(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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The decision was made before anyone even had to say it aloud.
The moment the strange mark on Vedha's back had revealed the route toward the Himalayas, everyone in the warehouse understood that Hyderabad was no longer their destination.
The answers they needed were waiting somewhere in those mountains.
And if Ambika had gone to such lengths to hide the clues inside her son's memories, then whatever awaited them there was important enough to risk everything for.
Vedha sat quietly near the center of the warehouse, still trying to recover from the strain of forcing open those sealed memories.
Vibya remained beside him, making sure he was alright, while Mapu and Sebastian stood nearby.
Neither of them had any intention of leaving.
Rudra noticed their expressions and understood immediately.
"You two are coming with us?"
Mapu looked at him as though the question itself was ridiculous.
"Of course we're coming."
Sebastian nodded.
"He's our friend."
He glanced toward Vedha.
"Whatever this thing is, his life is already in danger. We're not going to leave him alone just because things suddenly became bigger than anything we expected."
Mapu folded his arms.
"Besides, if we leave him with all of you and something happens, we'll never forgive ourselves."
Vedha looked at his friends for a moment.
"You guys don't have to do this."
Mapu immediately scoffed.
"Don't start."
"We've already decided."
Sebastian smiled.
"We're going."
Vedha's expression softened.
He didn't say anything after that.
He didn't need to.
Rudra turned toward the others.
"So that's settled."
Mohan Bhargav had already begun preparing the necessary equipment.
He carefully rolled up the ancient map they had recovered and placed it inside a protective case before securing several other documents and instruments.
Amirtha checked the supplies they would need for travelling through the mountains, while Junoo was busy filling a backpack with things she claimed were "essential."
Mohan glanced inside her bag.
"Why do you have three packets of chips?"
Junoo looked offended.
"Because we're going to the Himalayas."
"And?"
"We might get hungry."
Mohan stared at her for several seconds.
"We have food."
"Those are emergency chips."
"There is no such thing as emergency chips."
"There absolutely is."
Amirtha sighed.
"You two are impossible."
Rudra simply shook his head with a faint smile.
Despite everything that had happened, the small argument somehow made the warehouse feel less tense.
They weren't simply heading toward another location.
They were heading toward something that could potentially decide the fate of Vedha, the Nine Scriptures, and perhaps the entire conflict with Mahabir Lama.
Everyone knew it.
But for the moment...
They were still a group of people preparing for a journey.
Rudra finally looked toward Vedha.
"You remember the symbol?"
Vedha nodded.
"Yes."
"Not everything."
"But I remember the feeling."
He touched his shoulder where the strange mark had appeared.
"It felt like..."
"...someone was showing me where I needed to go."
Mohan nodded thoughtfully.
"That is probably exactly what happened."
He opened the protective case containing the map.
"The markings correspond to an old route through the Himalayas."
"The tattoo isn't simply pointing toward the mountains."
"It's giving us the direction we need once we're there."
Vedha looked at the map.
"So we just follow it?"
"Not quite."
Mohan shook his head.
"The Himalayas are enormous."
"Even with the map, we'll have to identify the exact location."
Rudra stepped closer.
"Which is why we're going together."
He looked at everyone.
"Nobody separates from the group."
"Nobody follows a strange path alone."
"And if we encounter anything connected to Mahabir..."
His expression hardened slightly.
"We deal with it together."
Vibya nodded immediately.
"Agreed."
Mapu and Sebastian exchanged a glance before nodding as well.
Vedha looked around at the group.
Rudra. Amirtha. Junoo.
Mohan. Vibya. Mapu. Sebastian.
People who, only a short time ago, had been complete strangers to him.
Yet now they were preparing to travel thousands of kilometres into one of the most dangerous environments on Earth because of something his mother had left behind.
He lowered his gaze.
"I don't know what's waiting for us there."
Rudra placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Neither do I."
Vedha looked up.
"But we'll find out."
A small smile appeared on Rudra's face.
"That's what journeys are for."
Outside the warehouse, the vehicles were already being prepared.
