Chapter 5: Night of Amavasya The Shadow Attack
The darkness of the night was as thick as ink. The clouds had swallowed the moon and stars, and only the continuous sound of raindrops created the illusion of life in the world. Inside the house, every lamp, every bulb was burning, as if light itself could stop this physical shadow of darkness. But Aarav and Kiyan knew - tonight's battle was not between light and darkness, but between two ancient powers, and a hungry soul's centuries-old craving.
Arushi's room had been fortified. Lines of salt and iron filings were drawn on doors and windows. On the floor, Aarav had used his own blood - a small cut - to create a complex Aadisrashta Chakra (divine discus of the creator) , every line glowing with a faint golden light from his Devanshik (divinely blessed one) energy. In the center lay Arushi, now in a deep sleep, but her pulse was weak and irregular. Her body had become merely a bridge, over which a storm was about to pass.
"Ready?" Kiyan said. He stood near the door, the golden glow in his eyes so intense it illuminated the corners of his face. His hands were not trembling. He was calm, focused, a warrior who had come to fight his last battle.
"No," Aarav admitted truthfully. "But waiting won't help."
The clock struck midnight. Amavasya (darkest night of the moon cycle) was at its peak.
The first sign came from the air. The rain suddenly stopped. A wave of deep, heavy silence enveloped the house, as if the world had held its breath. Then, a sharp, metallic smell - of sulfur and rotting flesh began to mix in the air.
Outside the window, in the garden, the darkness took a deeper form. It wasn't just the absence of light; it was like a dense, liquid substance, swirling, contracting, and then beginning to form a figure.
Aayush's figure. But no.
He was standing, but his feet were not touching the ground. A black, smoky shroud wrapped around him, in which faces sometimes emerged and submerged faces writhing in pain, screaming, perhaps all those whose age Virbhadra had stolen over centuries. And above him, another, larger and distorted shadow hovered - the shadow of an old, wrinkled face, with only black flames of eternal hunger and madness burning in its eyes. Virbhadra.
The window glass began to crack without being touched. Cracks started spreading.
"He's here," Kiyan whispered.
Aarav placed his hand on his wrist. The Aadisrashta Chakra was now burning, a warm, golden pulse racing through his veins. "Stay behind me," he told Kiyan.
"No," Kiyan said, and stepped forward, standing in front of the window. "This is my fight. My legacy's."
Then the window's trembling stopped. The black figure outside (Aayush/Virbhadra) slowly raised its hand and pointed toward the window.
CRRRACK BAM!
The entire window glass shattered inward, but the pieces froze mid-air, floating in a circle of black energy. Then they rained down on Kiyan all at once.
Kiyan thrust his hands forward. A wave of golden energy emerged from his palms, stopping the glass shards. The two energies - golden and black clashed in the air, scattering sparks. Kiyan's feet began to slide backward on the floor.
"So… powerful…" he gritted through his teeth.
"Your power is mine, child!" Virbhadra's rasping voice echoed in the air, penetrating directly into their minds. "Your mother stole it from me. Now… return it!"
The pressure of the black energy increased. Kiyan's golden energy began to dim. He started falling to his knees.
"Aarav… now!" Kiyan screamed.
Aarav closed his eyes. He felt the power within him - that ancient, warm, divine energy flowing through his blood. He imagined channeling it from his wrist, to his heart, and then to his fingertips.
"Wake up," he told himself. "Wake up now."
His eyes opened. And they were glowing like silver.
A silver flame erupted from his body, not burning, not touching, just becoming a pure, radiant light. He thrust his hand forward, and a silver beam shot directly into the black energy that was pressing down on Kiyan.
ZZZZZZT!
A sharp, screeching sound filled the air. The black energy shrank back. The glass shards scattered on the floor.
Outside, Aayush/Virbhadra's figure shifted. Within the black shadow, distorted lines of anger emerged on Virbhadra's face. "Devanshik (divinely blessed one)…! You stand in my way again!"
Aarav positioned himself in front of Kiyan, his silver eyes now fully awakened. "You cannot enter this house. You cannot touch him."
"Fool!" Virbhadra thundered. "You don't know what you're playing with! I have spent centuries acquiring this power! And tonight… tonight I will take it!"
He (Aayush's body) joined his hands, and a black, swirling portal began to open before him. From it, hundreds of black, smoky hands began to spread, straight into the room, straight toward Arushi's bed!
Aarav screamed and spread his arms. A shimmering silver wall stood before him, against which the black hands collided and began to disintegrate. But they didn't stop. They kept coming, and with each collision, cracks began to form in Aarav's silver wall.
