(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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The atmosphere inside the warehouse remained unusually quiet.
No one wished to disturb Vedha.
He continued sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, his breathing slow and rhythmic as he searched through the countless fragmented memories buried deep within his subconscious.
Every now and then, the muscles on his face twitched ever so slightly, suggesting that he was beginning to see something, but whatever images appeared before him were still incomplete.
Rudra's gaze lingered on him for a moment before shifting toward Vibya.
"Any progress?"
Vibya nodded slowly.
"There is."
Everyone's attention naturally turned toward her.
She looked at Vedha before speaking in a lowered voice, careful not to disturb his meditation.
"When he first began meditating..."
"There was nothing."
"Only darkness."
"But gradually..."
"He started seeing someone."
Rudra folded his arms.
"His mother?"
Vibya nodded.
"Yes."
"I am certain it is Ambika."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Although..."
"The image is still extremely blurry."
"It's almost as though someone deliberately covered the memory with a thick veil."
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
"He says he can recognize her silhouette."
"He knows it is his mother."
"But every time he tries to look at her face..."
"...it becomes distorted."
"And her voice?"
Rudra asked.
Vibya let out a small sigh.
"Even worse."
"It keeps breaking apart."
"Some words are clear."
"Others sound as though they are being spoken from underwater."
"Entire sentences disappear before he can understand them."
She glanced back at Vedha, who remained completely focused.
"Whoever sealed these memories..."
"...didn't simply hide them."
"They fragmented them."
"So recovering them takes time."
Rudra nodded thoughtfully.
"So, if we leave him undisturbed..."
Vibya completed his sentence.
"He should eventually remember everything."
"Perhaps not today."
"But the clues his mother left behind are definitely beginning to resurface."
"He's getting closer."
A wave of relief spread across the warehouse.
For the first time since Ambika's death, there was genuine progress.
Even Mohan Bhargav, who had remained unusually quiet until now, allowed himself a small smile.
"That's good news."
Rudra remained silent for a few moments.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
He turned toward Isha.
"The bracelet."
She immediately understood what he meant.
Carefully opening her handbag, she removed the velvet pouch before taking out the ancient silver bracelet.
Even under the warehouse lights, it appeared completely ordinary.
Nothing about it suggested it was anything more than an old family heirloom.
She walked over and placed it in Rudra's palm.
"This?"
He nodded.
Without examining it any further himself, he walked directly toward Mohan Bhargav.
"Mohan."
Mohan looked up from the ancient manuscript he had been reading.
"Hm?"
Rudra extended the bracelet toward him.
"I need your opinion."
Mohan accepted it without hesitation.
"What about it?"
Rudra's expression became serious.
"When I touched it..."
"I sensed Astra energy."
"Very faint."
"So faint that I almost mistook it for my imagination."
He looked directly at Mohan.
"But I'm certain I felt something."
He continued,
"The energy isn't leaking."
"It isn't active."
"It's concealed."
"Almost perfectly."
"I've encountered concealed Astra artifacts before..."
"But this feels... different."
"I don't want to rely solely on my instincts."
He gestured toward the bracelet.
"You've spent years researching Astra relics."
"Ancient weapons."
"Artifacts."
"There isn't anyone here better suited to examine this than you."
A faint smile appeared on Mohan's face.
"You've come to the right person then."
He carefully accepted the bracelet with both hands.
Unlike Rudra, he didn't immediately channel Astra energy into it.
Instead, he simply observed it.
Turning it slowly beneath the light.
His fingers gently traced the intricate engravings running across the silver surface.
The lotus patterns.
The tiny geometric carvings.
The faded symbols that had almost disappeared with age.
His expression gradually became more focused.
The casual smile vanished.
Replacing it...
Was the look of a scholar studying a forgotten piece of history.
Everyone inside the warehouse instinctively fell silent.
Even Junoo, who rarely showed curiosity, quietly stepped closer.
Amirtha folded her arms as she watched Mohan's every movement.
Isha stood nervously beside Rudra.
To her...
It was still only a bracelet.
Yet everyone around her was treating it as though it might contain a secret capable of changing everything.
After nearly a minute of silent observation...
Mohan slowly closed his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he allowed a thin stream of Astra energy to flow from his fingertips into the ancient bracelet.
The warehouse became so quiet that even the sound of Vedha's steady breathing could be heard in the background.
Everyone waited.
Watching.
Wondering whether Rudra's suspicion...
Was merely intuition.
Or the beginning of another mystery hidden within the world of the Astras.
Mumbai...
Far away from Hyderabad...
As the evening sun disappeared beyond the skyline, the bustling streets of Mumbai continued with their usual rhythm, completely unaware of the darkness unfolding inside one of the city's oldest private estates.
The mansion, once known for hosting lavish family gatherings and business meetings, had become eerily silent.
The servants had vanished.
The security guards who remained were no longer protecting the house.
They were guarding its prisoners.
