Beneath the Black Waves

1 — The Calm Before
Two days had passed since the monster fell.Sagarapur had returned to laughter, song, and the scent of roasted fish drifting through the narrow alleys.
But Kedar couldn’t relax.Even as the sun dipped into the sea, his chest burned with unease — a quiet, familiar ache that he couldn’t name.
“Still thinking about that thing?” Anant asked, tossing a seashell into the waves.
Kedar nodded. “It dissolved. Things don’t just vanish like that. Not even with Prana fire.”
Aryan looked up from his scanner. “You’re right. I checked the energy field that night — it wasn’t dying. It was withdrawing.”
Shakti frowned. “Withdrawing to where?”
Before anyone could answer, a scream tore through the air.
From the edge of the village, someone shouted — “Another one’s gone! They took Rina’s husband!”
Kedar’s eyes darkened.The peace was over.

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2 — Descent
By evening, the team stood at the edge of the pier, staring at the black water.
Aryan’s device pulsed blue, pointing toward the trench beyond the reef. “Prana residue — strong, dense, and moving.”
Anant whistled. “Looks like we’re going swimming.”
Shakti tied her hair and checked her blade. “No boats. We dive.”
Kedar nodded. His heartbeat quickened. “Stay close. Whatever’s down there — it’s not done with us yet.”
They slipped into the cold water, their lanterns glowing faint blue beneath the surface.
The sea swallowed them in silence.
Schools of fish darted past, silver streaks in the gloom. Coral spires rose like towers, old and scarred. Strange symbols shimmered faintly on the rocks — curved, spiraling marks that looked almost… written.
“Those aren’t natural,” Aryan whispered through the comm. “Looks like—”
“Seals,” Kedar said quietly. “Old ones.”

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3 — The Abyss Stirs
They descended deeper, where light could no longer follow.
Suddenly, the water shivered.A low hum vibrated through their bones.
Anant tightened his grip on the twin chakras — glowing gold now, slicing faint trails through the water.“Something’s coming.”
Then, from the shadows — movement.Many movements.
Eyes.Dozens of red eyes opening in the dark.
And from the trench below, five shapes emerged — lobster-like, enormous, their claws clicking like steel.Each carried markings on their shells — glowing the same sigils as the ruins.
“Contact!” Aryan shouted.
They scattered as the first creature charged, claws slamming against a coral wall.Shakti sliced through one arm, but the creature regenerated instantly, the wound knitting back together.
“These ones are stronger!” she gasped.
Anant’s chakras spun faster, forming a bright golden spiral that held two of the beasts back.“Dual Orbit — Barrier Mode!”
The circle expanded into a glowing shield, holding the creatures for a moment before cracks started forming.
Kedar kicked upward, focusing his Prana — the water boiled slightly around his hands.
> “Agni Vrata — Flame Vein!”


Fire shouldn’t exist underwater, but from Kedar’s palms, crimson heat flared — forming bursts of compressed energy that shot forward like torpedoes.One creature shrieked and sank, its shell bursting open.
But the recoil drained him fast. He gasped, chest tight, lungs burning.
Aryan dove toward him, releasing a surge of blue light from his wristband. “Oxygen burst — breathe!”
Kedar inhaled sharply, regaining focus.Below them, the trench glowed brighter — and for a brief second, he saw something immense moving far below.Not a lobster. Not even close.Something ancient… chained.

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4 — The Seal of the Deep
“Retreat!” Shakti shouted. “We can’t win this fight!”
Anant slashed one creature’s claw clean off, and Aryan detonated a sonic pulse, scattering the swarm.
They swam toward the surface, but Kedar turned back one last time.At the edge of the trench, beneath the glowing ruins, he saw an enormous stone tablet — half-buried in silt.Its carvings pulsed faintly with a symbol he somehow recognized.
A three-pointed spiral.The same mark from his childhood dreams.
His blood ran cold.
> “Rudravan’s mark…” he whispered.


But before he could reach for it, the sea itself groaned — a rumbling so deep it felt alive.A voice echoed through his mind — ancient, thunderous, and almost human:
> “Fire returns to the mountain. The seal weakens.”


And then — silence.
Anant grabbed his shoulder. “Kedar! Move!”
They burst through the surface moments later, gasping in the starlit air.The village bells rang in the distance — another person had gone missing.

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5 — Return to Shore
They dragged themselves onto the sand, shivering, bruised, and exhausted.The villagers surrounded them with worried faces.
Aryan fell to his knees, coughing up seawater. “There’s… more. Dozens. Maybe hundreds down there.”
Shakti wiped her blade. “Whatever those symbols are — they’re connected. Someone sealed those things once.”
Anant looked at Kedar, who was staring silently at the ocean.“What did you see down there?”
Kedar didn’t answer right away. The image of the massive shadow still burned in his mind — and that voice… that knowing tone.
Finally, he said softly,
> “Something old. Something that shouldn’t be awake.”


The waves lapped quietly against the shore, as if listening.

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6 — The Whisper of the Deep
That night, as the others slept in their tents, Kedar stood alone at the beach.The moon was half-hidden behind clouds, the sea glimmering black.
He crouched, dipping his hand into the water.It was warm — unnaturally so.
A whisper brushed his ear.
> “You survived once, child of fire. But the sea remembers your blood.”


Kedar’s eyes widened. He turned sharply — no one there. Only the soft hum of waves.
He clenched his fists, the faint red light flickering in his palms.
> “If you’re coming for me…”“Then I’ll be ready.”


The tide pulled back, hissing, as if answering his challenge.
The sea fell silent again.But far beneath, the chained creature stirred once more —its eyes opening slowly in the dark.
To be continued.....