The Next Morning...
A thin, grey, watery light was the first thing Agni became aware of. It didn't illuminate; it merely defined the shapes of the surrounding darkness. The air was cold, damp, and heavy with the smell of mildew, wet stone, and rust. His head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache, a hangover not of wine, but of betrayal. He tried to move his hand to rub his temple, and the sound that shattered the silence was the sharp, heavy rattle of iron.
His wrists and ankles were bound by thick, cold manacles, the chains fastened to rings set deep into the rough, damp wall behind him. The floor was uneven stone, chilling him through his clothes.
Across the small, circular cell, another figure stirred. A low groan echoed off the close walls. Neer was in the same state, chained to the opposite wall. Their eyes met in the dim light—wide with shock, then narrowing with a dawning, furious comprehension.
"Neer!" Agni's voice was a rasp.
"Agni…you too." Neer's voice was thick.
Together, their shouts erupted, filling the cramped space, bouncing off the stones in a desperate, angry cacophony.
"Who's there?!Who did this?! AK-SHAY! AKSHAAY!"
For long minutes, only their own echoes answered them. Then, a sound that froze their blood—a deep, grinding screech of ancient, unoiled metal. A heavy door, invisible in the darkness of one wall, was being pulled open.
A sliver of torchlight sliced into the gloom, so bright it made them wince. And into that sliver stepped Akshay.
He paused in the doorway, letting them see him. He was dressed not in the simple, practical clothes of a friend or regent, but in rich, dark silks edged with silver thread. His face, lit from below by the torch in his hand, was a mask of cold triumph. The friendly crinkles around his eyes were gone, smoothed into an expression of detached, pitiless authority. The smile on his lips didn't reach his eyes; it was a smirk of victory.
Neer: (Straining against his chains, voice raw with fury) "Akshay! What is the meaning of this?! Why have you bound us like animals?!"
Akshay: (A low, humorless chuckle) "Because this is what you deserve, Neer. And because of you, Agni deserved the same fate. You are both my captives now. Oh, and your loyal old minister? The one who might have questioned your sudden disappearance? He met with a tragic… accident."
Neer's breath hitched. The horror wasn't just in the chains; it was in the casual cruelty of the words. "You… what are you saying, 'friend'? Are you in your right mind?"
Akshay: (His voice sharpened, cutting through the damp air) "Friend? Do not call me that! I am your king! And you two… are my servants. My slaves! Your freedom ends today."
Neer: (Voice rising in panic and anger) "Akshay, this is madness! Release us!"
Agni: (His voice was a controlled growl, the heat in it barely contained) "Enough, Akshay. Unlock these chains. Can't you see Neer is in pain?"
Akshay: (He took a step closer, his shadow looming over them) "You worry about his pain, Agni? Worry about saving yourself first, then talk of protecting him." A cold sneer twisted his lips. "The feast last night… I had a special herb mixed into your wine. A powerful sedative. You've been in my web since then. This dungeon… is now your home."
With a final, contemptuous look, he stepped back. The heavy door groaned shut, plunging them back into near-darkness. The last thing they heard was his laughter—a dry, chilling sound that seemed to seep into the stones around them.
---
In the absolute dark, the only sounds were their ragged breathing and the occasional, hopeless clink of a chain.
Neer: (His voice a strained whisper of disbelief and rage) "How… how is this possible, Agni? The one who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us yesterday… who shared our joys and sorrows… that same Akshay calls us slaves today!"
Agni: (Trying for calm, but a simmering fire in his tone) "I can't believe it either, Neer… I thought Akshay was a brother to our souls. But today… he proved he was only ever thirsty for power and selfish gain."
Neer: (Voice cracking with despair) "We trusted him. We gave him responsibility. We gave him everything… and he turned that trust into poison."
Agni: (His words were hard, final) "This is not just betrayal, Neer… it's an assault on our very hearts. He has trampled our friendship, our loyalty… all of it."
Neer was silent for a moment, then spoke in a trembling voice laced with pain. "The greatest curse of friendship is this, Agni—when your own kin, the one closest to you, stabs you in the back. I could never have imagined Akshay would cage us like this."
Agni yanked hard at his chains, the muscles in his arms corded with effort. The iron didn't give. "If he thinks he can keep Agnivrat and Neervrat imprisoned forever in these chains… he is mistaken! We may be bound, but we are not broken."
