Rudra returned from Kashi, the dust of the sacred city still on his boots, but his heart was heavier than ever. As he entered the gates of his home, two shadows raced toward him. Sai and Jaswanth, his younger brothers, collided with him in a flurry of excitement.
"Anna! You're back!" Sai cried out, reaching for a hug. But as he got close, he was suddenly pushed back by an invisible, cold force—the Void protecting Rudra.
Jaswanth narrowed his eyes, looking at the black-bound book tucked under Rudra's arm. "You're hiding it again, aren't you? That book... and that energy. You practiced the Void Skill, didn't you, big brother?"
Rudra sighed, his gaze turning distant. "Yes. Grandpa Prasad told me to learn it. He knew you two have hearts of gold—too kind for the darkness of the Void. I had to walk this path alone to shield you."
Sai's eyes filled with tears. "But we want to fight too! We can't let you carry the burden of the Kala-Agna by yourself."
Rudra looked at his brothers. He knew they needed protection that wasn't dark. "Fine. There is another way. A skill from the Heavenly Yakshini Maya. It is pure, but the ritual is dangerous."
The Midnight Ritual
Under the silver glow of the midnight moon, Rudra led them to the edge of the village graveyard. "Listen closely," Rudra warned. "To gain the Mahendri Yakshini's favor, you must leave your clothes behind—strip away your worldly ego. Stand in the center of these graves and chant: 'Lord of Yakshas, show kindness! Great Mahendri Yakshini, show mercy!'"
The boys trembled but obeyed. As they chanted, the air grew sweet with the scent of jasmine. A blinding light manifested, and the Great Yakshini appeared, her aura radiant and terrifying.
"What do you mortals seek?" she demanded.
"We want a Yakshini that can transform into any weapon!" they shouted, as Rudra had instructed.
When she hesitated, Rudra whispered from the shadows, "Tell her! Tell her Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali stand with us!"
The boys roared the names of the gods. The Yakshini's expression softened. "Against whom will you use such power?"
"Against the demons who plague this land!" Jaswanth declared.
Satisfied, she vanished into their spirits, leaving behind two glowing marks on their palms. They had done it.
The Void's Protection
Suddenly, a group of villagers appeared in the distance, drawn by the strange lights. "Who's there? What is happening at the graves?" they shouted.
"Stay still!" Rudra commanded. He raised his hand, and the Void erupted, not as a weapon, but as a shroud. A dome of absolute darkness covered the brothers, bending the light around them. To the villagers, the graveyard looked empty and silent.
Once the villagers passed, the brothers looked at their hands. With a thought, Sai's hand shimmered, transforming into a golden spear, while Jaswanth's turned into a celestial bow.
"You have the power now," Rudra said, his voice turning stern. "But remember: if you make a mistake with a Yakshini, the suffering will be eteThe graveyard was silent after the villagers fled. Rudra exhaled, releasing the Void Veil. The heavy darkness evaporated, and the stars finally looked down on the three brothers again.
"Be careful," Rudra warned Sai and Jaswanth. "Power is like fire; if you don't control it, it consumes the master."
Suddenly, a voice cracked through the cold air. "Rudra! What are you doing out here so late?"
Rudra stiffened. He turned back slowly, motioning for his brothers to run home. As they disappeared into the shadows, Rudra faced the man. At first, it looked like a stray villager, but as the man stepped into the moonlight, the world seemed to stop breathing.
The man's body was coated in thick, white sacred ash. Around his neck, a king cobra hissed softly, its eyes glowing with ancient intelligence. In his right hand, he gripped a massive Trishula (Trident) that vibrated with the frequency of the universe.
Rudra's heart thundered, not with fear, but with overwhelming devotion. He fell to his knees, pressing his forehead to the cold earth.
"Lord Shiva..." Rudra whispered. "Please... forgive my trespassing. I had no other way to practice the Void."
"Rise, my child," the Ash-Smeared Lord replied, his voice sounding like a thousand storms. "Time is a luxury you do not have. Go to the Himalayas. There, you shall master the Time Skills hidden within the Void. Now, go and sleep. I have a dance to perform upon this ground."
As Rudra walked away, he heard the faint sound of a Damru echoing behind him, shaking the very fabric of reality.
The Void Dimension
The next morning, the air in their house was electric. Sai and Jaswanth, fueled by their new Yakshini powers, were restless.
"Can you fight us, Brother?" Sai asked, his eyes gleaming. "We want to see how strong we really are."
Rudra looked at his younger brothers and smirked. "Fine. But not here. We don't want to break the house."
With a snap of his fingers, Rudra opened a portal. "Void Dimension: Open!"
In an instant, they were standing in a world of endless purple and black sky. There was no ground, only a floor of solid shadows. Sai and Jaswanth immediately summoned two Celestial Swords, their gold light cutting through the dark. They lunged at Rudra, but before their blades could touch him, they froze.
"What... why can't we move?" Jaswanth gasped, his muscles bulging as he tried to break free.
"In this dimension," Rudra said, walking calmly between their frozen bodies, "I am not just your brother. I am the God of this Space. Your strength is irrelevant here."
The Demon's Arrival
"This isn't fair!" Sai shouted. "Let's fight on the roof of the house!"
Rudra laughed and collapsed the dimension. They appeared back on the upper terrace of their home. Instantly, Sai and Jaswanth's strength surged to Superhuman levels. They moved like blurs, their Yakshini weapons clashing against Rudra's Void barriers. Rudra hovered in the air, flying just out of reach.
Jaswanth shifted his sword into a Celestial Bow and fired an arrow of pure light. The arrow struck the Void shield, but instead of piercing it, the light was swallowed by the darkness.
Suddenly, a terrifying scream erupted from below.
A man was running toward their house, his face pale with terror. "Rudra! Help!"
Behind him, a Greater Demon—a hulking beast of rotting flesh and bone—tore through the village fence. The brothers landed on the roof, their weapons ready.
"Let us go, Anna!" Sai shouted, his golden spear vibrating. "We can take him!"
Rudra looked at the demon, then at his brothers. "No," he said, his voice cold and final. "You stay here. I'm going to end this myself."rnal. Do not fail."