The sun was just about to rise. With this new morning
the Kumbh of Prayagraj roared with life — thousands chanting, thousands praying, thousands surrendering themselves to the holy waters.
But among them, one figure stood out as if he belonged to another world entirely.
A young man, no older than twenty, emerged from the Triveni Sangam with water sliding off his sculpted frame.
Over six feet tall, with a broad chest, lean muscle, a sharp jawline and unruly curls that clung to his forehead — he moved with the quiet confidence of someone who knew exactly who he was… and what he carried.
As he stepped ashore, a man rushed toward him with a phone.
Arjun glanced at the caller ID — and immediately answered.
A tense voice crackled through the speaker, urgency woven into every word.
"Arjun, come here quickly — we've found a lead about the Daivik bloodline, and the priest wants to meet you.
He wants to tell you something about her — he might even tell you her exact location.
Come fast. We don't have much time left. By now, she too might have sensed it."
"Yes, Uncle, I'm coming immediately."
Saying this, Arjun rushed out of the place. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even bother changing his wet clothes.
The driver looked at him in his dripping dhoti and suggested he change first.
But Arjun dismissed him,
"No, we don't have time. You drive — I'll change in the car."
Seeing Arjun so tense, the driver didn't say anything further and accelerated the vehicle.
Within the next ten minutes, Arjun was in Civil Lines. As soon as he stepped out of the car, he saw a middle-aged man descending the temple stairs. The man immediately gestured for Arjun to come inside.
Arjun saw his uncle, told the driver to wait, and hurried toward the temple — still pulling on his shorts as he climbed the steps.
The driver stared, shocked.
What kind of emergency is this? Sir didn't even have time to put on his clothes properly.
These rich people… their problems are on another level.
As soon as Arjun reached his uncle, Uncle Nolan grabbed his hand and led him behind the temple.
This temple had been closed for years. No one came here anymore.
But even then, it was strange why Arjun and his uncle were rushing into this abandoned, deserted structure.
In truth, this temple was part of Arjun's family property — shut down long ago for unknown reasons.
But even today, it hid secrets buried deep within its walls… secrets unknown to most.
The moment they reached the back of the temple, Uncle Nolan opened a secret door.
A flight of ancient-looking stairs descended into darkness — leading to a massive underground basement.
They walked down the secret steps, and as soon as they reached the basement, a girl came running toward them.
"Sir, sir… look at this. Look at the stars on the tablet. Their speed has slowed down a lot. There are shadows blocking their path — so many shadows stopping them!"
She had covered herself completely — only her eyes were visible.
Actually, everyone here kept their faces hidden.
No one had ever seen anyone else's face — not even Arjun, who had also entered wearing a mask.
When Arjun looked at the tablet, he saw four stars.
Earlier, they were drifting toward each other,
but now dark shadows had appeared between them — halting their movement and pushing them back very slowly.
A strange fear flickered in Arjun's eyes.
He returned the tablet to the girl and rushed to his cabin.
He immediately opened an ancient scripture and flipped through it.
Within seconds, he found the page — the one that described those very stars.
As he studied the stars' path, he froze in shock.
The scripture read:
These four stars are not ordinary stars.
They represent the ages themselves.
And when they align perfectly, an Absolute Power awakens — a force so terrifying and immense that no human mind can truly imagine it.
If these stars do not align, the awakening of this power becomes impossible.
These stars themselves contain monstrous energy,
and if something is capable of obstructing their path…
there is only one meaning —
the ancient force has returned.
A being whose strength and savagery know no limits.
Maybe it had already found the descendant.
But if that were true, her powers should've begun awakening earlier.
Yet the stars were indicating something completely different.
While Arjun was piecing everything together, his phone rang.
He saw the caller ID and immediately picked up.
But the moment he heard the voice on the other side…
the phone slipped from his hands.
He staggered back in shock,
and in doing so, bumped into the table — causing the scriptures placed on it to fall scattered across the floor.
