The Moment of Silence
The night, once filled with laughter and rebellion, grew still.
Tara turned, her sharp eyes narrowing as she met the crimson gaze of the man who had haunted her nightmares.
Shree Yan.
He stood there, calm, unbothered by the sea of enemies surrounding him. He had walked into their den alone, not as a king on his throne, but as a hunter among prey.
The rebels froze. Their leader was before them, yet none could move. None could breathe.
They felt it—the weight of his presence.
A force beyond men. Beyond kings. Beyond gods.
Tara's hand inched toward her sword. "You dare walk into my camp?"
Shree Yan did not answer. His eyes flickered to the flames of their campfires.
He raised a single hand.
The fire dimmed. The air turned frigid.
The rebel soldiers, once fearless, now felt terror clawing at their souls.
"This rebellion," Shree Yan said softly, "is already over."
The Unseen Battle
Tara moved first, her blade flashing toward his throat.
A blink.
Shree Yan was no longer there.
A gust of wind followed, and suddenly, Tara found herself on her knees, her blade shattered, her breath stolen.
Her warriors rushed forward—fifty men, a hundred—charging, roaring, attacking with everything they had.
And then—silence.
In an instant, they fell.
Not by sword. Not by flame.
By something unseen.
Something that shattered their spirits before it broke their bodies.
Shree Yan stood among the fallen, untouched, his crimson gaze glowing in the dark.
The Warning
Tara gasped for breath, her body refusing to move.
Shree Yan crouched before her, tilting his head. "You fight for freedom," he mused. "But do you understand what you are fighting against?"
Tara spat blood, glaring at him. "I understand that you are a monster."
Shree Yan smirked. "Then you understand nothing."
He stood, turning away.
"You may fight me, rebel queen. But know this—defiance has a price."
With a flick of his wrist, flames erupted around the camp, swallowing the bodies of her fallen warriors.
Tara screamed as the fire roared. Not in pain. Not in fear. But in hatred.
And as Shree Yan vanished into the night, his voice lingered—
"Pray that you never see me again."