A Few Nights Earlier… In Pataal Lok…
The red-hot caves of Pataal Lok burned like the inside of a volcano as Mahishasur and Takshak walked through the narrow paths carved between rivers of fire. The air itself felt alive, heavy with smoke, heat, and something far more dangerous.
As they moved deeper into the glowing caverns, Mahishasur revealed his plan to stop Dhoomketu and his army from completing their preparations.
The moment Takshak heard the plan, a wicked grin spread across his face.
He praised Mahishasur, clearly impressed, then turned back toward his fortress without another word.
But Mahishasur remained standing there.
Watching him leave.
Angry.
Cold.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped toward one of the darkest caves hidden among the burning tunnels and walked inside.
The moment he entered, a furious roar echoed through the cave walls.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN OUR CAVE, YOU TRAITOROUS DEMON?! GET OUT OF OUR DOMAIN!"
Even after hearing such a terrifying scream, Mahishasur didn't flinch.
Not even slightly.
Instead, he stared calmly at the strange darkness moving ahead of him and laughed.
"Lower your voice," he said coldly. "You are slaves… and in Maharaj Bali's absence, I am your king. Don't forget that. And you do remember the punishment for disobeying my orders… don't you?"
The second those words left his mouth, loud mocking laughter echoed from deep within the cave.
Then one voice rose above the others.
"Hahahaha… Mahishasur, you really do tell good jokes. I'm surprised your tongue didn't fall off while calling yourself king. You are a disgrace. Maharaj Bali trusted you to rule the demon realm in his absence… and you betrayed him. You handed the throne of the demons to an outsider… and now you lick that creature's feet like a servant."
The voice grew darker.
"Honestly… even calling you my brother fills me with shame. Don't expect anything from us. Turn around… and crawl back the way you came."
Mahishasur's eyes filled with rage.
Without another word, he marched forward and stepped directly into the massive sphere of darkness ahead of him.
The moment he entered it, it felt as if he had crossed through the gate of another world.
And what waited inside…
…was horrifying.
Deep below stretched a massive river of lava flowing endlessly through the darkness. Every few moments, giant waves of fire burst upward with thunderous explosions that shook the entire cavern.
Huge stone pillars rose from the lava like ancient towers.
And sitting atop three of those pillars…
…were creatures that looked straight out of nightmares.
On the first pillar sat a horrifying woman with rotten green skin. Torn clothes hung loosely from her body, and a crown made from twisted bones rested on her forehead. But the most terrifying part—
she had no legs.
Instead, the lower half of her body resembled a giant crab, complete with sharp sideways claws. Two demonic fangs protruded from her mouth, and though she possessed an eerie beauty, it was the beauty of a monster.
Small insects buzzed around her constantly.
Every few seconds, she would suddenly extend a long, unnatural tongue, catch one of the insects mid-air, swallow it whole… and then smile in the creepiest way possible.
She was Jeevanshini.
On another pillar stood a massive, muscular man who looked almost human—but only at first glance. His hair was wild and unkempt like a savage beast, and strange stone talismans were tied around both his arms. He wore an ancient grey dhoti around his waist, and his long hair fell over his shoulders as he stared down at Mahishasur with burning anger.
He was Balasur.
And between them stood the third one.
The most dangerous of them all.
His skin was pale grey, his ears long and sharp, his eyes completely white. Stone earrings mixed with strange colored vines dangled from his ears. Dressed like ancient royalty and holding only a small dagger in his hand, the man smiled silently while staring at Mahishasur.
That smile alone felt dangerous.
He was Vyomasur.
Mahishasur smiled and bowed before them.
"My greetings to Queen Jeevanshini… to the mighty Balasur… and to their elder brother, the strongest among them all, the master of ice, Vyomasur. My respects to my elder brother and sister."
The moment he finished speaking—
Vyomasur's expression turned ice cold.
In an instant, he hurled the dagger in his hand straight toward Mahishasur.
The blade sliced past Mahishasur's ear before curving through the air and returning to Vyomasur's hand like it was alive.
Blood slowly trickled from Mahishasur's ear.
But even then…
…he didn't move.
Vyomasur rose from his seat, furious.
"I will never help you," he roared. "I would rather remain loyal to Maharaj Bali. He ordered us not to act until his return, and I will obey him. But you… why are you doing this, Mahishasur? You were once among his most trusted warriors. So why betray him now?!"
Mahishasur's face twisted with anger.
"Yes, I was loyal!" he shouted back. "But ask yourselves something—was Maharaj Bali ever loyal to the demons?! In my eyes… never!"
His voice echoed violently across the lava chamber.
"He wasn't fit to rule demons. In all these centuries, what did he actually do? He had the power to crush Devlok beneath his feet… to force the gods to bow before him. But instead? He donated wealth to sages and poor humans. He performed rituals. He conquered the world… only to hand everything away because of Vishnu's trickery!"
His fists clenched tightly.
"And what did WE get?"
"Nothing!"
"When he could've ruled everything, why listen to Vishnu's sweet words?! In one moment we lost Devlok… then the Trilok… then even Earth!"
Mahishasur's rage only grew stronger.
"We should've listened to Guru Shukracharya! He always warned us—gods and demons can never be friends! But Maharaj Bali became Vishnu's greatest devotee instead! He dragged our entire race into the depths of Pataal Lok!"
He pointed toward the rivers of lava below.
"Tell me… is this justice for demons?!"
"No!"
"Every single time demons defeated the gods, Vishnu interfered at the final moment and defeated us through tricks and deception! We conquered heaven through our own strength! We shook the three worlds! Even during Samudra Manthan, we worked equally beside the gods!"
His eyes burned with fury.
"But what happened in the end?"
"The gods got every treasure. Our beloved Mahadev received poison… and we got NOTHING!"
"The gods received Amrit, powers, heaven itself… while we received betrayal after betrayal!"
His breathing grew heavier.
"And after all that, they created those half-gods and handed them places like Cloud Realm and Ocean Realm… while we were thrown into the stomach of these volcanoes to burn alive whenever the mountains erupt!"
The lava below exploded violently, as if responding to his anger.
"Even after all that… Maharaj Bali worshipped Vishnu!"
"If Maharaj Bali hadn't fallen into deep sleep, our race would've been destroyed by now. That is why I did what I had to do… and I don't regret it."
Then slowly…
Mahishasur's voice became calmer.
More dangerous.
"I came here for the support of my own blood. I am going to conquer Earth… and the Cloud Realm. This time, I will remind them of their place."
His eyes locked onto the three siblings.
"But I need your help."
"I want you to sabotage their preparations. And if possible…"
"…kill their most important ally."
Silence spread across the chamber.
Then Mahishasur took one final step forward.
"So tell me… will you stand with me? Will you help build a new future for demon kind?"
His words had struck exactly where he wanted.
Mahishasur knew it the moment he saw the hesitation in their eyes.
Vyomasur looked toward his younger brother and sister.
Both of them slowly nodded.
Even Vyomasur seemed shaken now.
After a long silence, he finally spoke in a deep voice.
"I still don't trust you," he admitted. "But my brother and sister believe that since you spoke Guru Shukracharya's name… perhaps you deserve one chance."
His sharp white eyes narrowed.
"So tell us, Mahishasur…"
"What exactly do you want us to do?"
The moment Mahishasur realized all three demons had finally agreed to listen…
…a dark, terrifying smile spread across his face.