Varanasi...
Shakthi Private Hospital...
Inside the softly lit hospital room, Guru Arvind and Anish Shetty were chatting quietly—
An air of calm familiarity between them.
Anish, propped up against pillows, looked healthier than before, thanks to the supplements and rest.
Their conversation had turned from the past to what the future held for the next generation of Bramansh.
Rudra, leaning casually against the wall, let his eyes wander.
A strange tug pulled at his senses.
"____"
He turned toward the large open window beside the room.
For a brief moment, he felt a sharp gaze prickling against his skin—
Like someone was watching him from afar.
He narrowed his eyes and scanned the opposite buildings.
Nothing.
He shook his head and chuckled to himself.
Chuckle~
"Getting paranoid..."
He muttered under his breath.
Just then—
His phone rang.
RING... RING...
RING... RING...
He glanced at the screen.
It was Amirtha.
"Hm? What's she calling about now?"
He murmured, accepting the call.
A rush of wind blew into the room as he stepped aside from the others and walked over to the window.
The voices of Guru Arvind and Anish faded slightly behind him.
He answered the call:
"Amirtha? What's up?"
Her voice came through the phone fast and urgent, without greeting:
"Rudra, listen to me carefully. We have a problem."
His brow furrowed.
Frown~
"____"
His gaze returned to the same building across the street.
"What? What happened?"
There was a pause, and then her voice dropped lower—
more serious.
"Shiva had a vision. A deep trance. He saw everything. One of the enemies—Naman—he was somehow connected to Dev's seal. He got a memory… a revelation. He knows."
"Knows what?"
"He knows that Guru Arvind… is the current Guru of the Bramansh."
Rudra was shocked.
Before he could respond, the phone crackled again, and a familiar male voice took over:
"Rudra, it's me—Shiva."
"Shiva?! What's going on?"
"They're here. Right across from your location. Three of them. Watching through binoculars. I saw it in the trance before it even happened. They were spying on Anish—trying to find leads on the Brahmastra fragments."
"They didn't recognise either of you at first, but now… now they do. Naman knows."
Rudra's eyes darted immediately to the lodge building across the street from the hospital.
He finally saw it.
The slight flicker of movement behind a shaded window.
The gleam of a lens catching sunlight.
His hand instinctively went to his coat pocket, where his staff pieces were hidden.
"Damn… They're already this close?"
He turned back toward Guru Arvind and Anish, his voice tightening:
"Trouble has come."
The moment Rudra relayed the message, the atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
"____"
"____"
Guru Arvind's expression turned from calm to sharply alert, and Anish Shetty straightened in his hospital bed as if the fatigue had been a lie.
His eyes burned with urgency.
"They're across the street. They know about us,"
Rudra said grimly.
Without a word, Anish grabbed Rudra's phone from his hand and quickly dialled a number.
"Rohit. Get your brother Tarun and your mother. Come to my ward—now. Then be ready to leave the hospital with us. No questions."
He ended the call without waiting for a reply.
Rudra moved quickly and drew the curtains over the windows, masking the room from the view of the spying enemies.
The three men moved swiftly—
Guru Arvind, Anish, and Rudra—
Exiting the ward in a tight formation, taking the corridor toward the emergency exit.
Their pace was brisk but measured, avoiding panic or attention.
As they turned a corner, they nearly collided with Rohit, Tarun, and Anish's wife, who was carrying a handbag and looking utterly puzzled.
"____"
Her voice rose in confusion and frustration.
"Anish? What's going on? You're supposed to be in bed! You've barely recovered, and now you're sprinting down the halls like you drank Complan!"
Anish didn't stop.
He grasped her hand firmly yet gently and began pulling her along.
"We're leaving. Now. I'll explain later. Just trust me."
"____"
She struggled a bit at first, but seeing the intensity in his eyes and the stern expressions on Guru Arvind and Rudra, she fell silent and complied.
Tarun and Rohit exchanged a look of unease but followed closely behind.
Whatever was going on, it was serious.
"Head to the emergency stairwell."
