The heavy thrumming of the book within Ayaan's mind reached a crescendo as the atmosphere in the boutique warped. The elder Rivers had been focusing his Prana entirely on Sunidhi, pouring his weight into the air to test her spirit, but he felt the flow suddenly snap. It wasn't a slow fade; it was as if someone had physically cut the thread of his power.
The old man turned his head sharply. When his eyes landed on Ayaan, they widened with a shock that had nothing to do with the stranger's rugged appearance. He saw no hostility or anger in Ayaan's gaze—only a depth that felt ancient.
Who is this? the old man wondered. He was a veteran of life and a cultivator at the starting phase of Atiratha. His powers were formidable, far beyond most in this city, yet his energy had just been neutralized as if it were nothing.
He is just a Sadhaka, a mere child, the old man thought, his mind racing. How is he able to cut off my energy? How is he not affected by my presence at all?
Beside him, Jack Rivers finally scrambled up from the floor, his forehead dripping with sweat. He gasped for air, his eyes darting around in confusion. "What... what was that?" Jack muttered, his bravado completely shattered by the weight he had just felt.
As the internal thrumming calmed, a deep, resonant voice echoed through the chambers of Ayaan's mind. It was a voice that sounded like shifting tectonic plates.
"Hm... it has been eons since someone could handle the pressure of the book, let alone open it. And to think a mere Sadhaka has succeeded. So... it has truly begun."
Ayaan kept his face neutral, but his soul was vibrating. Behind him, Sunidhi felt the shift. She sensed the sudden fluctuation of energy and turned to look. Her eyes landed on the tall, muscular frame of the bearded man standing in the center of the shop. He looked powerful, broad, and utterly foreign to the clean-cut luxury of the mall.
"Why do I feel so close to him?" she whispered to herself.
Even without her knowing why, tears began to pool in her eyes. It was an instinctive reaction, a soul-level recognition she couldn't explain. As the tears fell, her eyes began to emit that same haunting golden light from before.
Jack nudged his father's elbow, his voice trembling. "Dad! Look! I told you... her eyes!"
The elder Rivers turned toward Sunidhi. Unlike Jack, who was terrified, the old man's face transformed with intense curiosity. "So the legends are true," he muttered. "There really are people left with the Golden Eyes."
At that exact moment, as Sunidhi's gold flared, Ayaan felt a sharp, electric pain in his forehead. For a mere fraction of a second, his eyes glowed a piercing Azure, as if a storm was trapped within his pupils. It was over in a heartbeat, but the old man's ears twitched. He didn't just see the light; he heard the sound coming from Ayaan's body—the melody of Dwarika and the ocean.
The old man, usually cold and calculated, suddenly looked at Ayaan with an expression of profound acknowledgement. He walked toward the young man, stopping inches away. He took a deep breath, almost sniffing the air around Ayaan as if identifying a scent from a past life.
"The Ocean of Souls... and the City of Dwarika," the old man whispered. "The cycle is starting once again. I hope you are the one to finally break it, young man."
He reached into his pocket and handed Ayaan a crisp, black business card. "This is my card. Call me when you want to know more about the world. I don't know much, but I have been waiting for someone like you."
Without another word, the elder Rivers grabbed the still-confused Jack and walked out of the shop.
Ayaan and Sunidhi stood alone for a heartbeat. They were inches apart—brother and sister—but to her, he was a stranger from another world. How could she know that this mountain of a man was the same little brother who used to bug her for money or complain that he wanted to eat chicken for dinner?
The silence was broken by a cheerful, familiar voice from the entrance.
"Ahem! So, who are we mourning today?"
Ishani entered the shop, her presence acting like a balm that settled the heavy atmosphere. She always had that gift—a natural ability to bring calmness to a room. But as she entered, Ritesh followed closely behind.
Ritesh's eyes scanned the room. He saw Sunidhi first, then looked at the bearded "thug" standing near her. He dismissed Ayaan immediately, not considering him worth his time. He stepped up next to Ishani, a smug, fake-innocent look on his face as he addressed Sunidhi.
"Oh, you're Ayaan's sister, aren't you?" Ritesh asked, his voice dripping with false concern. "He hasn't been coming to college for some time. Do you know where he is? I was worried about my good friend."
Ayaan felt his blood turn into lava. The arrogance of the man who had bullied him, now pretending to be his friend in front of his sister, made his vision go red. He wanted to reach out and strangle the life out of Ritesh right there.
"Calm down, kid," the deep voice in his head echoed. "This is not the time or the place."
Ayaan forced his muscles to relax, though his knuckles were white. He wanted to ask the voice who it was, but he remained silent, a looming shadow in the corner.
Ishani turned her gaze toward Ayaan. She tilted her head, her blue eyes searching his face, feeling that strange, familiar calmness emanating from him.
"Hello," she said softly. "Who are you?"