked prayer.
"Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar...(Victory to Lord Hanuman, ocean of wisdom and virtue...) "Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar..." Gopi stammered, his voice rising in sheer terror as his mind went blank. He nudged Arjun frantically, elbowing him in the ribs. "Hey! What's the next line?! What comes next?! I can't remember, say it!"
"Bhoot pishach nikat nahi aave... Mahavir jab naam sunave..." (Evil spirits and demons cannot draw near when the name of Mahavir is uttered...) Arjun whispered back, his breath ragged and uneven.
Gopi instantly joined in, both boys chanting frantically as if the holy words could push the nightmare back into the dark.
Yet Mihirkul only smiled—a slow, predatory grin gleaming in the shadows. Mocking the very prayer meant to keep evil away, he took a heavy step forward, leaning down until his colossal frame hovered inches from their pale faces. The metallic stench of fresh blood washed over them as he loomed closer, savoring their helpless terror.
Then, right against their trembling ears, Mihirkul opened his massive jaw and roared:
"BOOOOO!"
The sound hit them like a physical blow, sending both boys leaping backward with horrified screams as they fell into the dirt.
Mihirkul's mocking laughter boomed through the trees, cruel and loud. "Alright, alright... enough games with you little brats," he grunted, stepping forward as his glowing red eyes illuminated their pale, terrified faces in the dark. "It's time I take what I actually came here for."
He paused, scanning the two figures cowering before him. "Well, there are only two boys here anyway. So... which one of you is the one I'm looking for?"
His gaze locked onto Gopi first.
"Hair like a mangy ape. A bloated, doughy face etched with the terror of a cornered sewer rat," the demon sneered, his voice dripping with utter disdain. He looked down at the boy's quivering knees with disgust. "And these pathetic, trembling sticks... there is no spark in you. You aren't the one I'm looking for. Crawl aside, you miserable worm."
Gopi flinched, cowering back into the dirt in sheer terror.
Then, with the violent suddenness of a lightning strike, the demon's burning eyes snapped upward—locking squarely onto Arjun, who stood firm just ahead of gopi.
"But you seems interesting". He pointed his finger towards arjun, His eyes began scanning him from head to toe. Than, suddenly locked onto his left back hand.
"The Serpent Symbol." He shrieked, upon looking at his wrist.
For a heartbeat, Everything fell silent.
Then a hysterical laugh tore through the forest, ripping violently from the demon's throat. as he raised a clawed finger and pointed directly at Arjun's hand, his laughter thick with madness and triumph.
"Ahh… look at this!" He sneered.
"The universe truly does have a sense of irony."
"The boy I have hunted for decades across every dimension mindlessly suddenly appears before me."
Than He looked directly into Arjun's eyes looming his shadow over him "Tell me, kid… do you have any idea what kind of destiny is crawling right behind you?"
Arjun trembled, fear threatening to shatter him. Yet something deep within forced him to stand firm. He couldn't bear his insults, mockings and playing with their fear anymore. So he Gathered the last fragments of his courage, and broke the silence.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice shaking but steady enough. "What do you want from us? And what are you exactly looking for?"
He met the demon's gaze directly—fear burning in his chest, but defiance blazing in his eyes.
The demon paused.
Amused.
A slow smirk curved its grotesque face as it stepped closer, the ground crunching beneath its weight.
"Hah. Fascinating," he murmured, "You are the first mortal in this world of weaklings. I have encountered in an age who does not simply crumble into a heap of terror at my feet. But then, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I know exactly what hides beneath that fragile skin of yous. the very secret that sets you apart from the rest of all."
Arjun clenched his fists, glaring right back into the creature's eyes.
"One thing is clear, the uglier the face, the more mindless the garbage coming out of it," Arjun snapped, refusing to back down. "Instead of speaking in these worthless riddles, why don't you just say whatever you have to say clearly? Cut the trash talk, you oversized freak!"
The demon's eyes flared, two pits of stoked embers. "I can see the gears of your small mind turning, boy—wondering what this 'mad creature' is babbling about. I understand your frustration, But listen well. And don't panic. Because what I am about to reveal will shatter the foundations of your world until nothing remains of the life you knew."
