As the freezing ice rain from Rudra's Rukshi finally extinguished the last of the cursed flames, sizzling white smoke rose from the charred remains of the domain. Rudra descended from the sky, his cosmic wolf eyes still glowing with piercing intensity as Karthik's wings dissolved back into his aura.
He stood in the center of the blackened woods, his commanding presence demanding answers. Looking down at the smoking ground, Rudra asked the very spirit of the domain, his voice echoing with absolute authority, "Who dared to set this forest ablaze? Speak!"
The burnt, twisting trees groaned as the ancient consciousness of the forest materialized as a low, rumbling whisper. "King Rudra... the fire was an attempt to flush you out. But you do not know your own weight. You are no ordinary king... you are the direct son of my ancient master, Maruma, the God Killer."
Rudra's stoic face cracked in sheer disbelief. "What did you just say? That is impossible. I do not know any master named Maruma. My mother and father are..."
"Who told you such foolish things about your origins?" the forest interrupted, its voice filled with solemn grief. "The parental figures you remember were a cover. Your true, biological mother and father are ancient primordial entities, so incredibly dangerous that they were sealed away by the heavens themselves in entirely separate, forbidden dimensions."
Rudra stood frozen, the heavy revelation ringing in his ears. His life, his power, his very identity was built on a lie. "Who are you to know all of this hidden cosmic information?!" Rudra demanded, stepping forward.
"Because I am the one who watched them fall..."
"And he is not the only one who remembers, Rudra," a dark, terrifyingly familiar voice suddenly echoed from the shadows behind him.
Rudra snapped his head around. Stepping out from the thick white smoke was his own demonic brother, Ravana. But something was deeply wrong. Ravana's form was distorted, flickering like a broken shadow, and his eyes were completely glazed over.
"Ravana..." Rudra muttered, keeping his guard up. "What are you talking about? What do you know?"
Ravana let out a dark, raspy chuckle. "The forest speaks the truth, brother. Our bloodline is stained with the blood of gods. And that entity who set the fire? He didn't do it to kill you. He did it to find you. Because he is also our brother."
Rudra's eyes widened. "Another brother?! What nonsense is this? If he is standing right in front of us, why can't I see him?!"
"Because he is trapped under a devastating cosmic curse," Ravana explained, his flickering form beginning to fade back into the void. "He is completely invisible and intangible to the naked eye. Only you, Rudra... only you possess the power of the Pure Demon God required to break and release his curse. Look for him. Find the key."
Before Rudra could ask another question, Ravana's shadow completely dissolved into the smoke. "My time here is up, Rudra. The shadows are calling me back. I am going... ok, bye, Rudra."
The clearing fell deathly silent once more. Rudra stood alone amidst the smoking ruins of the forest, his mind racing. He was the son of Maruma the God Killer. His true parents were sealed in alternate dimensions. And now, an invisible, cursed brother was lurking right beside him in the ashes, waitin
g to be freed.As Ravana's shadow completely dissolved into the mist, the heavy silence of the burnt forest was broken by a disembodied, hollow voice echoing right next to Rudra's ear. The invisible brother was speaking.
"Rudra... our biological father, Maruma, gave two ancient cosmic rings to you long ago," the voice whispered desperately. "One ring belongs to you, and the other belongs to Isha, right? Right now, those rings are hidden safely in our childhood village, Gota. They are locked inside Grandfather Prasad's old wooden box. If you go there, find the box, and touch those rings to my unseen form, the cosmic energy will shatter this barrier and make me visible again!"
Rudra stood ground, his wolf eyes narrowing into the empty space. "Before I do anything... answer me. Why were you cursed with invisibility and intangibility in the first place? What did you do?"
A heavy, sorrowful sigh echoed from the void. "I... I misbehaved with a mortal girl. My actions caused her death, and with her dying breath, she laid this devastating cosmic curse upon my soul. Rudra, I am a demon, bro! I never intended to hurt her or misbehave like that. But at that exact moment, my demonic instincts took over and my mind went completely out of control! I deeply regret it."
Rudra's expression remained hard and stoic. "Why should I trust the words of a ghost?"
"If you don't trust me, fine! Let me stay trapped like this forever," the invisible brother choked out, his voice cracking with raw emotion. "But do you really not remember, brother? Think back to when you were just two years old. You, me, and Subash used to run around the courtyard, playing war games with little wooden swords. Grandfather Prasad must have erased or sealed your memories to protect you from our true lineage! I even know about your past, Rudra... I know that Mouni is still out there, waiting for you. I think she still loves you deeply, right?"
Hearing the name Mouni and the sudden, vivid memory of playing with wooden swords hit Rudra like a tidal wave. The emotional truth in his brother's voice was undeniable.
Without wasting another second, Rudra used his immense speed to flash back to the ruins of Gota village. Navigating through the remnants of Grandfather Prasad's estate, his instincts led him straight to a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards. There it was: an ancient, dust-covered wooden box.
Rudra snapped the lock open. Inside sat two glowing, primordial rings vibrating with cosmic energy.
Grabbing the box, Rudra flashed back to the burnt forest domain where his wives were waiting in confusion. Rudra held the two rings out into the empty air where the voice had been. The moment the rings brushed against the invisible space, a blinding, celestial shockwave erupted, shattering the curse into a million glowing shards.
As the light faded, the brother finally became visible.
The eight wives—and even the new ninth wife, Ananya—gasped in absolute shock. They expected a terrifying, bloodthirsty demon matching the description of Maruma's bloodline. Instead, standing before them was an incredibly handsome, radiant figure who looked more like an ascended, majestic God than a demon. His aura was calm, elegant, and breathtakingly attractive.
The brother smiled warmly, looking at his hands, then turned to Rudra. "Thank you, my true brother. I am forever in your debt. To prove my loyalty and truthfulness to you, I will give you exactly what you came here for. I know the exact, hidden coordinate of the absolute throne."
Isha, Aarini, and the rest of the wives stood completely frozen, their jaws dropped in sheer disbelief at his divine appearance and his sudden revelation.
Rudra closed Grandfather Prasad's box, his stoic face settling into a determined nod. "Okay," Rudra commanded, his voice echoing through the domain. "Sho
w us the way."