ACP Pritam turned toward one of his officers.
"What have we found out about that boy? Does everything he told us check out?"
The officer opened his file.
"Yes, sir. Most of the information Aarav gave us matches what we've been able to verify."
He paused.
"But there's one thing we haven't been able to confirm yet—the claim that his father works for RAW."
ACP Pritam's expression changed slightly.
"His father?"
"We couldn't find any record of his father either, sir. According to the government databases we've checked, there doesn't appear to be any officer matching the information Aarav provided."
Pritam's eyebrows rose.
"So there is no such person?"
"Not according to the records we have."
The officer hesitated before adding,
"It's also possible that the boy is telling us a fabricated story."
Pritam nodded thoughtfully.
"Hmm. That's possible."
He closed the file.
"Anyway, what about the girl who was kidnapped? Did we find anything?"
"Yes, sir."
The officer immediately answered.
"Kirti used to attend a dance class. She didn't show up there today."
He checked another report.
"According to the traffic-control footage, she was seen getting into an auto-rickshaw outside the class."
Pritam frowned.
"If these people kidnapped her, then who killed them?"
Nobody answered.
"And where is the girl now?"
Silence filled the area.
Everyone exchanged uncertain looks.
Pritam finally spoke.
"Find her."
His voice was firm.
"We have to find that girl."
Just then—
WEE-OO! WEE-OO!
Another vehicle approached with its siren blaring.
It came to a stop near the warehouse.
A man stepped out.
He was wearing sunglasses and carrying himself with a calm, authoritative presence.
It was Yash Satyamurti.
ACP Pritam immediately recognized him.
A smile appeared on his face as he extended his hand.
"Mr. Yash. What brings you here?"
Yash shook his hand.
"Orders from headquarters."
He handed Pritam a document.
"I've been assigned to this case. I'll be joining your team for the investigation."
Pritam quickly read the document.
After confirming the order, he handed it to one of his officers.
"We'll be glad to have you working with us."
Yash smiled.
"So, what happened? What have you found so far?"
Pritam proceeded to explain everything—the massacre, Kirti's disappearance, the strange injuries, the possible involvement of an unknown creature, and the suspicious boy named Aarav.
Yash listened carefully.
When Pritam finished, Yash nodded.
Then his attention shifted toward Aarav.
The young man was sitting alone in a corner.
His eyes were closed.
His body was completely still.
He appeared to be meditating.
Yash stared at him.
What is he doing?
Following Yash's gaze, Pritam also looked toward Aarav.
He too found the sight strange.
---
Meanwhile, Aarav wasn't meditating.
Not exactly.
He was trying to track Kirti.
His consciousness moved rapidly through space, following the faint trace he had connected to her.
In his vision, he seemed to be traveling through the air at incredible speed.
He moved farther and farther in one direction.
But suddenly—
A strange mist appeared.
Aarav's vision entered the fog.
The farther he went, the denser it became.
Then—
Everything went black.
Aarav's eyes snapped open.
He immediately understood.
This isn't the work of an ordinary human.
Someone had surrounded Kirti with layers of dark energy.
The strange black mist was interfering with his ability to track her.
Whoever had taken Kirti possessed some kind of dark power.
Aarav's lips curled into a faint smile.
But I don't actually need to track her.
He closed his eyes again.
I already have a Shadow Slave hidden inside Kirti's shadow.
Aarav reached out with his consciousness.
The connection was established.
Somewhere far away, Kirti's shadow suddenly moved.
The Shadow Slave opened its eyes.
And through its vision—
Aarav could see.
Kirti was inside a large chamber.
A strange green liquid surrounded her body.
Her eyes were closed.
She appeared to be floating inside the chamber, suspended within the liquid.
Several wires were attached around her body.
Advanced machines surrounded the chamber.
A large monitor displayed various readings—
Her blood circulation.
Heart rate.
Blood-vessel activity.
And several other biological measurements.
Aarav carefully examined the surroundings.
There was no one visible.
Then—
Aarav suddenly felt a hand placed on his shoulder.
His eyes opened immediately.
Standing in front of him was Yash Satyamurti.
