As the mask slipped away, his features caught the light—sharp yet graceful, radiant like dawn.
"Woah…" he whispered, breathless. "This… unbelievably beautiful."
His eyes were addicted—drowned in those blue flickering flames, so intoxicating they felt like wine, pulling him into a hypnotic trance.
"These eyes," he murmured low, "like blue fire blooming… scattering sparks of light."
"So this… is what it means to forget how to breathe."
Every word spilled from his lips like a sinful prayer, whispering against the silence, and still he couldn't stop staring.
Irritated and surprised, Agnira pulled a blade star and hurled it at him.
Slas…
With a graceful tilt of his neck, he dodged effortlessly, movements fluid, almost teasing.
"What a shot!"
Agnira frowned, irritation sparking.
"Do you have a death wish?" she hissed, drawing her sword and pressing its edge against him.
But instead of fear, a dark smile curved on his lips. His eyes never left hers.
He leaned closer, letting the steel graze his skin, and whispered, voice heavy with obsession:
"If the Angel of Death was this breathtaking, then Ayush had no intention of choosing life."
She raised her sword with icy calm.
"Then strike."
But before the blade could fall, Ayush's voice cut through the tension, smooth yet chilling:
"Before you kill me… this half-slain body still craves one answer—how could the daughter of a dragon… be caught by something as ordinary as fire?"
A sinister smile curled on his lips, though unease flickered in his eyes.
"Shut your nonsense," Agnira hissed, raising the sword to strike.
Just as her weapon cut through the air, a sharp whistle from the Tribe Leader pierced the silence.
Her body froze, recognizing it.
("Tribe Mother… I must leave before anyone else sees me like this.")
She twisted her wrist, forcing the blade into the wood instead—an explosive slash splintering the branch.
Ayush did not flinch. His gaze remained locked on her, fearless.
Agnira leapt away, sword flashing as she turned toward the whistle's call.
Behind her, Ayush's voice followed, heavy with obsession:
"Walking away after piercing my heart?"
Without looking back, she answered, sharp as steel:
"Consider this… the price of throwing me out."
[Flashback – A Few Moments Earlier]
When the flames raged from every direction, Agnira was struck by shock, trapped in memories of her painful past. She could neither move nor think—only the weight of grief and suffering held her still.
Amid the chaos, whispers rippled through the crowd, while her friend, General Bijli, desperately tried to extinguish the fire with her powers.
From across the blaze, Ayush stood watching. With a faint smile, he twirled the beautiful brush in his hand, summoning a shield of fire around himself. Stepping through the inferno, he emerged on the other side.
He swept the brush again, painting a vivid red ribbon. At his command, it sprang to life, wrapping around Agnira, pulling her into his arms. She was already unconscious.
"Sleeping beauty…" he murmured with a tender smile, holding her close.
With one arm cradling her and the other still gripping his brush, he spun it once more—painting a perfect illusion of Agnira in her place. The false figure stood, unmoving, while Ayush vanished into the flames, carrying her away.
Through the jungle and along deserted alleys, Tribe Leader Mohini moved swiftly, her form fully covered, blowing her whistle like a bird's call in search of Agnira. Like the others, worry consumed her—where had the girl vanished?
Her inner thoughts churned:
("Vishtara is already here… If she had seen Agnira in that state, years of effort would have gone to waste. But how did Agnira disappear in the middle of the fire? Agnira, you must keep yourself safe… you are the future of Drishmaya.")
Her searching eyes lifted upward, whistle echoing into the night.
Then—she saw her. Agnira, standing near the mouth of a lonely alley, blue eyes still faintly flickering.
Without hesitation, Mohini rushed down. Seeing her, she released a long breath of relief and draped her cloak over Agnira, hiding her face and hair.
"Tribe Mother…" Agnira's voice trembled.
"Stay calm," Mohini whispered firmly. "We must leave here at once."
Guiding her swiftly, she brought Agnira back to the inn. Soon, both were safely in the Tribe Leader's private chamber.
After calming her, the Tribe Mother's voice grew firm:
"Tell me, how exactly did you get out of there… and that illusion—did someone help you?"
Agnira's mind raced.
(If I tell her that boy saved me… then perhaps I'll be forced to leave. And this place—this place holds the truth about my past and my powers.)
She answered carefully:
"I… I don't know how. These powers—you already know—I still can't control them. Whatever happened… maybe it was a miracle of my powers."
" Look at me—I stand before you, safe and unharmed."
The Tribe Mother's eyes softened, but her tone held weight:
"No matter how brave or composed you pretend to be, inside you're still the girl who fears the fire of fourteen years ago—the fire that devoured your mother. "
"Yet despite that fear, today you stepped into the flames… to save those children."
