38. Cannibals Feast

Under the ethereal glow of a full moon, Sambh's eyes roamed the star-speckled sky until they fixed on a peculiar movement in the water. His gaze caught sight of a fin slicing through the gentle ripples, its motion deliberate and unnerving.

"This fish is not dead," he murmured, his voice edged with both wonder and apprehension. He quickly pulled Ruchi to his side so she could see, and as they turned together, the creature moved with a sudden, startling grace.

In an instant, the fish leaped high into the air, its enormous mouth agape as if beckoning them into its depths.

Before either could react, the overwhelming force of nature enveloped them—the fish's gaping maw swallowed them whole. Clinging tightly to each other, Sambh and Ruchi were plunged into a dark, fluid tunnel.

In the surreal silence of the creature's belly, Sambh's fingers brushed against a jagged, formidable tooth. "It's taking us back deep into the ocean," he said, his voice trembling as he tried to make sense of their impossible journey.

After what felt like an eternity in the crushing darkness, the force that had carried them gently spat them out onto a sandy shore near the base of a mysterious island. Disoriented, they lay momentarily stunned as they took in their surroundings.

Slowly, Sambh's eyes adjusted to the dim light, and he noticed figures approaching. A group of humans—clad in tattered half-clothes and marked with striking white patterns on their faces—advanced, each wielding crude wooden spears. Their presence was menacing, and the air vibrated with an unsettling energy.

"What kind of species is that?" Sambh asked in a hushed tone, his heart pounding as he struggled to rise. Ruchi, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the strangers, replied with grim certainty, "They are cannibals."

Before any further words could be exchanged, a sinister, echoing laughter filled the air—a chorus of deep, menacing "hooo… hooo…" that sent shivers down their spines.

Sambh attempted to reason with their captors, his voice firm yet pleading, "I'm sorry—we came here by mistake." Ruchi tried to interject in quiet protest, but the rough hands of the cannibals were too swift. They overpowered the duo, knocking them down and carrying them toward the shadowed entrance of a nearby cave.

As Sambh's vision cleared, he saw a gruesome spectacle unfolding: the cannibals were engaged in a macabre feast, their crude knives and axes hacking at a large octopus. The creature's tentacles were slashed and tossed aside as the group devoured the flesh with ravenous hunger, their frenzied festivity painting a picture of primal savagery.

In the midst of this chaotic banquet, Sambh's attention was caught by a particularly repulsive sight—a pig-faced cannibal, who, with a grotesque sneer, tore into a chunk of meat with his two prominent teeth.

His lips curled into a mocking grin as he watered his mouth, his eyes locking onto Sambh's with a derisive glint.

"Where have you hidden Ruchi?"

Sambh demanded, his voice strained with panic as he searched desperately for her among the grim figures.

The response came in mocking tones from the gathered cannibals, "Can't you smell her in our food?"

Their laughter rang out, cold and unfeeling, as one of them struck Sambh from behind with a heavy leg. In the blink of an eye, a new voice pierced the melee: "I am at your back!"

Sambh turned sharply to see Ruchi standing defiantly nearby, her eyes blazing with a mixture of fear and determination.

"Why have they brought us here?" he whispered urgently, his voice low and uncertain as he tried to catch his breath.

Ruchi's reply was measured yet laced with gravity: "It's a full moon night, and the entire realm of ocean creatures gathers to worship. They celebrate this day by sacrificing living beings to resurrect their leader."

Her words hung in the air, a chilling revelation that deepened the mystery of their predicament.

Curiosity mingled with dread in Sambh's voice as he pressed, "Who is this leader?" Ruchi's expression hardened, and she raised her tone as she pointed toward the cannibal feast.

"Vall-eran," she declared, the name echoing ominously among the dark figures. At that moment, the cannibals shifted their focus; they rose from their place with weapons raised, their eyes burning with fanatic zeal as they advanced on Ruchi.

Instinctively, Ruchi moved to defend herself, fending off the attackers with swift, practiced strikes. However, she was soon outnumbered.

Frustration and anger flared within Sambh, and he shouted with bitter contempt, "Vall-eran was a fool—a moron, stupid even!"

His words, laced with scorn, fell on deaf ears. The cannibals, enraged by his defiance, turned their fury on him. Sambh, less skilled in combat than Ruchi, found himself overwhelmed. Blows rained down upon him, and he was wounded grievously as his attackers closed in.

In the throes of pain and desperation, Sambh's cry echoed through the cave, a raw sound of anguish and disbelief. Just as all hope seemed lost, a commanding voice boomed over the clamor, cutting through the chaos like a knife.

"Welcome back, Your Highness," the voice intoned, and in an instant, every hostile action ceased. The cannibals froze, their violent intent melting into a submissive silence.

Stunned and barely clinging to consciousness, Sambh struggled to understand what he had just heard. The commanding figure's presence was both terrifying and inexplicably magnetic, as if the power of the ocean itself had descended upon them.

For a fleeting moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, and the cave was filled with an eerie calm that belied the violence that had just transpired.

Ruchi, still recovering from her own skirmish, glanced at Sambh with a mixture of relief and apprehension. "This is only the beginning," she whispered, her voice trembling yet resolute.

"Our journey has taken a dark turn, and the mystery of Vall-eran—and now this title bestowed upon you—must be unraveled."

As the echoes of the commanding voice faded into the shadows, Sambh and Ruchi found themselves suspended in a moment of uncertainty. Their fate, intertwined with the ancient rituals and the enigmatic leader of these cannibalistic worshippers, hung precariously in the balance.

The ocean's depths had claimed them once before, and now it seemed determined to pull them into a vortex of secrets and power far beyond their understanding.

With hearts pounding and minds racing, the two fugitives exchanged a determined glance, knowing that every moment could bring either salvation or further peril. The unanswered questions swirled around them like the dark currents of the deep sea.

"Who was Vall-eran? What was the true nature of the sacrifice, and why was Sambh now addressed as "Your Highness"? And most pressing of all—what fate awaited them as the full moon continued its silent vigil over the unfolding chaos?

In that charged and uncertain moment, with the taste of blood and fear mingling in the air remained shrouded in mystery.