Inside the burning world of Devika's mind, the air trembled with pressure.
Endless flames filled the sky, but the fire no longer moved freely. Thick shadow chains stretched across the landscape like dark veins, binding the blazing figure at the center of the battlefield.
Devika knelt on one knee.
The chains wrapped around her arms, shoulders, and legs, tightening every time she struggled.
But her eyes still burned with defiance.
Across the shattered mental landscape stood Arivaan.
Calm.
Unbothered.
As if the raging inferno around him was nothing more than background noise.
The floating panel flickered beside him.
Control Stability: 77%
Host Resistance: Active
Arivaan sighed quietly.
"You're still trying."
Devika glared up at him.
"You haven't won."
Arivaan shrugged.
"Statistically, I'm doing well."
She pulled violently against the chains.
The mental ground beneath her cracked again.
One chain snapped.
Another.
Flames burst outward in a wave of heat.
Arivaan raised an eyebrow.
"…Persistent."
But Devika wasn't done.
Her voice echoed across the mental world like thunder.
"You think this is my limit?"
Arivaan folded his arms.
"I assume it is."
Devika laughed bitterly.
"You really don't understand Rakshaks."
Her flames surged higher.
The fire surrounding her body intensified, burning brighter than before.
The chains trembled.
The floating panel flickered again.
Host Resistance Increasing
Control Stability: 74%
Arivaan frowned slightly.
"That's inconvenient."
Devika's voice rose.
"We train for this."
Her flames erupted violently.
One of the chains shattered completely.
Another cracked down the middle.
Arivaan watched carefully now.
The mental battlefield shook under the surge of energy.
Devika slowly stood.
The chains around her legs began melting under the heat of her flames.
Arivaan tilted his head.
"That shouldn't be possible."
Devika smiled.
"Welcome to the Agnivarna Bloodline."
Her flames exploded outward again.
The fire changed color.
The bright orange blaze deepened—
Turning white-hot.
The temperature in the mental world skyrocketed instantly.
Even the shadow chains began burning.
Arivaan blinked.
"Well."
"That's new."
The floating panel flickered again.
Unknown Host Ability Detected
Power Surge: Rising
Devika lifted her head proudly.
"You stole my body."
Her flames roared like a volcanic eruption.
"But my power…"
The chains shattered one by one.
"…was never yours."
Arivaan took a step back for the first time.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The white flames surged across the battlefield.
Devika's form transformed.
Her blazing aura expanded outward like a miniature sun.
The chains binding her arms snapped completely.
The chains around her chest cracked apart.
The floating panel flickered wildly.
Control Stability: 69%
Arivaan sighed.
"That's annoying."
Devika pointed at him.
"Now get out of my mind."
She lunged forward.
Her blazing fist crashed into one of the remaining chains.
The chain exploded into fragments of shadow.
The entire mental world trembled.
Across the battlefield, another figure stirred.
Varun's consciousness.
The captain's mind had been chained deeper within the mental landscape.
But Devika's explosion of power had shaken the bindings around him.
His voice echoed faintly.
"…Devika…"
She glanced toward him.
"Captain!"
Varun's form flickered weakly.
The chains around him trembled.
Devika clenched her fists.
Her flames surged again.
"Hold on!"
Arivaan rubbed his forehead.
"Now you're rescuing teammates."
Devika glared at him.
"Watch me."
She charged toward Varun's chains.
Her flames burned hotter.
One of the chains cracked.
Then another.
Arivaan sighed.
"This is becoming inconvenient."
He raised his hand.
The shadow chains across the sky tightened again.
But Devika didn't stop.
Her flames exploded across the mental battlefield.
One final chain shattered.
Varun collapsed free from the bindings.
The captain looked up slowly.
"…I'm awake…"
Arivaan sighed again.
"Well."
"That complicates things."
The floating panel flickered again.
Control Stability: 64%
Devika and Varun now stood together.
Two blazing figures in the mental world.
Facing the shadowy presence of Arivaan.
Devika smirked.
"Looks like the fight just changed."
Arivaan chuckled softly.
"Yes."
His shadow form began expanding.
The chains across the sky tightened again.
"But it's still my ability."
The entire mental world darkened slightly.
The battlefield had grown far more dangerous.
Because now—
The hosts were fighting together.
And Arivaan had no intention of giving up control.