Rudra whispered, eyes flicking back.
"If they're already moving, we need to beat them out."
The group hurried down the corridor, moving away from the elevators toward the less monitored emergency exit.
The tension in the air was thick—
Every step echoed like a countdown.
Far behind them, down the hallway, a lift door opened silently.
Three silhouettes emerged from the opposite building's entrance—
Zor, Raftar, and Naman—
Their eyes scanning, their faces sharp with suspicion.
"They're on the move,"
Naman muttered, his red stone still glowing faintly.
"Do they know we're here?"
Zor, Raftar, and Naman arrived at the hospital ward only to find it empty.
"____"
"____"
"____"
The bed was neatly arranged, the curtains drawn, and the patient missing.
A nurse stepped into the room, puzzled, flipping through her chart.
"What...? Where's Mr. Shetty?"
She murmured, clearly confused.
"He was just here a while ago—"
That was all the three needed to hear.
Their eyes met.
"They knew,"
Zor growled, his hand clenching.
"They're on the move,"
Raftar muttered, his eyes narrowing.
Without another word, they split up, sprinting in different directions.
Zor took the fire escape.
Raftar bolted toward the elevators.
Naman turned and ran down the corridor toward the east window, which overlooked the hospital's emergency parking zone.
As he reached the window, he froze.
"____"
Down below, he saw them.
Anish Shetty, moving briskly, supported by his wife and two sons, was heading toward a silver SUV.
Behind them walked Guru Arvind, and the young man—
Already sliding into the driver's seat.
The engine roared to life.
VROOM~ VROOOOM~
Naman's red stone pulsed again, but this time with a low, ominous throb—
As if sensing opportunity slipping through their fingers.
"Zor! Raftar! They're leaving. Emergency exit, silver SUV, west lot!"
Naman barked into his comm-stone, slamming his palm on the window in frustration.
The SUV began to pull out of the parking lot, quickly merging onto the road.
Down below, a hospital security guard raised a hand lazily as the vehicle passed, unaware of anything unusual.
Zor reached the ground floor seconds later, bursting out of the stairwell. He scanned the street, saw the SUV turning a corner, and hissed through clenched teeth.
Raftar joined him a few seconds later, his breath short.
"We were this close,"
He snarled.
Naman came down last, eyes still on fire.
"I saw his face. That old man,"
He said coldly.
"He is the Guru. And that boy—he's not ordinary."
Zor turned to them both, face grim.
"What now?"
Naman's lips curled into a smirk.
Smirk~
"We follow them. Wherever they're going—we're not far behind."
He looked in the direction the SUV had vanished.
After 15 minutes...
The vehicle cruised down a highway cutting through the edges of Varanasi.
The city noise faded behind them, replaced by the hum of tires on asphalt and the occasional chirp of birds from roadside trees.
"____"
Guru Arvind sat silently in the passenger seat, gaze steady out the window, hand resting calmly on his knee.
Rudra was at the wheel, expression focused, his eyes checking the rearview mirror every few seconds.
His ear-jack still played soft instrumental music, but his senses were sharp and alert.
In the back seat, Anish Shetty sat with his wife and their two sons, Rohit and Tarun.
No one had spoken since they left the hospital—
Fifteen minutes of tense silence.
Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, Anish's wife turned toward him with narrowed eyes.
"Anish,"
She said, her voice clipped and sharp.
"Why are we running? And from whom exactly?"
Her eyes darted to Guru Arvind and Rudra in the front seats.
"Did you get involved in something illegal again? Drugs? Black market weapons? Is that what this is?"
Her voice rose.
"Is that why someone tried to kill you?!"
Anish sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"No,"
He muttered.
"Then explain, because right now it feels like I'm sitting in the middle of some spy thriller—except it's my family. You never told me anything!"
Rohit and Tarun exchanged glances.
The elder son leaned forward.
"Dad… what's going on? Why were you targeted?"
Anish looked up at Guru Arvind, who gave a subtle nod.
Nod~
He turned to face his family.
"I never told you because it was safer that way."
