July 7, 2008 - 5:17 PM
A Humble Home in Hyderabad's Old City
The power flickered as Kai materialized near the Charminar, his arrival disrupting the evening azaan's echo.
22 Years Before the Prophecy
His time-ravaged form bore grim trophies:
A Motorola Razr fused to his palm, its cracked screen stuck on "2030"His right arm pulsed with glowing Urdu numerals - each a stolen lifespanHis left eye reflected only Hyderabad's 2008 skyline superimposed with Shambala's ruins
The Target: A faded pink house where:
The mother's haleem never burned, no matter how long it cookedThe father's auto-rickshaw meter always showed ₹7.77 when parked
The Unaware Family
Mother- Stirring mirchi ka salan that bubbled in perfect fractal patternsFather- Watching cricket on a TV that showed dragon-winged fielders during replays Ram(16) - Playing Vice City on a modded PlayStation 2 that glitched near virtual blue gems
Through the lace curtains, Kai noted:
The mother's bangles tinked in Shambalan wind-chime rhythmsRam's game saves corrupted at exactly 7:07 PM daily
Where Was Arjun?
The biological son was at a Secunderabad cyber cafe, where his Orkut profile suddenly auto-posted:
"Current Mood: డ్రాగన్కలలుమళ్లీవస్తున్నాయి (Dragon dreams again)"
Kai's Hyderabad Hunt
The First Murder He hacked the father's Reliance mobile to emit skull-fracturing vibrations The dying man's last sight: Tendulkar's six freezing mid-air as a dragon statueThe Second Theft He siphoned the mother's lifespan through her scented Maruthi van's AC vents Her final act: spilling haleem on Ram's keyboard, the meat forming a dragon's claw printThe Revelation
As Kai turned to Ram, the teen's pirated Vice City glitchedto show: Seraphina's frozen wings The words "వాడు తప్పు బాలుడిని వెతుకుతున్నాడు" (He seeks the wrong boy)
Kai's Critical Oversights
Ram's Hospital Records Tucked under his mattress: "Gandhi Hospital - Special Wing D7" The neighborhood cats formed a glowing blue circlearound the house Arjun's Awakening
At the cyber cafe: His Firefox downloaded 777MB of Shambala mapsin Telugu script The CRT monitor reflected his eyes with vertical pupilsThe Hidden Truth
In his 2030 obsession, Kai missed: The haleem stain on Ram's shirt neutralizing his stolen lifespans Every Reliance mobile nearby displaying Seraphina's frozen face'
THE WRONG BOY
July 7, 2008 - 6:17 PM
The Hyderabad House - Now a Tomb
Kai stood amidst the carnage, his Motorola Razr smoking from the energy discharge.
The Aftermath of Slaughter
Ram's body lay twisted over his glitching PlayStation, Vice City still running - showing a frozen dragon statue where his character diedThe mother's spilled haleem formed a perfect dragon scale pattern on the linoleumThe father's wristwatch had melted into a silver puddle showing 7:07 forever
Kai's barcode-scarred arm pulsed as he checked his temporal tracker:
"THREAT NEUTRALIZED: ARJUN MISHRA"
The display glitched briefly - showing Ram's hospital ID ("D7-UNIT") before correcting itself.
Kai's Fatal Mistake
As he activated his time-return:
He didn't see Ram's fingers twitchone last time - typing a cheat code into his keyboard Missed the family photo melting to reveal Arjun's true birth certificateunderneath The neighborhood cats began yowling in unison- their eyes reflecting Seraphina's frozen form
The time portal swallowed Kai whole, spitting him back to:
July 7, 2008 - 5:30 PM
The Same Hyderabad House
The Cruel Twist
Kai arrived to see:
Ram alive, now holding the dragon-scale patterned haleem bowlThe parents whole again, but their eyes glowing faintly blueOn TV: A breaking news alert about "miraculous recoveries at Gandhi Hospital"
Ram looked straight at Kai (who was now invisible in the past timeline) and whispered:
"Nenu Arjun kaadhu... migatha vadini kosam trap."
(I am not Arjun... this was a trap for the other one.)
The Horrifying Truth
Ram Was Never the Target His "death" had triggered a time paradox The real Arjun, still in Secunderabad, suddenly grew dragon-scale birthmarksSeraphina's Gambit
The frozen dragon had used: Ram's D7 hospital connection as bait The parents' "deaths" to activate their latent Shambalan DNAKai's Doom
His tracker now showed:
"PRIMARY TARGET ACTIVE: ARJUN MISHRA - 100% SHAMBALAN SYNCS"