In the Skies Above the Panchanda Region.
Ashwini glided steadily through the open sky, the wind rushing past her as she cut across the landscape below.
She had rested the previous night in the wilderness.
Now—It was just more flying.
"Man… this is boring," she muttered to herself.
Her eyes drifted down briefly, then forward again.
From the map they gave me, I should reach there in about an hour…
She let out a long breath.
"I really need a faster way to fly."
The steady glide, once exciting, had long since lost its charm.
Ashwini groaned softly, shifting her angle slightly as she rode a current.
With endless sky & wind ahead, there was nothing to do but move forward.
"…Yeah, no. I'm going to lose my mind at this rate."
A pause. Then her expression shifted.
Well… might as well go over those reports again.
---
[Ashwini's POV]
Alright… I went through everything they gave me last night. Let's think this through again.
They've set up camp near the most used entrance to the GMZ from the northwest.
Then—The mana crystals and large ones at that.
Placed strategically across the lands bordering the GMZ, but we are not sure where they are inside it, we only know from where they went in.
From the initial reports, they thought it was for a barrier.
But that theory got dropped quickly.
As more letters came in from Acharya Ram in Vala just before I left, and frankly it sounds like an absurd idea, especially since the temple are not being involved.
So now the working assumption is—They're either attracting or repelling the creatures inside.
Ashwini frowned slightly.
Attracting them…
No.
That doesn't make sense.
If that were the goal, they would have involved the temples. Or at least the major households that specialize in handling mana beasts.
You don't deliberately pull creatures like that toward you without preparation.
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Mana Creatures.
In this world, all living beings possess mana.
However, the way they use it determines how they are classified.
1.Mana Creatures
These are creatures that can use mana externally as a natural extension of their bodies.
For them, manipulating mana is instinctive—no different from breathing or moving.
Examples:
Outside the GMZ, this varies by species. Certain elephants, some herbivores, and most carnivores can use mana to varying degrees. Aquatic life, in particular, shows a widespread ability, though often limited.
Inside the GMZ, however—Everything can use mana externally.
2.Non-Mana Creatures
These are beings that cannot effectively project or manipulate mana outside their bodies.
They still possess mana, but it remains internal, supporting bodily functions rather than external application.
With training, some individuals can learn limited external use. Over time, certain species have even split into groups—those that can use mana externally, and those that cannot.
Examples:
Cattle, horses, and similar species.
***
Humans are an outlier species as they with training [Exceptions; An under developed Mana Circuit, Posing as very rigid and hard mana among a few more] can use mana, the degree and level is dependent on the individual in question, their mana well, training and general aptitude and talent for using mana all play a major factor.
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But we cannot rule that out entirely.
If Acharya Ram's letters are to be believed—Then the crystals are indeed meant to attract the creatures.
Just not to themselves.
More likely—They are being repelled from certain regions and funneled elsewhere.
Like a choke point. That would explain the placements.
But… that still doesn't sit right.
Because if we take Acharya Ram's repeated reassurances at face value, then this operation is not meant to escalate the threat.
Which means—It should be controlled.
And if the goal is to cull the population—to bring attack frequency back to what it was before the zones began shrinking—
Then this approach makes no sense.
You would involve the temples and the Rajput households in the region.
A normal state force is not equipped for something like that.
Which leaves two possibilities.
Either—
A. They have something powerful enough that only a handful of people are needed.
Or—
B. They are hiding something.
Very well. Because even on a conservative estimate—
There is no way they can funnel all the creatures beyond an area of a few dozen square kilometers.
Not without something far beyond conventional means.
-------
"Man, all this thinking is giving me a hea—" Ashwini muttered to herself, but her complaint died midway as something suddenly caught her attention.
For a brief moment she thought she had made a mistake, yet the sensation only grew stronger. The mana signatures were unmistakable, and with every passing second they became clearer.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" she blurted out, staring in the direction of the disturbance.
Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of what she was sensing.
The reconnaissance teams had already returned, and according to every report they had submitted, nothing in that area should have posed a serious threat. These creatures shouldn't even be there. She hadn't expected to encounter them.
"I need to get them out of there first," she muttered, forcing herself to think despite the surge of adrenaline.
"Then I have to get back and mobilize every force we can. If this is really what I think it is we might even need the Gurus to intervene."
