The Price of Power
The wind howled over the ruined city as Shivay stood on the rooftop, staring at the bloodstained streets below. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the new strength coursing through his veins. Every fight, every kill—it all made him stronger.
Dev and Ashi stood behind him, their faces tense. The latest battle had been different. The monster they had killed was unlike any before. It was massive, powerful, intelligent. And when it died, the power they absorbed had been overwhelming.
Dev
(serious): “We need to talk.”
shivay
(without turning): “About what?”
Dev
“Where is this power coming from, Shivay? Do you even care?”
Shivay let out a short laugh, tilting his head back.
shivay
“All I care about is that we’re alive. And we’re getting stronger.”
Ashi stepped forward, her expression worried.
ashi
“But at what cost? What if this isn’t natural?”
Shivay finally turned, his eyes cold.
shivay
“Then let it be unnatural. Do you want to be weak again? Do you want to run and hide like before?”
Dev
“We’re not saying we should stop fighting. We’re saying we should figure out what’s happening to us.”
Before Shivay could respond, a loud scream echoed through the city. Another monster was nearby.
shivay
(smirking): “I guess we’ll get more answers when we kill another one.”
He walked past them, heading down to the lower floors where his warriors were waiting. The hunt wasn’t over. Not yet.
That night, when the battle was over, Shivay sat alone in a dimly lit room. A single candle flickered beside him. In his hand, he held something small—a silver bracelet. Pihu’s bracelet.
shivay
(whispering): “You should’ve been here, Pihu.”
For a moment, the tough warrior, the leader of the strongest army in the city, looked vulnerable. He closed his eyes, remembering her laughter, her voice, her presence. But the memory was brief—because memories didn’t belong in this world anymore.
A knock on the door snapped him out of it.
Alan
(outside the door): “Boss, there’s movement outside the mall.”
Shivay put the bracelet away, his expression hardening again.
Far away, in a place no one knew existed, Abhi watched everything on a massive screen.
The battle. The power surge. The way Shivay was changing. He had expected this.
saniya
(watching with him, confused): “You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”
Abhi didn’t respond. His eyes stayed locked on the screen, calculating, waiting.
saniya
(frustrated): “Why don’t you stop him?”
Abhi finally looked at her, his expression unreadable.
Abhiii
“Because this is just the beginning.”
As the screen flickered, a shadowy figure moved in the background. Watching. Waiting.
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