Deep inside the mansion, beneath the main building, an old underground wine cellar had long ago been converted into a private interrogation room.
Only a single hanging bulb illuminated the otherwise dark chamber.
Its pale yellow light swayed gently from the ceiling, casting long, distorted shadows across the stone walls.
The room smelled of blood.
Of damp concrete.
And fear.
At the center of the room sat two wooden chairs.
Both were occupied.
Isha's father sat bound tightly with thick ropes that dug into his wrists and chest.
His expensive white kurta had long since been stained crimson.
Blood trickled from a cut above his eyebrow, drying across one side of his face.
One eye had begun swelling shut, while bruises covered nearly every visible part of his body.
Yet despite the beating...
His back remained straight.
His eyes never lowered.
Beside him sat his eldest son.
He had suffered no less.
His lips had split open.
One cheek was swollen beyond recognition.
Fresh blood dripped from his chin onto the floor below.
His breathing had become heavy, but even in that condition he continued glaring defiantly at the men surrounding them.
Neither father nor son uttered a single word.
Across from them...
A man sat comfortably in a large wooden chair.
One leg crossed over the other.
A crystal glass filled with expensive whisky rested casually in one hand.
Unlike the two battered prisoners before him...
Not a strand of his hair was out of place.
His tailored black suit remained immaculate.
His polished shoes reflected the dim light overhead.
His face carried neither rage nor satisfaction.
Only cold indifference.
He was...
Raghav.
The younger brother of Isha's father.
The very man whose hired thugs had failed in Hyderabad.
He gently swirled the whisky inside the glass before taking a slow sip.
The silence stretched for several seconds.
Then...
He spoke.
His voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
Every word carried enough weight to silence the entire room.
"...You disappoint me, Anna."
He placed the glass onto the table beside him.
"I gave you countless opportunities."
"I asked politely."
"I negotiated."
"I even offered to buy it from you."
He leaned slightly forward.
"And yet..."
"You forced things to reach this point."
Isha's father slowly raised his bloodied face.
"You call this negotiation?"
His voice was hoarse from the beating.
Raghav simply smiled.
"A failed negotiation."
"But a negotiation nonetheless."
The eldest son suddenly spat blood onto the floor.
"You've lost your mind."
Raghav's expression didn't change.
One of the guards immediately stepped forward and punched the young man across the face.
THUD!
His chair nearly toppled over before he steadied himself again.
Blood dripped onto the concrete.
Raghav lazily raised one hand.
"Enough."
The guard stepped back.
Raghav sighed quietly.
"You know..."
"I truly hoped we wouldn't have to involve the children."
He looked directly at Isha's father.
"But you left me no choice."
His fingers lightly tapped the armrest.
"My men should have found Isha by now."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"If everything has gone according to plan..."
"They'll drag her back here."
He paused.
Then his expression grew noticeably colder.
"...Or..."
"They'll kill her trying."
The words echoed through the cellar.
For the first time...
A flicker of emotion crossed Isha's father's face.
Not fear for himself.
Fear for his daughter.
Raghav noticed it immediately.
"There."
He smiled.
"That's the expression I was looking for."
"You never cared what happened to you."
"But mention your daughter..."
"...and suddenly you become human again."
The eldest son struggled violently against the ropes.
"You bastard!"
"If you touch her..."
Before he could finish—
One of the guards drove a fist into his stomach.
The young man doubled over, coughing violently.
Raghav didn't even glance at him.
His eyes remained fixed on his elder brother.
"Tell me where it is."
His voice became softer.
Almost conversational.
"The bracelet."
"Tell me."
"And all of this ends."
Isha's father slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again...
There was only resolve.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
A dry chuckle escaped Raghav.
"Still pretending?"
He stood from his chair and slowly walked toward his brother.
Their faces were now only inches apart.
"You've hidden it for twenty-five years."
"You moved it from place to place."
"You lied to everyone."
"And before Isha left to Hydrabad..."
"You finally handed it to Isha."
His cold eyes narrowed.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
Silence.
Neither father nor son answered.
Raghav studied their expressions for a few moments before laughing quietly.
"Interesting."
"So even now..."
"...you're willing to suffer."
He turned toward one of his men.
"Call Hyderabad."
"I want to know why my men haven't reported back."
The guard immediately pulled out his phone.
He dialed one number.
Then another.
And another.
No answer.
A slight crease appeared on his forehead.
"Sir..."
"They aren't picking up."
Raghav's expression remained unreadable.
"Try again."
The guard obeyed.
Once again...
Nothing.
The room fell silent.
For the first time that evening...
A faint sense of unease settled over the underground cellar.
Raghav slowly looked toward the ringing phone in the guard's hand.
Then back at his elder brother.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"...Something has happened."
He didn't know what.
But instinct told him...
His carefully planned operation in Hyderabad had failed.
And somewhere hundreds of kilometers away...
Someone had interfered.
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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?