[23 August 2115]
Nanmangalam Reserve Forest, Chennai
Sana (whispering): ...Ayaan…?
Maharshi: Sana. How did that Srapit Aatma know you?
Jay: That thing was continuously chanting your name during the battle.
Maharshi: Sana. If you know anything—anything at all—then tell us.
Sana(nervously): Guys, a-actually the thing is—
THUD.
A sudden noise interrupted them. All heads turned as Mohit stirred from where he'd been knocked unconscious during the final impact. Dirt clung to his blood-streaked jacket, and his eyes blinked open with a wild flicker of adrenaline.
Mohit (groaning): Ugh... what the hell happened? Did I miss the party?
Jay (relieved): He's alive. Damn, you scared the crap out of us.
Zeel (teasing): Look who finally decided to wake up—Sleeping Beauty with a revolver.
Mohit (wincing): Tch. Save the jokes. That thing hit like a truck... but I'm still in one piece. What about the monster?
Maharshi (quietly): Gone. We destroyed its core. But there's something bigger going on here.
Mohit (slowly sitting up): Figures. That wasn't an ordinary SrapitAatma... something about it felt personal. Like it had a mission.
Sana (looking away): ...
Mohit (noticing her expression): You okay?
Sana (softly): I... I don't know. That monster—it knew me. It said things... things I haven't heard since...
She trailed off. Everyone went silent for a moment. Even Mohit, usually quick with sarcasm, seemed to pick up on the weight of her words.
Maharshi (serious): We'll talk later. Right now, we need to regroup and get out of this forest.
Hirak (checking his tracker): Emergency Response Team is near minutes out. Let's move to higher ground.
As they began walking, Mohit rubbed the back of his neck, a smirk playing on his lips despite the bruises.
Mohit: So... while I was unconscious, did any of you manage to outshine my revolver trick?
Zeel (grinning): Sana did. One Vajra Yantra shot nearly blew up the forest.
Mohit (raising an eyebrow): Heh... interesting.
He glanced at Sana again—not with rivalry this time, but with something else. Curiosity. Recognition.
Mohit: This Maha Yantra Tournament… it's gonna be crazy.
Before anyone could respond, the ground trembled again. A low, eerie moan echoed through the forest, sending chills down their spines. Suddenly, the zombie-like figures reappeared from the dense shadows—dozens of them surging forward as if drawn by an unseen force.
Jay (shouting): They're back! We're surrounded!
As the zombies closed in, the chaos amplified. Zeel fired rapid energy shots to keep them at bay while Sana and Mohit prepared for another wave of attacks. The air filled with the sound of disintegrating flesh and the hiss of released Srapit Shakti.
Jay (shouting): They're back! We're surrounded!
The zombie-like figures surged forward, their bodies twitching unnaturally as dark Srapit energy oozed from their veins. Their hollow eyes locked onto the team like predators zeroing in on prey.
Maharshi (commanding): Defensive formation! Do not let them surround us!
Mohit and Sana stepped forward, flanking Maharshi as Zeel fired rapid suppression shots from his arm-mounted cannon. The cursed beings kept regenerating even after taking hits, though slower this time. Their bodies were unstable—like experiments gone wrong.
Suddenly, a deafening VROOOM split the air.
Everyone looked up.
Dozens of black-and-silver BhattTech Airships descended through the clouds, cutting through the canopy with beams of light. The BhattTech insignia glowed on their sides. One by one, armed squads rappelled down from open hatches, landing with synchronized precision.
A new voice rang out, firm and clear:
Jayanth: Emergency Strike Team! Deploy Srapit Binding Protocol! Non-lethal takedown—do not kill the targets!
Ten squads of elite Srapit Jadugars spread out across the forest floor, unleashing shimmering net-like bindings powered by complex Yantra circles. The cursed creatures screeched as the bindings latched onto them, suppressing their energy and freezing them mid-motion.
Zeel (relieved): About time you guys showed up.
Jay: That's... Jayanth, right? The Emergency Unit Leader?
Jayanth stepped into view—late 30s, dark uniform marked with BhattTech's Emergency insignia, and eyes like steel.
