The morning mist of Neyveli clung to the platform like a damp shroud as Manish stood beside Francisco Pedro Almeida, seeing his old friend off.

  "It still feels awkward to me," Manish remarked, his eyes fixed on the silver tracks vanishing into the fog.

  "Why is that?" Pedro asked, adjusting the brim of his hat.

  "Usually, students travel to pay respects to their Master. But here, the Master is coming to see me."

  Pedro laughed heartily, the sound echoing off the station’s stone pillars. "That’s because he knows you’re too stubborn to go to him."

  Manish offered a ghost of a smile. "Is he still bad with roots?"

  "Not just bad. Terrible," Pedro replied, his tone turning fond. "That’s why he’s stayed behind at the Munnar hill station and called me to come pick him up."

  The shared laughter briefly revived the warmth of an old brotherhood, but the air soon chilled as Pedro’s voice turned somber. "Do you still miss her?"

  "Always," Manish said, his jaw tightening until the muscle pulsed. "She remains the key part of my life."

  Pedro leaned in, his voice dropping to a serious undertone. "Manish, you left the BLINK Association when you were twenty-three. You changed your path because it was your wife’s wish. But then, after her loss, you returned two years ago. As the Head of Section D, I’d value having you back officially, but as a friend... I can't recommend it."

  Manish looked at him, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "So, what are you trying to tell me, Pedro?"

  "I’m saying you are fueling the grief of your loss with the blood of vampires," Pedro warned, his eyes searching Manish’s face. "You are unleashing a merciless anger on them. You’ve changed your location every six months to stay off the grid, and Neyveli is already your fourth village as a Kartha."

  Manish didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. "I am cleaning these places of brutal vampires. Someone has to."

  "If you weren't a married man with a child," Pedro countered, "I would have stepped down today, given my seat to you, and encouraged you to continue this crusade. But you are a father first, Manish. Aadhi needs a father, not a shadow."

  The sharp, mournful whistle of the arriving train cut through the tension of their conversation. Manish offered a small, tired smile, the weight of his double life visible for just a fleeting second.

  "You always did speak like a leader, Pedro. Your train is up."

  As Pedro stepped onto the carriage, he turned back with a final, stern warning. "Do not engage in any more hunts until I return with Master Jayant. Promise me, Manish."

  Manish nodded silently as the train pulled away, but as the steam cleared, his eyes remained cold and fixed on the shadows of the forest.

  That night, Manish—slaughtered nine mixed-blood vampires in a single raid. When Raksha heard the news from Rakhi, terror took root.

  A dark, grim voice rumbled from the shadows of the entrance. It was Ruek. "How long do you plan to spy? He has already wiped out fifty percent of the mixed population in the village."

  Rakhi stepped forward, shielding his sister. "I’m sorry, Ruek. He hides his identity with perfection. We believe he is someone who moved here recently. Give us time, we will find him."

  In a blur of speed, Ruek snatched Rakhi by the throat, slamming him against the wall. He glared at Raksha with predatory intensity. "One week. Failing which, your heads will roll before Lord Janaga."

  With that ultimatum, he vanished. "We must find him immediately," Rakhi hissed, gasping for air.

  The following day, Raksha used the guise of a school project to fish for information. She told her classmates she was writing an article about the local Kartha for the school magazine. The responses were a chaotic mess of rumors and legends, leaving her more confused than before.

  "Nalini," Aadhi said, approaching her with a bright, earnest smile. "My father wants you to come home with me for dinner. He was so happy to hear you were feeling well after the accident."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Sensing that the wealthy newcomer’s mansion might finally hold the clues she needed to identify the Kartha, Raksha—hidden within Nalini's skin—agreed.

  At the Ockslaw Mansion, Nalini and Aadhi sat in the grand dining hall, waiting for Manish. When he arrived, he apologized for being late and sat beside Nalini, appearing every bit the concerned, hospitable parent. He inquired about her recovery with practiced warmth and ordered the chef to bring out the meal.

  However, as Raksha began to eat, a violent reaction seized her. Her throat convulsed, her muscles spasming as if her very biology were trying to reject a lethal poison.

  "Are you okay, Nalini?" Manish asked, his voice disturbingly calm, his eyes tracking her every movement.

  "The washroom... please," she managed to choke out.

  She scrambled to the bathroom and collapsed, vomiting as a searing, burning sensation tore through her human vessel. In a moment of sheer agony, her spirit briefly detached from Nalini’s body. Standing in her true, translucent goblin form before the mirror, she whispered in terror, "Something is wrong..."

