Episode 8 – “The Antrika Protocol”

🌌 Surya: Aag Ka Saya

Episode 8 – "The Antrika Protocol"

Scene: Vault 9 – Vaibhav's Hidden Facility, Subterranean Sector Delta

The air inside Vault 9 was colder than death. Frost laced the edges of ancient steel walls, which hadn't been opened in over twenty years. Even machines nearby hummed with caution, as if aware of the blasphemy sealed inside.

Vaibhav stood before a massive stasis chamber. Fog swirled around the base, while a glowing control panel displayed cryptic Vedic code:

"अन्वेषण आरंभ – अन्त्रिका को जगाओ"

(Initiate Sequence – Awaken Antrika.)

He pressed his palm to the scanner.

A hiss.

The frost glass began to dissolve.

And inside… floated Antrika—a woman suspended in glowing red serum, her body covered in flame-glyphs, her veins alive with ember-like threads.

Her eyes snapped open—burning white-hot like twin suns.

Vaibhav's voice was reverent. "Awaken, Antrika. The Vessel of Fire walks unchallenged. Time you remind him who was born from the First Flame."

Scene: Navgarh City – Surya's Secret Lair Under the Hospital

The aftermath of the rooftop battle was still settling.

Surya stood silently in front of the Lotus Vault—a sacred fire chamber used only in crisis. His body bore light burn marks—not from enemy weapons, but from his own awakened power.

Master Haranath's final letter still echoed in his mind:

"Antrika was the first child of fire. But her flame lacked empathy. We sealed her before she consumed all memory. She is not your enemy, Surya… She is your origin's twin."

A soft chime interrupted his thoughts.

Encrypted Transmission:

"Central AI breach detected. Sector Delta offline. Emergency alert from… Vault 9."

Surya's breath slowed. His fingers closed tightly around the lotus pendant hanging from his neck.

"Antrika," he murmured.

Then he vanished.

Scene: Navgarh Metro System – Underground Rapid Transit Line

Surya rode a secret monorail used by only high-clearance officials. Wind howled through side vents. He was alone, but his senses were sharp—he felt her awakening.

In the distance, echoes whispered:

"Purify me or perish with me…"

Flashback: 18 Years Ago – Flame Sanctum, Deep Himalayas

Two infants lay beside each other inside a heated cradle infused with mantra stones. One boy. One girl.

The monks stood over them in awe.

"The fire has chosen dual vessels," Haranath had said. "But fire is duality itself—creation and destruction."

One of the elders frowned. "The girl's flame does not sleep. She will become rage incarnate."

Thus, they sealed her away—erasing her name from all records.

But Surya had never forgotten her touch. Even as a child, when their fingers met, his flames burned warmer.

Scene: Vault 9 Crumbles – Antrika Steps Out

Flames burst from the chamber as Antrika stepped barefoot onto the steel floor, each step melting the frost beneath her. Her hair flowed like burning silk, and her eyes radiated an unnatural intensity.

Frost agents nearby fell to their knees—some in devotion, others in fear.

Rithvik, now fully cybernetic, approached cautiously. "We restored you, Antrika. You were built to rule beside—"

She turned her head slightly.

He combusted instantly—no flame, no scream. Just dust.

Vaibhav didn't flinch. He smiled. "We had a deal. Bring him to me. Alive."

She responded, voice echoing across dimensions.

"Alive… or awakened?"

Scene: Surya Reaches Vault 9 Ruins

Ash coated the facility floor. Walls were melted. The security AI was dead.

Only one message remained, scrawled on the scorched wall in glowing glyphs:

"She remembers."

Then—a sound.

A soft hum behind him.

Surya turned.

Antrika stood there.

Their eyes met.

For the first time in 20 years.

Dialogue: Fire Meets Fire

Surya: "You're alive…"

Antrika: "Was I ever dead?"

Surya: "You were sealed… because your fire lacked empathy."

Antrika: "No. Because they feared what I could feel."

Surya took a step closer. "Why now?"

She touched her chest. "Because your awakening summoned mine. We were not meant to burn alone."

Then suddenly—she attacked.

Scene: Fire Duel – Surya vs Antrika

The chamber exploded in a hurricane of flames.

Antrika's style was pure chaos—each strike laced with grief, anger, betrayal. Surya fought defensively—redirecting her attacks using breath-form martial blocks. Their movements cracked walls, melted steel beams, and created flame signatures that flickered with emotional memory.

But it wasn't just a fight.

It was a conversation in fire.

Antrika struck hard. "Why did you abandon me?"

Surya countered. "I didn't know you lived."

She screamed. "They made me forget myself."

He whispered. "Let me help you remember."

Their auras clashed.

Then… silence.

Scene: Shared Flame Memory

Their flames intertwined and flashed backward.

Two children giggling inside the sanctum. Antrika crying when monks separated them. Surya burning his own palm once, just to feel the same pain.

Suddenly—her rage slowed.

She dropped to her knees.

"Why didn't they let me live… like you?"

Surya bent down. "Because they didn't trust fire to feel. But we do. We must."

Scene: Vaibhav Watches in Panic

Elsewhere, Vaibhav saw the merge through hidden lenses.

"No… No! She was supposed to destroy him, not awaken love."

He slammed his fist against the console.

"They're rewriting fire itself."

Scene: The Bond Reforged

Surya placed the lotus pendant in Antrika's hand.

"This is yours too. We are flame together."

She wept for the first time. As her tears hit the ground, they turned into crimson blossoms.

From her back, glowing ember-wings sprouted. Not destructive—protective.

Surya stepped beside her.

Now they stood together.

Fire and Flame.

Balanced.

But just then—an explosion rocked the ruins.

A new figure appeared.

A man cloaked in golden armor, eyes dead white, hands blazing with unstable fire.

Vaibhav's secret weapon.

Ashvak – The Burnt God.

Closing Scene

Ashvak roared: "Only one flame may reign. Choose, Surya. Her… or the world."

Surya shielded Antrika with one hand, summoned his full Lotus Flame Core with the other.

"I choose both."

The ground cracked.

Episode ends.

⚡️

🔥 Next Up in Episode 9 – "Ashvak: Flame of the Forsaken"

The final experiment rises. Ashvak was the failed prototype before Surya—the vessel that couldn't hold fire without madness. Now, he's returned with unstable flame resonance, threatening to consume both Antrika and Surya. But what happens when fire fights fire without balance?

🔥🌺