The hall was silent, littered with fallen guardians.
Karikalan's aura burned like fire as he moved slowly toward Pooja, each stride
heavy with dominance. His presence alone made her freeze, unable to counter,
her breath caught in awe and fear.
His voice was cold, yet deliberate:
"I am leaving you… since you're a woman."
He turned away, his blade lowered, and called to Maya:
"Come with me."
Both Maya and Pooja were struck by his words, their minds
spinning, unable to grasp the motive behind his decision.
Pooja's voice cracked, confusion and desperation mixing
together:
"Wait… why did you spare me alone? Is it because I am a
woman… or are you leaving me because you've fallen for me?"
Karikalan stopped mid‑stride, his aura flaring hotter than
before. He turned sharply toward Pooja, his eyes piercing through her question.
His voice thundered, raw with conviction:
"Did you just say I've fallen for you? Me… who cares
about you? Why should I make such a feeling toward you? I am not one of those
men on the internet who comment on your photos and videos with sweet words. I
am not the one who wastes his life caring about nothing. These men fall only
for beauty — they don't think about their own lives, they don't even think
about their parents' struggles."
He stepped closer, his tone cutting deeper:
"You earn income from their money, and you bring more
wealth to your people from these foolish men. Meanwhile, they build castles in
their minds, dreaming of a beautiful fiancée. They become addicted, surrounded
by your thoughts, and it poisons even women and girls. They reject good men and
turn their heads toward bad men, hoping to change them into good ones. How
pathetic this world has become!"
Karikalan's aura flared even stronger, his words cutting
sharper than any blade. He turned fully toward Pooja, his voice echoing through
the hall like a judgment:
"Moreover, you are the reason men are becoming cowards.
You are destroying their inner qualities."
The guardians, already defeated, lay silent, their fear now
mixed with shame. Maya's eyes widened, trembling at the weight of his words.
Pooja froze, her breath caught. She had expected mercy,
perhaps affection, but instead she was struck by a storm of truth. His
condemnation wasn't just about her — it was about the illusions she
represented, the false beauty that corrupted men and weakened their spirit.
Karikalan's face remained calm, but his voice carried fire:
"You profit from their weakness, from their addiction to
your image. And in return, they lose themselves — their strength, their honor,
their very essence. You are not just deceiving them… you are unmaking them."
Karikalan's aura burned brighter as he turned back toward
Pooja, his words sharp and unyielding:
"Now you want to know why I am leaving you alone? It's
just because you're weak. I won't fight against a weak person like you."
The statement struck her pride like a blade. Pooja's face
twisted with anger, her voice rising in defiance:
"What? You say I am weak? I have money, I have a group,
and I can build my own empire. I can hire men stronger than you. But your
strength will fade when you grow old!"
Karikalan's eyes narrowed, his reply calm yet filled with
fire:
"You're right. I don't have money. I don't have property
to pass down to my successors. But I have one thing that keeps me alive in this
world — pain. As long as pain is in my heart, I will grow stronger. I know the
struggle of the poor, and I know the arrogance of the rich like you. You try to
destroy anyone who rises from their status. But I don't care about that
anymore. I understand reality more than anyone in this world. Fight me only
when you are strong enough."
He turned, walking away from the hall with Maya at his
side. His aura still lingered, heavy and unshakable. Before leaving, he
stopped, his voice echoing like thunder:
"Tell him… I would punch anyone who crosses my line."
Pooja's pride flared, her voice trembling with fury yet
burning with determination:
"Listen, Karikalan. I make a vow now. I will beat you
and bring you down to my feet one day. And one day, you will realize the power
of arrogance… the power of someone like me."
Her words echoed through the hall, a vow born of wounded
pride.
Karikalan turned his head slightly, his aura still heavy,
his tone calm yet piercing:
"I wish if you made a vow."
Karikalan and Maya stepped out of the hall, leaving behind
the echoes of battle and Pooja's vow. The night air was heavy, the road dimly
lit, and yet Karikalan's aura still lingered like fire.
They walked side by side, but a gap of one meter remained
between them — a silent distance that spoke volumes.
Maya broke the silence, her voice trembling with
admiration:
"Brother, you're amazing. I never thought you would save
me… and I never imagined you would fight alone against them. You fought in such
an elegant way. Now I'm glad that Veera is a part of your team."
Karikalan's face remained unchanged, his expression calm
and unreadable even after the storm of battle. His reply was short, sharp, and
dismissive:
"Pipe down. Don't hype me up"
The road stretched quiet, the night air heavy with silence.
Karikalan's voice broke through, sharp and probing:
"Tell me, is that true… what you said before?"
Maya blinked, confused:
"I don't understand what you're mentioning?"
Karikalan's eyes narrowed, his tone cutting deep:
"You told them to keep me for Veera. Are you truly
loving him?"
Maya's face turned pale, her steps faltering. The silence
between them grew thick, almost unbearable.
Karikalan pressed, his voice colder:
"Why are you silent now?"
Maya's lips trembled as she finally spoke:
"It's not like love… it's something that attaches me to
him. Each time I see him, it makes me happy. My day feels incomplete without
seeing his face."
