Kiran could hardly sleep that night. His mind was racing with questions, each more unsettling than the last. The Varaksha—this creature he had been hunting for so long, the one that had haunted his nightmares—had spared him. Why?
The air in the forest had been thick with tension, the very ground beneath his feet trembling with the force of the beast's presence. But when it had looked into his eyes, something shifted. There had been an understanding, a strange recognition that made Kiran's heart skip a beat. It wasn't just an animal. It wasn't just a mindless killer. There was something human about its gaze, something that spoke of shared history, of deep connection.
Kiran had grown up hearing the stories of the Varaksha—how it was a beast born from the very bowels of the earth, a creature of destruction meant to guard ancient secrets. But the stories were always vague, passed down in whispers. No one truly understood the origins of the Varaksha, not even the greatest scholars of Arvania. All Kiran knew was that it had destroyed his home, and in the fire and chaos, he had lost everything.
But now, as he sat in his small cabin by the edge of the forest, Kiran couldn't shake the feeling that his past was entwined with the beast in ways he couldn't yet comprehend.
The following day, Kiran ventured into the forest again, determined to learn more. He wasn't just going to hunt the Varaksha down; he needed to understand it. There was a bond—something that called to him deep within his soul—and he couldn't ignore it any longer.
His steps were quieter than usual, his senses on high alert. The forest felt different today, as though it was holding its breath. The wind whispered through the trees, but there were no animals to be heard. The usual chatter of birds and rustling of small creatures was gone, replaced by a strange stillness.
He wasn't alone.
As Kiran ventured deeper, the familiar sensation of being watched returned. It wasn't the fearsome stare of a predator, though. It felt more like… an invitation. He couldn't explain it, but it urged him forward.
He made his way to a secluded part of the forest that he hadn't dared explore before. A large, gnarled tree stood at the center of a clearing, its roots twisting like serpents across the ground. The air here was heavy, thick with the scent of ancient magic. Kiran's heart began to race, a primal part of him sensing something powerful, something old.
And then he saw it.
The Varaksha, standing at the far edge of the clearing, its back to him. Its wings were partially unfurled, and its head was lowered, as though in a deep, contemplative state. The beast was still magnificent, its scales catching the sunlight in a way that made it seem almost unreal. Yet, there was a sadness about it now, a weight that Kiran had not noticed before.
Before he could step forward, the creature's head shot up, and their eyes locked once again. This time, there was no question of its recognition. It knew him.
Kiran's breath caught in his throat. "You… you're not just a beast," he said quietly, more to himself than to the creature.
The Varaksha's glowing eyes softened as it stepped closer, its powerful body moving with an almost graceful ease. Kiran stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.
Suddenly, a voice—soft, resonant, almost otherworldly—echoed in Kiran's mind.
"We are bound, hunter."
Kiran staggered back, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn't heard the words out loud; they had come directly into his mind. He looked around, disoriented, but the clearing was as silent as ever. It was as if the voice had come from the very earth itself.
The Varaksha watched him with those glowing eyes, and Kiran felt an overwhelming surge of emotions—grief, loss, anger, and an ancient sorrow. It was more than just a beast; it was a being that had lived for eons, one with memories far older than the kingdom of Arvania itself.
The creature lowered its head slightly, as though urging Kiran to approach. He hesitated for a moment, but the pull was too strong. Slowly, he stepped forward, his legs shaking slightly. The closer he got, the more he could feel it—something deep within the Varaksha, something that resonated with the very core of his being.
"We are not enemies," the voice echoed again. "We share the same blood, the same pain."
Kiran stopped just a few feet away, his breath coming fast. His mind was reeling. "What are you talking about? What do you mean?"
The Varaksha's eyes seemed to soften further. For the first time, Kiran saw something in them—vulnerability.
"I am your blood, your kin," it continued, its voice reverberating within Kiran's mind. "The truth you seek lies buried deep within you, and only through me can you uncover it."
Kiran felt as though the ground beneath him had shifted. "My kin?" His voice was barely a whisper. "What do you mean by that?"
The Varaksha stepped forward and lowered its head, bringing it to Kiran's level. He reached out instinctively, and the moment his fingers brushed against the smooth, warm scales of the beast, something sparked between them.
Memories flooded Kiran's mind, memories that didn't belong to him. A vision of a woman—his mother—holding a baby close to her chest. The baby was him. And standing beside her was the Varaksha, not as a monster, but as a protector, a guardian.
Kiran's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, his head spinning. The creature's voice continued in his mind, its words now filled with a sense of urgency.
"You are the last of your line, Kiran. You are the heir of the bloodline that created me. It is time for you to remember."
Kiran gasped, his mind struggling to piece together the truth. His mother had always told him that he was special, that there was something in his bloodline that set him apart. But he had never imagined this—never imagined that the beast responsible for so much destruction was somehow... part of his heritage.
The Varaksha extended a wing, the massive span of it casting a shadow over Kiran. He looked up into its eyes, and for the first time, he understood. The beast wasn't just a destroyer. It was a guardian, a being born of ancient magic to protect a bloodline that had been lost to time. And now, that bloodline had returned.
Kiran could feel it deep in his soul. He was part of something far bigger than he had ever known.
The beast stepped back, and for the first time, Kiran saw the true path before him. It wasn't just about vengeance or revenge. His destiny was intertwined with the Varaksha's—an ancient bond that neither time nor death could sever. And if he was to survive, he would need to embrace his lineage and the creature that had been his protector, his kin.
To be continued...