'Should I tell them? This is a heresy against the very structure of the Order. Who else knows? What would the consequences be?'
Ashan contemplated in the silence that followed Imla's question. His team watched him, their expressions a mixture of anticipation and unease. His gaze drifted past them to the three other survivors, who were still oblivious.
"What I am about to tell you cannot leave this circle," Ashan said, his voice low and stern. "And do not ask me how or why. Not yet."
The six of them nodded, the air growing thick with tension.
Ashan took a steadying breath. "I have combined the Vidyas of both fractions of my House."
"Wait! What did you say?" Dris blurted out, his voice a sharp crack in the quiet.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Roderic hissed, elbowing him.
A stunned silence fell over the group. The implication of his words was too vast to process immediately.
"You... combined all four Vidyas?" Ballio's voice was thin with disbelief.
"Impossible," Helma and Damara whispered in unison, their faces masks of shock.
Imla, however, was not frozen in disbelief. Her analytical mind was already racing ahead. "Can you help me combine the Vidyas of my House?"
Her question cut through the daze, surprising everyone.
'She wastes no time,' Ashan thought, meeting her calm, intense gaze.
"Hey, wait a second!" Dris interjected, raising his hands. "Isn't this, like, a top-tier secret? The Order won't just hand out sweets if they find out we're messing with their core teachings."
"Which is precisely why it stays here," Roderic countered, pointing a finger at Ashan. "We know now. We're accomplices. And we have living proof that it works."
"Does this mean you can use the kiriyas and mantras of the Rat fraction, too?" Helma's face scrunched in thought. "Amazing. Then... wait, could I learn the Snail fraction Vidyas from the House of Sloth and transform into a snail?"
Damara's train of thought visibly derailed. "Then I could become a goat? I'm... not a big fan."
Ballio managed a wry smile. "Aren't you two getting ahead of yourselves? First, you have to combine the Vidyas. To do that, you need to know them. And it's not guaranteed to work for everyone. Ashan is a unique case."
'Thanks for the defense, Ballio, but it was only possible because of my siddhi.'
"Ashan, you sneaky bastard," Dris said, slinging an arm around his shoulders with a conspiratorial grin.
"Now you have to tell us. We're accomplices now!"
'Yes, they're implicated now. The chance of betrayal still exists, but it's a calculated risk. To make them trust the process, I must demonstrate its power.'
"So, can you help us?" Imla pressed, her focus unshaken.
"First, we'd need the actual Vidyas. Where would we even find them?" Roderic sighed, gesturing at their isolated situation.
Imla's eyes flickered toward the three non-team members. "Perhaps we could... acquire the information."
"There's no need," Ashan stated calmly. "I have all the information about the Vidyas."
'My siddhi allowed me to scan and retain the core breathing techniques and mantras for every fraction back in the cave. I didn't understand the significance at the time. It was only here, applying a new lens, that the pieces clicked into place.'
Another wave of shock rolled through the group. They stared at him, speechless.
'Ashan... what exactly are you? 'Dris thought, the question echoing in the minds of all his teammates. 'This explains so much about his uncanny knowledge and abilities.'
"For now," Ashan said, his expression an unreadable mask, "focus on mastering your current kiriyas and mantras. Once I've analyzed your specific Vidyas, you can attempt the combination to break through to the Awakened stage."
He met their silent, questioning looks without flinching.
'Trust is fragile. Once broken, it can rarely be fully mended. That's why I will shape it myself. Let their suspicions run high; it might even be better that way.'
The following weeks fell into a new rhythm: intense Sadhana at dawn and dusk, honing their refined powers in between.
Their hidden spot remained secure, the few stray Ganshka that wandered too close easily dispatched.
'The speed of sadhana has increased dramatically since combining the Vidyas,' Ashan observed during his practice. 'The energy loss during refinement is still there, but the process itself is far more efficient, less of a battle.'
The Bodhir rank was about 'stabilization'—of body, soul, and energy. For a practitioner of the Samyama Marga, it meant achieving balance in all three simultaneously. It was a daunting task, but now it felt within reach.
