Tharag, the mixed-blood vampire who had escaped the massacre at the churchyard, looked down at the small figure draped in a black raincoat.

  "We have informed the High Council about Heera's death," Tharag spat, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and fury. "The King is disappointed. More than disappointed—he is insulted. They are still planning the next course of action, but know this: the fallout will be cataclysmic."

  Vaishu remained still. "Where are the twins?" a soft, feminine voice asked. "Do they know about Heera’s death?"

  Tharag let out a jagged, nervous laugh. "If the twins knew, you wouldn't be standing here talking. They would have turned this forest into a slaughterhouse by now."

  "So be it".Vaishu replied. "As far as the others are concerned, you don't have to worry about Moonmask for the time being. He sustained a heavy injury during the battle with Heera. He is grounded."

  "Alright," Tharag growled, stepping closer. "Then go. And don’t ever make this mistake again. If your information fails us one more time, I’ll drain you myself."

  Suddenly, Tharag’s nose twitched. His eyes darted toward the canopy. "Someone is here."

  Before the figure in the raincoat could even flinch, the air around her solidified. A translucent box of violet psychic energy slammed shut, shimmering with a low hum.

  "It’s kinda sad," a voice echoed from the mist, "that you vamps recognize Moonmask as your only threat."

  Subha (Verge) stepped from behind a gnarled oak, her third-eye seal glowing with intense brilliance. Beside her, a man in a black cape and a wide-brimmed hat emerged like a specter of justice. Guru Pedro didn't wait for a greeting.

  "Gotcha," Pedro muttered.

  The secondary vampire lunged at the Guru with bared fangs. Without breaking his stride, Pedro drew his spadroon in a blur of silver. The blade sang once. The scout was severed mid-air.Tharag panicked. He realized he was outmatched by the veteran Kartha. He turned to flee, but Pedro moved with a speed that defied human biology. In a fraction of a second, the spadroon flashed three times. Tharag’s mouth was sliced open to prevent a scream, and his limbs were separated from his torso in a display of absolute precision.Subha turned her attention to the girl trapped in the psychic box. "Whatever you are," she said, her voice cold as the mountain wind, "show your original form."

  "Subha, let’s move," Pedro commanded, sheathing his blade. "We can have a detailed investigation back at the HQ. The forest has too many ears." While leaving he found that secondary vampire started dissolving into mud while Tharag's body remains undisolved.

  While the night’s capture unfolded in the woods, Surya was trapped in a different kind of darkness.

  He found himself walking through a lush, sun-dappled forest, but the light felt wrong—it was sickly and pale. He was walking alongside a pregnant woman. Her face was kind, but her eyes were clouded with an ancient sadness.

  "What do you do, young man?" she asked softly.

  "Myself?" Surya replied, feeling a strange sense of peace. "Currently, I’m a student of the Blink Association. I’m training to become a Vessel... a Kartha."

  "What is a Vessel?" she asked. As she spoke, Surya noticed thick, dark blood beginning to trickle from her nose.

  "Your nose... it’s bleeding," Surya pointed out, his voice rising with concern.

  The woman reached up, touching the blood, and stared at her hand with a vacant expression. "Oh, yes. It is bleeding." Suddenly, she collapsed.

  Surya rushed to her side, lifting her head from the dirt. "Hey! Are you okay?"

  The woman reached up, placing a cold, clammy hand on Surya's cheek. As he watched in horror, her skin began to slough off. Her vibrant face rotted into a gray, sunken skull. Her pregnant belly deflated into a cavity of dry bones.

  Surya scrambled back, screaming, until his eyes snapped open.

  He was in the boys' dormitory. The morning sun was pouring through the window, but the room was eerily silent. He looked around. "Strange dream," he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Might be on account of all these frequent battles with mythics."

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  He stood up and realized he was alone. "Chandru? Pari? Rohan?"

  He searched the entire HQ—the clinic, the forge, even the kitchen—but even the Medicine Lady was missing. Panic began to set in until he heard a muffled sound coming from beneath his feet.

  "Here..."

  The voice was faint. It came from the basement.

  Surya hurried down the stone steps into the dark, damp basement. His heart nearly stopped when he saw a cell at the far end. Inside, huddled on the floor, was Vaishu.

  "Surya!" she cried, rushing to the iron bars. "Section D is planning to execute me! They think I'm a traitor! Please, save me!"

  Surya’s head spun. "Traitor? You? No chance. They wouldn't do that. There's been a mistake!"

  "I haven't eaten since last night," Vaishu sobbed, her hands reaching through the bars. "Please, get me out of here before they come back."

  Surya began frantically searching the wall for a key. "I'll get you out, Vaishu. I promise."

  "Idiot."

  The voice came from the shadows behind him. Surya turned to see Chandru leaning against a pillar, his arms crossed.

