Darkness cloaked the grove near Hastinapura at midnight, its thick canopy swallowing the stars until only a faint shimmer pierced through. A single torch flickered at the edge, its flame dancing weak and gold, casting long, trembling shadows across the mossy ground. The air hung heavy and cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine, while the faint rustle of leaves whispered secrets in the stillness. The grove stretched wide and silent, a realm of shadows trembling with tension, ready to test the princes' steel in a night stripped bare of light.
Drona stood near the torch, his lean frame a silhouette in the faint glow, his tattered white robes fluttering faintly as he adjusted the flame. His gray hair was tied back tight, and his dark eyes gleamed with a silent, watchful fire as he faced the Kuru princes. In one hand, he held his staff, its tip resting on the soft earth; the other gestured toward a pile of wooden swords, their edges blunted but firm. The princes gathered around him, their tunics dark against the night, their breaths puffing in the chilly air as they squinted into the blackness, unease flickering in their tense faces.
Bhima rocked on his heels, his massive frame rustling the undergrowth, his broad grin flashing faint in the torchlight as he clapped his hands with a loud thud that echoed through the trees. "Fighting in the dark, guru?" he said, his voice booming across the grove, loud enough to stir the leaves. "This is mad! We swinging blind tonight?"
Drona turned to him, his expression calm but unyielding, his voice cutting through the night with steady force. "Not blind, Bhima," he said, his tone deep and firm, hushing the air for a moment. "Aware. Tonight's combat in shadow. Spar with swords, no light but this. Senses and instinct. Pair up, take one. Begin when I call."
Bhima's grin stretched wider, his eyes lighting up as he laughed, the sound rumbling over the grove. "Senses, huh?" he said, his tone bright and eager, grabbing a sword with a grunt. "I'll hear them coming and smash them! Let's go, guru!"
"Hear more, smash less," Drona replied, his voice dry and patient, pointing into the darkness. "Five strikes each. Find your foe."
Arjuna stepped up beside him, his lean form quiet and still, his sandals silent on the moss as he peered into the shadows. His tunic blended with the night, his breath even, and his dark eyes narrowed with a steady focus. "This is different," he said, his voice soft but clear, glancing at Drona with a nod. "It's all feel, guru. How do we start?"
"Listen," Drona said, his gaze settling on Arjuna with a flicker of warmth, his tone firm. "Feel the air, hear the step. You'll strike true."
Duryodhana strode forward, his chin high, his dark hair lost to the shadows as he gripped a sword tight. "Feel the air?" he said, his voice low and edged with a smirk, his brow lifting slightly. "I'll hit what I can't see. No one's getting past me. Guru, I'm ready."
"Prove it," Drona said, his tone stern and sharp, meeting Duryodhana's smirk with a nod. "Step in. Show me."
The princes fanned out, their footsteps muffled on the moss, the grove humming with the faint clack of wood as they melted into the dark. Bhima lumbered forward, his sword raised, his laugh booming as he swung at the air. "Here we go!" he shouted, his voice ringing loud, the blade whistling through the shadows. He aimed for Nakula's vague shape, his strike wild, and Nakula ducked, his own sword tapping Bhima's arm with a soft thud.
"Ha!" Bhima said, his tone bright and unbothered, spinning toward the sound. "Sneaky rat! I'll find you!" He swung again, the wood slicing air, and stumbled over a root, laughing loud as he caught himself.
Drona watched from the torch's edge, his voice steady and firm as he called into the night. "Find him, Bhima!" he said, his tone warm with patience, his silhouette unmoving. "Listen first, then strike!"
"Listen?" Bhima said, chuckling as he swung blind, his sword veering wide. "I'm listening to my own roar!" He lunged, laughing still, but Nakula tapped him twice more, fading back into the dark.
Arjuna moved silent through the shadows, his sword low, his breath slow and even as he tracked Duryodhana's faint rustle. "There," he murmured, his voice soft and lost to the night, swinging with a light arc. The blade tapped Duryodhana's shoulder, his senses sharp, and he shifted, striking again with a clean thud to the chest. "Two," he said, his tone calm and steady, stepping back into the blackness.
