Aaryaan couldn’t believe his ears. At first, he thought that it a prank, but none of the maids had the guts to prank the King of Hadhara. He stood up suddenly and ran towards Nanda’s chamber. His heart was beating faster. It was true. Nanda was gone. Aaryaan found Nanda lying on the floor wearing the dress he had especially got for her. She had put on her crown as well. There was blood all around her and on her body. She was motionless.

Aaryaan tried to run towards Nanda but his men pulled him back. They wouldn’t allow Aaryaan to touch her. Aaryaan screamed and hit them but they won’t let go. Aaryaan stopped fighting. He was too weak to fight anymore. He stood there and watched her burning away slowly and slowly until only her bones were left. Aaryaan had never felt the kind of pain that he was feeling, even when he had heard about his father’s death. He was devastated. He had one chance in life, even after all that he did, he got one chance to be happy and he killed it. A woman who had only known to love was tortured to an extend that she committed suicide. Aaryaan fell on his knees. Then he knew that he had truly lost and no war that he had ever won was a victory. Nanda was his treasure and now he was truly lost. Aaryaan screamed Nanda’s name and cried his heart out lying on the floor. Everything around him looked empty.

******

Mihara woke from her sleep hearing loud thumps on her door. She thought that the door would break. She jumped out of her bed and opened the door and Aditya fell to her hands. He was tired and lost. His eyes were puffy, and clothes were torn and Mihara understood that he hadn’t eaten in days seeing his slim self.

Aditya: Save her, Mihara. Save her. Use your magic. Use anything. Bring her back to life.

Aditya broke down begging in front of her. Mihara softly raised him up and made him sit on her bed. He was cold and shivering. Mihara was scared.

Mihara: Who Aditya? What happened?

Aditya: Nanda died, Mihara. She killed herself. She was being tortured in that country and I had no idea. I want her back for her. She doesn’t deserve this.

Mihara was shocked. She had intuitions that something bad was going to happen, but she never thought of something this devastating.

Mihara: I can’t bring her back, Aditya. If she has died, then there is no coming back.

Aditya: There is a way. You told me that your ancestors could wake the dead.

Mihara: That is black magic, Aditya and it is gone. And those dead will only wake as zombies and that is not what you want, Aditya. Understand that.

Aditya: There could me some other way. Please try. Please.

Aditya screamed.

Mihara: There is no way. Black magic is suppressed inside the earth and it can’t be brought back easily. I have no strength left in me to do it. I am an old woman. I can merely use dark magic. Shinyun has eaten away all my powers.

Aditya didn’t say a word. He was emotionless. Tears fell from his eyes continuously.

Aditya: What if I sacrifice my soul? You told me that a soul can be sacrificed to bring back another. You said that so many times. I heard your stories to children.

Mihara: I did. But I don’t know how to do that. It all happened centuries ago. And I won’t let you do that. It is eternal damnation. You don’t want to do that, Aditya.

Aditya: I do. I want her to live again. I will do anything for that. Please help me.

Aditya was crying continuously, and tears fell uncontrollably from his eyes.

Mihara was scared looking in to Aditya’s eyes. They were broken but they carried the fire to destroy everything that they saw.

*******

Aditya and Mihara entered the Palace of Salandh. Mihara had heard that the dark power was concealed in the depths of the palace, somewhere below it. She had no idea where it was and how to find it. She walked inside with Aditya. He was determined to accomplish something she had no belief in. Black magic had died a long time ago. The stories Mihara had heard in her childhood might only be stories with no truth to them. She felt bad for fooling Aditya and giving him false hope by telling stories about the dark forces and their powers.

Gautam: Aditya, where did you vanish? Nihil and I were looking all around for you.

Aditya didn’t say a word and walked in to the abandoned part of the garden. He remembered a sealed door that led to underground chamber inside the garden. He had seen it years before when he was a teenager. He had walked down a few stairs after opening the door with Nanda before the soldiers had spotted them. The memory reminded him of Alakananda and a silent tear drop escaped his eye.

Gautam: Aditya, please talk to me.

Aditya: I have something important to do Gautam. Please leave me alone.

Gautam: King Naren is dead. You have to do your duties as the protector of Salandh. There is no one else to lead the people. You should ascend the throne.

Aditya: My duties, Gautam. I let my love die for the sake of this nation. Do not question my loyalty. I know what I want to do now and if you try to stop me the next thing I ascend will be your dead body.

Gautam was shocked hearing the rage in Aditya’s voice. He was never rude to Gautam. Even in the last few days when they travelled back to Salandh, Aditya was sad and tired and lost but now, Aditya was revengeful and it scared Gautam. Gautam didn’t stop Aditya. He had to ready the army and warn the people. Hadhara might initiate an attack on them and he was their only hope.

*****

Aditya and Mihara found stairs going down to the bottom of the chamber. There were almost a hundred stairs. There was a small hallway below it. When they reached the bottom, they found a closed door. Mihara and Aditya opened the same and closed the door behind them. They found a huge chamber with nothing inside. Aditya looked around for something that would lead them on.

