(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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After arriving in Hyderabad, the group separated briefly.
Before leaving the airport, Isha had exchanged numbers with Rudra and, after a moment of hesitation, invited him for tea whenever he was free.
"Not immediately,"
She clarified quickly.
"I know you're busy with... whatever it is you do."
Rudra chuckled hearing her tone.
"That's probably for the best."
Then after a brief pause he added,
"But if I'm free, I'll definitely join you for a coffee."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Good."
With that, they parted ways.
After few hours...
A few hours later, after checking into a respectable hotel near the city center, the group gathered inside Rudra's room.
The curtains were drawn.
Maps of Hyderabad were spread across the table.
Several notebooks containing information regarding the Nine Scriptures lay open.
The atmosphere had become serious once more.
Mohan Bhargav was reviewing possible leads.
Amirtha sat quietly beside the window.
Junoo was lying upside down on a sofa, somehow managing to look comfortable despite defying several laws of posture.
Rudra stood near the center of the room.
"We need Vedha."
Mohan nodded his head.
"If the information is correct, he should still be somewhere in Hyderabad."
"Should,"
Junoo repeated his words.
"I am beginning to dislike that word."
Amirtha smiled faintly.
"It means we're guessing."
"Exactly."
Junoo pointed dramatically.
"And I dislike guessing."
Instead of replying, Rudra closed his eyes.
A strange energy began gathering around him.
Immediately the Rudra fell silent.
Even Amirtha and Junoo became attentive.
This was unfamiliar. Very unfamiliar.
They had fought beside Rudra.
Traveled with him.
Seen countless abilities.
Yet none of them had ever witnessed this.
Dark energy swirled around his hand.
Ancient symbols appeared in the air.
Dozens. Hundreds.
Glowing crimson runes rotating around one another like celestial gears.
The room suddenly grew colder.
The lights flickered.
Even Mohan instinctively stood up.
"What is that?"
The runes accelerated.
A shadow formed.
Feathers.
Talons.
Wings.
Then—A gigantic raven materialized.
Its body was nearly the size of a fully grown eagle.
Its feathers were darker than midnight.
Its eyes glowed crimson like burning embers.
The creature landed silently on the floor.
The instant it appeared, the entire room felt its intelligence.
This was no ordinary summon.
[Ravana's Divine Scout: Kaalaksha.]
The Seer Raven of Ten Shadows.
A reconnaissance construct born from Rudra's Ravana Template.
Capable of tracking souls, memories, destinies, and traces of fate itself.
The raven slowly raised its head.
Its glowing eyes landed upon Rudra.
"...."
Then—To everyone's shock—It immediately lowered itself.
Bowing.
Respectfully.
Almost reverently.
Its voice echoed directly into their minds.
"My Lord Ravana."
Silence. Absolute silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Junoo sat upright hearing the name.
Amirtha blinked caught off guard.
Mohan nearly dropped the notebook in his hand.
Even Rudra froze too suddenly being addressed as Ravana.
The raven remained bowed.
"Your servant awaits your command."
Rudra stared at it.
"...."
"...."
The raven stared back.
Several awkward seconds passed.
Finally—
Rudra cleared his throat.
"Ahem."
He decided to pretend absolutely nothing strange had happened.
Amirtha was looking at him.
Junoo was looking at him.
Mohan was definitely looking at him.
Ignoring all three, Rudra pointed toward the window.
"Find someone."
The raven immediately straightened.
"Name."
"Vedha Prajapati."
The moment the name was spoken—
The raven's eyes flashed brightly.
Thousands of tiny symbols appeared inside its pupils.
The creature seemed to look beyond walls.
Beyond the city.
Beyond distance itself.
Using its innate foresight.
Using fate-tracking.
Using countless unseen threads.
Information flooded into its consciousness.
"Target identified."
Everyone stiffened hearing the Raven.
Even Rudra raised an eyebrow.
That had been faster than expected.
The raven spread its enormous wings.
"I shall return."
With a powerful caw, it launched through the open window.
A burst of shadow followed.
Then it vanished into the Hyderabad night.
Silence returned.
Slowly. Painfully.
Three pairs of eyes immediately turned toward Rudra.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Rudra coughed.
"A new skill."
Junoo narrowed her eyes.
"A new skill."
"Yes."
Mohan folded his arms.
"The bird called you Lord Ravana."
Rudra nodded confidently.
-Nod!
"Because the skill is based on Ravana."
Amirtha raised an eyebrow.
"It bowed."
"Respectfully."
"It called you Lord."
"Coincidence."
Junoo stared not believing him.
Mohan stared joined her.
Amirtha stared at Rudr who was picking his teeth.
Rudra maintained complete confidence.
"The Brahmastra evolves."
"It created a Ravana-themed skill."
"The summon misunderstood."
Mohan looked at him for several seconds.
Then—To everyone's surprise—He burst out laughing.
A genuine laugh.
"-Hahaha!!!"
The kind that comes from hearing something so ridiculous that arguing becomes pointless.