Agnira's eyes turned cold.
"I don't do favors without reason. I only repaid a small debt owed to those children. "
"As for fourteen years ago… Agnira has never cared for anyone but herself."
Her thoughts whispered sharply:
(I cannot trust anyone here. You knew long ago that I was not raised as some ordinary child. For fourteen years something has been hidden from me… and I will uncover it.)
The Tribe Mother drew a long breath.
"Your mother… she was not from the Swarjan Tribe. After losing her husband, grief consumed her. When she came here to give birth to you, I took her in and made her one of us. From the moment you were born, she began to heal. "
"You were her light, her only joy. All she cared for was your happiness—how to stop your tears. "
"And yet… how can a child grow without tears? She was foolishly tender… yet an unmatchably loving mother."
Agnira's voice was cold, unflinching:
"Why are you telling me this now… after all these years? And why only half of it?"
Tribe Mother's eyes hardened as she said firmly:
"You've been special since childhood, Agnira."
Agnira's gaze turned cold, her voice sharp as steel.
"Special? Tell me—Who is my father?"
" Or are you still going to deny me the truth? These powers… whose blood do they really come from?"
" Or will you keep hiding behind excuses, pretending you know nothing about them? "
"Tell me, did you not awaken these powers yourself?"
The Tribe Mother let out a low laugh, almost unsettling.
"You're right. For fourteen years, I have waited for this very moment. The moment the seal upon you could finally be broken. "
"Your arrival at the Vanrakshak Kingdom… the sound that shook the sea… and that dance under the blazing rhythm—none of it was coincidence. "
"It was the destined place and time, where the powers of Jalnandan and Vanrakshak spiritual gates fused with rhythm and melody. "
"And those very forces shattered your seal."
Agnira's fists clenched. Her voice trembled with both defiance and desperation:
"You truly planned all thing very well."
The Tribe Mother's tone grew heavy, carrying both warning and challenge:
"If you truly wish to hear the truth of who you are, then prove yourself worthy of it."
" Tomorrow, after the first day of the Royal Ceremony, you will secretly depart for Nilgiri."
"Your destined master—has been waiting for you."
Agnira's eyes narrowed, suspicion lacing her words:
"Who exactly are you trying to protect me from?"
The Tribe Mother's voice dropped into a whisper, laced with urgency:
"Vishtara."
" You guessed correctly. The Queen of Agniyata… and your greatest enemy."
" She has already sensed your powers. For your protection - you slip away from here to Nilgiri."
While on the other side… in the royal palace, inside the guest chamber—
Dove, dressed in the royal soldier's uniform, knelt on her knees before Vishtara.
Vishtara's voice dripped with venom.
"You couldn't even handle three children before… and now you've lost a rare jewel ."
Dove trembled, lowering her head, her voice breaking in fear.
"Mercy, Your highness… mercy… "
"I will end Prince Shaurya and Clan Princess Inara before the ceremony begins!"
Vishtara's lips curved into a cruel smile. With nothing more than the tip of her finger, she unleashed a searing flame that lashed across Dove's skin, scorching her.
"Since when did your mind dare to walk ahead of your queen? "
"They will die during the ceremony itself. As for you… you will keep your eyes fixed directly on the crown prince. Fail me again, and you won't live to regret it."
"Get Out!"
The wounded dove trembled and immediately pulled itself together before walking out of there , as Vishtara turned away.
Her eyes blazed crimson with fire. She raised her hand and twisted her finger toward a silver pot near the mirror—the metal melted instantly, dripping into liquid under her sheer power.
"So… the dragon has finally left behind its fragment," she whispered, laughter rising in her throat.
"But no one can come between Vishtara and her dream. I am the most powerful soul in Drishmaya—only me!"
" And very soon… your child will be sent back to you. "
Her laughter filled the chamber, victorious, terrifying—an omen of the inferno to come.
On the other side, Agnira waited through another long, dark night, her eyes tracing the distant stars. Her Memories crossed her mind of the Ayush words surfaced, piercing her thoughts:
"Could what he said be true… am I really the daughter of a dragon?"
"But, In Drishmaya dragons vanish centuries ago?"
The weight of that truth pressed heavily on her—on one hand, a stubborn will and endless struggle, a sorrow sharpened like a weapon; on the other, power, betrayal, and schemes—every secret laid bare like a sword raised for war.
The night was quiet, but tension lingered, heavy as steel. Every flicker of starlight seemed to whisper of battles fought, waiting to be revealed his New Hero.
To be continued.....