The night was unusually quiet. Dark clouds slowly covered the sky, and a cold wind blew through the empty streets.
Arjun sat near his bedroom window, looking outside. The streetlights flickered again and again as if something was disturbing the electricity.
"Strange weather tonight," he whispered.
Suddenly, a loud thunder roared across the sky.
BOOM!
A powerful lightning strike crashed into the forest near his house. The flash was so bright that Arjun had to close his eyes.
For a moment, everything became silent.
Then something strange happened.
Arjun suddenly felt a cold sensation spreading through his body. His heart started beating faster. When he looked at his right hand, he froze in shock.
A thin dark smoke was slowly rising from his palm.
"What… what is this?" he said nervously.
The smoke started moving like a living creature. It twisted around his fingers and slowly formed a small black flame.
Arjun quickly stood up and stepped back.
"This can't be real…"
The shadow flame suddenly grew bigger and spread across the room like dark mist.
At the same moment, the lights in the house went out.
The entire room was covered in darkness.
Arjun could barely see anything.
Then he heard something.
A whisper.
It didn't come from outside.
It came from inside his mind.
"The shadow has chosen you."
Arjun's heart started racing.
"Who said that?!" he shouted.
But there was no answer.
Only silence.
The dark smoke slowly moved around him like it was observing him.
Suddenly another lightning strike flashed across the sky, lighting up the entire room for a second.
In that brief moment, Arjun saw something terrifying.
Behind him on the wall…
There was a shadow.
But it wasn't his shadow.
It was moving on its own.
Arjun turned around quickly, but the shadow disappeared.
The lights came back on.
Everything looked normal again.
The room was quiet.
The strange shadow flame had vanished from his hand.
Arjun looked at his palm again.
Nothing.
"Was that… just a dream?" he wondered.
But deep inside, he knew the truth.
Something had awakened inside him tonight.
And somewhere far away in the dark forest, something else had awakened too.
Something that was waiting for him.