Athavan straightened his back.
His eyes met the old man's without flinching.
"To tell you the truth… I knew none of this until today.
I respected my mother's silence. I never asked about her past.
But even so—how could I ever resent this country, or my father?"
His voice was steady now.
"In fact… I'm proud of his choice.
Whether it's Department Zero or the Devil Liberation Army, we all carry responsibilities.
As men, we're bound by Dharma."
"He followed his Dharma. He protected what he believed in.
As for me—I swore to protect humanity.
If I resent this nation for dividing my parents…
Then I am unworthy of their sacrifice.
And unworthy of the DLA's faith."
General Rahman stared at him.
Then, slowly—he smiled. But it didn't last. His face hardened again, and the air around him shifted.
The aura of authority returned.
"I'm glad you can see it that way," he said.
"But let's talk about you now."
His voice sharpened.
"Don't think I can't guess your identity.
My new officers might not know the DLA, but I've known your grandfather since before he became Supreme Commander.
I've watched three generations of your family move like shadows across the world."
His tone turned iron.
"You are the new Commander.
The world has whispered about the genocide you committed last year across five nations.
Was it for your mother?
Even if it was… how could you go that far?"
He slammed the table once.
"Upon full investigation, I realized the people you eliminated were all wanted criminals.
Filth. Monsters."
"Still… I nearly denied your entry into Walaysia."
He leaned closer.
"But I chose to give you a chance—to see your father.
Then I learned you were getting married. I allowed it."
"Then a company appears. You launch AD Tech.
And I start seeing funding streams—linked to Viswakarma himself."
"Top scientists. Clean technologies. Island development rights.
I smoothed the approvals myself, as a favor, out of respect for your parents."
His voice dropped into a growl.
"And then you went and messed with the underworld."
He was fuming now.
"Do you know how much you've ruined?
We were this close to exposing Naraka's Asian links.
The arrest of Raja Sekaran? That shattered our surveillance net.
We've lost visibility. No idea what move Naraka makes next."
"You messed with everything.
What is this 'Dharma Foundation'?
What do you think of this country's law and order?
You think you can just waltz in, rewrite the streets, and wave a red flag of justice?"
"You want to bring change?
You'll have to walk over my dead body first.
This country still has me—Rahman—as its guardian!"
Athavan took a deep breath. Calm. Measured. Then he smiled—almost amused.
"Are you done, old man?"
That made Rahman twitch.
"Even though I knew nothing of my parents' past, my grandfather did tell me about you.
He calls you the old wolf.
Now I understand why. You sniff out truths even with your limited resources."
Rahman's eyes narrowed.
"You call me an old man again, and I'll throw you out myself. Address me as General Rahman."
"Nope," Athavan replied casually.
"I'm sticking with old man. Be grateful I don't call you 'old wolf'—yet."
Before Rahman could roar back, a voice cut through the café.
"Athava, don't be rude."
Athavan turned.
His father was approaching.
"Appa!"
Athavan stood and bowed, touching his father's feet for blessings.
Then his smile faded. He looked at Rahman sharply.
"Old man… why is my father here?
Are you trying to show me that you hold him under your command?"
The air tensed again.
But Kathirvan raised a hand.
"I came here on my own, son.
I thought general want to see me, with the way you've stirred up the nation.
General, how are you?"
"Kathirvan, stay out of this," Rahman snapped.
"I think your son needs a lesson. This country is not his playground."
Kathirvan sighed.
"General… please. Let me mediate.
Let him explain. He must have a reason."
But Rahman wasn't done.
"I'm not letting him walk out until I get answers."
He pointed at Athavan.
"You. Speak now.
What is your motive?"
Athavan exhaled. Then gestured.
"Appa, sit down. You too, old man."
He sat.
And then his tone changed.
Hard. Controlled.
"Since you know about Naraka…
Do you know who's behind Naraka?"
That silenced the room.
Even Kathirvan looked stunned.
General Rahman's brow furrowed.
"There's someone behind Naraka?"
Athavan's eyes sharpened.
"Yes. There's an organization operating behind them. One that's a hundred times more powerful. A group that doesn't appear in public… but moves through the shadows."
"They are the sworn enemy of the DLA.
Naraka is nothing more than a pawn—used to ignite chaos across Asia. A tool to test the waters before the real storm."
He leaned in slightly, his tone low but unwavering.
"They've decided to accelerate their timeline. The plan is in motion.
Soon, they will attempt to seize control of every underworld faction in Asia. One by one.
Through Naraka, they intend to unify chaos."
Rahman and Kathirvan said nothing. The silence in the air turned heavy.
Athavan continued.
"Before my mother was killed, I came into possession of a critical artifact—one that could derail their long-term strategy.
They murdered her… trying to extract its location."
His jaw tightened for a second. Then softened.
"If that artifact ever lands in their hands…
It won't just be regional war. It will be doomsday—for humanity."
"That's why I came to Walaysia. Not for vengeance.
Not for power.
But to vanish beneath the surface—so I could prepare."
"This country, with its hidden Department Zero ties and fractured underworld, is the last place they'd expect me to regroup."
He let the weight of that hang for a breath before landing the final truth.
"But to stay hidden… I first had to cleanse the country of Naraka's reach.
They had already begun their infiltration—securing puppet gangs, territory, and data.
Gang Nagas was only one piece."
Both men stared at him.
Speechless.
Because they knew Naraka as Asia's most ruthless syndicate—untouchable, untamed.
But now… they were just pawns?
The realization struck like thunder.
And the man saying it wasn't a conspiracy theorist.
He was the Supreme Commander of the Devil Liberation Army.
The same force feared by worldwide—whispered about in intelligence dossiers.
An ancient organization reawakened and labeled by the global community as the Moral Police of the Era.
Athavan's voice dropped, steady as a blade.
"I've already been contacted.
The current person in charge behind Naraka in Walaysia has summoned me."
He tapped his phone once.
"But I've already placed eyes inside every corner of their empire.
Every country. Every hub. Every node.
I know exactly what their next move is."
His expression darkened.
"To them, I'm just a shadow.
A rumor.
They don't even know who I am yet."
And that silence?
It wasn't fear.
It was the sound of two seasoned men realizing—for the first time—just how far behind they truly were.