(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Inside the scrapyard, an unusual calm had settled after the chaos of the previous night.
The damaged workshop had been cleaned as much as possible, and the constant noise of machinery had been replaced by silence.
At the center of the room, Vedha sat cross-legged upon a worn-out mat.
His eyes remained closed.
His breathing was slow.
Steady.
Across from him, Vibya quietly guided the meditation.
"Don't force it," she said softly.
"Hidden memories cannot be dragged into the surface. They reveal themselves only when the mind stops chasing them."
Vedha frowned slightly.
"I keep seeing fragments."
"What kind of fragments?"
"A woman..."
"My mother..."
"A temple..."
"A sword..."
His eyebrows knitted together.
"And then everything becomes blurry."
Vibya nodded.
"That's normal."
"Your mother intentionally sealed those memories. She wanted them to remain hidden until the right time."
Vedha clenched his fists.
"It feels like I'm standing before a locked door."
"Then don't try to break the door."
She smiled reassuringly.
"Simply wait for it to open."
Not far away, Rudra quietly observed the session for a few minutes before turning toward Amirtha and Junoo.
"It'll take time."
Amirtha nodded.
"He isn't recovering ordinary memories."
"His mind is trying to unlock something protected by Astra techniques."
Junoo leaned against a nearby pillar.
"So we're basically waiting."
"More or less."
Rudra looked out through the broken entrance of the scrapyard.
The morning streets of Hyderabad had slowly returned to normal, as though the battle during the previous night had never happened.
People walked to work.
Children hurried toward school.
Tea vendors served customers.
Life continued.
Seeing Vedha would remain occupied for quite some time, Rudra remembered another promise.
He reached into his pocket and took out his phone.
The contact list was still short.
His thumb stopped on one particular name.
Isha.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"When you make a promise..."
He muttered quietly.
"...it's better to keep it."
Junoo immediately looked up.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not."
Rudra shook his head.
"I'm just making a call."
He pressed the call button.
The phone rang only once.
Twice.
Before the call connected.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end sounded almost instantly.
Bright. Cheerful.
And surprisingly energetic.
"Rudra?"
He smiled slightly.
"Good morning."
"I didn't expect you to call this soon!"
There was obvious excitement in Isha's voice.
"So..."
"Does that mean your work is finished?"
A brief pause followed.
"Can we finally have that coffee?"
Rudra couldn't help letting out a quiet chuckle.
"I still have work."
"A lot of it, actually."
"Aww..."
Her disappointment was almost audible.
For a second, Rudra considered postponing the meeting.
Then he glanced toward Vedha.
Vibya was still guiding him.
Amirtha and Junoo were watching over the area.
Mohan had gone out to gather supplies.
Everything was under control.
"I can't be away for long,"
Rudra said thoughtfully.
"So instead of going somewhere far..."
He looked toward the main road outside the scrapyard.
"There should be a small tea stall nearby."
He quickly searched the area on his phone before finding one only a few minutes away.
"I'll send you the address."
"If you're free, we can meet there."
For a moment there was complete silence.
Then...
"Really?"
Her voice carried unmistakable happiness.
"You're not cancelling?"
Rudra smiled with a chuckle.
-Chuckle!
"No."
"I promised."
"And I don't like breaking promises."
A soft laugh came from the other end.
"I'll be there."
She paused before adding playfully,
"And don't disappear before I arrive this time."
Rudra laughed quietly.
"I'll try not to."
"I'll hold you to that."
After exchanging a few final words, the call ended.
Rudra slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Junoo had been watching the entire conversation with an amused smile.
"So..."
She folded her arms.
"Coffee?"
Rudra looked at her.
"Tea, actually."
Junoo smirked seeing him trying to change the conversation.
"Even better."
Amirtha hid a small smile behind her hand.
"I think someone is looking forward to meeting an old friend."
Rudra simply shook his head.
"I made a promise."
Junoo immediately grinned.
"Yes, yes."
"We all heard the 'promise.'"
"But somehow..."
She glanced toward Amirtha with an exaggerated expression.
"...it sounded much more interesting than just tea."
Amirtha laughed softly while Rudra sighed in resignation.
"No matter what I say... you're going to tease me anyway."
Junoo gave him a completely innocent smile.
"Now you're learning."
Far away from the bustling streets of Hyderabad, hidden deep within an abandoned fortress that had long since disappeared from every official map, silence reigned.
The structure was ancient.
Its walls were covered with faded carvings and symbols forgotten by history.
Dozens of oil lamps illuminated the vast underground chamber, casting long shadows across the stone floor.
At the very center sat Mahabir Lama.
His eyes were closed.
His breathing remained perfectly calm.
Around him, several members of the Black Sword knelt respectfully, none daring to utter a word while their leader meditated.