Jayanth: You must be Maharshi Bhatt.
Maharshi (wary): That obvious?
Jayanth: You look like your father. Hirak explained all the things—we were already on standby for a major anomaly. But I didn't expect a Bhatt to be in the field.
Maharshi: Things are complicated.
Jayanth (nods): They always are.
More Srapit Aatmas tried to rise, but each was subdued swiftly by the strike team. Yantra-based energy cuffs locked them in place, glowing with a blue hue.
Sana (watching quietly): They're not attacking anymore...
Mohit: They're not dead either. That's... weird.
Zeel: They're breathing. Barely.
Jayanth (overhearing): That's why we're not killing them. These weren't just corrupted—they were transformed. This kind of mutation... we've never seen it before.
Maharshi: Wait, you're saying this is new?
Jayanth: Corruption by Srapit Shakti is one thing. But this... turning into mindless husks? It's a first.
Jay (nervously): Then what the hell triggered this?
Jayanth: That's what we'll find out. After containment, our research division will analyze them. For now, you all need medical scans and rest. After that you have to give me explanation.
Zeel: What about the area?
Jayanth: Already quarantined. No one goes in or out till we've neutralized residual energy.
He signaled one of his officers.
Jayanth: Prepare the med-bay on Airship SHAKTI-X7. These five are coming with us.
As the strike team began loading the restrained zombies onto levitating stretchers, more airships hummed above the forest, scanning the perimeter. The once-chaotic forest was now under full control.
Maharshi looked at the fading energy trails in the air. The puzzle pieces didn't fit.
Mohit (under his breath): See you guys later..
Maharshi: Wait, now where are you going?
Mohit: I'm not your team member, so don't order me.
Maharshi: Tch... fine. As you wish.
Jayanth, watching the exchange silently, raised two fingers.
Suddenly, a tall figure landed between Mohit and the forest path—Ranjeet Deshmukh, the fiery combat Jadugar from Squad-4. His twin Agni-axes glowed faintly with residual heat.
Ranjeet: Halt. You can't walk away from this investigation.
Mohit: I told you—I'm not part of this mission.
Ranjeet: Doesn't matter. You were an eyewitness. You fought the creature. You're involved now.
Maharshi's eyes widened as something clicked in his mind.
Maharshi: Wait… if that Aatma recognized Sana, then—
Jayanth: Enough speculation. We'll ask the questions later.
He turned to the airship and gave another signal.
The SHAKTI-X7's rear hatch opened with a hiss of compressed steam. From inside emerged a sharp-eyed woman in a BhattTech uniform, holding a holographic scanner and two drone modules.
Divya Chauhan, the Emergency Team's Maha-Kushal Navigator.
Divya: Med-bay's ready, Captain.
Jayanth (nodding): Good. Bring them in.
He turned back to the team.
Jayanth: All of you are coming with us. Medical scans first. Then debriefing.
Mohit (scowling): You're forcing me into this?
Jayanth: No. I'm asking. But if you refuse... Ranjeet here loves to chase people who run.
Ranjeet cracked his knuckles, grinning.
Mohit: Tch. Fine. But I want answers too.
Jay: Sir, we have a tournament at the Academy coming up—Maha Yantra Tournament. Will we be released in time?
Jayanth: That depends on the situation… and how cooperative you are.
As the team walked toward the SHAKTI-X7's ramp, the hum of containment fields echoed through the forest. Maharshi lingered for a moment, staring at the horizon. Something about today didn't sit right.
He glanced at Jay.
Jay met his gaze.
No words were spoken—but they both understood.
Something far worse was coming.
[23 August 2115]
Kashi Manikarnika Ghat
The air was dense with smoke and silence. Evening rituals carried on quietly at one end of the ghat—but the other side was sealed off by BhattTech operatives. No civilians allowed. No press. No rumors.
A black stealth BhattTech transport airship hovered above the river, just beyond the public eye. From its ramp descended six figures—cloaked, armed, and marked by rank. They were not ordinary soldiers. This was a continent-level strike unit.
And at the front of them walked Arya Singh.
Ati-Khatarnak Shreni.
The youngest. The strongest. The leader.
