Deep beneath the dungeon's fabric, beyond the stone and earth of the mortal realm, existing a chamber in perpetual metamorphosis.
A monstrous form reclined against a rippling wall, its tongue lolling out like a dog, its acidic saliva dripping onto the ground with slow sizzles. The creature was Verdant Maw—docile now, despite the massacre it had just wrought in the caverns above.
Two celestial figures towered over it—one luminous, one dark as void—colossal beings whose presence distorted the very air. They hovered over a projection screen of stitched light, replaying the recent chaos in the caverns.
With a flick of their fingers, the image froze: the Maw's petals opened wide, and five disciples lay crushed in its gullet.
The luminous one stroked the beast's thorned hide, fingers casting off sparks of lightning. "A splendid performance."
The Maw coiled closer, apparently delighted by the compliments.
The darker presence shifted, her form etched with glyphs that pulsed like slow heartbeats. Her voice arrived like a resonant chord plucked across the cosmos. "And yet… we did not feel even a surge, Megavarman."
The luminous being turned, revealing skin that gleamed like polished ivory, veins of opal light threading beneath the surface. "You doubt the prophecy, Vairanika?"
Vairanika leaned forward, her multiple arms mid-gesture. The chamber quaked in response. "I doubt your interpretation of it. Did we arrive too early? Or too late, perhaps?"
Megavarman's laughter chimed like a thousand discordant bells. "Oh, Vairanika, ever the skeptic. We sowed the chaos precisely as intended. The Blightfang's core was laid bare, and the Maw—" he patted the beast fondly, "—inflicted exquisite terror on those disciples."
"And yet, all we exposed was the core of a dead creature," she said thoughtfully, and pursed her lips. "No one awakened their power to our catalyst. I see no awakened disciple among us. Maybe it was a failure?"
Megavarman drifted across the chamber, each step unraveling and re-weaving reality beneath him. "It is far too early to speak of failure. Remember, this prophecy spans eons. We are precisely on schedule."
Around them, the walls shimmered through different states of existence; a forest thriving with life, ash falling over dying embers, a bare rock bleeding magma before an icy stillness overcame it all.
Vairanika folded her arms with deliberate grace, her silhouette forming stark crescents against the shifting light. "We have waited for countless cycles already. What makes this one different?"
"Everything," Megavarman answered simply, his form erupting briefly into pure radiance. "The Yuga switches after this cycle."
The statement hung in the air, swirling and reshaping as Vairanika absorbed its implications.
"You are certain?" Her voice wavered between skepticism and a new curiosity.
"Certain enough," Megavarman replied.
"We shall see." Vairanika retreated slightly to the shadows, her voice taking on a challenging edge. "But if you are wrong—"
"If I am wrong," he interrupted smoothly, "then I shall endure your endless 'I told you so's' for another millennia.'
She allowed herself something closer to amusement; a minor star ignited within her form, only to collapse into darkness again.
The screen flickered back to motion, playing out scenes of panic and desperation. Megavarman's attention fixed on a figure pushing through the chaos, a sweep of his hand magnifying the image. "This one," he said, nodding towards Kanshul. "See how he charges forward with no fear or hesitation? He may well be the one."
Vairanika cast him an incredulous look. "You place your faith in brute force?"
Megavarman laughed again, a cosmic rumble that sent tremors across the chamber. "Ferocity will set him apart."
On the screen, Kanshul was relentless, tearing through beasts with raw aggression. Then the image flickered to him, denying the elixir to Reni, and her subsequent transformation into a monster.
Vairanika observed with a measured intensity. "How about his disregard for life?"
"Necessity." Megavarman's eyes glinted as he watched the screen. "He is decisive. Knows exactly whom to sacrifice."
Vairanika suddenly paused the recording. Kanshul had pinned a helpless boy beneath his knee.
"And breaking the boy's leg?" her voice carried sharp disapproval. "That is your idea of promise?"
"A fitting vengeance," Megavarman said, delight rippling across his form. "It shows he will stop at nothing."
Vairanika shifted, the glyphs on her body blazing with agitation. "Yet nothing in him speaks of awakening."
"Not yet," Megavarman conceded, his features softening into contemplation. "But he will." His certainty electrified the air, and the essence of prophecy sparked anew within him.
The Maw gurgled contentedly beside them, while the chamber continued its fluid transformation.