The demon raised a singular, jagged claw, pointing once more to the mark on Arjun's wrist. "That symbol is no mere birthmark.
Anyone who bears that mark is no common man." The demon leaned in.
"He is an Avatar."
The words struck like thunder.
Both boys stared at each other, stunned—confusion and disbelief etched across their faces. The meaning refused to settle in their minds.
Mihirkul's lips curled into a sinister, triumphant grin. "Just as I warned you... the earth would slip right out from beneath your feet. It has, hasn't it?"
He passed a grin smile at them.
"But... before you go picturing yourself as someone special," Mihirkul purred, stepping forward as the crunch of gravel beneath his heavy boots sounded like snapping bones, "allow me to shed some light on the grim reality of your existence. You may be hailed as an Avatar, Arjun... but your very life is nothing short of a curse, especially for your own people."
He paused, savoring the icy terror taking root in Arjun's chest.
"On the very day you entered this world, your birth got your own family slaughtered. And today, on your birthday once more, who knows how many thousands of innocent souls you will feed to Death itself simply because you draw breath?"
Mihirkul gestured grandly toward the horizon, his voice rumbling with brutal force as he pointed toward the burning village and the thick smoke devouring the nearby forest.
"Look around you!" he growled. "You were never born to be anyone's savior... You are the architect of their utter destruction."
Mihirkul paused, savoring the icy terror gripping Arjun's chest. His grin widened, sharp and full of malice.
"Speaking of your birthday, I couldn't possibly come empty-handed, could I? Whether anyone else remembered or not, I surely did. And brought a very special surprise, just for you. Would you like to see your gift?"
Slowly, Mihirkul reached behind his back and dragged forward a dripping, ghastly prize by its matted hair, thrusting it straight into the dim moonlight. It wasChoch's lifeless severed head.
"Do you recognize him?" Mihirkul taunted, dangling the horrific trophy. "Was he a friend? A foe? Or just another unlucky chap falling victim of your bad omen?"
Arjun and Gopi froze, the blood draining entirely from his face as horror paralyzed their throat.
"He was quite the negotiator, you know," Mihirkul chuckled, his voice a low, terrifying rumble. "My soldiers were checking the palms of every young boy in the village, searching for a specific mark—the symbol of the coiled serpent. And this pathetic creature crawled right before my feet. Begging for his life, asking why we were wasting time inspecting hands when he could give us the exact location of the one we sought in exchange for his own skin."
Mihirkul leaned in closer, his eyes gleaming with cruelty. "He did exactly what he said and spilled everything—gave up your exact location."
He paused, letting the silence stretch until the tension snapped. A slow, unhinged grin split Mihirkul's face, his eyes gleaming with pure malice.
"And do you know what I gave him in return as he crawled before me, begging for mercy?"
A chilling laugh echoed through the woods. "I granted him eternal peace! Carved his head right off his shoulders, ensuring that anyone who aids Mihirkul never has to fear anything ever again."
With a wet thud, Mihirkul tossed Chochi's severed head into the dirt right at Arjun's feet.
"Look at him, Arjun," Mihirkul whispered, his voice dropping to a terrifying hiss. "See? He's not afraid anymore."
Before Arjun could even flinch, Mihirkul stepped forward and brought his heavy iron boot crashing down, pulverizing the head into the soil beneath his crushing weight.
Horror paralyzed both boys where they stood. The savage, animalistic brutality of it all had unfolded in a fraction of a second, leaving them frozen in shock as they watched someone they knew—someone who had sat beside them in class—crushed like an insect.
Before a scream could escape either of their throats, the demon lunged forward, stretching its clawed hand toward Arjun. The air thickened instantly, heavy and suffocating.
The demon's claw pressed against Arjun's symbol on his back hand.
As his claw pressed, the serpent symbol glowed, a blinding pillar of cobalt-blue flame erupted from his skin, swallowing him in a torrent of celestial fire. His eyes flared wide, glowing like twin beacons of terrifying, radiant light.
Driven by instinct, Arjun thrust his glowing hand forward. A violent shockwave tore outward with the fury of a collapsing star, snapping ancient trees like dry twigs and stripping the soil from the earth. A serpentine wave of raw blue energy lunged from the blast, striking the demon head-on and hurling it backward like a ragdoll.
