Anika shook Priya's shoulders desperately, her voice rising with panic. "Priya, wake up! Rupali, come on, please! What's wrong with everyone?" But no matter how hard she tried, neither of them stirred. It was as though they were statues, frozen in time, their expressions eerily vacant.
Her heart raced as she stepped back, glancing around the shop. Everyone inside was the same—motionless, lifeless, and unresponsive. Anika's breaths came in shallow gasps as she whispered to herself, "What is happening here?"
Suddenly, a deep boom echoed through the air, reverberating like distant thunder. Anika froze, her eyes darting toward the shop door. "What was that?" she muttered, the sound sending a chill down her spine.
She rushed to the door and stepped outside, squinting into the street. The world outside was just as still—people frozen mid-step, cars halted in place. The sound came again, louder this time, the ground beneath her feet trembling slightly.
"That's coming from the ridge point," she realized, her voice shaking. Her heart pounded as fear and curiosity warred within her. She stepped farther into the street, her gaze fixed on the direction of the sound.
Another boom split the air, this time accompanied by a faint ripple of energy that seemed to pulse through the atmosphere. Anika's resolve hardened. Whatever was happening, she couldn't just stand by.
"I need to check it out," she said firmly, turning on her heel and breaking into a sprint. Her shoes slapped against the pavement as she weaved through the frozen figures, her mind racing with thoughts of her friends.
"Raj, Madhav, Akash… please be okay," she whispered,
As Madhav said, 'I will eat your soul,' upon seeing the blind man.
The blind man, trembling with fear as Madhav's fiery red eyes bore into him, screamed, "Kill him! All of you, attack him now!" His voice wavered, but the fighters under his command moved swiftly, smiles carved into their faces as though driven by some unnatural confidence.
Madhav tilted his head, a sly smile playing on his lips as he observed the advancing crowd. His eyes gleamed with a mix of amusement and disdain. "You dare come near me? Let's make this... entertaining," he murmured, his voice low but chillingly clear.
The first fighter lunged at Madhav, a blade in his hand glinting in the dim light. But before he could swing, Madhav moved—faster than any human should. In a blink, he was upon the man, grabbing his shirt with an iron grip and lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
"You should have stayed away," Madhav said with a dark chuckle.
Then, with a terrifying motion, Madhav opened his mouth, and a strange force began to pull at the fighter. A swirling, misty light emerged from the man's chest—his soul, glowing faintly as it was wrenched free from his body. The fighter's face twisted in agony, his screams echoing in the night, but it was over in seconds.
The crowd watched in stunned silence as the man's lifeless body dropped to the ground, now a mere skeleton. His clothes hung loosely over the brittle remains, clattering as they hit the earth.
Raj and Akash stood frozen, their faces pale, watching the unimaginable horror unfold.
"Did you see that?!" Akash whispered, his voice shaking. "He… he took his soul!"
Madhav turned his attention to the remaining fighters, his smile widening. "Who's next?" he taunted, his voice dripping with menace.
Several fighters hesitated, their confidence wavering. But under the blind man's shouted orders, they pressed forward.
Another fighter charged, but Madhav sidestepped him with ease, grabbing the man by the neck. Without hesitation, he repeated the horrific ritual, absorbing his soul. The man's body crumbled to the ground, lifeless and skeletal like the first.
One by one few people, Madhav picked off the fighters, each meeting the same fate. Their souls were drawn into him, and their bodies left as hollow shells.
After absorbing the souls of others, Madhav's previously thin and weak body transformed into that of a perfect fighter.
He stood tall, his frame now transformed into that of a warrior. Muscles rippled beneath his skin, and the once-loose shirt he wore now hung in tatters, barely clinging to his shoulders. His presence exuded an aura of raw, untamed power. The blind man, feeling the weight of the situation, barked, "Don't waste time—attack him together!"
