"Where… where am I?"
Aarav opened his eyes to a world that seemed strangely familiar, yet utterly distant. A voice echoed faintly.
"Aarav! Hurry up!"
He turned his head. Saanvi. A younger version of her — alive, laughing, glowing with life — was waving him toward a narrow alley. Her tone was urgent.
"If we don't leave now, we'll be caught!"
Confused, but driven by instinct, Aarav ran toward her. They darted through winding backstreets, past crates, barrels, and shop windows. Suddenly, a spark of memory flared in his mind.
"This… this was the first time we stole together."
They returned to the orphanage where laughter and chaos filled the air. Children surrounded them, eyes full of mischief and awe.
"Did you steal from the richest guy in the market?"
"We did," Aarav replied, smiling. "Together."
But as night fell and the laughter faded, Aarav sat alone.
"Was everything I remember just a dream? My parents… divine powers… the zombie apocalypse?"
He closed his eyes and tested fate. "Come to me," he whispered.
The sky split.
His divine weapon — sealed away in power and purpose — descended like a falling star, landing in his palm.
"No. It was all real."
Return to the Divine Castle
Determined, Aarav summoned a portal and entered the divine realm, emerging in the grand castle of his parents — Shadow of Darkness and Fragment of Light.
The moment they saw him, their eyes widened in disbelief.His aura was far too powerful — even beyond theirs.
"You—who are you?" Shadow demanded.
"No one should possess this power. Not even Eternis…" Fragment muttered.
Before he could speak, they attacked him.
Aarav stopped both of their divine weapons with a single hand.
"I'm not here to fight," he whispered. "I came to see you… Mom… Dad…"
He dropped to his knees and hugged them both.But instead of warmth, they recoiled.
"You're not our son. Our son died. Did you take his body? Are you Eternis?"
Their confusion turned into full-blown fury.
Aarav hesitated. Then with a gentle pulse of energy — just 10% of his power — he pushed them away without harm and healed their wounds.
Then he told them the truth.
The Warning
He told them about the future.How Eternis revived,How Zabuza became a Zombie King,How Saanvi turned into the Zombie Queen,And how their own deaths had saved him.
"I came back to fix everything," Aarav said. "But this time, I'll make the sacrifice."
"Saanvi… she was the one you loved," Shadow said, voice trembling.
"Yes," Aarav nodded. "And that's why I must stop her. Even if I give her 68 years more, I will end it. This is the only way."
His parents stared in silence.
"Then go," Fragment said, softly. "Go do what we couldn't."
The Hunt Begins
Back in the mortal world, Aarav tried to find Saanvi — but she had vanished.
"Where is she?" he asked the children.
"She just disappeared," one replied.
He stretched out his senses — and felt a surge of energy.
"No… Eternis is here."
He returned to his parents and told them.
"He's moved first. He's going after Saanvi."
"If he consumes her, he'll regain his 50% power," Shadow gasped.
"And then we won't be able to stop him," Aarav confirmed.
"He's still at 1%… This is our only window."