Then hurried footsteps echoed through the chamber.
One of the sentries entered before immediately dropping to one knee.
"My Lord."
Mahabir slowly opened his eyes.
There was no irritation at being interrupted.
Only quiet curiosity.
"What happened?"
The messenger lowered his head even further.
"Our Hyderabad operation..."
"...has failed."
The entire chamber fell silent.
Mahabir's expression remained unchanged.
"And Yuca?"
The messenger hesitated.
Then finally spoke.
"...Lady Yuca has been captured."
For the first time—
Mahabir's composure cracked.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"...Captured?"
The single word echoed throughout the chamber.
The other members of Black Sword looked at one another in disbelief.
Impossible.
Yuca was not merely another operative.
She was one of Mahabir's strongest commanders.
A woman whose combat skills had been refined through years of ruthless training.
More importantly...
Her loyalty was absolute.
She would rather die than betray Mahabir.
For someone like her to be defeated was already shocking.
To be captured alive...
Was almost unimaginable.
Mahabir slowly rose from his stone seat.
His voice remained calm.
Yet everyone present could hear the dangerous edge beneath it.
"Explain."
The messenger swallowed nervously.
"We... we couldn't obtain the complete report."
"The surviving members were scattered during the battle."
"But according to those reports..."
He hesitated again.
"There were four Astra users."
Mahabir remained silent.
"...."
The messenger continued.
"A man using the Vanarastra."
"A woman wielding the Maya Astra."
"Another woman controlling the Jal Astra."
Every name caused several members of Black Sword to stiffen.
Those were not unknown Astra users.
They were all respected names within the hidden world.
Then came the final report.
The messenger lowered his head until it almost touched the floor.
"And... The Brahmastra bearer himself."
Silence. Absolute silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The lamps flickered gently.
No one moved.
No one even seemed willing to breathe.
Finally—Mahabir spoke as he wanted to confirm.
"...Who?"
The messenger answered quietly.
"Rudra Eswar."
The effect was immediate.
Several members instinctively stood.
Others looked at each other with unconcealed disbelief.
One elderly Astra user whispered,
"Impossible... I thought he disappeared years ago."
Another muttered,
"There hadn't been a single confirmed sighting since the war with Dev."
One of the younger members looked genuinely frightened.
"So..."
"The rumors were false."
"He was alive all along."
Mahabir remained completely still.
His expression revealed nothing.
Yet inside...
His thoughts moved rapidly.
'Rudra Eswar.'
The man who had ended Dev.
The wielder of the Brahmastra.
The one Astra user Mahabir had hoped would remain outside this conflict until the Nine Scriptures had been gathered.
Unfortunately...
Fate had chosen otherwise.
The messenger continued speaking.
"According to the survivors..."
"Rudra did not come alone."
"He was accompanied by Amirtha..."
"...Junoo..."
"...and Mohan Bhargav."
Several members of Black Sword quietly exchanged worried glances.
This wasn't merely one powerful opponent.
It was an entire team of elite Astra users.
Mahabir slowly walked toward the ancient map carved into the chamber floor.
His fingers rested upon Hyderabad.
Then slowly moved across several other marked locations.
"So..."
He murmured.
"The game has changed."
One of his commanders stepped forward cautiously.
"My Lord... What are your orders?"
Mahabir remained silent for a long moment.
Finally, he looked toward the gathered members.
His eyes had become frighteningly calm.
"We continue."
No hesitation. No anger. No panic.
"One setback does not change destiny."
He slowly clasped his hands behind his back.
"Rudra Eswar is powerful."
"I expected that."
"He has allies."
"I expected that as well."
His gaze sharpened.
"But even the wielder of the Brahmastra..."
"...cannot protect every guardian. And he had not faced me before claiming the strongest astra user."
The chamber became deathly quiet.
Mahabir's voice lowered.
Almost becoming a whisper.
"Let him protect Vedha."
"Let him protect Vibya."
"While he watches one battlefield..."
His finger slowly moved across the stone map until it rested upon another hidden location.
"...we shall strike another."
A cold smile slowly appeared on his face.
"The Nine Scriptures are guarded by nine bloodlines."
"He cannot stand beside all of them."
Every member of Black Sword immediately understood.
Their mission had not changed.
Only their strategy.
Mahabir looked once more toward Hyderabad.
For the first time in years...
There was someone standing on the opposite side of the board capable of matching him.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Rudra Eswar..."
He spoke the name quietly.
"Let us see..."
"...whether the Mother of All Astras can protect a world that is already beginning to fall apart."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Guys My New Fic name is:
-->Karuppan: King of Openings.
Check it out... I hope you will like it
Whats your thought's guys.
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! And power stone too!!!
Guys it will motivate me more?