Chapter 4: The Eve of Amavasya
The forest night was breathing - a deep, hoarse breath hidden in the rustling of leaves and the distant groan of some animal. Kiyan was running at lightning speed, his feet barely seeming to touch the ground. His golden eyes were glowing like two burning lanterns in the darkness, not just for light, but to track the invisible energy trail that Aayush had left behind - a scent of oil and sulfur, mixing with a sweet rot in the air.
The mouth of the Andhkaar Guha (dark cave) was now ahead. Today it looked even more terrifying, like an awakened being sitting hungry with its mouth open. A faint, green phosphorescent light was seeping from the rocks - not natural, but ominous, like the light of a poisonous fungus.
Kiyan stopped. His breaths were fast, but there was no fear. A dangerous calm. He went inside.
The scene inside the cave had changed. The walls, which were plain before, were now covered with intricate yantras (mystical diagrams) and Naad Sutra (sacred vibrational chants) , freshly carved, painted with glowing black pigment. The air smelled of oil and rotten flowers. And in the center, on the platform, something made Kiyan's heart stop.
There lay a human figure - Aayush. Or his body. He was lifeless, eyes open and empty, a thin stream of drool flowing from his mouth. His chest was rising faintly, just enough to show he was alive, but there was an emptiness around him, as if his soul had gone somewhere else.
Kiyan stepped forward carefully. Then his eyes fell on something on the ground near the platform - Aayush's same black stone yantra (mystical diagram). But now it was broken, a black, oily substance seeping from the crack. And beside it… bloodstains. Not fresh, but not weeks old either.
Kiyan reached out to pick up the yantra, but his fingers stopped inches away. A cold, prickling energy was radiating from it, pushing back his own golden energy. Like opposite poles.
Then, a yantra carved on the wall caught his attention. It was different from the others - incomplete. It had two figures: one tall, powerful (his?), and another smaller, with a thread emerging from it connecting to the first figure. Next to the thread was written: "Binding through blood-thread."
Kiyan looked at Aayush's body, then at the yantra. Something clicked in his mind. Aayush was a medium. A pawn. Virbhadra had possessed him, used him to reach Arushi, through the locket. And now… now he wanted to reach Kiyan. But not directly. Through someone else. Through a blood bond.
Arushi.
Kiyan's heart pounded. On the night of Amavasya (darkest night of the moon cycle) - when the darkness is deepest, when the boundaries are thinnest Virbhadra would try to reach him through Arushi. And then… then possess his body.
He turned to run, but just then a voice echoed at the cave entrance.
"Kiyan!"
Aarav stood there, breathing heavily, his face filled with concern and remorse. "I… I followed you. I'm sorry. I was wrong. You were right"
His words stopped when his eyes fell on Aayush's body. "God… what is this?"
"Prey," Kiyan said, his voice raspy. "And bait. Virbhadra used him… to reach Arushi Didi. And now… now he wants to reach me."
Aarav looked at the yantras on the walls, then at the broken yantra. "This… this is all real."
"Yes. And tomorrow night… the night of Amavasya… he will attack. Through Arushi Didi."
Aarav's face went pale. "No… we have to save her. We have to do something!"
Kiyan looked at Aarav, and for the first time in hours, the hardness in his eyes melted. "You came. You believed."
"I should never have doubted you," Aarav said, his voice wet. "Now tell me, what do we do?"
Kiyan glanced around the cave. "First, take this." He pointed at Aayush's body. "It's dangerous to leave him here."
Together, they lifted Aayush's lifeless body. He was light, as if all his weight had gone somewhere else. As they were leaving, Aarav noticed something glowing on the ground - a small, black crystal, with faint green fire burning inside it. He picked it up. It was warm, and as soon as he touched it, the mark of the Aadisrashta Chakra (divine discus of the creator) on his wrist began pulsating rapidly.
"What is this?" Aarav asked.
"Perhaps the source of his power," Kiyan said. "Keep it safe. Might be useful."
They emerged from the forest. The clouds in the sky were growing darker. The smell of ozone was in the air. It was the eve of Amavasya, and nature itself seemed to be preparing for a war.
Back home, they laid Aayush in an empty room, locking the door from outside. Bhaskar and the mother were told a white lie - Aayush had fallen ill, probably caught a cold.
But Arushi's condition was worsening. She lay on the bed, eyes closed, drenched in sweat. Her breaths were shallow, and her lips were twitching, as if she was having a soundless conversation. On her neck, where the locket had been worn, a red, burn-like mark had appeared, slowly turning black.
"We have to do something," Aarav said, desperation in his voice. "He'll kill her!"
Kiyan stood silently, his eyes fixed on Arushi's face. "He doesn't want to kill her. He wants to use her… as a bridge. To reach me."
"So what do we do? Break the yantra? Chant mantras? Something!"
Kiyan looked at Aarav. "Your power… Devanshik (divinely blessed one) power. Can you control it? Create a protective shield around Arushi Didi?"
Aarav looked at his wrist. The mark was pulsating, but he felt like his power was still asleep, like a dormant volcano waiting to erupt. "I… I'll try. But I don't know how."
"I'll tell you," Kiyan said. "I've seen my mother do it… long ago. She used to create a protective shield, to protect us from evil spirits."
They drew a circle in Arushi's room with salt, flowers, and some old coins. Aarav sat in the center, focusing on the mark on his wrist. Slowly, a faint, golden light began to emanate from him, spreading around the circle like a dome. It was dim, unstable, but it was there.
Kiyan watched, and a spark of hope lit up in his eyes. "Yes… just like that."
But then, Arushi's eyes opened. They weren't normal. They were completely black.
And from her mouth emerged a voice - not Aayush's, but an old, broken, venomous voice. Virbhadra's.
"Very pretty… a very pretty attempt. But your power is still raw, child. And mine… mine is ripened by centuries of hunger."
Arushi's hand suddenly rose and shattered the protective circle. Salt flew into the air. The golden light broke and scattered.
Aarav stumbled back, gasping. Kiyan stepped forward, his eyes glowing. But from Arushi's body, a black, smoky energy emerged and pushed Kiyan, slamming him against the wall.
"You are mine, Kiyan," Virbhadra's voice echoed. "Your mother promised me… her freedom in exchange for her son. But she betrayed me. Now… now you will pay. And tomorrow night… on Amavasya (darkest night of the moon cycle) … your body will be mine."
Arushi's body fell back onto the bed, unconscious. The black energy vanished.
Silence filled the room. Aarav and Kiyan stared at each other, their faces filled with despair and fear.
"He's… he's here," Aarav whispered. "Already here."
"No," Kiyan said, a new, iron-like resolve in his voice. "He was just marking his presence. The real attack will come tomorrow night. And we… we will be ready."
He looked at Aarav. "You have to awaken your power, Aarav. Fully. And I… I have to control my power. Like a gun, not like an explosion."
Aarav nodded. "How?"
"I don't know," Kiyan said. "But we have to find out. Now. Because tomorrow night… either we win. Or everything ends."
Outside, lightning flashed. The rain began. The eve of Amavasya (darkest night of the moon cycle) had started spreading its darkness.
And somewhere, an ancient soul trapped in a broken body was dreaming of a new, powerful body. And that dream… was now only one night away from coming true.
(Chapter End)
Next Chapter: Night of Amavasya - The Shadow Attack (BIG CHAPTER)
The battle. Virbhadra's full manifestation. Attack on Kiyan. Awakening of Aarav's power. And a twist that will change everything.
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