Anish began, his voice softer now.
"But the truth is… I'm not just an archaeologist."
A stunned silence filled the SUV.
"____"
"____"
"____"
"I belong to an ancient order known as the Bramansh."
He continued.
"My ancestors inherited one of the divine Astras—Nandi Astra. That legacy was passed down to me. My job is to protect the astra from falling into the wrong hands and also normal people who might be targeted by the misusers of the astra."
His wife blinked, staring at him like he'd spoken an alien language.
"What are you saying? You're… like some kind of superhero?"
"Not a superhero,"
Anish said, chuckling dryly.
Chuckle~
"More like… a protector of something ancient. Something sacred."
She scoffed, shaking her head.
"I don't believe this."
Without a word, Rudra held up his right hand.
A golden aura bloomed from his palm like smoke swirling under water—luminous, divine, serene—
Filling the vehicle with a warm glow.
Everyone stared.
His wife's jaw dropped.
"So it's true… Can you all do that?"
She whispered.
She turned to Anish, eyes wide with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
"Show me,"
She said.
"You too… You have powers, right?"
Rohit and Tarun leaned in, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Anish let out a sheepish cough, patting his chest.
Cough~
"Er… not right now,"
He said awkwardly.
"It's not suitable to use mine in this small space. And besides… I'm still recovering, remember?"
Guru Arvind let out a soft chuckle, glancing back.
Chuckle~
"He's not lying,"
The elder said gently.
"Nandi Astra's energy is… loud. The car might not survive it."
Anish's wife slumped back in her seat, overwhelmed but quiet now, her expression slowly shifting from anger to curiosity.
"So this is real,"
She murmured.
"All of it. What else are you hiding from me, Mr. Secret Agent?"
Anish gave a lopsided smile, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You don't want to know. But I promise, I kept you in the dark to keep you safe."
The hum of tires on asphalt was replaced in a split second by chaos.
A black SUV came screeching out from a side lane, cutting sharply in front of Rudra's vehicle.
SCREEEEEEEECH!!!
"What the—!"
Rudra reacted instinctively.
His hand jerked the steering wheel, tires squealing, and his legs danced in perfect rhythm—
Clutch down, gear shift, brake, then gas, seamlessly flowing like muscle memory from another lifetime.
The car veered sideways, missing the collision by inches.
Inside the vehicle, everyone screamed or gasped, except Guru Arvind, whose eyes narrowed, and Anish, who immediately knew—
"They found us!"
Just then, Rudra's mind buzzed with a prompt.
[DING...]
[🔔 Skill Triggered: BGM Booster – Sync Mode: 67%... 83%... 100%
✅ Sync Achieved
🎵 Now Playing: "CJ – Woopty"
📢 Output Mode: Surround Speakers
⚡ Boost Type: Reflexes + Intuition + Handling Boost]
As the beat dropped, the entire car interior seemed to surge with raw kinetic energy.
The thump of the bass mirrored Rudra's heartbeat.
The golden glow of his aura subtly flared under his collar.
"Hold on,"
He muttered, eyes blazing.
"This is about to get messy."
Suddenly—
Another car swung in from behind, attempting to ram them from the rear.
"____"
SCREEEEEEECH!!!
Rudra twisted the steering wheel with surgical precision and performed a J-turn drift across an empty lane, sliding between two trucks, avoiding the second hit by a breath.
Then came a third—
A motorbike, zooming on the shoulder at an inhuman speed.
VROOOM!!!
"____"
Zor.
SCREEEECH!!!
He aimed to slide beside them and smash the windows, but Rudra slammed the gear into fourth and drifted again, forcing the bike to miss and almost lose balance.
Inside the car, Rohit and Tarun had their arms around their mother, shielding her instinctively.
Anish's face was grim.
"That's Zor, Raftar, and Naman,"
He hissed.
"They're not just ordinary enemies—they're hunters."
Guru Arvind calmly unbuckled his seatbelt and focused, eyes glowing faintly.
"You drive,"
He said to Rudra,
"I'll prepare."
