The air was thick with tension as Yug's body continued to reform, his limbs jerking with unnatural speed and precision. The black veins pulsed beneath his skin, and his once-broken form seemed to breathe with an eerie, rhythmic life. The white eye glowed in the dim light, a piercing beacon that made the Echo Hunters uneasy.
A murmur spread through the ranks. Some whispered prayers. Others raised weapons, hands trembling. The dark transformation was too much to ignore.
"He's been corrupted," one of the Echo Hunters said, voice shaking. "That's the Brahmarakshas's echo inside him. His body—it's tainted. It's no longer human."
Another hunter stepped forward, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "We should kill him. Before it spreads, before he becomes a new weapon for that creature."
A chorus of agreement echoed through the group. They had fought the Brahmarakshas and seen its malevolent power firsthand. The thought of such corruption in their midst was intolerable.
The leader of the Echo Hunters, Ghanashyam, stood stoically in the center, his gaze unwavering as he watched Yug's body reassemble. The murmurs around him grew louder, but he remained calm, his posture unyielding.
A younger hunter, eager for action, drew his blade, moving swiftly toward Yug's prone form.
"Stop," Ghanashyam commanded, his voice like thunder, sharp and authoritative.
The Echo Hunter hesitated, his eyes flickering to Ghanashyam for the slightest sign of doubt, but Ghanashyam's gaze was unwavering.
"He may be tainted, but there's something else here. Something... strange," Ghanashyam said. "I can feel it in the air. The Echo is not the same. This boy... he isn't just a victim of the Brahmarakshas. Something else is at work inside him."
The hunter with the raised blade looked around, confused, and then slowly lowered his weapon. A sense of doubt settled over the group, but there was still fear in their eyes. The scent of death lingered in the air, and the cries of the damned still echoed from the burning ruins.
"What do you suggest, Ghanashyam?" one of the senior hunters asked, his tone laced with unease.
"We were sent here to eradicate the Asuras," Ghanashyam said, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at the horizon. "And the head of the Echo Hunter Corps gave us clear orders: Kill the Asuras, rescue any survivors, and investigate the strange occurrences in this village. This attack—this was predicted. A group of powerful demons, possibly tied to the Brahmarakshas, would invade. This village was always marked for destruction."
The hunters fell silent, the weight of Ghanashyam's words hanging in the air. Slowly, they all nodded in agreement.
Ghanashyam's voice grew colder. "Our duty is to rescue the living. We will not kill Yug. Not yet. We need him alive for now. There's something important about him, and we must uncover it. His fate... will be decided after we complete our mission."
The hunters reluctantly agreed, though some exchanged wary glances. They understood the necessity of their mission, but the sight of Yug's body reforming was something they could not ignore.
"Prepare the horses," Ghanashyam ordered. "We will take Yug and Sarla with us. We ride to the heart of this village, and we do it quickly. No more hesitation."
The Echo Hunters moved swiftly, lifting Sarla's lifeless form onto one of the horses, wrapping her in protective wards. Another hunter mounted his horse and helped secure Yug's body, still shuddering as it reformed, onto a second steed.
With the horses ready and the group gathered, Ghanashyam led the charge. They rode out of the village, the once peaceful surroundings now shattered and broken, a bleak testament to the destruction the Brahmarakshas and its kin had wrought.
As they rode deeper into the ruined village, the sight of the destruction struck them with full force. The houses lay in ruins, gutted by fire and the chaotic rage of the Asuras. Demonic figures, grotesque and twisted, crawled through the streets like roaches, their bodies marked by the same corruption that lingered in Yug's shattered form.
Ghanashyam's face darkened. "This village was always a target," he muttered. "We were hunting the Brahmarakshas and its echoes, but it seems it had other plans. It wasn't just the Brahmarakshas. A whole group of demons attacked, and now the Asuras are claiming this place."
As they moved further, more Asuras emerged from the shadows, their twisted forms a grotesque reflection of the evil that had destroyed this once-peaceful land. Their eyes glowed with malice, and their voices were like the scraping of bones on stone.
Ghanashyam raised his hand, signaling his hunters to hold fast. "Prepare yourselves. These are no ordinary Asuras. These demons are connected to the Brahmarakshas in ways we can't yet understand. Stay sharp. We must cleanse this place before it becomes a breeding ground for more of their kind."
