The mission had concluded flawlessly. The syndicate dismantled, intelligence secured, and the world none the wiser. Back at the secluded estate, Aditya Varma and Kabir Rathore gathered Mukul.
"You've proven yourself beyond any expectation," Aditya said, his eyes gleaming with quiet pride. "It is time. You may go to Avni Raichand."
Kabir Rathore nodded solemnly. "Seventeen years of training have prepared you for this moment. Go, but remember—everything you are, everything you've learned, is your strength. Your family awaits, unaware of the force approaching them."
Mixed Emotions
Mukul's heart raced as he boarded the private plane that would take him across continents. For the first time in seventeen years, he was stepping into the world that had been only a memory in his heart—a world of family, love, and his mother, Avni Raichand.
The range of emotions was overwhelming:
Excitement: He had spent years training for this moment, imagining what it would be like to finally meet his mother and the extended family who had unknowingly loved him from afar.
Nervousness: Would they recognize him? Would they accept him as the son they had never met? Would his extraordinary abilities inspire awe—or fear?
Happiness: He thought of the reunion that had been decades in the making, the warmth of family embraces, and the laughter of the cousins he had trained alongside but never met in the flesh.
Love: For Avni Raichand, for the family that had been separated by fate and circumstance, and for the bonds that had silently persisted through years of distance.
Nostalgia and Relief: Memories of years of rigorous training, sacrifices, and challenges flooded his mind. Each lesson, each struggle, had led to this singular moment.
Mukul closed his eyes as the plane soared into the sky. He let the memories of seventeen years wash over him—the harsh lessons of the masters, the camaraderie of his destined companions, the triumphs and failures, the countless nights of reflection and growth. Relief mixed with anticipation; he had been ready for so long, yet the unknown ahead stirred a quiet anxiety deep within.
The Family Awaits, Unaware
Thousands of miles away, in Europe, the Raichand–Malhotra family prepared for Avni Raichand's return, unaware that Mukul, the child who had been lost for fifteen years, was now en route to them.
Avni Raichand, radiant yet composed, paced the estate halls, coordinating global networks while keeping one eye on the clock. Her heart longed for the day she would reunite with her son, though she did not know he was already traveling toward her.
Arjun Raichand and Savitri Raichand, as well as the rest of the extended family, waited in anxious anticipation, feeling the subtle pull of fate but unaware of the exact moment it would strike.
The Malhotra cousins and uncles felt a mix of hope and uncertainty, trusting Avni's guidance but unaware of how close the reunion truly was.
A Moment Alone
As the plane cut through clouds over continents, Mukul curled into the seat, exhaustion settling over him. He reflected on the life he had lived in secrecy, under the guidance of the masters, alongside his six companions:
The grueling early years of discipline and hardship.
The mid-journey missions, where skills were tested in real-world dangers.
The complex bonds formed with Vanya, Kiara, Sakura, Aarohi, Liya, and Sirisha—his team, his partners, his destined companions.
The quiet moments of reflection, where he had imagined this reunion for countless nights.
He closed his eyes, sleep overtaking him, and for a while, the plane cabin was filled with the gentle rhythm of his breath, the boy who had been trained in isolation now a young man carrying the weight of seventeen years toward a home that had always existed in memory and in destiny.
The Calm Before Reunion
Unseen and unaware, the family waited. Unaware that the boy—the prodigy, the heir, the Avni Raichand of legend—was already in the skies, carrying within him the culmination of seventeen years of mastery, struggle, and hope.
The moment of reunion was imminent. The emotions, the love, the awe, and the joy were on the horizon. Mukul's journey, seventeen years in the making, was about to meet its first chapter of closure and new beginnings.