Neer looked at him, his eyes glinting in the faint light. "But Agni… we must accept now that Akshay's name sits at the very top of the list of our greatest enemies."
Agni slowly raised his head, his eyes glowing with a fierce, red ember of anger. "Yes, Neer… a friend turned foe is the most dangerous of all. And Akshay proved that today."
---
The silence deepened, broken only by the steady drip… drip… of water somewhere. But in their eyes, the pain was slowly being banked by a new, colder fire—the flame of vengeance.
Determined, Agni closed his eyes, focusing inward. He whispered an ancient invocation, calling to the core of his being. "Flame of Agni… manifest within me!"
For a brief second, a faint, red-orange glow flickered around his clenched fists, like a dying ember stirred by a breath. Then, it sputtered and died, swallowed by the oppressive gloom of the cell.
Neer: (Eyes wide with shock) "What… how? Agni, your flame didn't even last a moment!"
Agni: (Panting, bewildered) "I don't understand, Neer… it's as if my power itself is imprisoned."
Neer, not to be outdone, shut his own eyes. He reached for the deep, calm well of his own power. "Currents of Varun, come to my aid!"
A shimmer of cool, blue energy began to coalesce over his palm, forming the ghost of a swirling water-orb. But suddenly, it shuddered and collapsed in on itself, dissipating into nothingness, as if crushed by an invisible hand.
Neer: (Through gritted teeth, furious) "No! My water… it's trapped too. In some invisible web."
Agni: (Roaring, yanking his chains until they bit into his flesh) "AKSHAY!!! You've bound our powers too? How low have you sunk?!"
Neer: (His voice a thunderous echo against the stones) "AKSHAY!! Face us! The price for this betrayal will be a thousand-fold!"
They shouted his name until their throats were raw. Only their own echoes and the maddening drip of water answered.
Agni: (His voice low, grim with realization) "Neer… it's clear. Akshay didn't just imprison us… he found a way to shackle our very soul-powers."
Neer: (Voice tight with frustration) "So… are we truly helpless now?"
Agni: (Fire blazing in his eyes even in the dark) "No, Neer. You can suppress fire and water for a time… but they will always erupt in the end. Let Akshay play his games… we will settle the score."
---
The Next Morning – Akshay's Return
The door screeched open again. Harsh torchlight flooded the cell, making them blink. Akshay stood framed in the doorway, a smug smile on his face, two hulking guards with coiled whips standing behind him.
Akshay: "How are my dear 'friends' this morning? Or should I say… my captives?"
Neer struggled against his bonds. "Akshay! This charade won't last! The people will learn the truth—"
Akshay snapped his fingers. The guards stepped forward, uncoiling their whips. "Silence! Your words are useless now. Today, you learn the price of defying your king."
As the guards moved towards Neer, Agni's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "STOP! If you must strike someone… strike me. Leave Neer alone."
Akshay raised an eyebrow, then laughed—a cold, mocking sound. "Oh! So the great Agnivrat now plays the protector? Very well… your wish is granted."
The guards turned. Agni straightened his back against the wall, closing his eyes, steeling himself. The whip cracked through the air—a sickening, sharp sound—and landed across his back. He jerked but made no sound.
Neer: (Screaming, tears of fury and helplessness in his eyes) "AGNI! No! Don't take this pain… this is because of me!"
Agni: (Through gritted teeth, each word punctuated by another crack of the whip) "Neer… be quiet! If taking this protects you… I'll take it a hundred times."
The lashes fell relentlessly. Soon, the back of Agni's tunic was stained dark. Neer could only watch, shaking with rage and grief, his own chains biting into his skin as he strained uselessly. Akshay watched with satisfaction.
"Such loyalty!" Akshay mocked. "But remember, this loyalty will only bring you more pain and humiliation. Because the throne is mine now, and you are nothing but my prisoners."
He turned and left, his footsteps fading. The door shut, leaving them in a darkness now filled with the scent of blood and salt tears.
---
In the flickering light of a single, guttering torch, Agni sat slumped against the wall, his breath coming in shallow, pained gasps. His back was a map of raw, bleeding welts.
Neer, chained, could only stare, his face a mask of torment. "Agni… you fool. That punishment was mine… why did you take it? Why did you let them wound you like this?"
Agni: (Voice weak but steady) "Because, Neer… I could not bear to see you in that pain. If even one lash had touched you… it would have shattered my soul. These wounds are on my body… but if they were on yours, they'd be on my heart."
