?The flickering torchlight in the Section D basement cast long, jagged shadows against the damp stone walls. In the center of the room, the iron cage held a creature that defied the laws of nature. The green gas from the Medicine Lady’s brew began to dissipate, and the creature—the Goblin—began to pull the discarded human skin of Sona back over its wiry, emerald frame. With a sickening, wet sound, it stitched the flesh over its backbone using long, black talons, assuming the shape of the teenage girl once more.

  ?"So... it’s a goblin," Surya whispered, his voice echoing with a mix of awe and horror.

  ?"Yes," Subha replied, her third-eye seal glowing with a steady, watchful violet light.

  ?Pari stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his newly reinforced blade. "Alright. Enough staring. Let’s continue the interrogation. We need to know who sent her and how deep the burrow goes."

  ?"Yes," Surya chimed in, stepping up beside Pari with a determined nod. "Go on. Ask her."

  ?The room fell into an awkward silence. Pari, Subha, Chandru, and Pedro all turned their heads in unison, staring at Surya with varying expressions of pity and frustration. Surya blinked, looking left and right.

  ?"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

  ?Pari cleared his throat and tried to sound diplomatic. "Uh... Surya, you’ve had a very long night. You fought a Pure-blood recently. You’ve undergone hard training all day. We think it’s best if you go back upstairs and continue your... very good sleep. We’ll take care of the heavy lifting down here."

  ?"I’m fine!" Surya insisted, crossing his arms. "I had a great sleep. I’m wide awake."

  ?Subha stepped in, her patience wearing thin. "What Pari is trying to say is that this is a sensitive intelligence matter and—"

  ?"Get out and wait outside," Chandru interrupted, his voice like cracking ice.

  ?Subha snapped her head toward Chandru. "You moron! Is that how you tell a comrade to leave? Be a little more subtle!"

  ?"But why?" Surya asked, his feelings visibly hurt.

  ?Pari sighed, rubbing his temples. "Surya, you are a great Vessel. You have incredible combat skills and a heart of gold. But..."

  ?"But what?"

  ?Chandru stepped into Surya’s personal space, his one visible eye boring into the boy’s soul. "But you are incredibly dumb, Surya. We aren't sure that revealing high-level secrets to you is a good idea."

  ?Pari winced. "Chandru, that could have been a bit more polite."

  ?"Why do you think that?" Surya shouted, indignant. "I’m a great secret keeper! I’m like a vault!"

  ?Chandru let out a sharp, cynical bark of a laugh. "You? A vault? Subha didn't know her coffee tasted like battery acid since the date of her arrival until you arrived."

  ?Surya froze. The memory hit him like a physical blow. He remembered standing in the kitchen after a long training session. Chandru had been sipping a cup of Subha’s special brew. Surya had leaned in and asked, "How’s the coffee, Master?"

  ?Chandru had whispered, "It’s... bad."

  ?And Surya, in his infinite honesty, had immediately turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs, "WHAT! DID YOU JUST SAY THAT THE COFFEE SUCKS!?"

  ?The resulting psychic explosion from Subha had shattered Chandru's ceramic cup, leaving his costly suit drenched in boiling liquid.

  ?Back in the present, Surya’s face turned bright red. "That was unintentional! How was I supposed to know it was a secret? I haven't told anyone that Rohan still sleeps with a stuffed doll! And I haven't told a soul that you and Pari sneak out of the HQ once a month to watch the night drama shows in the village! Because you told me those were secrets!"

  ?The basement went dead silent. The Goblin, currently wearing Sona’s skin, began to laugh—a high, mocking sound.

  ?Pedro looked at Pari, his wide-brimmed hat casting a deep shadow over his eyes. "So... all cats drink milk, eh?"

  ?Pari and Chandru didn't say a word. In one coordinated movement, they grabbed Surya by the shoulders, hauled him to the stairs, pushed him out of the basement, and slammed the heavy oak door shut.

  At the vampire den - Tharag arrived , but he found it hollow—a tomb of cold stone and bitter memories. Once, this place had been vibrant with the voices of his friends and comrades. Even now, in the oppressive silence, he could still hear the echoes of their laughter.

  A sudden sound of mourning broke his reverie.

  He turned his gaze toward the ornate hut built for Heera. There, he saw the women Heera had converted—human girls turned for his own pleasure. They were weeping, truly mourning the loss of the Pure-blood who had enslaved them.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Tharag walked to the bed and sat down heavily. The girls stopped their lamenting, looking up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes.

  "So..." Tharag’s voice was a low rasp of pure horror. "How many of you are pregnant with Heera's child?".

  Two of the girls shyly raised their hands.

  "That's nice" Tharag said.

  As he spoke, his fingernails began to grow—elongating into jagged, obsidian points. Without uttering a single word, Tharag moved.

  He sliced through both of them in seconds.

  The spray of hot blood spattered across Tharag's face, but he didn't blink. He turned his cold gaze to the only surviving girl, who stared back at him in paralyzed terror.

  "You were once a human," Tharag said, sliding across the bed to sit beside her. "You chose to become a vampire because you feared life. You thought sticking to a Pure-blood would save you. Most humans think like that—they betray their own kind."

  He leaned in closer, his shadow looming over her. "Decisions like yours lead to the birth of mixed-bloods like us. We are considered low-life in the vampire community. To them, our lives have no value."

  The girl watched him, her breath hitching in a silent plea.

  "I will not let my kind die" Tharag whispered, his eyes burning with a new, dark purpose. "From now on... I am going to avenge."

  A single, piercing scream tore through the den.

  A few moments later, Tharag emerged from the darkness of the cave. He stepped into the moonlight, carrying the severed head of the girl, his path finally clear.