  As the burning subsided into a dull ache, she forced herself back into the host body and retreated to the hall. On her way back to the dining room, she noticed a storage room door swaying slightly. She moved to close it, but her heart stopped. Inside, she saw a mask, a pair of gloves, and a suit—all freshly stained with blood. The truth hit her like a physical blow: Manish was the Kartha.

  Trembling with fear, she re-entered the dining room. Aadhi was now fast asleep, his head resting peacefully on his father’s lap. Manish gently moved the boy to the sofa, covering him with a light blanket, and turned to her.

  "Is it done?" Manish asked.

  "A bit of a stomach upset," Raksha whispered, her voice trembling.

  "Clean the drop of blood from your neck," Manish commanded.

  Raksha panicked, her hand flying to her neck, wiping away a stray smear she hadn't realized was there. Before she could speak, Manish stepped forward, his presence suddenly massive, cold, and suffocating. He leaned in, his breath ghosting against her ear.

  "I know Nalini is dead," he whispered. "I saw exactly who entered her body. That food was laced with a specialized serum that only affects mythic entities. It seems you are affected quite a bit."Cold sweat broke out on Raksha’s neck. As a server boy began clearing the plates, Manish stood straight, his gaze turning to ice. "How many of you are here? Tell me, and I will kill you without pain. If not... it will be otherwise."

  Raksha remained frozen, her mind racing, trapped in a silence born of pure terror.

  "Alright then," Manish said, picking up a sharpened knife from the dinner table.

  Just as he moved to strike, the server boy spoke, his voice sounding like jagged stone. "Don't take a single step closer."

  Manish froze mid-motion. The server boy had a knife pressed firmly against the throat of the sleeping Aadhi.

  "Rakhi?" Raksha cried out, recognizing her brother’s voice beneath the clever disguise.

  If you leave even a slight cut on him—I will kill you both. Don’t do it. I promise I will let you go if you back away."

  To prove his intent, Manish dropped the steak knife. It hit the floor with a hollow, metallic ring. Rakhi didn't flinch. He gestured to Raksha with a sharp nod. "Cuff him. Use the banyan root chains."

  Raksha pulled out a heavy chain forged from ancient banyan roots, infused with Dark Magic—a specialized tool designed to dampen the energy flow of high-level Vessels. As she bound his hands, she glanced at Aadhi. The boy remained in a deep, drugged sleep; Manish had clearly sedated him to ensure he would never witness the monster his father became at night.

  Raksha locked the door, but the silence didn't last. The bushes surrounding the mansion began to rustle violently.

  "Something is coming," Manish whispered from behind the door, his senses far sharper than the Goblins'.

  Suddenly, a mixed-blood vampire launched through the transparent window, glass shattering like diamonds in the moonlight. Manish, even with his hands bound, moved with predatory grace, dodging the initial strike. However, more mixed-bloods flooded the room, their combined force dragging him out of the storage room and into the garden.

  As Manish stood in the center of the garden, twenty-nine mixed-blood vampires rose from the shadows, surrounding him in a deadly circle.

  "You brought them here?" Raksha asked, turning to her brother in shock.

  "It was a calculated trap," Rakhi explained coldly. "We sent the first wave at dusk knowing they would be weak, just to lure the Kartha out. We followed him back to the mansion after he slaughtered the mixed vamps before sunset. We knew he would trace the vampires' presence once the moon arrived. I told Ruek to wait until you were clear, but he grew impatient."

  "Is Ruek here?" Raksha exclaimed.

  "Yes. I am," a dark voice rumbled from behind. Ruek stepped out from the darkness of the porch, his pale skin glowing ghost-like in the night.

  "How do you expect to defeat a Kartha this powerful?" Raksha cried.

  "Because we found his weakness," Ruek replied.

  "What is his weakness?" Raksha asked, her voice trembling.

  Ruek didn't answer with words. He reached down and snatched the groggy Aadhi from the sofa, his massive hand closing around the boy's throat.

  "It’s him," Ruek hissed.

  He squeezed, and Aadhi's eyes snapped open. The boy began to thrash, gasping for air as he looked into the terrifying, monstrous face above him.

  "Stop! Let him go!" Raksha screamed, lunging forward to pull Ruek’s hand away. But Rakhi grabbed her, dragging her back with brute force. "Stay out of this, Raksha! Our job is done."

  Manish stood frozen in the garden, the banyan root chains smoking against his skin as the Dark Magic fought to suppress his rising power.

  Seeing his son struggling for breath, the last of Manish's restraint snapped. The air around him grew heavy, and his eyes began to glow with an intense, haunting blue light—the signature of Celestial energy rising in his body.