Not a Spirit, Not God

They say spirits and gods guard the brave and strong.But the one who came to save her was none of them—he walked in flesh, and breathed like a man. And that… was new.

~~~~~

He kneels beside her, cradling her weight in his arms. Blood still lingers at her ear, her breaths are slow like shallow waves.

He dips his fingers into the cold river and sprinkles the water gently onto her face.

"Hey" he murmurs, voice low but firm "hey…wake up."

She doesn't stir.

He places two fingers lightly on her forehead. His eyes sharpen the moment his energy touches her. 

'This…spell… is to kill' he whispers to himself.

He closes his eyes. One hand cups the back of her head, the other holds her hand gently. A current of divine energy flows through him—searching, scanning, tracing the shape of this curse.

He feels it: a dark thread woven deep into her soul, like a splinter lodged in spirit instead of flesh.

"Wake up…" he whispers, then louder—shaking her gently but urgently. "Shaamvi—wake up."

Drawing in a breath, he begins to cleanse it—not break it, but he can quiet it, for a few hours. His aura pulses outward, silvery and warm, wrapping around hers like silk in water.

The tangled magic inside her recoils.

A few minutes pass in stillness.

Then—her body shudders. She gasps sharply, her eyes flying open.

"W…..What was that?" she chokes, voice hoarse.

She tries to rise, trembling, panicked. "What was that…..I don't know…I…need…I need your help."

Her words overlapping, desperate. "Please….I didn't see it coming…I"

He catches her shoulders, steadying her. "Shaamvi. Breathe."

She stares up at him, dazed.

"It's okay," he murmurs, his voice is a low flame, meant to warm.

"Someone cast a dark spell on you."

"I know…" she whispers.

"I have quieted it for now but I can only hold it back for few hours" he says. His gaze searches hers. "We need to find the one who did this. Do you have anyone in mind?"

She shakes her head slowly. "No… I don't know. I'm so confused. Why would someone do this to me?"

He gently rises, offering her his hand. "You need to rest. Can you stand?"

She nods faintly. He helps her up. Together, they walk through the moon-drenched silence to the place Shaamvi has been staying.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she says softly, stepping inside.

"I'm not leaving," he replies. "I'll be right here. Outside this chamber."

She turns "Why…?"

"That spell was never meant to just hurt you. It was meant to drain you. To kill you."

"Kill?" confusion tightening her brow.

He nods grimly.

"This wasn't just an attack," he says, voice low. "It is the Fivefold Death Spell."

He looks into her eyes, the weight of the truth darkening his tone.

"It's a cursed ritual meant to kill and turn your soul into a Brahmarākṣasa. Once bound, your power will be stolen… transferred entirely to the one who cursed you."

[ Brahmarākṣasa- a corrupted soul, twisted by unfinished desires and dark karma. They are not ghosts, but monsters.They roam in forsaken places like forests, ruins—feeding on human souls. Born from death laced with ritual and vengeance.]

He pauses, letting it settle.

"This spell strikes in five phases. One has already hit you. That means four remain. Each strike will weaken your soul further… until the last ends your life and traps your spirit in darkness."

"What?" she breathes. "A Brahmarākṣasa?"

She stares at him, stunned.

She knows what a Brahmarākṣasa is.

Her voice trembles. "Someone wants me to become a monster? Someone wants me to become that? Are you serious?"

He doesn't answer.

She swallows hard and asks, " how do you know all this ?"

"I just know," he says simply.

She remains quiet, but the fear in her eyes grows deeper. Then, after a long pause, her voice lowers.

"I don't know who would want this. Who did this?"

"Think," he urges, his tone still calm but firm. "Someone must have a reason. A grudge. A need for your power."

She slowly shakes her head, eyes distant—lost in the storm of memory and fear.

"I will protect you," he says.

He steps closer, looks toward the dark horizon, then back at her.

"Four strikes remain. They can come at any time."

He looks into her eyes.

"I am here to protect you."

She meets his gaze—and something stills inside her.

'I have always been the one protecting others. From spirits, From shadows, from things no one else dared to face.'

'But now… a man stands before me and says he will protect me. Not a spirit, not God but something living. Flesh and soul. This is new.'