Neer trembled, tears finally breaking free and tracing paths through the grime on his cheeks. He pulled at his chains, a futile gesture of anguish. "I am useless! I can't save you, I can't stop this treacherous Akshay. The power we had… it's lost in this prison. For the first time, I hate myself…"
Agni: (His voice gained a firm strength) "Don't say that, Neer. Our powers are sleeping… not stolen forever. Just as darkness can hide the sun but never destroy it—this prison may bind our fire and water, but it cannot end them."
Neer: (Softly, emotionally) "But Agni… when the whip was falling on your back, my heart was screaming. I cannot imagine… someone enduring so much for me."
A ghost of a smile touched Agni's pained face. "That is our bond, Neer… when you fell, I held you up. And when I fall… I know you will hold me. This pain is temporary… but our bond is eternal."
Neer bowed his head, overwhelmed. He couldn't reach out, but his heart bled for his friend. "I swear to you, Agni… no matter how deep the darkness, no matter how great the pain… I will not leave you alone. Together, we will make this traitor Akshay pay for his deeds."
Agni: (Nodding slowly, meeting Neer's gaze) "Yes, Neer… we will fight together. This prison cannot hold us forever. Remember… when fire and water unite… they change the world."
Though their eyes were wet, a new flame—of resolve and retribution—burned within them. Outside, the winds of darkness might howl, but inside their hearts, a lamp of shared purpose had been lit.
---
Desperation clawed at them. Neer, in a final, furious attempt, squeezed his eyes shut and called upon his deepest connection. "Manifest, Shadow-Damru!"
His palms trembled. The air in the cell stirred, a faint pressure wave of intent passed through it… and then died into absolute, silent nothingness. No drum appeared. No resonant hum filled the space.
Not to be outdone, Agni raised his manacled hands towards the ceiling. His voice was a low, powerful roar. "Manifest, Agneya-Astra Bow!"
The air should have shimmered with heat. A bow of pure, condensed flame should have materialized in his grip. Nothing happened. Only the oppressive, power-dampening darkness thickened.
Neer's breathing grew frantic. He slammed a fist against the damp wall. "How is this possible?! Our weapons cannot just abandon us!"
After a long moment of heavy silence, Agni's eyes narrowed. His voice, when it came, was grave and certain. "No, Neer… our weapons have not abandoned us. There is only one meaning to this…"
He slowly sank to the floor, his words echoing dully in the stone tomb. "Our soul-power… has been stolen from us."
Neer's eyes widened with a horror deeper than any physical fear. His voice shook. "If our soul-power is gone… then we are just… ordinary men."
Agni looked at him, his face a study in grim acceptance. "Yes… and that is our truest prison, Neer. Not the swords or the chains… the absence of our own strength."
The only sound was the relentless drip of water, wearing away stone over eternity. After many more failed attempts, Neer finally collapsed, exhausted, onto the cold floor. Despair was plain in his eyes. "Now… now there's nothing left, Agni. We've lost everything."
Agni silently moved to sit beside him. His body was a tapestry of pain, but his eyes still held a spark. "No, Neer… it's not over. Our trust… our partnership… that, no one can steal."
Neer looked at him, tears glistening on his lashes. "But without our soul-power… how will we ever leave this cell?"
Agni offered a faint, weary smile. "Our soul-power was taken, but our resolve is still our own. And as long as we are together… no darkness can hold us forever."
Neer bowed his head, whispering, "You're right, Agni… perhaps this is our real strength. Not weapons, not mantras… just the two of us."
They sat in silence for a long time. The cold, the dark, the chains—it was all a crushing weight.
But in that moment…
Their silent friendship gave them a fragile warmth.
Agni closed his eyes and said softly, "We will get out, Neer… no matter how deep the dark. We will get out."
Neer repeated the words, as if convincing himself. "Yes… we will get out."
Then, the silence was broken. A subtle shift in the air, a sound that wasn't water dripping. Both their heads snapped up, senses straining in the pitch black. From the deepest shadow of the cell, where no door was, a figure emerged.
It moved with a silent, deliberate grace that spoke of immense power held in check. It was clad in dark, close-fitting clothes, and its face was completely obscured by a smooth, expressionless mask of polished, black lacquer that reflected no light. It stood there, watching them, a living piece of the dungeon's shadow, holding a silence more profound and terrifying than Akshay's cruel laughter.