(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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The distant sound of police sirens grew louder with every passing second.
Within moments, several police jeeps screeched to a halt outside the tea shop.
Officers quickly surrounded the building, weapons drawn as curious pedestrians were pushed back behind the barricades.
"What happened here?"
"Is there still someone inside?"
"Be careful!"
The policemen cautiously approached the closed shutters, unsure of what they would find inside.
Inside the shop, Rudra calmly slipped the bracelet back into Isha's hand.
"Keep this with you."
His tone was noticeably more serious than before.
"And don't let anyone else touch it."
Although confused by his sudden change in attitude, Isha silently nodded and carefully placed the bracelet back inside the velvet pouch before keeping it securely in her handbag.
She could tell there was something unusual about it now.
Even if she didn't know what.
Rudra then walked toward the shutter.
The terrified shop owner hurriedly spoke.
"S-Sir..."
"The police are outside."
"I know."
Rudra simply reached for the metal shutter.
With one smooth motion, he lifted it upward.
The loud metallic sound echoed through the street.
Outside...
Nearly twenty police officers immediately raised their weapons.
"Hands where we can see them!"
"Don't move!"
Several rifles were aimed directly toward the entrance.
Standing at the front was Inspector Ashok.
The moment his eyes landed on Rudra...
His expression changed.
The memories of the previous night's impossible battle flashed through his mind.
The burning helicopter.
The glowing spear.
The rain summoned from a clear sky.
Yuca.
Mahabir's followers.
His brain still refused to accept that those events had truly happened.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
Ashok lowered the pistol in his hand.
The officers beside him looked at him in confusion.
"Sir?"
Ashok quietly gestured for them to lower their weapons as well.
Reluctantly, they obeyed.
Rudra stepped out of the tea shop as though nothing unusual had happened.
He pointed back toward the interior.
"The men inside."
"They're still alive."
"Most of them have broken bones."
"But they'll recover."
Ashok looked past him.
His officers immediately spotted the unconscious and injured thugs scattered across the floor.
Several couldn't help staring.
One man...
Had done all this?
Ashok looked back at Rudra.
"What exactly happened?"
Rudra answered matter-of-factly.
"They attempted to attack the young woman who was with me."
"They were armed."
"They locked everyone inside the shop."
"They refused to leave after I warned them."
His explanation was delivered so calmly that it almost sounded like he was describing an ordinary traffic accident.
Ashok slowly nodded before taking out his notebook.
"Do you know who they are?"
Rudra glanced toward the men lying on the floor.
"According to what we learned..."
"They appear to be hired men working for her father's second elder brother."
Ashok's eyebrows immediately furrowed.
"A family dispute?"
"So it seems."
Rudra stepped aside before looking toward Isha.
Without saying a word, he gave her a small nod.
A silent signal.
'Go ahead. Do it properly.'
Isha understood immediately.
Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the tea shop and stood before Inspector Ashok.
Despite everything that had happened over the past few minutes, she composed herself remarkably well.
"My name is Isha."
She spoke clearly.
"I would like to file a formal complaint."
Ashok immediately opened his notebook.
"Go on."
She pointed toward the injured men.
"Those people attempted to assault me."
"They were carrying deadly weapons."
"They tried to abduct me."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"They also threatened everyone inside this tea shop."
Ashok carefully noted every detail.
"Do you recognize any of them?"
"I do."
She pointed toward one particular thug whose arm Rudra had dislocated.
"He works for my father's second elder brother."
"I've seen him at our family estate several times."
Ashok looked toward the man before writing his description down.
"Were there any witnesses?"
Before Isha could answer—
Nearly every customer inside the tea shop raised their hands at once.
"We saw everything, sir!"
"They attacked first!"
"The young man only defended her!"
"They shut the shutters so nobody could escape!"
"The girl would've died if he hadn't reacted!"
The tea shop owner hurried over as well.
"I have CCTV cameras, sir."
"They recorded the whole incident."
Ashok looked genuinely relieved.
That simplified matters considerably.
He turned toward his officers.
"Secure the CCTV footage."
"Call for an ambulance."
"And arrest every one of these men."
The officers immediately moved into action.
Some began handcuffing the injured thugs while others photographed the crime scene and collected the abandoned weapons.
