The room was silent.
Except for the demon's laughter.
That twisted, mocking sound slithered across the blood-stained walls like a curse.
The scent of rust and rot hung thick in the air—death had made this place its home.
Karan stood at the center, motionless.
One hand pressed against the open wound in his stomach, the other clutching a trembling knife pointed straight at the monster.
Tears glimmered in his eyes.
Not of fear—but of disgust.
At himself. At everything he couldn't save.
Why am I still alive?
The thought echoed in his mind like a ghost.
When everyone else is dead… why me?
He clenched the knife tighter, every breath scraping against his ribs.
His blood was dripping steadily onto the floor—tick… tick… tick.
Each drop sounded like the ticking of a clock counting down to his end.
The demon grinned.
"Hehe… boy, will you just stand there, or will you attack me too?"
Its teeth, long and uneven, glistened wet under the dim light.
Its tail slithered lazily across the floor—until it coiled around a woman's corpse nearby.
Karan froze.
The body was familiar. Her eyes still open, lifeless yet staring at him as if asking—
Why didn't you save me?
The demon lifted the corpse effortlessly and opened its jaws wide.
Bones cracked. Flesh tore.
The sound of devouring filled the room.
Something inside Karan shattered.
His lips curved into a broken smile.
"Pfft… ha… hahaha…"
The demon blinked, confused. "What's this? You've lost your mind already?"
Karan's laughter grew darker, crueler. It wasn't madness. It was something else—something primal, awakened.
His mind whispered, If I can't save them, I can at least make you suffer.
The demon tilted its head mockingly.
"I was planning to eat you too, but now your blood might taste rotten from insanity."
It turned toward the shattered window. "Guess I'll start with that little girl instead."
Krrshhhh—
Glass exploded as a storm of black scavenger birds burst into the room.
They screeched and flapped wildly, tearing chunks of flesh from scattered limbs.
One bird dug its beak into an empty eye socket; another carried away a severed hand.
Feathers, blood, and decay danced through the air like a grotesque snowstorm.
Karan didn't move.
His eyes followed the chaos, but his body felt… distant.
Like he wasn't inside it anymore.
Why am I still breathing… when everyone I protect dies screaming?
Why do I keep fighting for a world this filthy?
He wanted to scream. But no sound came out. Only the pounding of his heart—slow, heavy, desperate.
Then, through the storm of vultures, a small golden bird landed softly on his shoulder.
Its feathers shimmered faintly in the blood-red light.
"Listen, Karan," came a voice inside his head. Calm, commanding.
"The demon can't hear me. Don't move. Don't speak."
His eyes twitched. "Who… are you?"
"I'm Garud," the voice replied. "A demihuman spirit. A messenger bound to your soul."
Its tone sharpened.
"A snake's weakness is either its head… or its tail."
The demon's voice cut through, mocking. "Still standing, boy? You look like a corpse already."
Karan didn't answer. His eyes were locked on the monster, cold and focused.
"But this creature," Garud continued, "isn't a normal serpent. It's half human, half snake—and far stronger than you. You can't reach its head. And its tail will crush you before you strike."
Karan's knuckles whitened around the knife handle.
"There's only one more weakness," the bird whispered. "Hidden beneath its belly. A small gland—the Naag Madi. It holds the creature's life force."
Naag Madi: In Indian mythology, shape-shifting serpents possess a jewel-like organ called the Naag Madi, which holds their life force."
Karan's lips parted in a faint grin.
"Don't get cocky," Garud warned. "That spot's protected by its four arms. One mistake—and you die before you even touch it."
The bird fluttered off his shoulder and landed near the unconscious girl.
"You can still stop. I'll take her away. You don't have to—"
"Shut the fuck up."
Karan's voice tore through the air.
Every word dripped with venom.
He began limping toward the demon, dragging his leg through a pool of blood.
His knife gleamed, catching the reflection of corpses all around.
"I don't care if I die," he snarled. "What's the point of life if I can't protect even one person?"
From the corner, the little girl stirred awake. Her half-open eyes saw him—bleeding, broken, walking toward the beast that slaughtered them all.
The demon laughed, its voice deep and shaking the walls.
"Hahaha! You humans are always the same. You call yourselves innocent—but your kind kills more than any of us!"
It spread its arms wide, preaching like a false god.
"The frog eats the insect. The snake eats the frog. The eagle eats the snake. Humans eat them all."
Its grin widened. "So if we eat humans… are we wrong?"
Karan's body trembled, rage flooding his veins.
"You talk too much," he hissed.
In a sudden motion, he lunged backward, creating distance—then charged again.
The demon's tail shot out, wrapping around him mid-air.
Its scales burned against his skin as it squeezed.
"Got you," it hissed, dragging him closer.
Then—
Skkrrch.
The demon drove its claw straight into Karan's gut.
"Ughhh—! Sh… shit… fuck—!"
Blood exploded from the wound, painting the floor crimson.
But Karan didn't scream anymore.
He smiled.
"Just what I needed," he muttered.
Before the demon could react, Karan rammed the knife upward—
straight into the spot below its chest.
Shluk!
The blade pierced through flesh.
Once. Twice. Thrice.
The demon shrieked. "Ahhh! No—how did you—?!"
Its green blood sprayed everywhere, sizzling where it touched.
Karan's arm moved again and again, mechanical, relentless.
"DIE!" he screamed. "DIE, YOU FUCKING FILTH!"
The monster collapsed, convulsing violently. Its tail thrashed, smashing the walls apart.
Blood—green and red—flowed together, forming a grotesque pool beneath them.
Karan climbed onto its chest, panting.
He raised the knife again and plunged it straight into the demon's heart.
"Do you think killing me will change anything?" the demon choked. "There are more like me. Hundreds—"
"Then I'll kill them all," Karan said coldly. "One by one."
Shluk.
The blade went down again.
And again.
And again.
"STOP!" Garud's voice echoed inside his head. "You've done enough! This isn't justice anymore—it's cruelty!"
"Shut up!" Karan roared, his eyes bloodshot. "You think I care about justice? Look around you!"
He pointed at the mutilated bodies, his voice cracking.
"They didn't deserve to die! If hell exists, I'll drag it here myself!"
For a moment, silence. Only his heavy breathing.
The demon's body lay still. The room reeked of death.
Dawn crept through the shattered window, painting the floor with gold.
The little girl crawled toward him, trembling.
"Mister… you did it," she whispered weakly. "You killed the monster."
Karan looked at her.
A faint smile broke through the blood and exhaustion.
"Yeah…" he whispered. "But sometimes killing one monster just gives birth to another."
The knife slipped from his hand.
His body slumped beside the corpse.
Outside, the first light of day touched his face.
But just above it, a shadow moved—
blocking the sun for a single, haunting moment.
The world exhaled.
And a new darkness began to stir.