The waves of Goa crashed against the distant shore, their echoes blending with the whisper of the evening wind. The abandoned industrial complex loomed over the coastline — a decaying skeleton of rusted iron and broken glass. The smell of salt mixed with rot filled the air.
Lioran stood in front of a room.
He saw a nauseating mixture of decay, rust, and something unidentifiable. Piles of garbage were scattered across the floor: torn fabrics, old cans, dead insects, and dark, slimy residue coating the walls.
Lioran covered his nose. "This place reeks…"
He took a step forward, eyes scanning the shadows. Then, suddenly —
The faint vibration beneath his feet turned violent.
RMMMMMM…!
"What the—?"
Before he could react, the ground split open beneath him.
A surge of dust erupted as the floor crumbled away.
BOOM!
Lioran fell through the collapsing concrete and vanished into the darkness below.
Far away in another section of the complex, Aishwarya froze as the tremor reached her feet.
The walls shook violently, dust raining from the ceiling.
"What was that?" she shouted.
Sharin pressed his palm against the trembling wall, closing his eyes briefly. "That came from Lioran's side."
"Then he must've found the Narvan!" she said urgently.
He nodded. "Let's go!"
Without wasting another second, both sprinted down the corridor, their footsteps echoing through the ruined halls.
Below the surface, Lioran landed with a heavy thud but rolled perfectly, absorbing the impact.
He rose quickly, summoning a faint golden aura around his hands. The dim basement reeked even worse than above — mold, wet garbage, and something alive.
"Where… am I?" he muttered, scanning the dark. The faint drip of liquid echoed around him.
Then —
The ground pulsed beneath his feet.
Black strips — like ribbons of tar — made by garbage shot out from the walls, floor, and even ceiling.
SHRRRK!
"What the—?!"
Before he could dodge, the strips wrapped tightly around his arms, legs, and chest, pinning him in place. His body slammed against the wall with tremendous force.
THUD!
He struggled, but the bindings tightened, constricting every muscle.
"Damn it— these things are alive!" he grunted, forcing his Prāṇa outward — but the moment he tried, the strips pulsed with energy of their own, absorbing the flow.
"I… can't move!"
He grit his teeth, his eyes scanning for any weakness. But then, something else stirred.
The garbage piles in front of him began to shift. Cans rolled aside. Liquid sludge bubbled and rose as dark fumes filled the air.
Lioran's eyes widened.
From the heap emerged a grotesque shape — a creature born of filth and malice.
It stood on malformed limbs, its skin a dripping mass of black sludge and bone fragments. Two hollow eye sockets glowed faintly red, and from its mouth slithered a long, glistening tongue.
Lioran's stomach twisted. "So… this is the Narvan we came for."
The creature hissed, its tongue snapping out like a whip, licking up the surrounding garbage, consuming it whole. The sound was sickening — a wet, gurgling crunch that echoed through the chamber.
It fed greedily, growing thicker, its back swelling with pulsating lumps.
Lioran's pulse raced. "I have to get free— now!"
He focused and used his strength. The bindings groaned, creaking under pressure.
CRACK—
"Come on… COME ON!" He roared.
But the Narvan reacted instantly — from its back, more black tendrils lashed out, wrapping around his body, reinforcing the bind.
One shot up and coiled around his neck, tightening viciously.
KRRRCH!
"Ghhh—!" Lioran gasped as his air was cut off. The strip constricted, choking him mercilessly. He clawed at it, his vision blurring. The creature's twisted grin widened, enjoying the sight.
Lioran's mind screamed for oxygen. His Prāṇa flared wildly.
"I… won't… lose… here!"
His eyes flashed gold.
In an instant, several glowing circles formed around him — sigils of compressed Prāṇa, spinning at high velocity.
WHOOM!
"Prāṇa Swift Collarge!"
The circles erupted outward, blasting pure kinetic force in every direction.
The shockwave shattered the bindings, tearing them apart with explosive momentum.
BAAAM!
Lioran dropped to his knees, coughing violently, air flooding back into his lungs.
He looked up through the haze — the Narvan had staggered back, its red eyes wide with shock.
"Not… so easy, huh?" Lioran growled.
He launched forward, golden energy surging around his fists.
BOOOOM! His punch tore through the air, aimed straight for the Narvan's chest.
But the creature reacted — its back tendrils shot into the ground, pulling it sideways.
Lioran's punch struck the wall instead, splintering concrete into dust.
The creature landed on all fours and slammed its palms against the floor.
Instantly, the ground beneath Lioran liquefied — turning into a thick, sucking sludge that dragged at his legs.
"Tch— it's trying to trap me!"
The black mud crawled up his knees. He focused quickly, forming a glowing circle beneath his legs.
