The freezing currents of Kshira Sagara grew heavier as the ancient, disembodied voice delivered its terrifying demand.
"You want the core of the Jala Kone flower to save your husband? Fine. But the price is blood. I want one heart from the three of you. A physical, beating heart."
Manasa's eyes flashed with fierce outrage. "A heart?! If any of us tears our heart out, we die! How are we supposed to take the flower back to Rudra?!"
"I will give it," Shanthi interrupted instantly, her divine goddess aura flaring with absolute, selfless devotion. "If my death means Rudra lives, take my heart right now!"
"No! Take mine!" Aadhya shouted, stepping ahead of Shanthi, her hand gripping her weapon. "I will gladly sacrifice my life for our husband!"
Seeing her sisters rush to die, Manasa stepped forward, her attitude flaring. "Idiots, stop! Take my heart too! I am not letting you two outshine me in loyalty!"
The voice chuckled darkly, the water rippling with malicious amusement. "Hahaha! Such beautiful, foolish sentiment. But there is a second condition. I don't just want the heart as a trophy... I am going to eat it alive right in front of you. Furthermore, I will only accept the heart of the one among you who has lived the longest."
Shanthi and Aadhya froze, calculating their ages, but Manasa instantly smirked. As a high-tier ancient entity, her lifespan far surpassed theirs.
"That would be me," Manasa stated coldly, stepping into the absolute center of the valley. "I have lived the longest. Fine, ancient beast, you want my heart? But first, you show me the core of the Jala Kone flower. I don't do blind deals."
A blinding, brilliant luminescence erupted from the ocean bed. A crystalline, pulsing water-core materialized in the open air, radiating pure life energy.
"Perfect," Manasa muttered.
SHWING!
Without a single second of hesitation, Manasa summoned her legendary Mona Adhaka sword. With a swift, brutal movement, she plunged the blade directly into her own chest! Shanthi and Aadhya gasped in pure horror as blood crimsoned the divine white sands. Gritting her teeth through the excruciating pain, Manasa reached into the wound, violently tore her own beating heart from her chest, and hurled it straight into the dark trench.
A massive shadow surged forward, swallowing the heart whole. The pulsing water-core of the Jala Kone flower floated down, and Aadhya caught it safely in her trembling hands.
Manasa wiped the trail of blood from her lips, her body swaying slightly, but she forced a cold, badass smirk. "The deal is over. We have the flower. Let's go."
Shanthi was completely hysterical, rushing to catch her bleeding sister. "Manasa! Are you out of your mind?! How are you still standing?! Who can possibly stay alive after ripping out their own heart?!"
Manasa chuckled faintly, leaning on her Mona Adhaka sword with an arrogant grin. "Calm down, Shanthi. Did you forget what I am? Some high-tier lineages of the Yakshini race possess three separate hearts. I just sacrificed my first one. The other two will keep me alive, and over time, my body will fully regenerate the missing one. Now stop crying... we have less than 40 hours left. Let's get
back to Rudra!"With the clock relentlessly ticking away, Team 2—Ananya, Keerthi, and Sara—descended into the dark, suffocating depths of Patala Loka (the Underworld). The air here was thick with sulfur and toxic spiritual pressure. They moved quickly from one underworld market to another, frantically asking rogue merchants and ancient alchemists for the legendary Bhuta Hala poison.
But everywhere they turned, they were met with cold rejections and shaking heads. "Bhuta Hala? That poison is a myth," one merchant hissed. "Even if it exists, it would melt a mortal soul into nothingness."
Time was slipping through their fingers, and they were getting absolutely nowhere. Desperate, Ananya stopped in the middle of a jagged cavern road, her breathing heavy as tears of frustration pricked her eyes. She closed her eyes, activating her unique tracking and sensory Finder Skill, trying to lock onto any trace of the poison's chemical signature in the air.
As she focused her mind entirely on her love for Rudra, the dark caverns of Patala Loka began to fade away. Her consciousness drifted deep into a long-forgotten flashback from her childhood...
Years ago, when Ananya was just a small child—around the exact same young age Rudra was at the time—she possessed a unique, volatile shape-shifting ability. Back then, she used to regularly transform into a small, fluffy, and innocent white cat.
In her feline form, the world felt massive and exciting. She remembered running through human towns, scaling incredibly high brick walls, leaping across rooftops, and purely enjoying the thrill of her freedom. But one afternoon, the excitement wore off, and loneliness hit her hard. Wandering far from her comfort zone, the little kitten suddenly wanted nothing more than to return to the safety of her family.
Lost and confused, the small cat tried to cross a busy, bustling city road.
SCREECH!!!
Suddenly, a heavy car came barreling down the asphalt at blinding, lethal speed. Ananya, trapped in her cat form, froze in absolute terror, her eyes wide as the massive vehicle rushed toward her. Death was a split-second away.
SWOOP!
Out of absolutely nowhere, a young, fierce boy leaped directly into the path of the speeding vehicle. He scooped the tiny cat up into his arms and rolled across the hard pavement, barely escaping the crushing tires by a mere fraction of an inch.
The car roared past, honking furiously. The young boy sat up on the road, scraping his knees, but he immediately looked down at the trembling kitten in his hands with a warm, protective smile.
He gently patted her head and said softly, "Hey little cat, you need to be careful when you cross the road, okay?"
That boy was a young Rudra.
In that exact, life-saving microsecond, the tiny kitten felt her heart skip a beat. Even before she knew his name, his bloodline, or his status as the King of the Shadow Throne, Ananya had completely fallen in love with him.
SNAP!
Ananya snapped her eyes open, pulled out of the memory as a single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. The dark, harsh reality of Patala Loka rushed back. The memory of his childhood kindness burned like a wildfire inside her soul.
'You saved my life when I was just a stray kitten, Rudra...' Ananya vowed silently, her fists tightening as her Finder Skill flared with an explosive, desperate power. 'I will not let you decompose into dust. I will find this poison, and I will bring my husband back to life!'
She looked at Keerthi and Sara, her eyes filled with an unbreakable resolve. They hadn't found it yet, but giving up wa
s never an option.