  "What exactly do you think you’re doing?" Chandru asked.

  "What are you doing?" Surya shouted. "This is Vaishu! She's one of us! How can you treat her like a prisoner?"

  Subha stepped into the light, followed by Pari, Pedro, and Rohan. "Don't judge her by her looks, Surya," Subha said. "She isn't what she seems."

  Surya looked back at the girl in the cage, then felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He spun around and froze. Standing right behind him was... Vaishu.

  "I'm here, Surya," the second Vaishu said softly.

  Surya looked at the girl in the cage, then at the girl standing next to him. His brain felt like it was short-circuiting. "If you're here... then who is that? And wait—where is Sona?"

  Subha sighed, looking at Chandru. "You were right. He really is acting like a total dunderhead. It was the right decision not to include him in the basement discussion last night."

  The "Vaishu" in the cage began to laugh. The sound was high-pitched and grating, like metal on glass. Slowly, the girl's features began to melt and shift, until she took on the appearance of the newcomer, Sona.

  "You are such a fool, Surya," the fake Sona sneered.

  "What did you just say?" Surya stepped toward the cage, his fist igniting with a spark of solar heat. "I'm going to—"

  "Stop, Surya," Pari commanded, stepping forward. "We are interrogating this creature. We need information."

  "Interrogating?" Surya asked, confused. "Pari, what's going on? Sona is the spy?"

  Pari crossed his arms. "Three days ago, we gathered to discuss a potential infiltrator. The 'sacred threads' Pedro gave us? They weren't just tokens of unity. The one we gave Sona was a tracker. Subha has been tracing its energy all across Munnar."

  "But how did you know someone was among us?" Surya asked.

  "The day Chandru was 'accidentally' cut by the knife," Pari explained. "I noticed the real Vaishu left to take dinner to you at the bungalow. She left early and stayed with you. She didn't even know about Chandru's weakness. But the injury was too precise—someone had intentionally crippled him."

  Chandru looked at the real Vaishu. "I knew it was an accident on your part, Vaishu."

  Vaishu looked at her feet, blushing. "I'm sorry... it was only partially intentional. I was just so mad that he was pushing Surya too hard and not letting him eat properly... I wanted him to take a break."

  "Anyway," Pari continued, cutting through the awkwardness. "Sona noticed the injury. She saw Vaishu leave and took the opportunity. She transformed into Vaishu and approached Chandru to fish for his secrets. The real Vaishu didn't even know the No Moon secret until the night of the attack."

  Surya looked at Pari with newfound respect. "Did you notice all this while you were acting like you were just enjoying the camp?"

  Pedro placed a heavy hand on Pari’s shoulder. "A leader must have multiple visions, Surya. While you see the enemy in front of you, a leader sees the enemy behind you."

  The Medicine Lady stepped forward, carrying a steaming stone bowl with a thick cloth. "Move please. It’s hot."

  She placed the bowl inside the cage.

  "What is that, old lady?" the fake Sona hissed, her voice deepening.

  "A little ayurvedic recipe," the Medicine Lady said calmly. "Normally used to extract parasitic worms from insects. Breath it. Will be nice to you".

  Medicine lady slid the lid off. A thick, pungent green gas began to fill the small enclosure.

  The creature inside began to scream. Its skin began to bubble and tear along the spine. In a sickening display of molting, the human form of Sona split open. A small, green-skinned creature with long, jagged ears and needle-like teeth emerged, gasping for air.

  "A Goblin," Subha whispered.

  Miles away, in a hidden cavern within the Mongol Forest, Tharag slowly opened his eyes. His body had been miraculously reassembled, his limbs stitched back together with threads of dark energy—all except for his left hand, which lay charred and useless.

  "Told you so," a voice croaked.

  Tharag looked up to see the twisted silhouette of Menaka, the forest witch.

  "Thank you, Menaka," Tharag rasped. "That man... Pedro... he came from nowhere."

  "My dark magic is the only reason you're breathing," Menaka said, her long fingernails tracing a strange, glowing mark on Tharag’s right forearm. "If you hadn't had this witchcraft mark on your skin, your soul would have drifted into the void the moment your head left your shoulders."

  "This mark saved me," Tharag agreed, staring at the brand.

  "Your soul will survive as long as a single piece of your physical body remains, provided the mark is imprinted on it," Menaka explained. She stuck out her tongue, revealing an identical mark branded into the muscle.

  "So," Menaka asked, her eyes glittering with malice. "What are you planning to do about your little Goblin spy?"

  Tharag rose, his gaze fixing on the distant silhouette of the Section D headquarters. A cold resolve settled over his features.

  "I am reporting this to the Vampire King," he stated, his voice barely a whisper against the wind. "He will likely make one of two choices: either he moves to rescue the girl from the heart of Section D... or..."