Soft morning light filtered into the small wooden home as the cold wind whispered outside. Inside, warmth glowed from a small lamp filled with melted animal fat.
Kasha woke first.
Surbhi slept peacefully beside him, her hair scattered across the fur blanket like dark silk. A gentle smile tugged at Kasha's lips. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.
She stirred lightly.
By the time she opened her eyes fully, he was already holding out a wooden cup filled with warm tea.
"Good morning," he said softly.
Surbhi pushed herself up, taking the tea with sleepy hands.
"Hmm… morning," she murmured, sipping the steaming liquid. It warmed her instantly.
"I need to go shopping today," Kasha said, placing his hand on her knee. "My clothes are all ruined from the mission. Can't attend Diwali like this."
Surbhi nodded, finishing her tea. "Go. But take care."
Kasha smiled, put on his wool-lined fur cloak, and stepped outside.
A rare beam of sunlight broke through the clouds, bathing the settlement in golden warmth. Children ran across the snow-dusted ground, throwing little balls of ice at each other.
Among them were Ravi and Keshav, laughing loudly.
"Kasha bhai!" they yelled the moment they saw him. The entire group of children rushed forward, surrounding him in excitement.
Kasha reached into the satchel at his side and pulled out a handful of roasted wheat kernels—a delicacy, nearly impossible to find.
The children gasped.
"Is this… is this wheat?" Ravi asked, eyes wide.
Kasha smiled and handed each child a small portion.
The kids chewed happily, grinning from ear to ear.
Kasha laughed softly. "Enjoy. You won't get more today."
He ruffled their hair and continued toward the market street.
The clothing stall stood beneath a patchwork canopy of fur and cloth.
Behind the counter sat an elderly woman—wrinkled, frail, but with eyes bright as ever.
Sumati Amma.
She had raised Kasha after his parents died when he was just six.
The moment she saw him, her expression lit up like dawn.
"Kasha, my child!" she exclaimed.
Kasha rushed forward and embraced her gently.
"I missed you, Amma," he said.
"And you never visit," she scolded lovingly. "Always running into danger like your father."
Kasha smiled and placed a small cloth bag on the counter.
Sumati opened it—her hands froze.
Inside was grain.
Pure, precious grain.
"No, no, I cannot accept this," she said immediately. "This is too expensive. I won't take it."
"You're not eating meat anymore," Kasha reminded softly. "Your health can't handle it. Keep it. Please."
Sumati Amma hesitated, then finally nodded.
"In return, take whatever clothes you want."
Before he could reply, someone approached from the side.
A guard.
But not just any guard.
The same one who had welcomed Kasha back at the gate.
His face softened as he smiled.
"Rahul," Kasha said, hugging him tightly.
"It's been too long, brother," Rahul replied.
"Chief got you that guard job?" Kasha asked.
Rahul nodded gratefully. "Yes. Before this, I used to hunt outside and sell meat and clothes. But now… now I don't have to step outside these walls. The beasts out there… no normal man survives long."
"You deserve the safety," Kasha said sincerely.
After choosing a new fur coat and leather trousers, Kasha moved to the next shop.
The next stall displayed ornaments made from polished animal bones—bracelets, necklaces, hairpins.
A woman sat behind the counter, hands busy carving bone into delicate shapes. She looked up and smiled gently when she recognized Kasha.
"You're alive," she said softly. "Good."
Kasha chuckled. "Trying my best to stay that way."
He picked up a bone pendant shaped like a snowbird. "This is beautiful. I'll take it."
Her fingers paused. Her smile faded.
"What happened?" Kasha asked.
The woman swallowed.
"My husband… went hunting a few days ago. He didn't return. When the search team found him…" Her voice broke. "Animals had eaten half his body."
Kasha's heart dropped.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "May his soul be at peace. You're strong. You'll get through this."
She nodded weakly.
Kasha placed extra tokens on the counter and left quietly.
At the far end of the market street, people bustled and traded furs, hides, medicine, and tools.
Kasha walked through the crowd—
and then he saw him.
A man in a dark cloak.
Wearing a mask of bone and leather.
Standing completely still, staring directly at Kasha.
Kasha slowed.
The masked man suddenly turned—
and ran.
Kasha sprinted after him.
"Stop!" he shouted.
The stranger was impossibly fast.
He slipped through people, leaped over crates, darted between huts.
Kasha was close—
just an arm's length away—
The masked man suddenly turned and shoved him hard.
Kasha stumbled.
And the stranger leapt.
He jumped onto a roof in a single, impossible bound—
then climbed the tall wooden wall like a shadow.
Guards rushed toward him—but they were too late.
The masked man vanished over the other side.
Kasha stood there stunned.
No normal human could leap like that.
No one could scale the outer wall that easily.
But the Diwali preparations soon swallowed the moment, and Kasha forced himself to forget.
By nightfall, the settlement glowed with celebration.
In the center of the ground, a massive bonfire blazed.
Villagers danced around it, singing, clapping, laughing.
Children played.
Women lit lamps.
Men drummed on wooden barrels.
For a moment, even the cold world seemed warm.
Kasha stood among the crowd—
and then he saw him again.
The masked man.
This time, moving through people with a purpose.
A knife gleaming in his hand.
Heading straight toward—
The Chief.
"CHIEF!" Kasha shouted, pushing through the crowd.
But the music was loud, the crowd thick.
He couldn't reach in time.
The masked man plunged the knife
once
into the Chief's side.
The Chief gasped and collapsed.
The attacker raised the knife again—
but Kasha reached him, grabbed his arm, and punched him across the jaw.
The masked man fell backward.
Chaos erupted.
People screamed.
Guards rushed in.
Kasha climbed on top of the attacker, punching him again and again, fury burning in his eyes.
The mask cracked—
fell off.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
Half of the man's face was melted—like it had been burned by acid.
His eyes… one of them was slit like a serpent's.
Kasha raised his fist to strike again—
But guards grabbed him.
"Stop!" they yelled. "We must interrogate him!"
They dragged the masked man away.
Surbhi pushed through the terrified crowd and reached the Chief's body.
"Move!" she ordered.
Her hands trembled as she checked the wound.
"His pulse is weak! Quickly—take him inside!"
Guards lifted the Chief and rushed him to the medical hut.
Surbhi stitched the wound with shaking fingers.
She applied a special ointment made from a rare snake species—an antiseptic powerful enough to stop infections.
At last, the Chief's breathing steadied.
Tulsi held his hand and sobbed.
Little Keshav cried silently beside them.
Kasha arrived moments later, chest heaving with rage.
He looked at the Chief—weak, unconscious.
Something inside him snapped.
Without a word, he turned and stormed out into the night—
toward the jail where the masked man was being held.
His footsteps shook with fury.
Darkness awaited him.