The fighters hesitated for only a moment before charging at Madhav, their faces a mix of determination and fear. Madhav's lips curled into a sinister smirk. "Come on, then," he said coldly, his voice laced with menace.
One fighter lunged first, but Madhav sidestepped effortlessly, his hand darting out to snatch a knife from the attacker's belt. In a swift, fluid motion, he drove the blade across another man's throat. Blood sprayed in a crimson arc as the man collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Another fighter rushed forward, yelling, but Madhav moved like a shadow, his hand grabbing the man's head. With a sickening crack, he twisted the man's neck, dropping him instantly. The remaining fighters faltered, their confidence wavering as they witnessed the carnage.
Madhav turned his fiery gaze to the group, blood dripping from the blade in his hand. Without warning, he bolted toward another fighter, leaping into the air. His leg shot out in a devastating tobi geri—a powerful jumping kick. The blow connected with the man's chest, launching him like a ragdoll.
The fighter's body slammed into a streetlight with a deafening clang, bending the metal post before crashing through the wall of a nearby building. Bricks crumbled, and the structure groaned as dust and debris filled the air.
Madhav landed lightly on his feet, his movements as precise as a predator's. He tilted his head, his blood-red eyes locking onto the next target. "Who's next?" he taunted, his voice echoing across the ridge.
The blind man clenched his fists, his face twisting with both anger and fear. "Don't stop! Take him down!" he yelled,
A sharp wind howled through the ridge as Madhav raised his hand, his fingers curling into a commanding gesture. The air grew heavy, electric with an unnatural energy. From the shadows, ghostly figures began to materialize—ethereal, menacing, and dripping with malice. They encircled the battlefield, their hollow eyes glowing faintly as they turned their attention to the fighters who had come with the blind man.
The ghosts descended on the fighters like a storm of vengeance. Screams filled the air as their spectral hands tore through flesh, leaving only lifeless, crumpled bodies in their wake. Blood painted the ground in a gruesome mosaic, mixing with the cries of terror and the sickening sound of flesh being torn apart.
Madhav, now a figure of pure wrath, moved among the chaos, cutting down his enemies with merciless efficiency. He laughed darkly as he plunged his hand into a man's chest, pulling out his still-beating heart. Blood splattered across his face, and his evil grin widened.
Anika arrived at the ridge, breathless from running. The sight before her froze her in her tracks. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw Madhav, drenched in blood, slicing through men as if they were nothing. Ghosts floated eerily around him, adding to the nightmare. "What the hell is happening here?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Her gaze shifted, and she spotted Raj and Akash lying on the ground. Both were bloodied and beaten. She rushed to their side, her hands shaking as she crouched down. "Raj! Akash! Are you okay?"
Raj coughed weakly, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "No… nothing is okay," he rasped. His voice was hoarse, pained. He glanced at Akash, whose body was motionless. "Akash… he's unconscious."
"What happened?" Anika demanded, panic rising in her voice. "And why is Madhav… why is he doing this?"
Raj struggled to lift his head, his eyes haunted. "That's not Madhav anymore," he said bitterly. "He's… something else. Something evil. He's lost to us now."
Before Anika could respond, a wet, horrifying sound made her whip her head around. Madhav stood a few feet away, holding the limp body of a person. With a single, brutal motion, he tore out the man's internal organs and let the lifeless body drop to the ground. Blood poured onto the dirt like a river, pooling at his feet.
Anika's stomach churned violently. Her hand flew to her mouth as she stumbled back, bile rising in her throat. She turned away, gagging. "This can't be real," she muttered, tears streaming down her face.
Madhav turned his blood-red eyes toward her, his wicked grin spreading wider. "Welcome to the show," he said mockingly."
The ridge was now a battlefield drenched in blood, a grotesque scene of carnage. The air was thick with the metallic tang of death and the faint, otherworldly whispers of the ghosts summoned by Madhav.
