Jay kept punching, fast and wild.
But Rohan dodged every strike—calm, focused.
He didn't want to drag this out.
He needed to end it quickly.
But the entity controlling Jay had no mercy. No hesitation. Only destruction.
Another punch came.
This time, Rohan caught it with one hand—a firm grip, stopping the blow mid-air.
With his other hand, he pulled back, ready to strike.
He aimed at Jay's chest, but at the last second, saw Jay preparing to block.
So, he changed direction mid-swing—
—and slammed his fist straight into Jay's chin.
A loud crack echoed in the air.
Jay's head snapped back.
His body lifted nearly five feet off the ground, before crashing back down in the dirt, groaning.
Rohan stood still, breathing hard, eyes locked on Jay's unmoving form.
Jay tried to get up, his body shaking.
But Rohan didn't wait.
He ran forward and landed a powerful kick to Jay's side.
Jay's body flew again—rolling across the dirt and sliding toward the lake.
He groaned, one eye half-open.
Rohan stood still, watching closely.
Jay slowly turned his head and stared at Rohan.
And that's when Rohan noticed something.
There was no blood.
Not from the mouth. Not from the bruises. Nothing.
He frowned.
"Jay's body… doesn't even have blood?"
His thoughts raced.
How long has this thing been inside him? Since when? Has Jay's real soul already left? No… no, I can't let Deepak end up like this."
He clenched his fists.
"I need to end this. Now."
Jay groaned again and tried to stand.
But Rohan was already there.
He drove another hard punch straight into Jay's chest—the sound of impact sharp and loud.
Jay's body flew backward once more, crashing into the ground.
Then—silence.
Two minutes passed.
Jay didn't move.
Rohan stood still, tense and ready.
Watching.
Waiting.
I still don't understand the powers I have… or how to use them, Rohan thought.
But something inside me is burning.
It wasn't pain—it was something deeper.
A heavy heat, rising from inside.
Maybe it's Deepak's soul… struggling. Suffering.
I've pushed his body too far.
He looked toward the trees, where Naresh and Hari were hiding behind the broken wood.
This is the moment... I have to leave his body now.
Rohan—still in Deepak's body—started walking toward them.
Hari and Naresh saw him coming.
But halfway there, Deepak's body began to collapse—his legs gave out.
Hari rushed forward and caught him just in time, wrapping an arm around him for support.
"Deepak… you okay?" Hari whispered, though he wasn't sure who he was speaking to anymore.
Above them, Rohan's shadow form hovered silently, his shape outlined by the fading firelight.
He looked down at Deepak and his friends, a trace of pain in his glowing eyes.
Then he slowly turned…
and looked back at Jay's body, still lying motionless near the lake.
Rohan floated upward, scanning the area from above.
He was looking for Mahi, but his eyes kept returning to Jay's body near the lake.
Suddenly—
A girl's scream echoed from deep inside the jungle.
Rohan turned sharply.
"Damn… what's going on in this place?"
He glanced back—wanting to confirm Jay was really down for good—
But his eyes widened.
Jay's body was gone.
"No… he moved?"
Rohan shot down fast, landing near the others behind the broken wood.
To his relief, they were all safe.
Two security guards stood nearby, holding rifles.
They had reached the group just in time.
Hari turned to the guards, tense and breathing hard.
"Our friend… Shanu. She ran the other way into the jungle. She's missing!"
Rohan heard him and froze.
Mahi… she must've gone after Shanu.
And that scream—maybe it wasn't Shanu. Maybe it was Mahi.
Rohan's heart pounded in the silence.
"I have to reach her. Now."
Without another word, he shot into the air, vanishing into the fog, heading straight for the sound.
Another stone smashed into a nearby tree, and the tree shattered into splinters.
Mahi rolled to the ground, gritting her teeth—her shoulder was bleeding.
She grabbed a broken branch from the wreckage, closed her eyes for a second, and channeled her power into it.
The wood began to glow faintly.
Without wasting time, she leapt forward, jumping from one tree to another.
Suddenly—
A stone shot past her head, just inches away.