Ashan stood and stretched. Around him, his team members were solidifying their foundations after their own recent advancements to the Awakened stage.
'They all succeeded using the combined Vidyas of their Houses.'
He looked up at the clear sky, a sense of finality settling over him.
'Our strength has peaked here. It's time to move. The Manuga factions are hunting the keys, and that path is our only way out.'
Fragments of his vision flashed before his eyes—a field of battle, a looming conflict.
'The future I saw is rushing toward us.'
"Finally!" Dris exclaimed, slamming his fists together. "Roderic, prepare to feel my wrath!"
"Nope. I don't want to fight," Roderic said, shaking his head.
"What, scared?" Dris taunted.
Roderic's eye twitched in irritation.
'Cloe, I'm stronger now,' Ballio thought, clenching his fist. 'I will find a way to help you.'
"Alright, girls, let's test our new transformations!" Damara declared, dragging a reluctant Imla and Helma.
"I don't want to! Let me sleep!" Helma whined, trying to pull away.
"Imla, back me up," Damara said.
Imla merely shrugged. "We need to be familiar with our new capabilities. We may not know the specific kiriyas, but we can practice the transformations."
Helma's face fell in defeat.
"Don't be so gloomy," Damara said, patting her back reassuringly.
Ashan watched the cheerful, chaotic energy of his team, a rare, slight curl touching his lips.
'I wonder, do we truly have what it takes to survive what's coming?'
The thought was followed by a cold, steady resolve.
'Well, we'll only find out by staring death in the face.'
***
Southern Forest – Vyaghruga Camp
Rows of Vyaghruga stood at attention, their feline features sharp in the dappled light. They wore ragged clothes, their tails lashing behind them with restless energy. Lash paced before them, a barely contained storm of fury. Cloe stood a few paces behind, her head bowed.
"For years we have been caged in this pocket dimension!" Lash roared, his voice echoing through the trees. "The time for our freedom is now!"
Rawr! Rawr! The crowd roared its approval.
"But those wild mutts," he spat the words like poison, "have sunk to new depths. They consort with the green-skinned midgets! They bring dishonor to the very name of Manuga!"
"Kill them!"
"Slaughter the mongrels!"
"Silence!" Lash's command cut through the fervour. "And then there are the humans. The Order, our jailers, have sent their own young here to die. It proves their cruelty, but it also presents our opportunity! They have given us the key to our chains!"
He let the silence hang, heavy and expectant.
"We will kill anyone—anyone—who stands between us and our freedom!"
"OUR FREEDOM!" The answering roar was a physical force, vibrating through the very air.
Cloe watched it all, a dark despair in her eyes.
'Is this the price of freedom? A river of blood? The Order enslaved us, and now they dangle freedom as a reward for slaughtering their own. And those children...'
Her gaze drifted toward her father's secluded hut, her expression twisting with conflict.
'Can we even trust their promise? But what other hope do my people have to cling to?'
She looked at the faces of her kin—the rage, the desperation, the mothers clutching their frightened children. Her own resolve hardened, a painful, necessary shell forming around her heart.
'I can only hope the river does not become a sea.'
***
Northern Territory – Vrkuka Gathering
The Vrkuka assembled around their chieftain, a massive figure with dark-green, intelligent eyes and a deep claw mark gouged across his snout. His pack kept their heads respectfully low, their tails still.
"Those arrogant cats grow restless," the Chief growled, his voice a low rumble. "They have slaughtered Ganshka tribes like cattle."
A scout stepped forward, bowing his head. "Chieftain, our scouts report they have begun their march toward the central altar."
The Chief lifted a claw, lightly tracing the scar on his face. 'So, you seek a final confrontation. Good. This time, the scar I give you will be fatal.'
"Did you uncover why the cats are capturing the human young instead of killing them?" the Chief demanded, his snout wrinkling.
"No, Chieftain. We have found no leads."
A wave of disappointed growls passed through the pack.
"Useless!" the Chief snarled, his eyes flashing.
'No matter what scheme you plot in the shadows, you will not reach the altar before me.'