Location: Rudra's Mansion, Mumbai
Date & Time: January 1, 2025 | 09:30 AM
The first morning of the new year had never felt like this for Mumbai. The sun had risen, but the city's familiar, bustling spirit was entirely missing. Following the Prime Minister's assurance last night, people had finally gathered the courage to step out of their homes, yet the streets were unnervingly sparse. Everyone looked at each other with eyes full of suspicion, as if the changing color of the sky had also changed the trust people held for one another.
When Rudra woke up, his head felt incredibly heavy. It felt as though a slow, burning fire had been lit inside his bones. A strange, unnatural fever radiated from deep within his body.
"Just the result of insomnia and depression," he muttered in an exhausted, raspy voice. He convinced himself that his physical body was finally giving up, unable to bear the crushing weight of the stress and trauma anymore. Dragging his tired, slouched frame out of bed, he dragged himself toward the bathroom. He hoped that a cold shower would wash away the lingering nightmare and bring him back to reality.
He pulled off his oversized hoodie—the protective 'shell' behind which he hid from the rest of the world. Standing under the shower, the freezing water cascading down his body brought a brief moment of relief, but it couldn't extinguish that strange, internal heat simmering inside him.
After stepping out of the shower, he stood before the mirror and looked at his reflection. Deep, empty eyes framed by dark, exhausted shadows—he was still the same broken Rudra. But just as he tilted his head to dry his hair with the towel, his gaze caught something on his neck in the mirror.
He froze instantly. The towel slipped from his hands and hit the floor.
There, on the left side of his neck, was a mark resembling a tattoo. It had never been there before. And this was no ordinary tattoo. It was a complex, intricate design of interlocking blue and red flames, etched into his skin as vividly as a fresh, glowing scar. With trembling fingers, he reached up and touched it, desperately hoping it was just some ink or dirt. But it wasn't. It was deeply embedded, now a permanent part of his skin.
"No... It wasn't a hallucination," his throat went completely dry.
The glowing stone, the metallic fluid absorbing into his palm—it was all real. What he had witnessed last night wasn't a trick of his fractured mind. It was a terrifying reality that had now literally stamped itself onto his body.
Driven by a sudden rush of fear and panic, he ran out into the hall and switched on the TV. The news channels were no longer just talking about "The Glitch." Now, horrifyingly 'abnormal' reports were flooding in.
"Bizarre incidents are being reported from all over the globe!" a news anchor yelled through the screen. Beside her played a grainy mobile video of an angry man casually lifting an entire car with his bare hands and throwing it aside. Another report showed a young teenager taking a nearly six-foot-high leap, an impossible feat for any normal human being.
Rudra immediately grabbed his phone. Hashtags like 'Awakening' and 'Superhumans' were trending globally across all social media platforms. The entire world was caught in a bizarre mix of sheer terror and wild excitement. People were terrified, questioning who these altered individuals were and whether they were a threat to humanity.
Rudra slowly lowered his phone and looked down at his tightly clenched fist. The world had irrevocably changed. People were lifting cars and jumping over walls... but what was this 'Blue and Red Flame' mark on his neck? He didn't feel any sudden burst of superhuman strength or agility; all he felt was that rising, inescapable internal heat.
Whether he wanted it or not, he was now a part of this strange new, living world.
Chapter Summary
Location & Time: Rudra's Mansion, Mumbai | January 1, 2025, 09:30 AM.
The Aftermath: The city is tense. Rudra wakes up feeling a strange, unnatural fever and heat from within.
The Mark: While looking in the mirror, Rudra discovers a permanent, complex tattoo of blue and red flames on the left side of his neck. His denial shatters as he realizes the glowing stone was real.
Global Awakening: News and social media explode with reports of normal people suddenly displaying superhuman abilities, like lifting cars and leaping impossible heights.
Character Status: Rudra accepts his new reality. However, unlike others who have gained physical strength, his 'Awakening' seems different—manifesting only as a mysterious mark and an intense internal heat.