  ?Behind the closed door of Section D HQ Basement, the atmosphere shifted back to cold professionalism. Pari turned to the cage, his eyes like flint. "What happened to the girl whose body you stole?"

  ?The Goblin—Raksha—leaned against the bars, her stolen eyes swirling with malice. "I don't know. The body was already cold when the Twins gave it to me."

  ?"The Twins?" Pari asked, his brow furrowing. "Are they vampires?"

  ?"Yes," Raksha croaked. "Neon and Vana. The new generation of Pure-blood royalty. But they are... different."

  ?Pedro’s spurs jingled as he stepped forward, his interest piqued. "Twin children born to a Pure-blood? That’s impossible. As far as the chronicles say, a Pure-blood only gives birth to a single heir in their entire lifetime."

  ?Raksha laughed again. "Times change, old man. They are young, they are strong, and they are utterly chaotic. Because they refused to obey the Vampire King’s orders of stealth, they were banned from the Council. They operate on their own now. No masters. No rules."

  ?"Like a saw without an operator," Subha whispered, her mind racing through the tactical implications.

  ?Suddenly, Raksha’s eyes widened. She clutched her throat, her voice trembling. "Wait... why am I telling you all this? These are the secrets of the High Council! If I leak this, the King will peel the skin from my soul! Hey, old lady! What did you do to me?"

  ?The Medicine Lady smiled benignly, stirring a small vial of blue liquid. "Nothing much, dear. I forgot to mention that the steam doesn't just extract parasites—it acts as a truth serum for creatures of the Underworld."

  ?Pari leaned in, his voice a low threat. "So, Raksha. The real Sona was killed by these twins?"

  ?"Yes," the Goblin admitted, her will crumbling under the drug. "They killed her and ordered me to inhabit her body to infiltrate Section D. I was meant to map your defenses and wait for the signal."

  ?"How many more of you are there?" Pedro asked. "How could you use a Vessel’s powers so perfectly?"

  ?Raksha acted like a drugged girl, her head lolling. "I don't know about others... the Twins keep their cells separate. But we are Goblins, you fool. We don't just wear the skin. We invade the mind. We access the memories, the muscle memory, and the chakra signatures. As long as I am in this body, I am Sona."

  ?"This is a bigger threat than the vampires," Pedro said, his voice grave. "We need to alert the other sections immediately. If Goblins can mimic Vessels, no one is safe."

  ?Subha stepped forward, closing her eyes. She placed her hand on the iron bars, sensing the vibration of the air. "I’ve memorized her heartbeat pattern. It’s irregular—a double-thump that doesn't match a human or a vampire. I can broadcast this signature to the other Vessels. We can find them."

  ?

  ?Chandru stepped toward the cage, his shadow falling over Raksha. He looked into her eyes—Sona’s eyes—and for a moment, the room seemed to get colder.

  ?"Raksha," Chandru said softly. "Why did you try to stop me from going to fight Heera? You were the one who informed them of my weakness. Why play the concerned student?"

  ?Raksha looked up at him, her breathing ragged. "To avoid doubt. If I didn't play the part, you would have suspected me the moment the sun rose. I had to be the perfect student."

  ?Chandru stared into her eyes, a strange, haunting familiarity tugging at his mind. "I’ve seen those eyes before," he whispered.

  ?Raksha’s heartbeat suddenly raged, hammering against the bars of her ribs. She tried to speak, to mock him, but the words wouldn't come. She just stared at him, a flicker of something that wasn't malice—something like recognition—passing through her gaze.

  ?Upstairs, Surya had his ear pressed firmly against the basement door.

  The latch moved.

  Surya panicked. He jumped back and immediately pretended to be deeply fascinated by a painting of a mountain on the opposite wall—leaning in, squinting, even nodding as if discovering hidden meaning.

  The door opened. The team filed out.

  Everyone walked past Surya.

  …except Chandru.

  Chandru stopped.

  “Don’t tell anyone,” he said.

  “About?” Surya asked instantly.

  “The secret we discussed in the basement,” Chandru replied. “About the Mythics.”

  Surya tilted his head. “Which one—the twins, or the goblin spy?”

  The team froze.

  Pari slowly turned around, eyes wide.

  Rohan stared as if his soul had briefly left his body.

  Subha facepalmed so hard it echoed through the corridor.

  Rohan muttered, “He really is dumb.”

  Chandru closed his eyes.

  He stepped closer and placed a hand on Surya’s shoulder, squeezing gently—like one would calm a dangerous animal.

  “Don’t change, Surya.”

  Surya squinted. “Was that… sarcasm?”

  Chandru sighed, the tired smile returning.

  “No,” he said. “It’s not.”

  ?As the group moved toward the ground floor to prepare their report to the Head Office, Surya waited until they were out of sight. He slipped back to the basement door and stepped inside one last time. He walked up to the cage and looked at the girl who looked like Sona.

  ?"Two questions," he whispered. "Are you really a goblin?"

  ?"Yes," Raksha replied, her voice a hollow rasp.

  ?"Am I really that bad at keeping secrets?"

  ?Raksha looked at him for a long time. "Yes. You are terrible."

  ?"Figures," Surya muttered. From the floor above, he heard Rohan’s voice calling for him.

  ?"Surya! Where are you? We’re going to look at my new camera photos!"

  ?Surya looked at the door.

  “Rohan,” he whispered. “A kid. They believe in him, they include him… and not me.”

  He sighed, wiped his face, and called out, “Coming!".

  ?The basement returned to silence. Raksha sat on the cold floor of her cage, staring at the spot where Chandru had stood. She leaned her head against the bars and whispered into the darkness.

  ?"Oh... Chandru. You still have no idea who I am, do you?"