The rooftop battlefield remained tense, but the real war had already moved somewhere else.
Inside Devika Agnivarna's mind.
To the outside world, her body stood still, flames flickering weakly around her hands. The surrounding Rakshak warriors kept their distance, unsure whether she would attack again or collapse entirely.
But inside her consciousness—
A completely different battlefield existed.
The mental world stretched like an endless burning landscape.
Flames filled the sky.
Cracked stone floated beneath their feet like broken islands in a dark void.
At the center of it all stood Devika.
Her form blazed like living fire, her eyes burning with rage.
Chains of shadow wrapped around her arms and shoulders.
The chains of Manas-Bandhan.
Across from her stood Arivaan.
His form appeared as a tall silhouette made from shifting darkness, calm and unmoving despite the raging inferno around them.
He looked almost bored.
"Well," he said casually.
"Welcome back."
Devika glared at him.
"You think this is over?"
Arivaan shrugged.
"I never said that."
She pulled violently against the chains binding her.
The mental world trembled under the strain.
Cracks of fire spread across the ground beneath them.
"You don't belong here," she growled.
Arivaan folded his arms.
"That's debatable."
Devika's flames surged higher.
"You invaded my mind!"
"Technically," Arivaan replied calmly, "you walked into my ability."
She lunged forward.
Her blazing form crashed against the chains, sending waves of heat across the mental world.
One of the shadow chains snapped again.
Arivaan blinked.
"…Persistent."
Devika roared in fury.
"You will leave my body!"
The broken chain dissolved into sparks of fire.
For the first time since the bond began—
She took a step forward.
The floating panel flickered in the air beside Arivaan.
Host Resistance Escalating
Control Stability: 66%
Arivaan sighed.
"You're making this difficult."
Devika smiled fiercely.
"That's the idea."
On the rooftop outside—
Her body twitched again.
Flames surged along her arms.
The Rakshaks immediately stepped back.
One warrior whispered,
"She's fighting him!"
Rudra Sen watched carefully.
"…Good."
Back inside the mental world—
Devika charged forward.
Her blazing fist struck one of the shadow chains binding her.
The chain shattered.
Another link broke.
Arivaan tilted his head slightly.
"That's impressive."
But he didn't move.
Devika glared at him.
"You're losing control."
Arivaan chuckled softly.
"Am I?"
He raised his hand.
The shadow chains tightened again.
The floating panel flickered.
Control Stability: 69%
New chains erupted from the darkness beneath Devika's feet.
They wrapped around her legs.
Her shoulders.
Her throat.
Devika staggered under the sudden pressure.
"You… coward…"
Arivaan walked forward slowly.
His shadowy form remained perfectly calm.
"You're strong."
He stopped a few steps away.
"But strength isn't the problem."
Devika's flames burned brighter again.
"Then what is?"
Arivaan pointed upward.
The sky above the mental world darkened.
A second presence appeared.
A tall, silent figure holding a spear.
Varun's consciousness.
The captain's mind had been dragged into the battlefield as well.
Varun's form stood rigid like a statue.
Chains of shadow bound him completely.
Devika's eyes widened.
"You enslaved his mind too?!"
Arivaan shrugged.
"Part of the package."
Varun's consciousness stirred faintly.
His voice came out quiet.
"…Fight…"
Devika clenched her fists.
Her flames erupted again.
She tore another chain apart.
The ground beneath them cracked.
"You see?" she shouted.
"I can break them!"
Arivaan sighed.
"Yes."
He snapped his fingers.
The entire mental world shifted.
The ground beneath Devika collapsed.
New chains erupted from the void.
Hundreds of them.
They wrapped around her body again.
Stronger.
Heavier.
The floating panel flickered again.
Control Stability: 74%
Devika dropped to one knee.
The chains tightened around her arms.
But she still glared upward.
"…I will destroy you…"
Arivaan crouched in front of her.
"You're misunderstanding something."
Devika spat fire.
"What?"
Arivaan smiled faintly.
"This isn't your battlefield."
The sky above them darkened completely.
Shadow chains spread across the burning horizon.
The entire mental world bent under Arivaan's control.
Devika's flames flickered.
For the first time—
Her confidence faltered.
Arivaan stood again.
"This is my ability."
The chains tightened further.
Devika struggled.
But the pressure had doubled.
Arivaan turned away casually.
"You can keep fighting."
He looked back over his shoulder.
"But every second…"
The floating panel flickered again.
Control Stability: 77%
"…I win."
Devika's flames surged again in defiance.
But even she could feel it.
The battlefield inside her mind was slowly changing.
And the longer the fight continued—
The more control Arivaan gained.