Chapter 29 The Phantom of the Father the Reflection of Love
The ground crumbled beneath Aarav's feet. Karishma's words had burst like poisoned bubbles in the air. He is your father's colleague. Dr. Vikram.
He closed his eyes for a moment. Every voice inside him screamed at once. Denial. Rage. Fear. And above all one sharp question. Papa. Did you know.
My father's friend Aarav said. His voice sounded like a broken recording. Has been dead for a year now. Dr. Vikram. His car accident. He shook his head as if searching for logic. Maybe Girgit Raj (the Chameleon King) took his form. And did all of this.
But his own words were hollowing him out from the inside. Why. Why would Girgit Raj need to take Dr. Vikram's form. He could have simply taken Aarav's form. Or Kiyan's.
Nayan spoke quietly. But now Girgit Raj is dead too. And all the curtains connected to this mystery are being pulled back.
Kiyan's eyes filled with a dangerous golden glow. Now we have to find that man in the white coat. He is the one behind everything.
Aarav felt a twist of worry at those words. He watched that old wild hatred return to Kiyan's face. That same hatred that made his eyes gleam like a predator's. He did not want Kiyan to sink back into that darkness.
Kiyan Aarav said softly. He placed a hand on his shoulder. I do not want you to.
I have to endure this Kiyan said cutting him off. But the hardness that used to fill his voice was gone now. He looked at Aarav's hand then into his eyes. But not alone. Not anymore.
Aarav tried to smile. Yes. We are all with you.
Nayan and Karishma nodded too. We are all with you.
Kiyan took a deep breath. We have to go to Aagya Sangathan (the Aagya organization). But how do we get there so quickly.
Aarav looked at the Aadisrashta Chakra (divine discus of the creator) mark on his wrist. With my powers.
Kiyan smiled. A real soft smile that softened his face for a fleeting moment. True.
Nayan raised both hands. But friends. There is one problem. Every pair of eyes turned to him. Only the three of you have powers. I do not.
Kiyan looked at Aarav. An unspoken question floated in his eyes. Aarav nodded yes.
You will ride on my back Kiyan said to Nayan. I will carry you.
Nayan's eyes went wide. On your back. No. No. I.
Sit down Nayan Aarav said with a faint hint of irritation. If you had asked me I would have said yes.
Kiyan smiled again and this time Nayan smiled back though a trace of fear still hid inside his expression.
Fine Nayan said. I will do it.
All four of them looked at each other. For one moment all the secrets all the fears fell away. They were just four friends about to embark on an impossible journey.
Nayan climbed onto Kiyan's back and held tight to his shoulders. Kiyan Aarav and Karishma met each other's eyes one more time. An agreement. A promise.
And then they ran.
It was no ordinary run. The moment Kiyan's feet touched the ground a golden light spread around him. Aarav was right beside him. His footsteps released a silver energy. And Karishma. Her footprints left a faint green glow behind. New. Raw. But present.
They ran at lightning speed. Two trails of light streaked across the earth. One golden. One like silver. And between them a thin stream of pale green. Trees roads buildings everything blurred past. The wind slammed against their faces like a solid wall.
They ran like that for almost an hour. Miles vanishing in minutes. And then at the foothills of the Himalayas that building rose before them. Aagya Sangathan.
It was no ordinary lab. It was a fortress like structure carved into the chest of the mountain. Made of glass and steel but rusted over now. Silence surrounded it on every side.
Kiyan lowered Nayan gently to the ground. Nayan's head was spinning. He stumbled. How. He could not even finish the word. His eyes fluttered and he began to collapse.
Karishma panicked. Nayan.
Aarav caught him. Do not worry. He will be fine. He splashed some water from his bottle onto Nayan's face. Nayan's eyes opened. He took a deep breath.
Brother Nayan said still gasping. I cannot handle all of this. I am never riding on anyone's back again.
Everyone burst out laughing. A tense but genuine laugh. The fear of riding on Kiyan's back had already become a joke.
There was no one outside Aagya Sangathan. No guards. No scientists. No sound at all. This silence did not feel natural. It was a deliberate manufactured emptiness.
Aarav Karishma Nayan and Kiyan headed toward the CCTV cameras. But before they could even reach them they saw that someone had already smashed every single one. Glass shards were scattered across the ground. Wires hung loose and exposed.
Everyone stared at each other. Aarav said How are we going to find that white coat now.
Kiyan's eyes caught on a camera hidden behind a flower vase. He pointed toward it. One camera is still intact. Maybe whoever broke the others did not see this one. It was hidden behind the flowers.
Aarav pulled the camera free and inserted its chip into his laptop. Images began appearing on the screen. Blurry at first then clearing.
And then Dr. Vikram's face appeared.
But it was not the Dr. Vikram that Aarav knew. This man had removed his white mask and now he was changing form. His skin was shifting color. His eyes were widening. He was morphing into the form of Girgit Raj.
In the video Girgit Raj was speaking to someone. I have done my part. I drove a wedge between those two. Now you have to help me too.
A voice responded. A woman's voice. Yes. I will. You did my work. Well done.
Girgit Raj said But why do you want to kill both of them. When they are your.
The woman said Because I am going to die on the coming Amavasya (the darkest night of the moon cycle). And I need to stay alive. And I can only stay alive by killing him.
Aarav and Kiyan looked at each other. Who is this woman Aarav whispered. And who is Girgit Raj talking to.
Alright Kiyan said. I cannot even recognize the voice. It sounds like a machine is speaking. Maybe the camera's microphone was damaged. The audio is not clear. All I can tell is that it is a woman's voice.
Everyone kept staring at each other. The same question was floating in all their eyes. Aarav said We need to leave this place.
They left and caught a train heading toward Delhi. Inside the train compartment all four of them sat huddled in one corner. Aarav said to Kiyan Do not worry Kiyan. We will find out who she is.
Kiyan nodded. He looked at Aarav. The deep circles under his eyes. The lines of exhaustion carved across his face. You should sleep. You have not slept properly for the last two days.
Aarav tried to smile but exhaustion overpowered him. He leaned his head gently against Kiyan's shoulder and fell asleep. Kiyan supported him and rested his own head against the window watching the landscape pass by outside.
Nearby Karishma and Nayan sat close together. Karishma rested her head on Nayan's shoulder. Nayan took her hand in his own. No words. Just a touch. A presence. A promise that they were together now no matter what.
The rhythm of the train had a steady pulse and inside that rhythm four exhausted warriors rested. But behind their eyes their minds were still working. Still searching for answers.
Who was that woman. Why did she want to kill Aarav and Kiyan. And most importantly was Dr. Vikram truly dead. Or was he still alive somewhere in a new form.
The mystery was not over yet. It was growing deeper. More terrifying. And in the thirtieth chapter when the truth was about to be revealed they would discover that the reality was far closer to them and far more dangerous than anything they had imagined.
The train journey is a momentary calm before the storm. When they reach Delhi Aarav will find a new clue. A secret hidden among his father's old documents. One that connects Aagya Sangathan Dr. Vikram and that mysterious woman. And Kiyan will discover that his mother hid a secret tied to his own origins. This journey of love and trust is about to arrive at a turning point where every truth will prove to be a new lie and every belief will open the door to a new betrayal.
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