Evening Silence
The evening breeze carried the scent of rain as clouds gathered over Dharavanar. Ariv sat on his bed, controller in hand, staring at the glowing game screen without really playing. His body still felt heavy, a strange echo of last night's terror lingering in his veins.
He glanced at the locket hanging around his neck—a gift from his mother that morning.
"She said it was for protection… but from what?" Ariv pushed the thought aside and sank deeper into his game.
The holiday meant no school, no noisy corridors, no endless questions. For now, he was safe. Or so he thought.
---
A Different Path
Across town, Rohit stretched his arms lazily and looked out the window of his room.
"Man, what a boring day…" he muttered. His phone buzzed with the group chat lighting up. Ariv hadn't replied since morning, and Neel and Anaya were clearly in the same lazy mood.
"Whatever," Rohit said to himself. "I'll just grab a drink from the stall and chill for a bit."
He slipped on his slippers and headed out, whistling as he walked down the narrow streets of Dharavanar. The golden sunset bathed the old buildings in warm light. A dog barked somewhere in the distance.
Everything seemed normal. Until it didn't.
---
The Whisper
As Rohit turned the corner near an old tea stall, the air grew unnaturally cold. The plastic bag in his hand rustled violently as a sharp wind swept past.
The street, once familiar, now felt… wrong. Shadows stretched longer than they should. The light from the streetlamp flickered, buzzing like an insect.
Then, a whisper. Soft. Distant.
"…Veil… Breaker…"
Rohit froze mid-step.
"Who's there?" His voice cracked. "Come on, guys… if this is a prank, it's not funny!"
Silence answered. The only sound was the thumping of his own heartbeat.
---
The Darkness Moves
The ground ahead rippled like water. A black puddle bubbled on the cracked asphalt, spreading wider until something rose from it—a shape made of shadow and teeth, its crescent-shaped eyes glowing in the dark.
Rohit stumbled back, dropping his snack packet.
"What… what the hell is that?!"
The creature didn't speak. It hissed, its form twisting into a monstrous wolf-like shape. Tendrils shot out from its body, wrapping around Rohit's legs.
"No! Get off me!" He screamed, pulling desperately—but his voice felt muffled, as if the air itself had swallowed the sound.
---
A Spark in the Dark
In that moment of sheer terror, something ignited inside him. A burning sensation crawled down his arm to his right hand, which suddenly blazed with faint orange light.
Rohit stared in disbelief as a small blade—fragmented and glowing—formed in his grip.
"What… is this?!"
He swung wildly. The glowing fragment sliced through one of the shadowy tendrils, severing it. The Kalarak shrieked in rage, its voice an ear-splitting hiss that clawed at his mind.
The beast lunged, jaws opening wide—
---
The Silent Blade
—And then, a flash.
A single silver arc tore through the night, so fast Rohit barely saw it. The Kalarak froze mid-air before splitting apart like ink in water. In seconds, it was gone, dissolving into black mist.
Rohit collapsed to his knees, chest heaving. His blade flickered, dimming slowly.
That's when he saw him.
A tall figure standing a few steps away, cloaked in shadows. His weapon—a spear glowing faintly with silver aura—dripped with the remnants of darkness. The man's eyes, cold and sharp, locked onto Rohit for a long, silent moment.
He said nothing.
And before Rohit could ask, before he could even breathe out a single word, the figure vanished like smoke in the wind.
The last thing Rohit saw was his own trembling hands clutching the faint glow of the broken blade.
Then, darkness.
---
End Scene
The street fell silent again. The snack packet lay forgotten on the ground as if nothing had happened.
But far beyond mortal eyes, something stirred—something ancient, watching, waiting.
The hunt had only just begun.