"That,"
Mohan said while wiping his eyes,
"might be the worst explanation I have ever heard."
Junoo immediately nodded.
"Absolutely."
Amirtha covered her mouth, trying not to smile.
Rudra remained perfectly calm.
"Yet none of you can prove otherwise."
That only made Mohan laugh harder.
Because absurdly enough—This was Rudra.
The chosen wielder of the Brahmastra.
The man who had fought Dev.
The man who traveled between worlds which is a secret known only for the few.
The man whose powers constantly ignored common sense.
So despite how ridiculous the explanation sounded—
There was always the terrifying possibility that it was somehow true.
And that possibility alone was enough to make everyone give up questioning it.
For now.
Meanwhile, across another part of Hyderabad, the atmosphere inside a modest roadside lodge was becoming increasingly tense.
The room was small.
A single bed.
A wooden table.
A few travel bags placed near the wall.
For the past few days, it had served as Vibya's temporary base while she searched for Vedha across the city.
At the moment, she was sitting near the window reviewing the notes she had gathered during her investigation when a knock echoed through the room.
Three short knocks.
Then two more.
A familiar pattern.
Vibya immediately opened the door.
Standing outside was Mapu.
The moment he entered, Vibya noticed something unusual.
His expression was serious.
Far more serious than normal.
"What's wrong?"
She asked confusedly.
Mapu didn't sit down immediately.
Instead, he paced for a moment before finally turning toward her.
"You need to stop looking for Vedha."
The words caught her off guard.
"What?"
Mapu rubbed his forehead.
"Listen, this isn't just me."
"Sebastian thinks the same thing."
That made Vibya frown.
"Why?"
Mapu hesitated for a second.
Then finally spoke.
"Because every time you show up, Vedha gets dragged into something dangerous."
Vibya's expression hardened immediately.
"So this is about protecting him?"
Mapu sighed seeing how he sounds.
"Maybe."
"Maybe it's about protecting everyone."
He pointed toward her notebook.
"You've crossed half the country chasing ancient prophecies, hidden scriptures, mysterious Astra users and whatever else is going on. If its true."
"And now Vedha is getting involved too."
Mapu lowered his voice.
"We think you're pulling him into something bigger than he realizes."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Vibya quietly replied.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me."
Her eyes lowered briefly.
The truth was—She couldn't.
Not completely. Not without revealing things that should remain hidden.
Before the conversation could continue—
A sudden fluttering sound came from outside the window.
Both turned instinctively.
Something crashed against the glass.
Then fell onto the floor.
Mapu jumped by the sudden arrival.
"What the hell was that?"
Vibya immediately rushed forward.
A pigeon.
Or at least—It had once been a pigeon.
Its feathers were stained with blood.
One wing hung unnaturally.
The bird was exhausted.
Barely conscious.
The moment Vibya saw it—Her heart nearly stopped.
"No..."
She quickly lifted the bird into her hands.
Mapu blinked his eyes.
"You know this bird?"
Vibya wasn't listening.
Her eyes had already found it.
A small metallic ring attached to one leg.
Blinking.
-Beep. -Beep.
-Beep.
A tiny red light flashed repeatedly.
The color drained from her face.
"No..."
Her voice became a whisper.
"This can't be happening."
Mapu looked between her and the device.
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait."
He pointed at it.
"Is that..."
"A tracker?"
For a moment, Vibya simply stared at him.
Then nodded slowly.
Mapu's jaw dropped.
"A real tracker?"
"I've only seen those in movies!"
Normally the comment would have annoyed her.
Not now.
Because her attention was entirely fixed on the wounded pigeon.
It belonged to the Gurukul.
A trained messenger bird.
One used only for emergencies.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she examined it.
The blood.
The damaged feathers.
The tracker.
The implications hit her all at once.
Someone had intercepted the bird.
Someone had tracked it.
And if a tracker had reached her—
Then the enemy had likely followed it.
Which meant—
Her location was compromised.
Immediately Vibya stood.
The chair behind her nearly fell over.
Mapu stared.
"What happened?"
She was already moving.
Opening bags. Gathering documents. Packing clothes.
Collecting every note she possessed.
"We have to leave."
Mapu blinked seeing her urgency.
"What?"
"Now."
"Right now."
"Why?"
She turned toward him.
For the first time since he'd known her—
Mapu saw genuine fear in her eyes.
Not panic.
Not uncertainty.
Fear.
"The enemy knows where I am."
The room suddenly felt much smaller.
The beeping tracker continued blinking inside the wounded pigeon's leg.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Each sound felt like a countdown.
Outside the lodge—
Unknown to them—
The city lights of Hyderabad continued shining peacefully.
Traffic continued moving.
People continued living their lives.
Unaware that multiple paths were rapidly converging.
Vedha.
Vibya.
Rudra.
The Nine Scriptures.
And somewhere in the shadows—
Mahabir Lama's followers were already closing in.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Guys My New Fic name is:
-->Karuppan: King of Openings.
Check it out... I hope you will like it
Whats your thought's guys.
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! And power stone too!!!
Guys it will motivate me more?