"He's weakening you!" Kiyan shouted, getting up. "Through me… through my blood bond!"
Kiyan saw it - the black hands weren't going directly toward Arushi. They were creating a complex pattern in the air, a yantra (mystical diagram) … and the center of that yantra was Kiyan himself. Virbhadra was bypassing Arushi, using the blood-bond that connected Kiyan and Arushi (as future sister-in-law). He was building a bridge.
"Stop him, Aarav!" Kiyan warned. "Stop me!"
But Aarav didn't understand. He was focused on stopping the black hands with his power.
Then, Virbhadra made his move.
Aayush's body suddenly stood upright. His eyes had turned completely white. Then, with a terrible scream, a black, smoky soul-like figure emerged from his chest - the original form of Virbhadra's soul. Aayush's body fell to the ground, empty and limp.
Virbhadra's black soul hovered in the air for a moment, then entered the room at lightning speed - straight into the center of the yantra, straight into Kiyan's chest!
A scream, inhuman and echoing, tore from Kiyan's mouth. He fell to the ground, his body convulsing. His eyes were open - for a moment golden, then black, then golden again… both colors struggling against each other.
"NO!!" Aarav screamed, and redirected his silver energy toward Kiyan.
But it was too late.
Kiyan's convulsing stopped. He suddenly became still. Then, slowly, he rose to his feet. The way he stood was different - more fluid, more… ancient. He turned his head slowly, neck bones cracking.
And then he turned. Toward Aarav.
Kiyan's face held his own expression, but his eyes… his eyes were completely black, with only a thin, golden eel like spark wandering within, like a prisoner pacing in his cell.
And when he smiled, it wasn't Kiyan's smile. It was a victorious, cruel, centuries-old smile.
From Kiyan's mouth emerged Virbhadra's voice - smooth, venomous, and filled with joy. "Now… this body is mine. And all its power… its immortality… is mine."
Aarav stood stunned, hopeless, the light of his silver eyes beginning to fade. He had given up.
Virbhadra (in Kiyan's body) looked at his new hands, clenched his fists, then opened them. "So much power… so much potential." He looked at Aarav. "And you… your power is also interesting. Perhaps I will take that too. Later."
He turned toward Arushi's bed. "First, I must break this unwanted bond."
But then, a slight spasm crossed Kiyan's face. The golden spark in his eyes moved faster. Kiyan's own voice, suppressed and tortured, burst from his lips - "Aarav… kill… kill me…"
Anger rose on Virbhadra's face. "Be silent! This body is no longer yours!"
But Kiyan's soul, trapped within his own body, made one final resistance. His hand suddenly rose and he punched himself hard in the chest.
THUD!
Virbhadra gasped, and Kiyan's body staggered a step. Seizing that moment, Aarav focused his remaining silver energy into a single point and released it like a brilliant beam toward Virbhadra (Kiyan).
Virbhadra raised his hand to block. A shield of black energy formed. The two energies collided, and an explosion occurred that sucked the air out of the room.
When the smoke and light cleared, Virbhadra (Kiyan) stood near the window, his clothes burned, but he was smiling. "Next time, Devanshik. Next time you won't escape."
He looked back at Aayush's empty body, then jumped into the black darkness and vanished.
Silence spread through the room. Only Arushi's faint breaths and Aarav's gasping remained. He fell to the ground, his silver eyes now normal, and tears began to flow from them.
He had lost. He had lost Kiyan.
He looked at the black crystal he had picked up from the cave, now lying on the floor, its green glow even brighter, as if burning with joy.
Then, the mark of the Aadisrashta Chakra (divine discus of the creator) on his wrist blazed with a sharp, painful light. And a voice - ancient, divine, and compassionate - echoed in his mind:
"He is not dead yet. Where the darkness is deepest, there is also a seed of light. Find it. Bring him back."
Aarav rubbed his eyes. The voice was gone, but the message remained.
He stood up. Despair had now turned into determination. He looked at Aayush's empty body, then at the black window from which Kiyan (Virbhadra) had gone.
"You took him," he whispered, fire in his voice. "But I will bring him back. No matter what it takes."
The night of Amavasya (darkest night of the moon cycle) had ended. Darkness had won. But the war was not over.
It had just become more personal.
(Chapter End)
Next: Aarav must fight Virbhadra, who is inside Kiyan's body. A battle where he must defeat the enemy without harming his beloved's body. He will embark on a dangerous journey to save Kiyan's soul, while Virbhadra prepares to begin a new dark age with his new powers.
© 2026 Aaryaveda. All rights reserved.
Do not copy or repost without permission