The night in Azure Beast Sect was never truly silent.
Even when the disciples had long gone to meditation halls and the mountain lamps had dimmed, the beasts in their cages still whispered to the wind — growls, screeches, and ancient roars that echoed through the stone valleys of Mount Sharang.
In a corner behind the lowest stable, a boy worked alone.
Barefoot, thin, with sleeves torn by hay and claws, Aarav Devendra cleaned the blood-soaked straw with a bamboo rake. His hands were calloused from years of scrubbing, his face shadowed under the flickering oil lamp.
He was a servant — one of the nameless children who fed the beasts of the sect.
No one knew his parents. No one asked. He was just "the orphan boy from Devkund."
But there was something different about him. He never feared the beasts.
While other stable boys trembled near the cages, Aarav's eyes often lingered upon them — with curiosity, almost empathy.
Tonight, the moon hung red — the Kaalratri Moon, a bad omen for beast tamers.
It painted the sky in blood and stirred the beasts' rage.
A deep growl rumbled from the farthest cell — the cage that no servant was allowed to approach.It was sealed with golden runes and chains made of star iron
Inside, a dying creature lay — a black panther with fur that shimmered like moving smoke.
Aarav paused. The air itself vibrated with killing intent.
"That's… the Shadow Panther," he whispered.
The elders said it had devoured its master's soul during battle. They had chained it here to die — slowly, without dignity.
Another roar echoed from nearby cells. The beasts were restless. Aarav felt a pulse beneath his feet — the mountain trembled.
Then — the first seal cracked.
BOOM!
The shockwave threw him against the wall. Hay caught fire. Cages rattled.The beasts screamed in frenzy, breaking their restraints.
Aarav's chest tightened; the scent of blood filled his lungs.
He scrambled up — but the chains on the Shadow Panther shattered like glass. The beast rose, one eye glowing silver, the other black as night.
Aarav froze. It was huge — taller than him even while crouched, every breath releasing waves of darkness.
The creature stumbled forward — wounded, bleeding, barely alive.And yet… its gaze was not wrathful. It was desperate.
Their eyes met.
For a heartbeat, Aarav saw it — not a monster, but a soul drowning in agony.
Then he heard it — not through ears, but directly in his mind:
"Child of shadow… release me."
His heart pounded.He didn't understand how, but something inside him stirred — a whisper, ancient and cold, that had slept in his blood for years.
"Do not fear the dark, Aarav… for it is part of you."
The panther roared — collapsing. Blood poured from its chest. It was dying.
Without thinking, Aarav crawled closer. He placed his trembling hand on its fur — and a surge of Prana burst between them.
A silver light spiraled upward, forming an ancient mark in the air — a Soul Contract Seal.
Aarav gasped. His eyes burned. He saw visions — endless jungles, the moon bleeding, the Ashura Beast towering in the void.The mark branded itself on his right hand — a crescent with three fangs.
The beast's body dissolved into mist, flowing into his chest.
When it ended, the stable was silent.All cages lay broken, but every beast now bowed — whimpering — toward him.
Aarav knelt in shock, breath uneven.He could feel it — inside his mind, the panther's soul flickered like a black flame.
"I am Kaalindra," the voice whispered. "You have freed me. Our souls are now one."
Aarav stared at his hand, trembling. "What… what am I?"
Before he could think further, footsteps echoed from outside — harsh, hurried.
"Get him!" someone shouted. "Seal the stable! The Shadow Beast is loose!"
The sect's outer disciples burst through the door, spears glowing with flame talismans. Their leader — Ravian Naagendra, a young noble with serpent eyes — pointed directly at Aarav.
"You! What did you do, servant?!"
Aarav looked down — the hay around him was burning with black fire, not red.His Prana was leaking uncontrollably — an aura not of a mortal boy, but of something ancient and demonic.
"I—I didn't—" he stammered.
But Ravian sneered. "He's possessed! Kill him before the darkness spreads!"
The disciples charged.
Aarav's pulse spiked. Kaalindra's voice echoed again in his mind.
"Call my name, and I shall lend you my claws."
He closed his eyes — and whispered, "Kaalindra."
A shadow burst from his body — a phantom panther, roaring with silver fangs.The room shook. The disciples' flames died instantly.
Ravian stumbled back, eyes wide.
"What… what is this power?!"
Aarav's vision blurred. He barely understood what was happening.The shadow lunged, slashing across Ravian's chest — not deep enough to kill, but enough to send him flying through the wall.
When the dust settled, the stable was destroyed.
Aarav collapsed to his knees, gasping. The phantom faded back into his soul.
All around him, beasts lay unconscious — cowed by his presence.
Then, something glimmered beneath the ashes — half-buried near the collapsed altar.A dagger, crimson as dried blood, with runes pulsing faintly.
Drawn by instinct, Aarav reached for it.
The moment his fingers touched the hilt, agony shot through his veins.Flashes of fire. Screams. A man with eyes of lightning wielding that very dagger against the heavens.Then a voice — deep, wrathful, ancient:
"I am Rudran — slayer of gods. You are my new vessel."
The dagger flared with light, marking Aarav's left arm with scarlet veins.Wind exploded outward, scattering ashes into the air.
Outside, Ravian's men looked up in terror as crimson light pierced the night sky.
Within that light, the boy stood — hair wild, eyes glowing gold and black.The dagger vibrated in his hand, as if alive.
Aarav stared at it, dazed. "A… treasure?"
Kaalindra's voice growled softly in his mind.
"A Ratna. A divine relic. Be careful, Aarav… such power always demands a price."
The flames began to die, leaving only silence and the faint smell of iron.The sect bells rang in alarm — clang, clang, clang — as elders awakened.Aarav looked toward the mountain gate. He could already see torches descending.
He clutched the dagger and whispered, "If I stay… I'll die."
Kaalindra's spirit murmured, "Then run, Shadow Child."
And so he did.
He ran barefoot through the burning courtyards, past shattered cages and fallen disciples.Behind him, the elders' voices roared:
"Find the boy! The cursed child has stolen the Shadow Beast's soul!""And a Ratna too! He cannot be allowed to live!"
Lightning cracked across the mountain.Rain fell, mingling with the blood and ash.
By dawn, Aarav Devendra had vanished into the wilderness — carrying within him the soul of a beast and the wrath of a god.