Prithvi barely had time to breathe before the alpha lunged again, its eyes blazing red with fury. The air seemed to vibrate with its snarls, its claws tearing at roots and earth as it closed in. Every instinct screamed to run, but his back throbbed where the sun-mark pulsed, and his energy was drained from the fight with the younger wolves.
He twisted his hands, sending spinning whips of water toward the beast, but the alpha dodged effortlessly, its movements fast, precise, and terrifying. Every strike from Prithvi barely grazed it.
From the corner of his vision, he saw his father step fully into the clearing. The swords gleamed, catching the sunlight in deadly flashes. With a grace that seemed almost unreal, he intercepted the alpha mid-lunge, steel clashing with claws. Sparks flew as sword met beast, and the forest echoed with a roar that shook the leaves.
Prithvi's heart pounded. His father moved with the precision of a master swordsman, dodging, parrying, and striking with lethal force. Each movement was a lesson in deadly efficiency — the wolf lunged, only to stagger from a strike across its flank; it snapped at the air, only to be met with a spinning blade.
But the alpha was relentless. Fangs snapped, claws slashed, and Prithvi felt the terror of helplessness wash over him. He tried again to summon water, but fatigue weighed him down. The spinning torrents felt sluggish in his hands, his vision blurred, and the forest seemed to sway around him.
"Prithvi!" his father's voice cut through the chaos. "Stay back! Watch and learn!"
Prithvi stumbled, muscles trembling. He could only watch as his father danced around the beast, dodging a lunge, spinning to deliver a precise strike to the alpha's shoulder. The wolf roared, enraged and in pain, but its fury was no match for the masterful strikes of the swordsman.
Time became a blur. The sounds of claws and steel, roars and water magic, collided in an endless storm. Prithvi's knees buckled. His hands dropped, and the spinning water dissolved into mist. The last thing he saw was the alpha rearing, preparing to strike — and his father's swords flashing like lightning.
Pain and exhaustion overtook him. Darkness closed in.
When Prithvi opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the steady rise and fall of breathing beside him. His back ached, but the pain of the battle had dulled.
Blinking, he saw Aarav — alive — lying beside him. Relief flooded his chest. Their father had brought them both to physicians, and they had been healed. For the first time since the forest, Prithvi could breathe, knowing his brother was safe.