The moon hung high above Gurukul Tapovan.
Its silver light spread across the stone paths, the small huts, and the ancient peepal tree. The forest around the gurukul was unusually quiet.
Even the crickets had stopped singing.
Inside his hut, Tez lay awake.
He could not sleep.
The words he had heard during meditation echoed in his mind.
"The Eternal Flame must never awaken."
He turned towards the small window.
The forest looked peaceful.
Yet something inside him felt uneasy.
Suddenly...
A dry branch cracked somewhere beyond the gurukul wall.
Tez sat up.
He listened carefully.
Another sound followed.
Soft footsteps.
Not one person.
Several.
He quietly stood and stepped outside.
The courtyard was empty.
Only the oil lamps flickered in the cool breeze.
As he looked towards the main gate, he noticed two senior students walking with lanterns. They were making their nightly rounds.
Everything seemed normal.
Then...
A shadow moved between the trees.
It disappeared before Tez could see clearly.
At the same time, Rishi Anand stood near the old stone gate.
He had also heard the sound.
Acharya Vedant joined him.
"You heard it too?"
Rishi Anand nodded.
"We are not alone tonight."
The two teachers exchanged a silent glance.
Without alarming the students, Acharya Vedant called four senior disciples.
"Take your staffs."
"Guard every entrance."
"If you see anyone, do not chase them alone."
The young men bowed.
"Yes, Acharya."
Beyond the walls of the gurukul, hidden among thick bushes, five figures crouched in silence.
Their faces were covered with dark cloth.
The leader slowly drew a rough map in the soil.
"The boy's hut is here."
He pointed with a dagger.
"Two guards walk this path."
"We avoid them."
Another man whispered,
"And if the teachers see us?"
The leader smiled coldly.
"Keep them busy."
"I will take the pouch."
The men nodded.
Within moments, they disappeared into the darkness like shadows.
Inside the gurukul, Tez decided to return to his hut.
As he turned, he saw Naman running towards him.
"You're awake too?"
Tez nodded.
"I heard something."
"So did I."
The two boys stood quietly.
A cold wind passed through the trees.
Then, from the western side of the gurukul...
A loud crash echoed through the night.
Several clay pots shattered.
"Who's there?" shouted one of the guards.
Lanterns rushed towards the sound.
The entire western side became busy.
Tez frowned.
"That sounded... strange."
Naman looked confused.
"Why?"
"My father used to say that when someone wants to enter a house..."
"...they first make you look somewhere else."
Before Naman could reply...
Another sound came from behind them.
Very close.
The door of Tez's hut slowly opened.
A black-cloaked figure stepped inside.
His movements were quick and silent.
He searched beneath the sleeping mat.
Inside the clay pot.
Behind the wooden shelf.
Nothing.
"The boy is carrying it," he whispered.
Just then, Tez reached the doorway.
"Stop!"
The stranger turned.
For the first time, Tez clearly saw the blazing sun symbol stitched onto the man's sleeve.
It was the same symbol he had seen on the masked attackers in Suryanagari.
The stranger lunged forward.
Tez instinctively stepped aside, just as Rishi Anand had taught him to stay calm in danger.
The man pushed past him and ran.
"He's escaping!" Naman shouted.
The alarm bell rang across the gurukul.
Within seconds, students woke and teachers rushed into the courtyard.
Torches lit the darkness.
The peaceful gurukul had become a place of confusion.
The stranger leaped over a low wall and disappeared among the trees.
Tez started to follow.
Before he could take another step, Rishi Anand caught his arm.
"No."
"But he'll escape!"
"That is exactly what he wants."
Tez looked confused.
"He wants us to chase him?"
The sage nodded.
"If everyone follows one shadow..."
"...who will watch the others?"
At that very moment, three more dark figures quietly climbed over the eastern wall.
The first intruder had only been a distraction.
Rishi Anand's eyes became sharp.
"The real attack has just begun."