Arjun and Subha walked through the fading evening light, their clothes soaked in sweat, yet neither showed signs of slowing down. They had finally left the mountain that had been their home for many years.
From the ground, they looked back at its towering peak.
It felt strange—after years of looking down at the world from the top, they were now the ones looking up.
A road nearby seemed well-used, leading toward the next town where people lived and used boats to travel further. Arjun looked at that road for a moment…
Then turned away and began walking in the opposite direction—toward a dense forest where tall grass covered the path.
Subha looked like she wanted to ask something, but she swallowed her words and followed him.
The deeper they walked, the more the light faded.
The shadows of trees melted into darkness.
The forest grew unnaturally quiet.
Only the dry rustling of leaves echoed with the passing breeze.
They walked until it was already night. Before them stood another mountain. It wasn't as tall as the one where their gurukul was located, but its range was clearly longer.
They decided to rest for the night.
Arjun said, "We can stay here. There's no danger."
Subha nodded and agreed.
But before sleeping, Arjun couldn't shake off a strange feeling.
Why is this place so quiet?
We're not even that deep… this should be enough for creatures to attack us.
Arjun eventually fell asleep.
A few moments later, Subha rose quietly and walked away from where he rested.
From behind a tree, a man appeared. His entire body was covered by cloth, his face hidden completely. Subha spoke to him for a few minutes, and then he slowly vanished into the darkness.
When Subha returned, she lay down to sleep, but her expression carried clear dissatisfaction and worry.
The night passed peacefully.
Morning arrived with birds chirping and animals making noise. It felt as if every creature that had mysteriously disappeared last night had returned today.
This only made Arjun more confused. Yesterday's silence had made him uneasy—yet the sudden return of the forest's creatures was even more terrifying.
It was their first morning away from the gurukul.
The sunlight was bright, and so were their faces.
Arjun said, "Crossing this forest will make our journey at least half as long. That's why I avoided going to that town."
He gave that reason… but deep down, there was another reason he avoided it.
Subha replied, "Alright. The faster, the better."
They began moving uphill toward the mountain. While walking, they felt small shockwaves beneath their feet—like minor earthquakes, barely noticeable.
The trees in this mountain were strange.
Some that should have been short were towering high.
Some massive trees were tiny here.
Thick roots crawled over the ground like giant serpents.
Cracked rocks lay scattered everywhere, replacing patches of grass.
Plants that didn't belong to this region were thriving here unnaturally.
The mountain forest looked wrong—distorted.
Arjun and Subha noticed it too, but continued onward. The shortcut was worth it.
While walking, they came upon a waterfall. Water flowed down from a stone cliff…
Yet there was no river.
The water simply stayed where it fell, like an endless pool.
Suddenly—
A powerful shockwave erupted.
The waterfall froze mid-flow.
The stone split open… revealing a large cave behind it—as if inviting them inside.
Both of them froze, shocked.
They exchanged looks and silently agreed not to enter that mysterious cave.
They moved ahead instead.
But the earlier shockwave had disturbed the mountain. Animals began running wildly, turning the area chaotic. The shockwaves grew stronger each minute.
They decided to wait for things to calm down.
They leaned against a large tree, discussing everything they found strange in this forest.
Suddenly—
BHHMM!
The ground near them exploded, startling them.
After calming down, they saw stairs descending into the earth. A strange glowing plant lit the entrance, illuminating the dark interior.
Subha asked, "Should we go inside?"
"No, we shouldn't. It's dangerous and will waste our—"
Before he could finish, Arjun fainted again.
Subha clicked her tongue. "Not at a time like this…"
She was used to this by now. Arjun had received a special herb from his Guru specifically for this.
She quickly took it from his pocket—a leaf with three different colors, something she had never seen or even heard of, despite being a Vaidya.
She placed it in his mouth.
Arjun's eyes opened quickly.
But the look in them had changed—burning with an intense determination that could turn night into day.
"We're going inside," he said aggressively.
Subha was confused by his sudden shift in attitude and decision. It felt as if going unconscious had triggered something inside him.
Still… she agreed. She was curious about where the stairs would lead them.
They descended the stairs. Arjun gradually calmed himself and returned to normal.
The atmosphere inside the staircase was heavy and unsettling.
Each strange plant lit up when they approached, and dimmed once they passed.
Subha picked one up.
"This is Light of Spirit," she said.
Seeing Arjun's confused expression, she explained,
"It's an innate technique of Yakshas. They can grant objects the property of light."
"Yakshas…" Arjun murmured.
They kept walking down until they realized they were very deep underground.
The stairs ended.
And before them lay a breathtaking underground place.
They looked at each other to confirm they weren't dreaming.
Before they could appreciate the beautiful scenery—
THWACK!
Two arrows collided mid-air.
The explosion instantly shattered the peaceful landscape.
In front of them were two silhouettes:
One glowing with a bright golden light, his Dhanush radiating power.
The other covered in darkness, nothing remarkable about him except the eerie emptiness around him.
The two figures clashed again.