Yash looked at him with concern.
"Are you alright?"
Aarav nodded.
"Yeah."
He looked toward Yash.
"Don't worry."
His voice was calm.
"We'll find Kirti."
Yash studied him for a moment before turning toward ACP Pritam.
"What have you found out about these people?"
He gestured toward the bodies.
Pritam looked at one of the nearby officers.
The officer stepped forward.
"Sir, based on the IDs recovered from the victims, most of them appear to have been students."
Pritam looked surprised.
"Students?"
He glanced at the bodies.
"Were they all from the same university?"
"No, sir."
The officer shook his head.
"They came from different institutions. Some were even from different states."
He paused.
"Although a few of them did attend the same universities."
Pritam frowned.
"But why would these people kidnap Kirti?"
Yash's expression became thoughtful.
He turned toward the officer.
"Were all of them from the same religious background?"
The officer hesitated.
He understood exactly what Yash was asking.
"Yes, sir."
Pritam glanced at Yash.
Yash continued questioning.
"Were all of them students?"
The officer shook his head.
"No, sir. We haven't been able to identify everyone yet."
Before anyone could say anything else—
"Sir! Sir!"
An officer came running toward them.
He stopped in front of the group, slightly out of breath.
"Sir... we found something."
Pritam immediately turned toward him.
"What?"
The officer hesitated.
"We found weapons in the basement."
Yash's eyebrows rose.
"Basement?"
He looked toward the warehouse.
"This warehouse has a basement?"
The officer nodded.
"Yes, sir."
He turned around.
"I'll show you."
The team followed him toward the entrance.
As they descended toward the hidden basement, Yash's expression became increasingly serious.
Whatever this warehouse had been used for...
It was clearly more than just a place where Kirti had been held.
And now, they were about to discover another part of the mystery.
When everyone reached the basement, they immediately noticed something unusual.
Several weapons were scattered around the room.
There was also equipment that appeared to be related to bomb-making, along with a video camera and two large lights positioned toward a particular spot.
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
"What the hell was this place being used for?" one officer muttered.
Before anyone could investigate further—
Buzz... buzz...
A strange sound came from somewhere nearby.
ACP Pritam and Yash immediately drew their guns.
Yash carefully followed the sound.
Near one corner of the basement, something appeared to be vibrating underneath a large piece of cloth.
He approached cautiously.
Then, with one quick movement, he pulled the cloth away.
His eyes widened.
A man was hiding underneath it, trembling uncontrollably.
The moment the cloth was removed, the man screamed in fear and immediately covered his head with his hands.
After a few moments, he slowly opened his eyes.
He looked around.
There were several people standing around him.
Humans.
Relief immediately washed over his face.
Yash pointed his pistol at him.
"What happened here? Speak!"
The man nervously swallowed.
"I... I was preparing the setup down here."
ACP Pritam frowned.
"Setup?"
The man nodded.
"Yes, sir. We had brought a girl here after kidnapping her..."
Before he could finish—
A hand suddenly grabbed his throat.
His eyes widened in terror.
Aarav had seized him with one hand.
And before anyone could react, Aarav effortlessly lifted him off the ground.
The man desperately tried to free himself.
Pritam immediately stepped forward.
"What are you doing? Let him go!"
Aarav didn't respond.
"Aarav!" Yash shouted. "Let him go!"
But Aarav didn't even look at him.
His eyes remained fixed on the man's face.
Then something strange happened.
Aarav's pupils seemed to become unnaturally still.
He was looking beyond the man's expression.
He was looking into his memories.
Everything the man knew began flashing through Aarav's mind.
The warehouse.
Kirti.
The kidnapping.
The people involved.
The chamber.
The strange equipment.
The unknown creature.
Aarav absorbed every piece of information the man possessed.
A few seconds later, he released him.
The man fell onto the nearby pile of equipment.
Without saying another word, Aarav turned around and started walking toward the exit.
Yash followed him.
"Aarav, this isn't the time to lose your temper."
He caught up with him.
"Right now, we need to stay calm and find your sister."
Aarav gave a small nod.
"You're right."
The two of them returned to the main warehouse.