The creature smashed through dense branches before crashing into the jungle floor with a sickening thud. It released a guttural groan of agony, half of its hide charred and smoking from the touch of divine fire.
Gopi could only stare, his jaw hanging slack, his mind reeling. Arjun stood in the center of the scorched clearing, a silent sentinel wrapped in fading embers, his eyes still shimmering with a dying blue light.
"Arjun!" Gopi finally shrieked, his voice a mix of primal terror and religious awe. "What in the gods' names was that?
Arjun didnt answer his question or reacted upon hearing, he stood motionless, like a hollow vessel.
"Hey! Speak to me!" Gopi scrambled toward him, panic surging as he realized Arjun's gaze was vacant. "Are you.. are you alright, could you hear me?"
Arjun's eyelids fluttered finally. The cobalt glow vanished as quickly as it had arrived. He gasped, his knees buckling as he surged back into consciousness.
"Gopi…" he wheezed, clutching his chest. "What… what just happened?"
Gopi gaped at him, his hands waving frantically at the smoking crater where the demon had been. "What happened?! You just blasted a five-meter demon across the jungle with a massive fire of blue explosion, you were carrying almost a sun like lighting bolt inside you? and you're asking me for the details?!"
Arjun looked at the scorched, black hollow in the earth, then turned his vacant gaze back to his friend.
"Explosion..." he muttered. "Then why are you still standing there completely in one piece?"
Gopi clenched his teeth in frustration, completely speechless at the bizarre, timing of his remark.
Arjun than shook his head, dazed and shivering as the adrenaline began to sour in his veins. "I swear to you… I felt nothing but a strange warm heat spreading over my body."
He looked toward the shadow in the trees where the beast lay groaning. "Well, if Whatever you said is perhaps true, than We have to leave this place. Now. Before that thing remembers how to stand again."
Gopi didn't need a second invitation. Both of them immediately turned backwards riding on the bicycle and dived into the dense, tangled maw of the jungle in front of them, abandoning the road and vanishing into the safety of the shifting shadows.
✦ THE HUNT BEGINS ✦
High above the burning forest, the crimson clouds still churned violently around the eclipsed moon. From that blood-stained sky, two winged silhouettes circled like carrion birds drawn to slaughter.
They felt the presence of a sudden surge of high energy and the anonymous power.
And saw a coil of smoke rising from below the ground.
With a thunderous beat of leathery wings, the two demons descended rapidly, reaching towards the source, cutting through the smoke and ash until they reached the epicenter of the blast. The forest floor below was scorched black, trees snapped like broken bones, the earth torn open as if struck by divine wrath.
At the center of the devastation lay their leader.
The once-dominant demon now writhed inside a smoldering crater, its body half-burnt, flesh cracked and blackened, crimson energy leaking from its wounds like molten lava. Smoke rose from its charred form as it snarled in pain, claws digging furiously into the soil.
Both the flying demons touched down beside their fallen commander, they knelt instinctively, their heads bowed.
Unadultured Rage, pure and corrosive, burned in the leader's eyes—a volatile mixture of agony and absolute disbelief.
"That power…" the demon hissed, its voice a jagged rasp that shook with a terrifying blend of fury and starved hunger. "There is no more room for doubt. The scent is unmistakable."
It struggled to heave its charred torso upward, the scorched obsidian of its skin flaking away like burnt parchment. His glowing eyes blazed with a renewed, fanatical obsession filled with rage.
"Go," He snarled, spitting a mixture of black blood and hot ash onto the ruined earth.
He pointed a trembling, taloned finger toward the lightless depths of the trees and bushes.
"Search every shadow. Sift through the dirt of this wretched jungle. Those two boys… they cannot be allowed to reach the safety of that sanctuary. The Avatar must not escape. And whatever you do, do not dare return to me empty-handed. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to amputate your limbs and burn you alive, just like those poor villagers."
His voice dropped into a venomous whisper "Bring them to me alive. I want to see the light break in those blue eyes myself."
The frightened demons offered a final, low bow in fear, before launching themselves skyward. The snap of their wings sliced through the stagnant air like the crack of a whip. They vanished into the charcoal clouds, spreading out in a wide, lethal arc to encircling the forest.
The hunt had truly begun.
...