Mohana's laughter broke the tense silence like shards of glass. She stepped forward, her boots clicking against the polished floor, the sound sharp and deliberate.
"Ahhh," she purred, tilting her head, "what a speech. Truly… impressive."
Her hands lifted slowly, and she began to clap—slowly, deliberately, the sound echoing through the hall. One clap. Two claps. Each strike of her palms was deliberate, dripping with mockery.
"You really think words… love… courage… can stop him?" Mohana hissed, her voice silky but venomous. "You pour out your heart, you speak of devotion, and yet, here you are… trembling behind your bow, clutching a child. You are so very human. Fragile. Pathetic."
Her eyes narrowed, glinting like sharpened obsidian. "Do you truly believe your little sermons can sway fate? Do you truly believe you can stop Kaal, the Warlock King reborn, the one who holds darkness itself at his fingertips?"
Mohana's smirk stretched wide, her dark energy pulsing faintly around her. "Oh, Kiara, your devotion is… touching. But naive. Utterly naive."
She let the applause linger in the air, slow, deliberate, a mockery that filled the room with dread.
Kiara's hands tightened on her bow. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but her eyes—her eyes—did not waver. She swallowed the sting of Mohana's words, letting the fire in her heart burn brighter.
"You can mock me all you want," Kiara whispered, voice steady despite the tremor in her limbs, "but love… love never bows to darkness."
Mohana paused for a heartbeat, tilting her head, as if amused and intrigued at the same time. Then her laughter resumed—low, cruel, and curling through the air like smoke.
"Brave words, Kiara. Truly brave… but we'll see if they save you when the darkness strikes."
🌑 Paanchgiri — The Approaching Storm
The wind howled across the jagged peaks of Paanchgiri, carrying with it the faint scent of sulfur and burnt earth. Shadows twisted unnaturally over the slopes as Yuvaan strode at the head of Kaalvansh's dark forces. His cloak billowed like liquid night, eyes black and unyielding, the aura of a Warlock King radiating around him. Behind him, the dark forces moved as one—soldiers, beasts, and sinister entities, all pulsating with power and loyalty.
At the summit, Vikram and Varun stood firm, their Reevavanshi armor gleaming faintly in the eclipse's eerie glow. The ground beneath them thrummed with restrained energy, the air thick with tension. Each hunter's hand rested on a weapon, every muscle taut, eyes locked on the approaching darkness.
Vikram's voice broke the silence, calm but edged with steel. "This is it. Every step past this point could cost lives. But we cannot let them reach the Dark Abyss. Not tonight."
Varun's eyes scanned the horizon, hands tightening on his bow. "We've trained for this. Every spell, every ward… it all comes down to what we do in the next moments."
The gap between the two forces slowly closed. The air seemed to bend, shadows stretching unnaturally toward the Reevavanshi line. Yuvaan lifted his hand, and a ripple of black energy surged outward, the ground quivering beneath the hunters' feet.
Vikram signaled silently, and the Reevavanshi formed a defensive line, glowing wards shimmering faintly around each of them. A low hum resonated from the protective sigils, the clash of light and shadow about to begin.
Yuvaan's gaze swept over the line of Reevavanshi, lips curling into a dark, almost regal smile. "You can try," his voice carried over the valley, deep and commanding, "but you cannot stop what is already mine. The Dark Abyss will open, and I will claim it. And all who stand in my way… will fall."
Vikram's jaw tightened. "We'll see about that. Reevavanshi, hold your positions. Remember your training. Trust your instincts. Protect each other. And when the moment comes… strike as one."
A heavy silence settled for a heartbeat, the world itself seeming to hold its breath. Then, with the eclipse rising fully above them, Yuvaan raised his hand again, and the first wave of darkness surged forward. The clash between Kaalvansh and the Reevavanshi was about to erupt, a battle that would decide the fate of the Dark Abyss and the world beyond.
The shadow of the eclipse stretched long across the jagged peaks. The air was thick with an unnatural chill, carrying whispers of the dark forces gathering behind Yuvaan. The ground trembled slightly as the Reevavanshi warriors readied themselves, fingers gripping bows, swords, and spears.
Yuvaan's black eyes scanned the line of hunters, lingering on Vikram. A cruel smirk curved his lips.
"Father-in-law," he called out, his voice cutting like a blade through the tense silence. "Tell me… you're not going to try to convince your son-in-law to stop, are you?"
Vikram's jaw tightened. "Yuvaan… stop this madness. There is still time to—"
"Time?" Yuvaan laughed, a low, cruel sound that echoed over the peaks. "Ah… maybe a sermon then? Yes, give me a sermon. Pour your wisdom into words, try to sway me. Convince me to abandon the Dark Abyss and your precious family."
The warriors around him stiffened. The dark energy emanating from Yuvaan seemed to pulse, almost alive, and his laughter rang over the battlefield like distant thunder.
"But you know what?" Yuvaan said, tilting his head, eyes glinting like obsidian. "I will not budge. Not for love, not for hope. My path is clear, and my power… absolute. The eclipse rises, the Dark Stronghold awaits, and I will take what is mine."