"Singhava… I do not clearly understand what you are saying."
"Wait for a moment," Singhava replied before walking away and joining the others.
"Yes… it was Rudhra himself. Only because of his help were we able to enter the fortress safely. Not only that, through the secret routes of the fortress, the shadow warriors managed to bring many powerful weapons inside. They also gathered every weapon they needed from there before quickly returning to the hidden mansion deep within the forest."
At that moment, sudden news arrived.
Everyone immediately began rushing toward Zimbara. Bermi, filled with fear and anxiety, hurried ahead while Rudhran followed behind him.
"What happened? Why are you all so tense? What happened in Zimbara?" Rudhran kept asking throughout the journey.
But no one answered him.
Every single person was focused only on reaching Zimbara as quickly as possible.
When they finally arrived, not a single shadow warrior could be seen. The entire city stood in terrifying silence.
Bermi, Paarivendhan, Rudhran, and Paarthiban slowly walked inside to investigate.
The sight before them froze their hearts.
The people of the city were dead.
Only their lifeless bodies remained scattered across the streets.
Bermi fell to his knees and cried out in agony.
At that moment, Rudhran noticed a familiar body lying nearby.
"Pandu…"
He rushed forward.
Pandu's body had been brutally mutilated—one arm and one leg severed. He lay there as nothing more than a lifeless corpse.
The moment Rudhran saw him, his entire world shattered.
He screamed in grief.
His heart broke into a thousand pieces, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not accept what stood before his eyes.
Afterward, they performed the final rites for everyone who had died.
It was Rudhran himself who lit the fire beneath Pandu's body.
As the flames slowly consumed his friend, countless memories flashed before Rudhran's eyes—every laugh, every battle, every moment they had shared together.
Standing before the fire as witness, Rudhran made a terrible vow.
"No matter where the man who did this is hiding… I will find him. I will not let him die easily. I will give him a punishment worse than death itself."
"I swear this upon you, Pandu."
Pandu had never wished harm upon anyone in his life.
He lost the woman he loved.
He lost his brother.
And now, in the end, he himself had vanished from this world.
From his life, one truth became painfully clear:
Not everyone's life is blessed with happiness. Some people suffer from the beginning of their lives until their very last breath.
That is why, in this short life we live, we must try to find happiness wherever we can. Even if life lasts only a few days, those moments of happiness are what make it beautiful.
But now, Zimbara itself had fallen into endless sorrow.
Not only had Pandu died, but the entire city had been destroyed.
No one could escape the grief that swallowed them whole.
Unable to bear the pain any longer, Bermi and the others decided to take Rudhran away from that cursed place. Together, they returned to the hidden mansion within the forest.
After some time, Bermi spoke.
"We must go and find Ponni and Alli before something happens to them."
The moment he said those words, Rudhran suddenly froze.
"Our mother… where is she?"
Everyone fell silent.
"In all the chaos… I completely forgot about Chandravathi," Bermi whispered. "She was not in Zimbara. I don't know where she went… I don't even know if she is alive."
Fear spread across everyone's faces.
"What do we do now?" Rudhran asked desperately.
"First, let us find them," Paarthiban replied calmly. "After that, we can think about everything else."
Immediately, they gathered the protection warriors and began searching through the forests.
Hours passed.
An entire night went by.
But no matter where they searched, they could not find them.
Then suddenly…
From deep within a dense part of the forest, they heard the faint cry of a child.
Everyone rushed toward the sound.
And there they were.
Chandravathi stood there safely alongside the others.
The moment Ponni saw Rudhran, she burst into tears and ran toward him, tightly embracing him.
"You are safe… right? Nothing happened to you?" she cried.
After gathering everyone together, including the child and the women, they all returned safely to the hidden mansion in the forest.
Once they arrived, Chandravathi looked around anxiously.
"Where is Pandu? I don't see him here. Is he still in Zimbara? Did you see him? Is he safe?"
The moment she asked, tears poured uncontrollably from Bermi's eyes.
Fear filled Chandravathi's face.
"What happened? Why are you crying? Tell me!"
When they finally revealed the truth, she could not accept it.
Her entire body trembled in grief.
The sorrow crushed everyone present.
Silence filled the mansion.
But none of them realized…
Even greater horrors were still waiting for them.
After a long silence, Rudhran finally spoke.
"What exactly is happening here?"
His voice trembled with rage and pain.
"Where did all of you go? What happened there? Do not hide anything from me anymore. Tell me everything."
"If you remain silent any longer, my mind will shatter."
"My people suffered unimaginable torture."
"My brother, who stood beside me until yesterday, is gone today."
"The family who raised me with love… they are gone too."
"The city where I was born and raised has now become nothing more than a graveyard."
"I cannot bear this anymore."
"When I see another flag flying over the empire I protected for all these years… my heart burns with pain."
"I cannot tolerate this any longer."
Paarthiban stepped forward slowly.
"Rudhran… you must remain calm."
"Nothing happening here is within our control anymore. Everything slipped out of our hands long ago."
"Neither you nor I can take responsibility for what has happened."
"Your anger will not change anything."
"It will only lead us closer to death."
Then Paarthiban looked directly into Rudhran's eyes.
"The time has finally come for you to know the truth."
"What truly happened…"
"Listen carefully."
"They are not ordinary people."
"They are shadows..."