Aagami

  Episode 3: The First Hunt

  SCENE 1 - NEEL’S RAGE (KALYANI GROUND, NIGHT)

  FADE IN:

  Neel stands frozen. His body trembles. His home is gone. His family is gone.

  Bhreda’s towering form glows with an eerie heat. The very air around him distorts, warping reality itself. The ground beneath him cracks, unable to withstand his presence.

  BHREDA (mocking): “I expected fear… but this? How amusing.”

  Neel grits his teeth. His fists clench so hard that his nails pierce his palms.

  NEEL (low, seething): “I’m not running.”

  His rage boils over. His legs move before he can think.

  He charges.

  Niki’s eyes widen.

  NIKI: “Neel, STOP!”

  But it’s too late.

  Neel swings his iron rod with everything he has.

  Bhreda doesn’t flinch.

  With a single movement, Bhreda catches the iron rod in his clawed hand.

  Neel’s eyes widen.

  BHREDA (amused): “Pathetic.”

  And then—CRACK.

  The iron shatters like brittle glass.

  Neel barely has time to react before Bhreda’s massive claw slams into him.

  BOOM!

  Neel is hurled backward, crashing into the dirt. His ribs feel like they’ve collapsed.

  He gasps for air.

  Niki doesn’t hesitate. She leaps forward, her hands forming a quick mantra.

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  A golden seal explodes in front of Bhreda, forcing him back.

  NIKI (urgently): “You can’t fight him like this! We need to leave—NOW!”

  Neel coughs, blood staining his lips.

  His hands shake, not from pain—but from fury.

  His home is gone.

  His family is dead.

  And he’s supposed to run?

  NEEL (gritted teeth): “I’m not running… I’m going to KILL him!”

  NIKI (shouting): “YOU CAN’T! HE’LL KILL YOU IN SECONDS!”

  Neel tries to stand, but his vision spins.

  Bhreda laughs.

  BHREDA: “You mortals are always so… fragile.”

  He lifts his claw—ready to end this.

  Neel stares up at him, his breathing ragged.

  So this is it?

  His vision blurs.

  Darkness creeps in.

  Then—

  WHOOSH!

  SCENE 2 - THE TELEPORTATION

  Before Bhreda’s claws can land—

  A golden mantra flares beneath Neel.

  Niki’s hand slams against his chest.

  Neel (shocked): “Niki—?!”

  The air rips open.

  FWOOOOOSH!

  The next thing Neel knows—he’s falling.

  Everything goes dark.

  Then—solid ground.

  Neel collapses, gasping. His body still shakes, his head spins.

  The scent of sandalwood fills his nose. The air is warm… calm.

  He isn’t in Kalyani anymore.

  Slowly, Neel pushes himself up.

  He’s in an abandoned ashram.

  The stone walls, covered in ancient Sanskrit inscriptions, glow faintly in the dim light. A strange energy hums through the air. A massive mural behind him depicts a battle—a lone warrior facing an army of spectral beings.

  The weight of the place presses against his chest.

  Neel grits his teeth.

  NEEL (furious): “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!”

  He spins toward Niki. She stands nearby, arms crossed, her face unreadable.

  Neel staggers up to her.

  NEEL: “That thing killed my family! And you just—just THREW ME AWAY?!”

  Niki doesn’t flinch.

  NIKI (calmly): “You would’ve died.”

  NEEL: “I DON’T CARE!”

  His voice breaks.

  The words hit the air, heavy, raw, filled with more pain than anger.

  He grabs Niki’s collar, his grip weak but desperate.

  NEEL (voice cracking): “I don’t care if I die! I had nothing left!”

  For the first time, his anger falters.

  His grip weakens.

  His body trembles violently.

  His vision blurs. His legs feel like they might give out.

  And then—warmth.

  Neel freezes.

  Niki has grabbed his wrist.

  Her touch isn’t harsh. It isn’t angry.

  It’s… steady.

  For the first time since this nightmare began, Neel sees something different in her eyes.

  Not just coldness.

  Not just calculations.

  Pain.

  A pain that he recognizes.

  A pain that feels just like his own.

  Niki gently removes his hand from her collar.

  She steps back. Takes a breath.

  And then, softly—

  NIKI (whispering): “You think you’re the only one who’s lost everything?”

  Neel doesn’t move.

  Niki looks away, her gaze drifting over the ancient walls. The faint golden glow reflects in her eyes.

  Then—her voice drops even lower.

  NIKI (quietly, almost to herself): “You don’t even know what I lost.”

  Neel’s anger wavers.

  His mind is still screaming, still drowning in grief.

  But for the first time… he stops.

  Niki finally turns back to him.

  NIKI (serious): “You want revenge? Fine. But first, you need to understand what you’re fighting.”

  She traces a small mantra in the air.

  Neel’s body feels lighter. The pain in his chest eases—just slightly.

  He looks at her. His breathing slows.

  NIKI: “Now shut up… and listen.”

  FADE TO BLACK.

  TO BE CONTINUED…