Location: Garud Vajra HQ (Main Parking)
Time: 06:30 PM
Date: November 26, 2025
The darkness of evening had fully settled over the city. On the 50-foot-high reinforced walls of the Garud Vajra HQ, massive floodlights illuminated the entire compound, turning night into day. The contrast between the ruined world outside and the absolute tranquility within this fortress was staggering.
The massive steel gates of the HQ hummed as they slid open. Raghav's matte-black SUV entered, followed closely by heavy transport trucks. In their reinforced chains lay the massive carcass of the 350,000 MP Nether-Steel Lycan. Upon entering, the trucks diverted, heading straight toward Sector 2 (R&D and Forge Zone), where the guild's scientists and blacksmiths awaited their prize.
Raghav brought the SUV to a halt in the main parking area and cut the engine. Rudra took a cold, steady breath before opening the door and stepping out.
His footsteps faltered for a fraction of a second. Standing directly outside the main entrance were Adiraj and Vikram. The most powerful dunger in the world, a man whose name made every guild in the country tremble, had set aside his duties simply to wait for a recruit's return. There was no arrogance of rank in their posture—only the deep-seated concern one holds for family.
The Unspoken Truth
Adiraj and Vikram walked toward them. While Vikram wore a calm, knowing smile, Adiraj's eyes scanned Rudra's face with clinical intensity. He was looking for signs that the isolation and bloodshed of the B-Rank Gate had further darkened the boy's mind. But he found no blind rage or bloodlust—only a quiet stillness.
"How was your first solo raid experience?" Adiraj asked in a soft, casual tone, as if asking about a routine day's work.
"It was good," Rudra replied calmly.
A brief silence followed, filled only by the distant hum of machinery. Rudra's mind, usually a whirlwind of predatory calculations, was strangely quiet. The cold, calculating hunter had been momentarily replaced by a 19-year-old boy who wanted to shed a heavy burden he had carried since morning.
Rudra looked directly into the eyes of Adiraj and Vikram. "By the way..." his voice softened, "if you and Vikram Bhaiya already knew about my power... why didn't you say anything? Why did you let me keep it a secret?"
The question landed like a heavy stone. Raghav stepped back slightly, recognizing that this conversation belonged only to the three of them.
The Fear of the Dark
Adiraj's smile faded, replaced by a look of somber intensity. He took a long breath. "Because I hoped that one day, you would come and tell me yourself. I wanted you to trust me on your own terms. But it seems I failed in my responsibility. As a leader and a brother, I couldn't erase that fear from your mind."
Adiraj began to say more, but Rudra interrupted him. "No... you're wrong."
There was no coldness or predatory sharpness in Rudra's voice now. For that moment, his voice held a vulnerability and innocence that shook both Adiraj and Vikram to their core.
"I trust you completely," Rudra continued, the trauma of the last eight months bleeding through his words. "But... I thought if you found out about this strange power and these skills, you would see me as a monster. I thought... you would leave me alone again. That is why I hid it."
The words were gut-wrenching. Rudra wasn't afraid of monsters, and he wasn't afraid of death. His greatest fear was returning to the darkness of isolation—to a place where there was no one to call his own.
The Sovereign's Vow
Adiraj felt a sharp pang in his chest. The boy the world saw as a cold-blooded predator was, beneath it all, just a lonely child in need of belonging.
Without a second thought, Adiraj stepped forward. He placed his heavy, powerful hands on Rudra's shoulders. His grip wasn't forceful; it carried a warmth that felt like an unbreakable shield.
"You fool..." Adiraj said in a voice that was soft yet as firm as iron. "I promised you at that car wreck that I would look after you. From that very day, I considered myself your older brother. Don't ever let your mind trick you into thinking I would leave you behind."
Rudra looked into Adiraj's eyes and found nothing but absolute sincerity.
Adiraj squeezed his shoulders slightly, making a final, solemn vow. "I will never ask you about your skills. You are entirely free. Tell me whenever you feel like it, or don't. But I promise you once more... I will not leave you alone. This is an older brother's promise to his younger brother."
Those words flowed through Rudra's mind like a cooling spring. The grime of eight months of isolation, the fear, and the insecurity were washed away forever by that single promise. Rudra took a deep breath and, for the first time in months, felt his mind become truly liberated and peaceful.
He no longer had to carry the weight of a secret. He was now, in every sense of the word, a part of this family.
Chapter Summary
The Return: The convoy brings the Nether-Steel Lycan carcass to the HQ for processing in Sector 2.
The Confrontation: Rudra asks why Adiraj and Vikram allowed him to keep his shadow-summoning power a secret.
The Revelation of Fear: Rudra admits his fear wasn't of being caught, but of being abandoned or labeled a "monster" by his new family.
The Vow: Adiraj reaffirms his role as Rudra's older brother, promising never to leave him and respecting his privacy regarding his skills.
Catharsis: Rudra experiences a profound emotional release, finally feeling secure within the Garud Vajra hierarchy.
Status Log
Location: Garud Vajra HQ.
Rudra's MP: 150,000 (Peak B-Rank).
Adiraj's MP: 255 Million (S-Rank).
Relationship Status: "Little Brother" bond officially solidified with Adiraj.
Next Phase: December 4th preparations and potential equipment upgrades from the Lycan materials.