Deep Beneath the Palace .....The Dungeon Vaults
The air was cold. Not from wind, but from something older. Forgotten. The stones whispered of betrayal.
Bahubali crept silently through the hidden stairwell, Aravan at his side, a torch flickering in his grip. They had found the passage beneath the old granary, just as Tanthav the scribe had promised—a way into the dungeon, bypassing the guards who still believed Bahubali was a ghost.
At the final gate, Bahubali raised his hand, stopping Aravan.
"Here," he said.
Iron bars stretched across the narrow corridor. Beyond them, in the dim torchlight, a figure sat hunched, unmoving—chained to the wall by wrists and ankles.
Kattappa.
His once-proud beard was streaked with ash. His armor long stripped. Yet even in silence, he sat like a warrior. Watching. Breathing.
Bahubali stepped forward and called softly.
"Kattappa."
The old man didn't lift his head at first. But then, slowly… he turned.
His eyes locked with Bahubali's.
At first—shock.
Then disbelief.
Then something else entirely.
He scrambled to his knees, chains clanking.
"Amahendr…" Kattappa's voice broke. "It can't be…"
Bahubali knelt at the bars.
"It is. I'm alive. And I came back for you."
Kattappa shook his head. "I saw them kill you. I carried your body… I—"
"You didn't kill me, Kattappa. You were forced to. I know."
The old warrior collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed.
"You should have left me," he whispered. "I don't deserve to be rescued."
Bahubali reached through the bars and gripped his shoulder.
"You were never my enemy," he said. "You were my family."
Tears streamed down Kattappa's face.
"I'm sorry," he choked. "Every day, I've lived in that moment. The blade. Your blood. Devasena's scream. I have no forgiveness left to ask."Bahubali didn't speak.
He simply pressed his forehead against the bars, against Kattappa's.
"You're forgiven. And I need you now more than ever."
Aravan stepped forward, tools in hand.
The chains broke.
And for the first time in years, Kattappa stood free—his knees weak, but his eyes burning once more with purpose.
Above.....The Storm Breaks
Lightning split the skies as the second beast, the creature born of hunger, emerged from the ruins of Vaartal. It roared once, and the sound sent birds scattering across the kingdom.
Bhallaladeva stood at the highest tower, watching.
"Let them unite," he muttered. "It only makes the kill more satisfying."
Final Scene ...The Fire Rekindled
Back at the rebel camp, the rain finally fell.
Kattappa stood at the edge of the firelight, staring at the faces of the people he had once fought beside—and the ones he had nearly destroyed.
Devasena approached, holding her son by the hand.
Kattappa knelt before her without a word.
But she knelt too, lifting his face.
"We were all chained, Kattappa," she said gently. "But only a few broke free."
The boy hugged him.
And in that moment, the past was not forgotten—but it was no longer in control.
Bahubali stood nearby, gazing toward Mahishmati. The winds had changed. The sky had turned.
The next battle would not be just for the throne.
It would be for the soul of the kingdom itself.