Just like that, Guru Anita vanished into the dense forest beyond the Nursery. Her cloak disappeared into the mist, and what followed wasn't peace—but silence. A silence louder than any scream.
A few students exchanged glances. Some whispered nervously about the howl that had shaken the leaves minutes earlier—that beastly, guttural cry that made even the air feel heavier.
"H-Hey... Guru will be f‑f‑fine, r‑ri‑right?" Lakshmika's voice trembled. She tried to sound hopeful, but she was barely fourteen. That howl would've rattled anyone.
"She'll be okay," Varun said, though the words died halfway in his throat. He looked more uncertain than ever.
"She will be fine. Don't worry... I know my teacher better than anyone," Ananya said, forcing a smile. But her lips were too tight. Her hands were clenched behind her back. That wasn't a reassuring smile. It was a mask.
"I'll go check on her," she said finally, glancing back. "Stay here. Don't move."
She sprinted into the woods before anyone could stop her.
A grumbling voice rose from the side, venomous and smug. "Tch. Some Guru she is. If she needs help from an assistant just to calm a beast, how's she supposed to teach nobles like us? She should just die already."
I didn't react at first. I turned—only to see Lakshmika.
Her fists were clenched. Her whole body trembling. And the fire in her eyes—I'd never seen her like that.
She was going to murder that guy.
So I stepped in first.
"Ohh, Coming for a fight are you. If your pride's really that high," he said, striding forward, "why don't you go into the forest and check on her? Or are you just another coward hiding behind your crest?"
"You're a disgrace to the Kshatriya name," he continued, his voice rising. "You insult not just your Guru, but the legacy of every warrior who walked before us."
My pulse surged. My ancestors' blood felt like fire in my veins. This wasn't just about Guru Anita. It was about honor.
I took off into the woods without waiting for a response.
Behind me, I heard the familiar pounding of footsteps.
"How dare you leave us behind?" Varun shouted.
"He knew we'd follow you!" Lakshmika snapped.
I smiled. "Sorry."
The Nursery faded behind us. The deeper we went, the darker the woods became. Even the birds seemed to hold their breath.
And then… we found it.
A wide clearing. Mucus covered the ground like slimy carpet. The trees were twisted unnaturally, as if forced to grow in pain.
At the center stood Guru Anita and Ananya—facing a… creature.
I don't even know how to describe it.
It was a massive beast, its body a shifting mass of green translucent slime, half-formed into something monstrous. Tentacles made of gel. Eyes that blinked and reformed. It wasn't a wolf or a tiger—it was something unnatural.
"What the hell are you three doing here?!" Guru Anita barked.
Her voice cracked like thunder—equal parts furious and protective.
"They must've followed me. It's my fault," Ananya said immediately, stepping forward.
Before anyone could reply, a mocking laugh rang from behind.
"How foolish," said a voice I recognized too well. "How beautifully foolish of you all."
We turned.
It was him. The same boy who had spat on Anita's name moments ago.
But he… he was changing.
His skin bubbled. His eyes darkened. His limbs stretched. His form shifted from that of a scrawny teenager to a towering man—muscles rippling, eyes glowing red, fangs showing through a crooked grin.
"I've been playing this role too long," he sneered. "But now that the healer's busy... I think I'll end the story here."
My hand went to Vajra instinctively.
"Ah ah," he wagged his finger. "That sword may have worked against a lesser asura—but not me."
"Who are you?" Lakshmika demanded. "Why target our Guru?"
The man's face twisted into a grin. "I'm not here for her. Nor for you, princess. I came for him." He pointed directly at me.
"Are you here to avenge the one I killed?" I asked, hands trembling.
"'Friend?'" he mocked. "That thing you slew by chance was a Nameless. I—I am a Beast Asura. We do not befriend insects."
Nameless… Lesser… Beast Asura… Was there a caste system among Asuras too?
My thoughts blurred.
He raised a hand. "Time to return home, boy."
"Home?" I began—but the word never reached my ears.
I blinked.
The world had gone… silent.
I opened my mouth.
Nothing.
I clapped my hands near my ears. No sound.
No wind. No footsteps. No breath. Nothing.
Panic surged. I tried to scream but heard nothing. My heart pounded, but only in my chest—not in my ears.
I was… I was deaf.
"Wh-what have you done to me?" I mouthed. But the Asura's lips moved and I couldn't hear a word. A curse. It wasn't a wound.
It was a curse of silence.
Was this it? My journey over before it began?
I reached for Vajra—but I couldn't feel its hum. No divine buzz. No spark. Just… emptiness.
Then—
A flash.
The Asura lurched forward—but something collided with him from behind with terrifying force.
A figure tackled him, dragged him like a ragdoll across the mucus-covered clearing, and slammed him into a tree.
Dust erupted.
The attacker's silhouette stood firm.
Cloak fluttering. Aura blazing.
He muttered something I couldn't hear—but I could read his lips:
"Not on my watch."