Mihara remembered what her grandfather had told her. The stories about the dark force. She was not sure if they were true until she saw the chamber.

Mihara: There will be a tile on the floor with a bat inscribed on it. You have to step on it with your bare foot and when a glass bowl comes up, you have to pour your blood in to it. But Aditya, be careful. The blood is an offering that would wake the dark force.

Aditya ran around inside the chamber looking for the inscription like a mad man. Not even for a moment did it hit him that all those stories he had heard might be untrue. He believed in them because only they could bring Nanda back and that was the only thing he cared about. Aditya found the bat inscription in a corner of the chamber after searching for long. He took off his shoes and touched it with his bare feet and nothing happened. He stepped on it with both legs and then bend down and started hitting it hard. Blood started flowing from his hand to the ground and to what was below it through holes made in the title.

Mihara sensed the ground shaking. Then it split open and black smoke rose from it. She didn’t understand what was happening. The dark force took blood as offering as per the stories, but this was different.

A crystal blue green bowl came out with a black liquid in it and Aditya walked towards it as in a trance and a voice audible to only Aditya spoke.

‘Drink the blood, Aditya. It is mine. The last of what that remains of me. I am dying in this realm, on earth. Take this and make my powers as yours before I vanish from here completely. I have been waiting for you since years. I have been calling to you since you had arrived in this palace. I am glad that you came at least now. Your ancestors summoned me to your land millennia back and now only you can take me in.’

Aditya: I want her back. That is all I desire.

‘Surrender yourself to me. I will bring Nanda back within a thousand years.

Aditya: And how would I see her?

‘You will live till then and more. You will be immortal. Now, drink my blood and give your soul to me.’

Mihara: Aditya, what is happening?

Aditya didn’t pay heed to Mihara. He went on ahead and took the bowl in his hands and slowly drank the blood. It was tasteless, almost a black in color. He didn’t feel anything. But he found the smoke entering the blood and the liquid grew darker and Aditya kept on drinking it until it was over.

Mihara found darkness surrounding Aditya. She was scared. Then it started fading away slowly and he stood there. Aditya was completely fine, but he looked different. He was larger and stronger. And then he opened his eyes and she saw it. The blood color of his pupil. His eyes had no emotions, no pain, no anger, nothing.

Aditya looked around. He felt as though the world was twirling around and he couldn’t breathe. He started running. He ran out of the hall and climbed the stairs and ran out of the underground door. Gautam and Nihil found him running away but they couldn’t follow him. He was too fast for even the horses to follow. Nihil trembled. He realized that something was wrong.

******

Aditya ran through the forest floor and everything around trembled in fear. He couldn’t stop himself. He felt as though he had immense power and he was unstoppable. He would have run more if the pack of wolves wouldn’t have circled him. Aditya stood his ground. He was not afraid. He could no longer feel fear. Two wolves jumped towards him and he hit them with his hands. Both fell hard on the ground and vomited blood. The rest of the pack was scared. They backed away. Aditya came forward and he opened his mouth and roared, and his teeth grew longer. The wolves bend down, scared and in a trance. Bats from all around the forest circled him and flew above in the air. He roared again, and more wolves heard his call and joined the pack. There were more than a hundred and all were enslaved.

******

Nihil was scared to approach Aaryaan. He was angry as well. But he had to say it. He walked towards the throne room. Aaryaan was sitting alone on the throne. Nihil spoke to Aaryaan in a trembling voice.

Nihil: Your majesty.

Aaryaan looked at Nihil with expressionless eyes. Tears were falling from them.

Aaryaan: Why are you here?

Nihil: I wouldn’t have come here after all that you have done to her if not for our people.

Aaryaan: What is with them?

Nihil: They are in danger. You are in danger. Salandh is going to attack Hadhara.

Aaryaan: Should I be worried, Nihil? Hadhara is too strong to be attacked by them and you know it.

Nihil: This time it is not their army but their dark magic that is coming for you.

Aaryaan looked at Nihil with confused eyes and then he realized that Nihil was not lying.

******

Rudrah lead his men to Salandh. They had a long journey ahead of them through the dark forest. Aaryaan had ordered a military coup on Salandh before they attacked Hadhara. Rudrah laughed it off at first but then he agreed to lead the men in to the battle. Rudrah and his men were only half way through the jungle when they heard bats flying and wolves howling. Then suddenly there was a gush of wind and all the flames they were carrying died away. It was all dark. The clouds covered the moon and the night was pitch black. Then they saw the eyes shining in the night, like stars. Hundreds of them. But it was not the worst that was coming their way. Their worst nightmare was in the shadows. A lone force, the one that had lost everything. Rudrah heard his men screaming and he couldn’t understand what was happening until it was on him. Sharp teeth pierced in to Rudrah’s neck, drawing his blood out. Rudrah could see his men screaming while attacked by wolves and he couldn’t do anything. He was dying slowly.

