The scorching sun hovered over Chandni Chowk, casting its golden glow across the narrow streets, the spice-laden air thick with the scent of masala chai, jalebi, and sizzling pakoras. Vendors shouted over each other, "Chhole bhature! Fresh and hot!" and "Aloo tikki, one rupee, only one rupee!"
Among the crowd, two boys weaved carefully through the chaos. To the casual eye, they looked ordinary—slightly pale, hair a little too green to be fully natural, and eyes that seemed sharper than usual.
The elder, Aaditya, now twelve, held himself with quiet awareness. His gaze flicked to every alley, every passerby, every flutter of a shadow. Next to him, his younger brother, Arin, a mischievous seven-year-old, trailed behind, eyes darting at every street snack.
"Stop staring at the pani puri stall, Arin. We can't buy everything," Aaditya said without looking down, his tone flat but precise.
Arin pouted, tugging at his elder brother's sleeve. "Just one! I promise! I'll even share it with that stray dog over there." He pointed enthusiastically at a small mutt sniffing near a vendor.
Aaditya sighed. "You always pick fights with hunger before thinking. Wait until after school. Remember the plan."
Arin grumbled but followed. "Fine. But don't eat all the samosas this time!"
School Life
By the time they reached the small government school, the crowd had thinned, but the noises of India never really went away—auto horns, bells, street chatter, and the occasional yelp of someone chasing a runaway ladoo vendor cart.
"Good morning, Aaditya! Arin!" called Mrs. Sharma, their Hindi teacher, smiling at them as she adjusted her glasses.
"Good morning, Ma'am," Aaditya replied politely, bowing slightly. Arin waved frantically, almost tripping over his own feet in excitement.
Inside, the classroom was cramped but lively. Desks scraped against the floor, students whispered, and chalk dust danced in the sunlight streaming through the window.
The boys had learned the local language quickly. At first, it had been a struggle—they remembered Telugu from their parents' ship, then the space void, and finally, the chaotic streets of Delhi—but humans were adaptable, and the siblings were exceptional in observation and mimicry.
Arin nudged Aaditya. "Do you think anyone suspects we're… weird?"
Aaditya's eyes flicked to the window. "Weird is subjective. We just have to stay ordinary. Blend in. No one should know more than they need to."
Arin's three voices—well, only audible to him—whispered, Blend in? Boring. He shook his head. "Ordinary is boring."
"Exactly why we can't be," Aaditya muttered under his breath.
A Hint of Their Past
During lunch break, they sat on the rooftop of the school, overlooking the tangle of streets. A few other children waved from below, but no one approached them—partly because Aaditya and Arin had learned early to keep people at a cautious distance.
Arin pulled out his tiffin, filled with khichdi and curd, his favorite comfort food. "I miss… you know… space food," he said quietly.
Aaditya glanced at him. "I remember. I don't dwell on it. We were lucky to survive. That's enough for now."
"But do you think Ma and Pa…" Arin trailed off. His small hands clenched. "Do you think they survived?"
Aaditya's emerald eyes softened, though his expression remained stoic. "I don't know. And that's why we have to keep going. One day, we'll find out. Until then… we survive here."
Arin nodded, though his lips trembled. He pushed a piece of jalebi into his mouth, sugar sticking to his fingers. "Okay. Survive… for now."
Mockery and Brotherhood
Later that day, as they walked back through Chandni Chowk, a group of older boys blocked their path.
"Look who it is! The green-haired freaks," one sneered. "Think you belong here?"
Arin's eyes narrowed immediately. "Hey! Watch it!"
Aaditya's hand rested lightly on his younger brother's shoulder, calm as a still pond. "Ignore them. It's not worth it."
Arin shook him off, stepping forward. "Not worth it? They're insulting you! Always you, always! I won't let them!"
The taller boys laughed, clearly amused. "You'll do what, kid? Bite us?"
Arin's fist curled, but before anything could happen, Aaditya leaned closer and whispered, "No. Not here. Not now. Wait until we're alone."
Reluctantly, Arin backed down, but his glare didn't fade until they were safely past.
Alone – Trinity Form Awakening
As evening fell, the brothers slipped away to the abandoned courtyard behind a small temple, empty and silent. Here, no humans would see them.
The moment they were alone, their bodies shifted. Aaditya exhaled slowly. Muscles expanded, bones realigned. One head became three, six arms unfolded, emerald hair glowing faintly. Three hearts thumped in unison, and nine minds activated with precision, awareness, and instinct that no human could fathom.
Arin's transformation was playful, almost chaotic. He laughed, three voices overlapping, six fists striking the air, spinning in rhythm. The power was raw, untamed, but fully under control.
This was their Trinity form. Hidden from the world, a secret the human universe could never know.
They practiced, moving faster than sight could follow, their minds syncing in perfect harmony. Earth bent slightly beneath Aaditya's feet, shadows clung more closely, and the spark of Space pulsed faintly in his chest.
When distant voices echoed, they froze. In seconds, their forms collapsed back into ordinary human shapes, three heads merging into one, six arms folding into two, hearts slowing.
No one would ever know.
Heart-to-Heart
Sitting on the temple steps, Arin brushed a lock of sticky jalebi sugar from his hair. "Do you ever get tired of hiding?"
Aaditya glanced at him. "No. Not really. We don't hide from each other, and that's enough for now. Humans don't need to know… yet."
Arin smiled softly. "But one day… we'll have to show them. Maybe then they'll understand."
"Maybe." Aaditya's gaze drifted to the horizon, golden with the setting sun. "But for now, we grow. We wait. And when the time comes… we'll awaken fully, just like humans do at sixteen. Only then, we'll finally see the truth for ourselves."
Arin's three voices whispered in excitement. Sixteen? That's not far! He leaned back, watching the sun set over Delhi. "I can't wait. Until then… we'll eat, study, fight off bullies, and survive together."
Aaditya nodded faintly, placing a hand on Arin's shoulder. "Always together. No matter what universe we're in."
The streets below continued their endless hum—the smell of chaat, the ringing of bicycle bells, the laughter of children. To the world, they were just ordinary boys. But in secret, under the silent watch of a lone sun, the Trinity Brothers trained, waited, and prepared for a destiny that not even the heavens could foresee.
And only the readers knew the storm sleeping just beneath their human masks.