Kira: "If we're friends now... can you tell me why you're here?"
Vishnu: "Oh, yes... we're from Sha—"
Suddenly, time froze.
No one moved. A strange silence swallowed the world. Shadows erupted around Vishnu like tendrils of night, and a divine voice echoed inside his mind.
Elder of Shambhala:
"You may go, Vishnu. But only alone. No one must know.
If you speak of it... the Protectors—those born of the Uncorrupted Space—will rupture your heart before your words escape."
Time resumed, as if nothing had happened.
Vishnu's face paled for a moment.
Bhagya(confused): "Father? What happened? Are you alright?"
Kira narrowed his eyes. "You're my friend, Vishnu. You can't tell me where you're from?"
He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Come on. Tell me."
Vishnu, still dazed, stammered, "I'm from a nearby village... not far from here."
Kira: "Of course you are," he said, with a sharp edge—like he already knew the truth.
Kira: "So why are you here?"
Vishnu (giving justifications): "There's no work where we come from. People are hungry. We came looking for a better life."
Kira: "Thank you, my friend. If you want, I can help you find a job."
Vishnu: "Really? That would be... such a favor. Thank you."
Kira (grinning): "In friendship, there's no sorry or thank you! Let's head to the capital—you can find work there."
Vishnu (blindly trusting): "Yes, let's go."
Kira: "But first... what's with those clothes? Why do you wear only black?"
Vishnu saw his and Bhagya's cloths and spoke: "It's very cold in our village. Black absorbs heat."
Kira (frowning): "Cold? We haven't felt cold in years. But whatever—you can't wear that in the capital."
He tossed them both sets of futuristic clothes.
As they changed, Bhagya noticed a symbol on the outfit—a triangle, with a circle at each corner.
Bhagya(confused): "Father, What's this symbol?"
Vishnu saw it with a side eye and said: "No idea. Probably nothing."
Kira glanced at the sky.
Kira: "Saucer—appear."
From above, a massive disc-shaped craft descended. Lights pulsed. Engines hummed. It shimmered with impossible engineering.
Kira: "Hop on."
They boarded. Inside, the air shimmered with glowing holograms—equations, code, graphs. The screens drifted like ghosts.
Vishnu: "This... is magnificent. Let's hope our journey goes well."
Behind them, Devadatta stood silently, his eyes wide and hopeful—as if begging to be taken along. Vishnu noticed the loyal horse's quiet plea and sighed.
"Fine... come, Devadatta," he said, gently leading him into the ship.
Kira's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are you serious? You're bringing a damn horse into a flying saucer? Do you have any idea what this thing costs? What if he poops in here, huh? Do you know how expensive cleaning space-grade flooring is?!"
Bhagya, meanwhile, was leaning over the side window of the saucer, his face glowing with wonder as they soared through the sky.
"This is... amazing! It's like flying on a dream," he whispered, eyes wide as the clouds parted around them.
Minutes later, they arrived.
The city unfurled below—a tangled jungle of metal towers piercing the clouds, flickering digital signs, and synthetic fog. At the center rose towering spires of wealth and power; at the edges sprawled endless slums, choked in shadow.
With a deep hum, the saucer descended onto a landing platform.
Hiss— the doors began to part with a slow, cinematic motion, light spilling out in radiant beams, as if inviting them into a world they weren't prepared for.
Kira: "Welcome to the City of Jobs: Delhi."
Vishnu followed Kira like a duckling follows its mother—without question.
He had no idea what fate has decide for him.
To reach the city center, one had to cross the slums—lawless zones of robbing, kidnapping, and chaos.
They began their walk.
Before stepping deeper, Vishnu glanced at Kira.
"Is there a stable nearby? Devadatta won't do well here."
Kira smirked, nodding toward a crooked shed with a fading neon sign. "There's one. I'll have him kept safe. Don't worry—no one touches my friends' horses."
With a reluctant pat on Devadatta's neck, Vishnu left the horse in the stable, unaware it might be the last safe place they'd see today.
Vishnu's thoughts:
"They're being treated like animals...
What crime could justify this?
Is this really the place where I'll find work...?"
He turned to Kira. But Kira didn't react. He walked through the slums like he had seen this misery a thousand times.
Bhagya's eyes darted, wide with confusion.
Bhagya's thoughts:
"Why is no one helping them?
In Shambhala, everyone helps one another.
Father once gave a month's earnings to his brother.
This... this feels wrong. How can anyone survive like this?"
Vishnu stopped in front of a dusty shop. A small analog clock ticked on display.
Vishnu: "Friend, what is this?"
Kira (chuckling): "It's a clock. You've never seen one? It tells time.
Your village must be really backward."
He glanced up at the dull grey sky.
Kira: "but you know it's understandable. The Great War made everything expensive. It ruined the sky. I've never seen it blue. But... I wish I had."
Vishnu (holds the clock in his hands): "So... time moves in circles?"
Kira: "Huh? Are you trying to get philosophical on me now?
What is this—poetry? That junk was banned 300 years ago after the War."
Vishnu: "huh? really poetry is banned here?"
A girl—about Kira's age—stood on a balcony, drying clothes. She saw Bhagya and smiled.
Bhagya smiled back, shy and warm.
But the girl panicked and shouted from above, "Are you...?!"
She knew something the world didn't.
Later, as they walked toward the capital center, Vishnu stopped.
Vishnu: "Hey! Look at this painting—it's so beautiful!"
Kira: "That's a photo, idiot."
Vishnu: "Bhagya, look—this photo is amazing, isn't it?"
No reply.
He turned.
Bhagya was gone like he was taken by the wind.
Just... gone.
Vishnu: "Bhagya?!"
Kira (calmly): "Hmm. Looks like the Non-Corruptors took him." Kira said, too calmly, as if he'd been expecting it.
Vishnu: "Non-Corruptors?"
Kira: "Yeah. They're a gang. They Kidnap people. Sell their organs. "
Vishnu: "No... it can't be..."
He began scratching his palms. Again and again—until they bled.
Kira: "What are you doing?! It's just a kid. You'll have more food without him, right?"
Vishnu (shaking): "Food? How dare you compare food to my son!"
He grabbed Kira's collar and shoved him against a wall.
Kira: "Hey! Calm down—fine! I'll help you. We'll find him. Just stop."
The moon forgot to rise that night—Bhagya vanished, and silence wore his name.
But what does Kira truly seek from those who cracked the sky—redemption, or ruin?