"Damn… too close," she muttered, panting. "I need to stay sharp."
Two more stones crashed into the ground near her feet.
She kept dodging, running, never stopping—waiting for the right moment.
Then—
A gap.
The soul had no stones left around her.
Mahi spotted the opening.
She jumped onto a rock, took aim, and hurled the glowing branch at the soul.
The soul dodged easily, watching the branch fly past.
But then it frowned. That branch—wasn't glowing.
"A trick," the soul realized.
Before it could react, a second branch—this one glowing—came spinning straight at it.
It struck the soul's leg.
A sharp crack of energy—
The bottom of the soul's form began to shatter, glowing shards falling like glass.
Mahi landed on her feet, wounded but standing.
She faced the soul, breathing heavily.
Mahi looked up.
The hovering soul had lost nearly 30% of its glowing form, pieces of its body still falling like ash.
Mahi held a small glowing stone in her hand, preparing for one final strike—
But suddenly—
CRACK!
Something struck her hard in the back.
She crashed to the ground, gasping in pain.
Her vision blurred. She twisted her neck to see—
A wounded man walking out from the trees, holding a bloodied wooden stick.
His steps were uneven, face shadowed, but his intent was clear.
He was heading straight toward Shanu, who was still lying weak and motionless nearby.
Mahi tried to push herself up, her body shaking—
But before she could—
WHAM!
The soul threw a heavy log right at her.
It slammed into her side, sending her flying back.
She hit the ground hard. Blood spilled from her lips. Her glowing stone rolled away.
The man reached Shanu, raising the stick high—
But then—
A flash of white light!
The soul was blasted back, crashing to the earth with a distorted scream.
The man looked up, shocked.
Floating above them—was Rohan.
His eyes glowing, shadows circling him like smoke.
He stared down at the man coldly.
Jay hurled the stick straight at Mahi—
It flew through the air like a blade, spinning fast.
Rohan's eyes widened.
> "Damn!"
He surged forward through the air, summoned a sharp gust of wind,
and deflected the stick mid-flight.
It embedded deep into a nearby tree with a loud thunk.
Mahi was safe.
But Rohan's fury had reached its peak.
He looked around, scanning for Jay—
But Jay had vanished again.
Rohan turned to check on Shanu—still unconscious, but unharmed.
Then—he faced the hovering soul.
Rohan's body lifted higher into the sky, thunder cracking all around him.
Clouds twisted in the air. Trees rustled. Animals fled.
The soul stared at him in terror, her glowing form flickering, eyes full of dread.
Rohan floated closer.
His shadow stretched unnaturally, drawing energy from every tree, leaf, and living creature nearby.
He extended his right hand, and above his palm,
an energy ball formed—dense, pulsing, and white-hot.
It hummed with power.
The soul trembled.
> "No—please! I'm not alone—I serve someone! I'm just a shadow soul—he commands me!"
She cried.
Begged.
But Rohan's face showed no mercy.
His eyes burned with rage and resolve.
With a forceful throw,
he launched the energy ball straight at her.
BOOM!
A blinding thunderbolt split the sky,
echoing across the entire jungle.
The air itself trembled.
And then—
The soul was gone.
Not banished.
Erased.
Forever.
---
Far away, hidden in the shadows, Jay's possessed body turned to the sky.
His eyes narrowed.
> "More than a hundred years… and a soul has been erased completely."
He clenched his fists.
> "I must tell the master."
Mahi lay on the forest floor, blood at the corner of her lips, her body bruised and aching.
Through blurred vision,
she saw Rohan hovering in the sky, shadow swirling around him like a storm of justice.
The thunder faded.
The sky slowly calmed.
The soul was gone. Not defeated—destroyed.
Mahi's chest rose and fell, each breath shallow.
She watched Rohan descend slightly, light still crackling around his silhouette.
Her thoughts, slow but sharp:
> "He didn't just fight her... he erased her... completely."
"He's too powerful…"
"I wish... I could meet him... in his real form... the human he once was."
Her eyelids fluttered.
One last glimpse of his shadow above—
Then everything faded to black as Mahi collapsed, unconscious.