CHAPTER 10 : NARIKA

At some distance from Earth in space, a 20-meter crack appeared in the fabric of reality. A dark mist seeped out of it, creating a sinister atmosphere. Five figures emerged from the crack with confident strides, as if they owned the place. They wore black cloaks that concealed their faces and bodies, except for their eyes, which glowed with a crimson light.

"We finally came," said one of them.

The leader of the group was Narika, a name that struck fear into many hearts. He held a vault in one hand and kept his other hand behind his back. He turned to his followers and spoke in a low voice.

"Listen carefully, all of you. Our master has ordered us to retrieve the sword as quickly as possible without alerting the immortals. If anyone creates a disturbance that attracts immortals, our master has ordered me to kill that person without mercy. If I cause any problem, you have to kill me."

"Understood," they said in unison.

Narika opened the vault and took out a small piece of Rudra's blade. He brought it near his mouth and murmured some mantras. From the blade, a few golden rays emerged and headed towards Earth.

"Now follow me," he said.

They followed the golden rays to a cave in Sri Lanka, where Raj had found Rudra by pulling it out of an altar. The golden rays disappeared when they entered the cave.

Narika was not surprised by this. He knew that Rudra was hidden somewhere in this place.

He ordered the remaining four to search the cave carefully. He went deeper into the cave, where he saw a temple dedicated to Mahadev (Lord Shiva). He entered the temple and saw a five-meter high statue of Lord Shiva. He bowed in front of the statue and then started observing the temple.

After some time, he heard the voice of his partners calling him. He came out of the temple and saw Mara, one of his partners, calling him from an altar that was situated in the middle of a water pond in front of the temple.

Narika went to the altar, where Mara pointed his finger at a hole in the middle of it. This was where Rudra had been stabbed before Raj pulled it out.

Narika put his finger into the hole to try to find Rudra's aura traces, but he got nothing.

Mara, the second-in-command, said, "There is no trace of the sword here. What do we do now?"

Narika, the leader of the group, said, "We have to find it. What else can we do? Someone must have come here and taken the sword with them. Let's go outside and see if we can find some clue about who came here before us."

The other three warriors nodded. They were Adhvara, Yamira, and Ukti. They all had dark energy auras that made them powerful and dangerous.

They left the cave and walked along the path that many tourists used to visit the jungle. They saw many people smiling, laughing, and taking pictures of the plants and animals. They felt disgusted by their happiness and ignorance.

They also saw some fruit stalls that sold fruits that grew in the jungle. Narika told Mara to ask the sellers if they had seen anyone with a sword. Mara went to each stall and questioned the sellers, but none of them had seen anyone with a sword. Mara came back and joined the group.

"They didn't see anyone with a sword," he said.

"Maybe the sword is invisible to avoid any attention," Ukti suggested.

Narika nodded. He noticed that one of the fruit sellers, a young boy, was looking at them with curiosity. Narika sensed that he knew something about the sword. He turned and looked at him.

The boy felt a shiver down his spine when he met Narika's eyes. He quickly looked away, but it was too late. Narika walked towards him and asked, "What's your name?"

The boy said, "Om."

Narika said, "Your name is very good, Om. Om, I think you know something about the sword. Have you seen anyone with a sword?"

Om shook his head. "I haven't seen anyone with a sword, but a month ago, I saw a boy who was running towards the city."

Narika asked, "What was wrong with him?"

Om said, "He was very afraid of something. He didn't look at anyone. He just ran as fast as he could."

Narika asked, "Did any animal attack him?"

Om said, "No, there are no dangerous animals here. The last tiger was killed by a hunter ten years ago. He was afraid of something else."

Narika asked, "What do you think that something else was?"

Om said, "Asura. That boy and you came from the part of the jungle that is very mysterious. From ancient times, many local people and tourists have disappeared there. Our ancestors said there is an asura who kills and eats anyone who enters his territory."

Narika thought for a moment. He realized sword was the asura. It had been killing people to hide itself from outsiders. After many people had died, people started to believe that there was an asura in the jungle who was killing people. This made it even easier for the sword to hide.

"Om, do you know where this boy came from? Did he say anything to you or anyone else?" Narika asked.

Om shook his head. "No, he didn't say anything. He just ran past me and disappeared into the city. I don't know where he came from or where he went."

Narika turned to his companions and signaled them to follow him. He thanked Om for his help and gave him some money. He then led his group towards the city, hoping to find the boy with the Sword.

Narika and his companions left the jungle and entered the city. They had to walk for a long time, as the city was far from the jungle. They saw many buildings, vehicles, and people along the way. They felt out of place in their black dresses and aura, but they tried to blend in as much as possible.

They were hungry and thirsty, as they had not eaten or drunk anything since they left their master's palace. They decided to find a place to eat and rest. They saw a sign that said "Hotel and Restaurant" and followed it.

They entered the hotel and restaurant, which was a large and crowded place. They saw many tables, chairs, and customers. They also saw a menu board that displayed various dishes and drinks. They didn't recognize most of them, but they decided to try some.

Ukti, the woman in their group and Narika's younger sister, turned to him and said,

"Bother, I'm starving. Let's eat something. What do you want to eat?"

Narika looked at the menu board and saw a word that caught his attention.

"Tea." Narika said.

"Tea? What is tea?" Ukti asked.

"I don't know. But it sounds interesting. Let's try it." Narika said.

"Okay, fine. But I want something more than tea. I want some food." Ukti said.

She looked at the menu board and saw another word that caught her attention.

"Pizza." Ukti said.

"Pizza? What is pizza?" Narika asked.

"I don't know. But it looks delicious. Let's try it." Ukti said.

"Okay, fine. But I hope it's not poisonous." Narika said.

They went to the counter and ordered tea and pizza. They paid with some money that they had stolen from some tourists in the jungle. They then took their order and sat at a table.

They opened the pizza box and saw a round and flat bread with cheese, tomato sauce, and various toppings on it. They smelled it and felt their mouths water.

They took a slice each and bit into it. They felt a burst of flavor in their mouths. They liked it very much.

They drank the tea, which was a hot and brown liquid with sugar and milk in it. They felt a warm sensation in their throats. They liked it too.

They ate and drank until they were full and satisfied. They felt happy and relaxed.

They then started to discuss their mission. They wanted to find the boy who had run away from the jungle with the sword they were looking for. it was one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. It could cut through anything, even space and time. It was also said to have a mind of its own, and could choose its wielder.

They had been sent by their master. He had learned that the sword was hidden in this planet. He had sent them to find it and bring it back to him.

But when they had reached the cave, they had found nothing but dust and bones. The sword was gone. Someone had taken it before them.

They had met a boy named Om, who was a fruit seller near the jungle. He had told them that he had seen another boy who had run away from the jungle.

Narika thought that this boy must be the one who had taken the sword. He wanted to find him and take the sword from him.

He said to Mara, who was his second-in-command.

"Mara, you and the others go search all cameras in this city and see all recordings of one month back. There is only one way from jungle to city, so any camera must have captured him." Narika said.

Mara nodded and said.

"Yes, sir. What will you do?" Mara asked.

Narika yawned and said.

"I'm tired, so I'll rest here for a while." Narika said.

Mara and the other left, and Narika went to the hotel room. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.