Arjun The Guardian Of The Moon Chronicle

"Do you see that?" Rishi stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed on the thick mist swirling ahead.

"See what, Rishi?" I squinted, trying to make sense of the hazy landscape. All I could see was a mountain, barely visible under the suffocating mist wrapping around it like a ghostly cape.

Rishi sighed, brushing his hand through his beard. "Arjun, I think it's time I let you explore on your own. I'll go into deep meditation to recover my Tapobala."

"Wait, hold up—what?! That ain't fair! I'm just a boy, Rishi, I'm fifteen! Fifteen!" I protested, my voice cracking as panic set in.

"Wai—" Before I could finish, he vanished into thin air like a magician pulling the ultimate disappearing act. "RISHI! COME BACK!" I yelled into the emptiness. Nothing. Just the rustle of mist.

"Well, that's just great. First sign of trouble, and I'm ditched. Typical."

Suddenly, a deep voice echoed from behind. "Hello, you pesky trespasser."

I spun around, startled, to see a man in a pig mask stepping out from the shadows. His hulking frame was covered in cuts and scars, like he had walked out of a battlefield. His bare chest rippled with muscles, and an aura of menace clung to him like the mist to the mountain.

"Uh… hi?" I stammered, taking a cautious step back. "Look, I'm just passing through, training for some—um—noble cause. I'm harmless. See?" I dropped down and started doing pushups and squats, hoping to look too pathetic to bother with. "Fit as a fiddle but definitely not a threat. Haha!"

The man tilted his head, clearly unimpressed. "This is not how you master your good-for-nothing electricity powers, kid."

My pushups froze mid-motion. "Wait, what?" I blurted, jumping to my feet. "How do you know about that?"

He chuckled darkly, folding his arms. "Oh, I know. What are you going to do, zap a mouse? Maybe light a diya for Deepavali? What's next, frying some pakodas?" He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a mocking whisper. "You're not a warrior. Just a boy with no clue how to harness the power inside you."

"Hey! That's unfair!" I shot back, though his words stung. "And for your information, I could totally zap an asura—if I wanted to!"

The man laughed, a booming sound that seemed to shake the very mist around us. "Sure you could, kid. Tell you what. See that valley over there?" He pointed towards the edge of the mountain, where a dark, foreboding cave loomed.

"Yeah? What about it?" I asked warily.

"There are 1,000 rakshasas in there—dead. Killed them all this morning, before breakfast. If you think you're ready, why not take a stroll through my handiwork?"

I blinked at him. "Oh, right. A thousand rakshasas. Totally believable. Next you'll tell me you wrestled a dragon for dessert." I snorted, shaking my head.

He simply smirked, stepping aside to clear the path. "Go ahead. See for yourself, hero."

With a skeptical glance, I trudged towards the cave, muttering under my breath. "Sure, a thousand rakshasas. Probably finds a beetle, names it Raksha, and steps on it. This guy's a joker."

But as I entered the cave, my heart sank. The sight was horrifying. Bodies of rakshasas—massive and grotesque—were scattered everywhere. Some had been sliced clean through, others crushed like twigs. The air was thick with the stench of blood and sulfur.

I whispered, "Okay... so maybe he wasn't joking."

As I stepped further inside, a low growl echoed through the cave. My fingers instinctively reached for Nandaka, but when I pulled it out, it remained in its dormant coin form.

"Oh, come on, Nandaka," I groaned, flicking the coin. "Can't you at least try to be useful? Aw, here we go again."

Before I could react, a rakshasa lunged at me, claws swiping dangerously close. I ducked and rolled, my heart pounding.

"Alright, think, Arjun. What's the plan? Oh, right—I don't have one!" I muttered as I dodged another attack. I swung Nandaka wildly, but the rakshasa barely flinched.

More rakshasas emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing with malice. My breaths grew shallow as I realized I was outnumbered, and my so-called weapon was as useful as a rusty spoon.

"Rishi, why did you leave me?!" I yelled, narrowly avoiding a claw that could've sliced me in half.

Just as a rakshasa cornered me, its claws poised to strike, a sudden surge of energy erupted from within me. My body crackled with lightning, bolts arcing across the cave walls.

The rakshasas recoiled, their growls turning to shrieks. The energy intensified, and with a thunderous roar, a blinding wave of lightning shot out from me, obliterating the remaining creatures.

When the light faded, the cave was silent. My chest heaved as I stared at the charred remains of the rakshasas.

"Whoa…" I whispered, looking down at my hands, which still tingled with residual electricity. "Did I just do that?"

I staggered out of the cave, half in shock, half in disbelief. The man in the pig mask was waiting for me, leaning casually against a rock.

"Well, well," he said, slow-clapping. "Looks like the kid has some spark after all."

"You knew this would happen," I accused, pointing at him. "You sent me in there to nearly die!"

He chuckled, lifting his hands in mock innocence. "Hey, you survived, didn't you? Consider it a lesson in potential."

I glared at him, my fists clenched. "Who are you? And why are you messing with me?"

Without answering, he reached up and removed his mask. The face beneath was both majestic and unsettling—his golden eyes glowed with ancient power, and his features were sharp, almost otherworldly.

"You can call me your new teacher," he said with a sly grin. "But for now, you can call me the Yaksha."

This ended with his words hanging ominously in the air, and my mind reeling from what I had just survived—and what I was about to face.