The obsidian arena pulsed with residual heat, the air still thick with sulfur and the acrid tang of charred earth. Sindhu's arms trembled; his Prāṇna-barrier flickered like a dying candle against Jwala's barrage of fireball punches. Each impact sent shockwaves through his bones, the flames licking at his skin, singeing his tunic and drawing beads of sweat that evaporated in the inferno. He was on the ropes—literally backed against a jagged wall of cooled magma, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.
Jwala loomed over him, his glowing skin casting an ominous orange hue across the battlefield. A sneer twisted his lips, amber eyes gleaming with predatory delight. "Pathetic, Kaveri rat," His grin cracked wider. "Is this the best your bloodline can manage? Dodging like a scared pup. Stop dancing! Come on—make it worth my time before I end you, river-tadpole."
Sindhu gritted his teeth, sweat stinging his eyes. He wanted to retort, to flash that cocky grin, but the words stuck in his throat. Another punch rocketed toward him—a massive fireball the size of a boulder, trailing embers like a comet's tail. This one was it; he could feel the lethal intent, the Prāṇna infused so deeply it warped the air around it. Death stared him down, and in that split second, Sindhu's mind screamed, just one thought: "arrogant bastard."
But before the fireball could connect, a streak of yellow light sliced through the chaos. Vayu's fragment sword shattered the projectile into harmless shards of flame that rained down like dying fireworks. The force of the interception sent a gust whipping through the arena, scattering ash and cooling the air just enough for Sindhu to suck in a desperate breath.
Jwala whipped around, his face contorting in fury. Flames erupted from his fists, his body temperature spiking so high that the ground beneath him began to soften. "You again?" he snarled, veins bulging like rivers of lava under his skin. But beneath the rage, a twisted smile crept up—exhilaration, the thrill of a real challenge. "Excellent. Two flies to swat instead of one. I'll crush your wind tricks and squash that wet-pants—one clean sweep!"
Vayu stood there, unperturbed, his golden sword humming softly in his grip. He didn't even glance at Jwala fully; his eyes scanning the surroundings with the calm precision of a predator assessing its territory. The forest beyond the arena's edge whispered secrets in the wind—twisted roots, shadowed underbrush, the faint crackle of something unnatural stirring.
Jwala's patience snapped. He lunged forward with a haymaker punch, his fist enveloped in a roaring inferno, aimed straight at Vayu's chest. The attack was brutal, fast enough to blur the air—but Vayu sidestepped it effortlessly, his gaze still fixed on the distant gloom, not even acknowledging the near-miss. The punch cratered the ground where he'd stood, sending up a plume of molten rock.
A shockwave of embarrassment and raw anger surged through Jwala, his face flushing deeper than his flames. "What the fuck—?" he bellowed, his voice echoing off the obsidian walls. "Enough!"
Vayu finally turned his head slightly, his expression as serene as a still pond. "It's not done yet," he said calmly, his voice cutting through the tension like a cool breeze.
The words hung in the air, pulling everyone into a momentary dilemma. Sindhu blinked, still catching his breath, his mind racing to piece together the fractured scene.
"What? The demon's down—it's gotta be. We shattered it... right?"
Vayu raised his sword, pointing toward two flickering pyres of molten residue—glowing orbs of chaotic energy, remnants of the Rakshasa's core, hovering like malevolent eyes in the dim light. "Those," he explained, his tone measured and analytical. "The demon's essence split. Destroy both, or it reforms stronger. It could draw on our Prāṇna, turn the tide against us."
Jwala paused mid-snarl, his flames flickering uncertainly, suspicion narrowing his eyes."It does not matter, first I will deal with you, then I will mind taking down the asur."
Sindhu's thought flickered: "Guess thinking's not his strong suit."
He sighed inwardly. "Bull mind. Definitely."
But Vayu, without another word, lunged forward, his form a blur of graceful motion as he closed on the pyres. But the orbs reacted—sentient, evasive. They split apart, one darting left toward the shadowed forest, the other veering right into a tangle of jagged rocks.
Jwala, ever the hothead, zeroed in on the leftward pyre. He charged with a guttural roar, winding up a punch that could level a tree. "Got you, you slippery bastard!" But the pyre dodged at the last second, weaving through the air like smoke on the wind, vanishing into the dark undergrowth. Jwala's fist slammed into empty space, exploding a cluster of roots into splinters. "Damn it! Get back here!" he shouted, rage fueling his pursuit as he crashed into the forest after it, branches snapping under his furious advance.
Vayu, meanwhile, analyzed the other pyre's path in an instant—its erratic zigzags, the way it hugged the terrain to evade. He didn't hesitate; with a burst of wind-enhanced speed, he shot off in pursuit, his sword trailing golden afterimages as he vanished into the opposite gloom.
Sindhu stood alone, a statue in the sudden silence. The adrenaline that had been screaming through his veins moments before now abandoned him, leaving behind a hollow, cold feeling. His heart pounding.
"What just happened? One minute I'm about to die, the next everyone's chasing demon bits? And the bull hothead... yeah, no way I'm following that psycho."
Sense kicked in like a slap. Maintaining a healthy distance from Jwala's direction—because, let's face it, that guy would probably punch him just for existing—Sindhu bolted after Vayu instead. "Hey! Wind boy!" he yelled, legs pumping as he dodged debris. "Don't leave me here alone! What if it comes back? Come on—teamwork!"
The forest swallowed him whole, the chase deepening into the unknown. But hey, at least Sindhu was alive to complain about it. For now.