THE ANTHROPOPHAGUS

THE UNKNOWN SHADOW!

Bhairava crouched over the lifeless body, his knife gleaming in the firelight. With a methodical precision, he began his grim task. The unknown man's face was a mask of terror, frozen in the last moments of his life. Bhairava’s hands were steady as he carved into the flesh, his mind focused and cold.

Kaal, his gaunt companion with an insatiable hunger, watched eagerly. His eyes were wide with anticipation, and he licked his lips as Bhairava worked.

With a swift, practiced motion, Bhairava gouged out the man’s eyes, placing them carefully in a small iron pot. The fire crackled and hissed as he added more wood, the flames growing higher, casting eerie shadows around the clearing.

“Why the eyes first?” Kaal asked, his voice a raspy whisper.

Bhairava didn’t look up. “The eyes hold the essence of fear. Cooking them first brings out the flavor.”

He continued, cutting away strips of flesh from the man’s cheeks, slicing through sinew and muscle with a detached efficiency. The blood dripped onto the ground, pooling around his feet. Bhairava’s face remained impassive, his thoughts far from the macabre scene before him.

As he worked, he began to speak, his voice low and haunting. “Do you know why I did it, Kaal? Why I killed Harshit in the forest last night?”

Kaal’s eyes never left the gruesome spectacle. “No. Why?”

“Harshit was my brother,” Bhairava said, his tone devoid of emotion. “We grew up together, like two sides of the same coin. He was my anchor, my light. But he was also the son of the man who destroyed our lives.”

With a quick slice, Bhairava removed the man’s tongue, adding it to the pot with the eyes. He stirred the contents, the smell of cooking flesh mingling with the smoke that rose into the night air.

Kaal leaned in closer, his curiosity piqued. “Your brother? And you killed him?”

“Yes,” Bhairava replied, his voice a mix of bitterness and sorrow. “Our father’s sins were too great. He was a cannibal, driven mad by his hunger for power. Harshit was spared from that darkness, loved by everyone. I, on the other hand, was shunned, despised, left to bear the weight of our father’s actions.”

He continued to dismember the body, cutting off fingers and limbs with a cold efficiency. The fire crackled as he threw the parts into the pot, the broth bubbling and frothing.

Kaal’s eyes gleamed with a perverse fascination. “So, you resented him?”

“No,” Bhairava said, shaking his head. “I loved him. But when I learned he was my brother, it was too much. I couldn’t let him live with the burden of our father’s sins. Killing him was a twisted act of mercy. He deserved peace, and I needed to end the pain.”