The morgue was colder than death itself.
Metal trays lined the walls, the smell of scorched flesh still lingering despite the industrial fans humming overhead. Inside the examination chamber, two heaps of ash rested on gurneys—one slightly larger, masculine, the other smaller, delicate.
Victims twenty-nine and thirty.
A woman and the man who had tried to save her.
Burnt to nothing.
The silence in the room was interrupted only by the scribbling of a pen on a clipboard.
Then came footsteps—measured, heavy, and echoing with authority.
Dev Rathore entered first. Broad-shouldered, clad in black ASTRIX jacket over a grey shirt. His sharp jaw was set in a tight line, his black gloves removed as he reached out to inspect what little remained of the corpses.
Behind him came Shakti Rathore.
The Alpha.
Her face was unreadable, carved from stone. A towering woman with the grace of a predator, each step calculated and fierce. Long black hair tied into a low braid, eyes lined in kohl that seemed to pierce through the shadows. She said nothing. She rarely did.
She didn't need to.
Her presence alone made the air tenser.
The two of them stood there for a moment—looking at the remains not with shock, but with something worse.
Familiarity.
"Thirty," muttered a voice from behind them.
The door swung open and Dr. Suresh Anand entered, a middle-aged man with a tired face, bloodshot eyes, and too much knowledge of death. His surgical mask dangled under his chin, his gloved fingers twitching as he looked at the bodies.
"One more charred couple. One more night of this cursed city feeding on screams." His voice cracked. "She was seventeen. Name's Priya Sethi. Her neighbor—Rahul Kumar—tried to save her. Got the same fate."
Dev looked up, but said nothing.
Shakti remained still, arms crossed.
"Thirty lives in three months," Suresh continued, pacing, frustration mounting. "All the same. Women. Young. Assaulted. Then... this."
He pointed at the ash remains.
"Tell me, what kind of monster burns people to dust without a trace of fire around?"
Dev opened his mouth, but the doctor didn't stop.
"You're Astrix," Suresh snapped. "The secret supernatural police. The legends. The protectors."
He scoffed bitterly.
"And yet here we are. Thirty bodies. No suspects. No shadows to chase."
He stepped closer to Dev, eyes narrowing.
"What exactly are you protecting us from? Ghost stories?"
Shakti's jaw tightened.
Dev remained composed. "We're doing everything we can."
"Then your 'everything' is clearly not enough," the doctor growled. "How long before my wife ends up on one of these tables?"
There it was. The real fear.
Dev's eyes softened. He tilted his head slightly and spoke, his voice gentle.
"She works at the hospital, right? Night shifts, three times a week?"
The doctor blinked, confused. "How did—?"
Dev continued smoothly. "Make sure she carries the protective charm you got blessed at that temple last week. She keeps it in her purse but forgets to wear it. That's dangerous in a place like Diglith."
Suresh's face paled. "How—how do you know that?"
Dev just gave a small smile. "I listen."
It wasn't a lie.
He could read thoughts. Or pieces of them, fragments dancing on the surface. Sometimes painful. Sometimes useful.
Before the doctor could respond, Shakti finally spoke.
Her voice was low. Threatening.
"We'll catch the bastard."
The words cut through the room like a blade.
She turned on her heel and stormed out.
Dev gave the doctor a short nod and followed.
---
The sea roared nearby as Shakti marched across the rocky cliffs behind the morgue. The city lights of Diglith flickered in the distance, faint compared to the fire in her veins.
She stopped near the edge, fists clenched.
And then—it happened.
The transformation.
Her brown skin deepened into obsidian black, radiant with power. Her eyes ignited into burning crimson. Her silk-smooth hair burst into wild locks of flame, twisting in the wind like living embers.
She didn't scream.
She roared.
A rock formation beside her shattered with a single punch, disintegrating into rubble. Pebbles scattered into the ocean. The sky above darkened.
Dev kept a few feet back. He had seen this before.
Many times.
But it never failed to chill him.
Shakti was divine fury incarnate.
And right now, she was losing control.
Another boulder exploded under her boot. She wasn't holding back.
Dev finally stepped forward. Calm. Measured.
"You're going to scare the villagers again."
"Let them be scared," she spat, voice deeper, otherworldly. "They should be. I'm failing them."
Her fists trembled again.
"Three months. Thirty victims. No lead. No face. No scent. What am I even doing here, Dev?"
She spun to him, eyes blazing.
"I'm the Alpha. I'm supposed to lead. Protect. And yet they keep dying. Each one... a little more brutal. A little more mocking."
She slammed both fists into the ground, sending a tremor through the earth. Dev barely kept his footing.
"I'm useless."
Dev spoke softly.
"Don't be angry," he said. "You'll gain nothing from this."
Her voice cracked, laced with fury and pain.
"We already have nothing."
Shakti's voice echoed into the sea breeze, her rage boiling over.
"Women raped. Burnt. Erased. And we're still chasing shadows."
She hit another stone, splintering it into dust.
"I've fought monsters, Dev. Real ones. This—this is something else. Hidden filth with no face."
Dev stepped closer, steady.
"I've been in service ten years. Seen demons, banshees, darklings. But this one... it doesn't fear us. It's mocking us. Learning us."
Shakti's breathing was ragged. Her transformation burned hotter.
"I'll be suspended," she whispered. "I know it. Supreme will remove me. I'm a liability now."
Dev's voice was low, intimate.
"Then don't let it win." He paused. "You are not just a protector. You are an Alpha. The fastest rise in Astrix history. Five years. That's unheard of."
Shakti looked away.
"You're not the one whose name is on every report. I'm the Alpha here. If I fail, it's over. My badge. My powers. My legacy. You don't get it—"
"I do." Dev cut in. "I am not alpha but you know why After Mum and Dad died, I didn't care about promotions. I stayed. Worked. Survived. But I saw the dream I let go... come true in you."
Her red eyes widened.
"Don't let your anger win. Think like an Alpha."
The words struck her like lightning.
The flames in her hair slowed. Dimmed. Her skin softened from volcanic black to warm brown. Her eyes faded into deep, tired brown. Her breathing calmed.
She was human again.
Dev moved closer and gently hugged her.
Shakti leaned in, eyes closed for a moment.
"I only trust you." Her voice was low. "Those other two... why did Supreme assign me rookies?"
Dev chuckled softly.
"They're green. But they'll surprise you. Even the weakest seed blooms under fire."
Shakti scoffed.
"I swear to God if they trip on their own feet again—"
They both laughed—a rare sound in Diglith.
As they walked back, Shakti's stride returned to its usual swagger.
Dev followed behind, his mind already calculating next steps.
The case wasn't just twisted.
It was watching them.
And now, it was time to escalate.
Dev pulled out his phone, dialed a secure number, and waited for the encrypted tone.
He spoke softly.
"Contact the Supreme. We need help."
Behind him, the ocean churned.
And far away—something stirred in the shadows.