The journey to the Himalayas would take them far away from Hyderabad, away from the relative safety they had established there, and directly toward the next piece of Ambika's hidden trail.
Somewhere in those mountains waited Sage Agathiya.
A man who had been waiting for this moment for years.
He had promised Ambika that when her son finally came searching for the path she had hidden from him, he would be there to guide him.
And now...
The path had finally begun.
Vedha's friends climbed into the vehicle alongside him.
Vibya followed.
Mohan secured the ancient map.
Junoo checked her equipment one final time.
Amirtha looked toward the northern horizon.
And Rudra stood for a moment outside the warehouse, his eyes fixed in the direction of the Himalayas.
The Brahmastra within him stirred faintly.
Something was waiting for them.
He could feel it.
Rudra finally turned toward the others.
"Let's go."
The vehicles started.
And with that, their journey toward the Himalayas began.
Meanwhile, far from Hyderabad, deep within the hidden headquarters of the Black Sword, another piece of information reached Mahabir Lama.
He was standing before a large stone table covered with maps when one of his men hurried into the chamber.
"My Lord."
Mahabir didn't immediately turn around.
"What is it?"
The man bowed before answering.
"Rudra Eswar and his group have left Hyderabad."
That finally caught Mahabir's attention.
He slowly turned around.
"Where are they going?"
The messenger placed a marked map on the table.
"The Himalayas."
For a moment, Mahabir simply stared at the location.
Then...
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The Himalayas?"
The messenger nodded.
"They seem to be following some sort of clue."
"We don't know exactly what they are searching for, but they have taken Vedha with them."
Mahabir walked toward the map and studied the marked route.
The tension that had been hanging over the Black Sword headquarters for the past few days seemed to disappear from his face.
Instead, genuine amusement appeared in his eyes.
"So..."
"Rudra Eswar has finally decided to move."
One of his commanders looked at him cautiously.
"My Lord, should we send men after them?"
Mahabir shook his head.
"No."
The answer came so quickly that several of his followers exchanged confused glances.
Mahabir pointed toward the Himalayan region on the map.
"Let them go."
His smile widened.
"They're moving in the wrong direction."
The commander hesitated.
"Are you certain?"
Mahabir gave him a cold look.
"I have spent years studying the Nine Scriptures."
"I know where the remaining clues are hidden."
"The Himalayas contain several ancient Astra sites, but none of them will lead Rudra to what he seeks."
He calmly tapped the map.
"Whatever clue Vedha has discovered..."
"...it has clearly been misinterpreted."
Another member of Black Sword finally relaxed.
"So they have wasted their time."
"Exactly."
Mahabir straightened.
"Let them climb mountains."
"Let them search ancient ruins."
"Let them spend days chasing a path that leads nowhere."
He turned away from the map.
"Every hour they waste in the Himalayas is an hour we can use elsewhere."
A few of his followers smiled.
The tension that had been present after Yuca's capture finally seemed to ease.
For the first time since Rudra had appeared, Mahabir felt that events were beginning to move in his favor again.
He had spent years preparing for this moment.
He knew the locations.
He knew the history.
He knew the guardians.
And most importantly...
He believed he understood Ambika's plan.
That was why he wasn't worried.
Not even about Rudra.
Not anymore.
Mahabir looked once more toward the map.
"Let them go."
His voice carried absolute confidence.
"By the time they realize their mistake..."
"...we will already have what we need."
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
None of the people standing around him noticed the irony of his words.
None of them could have known that the decision Mahabir had just made would eventually become one of the greatest mistakes of his life.
Because the Himalayas were not a dead end.
They were not a meaningless detour.
And the man waiting among those ancient mountains had been expecting Vedha to arrive for years.
Mahabir simply didn't know that yet.
He believed Rudra and the others were walking away from the truth.
In reality...
They were walking directly toward the person who could reveal the next part of Ambika's plan.
And toward a meeting that would eventually set Mahabir's carefully constructed plans on a path from which there would be no return.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Guys My New Fic name is:
-->Marvel: Starting As Ghost Rider!!!
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?