Without wasting another second, she snapped her legs together and folded her arms flush against her sides. Tilting forward, she shot through the sky like a dive bomber. The air roared past her as gravity and mana combined to propel her downward. Once she had built up enough speed, she spread her arms and legs once more, channeling mana through her circuits to braced herself. Her velocity climbed even higher as she streaked across the sky, the landscape beneath her becoming little more than a blur.
Several minutes passed before she finally neared the expedition's location.
"Please don't let me be too late. I should be there in another min—"
The words caught in her throat.
The sight before her stole every remaining thought from her mind.
-----
The undead, human-like creatures were known to the few who were aware of their existence as Jivatshava, literally translating to living corpse. Some instead referred to them as Preta, though that term remained controversial, as no one truly knew where these creatures had originated.
In the end, the name hardly mattered. Their very existence was one of the world's best-kept secrets. Only the oldest and most trusted members of the temples knew the full truth, along with a handful of families belonging to ancient clans that had specialized in dealing with mana for generations.
Here in the north, outside the temples themselves, there were only around half a dozen Rajput lineage families spread across this MDZ who possessed that knowledge. Two served the Valangar Kingdom, while the remaining four have served the Dharmaraj Empire from even before it became what it is today.
Even among them, very few had ever actually encountered a Jivatshava. Most knew of them only through records, oral traditions, and the warnings passed down from one generation to the next.
-----
On the Ground: Base Camp.
The camp had descended into a frenzy. Several hours earlier, an enormous mana signature had been detected, and now the scouting teams had returned with reports that raised far more questions than they answered.
"Are you certain those weren't just ordinary creatures? Or Chotu... or even His Highness, Yuvraj Hamsa?" Mina asked, unable to hide the tension in her voice.
"Yes, ma'am," one of the scouts replied without hesitation. "What we saw is what we saw. Those creatures were unlike anything we've encountered before."
Mina clicked her tongue in frustration before turning toward the command tent at the center of the camp.
"Get all the non-combatants inside the camp immediately," she ordered as she walked. "Have a detachment of guards and the elephants begin constructing a defensive barrier around the perimeter."
As the orders spread through the camp, people sprang into action. Servants hurried to gather supplies, laborers abandoned their work, and soldiers moved to reinforce the camp's defenses. All the while, Mina's thoughts remained fixed on one question.
How was she supposed to explain this to the Rajkumar?
Before she could gather her thoughts, an elderly Royal Guard approached at a brisk pace. He had served the royal family long before either the Rajkumar or even the Yuvraj had been born, and the urgency on his face immediately caught her attention.
---
Inside the Tent.
"So why were we never informed about these creatures?" Rajkumar Garuda asked. He sat at the table's head, though deliberately one seat to the right, leaving the central chair—the Yuvraj's seat—empty.
"Your Highness," the old Royal Guard replied from the foot of the table, "as I mentioned, it was feared that if the kingdoms and empires learned of the existence of these Jivatshava, they would attempt to experiment on them. Should they succeed, the balance of power across the world could shift beyond anyone's control."
"I see." Garuda nodded slowly. "Very well. I appreciate you sharing this information with us. You are dismissed."
The old guard saluted before quietly leaving the tent. For a brief moment, silence settled over those gathered.
"So, Rajkumar," Naga asked from his seat opposite Garuda, one place lower along the table, "what should we do now?"
"Should we try contacting the Yuvraj?" Ranapala suggested. He stood behind the empty central chair beside Gopal, both men watching Garuda expectantly.
"I don't think that would even be possible," Gopal said.
"It isn't impossible," Garuda replied, his gaze falling to the bracelet around his wrist. Fashioned from some of the purest mana crystal one can their hands on, it shimmered faintly under the light of the mana crystal hung above. He gently turned it between his fingers before continuing.
"It's more of a one-way emergency signal than a means of communication, and I don't intend to use it unless it's absolutely necessary. Besides, we still don't know what's happening inside the zone. Calling him back here could leave whatever he's dealing with unresolved—or worse, create an even greater problem elsewhere."
The discussion continued for several more minutes as one proposal after another was considered and discarded.
Negotiation was ruled out almost immediately. The scouts had made it abundantly clear that these creatures either could not communicate, did not understand any known language, or simply had no interest in doing so.
The next proposal was to confront them directly. That idea, too, was quickly abandoned. According to the veteran Royal Guard, at the Royal Guards' current level of strength, it would likely take three—perhaps even five—of them working together to bring down a single Jivatshava.
