Previously:
Ved and his team uncover Vault 27B and awaken a forgotten scripture — one tied to an ancient Deva civil war. But the echoes of that war have begun to stir again… and something dangerous has reached the surface.
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"When a god forgets he is a god, he becomes a demon."
– Saptarishi Warning, Seal Codex #05
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Location: Mumbai – Borivali Slums
A child sat alone.
Eyes wide. Smiling.
Too wide. Too still.
The local PSF (Parapsychic Security Force) patrol had called it in:
> "Unusual aura spikes. Cold zone. Zero EM interference. Child hasn't moved in 19 hours."
But when the team entered the building, only one message was transmitted before signal loss:
"He's not the child. He's the cage."
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Sanctuary Briefing Room
Agnira paced before the team.
"This is not a mission. It's a test. For Ved."
Rehan raised an eyebrow. "Why him?"
"Because the entity inside the child matches the script-signature from Vault 27B. It's reacting to him."
Sia leaned forward. "You're sending us into a live possession site."
"No," Agnira corrected. "He is the exorcism."
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Arrival: Mumbai Safe Zone
The team landed via astral drop, bypassing physical surveillance. The building was quarantined. The air… too quiet.
Anya set up psychic barriers.
Ved stepped into the apartment.
There the boy sat — six years old, covered in hand-drawn symbols.
His eyes flicked open. Not human.
"You smell of Deva fire."
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Internal Realm – Ved's Mind
The moment their eyes met, Ved was pulled inside.
He landed in a grey field, filled with empty faces — all screaming silently.
The boy stood across, but his voice was older. Deeper.
"You wear Agni's mark. But do you know what it costs to burn fate?"
Ved clenched his fists. "I'm not here to talk."
"You will. Or the boy dies."
The entity raised its hand, and pain surged through Ved's memories — his mother, his lost brother, the lab, fire everywhere…
"You think your pain makes you special?" the voice sneered.
But Ved answered, quietly:
"No. But it's mine."
And with that — he flared.
A ring of burning Devanagari script spiraled around him.
The realm cracked.
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Outside – Real World
The boy convulsed, screaming.
Sia tried to intervene, but Agnira held her back. "No. He has to finish this alone."
Inside, the realm began to burn.
Ved walked through the flames, straight to the entity.
"Who are you really?"
The face flickered.
And for a moment… it was Ved.
A perfect mirror. Older. Cruel.
"I am who you become if you lose your path."
Then it attacked.
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Battle of the Self
Ved vs. Hollow Ved.
Fire against void.
Power against purpose.
But as their powers clashed, Ved remembered the words of the scroll:
> "Deva don't defeat their demons. They purify them."
So instead of striking back, he opened his arms.
And embraced it.
The flames turned white.
The hollow screamed… and vanished.
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Real World – Later
The boy blinked. Eyes normal. Breathing steady.
The team sighed in relief.
Ved stood, exhausted but whole.
Anya whispered, "You didn't kill it."
"No," he said. "I absorbed it."
Rehan frowned. "You what?"
Ved smiled faintly.
"I don't just burn now. I carry it."
Agnira nodded in approval. "Then you've passed the second flame."
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Elsewhere – Unknown Location
The masked figure from before watched a floating screen.
"Containment failed."
The Warden shivered. "He… purified the entity."
The figure chuckled. "Good. That means he's evolving."
The Warden frowned. "Isn't that dangerous?"
The masked man turned.
"Only if he remembers who he really is."
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Next: Ved discovers another member of the ancient Deva Lineage hidden in plain sight. But to awaken her, he must survive her test: a battle where memories fight back.
Episode 9: Mirror of Scars — coming soon.