The blind man, trembling with fury and fear, gestured wildly, summoning six of his most skilled fighters. They emerged from the shadows, armed with glinting weapons, their faces set with grim determination. Without hesitation, they charged at Madhav, their cries echoing through the ridge.
But Madhav moved faster than the eye could follow, a blur of deadly precision. In a single flash, he decapitated four of them, their heads rolling to the ground as their bodies collapsed in lifeless heaps. The remaining two fighters froze in shock, but it was too late—Madhav's blade sliced through them horizontally, their bodies falling apart like ragdolls.
The earth beneath their feet turned into a crimson river, soaking into the soil. The air crackled with the unholy energy surrounding Madhav, his glowing red eyes scanning the scene for his next target.
Meanwhile, Mohit arrived at the edge of the chaos. His earlier confusion about the motionless crowd on Mall Road was now replaced with sheer horror as he stepped into the ridge. The sight before him stole the breath from his lungs—severed limbs, blood pooling everywhere, and the lifeless bodies of fighters strewn across the ground.
His eyes landed on Raj and Akash lying battered and bloodied, with Anika crouched near them, her face pale and her body trembling. Mohit took a shaky step forward, but his gaze shifted to Madhav just in time to see him cut a man horizontally in two.
Mohit froze in his tracks, unable to process what he was seeing. His lips moved, but no sound came out. He could barely recognize his friend in this terrifying figure, drenched in blood and exuding an aura of pure malice.
Madhav, sensing Mohit's arrival, didn't even turn to acknowledge him. Instead, he grabbed a weapon from one of the fallen fighters, its blade slick with blood. In a flash, Madhav appeared directly in front of the blind man, holding the weapon mere inches from his face.
The blind man, who had been watching the massacre with mounting dread, stumbled back and fell to the ground.
The ghosts surrounding them moved closer, their hollow eyes fixed on the blind man. The corpses of the fighters Madhav had slain twitched unnaturally, their eyes snapping open. They began dragging themselves toward the blind man, their lifeless forms animated by the same dark energy that controlled the ghosts.
The blind man's scream pierced the air as he tried to scramble away, but the ghostly figures closed in, encircling him like vultures around a dying prey. Madhav stood still, watching with a twisted satisfaction as his enemies cowered in terror.
Madhav stood tall amidst the blood-soaked carnage, his red eyes burning with fury as he glared at the blind man. A sinister grin stretched across his face, his voice dripping with mockery.
"I've granted your and other every wish, haven't I? All your schemes, all your plans fulfilled. And now," Madhav said, his voice dropping to a cold, menacing tone, "you thought you could kill this boy? This vessel of mine? I think I'll kill him myself.
The blind man's face twisted with shock and confusion.
Before Madhav could reply, the blind man's expression shifted as a sudden idea flickered in his mind. Desperation fueled his next move. He threw his head back and shouted, his voice echoing across the ridge, "Come to me! Save me, Da-Tan !"
For a moment, there was silence, as if the world itself held its breath. Then, out of nowhere, a strange creature appeared. It was small but otherworldly, its body a blend of gray and soft blue, shimmering faintly under the moonlight. Four elongated ears twitched as it surveyed the area, its presence exuding a calm yet overpowering energy.
The moment the creature arrived, the atmosphere shifted. The ghosts that had been circling the blind man vanished instantly, their ghastly forms dissipating like smoke in the wind. Even the corpses animated by Madhav's dark magic fell still, their hollow eyes closing for good.
Madhav turned slowly to face the creature, his fiery eyes narrowing. His body tensed, and the air around him seemed to crackle with suppressed rage.
"You dare summon this abomination creature?" Madhav growled, his voice laced with venom. His lips curled into a snarl.
"Da-Tan… My creation.
The blind man, sensing the shift in Madhav's demeanor, felt a flicker of hope. He pointed at the creature, his voice trembling but resolute. "This is your end, demon.
Madhav's laughter boomed across the ridge, deep and chilling. "Undoing?" he sneered. "I created this creature.