BLOOD ON SNOW

The blizzard raged on, howling through the frozen peaks as Manav and Priya pressed forward, their weary bodies barely holding together. The ancient carvings still haunted their minds—"The price of eternity is the death of the soul." Yet, even as a deep, unsettling dread crept into their bones, they refused to turn back.

Then, as if the mountain itself had birthed them from the snow, figures emerged from the blizzard.

Priya gasped, taking a step back. Manav's grip tightened on his crude dagger.

Monks.

Clad in thick, tattered robes, their bodies seemed untouched by the cold. Their faces were weathered, their expressions calm yet unyielding. They stood in a semi-circle, blocking the path forward. Some were old, their wrinkled faces filled with wisdom. Others were young, their eyes burning with an intensity that sent a shiver down Priya's spine.

One of them, an elder with a long white beard, stepped forward. His voice, though soft, carried through the storm like a command.

"You have seen the warnings," he said. "Turn back."

Manav did not move. His breath was slow, measured. His grip on the dagger tightened.

"We don't take orders from dead men."

The monks did not flinch. The elder sighed, as if he had already known how this would play out.

"You do not understand the forces at work," he said. "Immortality is a curse. A sickness upon the soul. If you take one more step—"

A crackling sound filled the air.

The youngest of the monks, a man barely older than Priya, raised his hand. The very air around him shifted. It became dense, charged with something unseen but undeniably powerful.

Priya's breath caught in her throat.

"Manav…" she whispered. "Is this… aura?"

The elder monk gave her a sad, knowing look.

"Yes."

Before Priya could process the truth, a burst of energy shot toward them. It wasn't fire, nor lightning—just pure, force. It slammed into both of them, sending them flying backward into the snow.

Priya groaned, feeling her frail bones creak under the impact. She had never felt such power before—invisible, yet undeniable.

Manav, however, barely reacted. He coughed once, spitting blood into the snow. Then, he smirked.

"Not bad," he muttered, wiping his mouth. "But not enough."

He lunged.

Before the monks could react, his dagger was already in the throat of the youngest one—the one who had attacked them.

A choked gurgle. Blood splattered onto the snow. The monk collapsed, eyes wide with shock.

Priya screamed.

The monks moved as one, their auras flaring. Manav was fast—but they were faster.

A brutal fist crashed into his ribs. Another strike came from behind, sending him stumbling forward. A third monk leaped at him, aiming a precise strike at his heart—

But Manav twisted.

In a single motion, his dagger sliced through the attacker's wrist. The monk screamed as his hand separated from his body, falling limply to the ground.

Blood painted the snow.

Priya could only watch in horror as Manav butchered them.

One by one.

A dagger to the gut. A throat slit open. A brutal stab through the eye.

The monks fought with everything they had, their auras flaring like dying stars—but it was too late.

Manav was relentless. A demon in human skin.

When the last monk fell, gasping for air, Manav crouched beside him. His blade was dripping, the snow beneath them completely soaked in red.

The monk's lips trembled as he whispered something.

Manav leaned in, curious.

The monk smiled.

"Now… you are truly damned."

With that, he exhaled his final breath.

Priya stood frozen, her body shaking. The monks were dead. Every single one.

And yet…

They never used their auras after the first strike.

Why?

She turned to Manav, who was already walking forward, his dagger still in his hand.

"Manav…" she whispered, her voice hollow. "Why didn't they fight back?"

Manav didn't look at her.

Instead, he cleaned his blade against his sleeve, flicked the blood away, and kept walking.

"We have a long way to go."

Priya swallowed hard. For the first time, she felt afraid.

Not of the monks.

Not of the mountain.

Of Manav.