Had the Royal Guards not undergone the rapid growth they had experienced under Yuvraj Hamsa, direct combat would never have even been considered. The disparity in strength would simply have been too great.
And even if they stripped the camp of most of its defenses, they could field no more than four hundred men—far too few to risk in a direct assault against an enemy whose numbers remained unknown.
Retreat was then suggested. Since the creatures had not made any significant movements toward the camp, it seemed possible to evacuate the non-combatants along with the most essential supplies before withdrawing to safer territory.
That plan lasted only until a messenger burst into the tent.
"Report." Garuda ordered.
"Your Highness!" the soldier saluted before speaking. "Large birds have been sighted circling overhead."
The atmosphere inside the tent immediately grew tense.
"Could they simply be migrating?" Naga asked.
The messenger shook his head.
"No, sir. Our observers managed to get a closer look at one which came close to the ground." He hesitated for only a moment before continuing. "The same creatures the scouts on the ground... they're riding them."
"Now what?"
Though no one voiced the question aloud, it was on everyone's mind.
With no better alternatives, they returned to the command tent. At this point, their only realistic option was to prepare for a defensive battle and hold out until the Yuvraj returned.
He had been expected to arrive before nightfall for a brief inspection before departing once again. However, with the sun only just approaching its zenith, they still had at least twelve hours to endure on their own.
"...and I will lead the defense from the front," Rajkumar Garuda concluded as they finalized the deployment of every unit and officer.
No one liked the idea, and several wanted to object, but none could argue against the decision.
In terms of combat ability, only the Yuvraj surpassed Garuda. Among those present, Garuda was unquestionably the strongest, followed by Naga, then Mina, then the elite men and women who served under her, and finally the Royal Guards. In conventional close-quarters combat, Garuda was unmatched, unless Yuvraj Hamsa unleashed his mana to run wild.
With the final details of their defense nearly settled, the tent flap was suddenly thrown open.
A soldier rushed inside, breathing heavily.
"Now what?" Garuda asked, unable to keep the irritation from his voice. His frustration wasn't directed at the guard himself, but at the relentless stream of problems that refused to end.
"Someone... someone just flew down from the sky," the guard blurted out, forgetting both his salute and the proper honorifics in his panic.
Everyone rose from their seats and hurried outside. Although the guard had never said it was the Yuvraj who had arrived, each of them quietly hoped it was.
Once they had made their way a short distance from the command tent, they found a tense standoff already underway.
At the center stood a lone figure with both hands raised to show they meant no harm. The newcomer wore only light armor and carried a weapon at their side, yet even from a distance it was obvious that what little equipment they possessed had been crafted from materials of exceptional quality.
Surrounding the stranger were half a dozen Royal Guards with their spears leveled, each one ready to strike at a moment's notice. Not a single guard relaxed their stance.
Naga stepped to the front of the formation.
"Identify yourself."
The stranger didn't move an inch.
"My name is Ashwini," she replied calmly. "I come from Takshashila. I was sent here as an observer, but after seeing what was happening..." She paused briefly before continuing. "I decided to intervene."
Not a single spear lowered.
------
[Ashwini's POV]
Somehow, I managed to get here before those things attacked.
Now I just need these people to listen to me. But....
HOLY HELL, THIS IS SCARY.
Sure, I miscalculated my landing because of those damned birds and ended up dropping straight into the middle of their camp, but come on... could you at least lower the spears a little?
I wouldn't normally be too worried, but these people are far stronger than I expected.
One-on-one, I'd hand any one of them their ass. Two or three wouldn't be impossible either. But six Royal Guards all at once? No, thank you.
And those spears...
Every single one of them is giving off a strong mana signature. They're probably fitted with mana crystals or forged using them. I really don't want to find out what they can do.
My eyes shifted past the guards to the four people standing behind them.
The one in the center had to be one of the royal brothers.
The man standing to his left wasn't much of a concern, but the other three were a different story. The one on the right, the woman, the guard who questioned my identity, and the royal himself...
Those four could actually give me trouble.
The Rajkumar especially.
I'm fairly certain I could beat him, but it'd be one of those you die, I die kinds of fights. Not exactly a victory worth having.
Now the worst part is, I wasn't even lying. Not the usual carefully worded half-truths, not misleading technicalities, not even strategic omissions.
Just... the truth.
So please...
Believe me and lower the damn spears.
Then Rajkumar Garuda slowly raised a hand.
