The deeper Aarav walked into the forest, the more unnatural everything became. The air grew heavy, almost suffocating, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The trees twisted in unnatural directions, their branches stretching like silent watchers. Even the shadows felt thicker, darker than they should have been.
There was no sound.
No birds. No wind. No movement.
Only silence.
Aarav slowed his steps, his eyes scanning everything around him. "This place… isn't normal," he whispered. Yet, despite the unease creeping into him, something inside pulled him forward. The mark on his chest burned faintly, like a signal guiding him deeper into the unknown.
He didn't understand it.
But he followed it anyway.
Step by step, Aarav moved forward until the ground ahead suddenly collapsed into a massive crater. He stopped at the edge and looked down, his expression freezing instantly.
The earth was shattered as if something enormous had crashed into it from the sky. The ground was scorched and lifeless, cracked like it had been burned from within. At the center of the crater floated a dark red object.
It pulsed.
Slowly.
Like a heartbeat.
Thump… thump… thump…
Aarav narrowed his eyes. "What is that…?" he murmured, taking a cautious step forward.
The moment his foot crossed into the crater—
BOOM.
A violent shockwave exploded outward.
Aarav was thrown back, sliding across the rough ground. Pain surged through his chest as the mark flared violently, burning as if something inside him had been awakened by force.
"Argh!" he gasped, gripping his chest tightly.
Then—
A voice echoed.
Not from the sky.
Not from the forest.
From the object itself.
"Finally…"
Aarav froze, his gaze locking onto the glowing core. "Who's there?" he demanded, his voice sharp but unsteady.
The object slowly rose into the air, hovering above the crater. Its glow intensified, spreading dark red light across the broken ground.
"You have been found," the voice said again.
Aarav frowned, confusion mixing with irritation. "I don't even know you."
Silence followed.
Then the voice deepened, becoming heavier… older.
"Cursed Son of Heaven."
The words struck him like a physical force.
His body went still.
"…What did you just call me?" Aarav asked quietly.
The object trembled.
Cracks began to spread across its surface, thin lines glowing with dark energy. The air around it twisted unnaturally, and the forest seemed to recoil in fear.
Then—
A whisper echoed inside Aarav's mind.
Wake… up…
Aarav grabbed his head instantly. "Stop…! Who are you?!" he shouted, his voice breaking slightly.
No answer came.
Only the object speaking again.
"Your seal is unstable."
"Seal?" Aarav repeated, his breathing uneven.
Before he could react—
The object released a sudden pulse of energy.
Aarav's vision shattered.
The world disappeared.
And suddenly—
He was somewhere else.
A battlefield.
The sky was torn apart, cracks spreading across it like broken glass. Massive structures floated in the air, collapsing one after another. The entire space was filled with destruction.
Heaven.
It was falling.
And at the center of it all—
A figure stood.
Aarav.
But not the same Aarav.
This version was different.
Cold.
Emotionless.
Terrifying.
Dark golden energy surrounded his body like a storm. Divine beings rushed toward him from every direction, but none could even touch him.
A voice screamed in the distance:
"He is the reason Heaven is falling!"
Aarav's eyes widened in shock. "What… is this…?"
The other version of him slowly raised his hand.
And in that moment—
The gates of Heaven cracked open.
"AARRGH!"
Aarav snapped back to reality, collapsing onto his knees inside the forest. His entire body trembled as he struggled to breathe.
"What… did I just see…?" he whispered.
His heart pounded violently in his chest. His mind felt unstable, like something buried deep inside him was starting to break free.
The object floated silently above the crater.
"You are beginning to remember," it said.
Aarav slowly looked up, his eyes filled with confusion and fear. "Remember what…?"
"Your true existence."
Aarav pushed himself to stand, his body still shaking. "Then tell me… who am I?"
For a moment—
Silence.
Then the answer came.
"You are the one erased by Heaven."
Aarav's breath stopped.
"…Erased?"
The object's glow intensified.
And suddenly—
Another wave of energy exploded outward.
This time—
Aarav reacted.
The mark on his chest ignited completely, glowing with a strange golden-black light. Energy gathered around his hand for the first time—unstable, flickering, but real.
Aarav stared at it in disbelief. "This… power…"
The object paused.
"Interesting…"
Before anything else could happen—
A deafening roar shattered the silence.
ROOOOAAARRR!!!
The ground shook violently.
Aarav turned instantly.
From the darkness between the trees—
Something emerged.
A massive beast.
Its body was made of shifting dark energy, like smoke given form. Its glowing red eyes locked directly onto Aarav.
It growled.
"Target confirmed."
Aarav stepped back slightly. "Target…? Me?"
The object spoke calmly.
"Your first test has arrived."
"Test?" Aarav repeated.
"Survive… or be erased again."
The beast lunged forward with terrifying speed.
Aarav barely managed to dodge as it slammed into the ground behind him, shattering the earth on impact.
BOOM.
Aarav slid backward, his eyes wide. "What is that thing?!"
He had no weapon.
No training.
No memory.
Only instinct.
The beast turned again, preparing another attack.
Aarav clenched his fist tightly.
"Move…"
But his body hesitated.
Until—
The mark pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
And something inside him responded.
Energy gathered around his hand again.
Stronger this time.
The beast roared and charged again.
This time—
Aarav moved.
He raised his hand instinctively.
"Stop!"
A burst of golden-black energy exploded outward.
The shockwave hit the beast mid-air, throwing it back violently into the trees.
Silence returned.
Aarav stood frozen, staring at his own hand.
"…I did that?"
The object spoke softly.
"Not power learned…"
"Instinct remembered."
The beast slowly stood again—but this time, it hesitated.
Fear.
Aarav's breathing steadied.
Something inside him had awakened.
Not fully.
But enough.
He looked at the beast.
Then at his hand.
And whispered—
"Who… am I really?"
The object answered one final time.
"You are not a human who gained power…"
"You are power… learning what it means to be human."
Aarav's eyes sharpened.
And for the first time—
He stepped forward.
Toward the beast.
Toward the darkness.
Toward himself.
END OF CHAPTER 3
Cliffhanger:
Deep within the forest, another presence awakened… far stronger than the beast.