From the survivor to the vanisher

The quiet in the village after the curse had been lifted was deafening. Aditya stood in the square, his eyes scanning the faces of the villagers as they slowly returned to their routines. But something was off. Although the visible signs of the curse were gone, a deep unease lingered. It was as if the very soul of the village had been scarred beyond repair.

"Master Druva," Aditya called, breaking the silence. His mentor, standing beside him, was staring at the horizon with an expression of quiet contemplation. "Why does it feel like this isn't over?"

Druva's gaze didn't waver. "It's not," he said simply.

Aditya frowned. "We broke the curse. The villagers are safe."

"The curse was merely a symptom," Druva replied, his voice low. "The disease runs far deeper."

Aditya felt a chill creep up his spine. "What do you mean?"

Druva turned to him, his dark eyes piercing. "The curse's origin wasn't the peddler. He was a pawn—an unfortunate man who made a deal he didn't understand. The real threat lies in the force he made that deal with."

Aditya swallowed hard. "So, what do we do?"

"We prepare," Druva said. "And we wait. The darkness will come to us soon enough."

As days turned into weeks, Aditya threw himself into his training with renewed vigor. Druva's teachings became more intense, and Aditya found himself spending hours studying ancient texts, practicing talisman creation, and refining his understanding of poisons and their antidotes. Druva's methods were unorthodox, often pushing Aditya to the brink of exhaustion, but the young man thrived under the challenge.

One evening, as Aditya was tending to the garden of poisonous plants Druva had entrusted to him, a villager approached. The man was frail, his eyes sunken and his clothes tattered. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days.

"Master Druva," the man stammered, his voice shaking. "Please, you must come quickly. It's happening again."

Druva appeared from the shadows, his expression calm but his eyes sharp. "What's happening?"

The man wrung his hands nervously. "My daughter... she's been speaking in tongues. She says things no child should know. And last night, she... she floated above her bed."

Aditya's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Druva, who remained unfazed. "Take us to her," Druva said.