The moon hung like a jagged bone over the city, casting long, distorted shadows across the apartment floor. Arjun finally stepped through the door, the silent click of the latch echoing in the stillness. Rudra and Raj were already asleep, their rhythmic breathing the only sound in the cramped living space. Exhaustion tugged at Arjun's limbs, but his mind was a storm. He collapsed onto the couch, staring at the ceiling as the darkness seemed to press in on him.
Sleep was a distant shore he couldn't reach. Every time he closed his eyes, the questions returned, prowling through his thoughts like wild animals keeping a restless hunter awake.
*****
Few hours ago
His mind drifted back to the office hours earlier, the air thick with the smell of stale coffee and old paper.
"P.R.I.S.M.? What are they doing in a place like Silverhound?" Arjun had asked, his voice laced with a confusion that bordered on dread. He looked at Vinay, hoping for a denial, but the other man's face was grim.
"I don't know," Vinay admitted, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. "This is my first time seeing their signature here, too". He scrolled through the encrypted data, the light of the monitor reflecting in his glasses. "The hit... it wasn't their usual veterans. It was done by three new guys. The new boss brought them in himself".
Arjun's hand tightened into a fist on the desk. "I need their files. All of them".
Vinay stopped typing and looked up, his expression shifting from professional to protective. "Don't get reckless, Arjun," he warned, his voice dropping an octave. "I don't know what you're planning, but these people... they aren't just mercenaries. They're dangerous".
*****
Back in the present, the acronym burned in Arjun's mind: Private Response & Integrated Surveillance of Monsters. To the public, they were an organization dedicated to researching monster biology and uncovering the secrets of the rift. But Arjun knew better. Secrets had a way of being buried in blood.
What does P.R.I.S.M. want with Diya?. The thought was a cold stone in his stomach. Did she find out something she wasn't supposed to? Or is it something deeper?. He sat up, the springs of the couch groaning under him. He whispered into the empty room, a vow to the shadows: "No matter what, I will get to the bottom of this. And I will make 'No. 2' pay".
A Week of False Normalcy
The week that followed was an exercise in strange domesticity. Surprisingly, despite the tension, Rudra and Raj began to get comfortable with Arjun's presence. He was like a ghost haunting the edges of their lives—sleeping through the daylight hours and vanishing into the neon-lit streets at night.
Rudra and Raj often wondered where he went, eyeing the heavy bag of weapons he carried, but Arjun met every question with a wall of silence. To them, he looked like a modern-day ninja, out of place yet perfectly integrated into the darkness. Life, or at least a pale imitation of it, returned to normal.
Until the screaming started.
"MONSTER! RUNNNNN!!!".
The peaceful afternoon shattered. A street usually filled with the mundane sounds of traffic and chatter turned into a theater of chaos. People scrambled, knocking over chairs and dropping bags as a monstrous form lunged from an alleyway.
"Do not fear! I am here to save you all!".
Rudra leaped into the fray, his power flaring as he intercepted the beast. The crowd, seeing their local hero, shifted from panic to cheers.
In the middle of the frantic crowd, a man who looked entirely out of place moved with a slow, rhythmic gait. He wore a long, stylish coat, and his blonde hair caught the sunlight. He didn't look at the monster. He didn't look at the hero. Instead, his nose twitched, catching a savory, spicy aroma drifting through the air.
He veered away from the battle, heading toward a small, battered food stall nearby. "Hmm, it smells delicious," the man said, his voice smooth and relaxed. "What is this?".
The stall vendor, who was half-crouched behind his counter in terror, looked up in disbelief. "It's... it's Vada Pav, sir," he stammered.
"Vada Pav, huh? Sounds good," the blonde man mused, ignoring the sound of Rudra's fist hitting monster flesh a few yards away. "I'll take one—no, make it two".
The vendor packed the food, his mind racing. 'He looks like a foreigner, but how can he be so calm? Does he not see the giant lizard trying to eat the neighborhood?'.
The man paid, took his warm parcel, and turned back to watch the fight. He didn't cheer. He simply observed, his eyes narrowed as he tracked Rudra's every movement, every hesitation, and every waste of energy.
After a grueling struggle, Rudra landed a final, heavy blow, and the monster collapsed. As the crowd surged forward to thank their savior, the blonde man slipped away, unnoticed.
A second later, he was gone from the street, appearing instantly on the edge of a nearby skyscraper. He looked down at Rudra, who was panting and wiping sweat from his brow.
"So, you are the new owner of the Power Stone," the man whispered to the wind. His voice was no longer relaxed; it was cold and analytical. "The stone holds an immense soul, but your Astra technique is below average at best. Truly pathetic for a God Stone owner".
He let out a long, weary sigh. "If you can't get stronger in one month... I'll have to kill you myself".
Seeking a moment of reprieve, he pulled a Vada Pav from the bag and took a large, confident bite.
"SPICYYYY!!!".
His face turned a bright crimson as the chili hit his tongue. "Why the hell do earthlings eat so much spice?!" he wheezed, clutching his throat while looking down at the humble snack as if it were a more dangerous foe than the monster below.
Later that evening, the atmosphere in the apartment was heavy. Rudra sat on the floor, his muscles aching.
"I'm so tired today..." Rudra muttered, leaning his head against the wall.
"Was it that strong today?" Raj asked, looking up from his book.
"Yes," Rudra admitted, his voice tight. "It was really hard to handle".
From the corner of the room, Arjun, who had been silently sharpening a blade, spoke up. "Not a surprise for me".
Rudra snapped his head toward him. "Did anyone ask for your opinion?".
Arjun didn't look up. "I've been watching your fights. And I have to say, I've been disappointed".
"Say that again!" Rudra stood up, his fatigue replaced by a flash of anger.
"What you've been doing isn't fighting," Arjun said, finally meeting Rudra's eyes. "It's throwing random punches. That might work on low-level, brainless monsters, but in a real fight? Against a real opponent? You won't do a thing".
"Don't cross the line, Arjun!" Raj warned, stepping between them.
But Rudra went quiet. He looked at his shaking hands. "No, Raj. He's right on the point". He looked at Arjun, the anger fading into a grim realization. "I can't stay still. The monsters are improving. If I don't improve with them, I'm dead".
Arjun stood, sheathing his blade and grabbing his bag. "I think it's about time. I'll be going".
"Going again?" Raj sighed, exasperated. "Where do you go every night?".
"That is none of your concern," Arjun replied, his voice fading as he stepped out into the night.
Left alone in the dim light, Rudra's mind raced. 'He's right. I'm weak. I have to grow stronger'. He looked at the window, the city lights reflecting in his eyes. 'From now on, I train every single day'.
'But... where do I even start?'.