The cave had two entrances; the first was on the east side, and the second on the west.
Viewed from the sky, the cave formed a Y-shape.
Torches were placed around the area where the furnace was prepared.
The bones had been in the furnace for eight hours.
When Lekhaam used his magic to extinguish the furnace's fire, virat thought, "Is there no way to create weapons using magic directly?" This process was quite time-consuming, and only the first part of it was complete.
Next, he put his hand into the hot water and took out the bones. Lekhaam felt nothing; no emotion registered on his face. He put the bones into cold water and then began to rub one bone against another.
He noticed boredom on Virat's face and said, "If you want, you can go outside and walk around for a bit. This is going to take some time."
"I'll go find something to eat since it's almost evening," Virat replied. With these words, he exited the cave.
As he stepped out, the scenery was different because this was the western entrance, not the eastern one. The view outside was quite pleasant. A gentle chilly seasonal wind was blowing. Colorful flowers covered the lower part of the hill like a decoration.
The tree wasn't just tree-tall, but hill-tall.
He sat there to rest for a few moments, and the cool breeze lulled him to sleep.
The sun was visible, merging into the deep orange sky.
A crow was flying out from the direction of the sun.
This crow was exactly like the one that had been sitting on the grave.
When it saw Virat, it started cawing.
The sound partially woke Virat from his sleep.
The crow flew onto a tree, and its cawing grew louder, as if it were calling out to someone.
Virat looked at the crow, and for some unknown reason, he started to feel afraid of it. Sweat broke out on him because of his fear.
He then saw a daymare where there were many, many crows.
And they were eating its flesh.
When he emerged from his horrific imagination or dream,he quickly ran back inside the cave.
Inside the cave, Lekhaam had already transformed the sorcerer's bones into a white, blade-like weapon, which he had been grinding for a very long time.
Using a coarse stone, Lekhaam had successfully transformed the ancient bone into the precise shape of a dagger. All that remained now was the intricate carving upon its surface.
In the background, the last, dying embers of the extinguished furnace were slowly fading away.
Lekhaam's face was set with unwavering determination, his attention locked solely on the task of grinding the bone, oblivious to everything else.
As Virat approached Lekhaam and informed him that a strange crow was seemingly standing guard outside, Lekhaam's eyes widened instantly in shock.
He lowered the dagger and demanded, "Were its eyes like white pearls?"
"I don't know," Virat stammered. "But seeing it somehow triggered a horrific nightmare, and I feel incredibly uneasy now."
Lekhaam said, "Do not fear. This weapon is nearly complete."
He set the bone staff—which looked like a dagger—down on the ground. He then chanted a mantra, and a blazing red light began to glow intensely around the bone.
The light was so powerful that it illuminated the entire cave.
When the dagger emerged from the light, its form was completely transformed. It was an astonishing structure, composed of two bones.
The dagger looked like a sharp, ancient tusk of an elephant. Its handle was wrapped in black and brown thread/braid.
Inscribed upon the blade were glowing red characters of an ancient language.
The dagger possessed an incredibly razor-sharp edge; it looked as if merely touching it would instantly sever a hand.
It was completely bathed in a crimson light.
Upon seeing it, Lekhaam declared, "Behold, Virat! This is no ordinary dagger. This is a weapon forged from the very bones of Shenshah, the world's greatest sorcerer!
Its power is unparalleled! When you wield this in battle, victory will undoubtedly be yours!"
When Virat took it in his hand, he could feel its gravity; its raw power coursed through his veins.
"Let's see what he wants to do," Lekhaam said.
When the two stepped outside, there were not just one or two crows. Instead, the area was teeming with countless crows.
"Kakraaj! I know you are here. Why don't you show yourself?"
"At first, nothing happened, but after that..a shadow materialized in the air, that shadow was radiating a dark purple glow.
The figure that emerged resembled a crow equipped with a remarkably prominent beak. Its eyes were a faint purple, utterly devoid of pupils.
It wore a quintessential black hat on its head, accented by a subtle violet band used to adjust the fit.
The creature was clad in an ankle-length overcoat. The charcoal color of the coat was so deep that it seemed to completely absorb the light.
Beneath the coat was a flowing skirt with ragged hems that reached its ankles. The coat was fastened with dark, square-shaped buttons.
From behind the coat emerged two black wings, each spanning 12 feet in length.
Kakraaj, you shouldn't be here," Lekhaam stated.
Kakraaj laughed in a mocking, jocular tone. "You? You are mad! I am here to destroy you! What you are doing goes against His will. He sent me to obliterate you." His voice was terribly shrill and piercing, causing pain in their ears.
"Who exactly is he?" Virat asked.
"He is Kakraaj, the King of Crows," Lekhaam explained.
"No," Kakraaj corrected him. "I am God. The God of Darkness!" With that declaration, he conjured a Shadow Ball the size of an elephant and hurled it toward Lekhaam.
Lekhaam immediately launched a counter-attack, shouting, "Atikal!" A fiery face, colored a dark crimson red and featuring eyes of blue flame, instantly materialized.
It devoured the Shadow Ball and exploded high up in the sky. However, the sheer force of the impact was enough to make the ground beneath them tremble.
Lekhaam launched a devastating attack upon him. Chanting a mantra, he unleashed the "Red River"—a tsunami of red fire that surged toward Kakraaj.
However, Kakraaj simply swallowed the dangerous flame. Moments later, he refired the same devastating energy back at Lekhaam, but with double the force.
The attack was so swift and potent that it struck both Lekhaam and Virat, utterly destroying the entire hill.
After the earth-shattering explosion,Dust was billowing in the air.
The ground was intensely scorched, as if a meteorite had struck the earth.
When the dust finally cleared.....Lekhaam and Virat were thrown to the ground, half-dead and clinging to consciousness.
Kakraaj took out a black sack and slowly stepped forward, saying, "I will take these two to them. They will be very pleased with me."
(Instead of bringing them back to me, you should have simply killed them right where they were! That was my first mistake.")