Chapter 4: The Truth She Never Asked For
1360 Words
The evening sky burned with shades of orange, gold, and purple.
A cool breeze rustled through the trees as silence settled between Sanyukta and Randhir.
Only moments ago she had watched him defeat a creature made of shadows.
Only moments ago he had calmly informed her that she was supposedly the Angel Maiden from an ancient prophecy.
And somehow, that wasn't even the strangest part of her day anymore.
Sanyukta folded her arms tightly across her chest and stared at him.
Randhir stood a few feet away, calm and composed.
Almost annoyingly calm.
As if fighting monsters and discussing destiny were normal daily activities.
Finally, Sanyukta broke the silence.
"Let's start with the obvious question."
Randhir sighed.
"I was hoping we'd skip that."
"We're not."
A pause.
"What was that thing?"
"The creature?"
"Unless there are multiple monster attacks scheduled today, yes."
Randhir rubbed his forehead.
"It was a Shadow Hunter."
"A what?"
"A creature created through dark magic."
Sanyukta blinked.
For three seconds she simply stared.
Then she burst into laughter.
Loud laughter.
The kind that made her double over.
Randhir frowned.
"I don't see what's funny."
She pointed at him while laughing.
"You seriously expect me to believe that?"
"I'm telling the truth."
"Oh, absolutely."
She nodded dramatically.
"And I'm secretly the Queen of Dragons."
Randhir groaned.
This was exactly why the Guardians usually trained Angel Maidens from childhood.
Unfortunately, Sanyukta had grown up completely unaware of her destiny.
Now he was trying to explain centuries of magical history to someone who still thought this was a joke.
"Fine," she said eventually.
"Let's pretend I believe you."
"Wonderful."
"Why was it chasing me?"
The amusement instantly vanished from Randhir's face.
His expression became serious.
Dangerously serious.
"Because of who you are."
The answer made her stomach tighten.
"What exactly does that mean?"
Before he could answer, a sharp cracking sound interrupted them.
CRACK!
Both looked down.
The bracelet covering Sanyukta's wrist had suddenly fractured.
Thin silver light leaked through the cracks.
More cracks appeared.
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRACK!
Within seconds the bracelet shattered completely.
Tiny fragments scattered onto the grass.
The wing-shaped symbol underneath was fully visible once again.
And it was glowing brighter than ever.
Sanyukta stared in shock.
The symbol pulsed with silver energy.
Almost like a heartbeat.
"What is happening to me?"
For the first time, genuine fear entered her voice.
Randhir took a slow breath.
The time for half-truths was over.
"There are things you need to know."
And so he explained everything.
The ancient prophecy.
The Angel Maidens.
The twenty-three-year cycle.
The awakening.
The darkness that hunted them.
The Guardian of Destiny.
Even his own role in the prophecy.
Minutes passed.
The sun slowly sank lower.
By the time he finished, shadows stretched across the field.
Silence followed.
A very long silence.
Sanyukta stared at him.
Her expression remained completely blank.
Randhir already knew what was coming.
"You've completely lost your mind."
There it was.
He sighed deeply.
"Why does everyone react like that?"
"Because you're telling me I'm some magical Angel Maiden chosen by destiny!"
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You literally have a glowing magical symbol."
"Maybe it's a birthmark."
"It glows."
Sanyukta opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Unfortunately, he had a point.
A very irritating point.
She hated when people made good arguments.
Especially when they proved her wrong.
For several moments she simply stared at the glowing mark.
A strange feeling settled inside her chest.
What if he was telling the truth?
What if everything that happened wasn't some bizarre coincidence?
What if her entire life had been built upon secrets?
The thought terrified her.
At that same moment, far away inside the Royal Palace...
Another emergency council meeting had begun.
The atmosphere inside the Grand Chamber was tense.
The sacred crystal sphere floating above the center platform continued shining intensely.
Its silver light illuminated worried faces.
The Lady stood before the council.
Her expression was grim.
