**October 6, 2025, Goldy's House**
Sonia and I took a rickshaw back from the hospital, the ride bumpy and quiet. My bruises throbbed with every jolt, and my mind was on Angel—lying so still, her magic silenced by that monster four years ago. Sonia stared out the window, her face tight. "We need to start searching for Elena now. X, news sites, anything. She's pulling Rohit's strings, and we're out of time."
I nodded, the system's alert echoing in my head: **2 days left.** "Yeah. Let's get home and fire up the laptop. Mom might have some old family photos or contacts that could help."
We pulled up to the house, the afternoon sun casting long shadows. The front door was ajar, which felt wrong. Sonia pushed it open, and we stepped in. The living room was a mess—Rohit's suitcase gone, a half-eaten paratha on the table, and Mom sitting on the couch, her face buried in her hands. She looked up, her eyes red and puffy, tears streaming down.
"Mom?" I rushed over, my heart dropping. "What happened?"
She stood, her voice breaking. "Goldy… Sonia. He's gone. Rohit left. Packed his bag and took a cab to the airport. Didn't say goodbye. Didn't even leave a note. Just… gone."
Sonia's eyes widened. "Gone? He was supposed to leave in two days. Why now?"
Mom wrung her hands, pacing. "I heard the cab outside an hour ago. I ran down, but he was already in the car. He looked at me through the window—cold, like a stranger—and drove off. No words. Nothing. What did I do wrong? Why would he leave like this?"
My stomach twisted. I pulled her into a hug, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. "Mom, it's not you. Something's wrong with him. Elena… she's got him twisted up. He's not himself."
Mom pulled back, her eyes searching mine. "Elena? You think she made him go early? Goldy, he's my boy. How do we get him back?"
Sonia put a hand on Mom's arm, her voice steady. "We'll find out, Aunty. Goldy and I… we're looking into her. We'll call him, track his flight, something."
I nodded, but inside, panic rose. The system pinged, sharp and urgent.
> **[SYSTEM ALERT]**
> **Quest Progress: Uncover the Truth**
> **Critical Update: Rohit has departed early. Time Remaining: 1 day (before he reaches US and Elena's full control).**
> **New Task: Contact Rohit immediately. Use Truth Sense if possible.**
> **Failure Consequence: Permanent family separation, escalated Elena's influence.**
"Mom," I said, keeping my voice calm to hide the system's buzz, "do you have his flight details? Or his number? We need to call him now."
Mom shook her head, fresh tears falling. "He turned off his phone. I tried. It goes straight to voicemail. What if he never comes back? What about Angel? She needs her big brother."
Guilt hit me like a punch. Angel, silent in her coma, wouldn't even know he was gone. I clenched my fists, my raw knuckles stinging. "He'll come back, Mom. I promise. Sonia and I—we're on this. We'll find a way to reach him."
Sonia nodded, pulling out her phone. "Let's check flights from here to the US. Maybe we can intercept him at the airport."
Mom sank back onto the couch, looking smaller than ever. "Please, Goldy. Don't let him disappear like this. I can't lose another child."
I squeezed her shoulder, my heart racing. "You won't. We're family. We fight for each other." But inside, the system's warning echoed: *1 day left.* Elena had won this round, pulling Rohit away early. Now we had to chase him across an ocean.
Sonia tugged my arm, whispering, "Laptop. Now. We search Elena while we wait for his phone to turn on."
I nodded, leading her to my room. As we shut the door, I muttered, "This just got worse. But we're not stopping."
Sonia and I hurried to my room after Mom told us Rohit was gone. My heart pounded, and my bruises hurt with every step. Mom sat downstairs, crying quietly. She looked broken. We shut the door and turned on my old laptop. The screen flickered to life.
"We need his flight," Sonia said, her fingers flying over the keys. "Check his email or apps. Anything."
I nodded, logging into Rohit's shared family account. We weren't spying—we were saving him. "Here," I said, pointing. "He booked a ticket last night. Flight to Miami, leaves at 3 PM today. From Chandigarh airport."
Sonia's eyes went wide. "That's in two hours! We can make it. Let's tell Aunty and go."
We ran downstairs. Mom looked up, her eyes red. "What did you find?"
"Rohit's flight," I said, grabbing my jacket. "To Miami. We can stop him at the airport."
Mom stood, her hands shaking. "Go. Please, Goldy. Bring him back."
Sonia hugged her quick. "We'll try, Aunty. Stay strong."
We dashed out, hailing a rickshaw. The driver grumbled about traffic, but we begged him to go fast. My shoulder throbbed from the bite mark, and my cheek stung in the wind. Sonia gripped my arm. "What if we miss him?"
"We won't," I said, but my stomach twisted. The system pinged in my head, secret from Mom.
> **[SYSTEM ALERT]**
> **Quest Progress: Uncover the Truth**
> **Critical Update: Rohit en route to airport. Intercept before boarding.**
> **Time Remaining: 1 hour 45 minutes**
> **New Task: Reach Rohit and use Truth Sense to confront him.**
> **Failure Consequence: Permanent family separation, escalated Elena's influence.**
Traffic was bad. Horns blared. Cars jammed the road. I checked my phone—1 hour left. "Faster!" I yelled to the driver. He swerved, cursing under his breath.
Sonia pulled up Rohit's number again. Straight to voicemail. "Come on, Rohit. Pick up."
We finally reached the airport. Sweat dripped down my back. My ribs ached from the bumpy ride. We ran through the doors, dodging people with suitcases. Security lines were long. "We need to get to the gate," I gasped.
The guard at the desk shook his head. "No ticket, no entry. Who are you meeting?"
"My brother," I said, breathless. "Flight to Miami. Rohit Singh. Please, it's urgent."
He checked his screen. Sonia leaned in. "He's family. Let us through."
The guard frowned. "Flight DL-147. Already boarded. Gate closed 20 minutes ago."
My heart stopped. "What? No. Call them back."
He shook his head. "Too late. Plane's taxiing. You missed it."
Sonia grabbed my arm, her face pale. "He's gone."
I stared at the gate, empty now. People walked past, chatting. No Rohit. No chance to talk. The system buzzed again.
> **[SYSTEM ALERT]**
> **Quest Update: Intercept failed. Rohit airborne.**
> **Time Remaining: Until landing in US (12 hours).**
> **New Hint: Track Elena in Miami. Prepare for remote confrontation.**
> **Reward Adjustment: +10% Power Sync if successful remotely.**
We sank onto a bench outside. Sonia's eyes filled with tears. "We were so close. What do we tell Aunty?"
I rubbed my bruised cheek, feeling lost. "The truth. He's on the plane. But we're not done. When he lands, we call. Or find Elena."
Sonia nodded, wiping her face. "For Angel. For your mom. We keep going."
We took a slow rickshaw home. The city blurred by, but my mind raced. Rohit was flying to Elena. To whatever trap she had. Mom waited at the door, hope in her eyes. It crushed me to see it fade.
"He's gone," I said softly. "Flight took off. We missed him."
Mom's knees buckled. I caught her, helping her to the couch. She sobbed. "My boy. All alone. What if he never comes back?"
Sonia sat beside her, holding her hand. "He will, Aunty. Goldy and I—we'll find a way. We'll call when he lands."
I nodded, my fists tight. "I promise, Mom. Elena can't have him forever."
But inside, fear grew. 12 hours. One day. The clock ticked louder now.