A Pact with the Abyss
Darkness wrapped around Tara like a second skin. The sigil Bhairav carved into her forehead burned with an unnatural heat.
Pain? No. This was something else—a transformation.
Her heartbeat slowed. Her senses sharpened.
She could hear the whispers of the dead.
She could see the abyss stretching before her.
Bhairav's hollow gaze met hers. "The power you seek will cost you everything."
Tara clenched her fists. Everything had already been taken from her.
"What must I do?"
Bhairav's grin was a sliver of darkness. "Offer your past."
Tara gasped as memories surged forward—her childhood, her laughter, the warmth of her mother's embrace.
One by one, the images burned away.
The Tara who fought for her people? Gone.
The Tara who believed in hope? Destroyed.
What remained was only a vessel for vengeance.
Meanwhile—In the Palace of the Immortal King
Shree Yan stood atop the grand balcony, overlooking his vast dominion. Below, thousands of warriors knelt in his presence.
He was no longer just a man.
He was a god of war.
A messenger approached, trembling. "Your Majesty… the rebels have been annihilated. The girl, Tara, is—"
Shree Yan raised a hand. His crimson eyes gleamed.
"She will return."
The messenger froze. "What?"
Shree Yan smirked. "A storm does not end in silence. It prepares to strike again."
The winds shifted.
A shadow moved in the distance.
Shree Yan turned his gaze toward the horizon.
Tara had chosen her path.
And when she returned—he would be waiting.