Her crimson scarf flowed like a streak of fire behind her black combat coat. Her eyes were locked on the river, the moonlight reflecting in their steel-like gleam.
Behind her stepped a towering figure in a combat-gray uniform, lined with insignia and battle-scorched symbols.
Lieutenant Commander Surya Pratap Singh.
Top-Tier Maha-Khatarnak Shreni.
He said nothing, but the tension in his jaw made his disagreement obvious. His boots crunched the stone stairs harder than needed.
Surya Pratap Singh: This should've been handled with a mass seal—not another field hunt. We're not detectives.
Arya (coldly): Seal the wrong thing, and you trigger chaos across half the continent. We don't guess. We confirm.
Surya looked away, folding his arms.
The others gathered around her, forming the deadliest unit BhattTech had deployed in over a decade:
The Strike Team:
1. Arya Singh – Ati-Khatarnak Shreni
Team leader. Master of Agni, Vajra, and Rakshaka Yantras. Feared and admired equally.
2. Surya Pratap Singh – Top-Tier Maha-Khatarnak Shreni
Combat veteran. Known for his brutal efficiency and ancient weapon techniques. Arya's uncle. Strategic, but old-school.
3. Pratham Patel – Mid-Tier Maha-Khatarnak Shreni
Analyst and cursed energy strategist. Not the strongest, but his mind saves more lives than raw power. Shares a strong bond with—
4. Jinen Rajgor – Mid-Tier Maha-Khatarnak Shreni
Calm, silver-eyed, and deadly with water-based Yantras. Specializes in underwater combat and curse filtration. Loyal to Pratham.
5. Divyansh Rao – Top-Tier Maha-Khatarnak Shreni
Black-armor-clad swordsman. Specialist in high-speed close combat and stealth takedowns. Silent type.
6. Tamanna Qureshi – Top-Tier Maha-Khatarnak Shreni
Explosives and terrain manipulation expert. Wields gravity-based Yantras. Fierce, sarcastic, and unpredictable.
The group stood on the sealed steps, watching the black water flow silently.
Pratham (reading scanner): The toxicity levels spike every time something shifts below 60 meters. But surface water's stable—for now.
Jinen: Which means whatever is poisoning the Ganga... it's not done rising yet.
Tamanna (grimly): Dead fish. Melted bones. But no corpses float. Something's feeding down there.
Divyansh: Or guarding something.
Surya Pratap Singh: Enough speculation. We're here because this isn't natural Srapit pollution. No one sends Arya Singh for a dead river unless the river's hiding a goddamn demon.
Arya: The readings are unstable. Someone's either performing Srapit Rituals underwater... or they've opened something ancient.
Jinen (to Pratham): You ever heard of something like this happening before?
Pratham: Not on this scale. But… there was a theory. That some corrupted beings could only survive in environments soaked in energy. If they found shelter deep enough… they could evolve.
Tamanna: Into what?
Arya (serious): That's what we're going to find out.
She turned to face her team, her voice cutting through the night.
Arya: We begin a full reconnaissance of the Ganga riverbed starting midnight. No civilians know. No BhattTech academies get notified.
Arya (commanding): Until we confirm what's down there, this mission remains classified. Understood?
The entire squad nodded.
As the sun vanished behind the domes of Kashi, the black water rippled once—unnaturally. A pulse of Srapit Shakti radiated upward, faint but real.
Arya's fingers twitched.
Something had just moved.
Jinen (curious): People avoid entering the Ganga at night, don't they?
Arya (nodding): Yes, that's correct.
Jinen: Is it due to religious beliefs?
Arya: It's a blend of religious reverence and practical considerations.
Jinen: Could you elaborate?
Arya: Certainly.
Jinen: That's fascinating. And the practical reasons?
Arya: From a practical standpoint, entering any river at night poses risks.
Jinen: So, it's a combination of honoring the river's sanctity and ensuring personal safety?
Arya: Exactly. Our traditions often intertwine spiritual beliefs with practical wisdom, guiding us to respect nature while also safeguarding ourselves.
Jinen: Thank you for explaining, Arya. It's enlightening to see how cultural beliefs and practical considerations are interwoven in such practices.