Rudra grinned as the car surged forward, now weaving through traffic like it had a mind of its own.
Grin~
"Oh, I am driving,"
He said with a smirk.
Smirk~
"Just let the BGM ride."
Another blast from "Woopty" shook the atmosphere.
Rudra's enhanced reflexes, now sharpened by the BGM Booster's effect, allowed him to anticipate every movement:
The slant of a bumper, the twitch of a bike's handle, the trajectory of a closing car.
Boom!
Screech!!!
He slammed the brakes and performed a hairpin curve around a toll booth—
Sparks flying, tires screeching.
The enemy vehicles struggled to keep up.
🔥 In the Enemy Car:
Naman, gripping the wheel with white knuckles, growled.
"Who the hell is this driver?! He's no ordinary brat!"
Raftar, holding the handle on the ceiling of another car, which seems to be driven by another guy who seems to be mind controlled, gritted his teeth.
"It's that young guy from the hospital—he's too good."
Zor, zooming up again, shouted,
"That music… Why am I hearing music? Damn it!"
Back in Rudra's car, the music reached a peak drop as Rudra made a daring manoeuvre, sliding between two container trucks, scraping mirrors but escaping.
Guru Arvind calmly touched his pendant.
"Rudra… the next turn, right. Open road. I'll handle the rest."
Rudra, with a nod, made a razor-sharp turn, the BGM still thundering through the car speakers, vibrations matching the pulse of the moment.
"Hold tight!"
SCRAAAP!
He warned as the car leaned, tires scraping the edge of the curb.
Beside him, Guru Arvind reached into his coat and pulled out what looked like… a kitchen knife?
Rohit, Tarun, and their mother blinked in disbelief.
"____"
"____"
"____"
"What's he going to do with that? Chop onions?"
Tarun muttered.
Then—
Guru Arvind's calm expression shifted.
He held the blade up, and suddenly—
⚡ PRAHBASTRA AWAKENED ⚡(Light based weapon)
The knife ignited in his hand, not with fire—
But with brilliant, crackling white plasma.
The dull blade reshaped itself instantly, forming a sleek, radiant sword of pure energy, veins of lightning dancing along its edge.
"This will buy us time,"
He said softly.
The car door swung open as the vehicle was still in motion.
Before anyone could stop him, Guru Arvind leaned out, sword raised—
And with a precise motion—
SZZZKHHHH!!!
He slashed a nearby tree.
The tree didn't fall.
It evaporated—
A clean, glowing slice ran through the trunk like it was made of butter, and the lightning-infused energy transferred to the bark, racing down its core.
CRACK!
With a violent CRACK, the tree shattered in a blast of blinding light and plasma discharge, collapsing directly onto the roadway behind them.
Raftar, who had been standing confidently on top of a speeding car, barely saw the tree falling before—
"Sh—!"
He leapt off the car with a desperate jump, just as the tree hit the vehicle.
BOOOOM!!!
The shockwave of light energy surged through the tree, creating a plasma explosion that obliterated the car like it was made of cardboard.
Raftar tumbled through the air and managed to land on Naman's car, his coat partially burned.
"What the hell was that?!"
He roared.
Naman gritted his teeth,
"That… That wasn't an ordinary Astra. That was—"
"—A Prābhastra,"
Zor said, riding parallel, his eyes narrowed.
"The old man… he's really strong."
Behind them, the wreckage of the tree burned with white-hot plasma, cutting off the road, at least momentarily.
Back Inside Rudra's Car...
Anish's wife stared wide-eyed at the glowing sword as Guru Arvind calmly retracted it, letting it dissipate back into a harmless-looking kitchen knife.
"____"
"W-Was that…"
She whispered.
"Prābhastra," (Light-based Weapon)
Anish answered grimly.
"That's why we need to stay alive. For powers like that… people kill."
Rudra glanced at Guru Arvind.
"We bought a few seconds. I'll make them count,"
He said, pushing the speed further, weaving through side roads into forested terrain.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! And power stone!!!
Which will motivate me more?