Immediately, the Royal Guards withdrew their spears and stepped back into formation, though none of them took their eyes off me.
"My name is Garuda Deva Varma, son of Bhadra and Rajkumar of Valangar," he said. "If what you have told us is true, then I would ask for your assistance."
So he's the younger brother.
Then where's the old—
"My brother, Yuvraj Hamsa Deva Varma, is away at present," Garuda continued before I could ask. "Until he returns, I am the one in command here."
He just answered the question before I even asked it.
Either he's good at reading people... or I have an incredibly expressive face.
------
Present Time.
The sun still hung a few hours above the horizon.
The battle was already well underway.
With Ashwini's guidance, they had abandoned their original strategy and hastily reorganized their forces to better deal with the Jivatshava.
Mina remained inside the camp, commanding the main defensive force. If the outer lines collapsed, she and the soldiers under her command would become the final barrier between the enemy and whoever remains sheltering within.
Meanwhile, Ranapala and Naga led a highly mobile strike force. They had left their horses behind, knowing the dense terrain and the Jivatshava's speed would only turn mounted soldiers into easy targets. Their men had also shed most of their heavy armor, carrying only what was necessary to fight and survive. Every soldier chosen for the unit had been selected for agility, endurance, and the ability to move quickly through difficult terrain.
Their task was simple in theory—harass the enemy, delay their advance, and withdraw before becoming trapped.
The main force, led by Rajkumar Garuda with Ashwini at his side, operated differently. Like Ranapala's unit, they struck wherever the enemy was weakest, but instead of disengaging at the first opportunity, they held their ground long enough to thin the enemy's numbers before executing an organized retreat.
At first, the strategy worked remarkably well.
For nearly two hours, the Jivatshava failed to break their formations, and despite the ferocity of the fighting, not a single soldier had been killed. It felt nothing short of miraculous.
Then the enemy adapted.
Using their complete dominance of the skies, the creatures began coordinating attacks from above and below, forcing the defenders to split their attention. The carefully planned strategy started falling apart.
Both offensive groups were forced to merge into a single formation.
The heavily armored soldiers formed a defensive wall, locking shields and spears against the relentless assault on the ground, while the lighter troops kept constant watch overhead, making certain that any bird foolish enough to dive toward the formation became dinner instead.
"Rajkumar," Ashwini called out as she yanked her mana-coated blade free from the corpse of another Jivatshava, "if you've got any tricks we don't know about, now would be a very good time to use them."
"I'm trying," Garuda replied through gritted teeth.
His hand was wrapped around the crystal bracelet on his wrist.
Hamsa had created a temporary mana circuit linking the bracelet to its wearer. As long as the connection remained intact, the bracelet served as a steady reserve of mana. But if the circuit was deliberately severed—or the bracelet itself destroyed—the sudden disruption would instantly alert Hamsa that something had gone terribly wrong.
Garuda's mother, Mahadevi Bhadra, carried an identical bracelet.
Normally, breaking the connection would have been simple.
Not now.
A blade remained lodged in his side, and his body had fully entered survival mode. Every instinct was drawing mana inward to keep him alive, making it extraordinarily difficult to sever an external mana circuit—especially one that was actively supplying him with mana.
He had only two choices.
He could focus entirely on breaking the circuit, leaving himself vulnerable for a few precious moments while calling for his brother's aid...
Or he could continue fighting and hope another opportunity presented itself.
As the situation deteriorated, Garuda made his decision.
He chose the first option.
Just as he was about to complete the severing—
Someone violently yanked him backward.
His first instinct was anger. That lasted less than a heartbeat.
The Jivatshava's blade sliced through the air where his neck had been moments earlier.
Ranapala had just saved his life.
The sudden movement, however, had unintended consequences.
Crack.
The bracelet shattered.
"FUCK!" Garuda shouted as pain shot through his mana circuits. At the same instant, Naga and Ashwini surged forward, cutting down the Jivatshava that still clutched the embedded blade.
Ashwini glanced at the broken bracelet lying on the ground.
"...Now what?" she asked. "It broke."
Garuda let out a weary sigh despite the battle raging around them.
"No need to worry," he said with a strained grin. "Help will arrive regardless."
He looked at the shattered crystal scattered across the dirt.
"It just means that said help is going to make a rather... aggressive entrance."
Even through the pain, one thought crossed his mind.
He is going to lecture me for this.