The CID team was still busy examining the crime scene.
Aarav looked around.
Then he decided there was no point hiding his abilities anymore.
He extended one hand.
Suddenly—
A strange circular pattern appeared on the floor beneath him.
The symbol first glowed black.
Then darker shades of black and crimson began spreading across the pattern.
The air around them seemed to grow heavy.
BOOM!
The ground beneath the circle suddenly cracked open.
Something enormous emerged from below.
A massive, terrifying black hound rose from the darkness.
The creature lifted its head toward the ceiling and released a powerful howl.
"AAAWOOOOOOO!"
Everyone froze.
Several officers instinctively stepped backward.
Even Yash stood completely stunned.
Did that thing just come out of the ground?
The creature turned toward Aarav.
It growled and barked.
"Grrrr! Woof!"
(Who are you, and how did you summon me?)
Aarav said nothing.
Instead, he released a portion of his aura.
The moment the creature sensed it, its entire attitude changed.
Its eyes widened.
"Woof! Woof!"
(Boss! You... you've become even smaller than me!)
The creature flashed its enormous teeth.
To everyone else, the sight was terrifying.
Aarav, however, slowly turned his head toward it.
The hound immediately realized its mistake.
It straightened itself and quickly corrected its words.
"Woof! Woof! Grrrr! Woof!"
(I mean... King! Leo, Son of Cerberus, is at your service. What is your command?)
Aarav ignored the obvious flattery.
He pulled out his phone and showed Leo a photograph of Kirti.
"A demonic creature took her from this location."
His voice was calm.
"Find her."
Leo stared at the photograph.
His tongue immediately rolled out as he began drooling.
"Hehe... woof! Grrr! Woof! Woof!"
(Hehe... who is this beautiful lady?)
Aarav stared at him.
"Your king's elder sister."
Leo froze.
"Woof?"
(Your elder sister?)
Aarav gave him a cold look.
Leo immediately nodded enthusiastically.
"Woof! Woof! AAAWOOOOOO!"
(The King's lady sister? I will find her even if I have to risk my life! AAAAAWOOOO!)
The howl echoed through the warehouse.
Leo then released his own energy.
The air around him seemed to ripple.
After a moment, his ears suddenly perked up.
He had sensed something.
A faint trail of energy appeared to be leading in one particular direction.
Leo immediately sprinted toward it.
Aarav watched him go and chuckled softly.
Then he looked toward Yash.
Yash was still standing there like a statue.
Aarav waved his hand in front of his face.
"Come on. We need to save Kirti."
Yash finally snapped out of his shock.
He stared at Aarav.
"What... just happened?"
He pointed toward the direction where Leo had disappeared.
"Did that actually happen, or am I dreaming?"
"We don't have time for this."
Aarav turned and walked outside.
He reached his bike, grabbed his helmet, and put it on.
Then he started the engine.
Leo was already racing ahead.
Aarav immediately accelerated after him.
Yash watched them disappear down the road.
After a moment, he shook his head, pushed his questions aside, and got into his car.
Then he started following them.
---
Back at the warehouse, the entire CID team stood frozen.
Confusion.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Nobody seemed to know what to say.
One officer slowly turned toward another.
"Did you see what I just saw?"
The other officer nodded.
"Yes."
He swallowed.
"That boy literally summoned a dog from the ground."
"And then he talked to it."
"And the dog talked back."
The first officer nodded slowly.
"Then they both just ran away."
Another officer looked toward ACP Pritam.
"Sir... they ran away."
Everyone looked at him.
Pritam remained silent for a moment.
Then he calmly said,
"I know Yash well."
He glanced toward the road where Yash had disappeared.
"Whatever happened here... forget about it for now."
The officers looked at each other.
"But sir—"
"Focus on the case."
Pritam's voice became firm.
"We have a missing girl, a warehouse full of unanswered questions, and an unknown attacker."
He turned toward the evidence.
"Those are our priorities."
The officers reluctantly nodded.
They still had countless questions in their minds.
But for now, they understood one thing.
Whatever they had just witnessed...
It was better left unexplained.
At least until they found Kirti.