The river did not explode.
It collapsed upward.
Like gravity reversed for a heartbeat, water tore free from its own surface in spiraling tendrils, coiling into the air like living ropes of moonlit liquid.
Zoya threw her arm over Manraj's head, shielding him as the surge blasted across the bank. Cold mist stung her face, soaking her hair, blurring the world in silver light.
Azhar braced himself, digging his heels into the shifting earth.
The water-entity—Manraj's "father"—hovered above the now-shattered river, its shape both humanoid and unformed. Every ripple of its body warped the air. Every movement sent vibrations across the ground, resonating deep in Zoya's bones.
The guardian bowed deeper.
And then—
The entity spoke again.
Not loud.
Not soft.
Absolute.
"ERYTH.
YOU WERE MADE TO RETURN."
Manraj convulsed in Zoya's arms.
His back arched unnaturally, breath tearing from his throat in ragged bursts. The symbols carved across his skin flared a blinding white-blue, heat radiating so intensely that steam rose off his clothes.
"No—no—Manraj—stay with me—HEY—look at me—LOOK!" Zoya cried, slapping his cheek lightly, desperate.
His eyes fluttered.
But they didn't focus on her.
They focused on the entity.
"…You… left me…" he whispered, voice layered with Eryth's ancient cadence.
The entity's form tightened—water spiraling inward—like a wounded inhale.
"I WAS TAKEN FROM YOU. YOU WERE FORGED WITHOUT ME."
Zoya felt the words like a pressure behind her ribs.
Azhar tightened his stance, shadows whipping violently around him.
"That thing is lying," he growled. "It wasn't ripped away. It was sealed. Because it is NOT a father—it's a PRIMORDIAL."
The entity turned its head toward Azhar.
The river froze mid-ripple.
Even the wind stopped.
"SHADOW-BEARER," it thundered softly.
"YOU HAVE NO VOICE IN THIS."
Azhar spat blood into the river mud.
"I'm still using it."
He flung his shadows—
they twisted upward in spears—
but the moment they touched the water-entity—
they turned into droplets and fell uselessly to the ground.
Azhar staggered.
"What—? How is it neutralizing shadow?!"
Zoya trembled.
"Because it's not an element," she whispered.
"It's a source."
The guardian rose behind the entity, towering in absolute silence, six eyes locked solely on Manraj.
The entity stepped closer, walking across air, each footstep forming briefly suspended ripples.
Zoya tightened her hold around Manraj's shoulders.
"No—no—no—you stay AWAY from him—"
The entity didn't stop.
"ERYTH," it murmured, extending its shifting hand.
"COME HOME. I WILL MAKE YOU WHOLE."
Manraj's breathing quickened.
His glowing chest strained outward as though something inside was clawing for release.
"No—Manraj—PLEASE—keep your eyes on me—" Zoya begged.
His gaze flicked to her.
Just one second.
One precious second—
His fingers curled weakly into her coat.
"…Zoya…?"
She cupped his face with trembling hands.
"Yes—yes—right here—stay with me—please—"
The entity glitched.
Its form rippled rapidly, as if agitated.
"ERYTH—TURN AWAY FROM THE MORTAL. YOU WERE NOT BUILT FOR ATTACHMENT."
Zoya's breath hitched.
"I don't care what he was built for," she said, voice shaking but fierce.
"He CHOOSES who he stays with."
The entity's head tilted.
"CHOICE," it echoed, the word sounding alien in its fractured voice.
The river beneath it began churning violently—currents whipping upward into spiraling columns that circled the entity like protective serpents.
Azhar stepped forward, pained but defiant.
"That's right. He chooses. And right now? He's choosing us. So back off."
The guardian finally moved.
It didn't roar this time.
It didn't threaten.
It simply placed one stone hand upon the ground.
The earth cracked open beneath Zoya and Azhar's feet in a perfect circle.
A boundary.
A barrier.
Cutting them off from the river-entity.
"No—NO—NO—DON'T YOU DARE TAKE HIM—" Zoya screamed, pulling Manraj back, fingers digging painfully into his shirt.
But the ground beneath her split wider—forcing distance.
Azhar stabbed his shadow into the crack, trying to anchor them in place—but the moment his power touched the boundary—
it dissolved.
Completely.
Azhar recoiled in horror.
"I… I can't counter this…"
Zoya's heart pounded wildly. "Then HELP ME HOLD HIM BACK!"
Azhar grabbed Manraj's other arm.
For a moment—for a breath—they resisted the pull.
But the entity raised its hand—
and the river obeyed.
A surge of water erupted upward, forming a tendril that wrapped around Manraj's torso—not fully pulling, not yet, but testing their resistance.
Manraj gasped—
half his body leaning involuntarily toward the entity.
Zoya screamed and yanked him back.
"NO! YOU STAY WITH US! YOU HEAR ME?! YOU STAY—!"
Her throat closed as she realized:
Manraj wasn't fighting.
Manraj couldn't fight.
Not with the entity calling him by a name older than his existence.
Azhar braced his feet and roared, "Manraj—LISTEN TO ME—YOU ARE NOT ERYTH—YOU ARE—"
But the entity cut him off by whispering:
"STOP STRUGGLING, SHADOW-BEARER. THE ROOT ALWAYS CLAIMS ITS FIRST CHILD."
Manraj's head snapped upward.
Eyes wide. Glowing.
The water around them surged—
The guardian straightened—
Zoya felt Manraj slipping from her arms—
And then—
Manraj inhaled sharply, violently, like taking his first ever breath.
Energy burst from his chest in a blinding flash—
Zoya shielded her eyes— Azhar screamed his name— the guardian bowed deeper— the entity reached out—
And Manraj whispered a word that shattered the night:
"…I remember…"
The river froze.
Even the entity stilled.
Zoya's heart stopped.
Azhar whispered, terrified:
"…what do you remember…?"
Manraj lifted his head.
His voice changed.
Layered.
Ancient.
Awake.
"Everything."
And the river began to collapse inward.