The Echo Hunters gripped their weapons, their eyes sharp and focused. But as they ventured deeper into the heart of the village, they knew that the real battle was only just beginning. And the true nature of the horrors they faced would soon reveal itself.
Ghanashyam's mind raced. He knew that what they were witnessing here was not just a battle between Echo Hunters and demons. It was something far more sinister—a far-reaching web of darkness that tied Yug, the Brahmarakshas, and the Asuras together in ways they could not yet understand.
And all of it... was centered around this boy. The boy who had been torn apart by the Brahmarakshas, only to be rebuilt by a force far darker than any of them had ever known.
This was just the beginning. Under Ghanashyam's sharp command, the Echo Hunters began to fall into their formation with military precision. They had only moments to prepare as the surrounding darkness grew heavier, the weight of the village's destruction pressing against them. There was no time to waste.
Ghanashyam stood at the center of the formation, his gaze sweeping over the 17 Echo Hunters. His voice was calm but laden with authority, cutting through the tension in the air.
"Listen up!" Ghanashyam's voice echoed, sharp and commanding. "We move in three units—each circle will serve a purpose. The outermost perimeter will be our attackers. These are the warriors who will push forward, taking down any threats. But remember, we do not fight for glory. We fight for survival. Keep your wits about you. The attackers will lead the way. Those of you assigned to the defensive line will form the middle ring, and I want you to protect both the attackers and our healers. Last, but not least, the healers—stay close to the center. You are our lifeline. Without you, we're nothing. Your priority is to keep both the boy and his mother alive. The boy is our key to understanding this whole mess. His survival is critical."
Yug, still battered and broken, was placed securely at the heart of the formation. Sarla, barely alive, was draped over the shoulders of another Echo Hunter. The healers moved quickly to ensure her stability, binding her injuries with their sacred wards and trying to restore any life left in her frail body.
"We move as one," Ghanashyam continued, his gaze unwavering. "No one breaks rank, no one falters. If we are attacked, we fall back and regroup. Our priority is the safe return to the headquarters. If we cannot get there, if we cannot protect them, we will all die here."
He paused, his sharp eyes flicking back to Yug. "This boy—there's something... unnatural about his survival. We cannot ignore this. He's important, not just for what he knows, but for what he might become. We have to keep him alive, no matter the cost."
The group fell silent, acknowledging the weight of Ghanashyam's words. They all knew that the very fate of their mission rested on Yug's survival. But beneath that, they could sense something darker. Something far more dangerous than just the threat of Asuras or the monsters that lurked in the shadows.
The order was given. With synchronized precision, the group mounted their horses, and the formation moved.
The outer ring of attackers formed the first wave, scanning the village ruins ahead with sharpened senses. The middle ring, the defensive unit, flanked them tightly, covering every side. The healers, with their delicate wards and healing implements, were tucked safely in the very center. Ghanashyam, as the leader, kept close to Yug, constantly watching over the boy's condition, his instincts alert to any shifts in the atmosphere.
The riders moved through the crumbled remnants of the village, horses steady and silent against the cold wind. The destroyed village loomed before them, as eerie as a nightmare.
Ghanashyam's expression darkened as they crossed the threshold. This place—this graveyard—held far too much destruction for any regular Asura raid. The violence was swift, calculated, and brutal. The village had been leveled with unnatural speed, signs of something much darker at work.
And there, moving among the wreckage, were the Asuras. They crawled like insects, their bodies warped in grotesque shapes, some with multiple limbs, others with twisted features. They crawled over the bodies of the fallen villagers, feeding off their remains. The very air was thick with the stench of death.
"They've already begun," Ghanashyam muttered, his hand tightening on the reins. "It's not just any Asura group. It's a coordinated strike. The Asuras are evolving, and we are their target."
He turned to the Echo Hunters, giving them a final look. "Stay sharp. Form your rings. We need to clear a path through this and reach headquarters. The boy's life is non-negotiable. We make it out, or we die trying."
With that, the Echo Hunters moved into position, the first wave of attackers charging ahead with furious determination. The middle ring formed a solid barrier, protecting both Yug and Sarla from any potential harm. The healers remained at the center, ready to tend to the wounded and preserve their most precious cargo.
As the Echo Hunters moved, the ground trembled beneath them. The air was thick with the tension of a coming storm. The Asuras sensed the intruders, and the silence of the ruined village shattered as the first of the twisted demons rushed toward them.
A brutal clash was imminent.
The battle for survival had begun.