---
Before he could steady himself, Uncle Nolan rushed forward and gripped his shoulders.
"Arjun! What happened?"
Arjun opened his mouth—
but before he could answer, the phone buzzed again.
Same caller.
Same urgency.
Hands trembling, he picked it up and pressed it to his ear. This time the voice on the other side didn't waste a single second.
"Arjun… there's more.
About the girl.
And about her mother."
Arjun's breath caught. The underground chamber went silent.
Even the machines stopped humming—as if the air itself waited.
"Tell me," Arjun whispered.
A deep exhale came from the other side… then the voice lowered to a cold, grim tone.
"The mother wasn't just from the Daivik bloodline."
Arjun froze.
"She was its last pure-blood bearer."
Uncle Nolan stumbled back a step, shock widening his eyes. The girl in black gasped softly from behind her mask.
The voice continued, "And her death…
it wasn't natural."
Arjun's eyes narrowed.
"We always suspected that," he said tightly.
"Her death was too sudden. Too… clean."
The voice whispered:
"We found proof."
Arjun felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"Proof of what?"
Silence.
Then the words came like a blade:
"She was murdered.
By the Chhaya Vansh."
The tablet in the girl's hand flickered violently—
the shadows on the star paths pulsed, almost responding to the revelation.
Uncle Nolan clenched his fists, rage twisting his features.
"Those monsters…"
Arjun's jaw tightened. He stared at the scriptures scattered at his feet.
"How did she die? Tell me exactly."
The voice on the phone swallowed hard.
"Her body wasn't found… only a trace."
Arjun stiffened.
"What trace?"
A breath. Then:
"A sigil burned into the ground.
A crescent shadow…
surrounded by three claw marks."
The girl in black took two steps back.
"Sir… that symbol—"
Arjun finished the sentence for her.
"—belongs to the Third Shadow Heir."
The man on the phone added, voice shaking:
"There is more.
A witness saw something before she died."
Arjun tensed.
"What did they see?"
The answer was a whisper soaked in fear.
"They said…
a figure stepped out of her shadow."
Arjun felt his heart drop.
The underground lights flickered again.
"A figure… from her shadow?" he repeated.
"Yes. And the moment he emerged…
the entire sky turned black."
Uncle Nolan covered his mouth.
The girl's tablet flashed warning red.
Arjun closed his eyes for a moment.
This wasn't an ordinary murder.
This wasn't an ambush.
It was a ritual.
A targeted kill.
A message.
And now…
now it made sense why the stars were shaking.
Why the shadows were blocking the convergence.
Why the entity was awakening faster than expected.
Because the target wasn't just the child.
It was the entire Daivik lineage.
Arjun steadied himself and spoke quietly:
"Did you find anything about the killer's identity?"
The reply came slow… hesitant.
"Only one thing.
The mother used her last breath to protect her daughter…
and she left a mark on the floor beneath her."
Arjun's voice sharpened.
"A mark?"
"Yes. A single word… written in blood."
Arjun swallowed.
"…what word?"
The phone crackled.
Then the word came through:
"'Soul'"
A tremor spiraled through the chamber.
Arjun lowered the phone, jaw clenched, heart racing.
The girl whispered,
"Sir… this means the killer is still after her."
Arjun nodded, eyes dark with resolve.
"And he's closer than we thought."
He turned toward the staircase leading up—
the exit to the world above.
"We have to find the girl.
And expose whoever stepped out of that shadow."
Uncle Nolan grabbed his arm.
"Arjun… if the Third Shadow Heir killed her mother,
then this child—
this girl—
is the last hope of the Daivik lineage."
Arjun replied without turning back:
"That's why we can't lose her."
Above them, something creaked.
A faint whisper echoed through the stone corridors.
A cold breath rolled across the floor.
The girl in black stiffened.
Arjun's eyes shot upward.
A shadow moved…
where no light should have allowed one.
The sealed horror…
had just taken its first step.
---