Ashes of Home
Garud emerged from the gate—
And froze.
The village was gone.
Flames devoured what little still stood.
Homes burned like funeral pyres.
The air was thick with smoke, ash, and the stench of blood.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground—
men, women, elders—
People Garud had known his entire life.
His heart trembled.
"Mother… Father… Karan…"
The thought alone felt like a blade tearing through his chest.
"No… no… no…"
Garud broke into a run.
The Ruins of His Home
He reached his house.
Or what remained of it.
The walls were cracked wide open.
The roof had collapsed inward.
Fire crawled across broken beams.
"Mother!"
"Father!"
"Karan!"
His voice echoed—but no answer came.
Panic gripped him.
Garud rushed inside, stepping over shattered wood and fallen stones.
Then—
A sound.
Faint.
Broken.
A weak breath.
Garud turned sharply.
"Karan!"
The Survivor
Near the inner wall, half-buried beneath collapsed rubble, lay Karan.
Blood stained his clothes.
His breathing was shallow.
One arm was twisted unnaturally beneath the stones.
"Stay awake!" Garud shouted.
He grabbed the fallen wall—
And lifted it.
Stone, wood, and debris that would take five men to move were tossed aside as if weightless.
Garud pulled Karan free and carried him outside, laying him gently on the ground.
"Karan… look at me," Garud said, holding his shoulders.
"Where are my mother and father?"
Karan's eyes trembled.
Tears mixed with blood.
His voice cracked.
"Garud…"
"The demons…"
Garud's chest tightened.
"Tell me," he said, barely holding himself together.
Karan swallowed painfully.
"They took them," he whispered.
"I fought… I fought with everything I had…"
"But I couldn't stop them."
His fists clenched weakly.
"I'm sorry…"
The words hit Garud harder than any blow.
Silence Before the Storm
Garud slowly stood.
The fire reflected in his eyes—but it was not fear burning there.
It was something darker.
Something ancient.
His fists shook.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
"Demons…" he said quietly.
For the first time since awakening—
Garud did not feel confusion.
He felt clarity.
And rage.