The world was a distant, muffled thing. There was only the cold, and the dark, and a profound, anchoring weight in my stomach that held me down. Then, a voice, frayed with terror and drenched in tears, pierced the void.
"AGNIIIIIIIIIIIII!!"
It was Neer. His scream was a raw, physical thing that clawed at the edges of my fading consciousness. I felt a warmth on my face, not the scorching heat of my own fire, but the gentle, life-giving touch of water. It was the only sensation in the numb, cold emptiness that was claiming me.
I couldn't see him, but I could feel him. I felt the moment his power erupted again, not as a controlled stream, but as a cataclysm. It was a torrent, a roaring, desperate wave of energy that flooded the clearing, washing over me, seeping into the fatal wound in my abdomen. The cold receded, replaced by a knitting, searing warmth. The weight in my stomach lightened, the torn flesh and severed vessels weaving themselves back together under the incredible force of his will.
My eyes fluttered open.
Neer was on his knees, his hands pressed against my stomach, his entire body trembling with the effort. A brilliant, azure light poured from him into me, so bright it hurt to look at. His face was a mask of absolute concentration and pain.
"O Water God!" he cried out, his voice a strained, desperate prayer to the heavens. "I invoke your element… Protect Agni, heal his wounds. Take my life if you must... but give him life!"
A divine, aqueous shield enveloped me completely, and I felt the last of the injury seal shut, leaving only smooth, unbroken skin behind. The power that had saved me was immense, a depth I had never sensed within him before.
And then, it was gone.
The light emanating from him flickered and died. The trembling in his hands ceased, replaced by a terrifying stillness. His eyes, which had been blazing with unearthly power, rolled back into his head, and he collapsed forward onto my chest, utterly lifeless.
"Neer?"
I pushed myself up, my own body feeling miraculously whole. I cradled his face in my hands. It was pale, cold. No breath stirred in his lungs. No pulse beat in his throat.
A sound of pure, undiluted anguish ripped from my throat. "Get up, Neer…" I whispered, my voice trembling. "I never even knew how to cry, but today even my tears are abandoning me. Fine… From now on, I will become like you too. I will fight with you, tease you, but first… first get up! Neer… Forgive me. I couldn't protect you… Get up, Neer, scold me, get angry with me… but don't stay silent like this. What happened to you? Get up, Neer… If you don't get up… then I will also give up my life!"
I held his limp body, the prophecy echoing in my mind not as a threat, but as a cruel, ironic joke. He was supposed to die by my hand, a conscious, terrible act of duty. Not like this. Not because he had poured the very essence of his life into mine.
A divine light, softer than his had been, descended from the canopy, bathing us in a warm, golden glow. A celestial voice, calm and authoritative, filled the clearing.
"Son Agni… Compose yourself. Neer is alive."
I looked up, tears I thought were impossible now streaming freely down my face. "Gurudev… You?"
"He used all his power to save you, a burden his body could not bear. But he will recover… it will take some time. And your task is not yet finished. This is no ordinary demon… it is a Brahmarakshas. It can only be liberated by the sacred chant of the Narayana Kavach."
Understanding dawned. I looked at the ashes of the demon, which were already beginning to stir. "This Brahmarakshas was once a great sage," the voice continued. "Arrogance led to his fall. Now liberate this demon. Chant the Narayana Kavach, and create a protective shield with your fire."
Gently, I laid Neer down. My grief and terror hardened into a core of resolute purpose. I would not let his sacrifice be in vain.
I closed my eyes, finding the calm center that Neer's near-death had shattered. I invoked my fire, not for destruction, but for protection. A circle of radiant, divine fire erupted from the ground, forming a protective dome around Neer's still form. Then, I began to chant.
My voice, filled with the pain of my ordeal and a newfound, desperate faith, resonated through the forest. The very sky seemed to listen. The Narayana Kavach, a hymn of ultimate protection, flowed from me, each syllable a weapon of light.
The demon, now writhing on the ground, screamed as the sacred words poured into it. "After so many years… I am… being liberated… O Narayan… O Vishnu…!" it cried out in a trembling, grateful voice.
With a final, silent explosion of pure, white light, the demon's form dissolved into peaceful, settled ashes. A profound, everlasting silence fell over the forest. The curse was lifted.
The divine light and the voice faded, leaving me alone in the sudden quiet.
Breathing heavily, I looked at Neer. He was still unconscious, but his chest now rose and fell in a shallow, steady rhythm. The color was slowly returning to his cheeks.
Gently, I lifted him onto my shoulders. He was lighter than I expected.
"Let's go, Neer…" I whispered, my voice thick with an emotion I could no longer name. "I'm taking you home."
I carried him out of the forest, his head resting against my neck. The boy who was my destiny. The friend who had defied it. And as I walked, a single, unwavering truth solidified in my heart.
The prophecy could go to hell. I would find another way.
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Cliffhanger: The chapter ends with Agni's resolve fundamentally shifting. He has chosen to defy the prophecy, setting him on a new, dangerous path to find a way to save Neer's life, no matter the cost.