The screen zoomed in on Kanshul's ruthless struggle to survive, each frame a testament to raw ambition and untempered might.
In contrast to Megavarman's exuberance, Vairanika's doubt deepened. She watched Kanshul forging ahead through chaos and carnage, leaving a trail of betrayal and broken bodies.
The footage started once again, and Vairanika sighed, losing interest. She shifted her focus toward the mutation of a nearby wall until a flicker caught her attention.
"Hmm." Her voice was bright with sudden speculation. "Perhaps I was too hasty, Megavarman."
The image zoomed in and focused on a lone figure who ran towards danger rather than safety. When the figure approached an unconscious Kanshul and stepped forward to protect him, the projection froze on its face: Sharav's young features set with grim determination.
Vairanika's glyphs took on a curious rhythm. "Interesting," she mused.
Megavarman leaned in. "I see," he drawled. "Of course, he had to protect Kanshul. He was their only hope."
"Tch…" Vairanika said, clearly displeased.
A group of disciples clustered around him, eyes wide in terror, but as Sharav spoke, their resolve improved and became better as he redirected them calmly back to fight.
"Look," she said, her voice tinged with satisfaction as Sharav turned back in the tunnels and grabbed the fallen disciple and supported them on his shoulder to safety. "Efficiency. Adaptability. He observes before he acts, and intelligence guides his every step. This is more promising than all your soldier types combined."
Megavarman's light flared briefly in acknowledgment—or annoyance—as he waved his hand to resume the sequence back from the beginning. The disciples' frantic battle played out like a beautiful disaster; they barely kept ahead of their doom.
The Verdant Maw roared across the caverns and broke through the tunnel, roaring in frustration just before the whole thing collapsed. By then, Sharav and the group had moved ahead beyond the tunnels.
Vairanika sat back, allowing herself a minor victory within their unspoken contest. "An unexpected turn indeed."
Megavarman considered the frozen image on display: Sharav, panting but alive, still urging others forward. "Perhaps," he conceded at last.
Somewhere beyond their immediate presence, the Verdant Maw snarled and thrashed against its containment, furious at having been thwarted by such meager resistance.
They fell into a contemplative silence. The screen played on in an endless loop, but no disciple erupted in radiance. No awakening shook the heavens.
"I suppose we shall have to wait to know for certain." Vairanika's tone was resigned but not without hope.
Megavarman smirked, his form flashing brilliantly once more before dimming. "No matter how long it takes," he agreed.
The image shifted once more, showing the battered disciple group trying to outrun the chaos in the tunnels. A familiar figure appeared at the forefront.
"Ah, the servant," Megavarman chuckled. "I wondered when he would show his face again."
Vairanika's eyes narrowed in amusement. "He is persistent."
"He clings to life with all his wit and cleverness," Megavarman said. "But he lacks the strength. A mere distraction for those who do."
They watched Ayan lead the team through crumbling tunnels, his voice cutting sharply above the noise. New resolve spurred them forward.
Vairanika tilted her head. "He knows much more than you credit him for, driven by love."
"Knowledgeable but emotional and weak," Megavarman flicked his wrist, casting Ayan's image aside like an unwanted thought. "See how he tries to sacrifice himself to save others? His sister, this boy… Rudrak. It will be his undoing."
"He is dead anyway," Vairanika reminded him. "Kanshul broke him and left him for the Maw. At least he got a merciful death when the tunnels collapsed."
They laughed echoed through the chamber, like a distant thunder across a broken sky.
They turned their attention back to Sharav and Kanshul, maneuvering through the mayhem.
"Where is Sharav now?" Megavarman's voice was smug as he saw Kanshul emerging first from the caverns.
"Right there," Vairanika said, pleased as Sharav stepped out of the darkness.
Their gazes remained fixed on the screen, missing the single flicker when Ayan's body sparked with something unearthly.
But they were no longer watching.
They had seen enough.
The surrounding walls shifted towards new phases of existence as Vairanika rose to leave.
"Perhaps something prevented us," she concluded.
"Unlikely, but not impossible. There are other factors… and we are not the only players. Let's keep a close eye."
They relented their search for now and joined in their departure.
The Verdant Maw crawled after them as they departed, leaving the screen running in an endless loop, monitoring the moments already passed.
And amidst this endless repetition of past events…
Ayan's forgotten spark burned brightly, unseen.