The moment Prashant was pulled into the light, the world changed.
"AAAA—!"
He was falling.
Cold air rushed past his ears as green shapes blurred around him. Then—THUD!
He crashed down beneath a tree… right on top of someone.
"Ugh—!" Prashant groaned.
As he pushed himself up, his eyes fell on what he had landed on—and his breath stopped.
It looked like a dog-like creature, but it was nothing normal. Its body was lean and powerful, its eyes glowing with a strange light, and sharp teeth showed as it slowly stood up.
The creature stared at Prashant—furious.
Prashant understood instantly.
This is bad.
He slowly began stepping backward, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.
"What the hell… where did I end up?"
"First that light, then that hand… and now this weird dog!"
"If I stay here, it's going to kill me. I have to run!"
Dense jungle surrounded him on all sides—tall trees, thick bushes, no clear path.
Suddenly, Prashant turned around and ran, screaming—
"Help! Someone help me!
It's going to kill me!"
Behind him, a deep growl echoed.
The creature charged after him, anger burning in its eyes.
Branches scratched his arms, roots tripped his feet, but Prashant kept running. His lungs burned. His legs felt weak. After some distance, he risked a glance over his shoulder.
The creature had stopped.
It refused to go any deeper into the jungle.
Relief barely touched him before—
His foot caught on a tree root.
"Ahh—!"
He fell hard, face-first into the ground.
Pain shot through his body as dirt filled his mouth. Groaning, he rolled over and lay flat on his back, gasping for air.
That's when he saw them.
Two glowing eyes shining from within the bushes.
The entire jungle went silent.
No wind.
No insects.
Only Prashant's breathing…
and his heartbeat—
thump… thump… thump…
A strange feeling rose inside him—something he couldn't explain. His heart began to pound even faster.
Then—
A wave of hot air rushed out from the bushes.
His eyes widened.
His breath caught in his chest, as if something invisible had wrapped around his lungs. A strange ringing filled his ears—
Omm… Omm…
"N-no…" Prashant whispered.
His vision blurred. The shadows of the trees began to sway, and the ground felt like it was spinning beneath him. His heartbeat slowed… then staggered.
His fingers went numb.
And the next moment—
Prashant lost consciousness.
The jungle around him remained completely silent, as if time itself had paused. The glowing eyes within the bushes moved closer, and a deep, unseen presence spread through the forest.