Arya : You're welcome, Jinen. Understanding these nuances helps us appreciate the depth of our heritage and the wisdom passed down through generations. It is the main reason why people of Kashi are still safe. And no chaos created till now. But.
Tamanna : But ?
Arya : Recently many people found dead from the river. BhattTech supress the issue before it announce in public.
Suryapratap's eyes widened. Turned to Arya.
Suryapratap : How did you know.
Arya : huh ? I'm incharge here, remember ?
Suryapratap: tch.
Arya : Actually, Prime Minister himself told me.
Divyansh : Means they are hiding the information. It is break of our constitution-
Arya: It is actually a very smart move, Divyansh.
Divyansh: Smart? Hiding mass deaths from the public?
Arya: If the news of poisoned waters and mutated deaths had gone public without control, the entire northern corridor would've erupted in panic. Kumbh's planning is about to start. You want riots at every ghat?
Surya Pratap Singh: She's not wrong. Mass fear spreads faster than any curse.
Tamanna: So the Prime Minister trusted only you? That's rare.
Arya: He trusts results. Not people. Right now, I'm the only one who can lead this without political drama.
Pratham: And Riva?
Arya: She's my guide, not part of this operation. She helps me think straight. That's all.
Jinen: But... if BhattTech is suppressing the deaths, what about the families?
Arya: Most of the dead were untraceable—homeless, travelers, workers from other towns. Their bodies were collected before sunrise. All reported as accidents or drownings.
Tamanna (muttering): Cold.
Surya Pratap Singh: Efficient. And if the deaths are only happening at night—
Arya: —then we still have time before this becomes an epidemic. But something is down there. Something old.
Divyansh: You think it's a sealed Srapit Aatma?
Arya: No. I think it's worse.
A gust of wind cut across the ghat. The flames of the distant cremation pyres flickered violently. From beneath the dark waters of Ganga, a faint vibration rippled outward—almost like a heartbeat.
Jinen: That pulse… it's not natural.
Pratham: It came from sixty meters down. Right under our feet.
Surya Pratap Singh: Then tonight, we go fishing.
Arya: No. We wait.
Tamanna: Wait? For what?
Arya: The next pulse. We drop in when it calls again. That's when the shield will be weakest.
Divyansh: You think it's shielding itself?
Arya: Or hibernating. Either way… we're not diving blind.
Arya stepped to the edge of the ghat, her eyes on the dark, holy river.
Arya: Ganga is a goddess. But something inside her is now cursed. And we're going to cleanse it. Not with fear. Not with fire. But with precision.
The team silently prepared. Weapons calibrated. Yantra scanners synced. Every breath matched the rhythm of the Ganga—calm on the surface, dangerous in its depths.
Pratham: You know… my mom once told me a story. From Dwapar Yug.
Tamanna: This is not the time for bedtime stories, Pratham.
Pratham: Just listen. It was about Krishna. When he was a child, he jumped into the Yamuna to fight a monstrous serpent—Kaliya Naag. That creature had poisoned the water, killed animals, scared people away. No one dared to go near it.
Jinen: Hmm. The similarities are eerie.
Divyansh: You think something like that's happening here?
Pratham: I know it sounds insane. But what if he returns to this area after this 5100 years.
Surya Pratap Singh: You're saying that we are going to fight a divine enemy?
Pratham: Or worse—awakening something that once saw itself as a god.
Arya: You're overthinking. This isn't Dwapar Yug.
Tamanna: Maybe not. But if what's down there really is sentient—
Suddenly—
The river trembled.
A surge of black water erupted fifty meters from their position—spiraling into the sky like a geyser. But it wasn't water. It was scales. Wet, armor-thick, ink-black scales.
The squad jumped back, weapons drawn.
Jinen (shocked): No. No way. Is that… a Naag?
From the swirling vortex rose a colossal serpent—over 60 meters tall, its body thick as a temple pillar, eyes glowing red with cursed energy. Its heads began to unfold—five… ten… twenty… forty… one hundred. All hissing.
Tamanna (whispers): Ek sau sir...?
Arya(coldly) : Aare yaar.
To be continue