Drona's eyes gleamed, his voice warm with awe as he leaned on his staff. "Two?" he said, his tone lifting slightly, steady despite the dark. "Unseen, Arjuna? That's it! More!"
Duryodhana growled low, his voice sharp and fierce as he gripped his sword tighter. "Unseen?" he said, his tone bitter and edged, swinging wild toward Arjuna's breath. The blade caught air, but he lunged again, his instinct guiding a hard tap to Arjuna's leg. "Got you!" he said, his smirk faint in the shadows, pressing forward.
Arjuna twisted, his sword flashing silent, tapping Duryodhana's arm with eerie precision. "Three," he said, his voice soft but sure, fading back as Duryodhana swung again.
The grove pulsed with their efforts, the air thick with the clack of wood and the rustle of leaves—Bhima's roaring swings, Arjuna's ghostly strikes, Duryodhana's raw counters. Bhima lumbered through the dark, his grin wide as he waved his sword. "Two on me!" he shouted, his voice loud and cheerful, laughing through the night. "I'm a bear in a cave! Where are you, Nakula?"
"Gone!" Nakula called, his voice quick and faint, tapping Bhima's back before vanishing again.
Drona's voice cut through, his tone amused but firm as he watched. "Gone's the trick, Bhima!" he said, his silhouette steady. "Find him!"
Arjuna faced Duryodhana again, his sword a whisper as he struck twice more, tapping chest and shoulder with pinpoint calm. "Five," he said, his voice soft and steady, stepping close as Duryodhana swung hard, a blind arc whistling past. Arjuna blocked it, the wood clacking loud, and pinned Duryodhana's arm down with a swift press, holding him still in the dark.
Duryodhana froze, his breath heaving, his voice low and sharp as he yanked free. "Pinned?" he said, his tone bitter but grudging, brushing moss from his tunic. "You're a ghost, Arjuna. I'll get you next time."
"Ghost's one word," Arjuna said, his voice calm and friendly, lowering his sword with a nod. "You landed two, Duryodhana. That's fierce."
"Fierce and blind," Duryodhana replied, his smirk faint but sharp, his tone sly and edged as he stepped back. "I'll see you yet."
Drona stepped forward, his voice warm with pride as he raised his staff. "Enough," he said, his tone ringing clear, his eyes piercing the dark. "Arjuna, five strikes, sharp and sure. Duryodhana, two, raw and strong. Bhima, none."
Bhima lumbered back, his chest heaving, his grin wide as he wiped sweat from his brow. "None?" he said, his voice loud and teasing, laughing through the shadows. "I hit the night itself! This dark's a beast, huh?"
"Beast you'll tame," Drona said, his tone dry but fond, shaking his head as the torch flickered. "Instinct, Bhima. You'll find it."
Arjuna set his sword down, his breath steady, his smile warm and quiet as he brushed leaves from his hands. "That was alive, guru," he said, his voice soft and honest, flexing his arms. "Every sound mattered."
"Mattered and guided," Drona replied, his pride clear, nodding at him through the night. "That's your gift, Arjuna. Senses sharp as steel."
Duryodhana crossed his arms, his scowl deep, his voice low and sharp as he kicked at the moss. "Two's a start," he said, his tone bitter but impressed, glancing at Arjuna. "You're uncanny. I'll match that soon."
"Two's no jest," Arjuna said, his voice soft and steady, turning to him with a nod. "Your instinct's real, Duryodhana."
"Real's not enough," Duryodhana said, his smirk sharpening, his tone sly and edged as he turned away. "I'll rule this dark."
Bhima clapped their shoulders, his laugh booming as he grinned wide. "Rule it?" he said, his voice loud and teasing, shaking the stillness. "Arjuna's a shadow, you're a wolf, and I'm a bear! We're a pack, huh?"