The night was colder than usual.

The trio—Adir, Garu, and Vani—moved carefully through the broken forest, their bodies battered but their spirits burning with a new fire. Yet, as they neared the outskirts of the ruined city, a strange stillness blanketed the air.

Adir paused, frowning.

Garu (grimacing): "Why does it feel... wrong? Like the world’s holding its breath."

Vani touched the thread still tied loosely to her wrist. It pulsed faintly, warning her.

Vani (whispering): "Something's not right. It’s too quiet."

They quickened their pace, emerging onto the main road leading into the city. But the sight that met them made them freeze.

The marketplace—a place once filled with laughter, music, and color—was in chaos.

Stalls were overturned. People lay scattered across the stone paths, unmoving. Some writhed weakly, clutching their limbs, gasping. Their veins were darkened—poison running rampant under their skin.

A sharp, earthy smell filled the air—mud, venom, and fear.

Garu swore under his breath.

Adir (heart pounding): "No... No, no—"

He sprinted forward, weaving through the fallen bodies. His breath caught when he saw her.

His mother.

She lay crumpled near a shattered fruit cart, her shopping basket spilled beside her. Her face was pale. Her hands trembled. Angry black veins traced their way up her neck.

Adir (choking out): "Ma!"

He dropped to his knees beside her, cradling her fragile body. Her eyelids fluttered open briefly.

Adir’s Mother (hoarse whisper): "Adi...run...danger..."

Adir (desperately): "No, no—I'm here. I’m not leaving you."

Garu and Vani rushed over, faces grim.

Garu (looking around): "Venom. Strong. It’s paralyzing them."

Vani knelt beside them, examining the dark streaks under Adir’s mother's skin.

Vani (tight voice): "This... This isn’t natural. It’s the work of an Aniuman."

Garu (gritting his teeth): "A Third Aniuman. They're worse than the others. Their sting spreads with time. No ordinary healer can fix this."

Adir clenched his fists, the serpent marks on his arms faintly glowing in agitation. He pressed his hands over his mother’s wounds, desperately channeling the healing power within him.

Adir (whispering): "Come on... please..."

The green light flickered weakly under his palms. His mother’s breathing steadied slightly—but the black veins didn’t retreat.

Not enough.

Adir’s eyes burned with frustration. He turned to Vani, his voice raw.

Adir (pleading): "You healed me before. In the Krakash fight. Please, Vani—help her!"

Without hesitation, Vani took out a blessed dagger and pricked a small wound in Adir’s mother's arm, drawing a vial of her blood.

Vani (focused): "I need to take this back to my tribe. The Elders will know more."

She stood swiftly.

Vani (urgent): "Stay with her, Adir. We’ll save her."

Adir nodded, cradling his mother's hand.

Vani disappeared into the shadows, racing back to her homeland.

At the valley of Vani's tribe...

Vani knelt before the Elder Healer, an ancient woman adorned in white feathers and beads.

Elder Healer (gravely): "The venom of the Third Aniuman cannot be undone by simple herbs. It is living poison. It learns, it adapts."

Vani (pleading): "There must be a way."

The Elder studied the blood closely, confusion deepening her frown.

Elder Healer (worried): "This venom... we have not seen its like before. It is new. Unnatural."

Other tribal healers murmured uneasily.

Elder Healer (softly): "There is a way. A spirit call. We must weave the Spirit Net—a sacred trap to capture the poison's soul. But it requires sacrifice."

Vani (bowing): "Then teach me."

But a grim truth hung over the valley.

They did not know who this new villain was.

Back in the city...

Adir, Garu searched the streets tirelessly.

They found signs—small scorpions skittering from the cracks of buildings. Venomous trails leading into the forests and mountains.

Garu (grim): "He's spreading his spawn everywhere."

Adir (determined): "Then we hunt them down."

They decided to divide forces.

Adir (softly to himself): "First... Ma must be safe."

He carried his unconscious mother to the city’s last standing hospital—a battered but still functioning place.

Inside, Dr. Kiran—a strong, kind man—met him at the door, immediately rushing to help.

Dr. Kiran (firm): "Lay her here. We’ll stabilize her."

Adir (nodding): "Thank you... Father."

Dr. Kiran squeezed his shoulder.

Garu hovered nearby, bowing slightly in respect.

Garu (gruff but sincere): "Father."

Dr. Kiran looked at both of them with fierce pride—but also deep worry.

Dr. Kiran: "Go. Do what you must. I will watch over her."

Adir swallowed the lump in his throat.

He turned to Garu .

Adir (resolute): "Garu—take the mountains. I’ll go into the forest. Maybe the serpents can help us again."

They placed their hands together briefly—three souls bound by battle and blood.

Then, they parted ways.

In the deep forest...

The trees loomed overhead like silent sentinels. Adir moved cautiously, his senses sharp, feeling the earth’s heartbeat through the soles of his feet.

He knelt down, touching a patch of disturbed soil.

Adir (murmuring): "Tracks... heavy, wide. Like... something dragging through the mud."

He closed his eyes, reaching deep within himself.

"Hear me," he whispered inwardly. "Children of the Earth. Brothers of Scale and Fang. I seek your guidance."

There was a faint rustling. From the undergrowth, serpents slithered forth—copperheads, green vipers, black cobras. They circled him, sensing the ancient power in his blood.

A large white cobra raised its head, its eyes gleaming with unnatural intelligence.

Adir (whispering): "Help me find him. Help me save them."

The white cobra hissed, then slithered forward, touching its head to Adir’s hand. Images flooded his mind—visions of a swampy hollow, thick with mud and reeds. A figure crouched there—a massive humanoid scorpion, covered in hardened plates, his stinger twitching with restless energy.

Adir gasped, pulling back.

Adir (determined): "He’s hiding in the Mud Hollow."

He opened a small wound on his finger, venom seeping from the mark.

He smeared it onto a leaf—and placed it gently into the mouth of a nearby snake.

Adir (pleading): "Please. Take it to the wounded. Let them live."

The snakes slithered away into the trees, carrying the small, fragile hope with them.

But deep down, Adir knew—it wouldn’t be enough.

His venom could slow the poison.

Not cure it.

Meanwhile, in the mountain cliffs...

Garu crouched at the edge of a rocky outcrop, wings spread wide for balance. He scanned the rocky terrain below.

Garu (grumbling): "Come out, you armored bastard..."

He spotted broken shards of scorpion shell, dragged mud, and scratch marks on the stones—signs of a massive creature nesting nearby.

Garu (smirking): "Gotcha."

He launched into the air, following the trail

And far away, in the hidden valley of her people...

Vani knelt before the Elder Healer, learning the ancient art of weaving the Spirit Net—the only hope against the venom.

Back in the forest clearing...

Adir pushed through the reeds, the mud sucking at his boots. He could feel the presence now—a heavy, oppressive force.

He emerged into a clearing—and saw it.

The Aniuman.

A grotesque fusion of man and scorpion, crouched in the mud. His black armor gleamed dully under the moonlight. His stinger dripped venom onto the ground, where it sizzled and fumed.

The creature looked up—and grinned.

Scorpion Aniuman (hissing): "Another little worm come to die?"

Adir’s eyes burned green and gold.

Adir (steady): "I came to end this."

The Aniuman rose to his full height—towering, monstrous.

Scorpion Aniuman (mocking): "Try, boy. Try."

Adir summoned the serpent energy to his arms. The night air shimmered with the power awakening inside him.

And from the trees, the snakes watched—silent witnesses to the battle about to unfold.

The sting of silence had begun.

And this time... it would end in fire.