After that, their journey continued, eliminating every zombie they encountered. During this time, Aarav's bond with Muskan grew even stronger. They now saw each other as real siblings, with a deep and unbreakable connection.
As they moved forward, they encountered a new kind of zombie—far more powerful than anything they'd faced before. These were not ordinary zombies. When a zombie devours a mutant animal, it begins to merge with its power. During this fusion, the zombie temporarily weakens—only 50% of its strength remains. But once the process completes, the zombie becomes 3 to 10 times more powerful than before. This phenomenon was called Zombie Evolution.
Muskan asked, "How do you know so much about all this?"
Aarav replied, "The Fragment of Light told me everything. That's how I know."
But there was another terrifying aspect to this. If an evolved zombie devours another evolved zombie, it triggers a new evolution stage. This can happen up to five times. After the fifth evolution, the creature reaches the level of a Zombie King, though it only possesses around 45% of the real Zombie King's power. And if one manages to defeat such a being, they receive a crystal from its body.
These crystals can be embedded into rings or necklaces, granting the wearer triple their usual strength.
Muskan asked, "So if we defeat 10 evolved Zombie Kings, will we become 30 times stronger?"
Aarav shook his head. "No. There's a limit. A human can only handle three crystals. Any more, and the body can't take it. It could even explode. Though... for a very short time—just 5 minutes—you could use them all and exceed your limits."
With resolve, Aarav said, "From now on, our goal is to hunt down the evolved Zombie Kings. Each of us must collect three crystals to stand a chance against the true Zombie King."
Just then, Muskan clutched her head in pain and began screaming. Her sisters rushed toward her, but Aarav stopped them.
"She's evolving. Going near her now could be dangerous. Just wait."
After some time, Muskan collapsed, unconscious. Sarah asked, "Isn't evolution only something zombies go through? How did Muskan evolve?"
Aarav explained, "When a human undergoes intense mental trauma... and then experiences an overwhelming surge of happiness or hope... something awakens within. Something supernatural. That's what happened to me too. When I heard Saanvi's scream and thought I'd lost her, I broke. But when the Fragment of Light told me she was still alive, I awakened."
Soon after, both Sarah and Julie also experienced the same evolution process. When it was over, Aarav asked Julie what ability she had gained.
Julie replied, "I'm a healer. I can increase someone's power for 15 seconds."
Then Sarah said, "I've developed a long-range ability. I use a bow and arrow that can freeze any enemy for 5 seconds—if they're twice as strong as me."
Muskan added, "My power is explosive. I emit a short-range laser blast that destroys all zombies near me."
Aarav warned her, "Since your ability is short-range, it might hurt your body too."
Muskan shrugged, "I don't know... Maybe."
"Let's test it," Aarav said.
"Let's do it!" she replied with determination.
They set off again. Along the way, they encountered a group of zombies. Sarah used her freezing arrows, and Muskan jumped in, blasting them with her power. The explosion affected her too, but Julie healed her immediately.
Aarav advised Muskan, "Only use your power in critical situations—and only when Julie is nearby."
"Got it, bhaiya," she smiled.
Their journey continued...
And far away, a Zombie King watched them from the shadows.