"We have lost contact with three Guardian outposts."
Shock spread throughout the room.
Several council members immediately stood.
"Three?"
"That's impossible."
"How could that happen?"
The First Man looked horrified.
"Are you certain?"
The Lady nodded.
"Very."
Silence followed.
Then someone whispered the possibility nobody wanted to consider.
"A traitor."
The word felt like poison.
A traitor among the Guardians.
Someone feeding information to the darkness.
The very thought was terrifying.
Because if it were true, then the Angel Maiden was already in greater danger than anyone imagined.
As the discussion continued, one council member remained unusually calm.
The Third Man.
While everyone argued, he sat quietly in his chair.
Listening.
Watching.
Waiting.
Hidden beneath the table, a faint black symbol appeared on his hand.
Dark energy pulsed through it.
For a brief moment, a sinister smile crossed his lips.
Then it vanished.
No one noticed.
And that was exactly how he wanted it.
Back in the town...
The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon.
Sanyukta and Randhir now sat beneath a large tree overlooking the empty road.
For the first time since meeting him, Sanyukta wasn't arguing.
She wasn't joking.
She wasn't laughing.
Instead, she looked worried.
Truly worried.
"If what you're saying is true..."
"It is."
"Then my family is in danger."
Randhir didn't answer immediately.
Because he couldn't lie to her.
And the truth was painful.
His silence spoke volumes.
Fear appeared in her eyes.
Images flooded her mind.
Her parents.
Her sisters.
Her friends.
Everyone she loved.
Everyone she cared about.
Could they really become targets simply because of her?
"We need to leave."
Randhir's voice was gentle.
But firm.
"What?"
"The darkness knows you've awakened."
"I can't just abandon my family."
"I know."
His expression softened.
"But if they find you here, everyone around you will be at risk."
Sanyukta lowered her head.
A single tear slipped down her cheek.
She quickly wiped it away.
But another followed.
For the first time, the reality of her situation truly hit her.
Everything had changed.
Her normal life was gone.
No more simple birthdays.
No more carefree days.
No more ordinary future.
Destiny had found her.
And destiny wasn't asking permission.
Without thinking, Randhir gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll protect them."
His certainty surprised her.
She looked up.
"You keep saying 'we.'"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Because you're not facing this alone."
The words warmed something inside her.
A strange comfort.
A strange trust.
Despite having known him for only a few hours.
Before she could respond—
The mark on her wrist suddenly exploded with light.
Both froze.
The symbol glowed brighter than ever before.
Silver energy surged across her skin.
Randhir immediately stood.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The ground began trembling.
Trees swayed violently.
Birds erupted from distant forests.
A powerful beam of silver light shot upward from Sanyukta's wrist.
Straight into the heavens.
The sky itself seemed to react.
Clouds spiraled.
Thunder roared.
Lightning flashed.
The entire world appeared to hold its breath.
Then a voice echoed across the heavens.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Neither male nor female.
A voice that seemed older than time itself.
"The First Key has awakened."
The words shook the very air.
Randhir's eyes widened.
"No..."
Sanyukta looked at him.
"What now?"
His face had gone pale.
"The prophecy never mentioned a key."
The realization terrified him.
If this wasn't in the prophecy...
Then something much larger was unfolding.
Far above the clouds...
Beyond mortal sight...
Beyond the reach of ordinary magic...
An enormous golden gate slowly began opening.
Ancient symbols illuminated its surface.
Dust from forgotten ages drifted through the air.
Massive chains shattered one by one.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The sound echoed across dimensions.
Behind the gate lay endless darkness.
And deep within that darkness...
Something stirred.
For centuries it had slept.
For centuries it had waited.
Even the Dark Lord feared its awakening.
Slowly...
A gigantic golden eye opened.
And for the first time in thousands of years...
It looked toward the world below.
Toward Sanyukta.
The First Key had awakened.
And the true story was only just beginning.
To be continued...
The real mystery had only just begun.
✨
- Writer
