Calm Before the Storm
The sun poured its golden warmth across Dharavanar, a perfect day for doing absolutely nothing. Neel lounged in his room, music blasting through his speakers as he scrolled lazily on his phone. His parents had left for work early, leaving him the entire house to himself.
He grinned and sent a text to the group chat.
Neel: "Bro, chilling today. Parents out. You coming later?"
No reply yet. Probably Ariv was busy. Neel shrugged and turned the volume up, letting the rhythm drown out the quiet hum of life outside.
But then, the music stuttered. For a split second, the beat distorted into static before cutting off completely.
Neel frowned. "Huh?" He checked his phone. Battery full. Music app still running. The fan overhead spun slower and slower, even though the power was fine.
Something felt… wrong.
---
The Disturbance
The air thickened, pressing down on his chest. A faint cold breeze swept through the room, chilling his skin despite the summer heat outside.
The shadows along the wall began to stretch—thin, jagged lines creeping like living things.
"What the hell…" Neel's voice trailed off as his eyes darted around. The silence was deafening now, his heart pounding loud in his ears.
Then came the sound.
A deep, rumbling growl that didn't belong to this world.
---
The Manifestation
From beneath the study table, darkness pooled like spilled ink. It crawled outward, spiraling upward until it formed something… alive.
Two crescent-shaped eyes flared open, glowing an eerie blue.
The creature rose, its form shifting and writhing—long tendrils scraping the floor with a sound like metal on stone.
Neel stumbled back, his breath caught in his throat. "No… no, no, no…"
The thing moved with impossible grace, slithering toward him, hunger radiating from its every movement.
Panic surged. Neel grabbed the nearest thing—a metal cricket bat—and swung with all his strength.
The bat sliced through the smoky body like air.
The creature didn't even flinch.
---
The First Blow
A tendril lashed out. The impact slammed into Neel's chest, hurling him across the room. He crashed into the wardrobe with a sickening thud, pain screaming through his ribs.
Glass shattered. The desk splintered like paper.
Before he could recover, another tendril whipped out, slashing across his arm. A searing burn spread from the wound, the pain sharp enough to blur his vision.
He groaned, sliding down the wall, his breath ragged, vision swimming in black spots.
The creature loomed over him now, jaws splitting into a grotesque grin of shadows.
This was it.
---
The Awakening
"No…" Neel's whisper was raw, broken. "I… can't…"
Something inside him cracked—fear twisting into a spark of something deeper.
A cold light flickered in his chest.
It spread like liquid silver through his veins, rushing down his arms until his hands burned with an otherworldly glow.
Silver-blue light erupted from his palms, forming a shield of shimmering moonlight.
The Kalarak's tendril struck—rebounding in a flash of sparks. The room shook as the barrier absorbed the blow.
Neel stared in shock, the brilliance reflecting in his wide eyes.
"What… what is this?!"
But the barrier splintered, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface before it shattered like glass.
The glow faded. His strength collapsed with it.
---
The Silent Retreat
The Kalarak roared, shadows twisting violently as it prepared for the killing strike.
Then, it froze.
The air thickened again—but not with fear. Something else pressed into the room, crushing and suffocating, like a predator staring into the soul of its prey.
The creature hissed, body trembling, and without a sound, it dissolved into mist. Gone.
The weight lifted instantly, leaving an oppressive silence behind.
Neel collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. His hands trembled violently, faint sparks of silver-blue flickering and dying on his skin.
He stared at them, his voice barely a whisper.
"I… should be dead…"
The house stood still. The sunlight streamed back in through the broken window as if nothing had happened.
But Neel knew. Nothing was normal anymore.