**Setting: The village**
Agni fetched water from nearby houses and poured it over Neer, who stirred awake. Agni supported him, offering water and embracing him.
**Agni:**
"Are you okay, Neer?"
**Neer:**
"Yes… I'm fine. What happened to me? How did we get here? The Brahmarakshas… is it gone?"
**Agni:**
"Yes, Neer, it's over."
**Neer:**
"Did you destroy it?"
**Agni:**
"Yes. When you fainted saving me, Gurudev sent a message. It wasn't an ordinary demon—only the Narayana Kavach could free it. I chanted it, and it was liberated."
**Neer:**
"So Gurudev helped you defeat it?"
**Agni:**
"Yes. Now stop talking and rest. You used all your spiritual energy to save me, which is why you collapsed."
**Neer (surprised):**
"How do you know I used all my energy? You were unconscious."
**Agni:**
"Gurudev told me."
**Neer (averting his eyes):**
"It's not like that, Agni. We were together—it was my duty to save you. I used my energy to defeat the Brahmarakshas, not just to save you."
**Agni (smiling):**
"Alright, I understand. Now rest."
**Neer:**
"Fine… I can't win against you anyway."
**Agni:**
"What did you say?"
**Neer:**
"Nothing."
**Agni:**
"Rest. I'll arrange food."
Agni brought food from a village house, and they ate together. Days passed as they recovered in the village, regaining their spiritual powers. The village felt eerie, as if hiding a secret. When they questioned the villagers, no one spoke, as if concealing something.
One day, they reached a dilapidated hut where an old man lived.
**Neer:**
"Greetings, Baba."
**Old Man (gruffly):**
"Who are you two? You don't belong to this village. Where are you from? What do you want?"
**Neer:**
"We come from a distant gurukul, Baba. We're on a mission, but this village feels strange, as if hiding a secret."
**Old Man (sternly):**
"There's nothing strange here. Move on to your destination. You'll find nothing here."
**Neer:**
"Please, Baba, my friend Agni is thirsty. Could you give us some water?"
**Old Man:**
"Fine, come inside."
As they entered, a burning piece of wood nearly fell on the old man. Neer swiftly caught it and threw it outside.
**Old Man (terrified):**
"He… he's here… No one can escape him… Leave, or prepare for death!"
**Agni:**
"Who's here, Baba? Who are you talking about?"
**Old Man (trembling):**
"The Betal!"
**Neer:**
"Betal?"
**Old Man:**
"Yes, the Betal. Every new moon, it comes to the village and claims a life."
**Neer:**
"So that's why fear lingers here…"
**Agni:**
"How can we fight it, Baba? How can we save the village? Who is this Betal?"
**Old Man:**
"It lives on the oldest banyan tree, with a blue body, blood-red eyes, a crown, a garland, and sharp fangs. It hangs upside down. Anyone who approaches that tree never returns."
**Neer:**
"Who is this Betal? How did it become a Betal? How can it be freed?"
**Old Man:**
"When a deep desire remains unfulfilled, or someone is betrayed in love, trust, or cursed, their soul wanders as a Betal until it's freed or its desire is fulfilled."
**Neer:**
"Do you know more about this Betal?"
**Old Man:**
"Yes, it's a 500-year-old tale, passed down from my father and his father."
The old man's voice dropped to a terrifying gravity, his eyes reflecting a fear centuries old.
"This Betal... is no ordinary spirit. He was a great warrior who, five hundred years ago, tasted betrayal in this very village... by the hand of his closest person."
His gaze shifted between Agni and Neer, an unspoken dread in his eyes.
"The legend says... whenever two such warriors enter this village, bound by a deep bond... the Betal's spirit grows most agitated. He tests them... and claims one of them as his prey."
As his words hung in the air, a powerful thud struck the door. The very piece of wood Neer had thrown outside came flying back in... now freshly stained with blood.