Chapter 3 – The Temple’s Last Stand

  As Adhira turned around, his breath caught in his throat. Savi stood before him, but something was terribly wrong.

  Her face was pale, eyes hollow—expressionless. It was as if life had drained out of her. She wasn’t crying, yet tears streamed down her cheeks, her lips trembling in silence.

  Adhira took a cautious step forward. "Savi… What happened? Who did this?"

  She didn’t respond. She just stood there, staring—not at him, but at something beyond him. Her gaze was fixed on the grand statue of Lord Garuda.

  Adhira clenched his fists. "Savi, please! Say something!"

  But before he could press further, a series of voices echoed outside.

  Adhira quickly crouched near a small hole in the temple wall, peering out. Five figures stood outside the temple’s entrance. All of them bore a serpent symbol on their hands. But one of them… one of them was different.

  He wore a long black coat, his face mostly obscured beneath a hood. One of his hands was replaced by five writhing snakes that moved like living extensions of his body.

  "He’s not an ordinary enemy…" Adhira thought.

  The hooded man raised his snake-infested hand, pressing it against the temple door. "This barrier is strong," he muttered. "But no barrier lasts forever."

  One of the warriors beside him stepped forward, whispering, "Do we wait for the High One’s command?"

  The High One? Adhira’s heartbeat quickened. There was someone above this snake-handed man. Someone more powerful.

  The General scoffed. "He ordered me to retrieve the Garuda relics. If the temple won’t open, I’ll break it down myself."

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  Raising his arm, one of the snakes slithered through a tiny opening in the wall.

  Adhira barely had time to react before it lunged straight at him.

  "Move!" He grabbed Savi’s wrist, pulling her deeper into the temple.

  The snake pursued them, hissing violently. Adhira realized something—it wasn’t targeting Savi. It was after him.

  "Why? What do they want from me?"

  He sprinted toward the Garuda statue, pushing Savi behind him. But the snake was too fast. It sank its fangs into his arm, venom flooding his veins.

  A sharp, burning pain surged through his body. His vision blurred. His knees wobbled.

  "Damn it… I won’t… let them win…"

  The snake lunged again, this time toward Savi.

  Adhira’s instincts kicked in. He grabbed the serpent mid-air, tightening his grip until he crushed its head.

  A strange warmth coursed through him. The symbol on his back—Lord Garuda’s mark—began to glow.

  His pain… it stopped.

  The venom didn’t spread. It was… neutralized.

  Panting, he stumbled toward the temple’s sacred water basin. As he leaned over to drink, his reflection caught his eye—

  One eye glowed green. The other, red.

  "What… is happening to me?"

  (An hour later)

  Gathering his strength, Adhira stepped toward the temple doors. The Snake Clan’s forces had begun to move, hundreds of them marching through the ruins of his village.

  And in the center… someone was being carried on a grand throne.

  The leader.

  "I need to see his face!"

  Adhira’s vision sharpened—his newfound ability allowing him to see across the distance.

  But just as his eyes focused, a searing pain struck him.

  "Tch! I can’t… see him… Who is he?"

  His knees buckled, frustration bubbling inside him. "If only I could see a little more…"

  But for now, he knew one thing—this wasn’t over.

  And whoever was leading these monsters… he was coming for Adhira next.