One by one, they made it across the blazing chasm. Vihaan went last, his aura glowing faintly as he sealed the bridge behind them with a flick of his wrist. The stone cracked and crumbled, falling into the molten lava below until nothing remained.
Charvi exhaled deeply, placing a hand over her racing heart. "Finally… we made it."
Gauri let out a little laugh, though her face was still pale. "I thought for a moment we wouldn't."
Yug puffed his chest proudly, trying to brush off his earlier panic. "Well, thanks to me leading the way, we all crossed safely. Admit it—I was the bravest."
Charvi rolled her eyes. "Bravest? You almost fainted at the sight of crows."
"Hey! Those weren't ordinary crows," Yug argued, his voice high-pitched. "They were evil, demonic crows trained by Kamini herself!"
Gauri giggled softly, and even Vihaan's lips curved into the faintest smirk as he said, "Save your excuses, Yug. Let's keep moving."
They stepped deeper into the shadowy forest, the air around them colder now, as though the lava pit had been a threshold to something darker. Every tree looked twisted, their branches clawing toward the sky.
Charvi glanced at Vihaan uneasily. "The cave should be near. I can… feel it calling."
Vihaan nodded firmly. "Good. Then we're close to ending this."
The group moved in silence, their earlier relief fading as the eerie stillness of the forest wrapped around them. The path to Kamini's statue lay ahead—waiting.
The group finally reached the mouth of the cave. Its jagged entrance loomed like the gaping jaw of a beast, but Vihaan raised a hand sharply.
"Stop." His glowing eyes narrowed. A faint shimmer stretched across the cave opening—an invisible wall humming with dark energy. "There's a barrier."
Before anyone could speak, a harsh caw echoed through the forest. A black crow swooped down, its wings beating like whispers of doom, and perched on a rock before them. Its eyes glowed unnaturally red as it spoke in a gravelly voice:
"To enter this cave, you must prove your wisdom. Three riddles you must answer—fail, and the barrier will consume you."
Yug made a face. "Talking birds now? Great. What's next, dancing lizards?"
The crow ignored him, tilting its head. "First riddle: I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"
"An echo," Vihaan said firmly.
The crow cawed, the barrier flickering once. "Correct."
It continued: "Second riddle: The more of me you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"
Gauri smiled softly, her voice steady. "Footsteps."
Again, the barrier shimmered. "Correct."
The crow's eyes gleamed brighter now. "Final riddle: I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?"
Before anyone else could answer, Yug stepped forward with a smug grin. "Easy! A map. Honestly, this is too simple for my genius."
The crow stared at him for a long, tense moment. Yug's grin faltered. "Uh… right? It is a map… isn't it?"
Finally, the crow cawed sharply. "Correct."
The barrier dissolved with a hiss, the shimmer breaking apart like shards of glass. The cave stood open before them, its darkness even more terrifying now that nothing blocked their way.
Yug puffed his chest. "See? I told you. I'm the brains of this operation."
Charvi smirked. "If by brains you mean lucky guesswork, then yes."
Vihaan didn't wait for their banter to continue. He stepped forward, his voice low and determined. "Let's go. Kamini's end begins now."
They fanned out inside the cave, torches flickering against walls that seemed to breathe with shadows. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the air grew.
Gauri's steps carried her into a narrow, winding passage. The silence pressed on her ears until the tunnel widened into a hidden chamber. Her torchlight swept forward—and froze.
There, looming in the darkness, stood an idol.
Her heart lurched. The face carved into the stone was one she could never forget. Kamini.
But it wasn't the Kamini she remembered—cold and cruel, with living eyes that had once tried to take Vihaan away. This was worse. The stone version twisted her beauty into something monstrous. Her hollow eyes seemed alive, her lips curled in a grotesque sneer, as though mocking Gauri for daring to stand there.
Gauri staggered back, bile rising in her throat. She had seen Kamini as a woman—but never like this.
Then the air changed.
The shadows deepened. A suffocating chill poured from the idol, pressing down on her chest. The statue's outline seemed to waver, and before Gauri's horrified gaze, a dark mist seeped out, swirling, coiling until it formed the vague, writhing shape of a spirit.
The vengeful energy struck her like a blow. Her torch nearly slipped from her hand.
"Vihaan!" she tried to shout, but her voice broke into a cry. The force slammed into her, knocking her off balance. The floor gave way beneath her feet.
Her scream echoed through the cavern as she plunged into darkness.
"GAURI!" Vihaan's roar thundered as he, Yug, and Charvi raced into the chamber. Their torches lit the jagged pit where she had vanished.
Then, faintly, her voice drifted up from below: "I'm fine! It's safe down here!"
Without hesitation, Vihaan leapt in, landing hard but steady. Yug and Charvi scrambled after him.
At the bottom, Gauri was pale but unhurt. She pointed to the dirt floor, her hand trembling.
"Look."
A trail of footprints—massive, clawed, unnatural—led deeper into the darkness.
Vihaan's eyes darkened, his jaw set. "Follow the prints."
They pressed on in silence, the echoes of their steps mixing with an ominous drip of unseen water. The path twisted and opened into a vast underground chamber.
Then they saw it.
A stone pedestal, standing tall at the chamber's center. Empty.
The idol of Kamini was gone.
Vihaan's heart seized. His voice cracked with fury and dread as he whispered, "Kamini… she's gone."
The words settled over them like a death sentence. Charvi clutched her torch tighter, Yug swallowed hard, and Gauri felt the chill of true terror crawl down her spine.
Kamini was no longer bound.
She was gone.