Two hundred years ago.
A dark forest. A moonless night.

Hana ran through the trees, her breath ragged, her heart pounding like thunder in her chest. Twigs snapped beneath her feet, and shadows seemed to chase her as much as the man behind her did.

“You can’t escape, Hana!” Revan’s voice echoed through the forest. “You belong to me!”

Hana didn’t stop.

“I belong to Rudra,” she gasped, pushing through a thicket of branches. “Only Rudra.”

The night swallowed her words, but she kept running—through the cold, through the fear, through the curse that waited in the dark.

Hana glanced over her shoulder, her breath quick and shallow.
He was close. Too close.

Revan was still chasing her, eyes wild, a long red sword gleaming in his hand. It shimmered like blood in the moonlight.

“I’ll have you dead or alive, Hana!” he roared. “You can’t run!”

Her heart pounded harder. Panic twisted in her chest as she raced forward, the forest blurring around her.
And then—she saw it.

The cliff.

She’d reached the edge of the mountain.

Hana skidded to a stop, peering down at the dark abyss below. The wind howled. Behind her, Revan’s footsteps thundered closer.

Her eyes widened. She looked back once more. He was almost there.

I have no other choice…

Tears welled in her eyes as she clutched the edge of her saree, the fabric trembling in her hands.

“Rudra…” she whispered. “We may never meet again in this life. But… in the next life…”

Revan lunged forward, shouting her name.

But it was too late.

“Even if I have to wait for eternity, Rudra… I will!”

And with that, Hana stepped off the edge.

She fell.

*****

Rudra jolted awake, breathless.
“Hana!” he gasped.

He sat up on the bed, chest rising and falling rapidly. His skin was damp with sweat. His eyes—wet.

“Ahh…” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Again… the same dream.”

He got up, walking slowly to the kitchen. The silence of the night wrapped around him like a heavy blanket.
He poured himself a glass of water and drank it in one long gulp.

Returning to the bedroom, Rudra lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Hana... I can still hear those words.

When are you coming to me, Hana?
I’ve waited for two hundred years now…
Where are you… Hana?

He closed his eyes.

But suddenly—a sharp pain surged through them.

He gasped and clutched his head.

His vision blurred.

Then, his eyes began to glow—red.

The curse was awakening. The Ophidian had awakened.

Rudra sat up straight. His voice was low but certain.

“Ophidian... I have to go.”