Perspective

The three individuals sprinted toward the village, a sense of dread filling their hearts. Vibhav's disappointment was palpable as he spoke, "Are we really this unlucky? If even one villager dies tonight, it's over for us. People always look for easy answers, and they'll blame us."

Prayog chimed in, trying to maintain optimism, "Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. We'll soon find out if it's a blessing or a curse. Besides, we have a villager with us who can vouch for our innocence."

Vibhav responded with a touch of sarcasm, "Well, he isn't exactly trustworthy with others, so don't get your hopes up."

Vinay interjected confidently, "Hey, just because I'm not on good terms with some of them doesn't mean they won't trust me. Besides, you two don't have any better options."

Prayog calmed the group, saying, "Alright, let's see for ourselves."

Emerging from the forest, the trio confronted a scene of utter chaos in the village. Panic-stricken people ran in every direction, seeking shelter. The air was filled with desperate screams for help, and two houses on the right side of the village were engulfed in flames.

"This is bad. Really bad," Vibhav sighed.

Curious about the situation, Vinay asked a fleeing villager, "What's happening here?"

The villager shouted back, "We're under attack by a churel or 'bhoot.' I don't know, but you should run while you can. It has already killed Suraj and his family."

The three hurried onward. Vinay headed straight for his own house, while Vibhav and Prayog rushed toward Nishika's residence. As they approached, they noticed the house was left wide open, with no one in sight.

"Excuse me, do you know where the old woman and the child went?" Prayog asked another villager sprinting past them.

"Everyone's seeking refuge in the old temple grounds. They should be there," the man shouted before running off.

"No matter, we need to find out for ourselves," Prayog declared loudly. Vibhav nodded in agreement, adding, "The chaos and noise here are overwhelming. I can't sense anything. What about you?" he asked Prayog.

"Forget about that. I think I might know where we can find it," Prayog turned to another person and inquired about Suraj's house.

"Why are you going there? It's the one burning," the person replied, gesturing to a house further down the line. There were a few houses in between.

Undeterred, they sped toward the burning house. The man who had warned them moments ago couldn't help but interject, "Why are you going there? Seek shelter in the temple while you still can."

Vibhav retorted loudly, "What makes you so sure that the temple is safe?"

"Because nothing like this has ever happened there before. Besides, people are gathering there with weapons and supplies. It's more like a stronghold now," the stranger explained.

"You should go ahead then. We'll follow shortly," Prayog said with determination, resuming their path toward the burning house.

Within minutes, the three found themselves in front of a medium-sized house. The thatched hut on the left side burned ferociously, emitting smoke and occasional bursts of flames.

On the ground in front of the house lay a horribly disfigured body, completely burned beyond recognition. Some parts had already turned to ashes.

"Interesting. I've never seen a normal body burn so quickly," Prayog remarked, while

Vibhav nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, you're right. Besides, it's here."

"Yeah, I can sense it too. It's inside the house," Prayog confirmed.

"We should draw it out. Inside, there's fire, and it's not an ideal ground for us to fight," Prayog suggested.

"Agreed," Vibhav replied. Then, screaming at the top of his lungs, he called out, "Hey, we know you're hiding inside! We know you can hear us! Why hide? Why not come out, you inhuman creature?"

"Do you think that will work?" Vibhav asked Prayog.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Prayog responded.

And indeed, their plan worked as intended. One of the house walls burst open, and the same figure they had encountered in the forest emerged from it.

The creature held the body of one of the family members, its elongated tongue, resembling a pipe, attached to the body's neck. It appeared to be sucking something from the body, but it wasn't blood or flesh. Nor was it bones.

"It seems to be stealing the body's energy, the very life force itself," Prayog observed.

"Hmm, can it do that even after they're dead?" Vibhav questioned, giving Prayog a quizzical look.

"Well, the life force doesn't completely vanish when a person dies. There's always some time between death and the draining of the life force. However, it's usually too troublesome for them to absorb it after death. Yet, this particular creature seems to specialize in this area," Prayog pondered.

"Or perhaps it could be said that these poor humans died after it started sucking their life energy. When we fought it in the forest, it was clearly weaker. But now, after absorbing so much life energy, it's ready to settle the score for its past defeat," the shrill voice of the creature echoed throughout the village.

"And you know what? If you had just lost to me and let me feed on you, this village would have been safe. But now, look at it—it's a disaster. The villagers have suffered greatly, and you're to blame," the churel sneered, emitting a cold laugh.

"Are you trying to make us feel guilty?" Vibhav responded, seemingly unfazed by the creature's words.

The churel seemed bewildered by the lack of remorse from the two individuals before her. "Aren't you even a little sad? About what you've done? You're the reason a whole family of six people was killed," the churel said, throwing the body it held to the ground.

"No, we don't feel sad at all. In fact, we might even be a little happy. Thrilled, actually," Vibhav replied, scratching his head.

"What are you? Can't you see... Are you mocking me? I just slaughtered an entire family because of YOUR MISTAKE!" The churel's irritation was evident.

"It all depends on how you see things. Fault isn't absolute in reality. The world is relative, and there's no absolute scale to measure things. Consider this: from our perspective, we tried to kill you, but you escaped and came here to feast on the villagers. It's all your fault. Besides, what guarantee was there that after defeating us, you would have left the village alone?" Prayog explained.

Prayog continued, "Maybe if you had managed to kill us, all the families would be in danger instead of just one. So you see, there's no such thing as your fault or our good deed. It's just a game of perspectives."

After catching his breath, Prayog spoke again, "That's just one explanation. I can give you five or six more arguments in our favor, and you wouldn't have a counter to any of them. Because the only one at fault here is you." Pointing his finger at the churel, Prayog chuckled mockingly.

"Why, you little... I'm going to skin you alive and feast on the villagers. Oh yes, by the way, I forgot to tell you, many of my kind are coming tonight to pay a visit to this village. I wonder what's going to happen to those poor villagers?" The churel laughed coldly.

"That also proves my argument is correct!" Prayog mocked the churel, while Vibhav stood there unperturbed.

"Now you're both getting on my nerves. So why don't you just die!" The monster leaped toward the two individuals.

The suspenseful confrontation between the courageous trio and the churel had reached a critical point. But in next chapter- The Siege.