Be a lord in the world of Indian mythology

Chapter 51 Madam Ma

Vanished into thin air.

These four words are more terrifying than any visible threat.

In a vast, flat, and manned camp, a robust adult male vanished without a sound or a trace.

This is not a kidnapping by mountain bandits, nor an attack by wild beasts; it is a bizarre force that is completely beyond common sense and comprehension.

"Brahma above!"

May Shiva protect you!

The caravan members who gathered around prayed to their respective faiths.

Vijay slowly raised his head and looked around.

The sky was gray and hazy, the trees were twisted and withered, the valley was silent and deathly quiet, and a faint smell of decay permeated the air.

Looking at the caravan members around him, their faces were filled with fear and anxiety, even a numbness permeated by terror. Some were clutching their tools tightly, some were trembling with their heads down, and some were staring blankly at the ground, as if they would be the next to disappear.

If this continues, the team will collapse on its own before it even encounters any real danger.

Vijay took a deep breath, suppressing all the unease and heaviness in his heart, and said loudly to everyone in an unquestionable and calm tone: "Pack your gear, check the vehicles and cargo, and set off immediately."

He didn't say "we will find him," nor "he will come back," nor "we will avenge him."

Everyone accepted this as fact; no one objected, and no one questioned it further.

In a heavy, suffocating atmosphere, the entire caravan slowly packed up and set off again.

The wheels rolled over the uneven road surface, making a monotonous and dull sound, like a series of silent sighs.

Compared to the previous days, the atmosphere in the team was more oppressive. No one spoke, no one complained, and even breathing became a cautious exercise.

Fortunately, everything was unusually calm during the day.

The caravan continued its journey swiftly and without incident until night fell once more.

As night fell, the temperature in the valley plummeted, and the chilly wind felt like a knife against one's face.

The campfire was relit, its flames flickering, but it brought no sense of security whatsoever!

Vijay could clearly sense that morale within the team had reached a critical point.

Relying on regular shifts as we did the previous two nights is no longer enough to calm people's hearts.

If anyone loses control and collapses, the entire caravan will instantly fall apart in this secluded valley.

Although doing so might seem to accomplish Vijay's original plan, an unknown danger now hangs directly overhead, threatening to take his life at any moment.

Now he himself is also in this situation.

Without hesitation, Vijay immediately found Vilandra and Mu: "Gentlemen, the continuous disappearances and strange phenomena have brought everyone to the brink of collapse."

"Tonight we can't stand guard in the usual way. The three of us must personally lead a team, each with a group of people, to patrol the entire area in shifts. Only when we are at the forefront can everyone feel at ease and maintain the formation."

Vilandra nodded immediately: "At a time like this, the three of us are the backbone of the team. As long as we don't panic, the team won't fall apart."

Mu nodded slightly, a faint spiritual light emanating from his body: "I will use my divine power to bless the campfire and the campsite, trying my best to suppress the evil spirits..."

The three quickly assigned shifts: Vilandra would be on duty for the first half of the night, Vijay for the second half, and Vijay was assigned to the middle shift.

After making the arrangements, Vijay returned to the campfire and closed his eyes to rest.

Perhaps it was because his tense nerves relaxed a little after his responsibilities were clarified, or perhaps his body was exhausted to the limit, but he slept exceptionally soundly that night.

After some time, a hand gently patted his shoulder.

"Master, master, it's your turn to be on duty."

It's Bim's voice.

Vijay suddenly opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented, as if he were still lying in the quiet room of Mittal Village, holding the soft Maya in his arms.

But the next second, the cold wind, the flickering flames, the withered trees and the silent crowd around him instantly pulled him back to the cruel reality.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and looked up at the center of the camp.

The largest campfire was well cared for, with people constantly adding dry firewood. The flames roared, and the orange-red light was enough to illuminate every corner of the inner circle of the camp, every sleeping face, every parked vehicle, and every quietly lying animal.

Most of the caravan members were lying on the ground, eyes closed, motionless.

No one knows how many people are truly asleep in this deathly silence of "sleep," or how many are awake until dawn.

Vijay gently called Bim, and together with the dozen or so people assigned to them, they formed a temporary duty team and began their patrol for the night.

Although they called it a patrol, they didn't dare stray too far from the campfire.

They simply stood guard at the edge of the campfire, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, their ears perked up, ready to catch any slight unusual sound.

The moon in the sky, shining through a thin layer of mist, cast its cool, pale light into the valley.

The moonlight was pale and cold, devoid of any gentleness, more like a white sheet covering a corpse.

The surroundings remained deathly silent as always.

Vijay stood at the edge of the fire, his gaze slowly sweeping over the caravan members lying scattered on the ground.

For some reason, a strange unease suddenly rose in his heart, and he subconsciously counted the number of people in his mind.

One, two, three, four, five...

He counted and checked again and again.

When he counted to the third time, Vijay's body suddenly stiffened, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an icy hand.

The number of people is incorrect.

Two more people are missing.

This time, he didn't immediately alarm everyone as he had done in the early morning.

He knew very well that in this extremely vulnerable moment, shouting "someone is missing" again would only trigger everyone's fear and plunge the camp into complete chaos.

Once chaos erupts, no one knows what even more terrible things might happen.

Vijay suppressed the turmoil in his heart and continued to observe calmly, his eyes searching repeatedly in the crowd. Could it be that these two were hiding in his blind spot?

No matter how he looked, he couldn't find him.

Just as he slowly stood up, preparing to discreetly circle around to the perimeter of the camp to investigate,

Outside the fence formed by the vehicles, a very faint and strange rustling sound came from.

It wasn't the sound of wild animal footsteps, the sound of wind rustling through grass and trees, or the sound of human voices, but a strange noise—the rustling of fabric mixed with heavy breathing.

Vijay instantly became alert, and his right hand silently pressed against the hilt of the Kanda sword at his waist.

He gently gestured for Bim to stay put and provide backup, while he lowered his body, held his breath, and cautiously approached the direction from which the sound came. Once he was close to the carriage fence, he took a deep breath, peeked out, and looked toward the source of the sound.

The scene before him filled him with anger, shock, and doubt.

The two missing members of the caravan were seen, one in front of the other, naked, circling a nag horse in an extremely filthy and disgusting manner on the open ground outside the fence.