Karikalan stopped, his aura flaring, and then — with a
sudden burst, half‑anger, half‑mockery — he shouted:
"That's the feeling of love, you fool! And you tried to
save him at the cost of my life!"
Maya froze, her heart pounding, caught between
embarrassment and guilt. His words struck her like lightning — blunt,
undeniable, and laced with both truth and jest.
Karikalan's face remained unchanged, stoic even in his
outburst. The road fell silent again, the one‑meter gap between them now
heavier than ever.
The night road stretched endlessly, the one‑meter gap
between them still intact. Maya's voice was soft, almost trembling, yet filled
with newfound clarity:
"Yeah… you're right. I think I'm in love with him."
Karikalan's eyes narrowed, his tone sharp:
"Does he know about this?"
Maya shook her head, her face pale:
"Not at all. But… I think he already feels something
similar to what I feel now."
Her words hung in the air, fragile yet sincere. Then, with
hesitation, she asked:
"How is your life going on? Have you ever met or made a
girlfriend in your life? Did you love anyone before?"
Suddenly, Karikalan stopped walking. His footsteps ceased,
the silence of the road swallowing them whole. His aura shifted — not blazing
with anger, but heavy with something unspoken. Maya froze, realizing she had
touched a wound deeper than any blades
Karikalan's footsteps halted, his voice low but heavy with
conviction:
"Tell me, Maya… what is love? Why is everyone obsessed
with this word? I searched for its meaning in my real life. Love is something
beautiful — the only thing in the world without hate or selfish intent."
His aura shifted, no longer fiery but contemplative, as if
he was speaking to the night itself.
"But when it comes to land, wealth, and women in the
name of love… people twist it. They create arrogance in their minds, and that
arrogance brings chaos and destruction into the lives of others. Nowadays,
people define love by mapping it to a girlfriend, as if that is the only
measure. But love… love is unmeasurable. You can't define it in words."
Karikalan's voice grew softer, but it carried the weight of
truth, echoing against the silence of the road:
"In simple words, love means kindness. If every person
showed kindness to another, there would be no war, no vengeance in the name of
justice. But kindness… it is fading now."
His eyes darkened, his aura heavy with sorrow.
"Nowadays, people even prohibit their own parents,
sending them to elder orphanages despite the care those parents once gave. That
is how far kindness has fallen."
Karikalan's voice grew darker, his words heavy with a truth
that pierced deeper than any blade:
"Here is the dark truth… you cannot carry both duty and
love at the same time. When it matters most, you will abandon one of them."
Maya's eyes widened, her voice trembling:
"What do you mean by your words?"
Karikalan's aura flared, his tone sharp and merciless:
"It means you must abandon… or kill… either one of them
in your life."
Karikalan's voice grew heavier, his words echoing like a
judgment carved into stone:
"For example… if your loved one commits a crime —
murder, or killing someone — and is found guilty, then your duty is to punish
them. But most will not. They will protect their own nest. Once they ignore
their duty in the name of love, vengeance rises against the victim."
His aura flared, the road itself seeming to tremble under
the weight of his philosophy.
"And it will not end there. If one avenges another in
the name of justice, then further justice will only breed vengeance. Hatred
will grow among those people, and they will live their lives hating each other
until the end."
Karikalan's steps grew heavier, each one pressing into the
silence of the road as if destiny itself was walking beside him. His voice
carried a solemn weight:
"But I believe you people won't repeat the same mistakes
others have done in the past."
The air thickened, Maya's breath caught as he moved closer,
his aura pressing down like a storm about to break.
"Now… I am passing the responsibility of taking care of
him to you. It's down to you."
Maya's eyes widened, her voice trembling in disbelief:
"What? Wait… are you saying that you have done your
duty?"
Karikalan's steps slowed, his aura heavy but calm. His
voice carried a mix of conviction and foresight:
"Not yet! I still have a lot of work to do in this
world. It's not because I am leaving him with nothing to you. It's because I am
leaving you… for your love's sake. I am leaving this place because something is
going to happen in the future."
The air grew heavier, each word pressing down on Maya's
heart. She felt the weight of responsibility being placed upon her, a burden
she hadn't expected.
Karikalan's eyes softened for a moment, then he gestured
toward her home.
"Now… we have reached your home. Go inside."
Without another word, Karikalan turned and walked away, his
figure fading into the distance. The silence of the road swallowed his
presence, but the heaviness of his words lingered like a shadow of destiny.
Maya stood frozen at her doorstep, her heart torn between
gratitude and fear. His departure wasn't abandonment — it was a test, a passing
of duty, and a warning of storms yet to come
The rain poured down, soaking the silent road. Karikalan
had just sent Maya inside when suddenly, from the shadows, an old man emerged.
His presence was heavy, his voice sharp and commanding:
"Well done, Karikalan. Now do your duty as soon as
possible… because we don't have much time."
The words cut through the storm like thunder. Karikalan
stood firm in front of him, rain dripping from his hair, his face unchanged
even under the weight of destiny. His silence was not weakness — it was
agreement.
Karikalan's aura flared, his eyes locked on the old man.
Without hesitation, he gave his answer:
"I will."