*******

The doors to the city were closed. Aaryaan had already lost his courage after Nanda’s death but the slaughter of more than 400 of his soldiers chilled his spine. He was scared for the first time in life. He readied his army. The news of his people getting killed in remote parts of Hadhara was worrying him, but he didn’t have the strength to lead a war. His strength was gone with Nanda.

It was a night when Aaryaan started hearing a storm approaching. He stayed in the bell tower with the rest of his chiefs to look out for the Salandhians. He couldn’t believe that he Salandh could attack Hadhara. He had more than thirty thousand soldiers and he was not worried about losing the war. But something scared him. Aaryaan and his men moved towards the open window to watch what was coming. They saw a storm. A dark cloud that moved towards the city. Aaryaan signaled his men to get down and ready the army. But he was not sure what was coming for him.

******

The gates of Selese were opened and the army stood in battle formation. Aaryaan was leading them. He saw a huge number of foot soldiers coming towards them. He was ready. Then he was astonished to see that there were no horses but wolves. The soldiers were running at a great speed and most were wearing Hadharan clothes. Then he saw Rudrah, he was coming to attack Aaryaan. Aaryaan was shocked and then he realized that Rudrah was no longer a human but a dead walking, a zombie controlled by its master.

Hadharans trembled in dread watching what was coming for them. Sangha rode towards Aaryaan and signaled him to go back inside. Aaryaan didn’t want to retreat but he was pulled by his men back inside the gate. Hadharan soldiers fought their own countrymen and army who were now the dead walking. The Hadharan army was dismantled by the dead, the wolves and an unknown force which moved too fast to be caught by the eye. The bones, blood and intestines of the soldiers covered the battle ground.

The walls of the city were broken down by an external force. Aaryaan could hear his people screaming outside and he hid inside scared and trembling. There were cries of men, women and children and even animals. The Salandhian dark force was leaving no one. Every single one of them were being murdered without mercy. Aaryaan felt lost and hurt as though everything he fought for was diminished in front of his eyes. He screamed.

*****

Sangha ran through the alleys of the city. He found his people being murdered and them rising and killing more. They had no thoughts other than murdering more. He saw Saran being eaten alive by wolves. There were bats everywhere and the day looked as though a night. Darkness spread across Hadharan skies as though doom had been unleashed upon them. Sangha fell, and he cried. His bones were broken and then he found something flying over him. Something powerful had held his head. All he could do was scream.

******

Aaryaan knew that everything was over when he saw the ceiling of his chamber breaking. Something dark with huge wings was flying down on him. Then he saw the face, the dreadful eyes that were once sad and lost. Now they were emotionless and were bleeding fear on to him.

Aditya flew down on to the floor through the crevice in the ceiling. He had huge wings and he wore only black. Aaryaan screamed. Aditya looked at the room and he wanted to cry but tears didn’t come out. It was where she had died, his Nanda. He stood up and walked towards Aaryaan.

Aaryaan: Aditya, what devilry is this? What kind of dark magic have you brought upon us? Please stop killing my people. What did they do to you? If you want revenge, kill me. Please spare them.

Aditya: Did you spare her, Aaryaan? How many times would she have begged you, how many? And your people, they did nothing. If you think what that is happening to them is my revenge, then you are wrong. I have no such feelings anymore. No sadness, no anger, no happiness, everything is a hollow. My heart is a hollow.

Aditya’s voice was ten times heavier than before. He caught Aaryaan by his shoulder and raised him to the air.

Aditya: This is not my revenge. I had no plan to avenge Nanda’s death. All I wanted was to bring her back and she will, trust me. But then, there are these memories that I want to erase.

Aaryaan: What memories?

Aditya smirked.

Aditya: The memories of the shame that was bestowed upon Nanda. Your people saw her being termed an adulterer and made her walk through the streets. As long as your people live, her pain will live, and her soul will be tormented. I don’t want that for all those years till she comes back to me. I want her to be at peace and for that all the sad memories must be erased from this world. All those who had seen her walk should perish and I am going to do that.

Aditya smirked again.

Aaryaan: You are mad.

Aditya: I am the Devil.

Aditya raised Aaryaan higher and threw him up and flew high and teared him in to two parts and bit his torso and drank the blood from it. He roared high and the dead men roaming the city fell, motionless. The entire city of Selese was brought down to dust. The wolves followed his voice and ran towards him.

Aditya sat on the throne of Hadhara. A city with no living soul except for the wolves and bats that bowed to him. Nations were trembled hearing what had happened to Hadhara. They were scared and stayed away from the nation. The Shinyun temple broke down and fell to the ground and its magic left the realm. The glory of the land became dust. Famine and maladies choked the people and they started leaving the nation. Salandh was taken over by the Qirdans as they became stronger after Aditya unleashed the dark force. They accepted Aditya as their overlord. People lived in fear but in time everything went back to normal expect for Hadhara. It was always covered in darkness; no life was ever born on the soil. The wolves that guarded the city, gradually died but he stayed there, waiting, waiting for her to return, and days passed, years passed, and he still waited.