As the voice whispered, the air didn't just break; it shattered. A movement, invisible to the crowd, flickered in the corner of Aarush's vision. While every heart in the park skipped a beat—pounding so hard it felt like it would burst through their ribs—Aarush was already in motion, his eyes scanning for the source of that haunting sound.
Scritch. Claws against ancient wood. A predator launched from the canopy.
"Mohit!" The scream tore through the panic.
The Sinner lunged. Mohit stood at the edge of a branch, trembling as the monster took every step with cold, calculated control. "Your eyes ask for mercy," she hissed, "while I owe you the debt of your flesh."
Charging toward him, Mohit's hands—slick with sweat—gripped the wood until his knuckles turned white. His shoes scraped against the bark, slipping. He had no choice. He dropped, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
The Sinner swung her claws through the empty air as Mohit fell. Aarush saw Sanvi and signaled: Save the others. I'll distract the nightmare.
Aarush stood his ground, leg trembling, knuckles bleeding. "Hey, ugly bastard. Wanna a cotton wool ball?"
The Sinner hissed, "I hope you have one," as she launched. Aarush pivoted, leaping for a branch. He hung there, struggling for a grip as Death looked him in the eye. "You can't escape me," she whispered, moving toward him like an inevitable end.
Aarush's eyes glowed a fierce crimson. "I never wanted to."
He dropped to a lower branch, hitting his back with a jagged jolt. "Damn it!" He looked up and saw the White Hawk perched atop the tree, vanishing into a hole of tangled veins. A spark of hope ignited in his heart. He gripped the wood, praying for life, and began to climb. He wasn't just climbing a tree; he was climbing to survive.
Below, Sanvi led the others toward the wall, passing the soul-less corpses of fallen soldiers. She tried to move forward, but her legs felt tied to the earth. She couldn't betray her savior. She couldn't leave Aarush behind. If she did, there would be no difference between her and a coward.
On the tree, Aarush climbed with his eyes locked on the hawk. Suddenly, his calf felt wet. A pain like a lightning strike surged through his leg. He looked down—something invisible had struck him. His leg was soaked in blood, but he didn't stop.
Behind him, orange and black stripes appeared on the bark, accompanied by a guttural roar. Claws embedded deep into the wood, climbing fast. The Sinner was gaining. Aarush grabbed the wood tight, tears stinging his eyes as he asked himself why this was happening. Then, he remembered them: his father, his mother, his sister.
The memory was a spark of energy. He continued to climb even as his hands scraped raw and dipped in blood. The game of predator and prey was reaching its end. Aarush reached for the last branch, but his hand went numb. His grip failed.
Gravity claimed its debt.
The twenty-foot fall ended in a sickening crack. The jagged white of his bone punched through the flesh, staining the mud. Every nerve was a riot of agony. Aarush banged his hand against the dirt in a rhythmic, desperate thud.
The Sinner loomed over him, her breath smelling of rot. "Life is too short to live. Give up now."
Aarush couldn't run. He crawled in desperation, his shirt soaked in his own blood, dry leaves sticking to the fabric. The Sinner walked toward him and pinned him down. Suddenly, an ice crystal struck her neck.
It was Sanvi. Frozen by fear but refusing to run, she pointed a trembling finger. "ARUSH!"
Aarush reached out his hand to be saved, but the Sinner leaned in closer. Her U-shaped teeth sank into his torso. Aarush screamed, stabbing her face repeatedly with his pen until his body finally went still.
Just as the Sinner turned toward a frozen Sanvi, a round of bullets tore through the air.
It was Ujjwal. Hand chewed, vest soaked in blood, but standing firm. He moved in front of Sanvi, pointing his pistol. The Sinner, barely threatened, moved slowly toward them.
Above, the White Hawk watched. "Why hasn't he come? Did he change his vision?"
Then, a figure with a head and tail of black fire appeared in the shadows. "How pity... pity it is to see you down," the figure whispered. Aarush lay motionless, his lips moving as he tried to speak.
"Aarush... I lend you another life," the figure said.
A spark erupted in his soul. Steam rose from Aarush's wounds. On the blood-soaked ground, he lifted his body. Flames burst from his head—and tail from his back aggressive, red, lethal.
"Human evolution..." the figure mused, disappearing into the air. "This will be fun."
Aarush didn't hesitate. He lunged at the Sinner's back, grabbing her as flames erupted from his palms. He lifted her high and slammed her into the ground. She roared, struggling as Aarush pinned her chest. Her claws pierced his flesh, but it didn't matter. Aarush dislocated her limbs with a sickening pop. He broke her teeth and stabbed them into her own chest. Then, he shoved his hand into her maw.
"JAI BHAVANI!!"
With a strength that tore through the 1.64M Frequency, he ripped the Sinner apart from mouth to neck. She dissolved into dust.
As the flames calmed, Aarush walked toward Sanvi and Ujjwal. Sanvi reached out, touching the fading flames without feeling the heat. "Thank you for life," she whispered. "You owe me."
Aarush removed her hand and walked to Ujjwal. He reached out and crushed the officer's vest camera in his fist. "Don't let my secret out," he commanded.
In the distance, helicopters throbbed. A voice crackled over the radio: "Does anyone copy? Anyone alive?" Ujjwal gripped his walkie-talkie. "Squadron Leader Ujjwal Tiwari alive, with one survivor." He signaled Aarush to vanish.
Aarush looked at Sanvi one last time before disappearing into the air.
A final voice whispered in the Nothingness: "Soul can't be changed, but it can evolve. To sustain, you will need the sun. It belongs to the White Hawk."