"This is not normal!" Ishan shouted.
Everyone was trembling with fear. None of them had the courage to attack the wolf-like demon standing before them.
In-charge Daksh saw the terror on their faces and tried to calm them.
"Everyone, stay calm. Don't forget why you came here."
"But this demon is deadly and brutal! Didn't you see what it did to your two teammates?" Ishan replied, his voice shaking with fear.
"Yes, I saw it," Daksh said, steadying his sword. "But I also know that if we escape now to save our lives, what will happen to the people of that village? I know you're not ready yet to face a monster like this, so I'll try to distract it and hold it off here. Use that time to escape."
Everyone was already preparing to run, but when In-charge Daksh himself gave them the permission, they felt a strange sense of relief—yet guilt too.
Just then, Vedant stepped forward, clenching his teeth.
"No! I'm not so weak that I'll run away from danger. I promised my mother I'd always protect others… And if something happens to you, In-charge Daksh, who will pay us?"
He smiled slightly and joined his hands into fists, taking a fighting stance beside Daksh.
Hearing Vedant's words, the rest fell silent. For two minutes, they forgot their fear and remembered why they had come on this mission in the first place.
Among them, Ansh remembered the tears in Usha Ma's eyes… and the debt on the orphanage.
"How could I forget? Clearing that debt is my responsibility."
One by one, everyone recalled their personal reasons—their promises, their motivations. They gripped their weapons tighter and stood beside Vedant and Daksh, ready to fight.
The horned white wolf demon, seeing them all stand together, growled fiercely and glared at them.
The team split up. Vedant jumped into the air and tried to punch the wolf with his metal gloves, but the monster was too fast. Dodging the blow, it leapt to the side.
Seeing this, Siya pulled out her twin blades and threw them toward the demon, but they bounced off its thick fur.
The wolf jumped again—this time straight toward Ishan. It had noticed that Ishan had drawn his bow and aimed directly at its eye. A hit to the eye could have ended half the battle. So it leapt behind Ishan and slashed at him with its claws. Ishan couldn't dodge in time and was thrown back, crashing into a tree.
Fear crept into everyone's hearts again. But then—blood dripped from one of the wolf's legs. It howled in pain.
Everyone turned back to see Ansh, holding Anilkiran (Wind Dagger) in a reversed grip, standing in a special stance.
"Heal him. I'll try to keep this thing busy!" Ansh yelled.
He charged, slashing the air with wind attacks. But the horned wolf was now alert and started dodging them swiftly.
Ayra began healing Ishan, while Nayra used her mental illusions to confuse the beast. Multiple fake Anshs surrounded it, and it hesitated, unsure which one to strike.
In-charge Daksh and Vedant rushed in to attack. Siya came from behind with her twin blades. But the monster let out a roar so loud and powerful that it blew them all back.
Everyone hit the ground hard.
"We need a powerful strike to defeat it—or we'll all die here!" Daksh said.
"We need a plan," Vedant muttered, thinking quickly. He turned to Nandita.
"How much time do you need to make a big blast?"
Nandita looked stunned. "At least 30 minutes! But why are you asking that now?"
Vedant replied firmly, "Because that's how we'll kill it."
"Vedant's right," Daksh added as he stood up, wounded. "Small attacks won't work."
"Then get that blast ready. We'll hold it off until you're done," Siya said.
While everyone worked on the plan, Ansh was still fighting the beast alone. His strikes were sharper, faster. The locket echoed voices in his mind, guiding him like a pro on how to use Anilkiran effectively.
Seeing Ansh hold his ground, the others rushed back to help him.
Together, they kept the monster distracted and engaged for as long as it took for Nandita to prepare her massive trap.
When she was done, she shouted:
"Bring it here! The trap is ready!"
The team moved quickly, luring the wolf toward the trap. The beast followed.
As it reached the center, everyone retreated 50 meters back. Nandita slammed her hands into the ground and yelled:
"FIRE BLAST!"
A huge explosion erupted. The wolf was thrown high into the sky.
Everyone watched it soar upward. Together, they shouted:
"Now!"
Ansh heard the same voice—this time from the locket:
"Ansh, now!"
Ansh leapt into the air. Spinning mid-air, he stabbed the dagger into the demon's eye.
Blood burst from the monster's eye as it roared furiously, still in the air. Then it crashed down violently.
Everything went silent.
The team stood, panting and exhausted—but alive.
Ansh's dagger slowly returned to the Nagachakra, which vanished into his locket.
Ansh landed softly… then collapsed to his knees.
Everyone smiled.
"We did it."
Even In-charge Daksh smiled as he looked around at his brave team.
But just as they caught their breath, a sound caught their attention—from where Daksh stood.
When they turned… their smiles vanished.
Daksh was lying on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
And standing near him was another horned wolf demon—the same kind they had just defeated.
And it wasn't alone. Two more emerged from the forest, growling.
Everyone froze.
"We're not getting out of this…" Nandita whispered, hopeless.
Ansh, still on his knees, clenched his teeth in frustration. Tears welled up in his eyes. He shut them tightly.
Just then… the wind stopped.
Silence fell like a blanket.
Even the horned wolves stepped back, sensing something different.
From the sky, a man descended—tall and muscular, wearing a black suit, a shadow of calm fury on his face, with a trimmed beard and then, a man descended from the sky, carried by the wind. He wore a black suit, his body built like that of a bodybuilder. He had a light beard and mustache on his face. On his right arm, the suit covered only up to his shoulder, while his left arm was fully covered.
As soon as he landed on the ground, he drew a sword from the sheath hanging at his waist—its name was Nishvaas.
With a single slash through the air, he sliced the frontmost wolf demon clean in two.
Watching this, the wounded In-charge Daksh whispered in awe:
"General Aryamitra... the Shadow Fang."
...?
Writer - 🕉️