Jan 1–Jan 15, 2017
"The Year of Fire"
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Scene One – New Year's Morning
The first morning of 2017 broke cold and clear over the valley estate. Snow clung to the tiled rooftops, icicles catching the dawn light like rows of crystal daggers. Inside, the fireplaces crackled, filling the air with the smell of sandalwood smoke.
MC sat at his wide oak desk in the study, not with champagne or leftover sweets from the night before, but with a stack of projection screens. Holographic graphs floated before him: chip yields, fab calibration curves, and timelines for the first 2nm processors.
The name "Shakti Semiconductors" glowed at the center of the display. Every line of data was more than a business plan — it was a map of how the 21st century could be rewritten.
For a moment, he let his hand rest on the desk, breathing deeply. This year, the world will learn my name — whether I like it or not.
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Scene Two – Family Atmosphere
Downstairs, his parents had insisted on keeping the New Year simple. No big parties, just family. His mother busied herself in the kitchen, making hot puris and aloo sabzi, while his father strung up lanterns outside the courtyard trees.
When MC finally joined them, his father greeted him with mock annoyance.
> Father: "You plan to start the year buried in machines again? Come, eat before your mother feeds all the food to Ananya."
Seated at the table was Ananya, who had come to visit for the New Year under the pretense of helping with ongoing river-cleaning research. She laughed softly at his father's teasing and offered MC a cup of steaming masala chai as he sat.
The moment felt strangely… normal. Domestic. Something he had not allowed himself to imagine in his first life.
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Scene Three – Subtle Currents
Over breakfast, the conversation flowed around small things — the snowfall, the stubborn mule that refused to leave the barn, the upcoming festival in the village. But beneath the surface, unspoken currents ran between him and Ananya.
She spoke of her work, her dreams of cleaning India's great rivers, of how technology must serve people and not only profit. MC listened, his gaze lingering longer than necessary. Her words struck something deeper — a reminder of why he was building this empire, not just how.
His mother noticed. Every time MC's eyes softened while looking at Ananya, her smile deepened just slightly.
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Scene Four – The Private Plan
That evening, after family time gave way to quiet, MC returned to his study. The snow outside reflected moonlight into the room, casting everything in silver hues. He summoned Aarya, the AI's voice resonating in his mind like calm water.
> MC: "The board is ready. The world expects a launch by March."
Aarya: "Yes. Shakti's 2nm processors already outperform existing benchmarks by 400%. But when we go public… they will panic."
MC: "Let them. For too long, India was told to follow, never to lead. Tomorrow, we begin to change that."
He placed the final draft of the marketing and launch strategy into the secured server. The plan was no longer just numbers — it was the first blow in a silent war.
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Scene Five – A Walk Under Lanterns
Later that night, as the household prepared for sleep, MC found himself walking outside. The courtyard glowed with paper lanterns his father had hung, their light flickering against the snow. Ananya was there, wrapped in a shawl, looking up at the stars.
> Ananya (smiling): "Your father said these lanterns are for luck. Maybe this year, the world will finally be kinder."
MC (quietly, with a weight only he knew): "Or maybe this year, we'll force it to be."
Their eyes met in silence, the lanterns swaying gently above them. For a brief instant, MC let go of plans and empires — and simply stood there, beside her, as the New Year began.
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