Chapter 13: Hiranya’s Trap

The Aftershock

Darkness.

Agaradhi’s body felt weightless as he tumbled through an endless void. His limbs were numb, his vision distorted by flickering lights and shifting shadows. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he was still alive—until pain erupted across his body as he slammed onto solid ground.

His breath hitched. The impact was brutal, but he had survived.

Groaning, Agaradhi pushed himself up, blinking against the blinding neon glow surrounding him. He was in an abandoned city, but not the same one as before. This one was different—more advanced, yet eerily lifeless. Towering skyscrapers loomed above, their glass panels cracked and flickering with residual power. The streets were empty, save for the faint hum of dying streetlights.

He wasn’t alone.

Agaradhi’s eyes darted around. His friends—Vikram, Rina, Samir, and Priya—were gone.

“Hiranya,” he muttered under his breath, realization sinking in. “He scattered us…”

Then, as if answering his thoughts, a hologram of Hiranya flickered to life in front of him.

Hiranya’s Message

“Ah, Agaradhi,” Hiranya’s voice dripped with amusement. “You’ve come so far. It’s almost… admirable.”

Agaradhi’s hands clenched into fists. “Where are they?” he demanded.

Hiranya tilted his head. “Your dear friends? Scattered. Each of them thrown into their own nightmare—a world tailored to break them.”

The hologram flickered, revealing multiple floating screens, each showing a different location where his friends had been transported.

Vikram was trapped in a futuristic arena, surrounded by robotic enemies, forced to fight for survival.

Rina was in a crumbling temple, lost in endless corridors where illusions blurred reality.

Samir found himself in a frozen wasteland, with only his wits to keep him alive.

Priya was in a deserted lab, where eerie whispers echoed, warning her of unseen dangers.

Agaradhi’s chest tightened. Hiranya hadn’t just separated them—he had thrown them into mental and physical battlegrounds.

“I will break you all, one by one,” Hiranya continued. “And when I do… you’ll come crawling back to me.”

The hologram glitched out, leaving only silence.

Agaradhi exhaled sharply. He had no choice.

He had to find them.

The Hunt Begins

Agaradhi took off down the empty street, scanning for anything that could lead him to his friends. His powers hummed at his fingertips, his instincts heightened.

He knew Hiranya was watching.

A sudden explosion in the distance made him stop. A building collapsed, sending metal and glass raining down. Then, from the smoke, mechanized figures emerged.

Hiranya’s hunters.

The First Battle

Agaradhi barely had time to react as the machines charged at him.

The first one lunged, blades extending from its arms.

Agaradhi dodged, summoning a burst of fire energy, incinerating it instantly.

The second one fired energy blasts, but he countered with earth barriers, deflecting the attacks.

The last machine tried to flank him, but Agaradhi, now fully in control of his powers, unleashed a shockwave of wind, sending it crashing into the ruins.

Panting, he stood over the wreckage. If Hiranya was sending hunters after him, it meant one thing—

He was getting close.

The Hidden’s Betrayal

As he pressed forward, a shadowy figure stepped onto the street ahead.

Agaradhi froze.

It was The Hidden.

“I figured you’d make it this far,” the masked figure said, arms crossed. “You’re more resilient than I expected.”

Agaradhi’s heart pounded. “Where are they?”

The Hidden chuckled. “Why do you think I’d help you?”

Realization dawned on Agaradhi. The Hidden was working for Hiranya.

“Damn you…” Agaradhi growled.

The Hidden merely smirked. “Let’s see how long you last.”