"Prāṇa Swift!"
With a burst of energy, he shot upward, leaping free of the muck.
As he rose, he gathered energy into his palm, compressing it into a glowing sphere.
"Take this— Prāṇa Sphere!"
He hurled it down.
THRAAASH!
The sphere struck the Narvan's torso, exploding into a shockwave of golden energy.
The creature screamed — a hideous, guttural roar — as it was blasted backward, crashing through a wall and landing across the chamber.
Lioran landed gracefully, his chest heaving.
He walked toward the wreckage, aura flickering around his arms.
"Your time's over," he said coldly. "Before you hurt anyone else… I'll end you."
The Narvan twitched, fear flickering in its crimson eyes. Then — it turned and bolted, trying to retreat deeper into the ruins.
But before it could escape — a dark mist appeared in its path.
Sharin stepped forward from the shadows, his hands enveloped in black fog that shimmered like smoke laced with light. His voice was low, resolute.
"Going somewhere?"
The Narvan froze, trembling.
Sharin's eyes gleamed. "Here — try this. Phantom Claw!"
He slashed his hand forward.
SHRAAAK!
A massive claw-shaped arc of black energy ripped through the air, striking the Narvan dead-on.
The impact detonated with a thunderous BOOM!, sending the creature flying upward through several floors, smashing through the ceiling until it burst into open air above the complex.
Chunks of debris rained down as the night wind howled through the shattered roof.
Lioran looked up, shielding his eyes. "Nice one, Sharin! You finally learn to fuse your Prāṇa attributes to Prāṇa techniques."
Sharin smirked. "I've been waiting to test that."
High above, the Narvan flailed midair — only to see Aishwarya descending toward it, her right arm glowing bright crimson, wrapped in swirling flames.
Her eyes blazed. "Now it's my turn."
The Narvan screeched, trying to retreat, but it was too late.
"Flame Impact!" she shouted, thrusting her flaming fist downward.
KRAAAASH!
The impact was devastating. Fire burst like a miniature sun, engulfing the Narvan completely.
The explosion ripped through the structure, firelight reflecting off every wall.
Flames raged, and the creature's distorted screams faded into nothing but ash and smoke.
When the smoke cleared, the monster was gone — reduced to burnt residue scattered across the broken floor.
Aishwarya landed beside Lioran, breathing hard, her arm still faintly steaming.
Sharin joined them a moment later, brushing dust off his coat.
Lioran exhaled deeply. "Finally… mission complete."
Aishwarya nodded. "Yeah. That thing was disgusting."
"Now what?" Sharin asked, stretching his shoulders. "Let's get out of this creepy place."
"Yeah," Lioran said.
They turned toward the exit, walking through the wrecked hallway, the flickering lights casting their long shadows behind them.
But as they pushed open the outer door — the world changed.
The wind stopped. The air went dead silent.
The familiar sky of Goa was gone — replaced by a swirling black void that stretched infinitely in every direction.
Lioran froze. "What… the hell is this?"
Aishwarya's voice trembled. "No… it can't be."
Sharin looked around, panic creeping into his tone. "Wait— where are we?"
The ruins around them floated like islands in a sea of darkness. There was no horizon, no ground — only emptiness.
A distant, whispering sound filled the air. Something ancient. Something alive.
Lioran's fists clenched. "This isn't over."
Meanwhile, far away in the Ashram, Mukhi burst into the hall, face pale and eyes wide with fear.
Shourya stood near the meditation circle, sensing the turmoil in the Prāṇa field.
"Mukhi," he said sharply. "What happened? You look terrified."
"Master… we just got a call from Headquarters," Mukhi said, panting.
Shourya turned. "A call? What about?"
Mukhi's voice shook. "It's… bad news. We were given false data."
Shourya's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
Mukhi swallowed hard. "Headquarters was attacked. The entire control room staff is dead. Someone infiltrated the system, killed the researchers — and used their transmission line to send us half information about Narvan."
Shourya's expression hardened. "What…?"
"The Narvan report was forged," Mukhi continued. "There wasn't one Narvan in Goa."
Shourya's tone dropped, deadly calm. "Then how many?"
Mukhi hesitated. "Two."
Shourya's pupils constricted. "Two? No problem, they can handle it."
Mukhi nodded slowly, trembling. "But master, There is something else. The one they fought — Bhool — had a Vargh level of 9,570."
Shourya's voice lowered to a whisper. "And the other?"
Mukhi's lips quivered. "The second one's reading is… 27,573."
Shourya's eyes went wide — the air around him trembling with raw pressure.
"That can't be…" he muttered. "That's… Kroor."
TO BE CONTINUED…