Standing slightly apart from the commotion, Rudra quietly observed everything.
His attention, however, wasn't on the arrests.
Nor on the police.
His thoughts remained fixed upon the bracelet now safely resting inside Isha's handbag.
That ancient Astra energy...
It hadn't disappeared.
If anything...
Now that he had touched the bracelet once, he could sense it even more clearly.
Hidden beneath countless seals...
Something was waiting to awaken.
And somehow...
He had a feeling this ordinary-looking family heirloom was about to pull Isha into a world she never knew existed.
The police vehicles gradually disappeared into the evening traffic.
The flashing red and blue lights faded into the distance until the street once again looked like any other busy road in Hyderabad.
For a few moments, neither Rudra nor Isha spoke.
The events at the tea shop had happened so quickly that she still hadn't fully processed everything.
Rudra finally broke the silence.
"It seems..."
He looked toward her.
"...we'll be traveling together for some time."
Isha looked at him in confusion.
"Traveling together?"
He nodded.
"For now."
"But why?"
"You already know something about the bracelet, don't you?"
Rudra remained quiet for a few seconds before answering.
"I have a suspicion."
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward her handbag where the bracelet rested.
"But a suspicion isn't proof."
"I don't like making conclusions without evidence."
He folded his arms across his chest.
"If what I'm thinking is correct..."
"...then you're no longer safe staying alone."
"And if I'm wrong..."
He gave a small shrug.
"Then we've simply wasted a little time."
Isha looked at him carefully.
"What exactly are you suspecting?"
Rudra smiled faintly.
"I'll tell you."
"When I can prove it."
"Not before."
Although the answer only deepened her curiosity, she knew from experience that once Rudra made up his mind, no amount of questioning would make him speak before he was ready.
After a brief silence, he gestured toward the road.
"Come."
"I need to take you somewhere."
"Where?"
"To meet someone."
Without waiting for another question, Rudra started walking toward his motorcycle.
Isha followed behind him.
Nearly half an hour later...
The motorcycle came to a stop outside an old warehouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Unlike the bustling city center, this area was almost deserted.
Large abandoned factories stood scattered across the industrial district, their rusted gates and cracked walls making the entire neighborhood appear forgotten by time.
The warehouse before them looked no different.
A massive sliding door stood partially open.
Faint lights could be seen glowing from inside.
Isha looked around curiously.
"This place..."
"...doesn't exactly look welcoming."
Rudra chuckled softly.
"Appearances can be deceiving."
They stepped inside.
The enormous warehouse had been converted into a temporary base of operations.
Portable lights illuminated the vast interior.
Several folding tables had been arranged near one side, covered with maps, ancient manuscripts, and laptops displaying satellite imagery.
Mohan was quietly discussing something with Vibya near one of the tables.
Junoo leaned against a support pillar with her arms folded, silently observing everyone.
Amirtha stood nearby, speaking with Mapu.
The atmosphere inside was unusually quiet.
At the very center of the warehouse...
Vedha sat cross-legged on the concrete floor.
His eyes were tightly shut.
Sweat trickled down his forehead despite the cool evening air.
Vibya had earlier guided him into meditation, hoping the hidden memories his mother had sealed away would finally resurface.
Since then...
He hadn't moved.
Not even once.
His breathing remained slow and steady as he searched through fragments of memories buried deep within his mind.
Occasionally, his eyebrows twitched.
Sometimes his fingers tightened unconsciously.
It was obvious he was seeing something...
Remembering something...
Yet every time he came close, the memory slipped away like smoke.
The entire warehouse had remained silent out of respect, unwilling to interrupt his concentration.
The sound of footsteps finally caused Mohan to look toward the entrance.
A smile appeared on his face.
"You're back."
Rudra nodded.
"We had... a small complication."
Vibya immediately noticed the unfamiliar young woman standing beside him.
Her eyes shifted between Rudra and Isha.
Before she could ask anything, Rudra spoke.
"I'll explain everything."
His expression became noticeably more serious.
"But first..."
He looked toward Vedha, who still sat completely immersed in meditation.
"...has he remembered anything yet?"
The warehouse fell silent once again as everyone's attention instinctively shifted toward Vedha, whose tightly shut eyes suddenly trembled, as though he had finally grasped the edge of a memory that had remained hidden for years.
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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?