"Why are you here!?" Vivaan yelled at Aahan, pushing him away.
"I-I don't-" Before Aahan could reply, the Asura charged at them.
Vivaan kicked Aahan out of the way but wasn't fast enough to block or evade the attack himself. The Asura's punch felt like a freight train. A sickening crunch reverberated through the air as Vivaan's body was sent hurtling through the air.
It felt like time had slowed as Aahan watched in horror. Vivaan crashed into the nearby building, an impact that shattered bricks and mortar. It was a miracle that the building didn't collapse on top of his brother.
As the dust began to settle, Aahan saw Vivaan struggle to free himself from the debris that trapped him. He took a step to help him but then collapsed to his knees, and his vision turned blurry.
[Ahur radiation limit reached. Please evacuate the area before it's too late.]
Suddenly, Aahan puked out a mouthful of blood. His body reacted to the hellish environment around him but in ways he hadn't expected. Although Aahan didn't know what was happening, he wanted to help his brother regardless. However, his body refused to obey him anymore.
"Aahan, hold on for a little longer!" Vivaan yelled at the top of his lungs. "I'll get you out of here! I swear!"
However, even his suit had been damaged beyond repair. Soon his breaths came in ragged gasps, pain stabbing through his body with every movement.
To make things worse, blood seeped from the gash on his forehead, matting his hair and clouding his vision. Vivaan gritted his teeth, trying to fight the pain for his little brother's sake.
"Well, well, well," the Asura's voice rang like a venomous whisper, dripping with sadistic pleasure. "The mighty warrior, trapped like a rat. How amusing, Human."
Vivaan's jaw clenched as he pushed the debris off himself and slowly got to his feet. Every muscle of his body screamed in pain as the radiation began to corrupt his muscle and tear them from the inside.
The 'Rathis¹' often faced situations like these and were trained to tactically retreat once the effect of the radiation became apparent in them. However, Vivaan knew fleeing wasn't an option anymore... not in Aahan's condition.
"Damn it, you idiot! Why did you come here?" Vivaan cursed under his breath.
He often thought of the day he'll reunite with his brother. But not even in his wildest dream had he thought the situation would turn like this.
"Look at you, human," the Asura laughed, mocking Vivaan as he forced himself on his feet. "So frail, so pitiful. Yet you dare to stand against the might of an Asura."
While Vivaan stared daggers at him, the Asura knew it was all that Vivaan could do. The human was too weak to fight, which meant it was Asura's turn to toy with the intruders.
As the Asura's attention shifted towards Aahan, Vivaan's heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened as he saw the creature's malevolent focus settle on his younger brother. Panic surged through him. The instinctual need to protect Aahan overrode the pain coursing through his body.
"Stay away from him!" Vivaan's voice was a fierce growl. He pushed himself forward, wobbling towards the Asura.
"Ah, a valiant effort, Human. But do you truly think you can protect him? He is as insignificant as you are." Asura mocked him again. "Stay put, and I'll be there to put you out of your misery."
Vivaan jumped at Asura. However, a flick from the Asura's hand was all it needed to push Vivaan back.
"Pathetic, isn't it? All that strength, all that bravado, and yet here you are – broken and defeated." Asura rolled his eyes, deciding to focus on Aahan instead.
Through his blurry vision, Aahan saw the nightmarish creature approaching him. With whatever strength he had, he grabbed a nearby metal rod dislodged from the building Vivaan had collided with.
If Aahan was going down, he was going down fighting the demon, and not like some pathetic loser.
The Asura lunged forward, and Aahan swung the metal rod with all his might. The blow struck the Asura's side, and a satisfying thud echoed through the air. But to Aahan's shock, the Asura remained unaffected.
"Is this the best you can do, human?"
Judging from Asura's expression, he must have been expecting more from Aahan, judging by how well he had handled the radiation so far. However, upon discovering that Aahan wasn't 'unique', Asura's interest in him died.
Aahan's heart pounded in his chest, his breaths quick and shallow. He had hoped the blow would have more impact, at least enough for him and Vivaan to regroup and form a plan, but he was wrong.
"Tsk, what a waste of time," Asura clicked his tongue and raised his hand to deliver the final blow to Aahan.
However, just then, Vivaan burst forth from the rubble, a sword glinting in his hands. The Asura's smile wavered momentarily, replaced by a flicker of surprise.
Asura hadn't expected Vivaan to charge at him like that. But that surprise faded as quickly as it had appeared as Asura stared at Vivaan with a malicious grin as if it relished the challenge.
The blade arced through the air, aiming for Asura's midsection. Asura's eyes gleamed with twisted amusement as he raised his fists, ready for the fight.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Asura parried the strike with his bare fists. Vivaan's arms shook from the force of the blow, his breath hitching as he struggled to maintain his balance.
Undeterred, Vivaan pressed on. He feinted left, then swiftly changed direction, aiming a swift thrust towards the Asura's exposed side.
However, Asura's response was to the point. In a bizarre display of flexibility, he twisted his body, his fists intercepting Vivaan's strike again before kicking him towards Aahan.
"It will take much more than this to defeat me, human." Asura smiled, relishing the pain he was causing the humans.
"Is that so?" Vivaan's voice echoed from behind as the figure before Asura faded into nothingness.
Asura turned to confront the real Vivaan but was greeted by the sight of Vivaan's sword piercing his chest. Following a blood-curdling scream, the Asura fell to its knees, finally defeated.
However, Vivaan's condition wasn't much better. His injuries, coupled with the effect of extended exposure to the radiation, had taken a toll on his body.
Even then, Vivaan rushed to Aahan's side, helping his younger brother to his feet.
"That was one hell of a reunion, don't you think?" Vivaan mumbled, pulling Aahan's arm over his shoulder. "Damn... what did they feed you in juvie?"
"Really? You wanna joke about it now?" Aahan somehow managed to smile as the brothers headed towards the fissure. "Besides... you have a lot of explaining to do!"
"Yeah, I know... but first, let's get you healed, shall we?"
***
Chapter Glossary:
1. Rathi: In basic terms, Rathi means a warrior. But in my novel, it carries more significance that you'll learn about in the upcoming chapters.