Eight Years Later…
"Mom! I'm going!" Kaal shouted, slinging a small cloth bag over his shoulder.
"Where are you off to this time?" Lava called from the kitchen.
"I'm going to play with Vihaan!" he yelled back.
"Come home early, alright?"
"Okey, Mom!" he grinned, racing out the door.
Kaal's heart raced with excitement.
The sky was clear, the air crisp, and the promise of adventure tugged at his soul. Today, he would finally explore the cave—the one an itinerant man talked about once who go inside never return.
But to kaal, it was just another secret waiting to be uncovered.
He stood near the moss—covered rocks, scanning the horizon.
"Where is Vihaan?" he muttered, pacing restlessly.
"He said he'd come with me today…" The wind whispered thought the leaving.
Time passed, and still, his friend didn't arrive.
Eventually, Kaal stopped waiting.
Curiosity won.
He stepped forward—alone.
The entrance to the cave yawned like the mouth of a sleeping beast.
Shadows danced within, cold and thick like breathless air.
Kaal hesitated only for a moment before stepping inside.
He moved slowly, careful with each step, until he had reached halfway into the cave.
Then—
Click… click… thump.
A sudden sound echoed.
It was faint, but unmistakable.
"Is someone…throwing stones?" he whispered.
He following the sound deeper, his fingers tracing the damp, uneven wall.
And then—he saw her.
A girl—about his age—sat among scattered stones, quietly stacking smooth rocks into small circles. She seemed lost in her own world, unaware of his presence.
Her hair was soft and shining Gray, framing a delicate face like a moon hidden behind storm clouds.
But it was her eyes that held him still.
Deep red.
Glowing like embers in the dark.
She didn't see him at first. She was playing quietly, stacking smooth stones in circles.
Kaal stepped closer.
Suddenly, she looked up.
Hey! Who are you?!" she shouted. "What are you doing here?!"
"I…I heard something," Kaal said, blinking at her sudden reaction.
But she didn't listen.
Her voice rose, sharper and louder with every word, she scolding him without pause. Kaal tried to speak, tried to explain—but she didn't stop.
This situation felt oddly familiar.
Like a house owner scolding a servant for coming home late.
Then—
"Be quiet," Kaal said softly.
The girl froze.
Kaal looked around, then asked gently,
"Is this cave your home?"
Her expression hardened.
"No," she replied. "But it's not yours either."
Kaal hesitated, then asked in a calm tone,
"Do… you… own this place?"
The girl shook her head.
"No. I don't."
At that moment, something strange stirred within kaal.
A faint light awakened in his eyes—as if a word had been resting on his tongue, waiting for this very moment to be spoken.
He raised his voice, unable to hold it back any longer.
This isn't your house," Kaal said. "You don't even belong here. So why… why have you been treating me like a thief who broke into your home all this time?"
The girl hesitated.
Then—without warning—her eyes filled with tears.
Her lips trembled as she struggled to speak.
Kaal stepped back in panic.
"H-Hey… did I go too far?"
He watched her cry, unsure of what to do.
Then something inside him stirred.
Quietly. Awkwardly.
He crouched down and began copying what she had been doing—placing stones one by one, trying to form a small circle, just like hers.
Clumsy. Uneven.
But he tried.
Slowly… it worked.
She stopped crying.
She sniffled once and looked at him, surprise flickering in her red eyes.
"That's not how you build them," she muttered.
"Then show me," Kaal grinned.
For the rest of the time, they played.
Tossing water at each other from tiny puddles, stacked rocks higher and higher, and laughed—laughing like they had known each other forever.
Like they had never been strangers.
As they played, Kaal felt something strange settle in his chest.
Why does it feel like I've known her for a long time? It's… strange.
Suddenly, she gasped.
"Oh!" she said. "I didn't even say my name."
"I'm Kaal," he replied—just a little too quickly.
She smiled.
"Mine is Ira."
Something tightened in Ira's chest.
Not fear.
Not joy.
Something warmer.
Something unfamiliar.
She had never had anyone to play with like this before.
I've never felt this way, she thought.
Could I ask him… to be my friend?
Just as she gathered the courage to speak, she turned toward Kaal—
And before a single word could leave her lips—
Kaal suddenly shoved her aside.
"Ira, move!" he shouted.
She stumbled, falling hard onto the cold ground.
Why would he do that?
I thought… I thought he might become my first real friend…
Then she saw it.
A sharp hiss sliced through the air.
A snake lunged.
Its fangs glinted like twin daggers as it sank deep into Kaal's arm.
"No!" Ira screamed.
Only then did she understand.
He hadn't pushed her away out of fear.
He had saved her.
He had taken the bite meant for her.
Kaal didn't cry out.
He didn't even flinch.
Instead, he grabbed the snake barehanded and ripped it away from his arm, hurling it hard against the cave wall.
"Stay behind me… Ira," Kaal said, his voice strained with pain.
Ira froze.
Blood streamed from Kaal's arm, dripping onto the cold stone floor.
He's pretending he's fine… she realized.
But he's in pain. So much pain.
Her eyes widened as recognition struck.
The snake.
It was a juvenile of the Evil-Eyed serpent Malachrys.
Not fully grown—but still deadly.
Its venom was vicious.
And now… it was inside Kaal.
"Kaal, we have to leave!" Ira shouted. "We need to treat your wound!"
"It's dangerous for you," she pleaded.
The snake slithered between them and the cave exit, blocking the way.
"Don't worry," Kaal said, forcing a weak smile. "It's just a worm."
He stepped forward, placing himself between Ira and the monster.
"As long as I'm standing here… it won't hurt you."
Hearing that, Ira's eyes filled with tears.
She grabbed his shirt, trembling.
"No… listen to me…"
The snake struck again.
Kaal stepped aside at the last instant.
The snake shot past his face, its fangs missing him by a breath—
And lunged straight toward Ira.
Kaal reacted without thinking. He seized its tail, yanking it back just as its head came inches from her.
Snarling, he slammed the snake against the cave wall—one, twice, again and again—
But the creature twisted violently, coiling fast around his arm, tightening its grip, its fangs angling for another bite.
A stone flew.
Ira had thrown it.
The snake recoiled, distracted.
Kaal seized the moment.
With his free hand, He grabbed the stone from the ground and shoved it straight into the snake's open mouth.
"Where are you looking… messy worm?" Kaal growled.
The snake thrashed violently, its body convulsing as it tried to spit the stone.
But Kaal didn't give it the chance.
He unwrapped the snake from his arm, forcing its head still. His fingers dug deep into its jaw as he clamped its mouth shut, trapping the first stone inside.
Kaal raised another stone.
Then brought it down.
CRACK.
Not on the head.
But on the body.
Exactly where the first stone was lodged inside.
Kaal didn't stop.
The stone rose—and fell.
Again
And again.
He wasn't angry.
He wasn't screaming.
His eyes were empty—focused only on one thing.
Don't let it move.
The thought echoed with every strike.
The cave filled with dull, wet sounds as the stone struck the same spot, over and over, until the scales cracked, until the stone burst through its body, tearing through flesh and fading scales.
He didn't notice the blood on his hand.
He didn't feel the venom burning through his arm.
He stopped only when the snake lay completely still.
Silence fell.
The cave stank of blood and poison.
Kaal turned towards lra.
His breathing was shallow.
His strength was fading.
His knees buckled.
The stone slipped from his hand.
He collapsed.
The venom had already spread through his veins.
"Kaal!" Ira cried, rushing to his side, tears streaming down her face. "Please… stay with me…"
She shook him.
Begged him.
But the cave answered only with silence.
To be continue...