The night was quiet, but in the deserted streets of Mumbai, gunfire echoed as three kidnappers—Jimmy, Mike, and Edward—ran from Officer Samradh, carrying a baby and a bag full of gold.
The kidnappers took a car on the highway at gunpoint. Samradh ran after them in fury, cursing under his breath.
"Dammit, they got away. Bring the jeep!" he shouted into the radio.
They were panting heavily in the car, with Jimmy driving. Edward tried to silence the crying baby.
"Shut up, you little brat. Should I throw him out?" he asked in frustration.
Mike replied, "Hey, don't do anything to the baby, or we'll be in more trouble. Just leave him on the steps of a temple or something."
Jimmy stopped the car outside a small temple of Lord Shiva and placed the baby on the temple steps.
Edward and Mike looked at the gold they had robbed. Jimmy grinned in satisfaction. "Tonight, we hit a big score."
The three of them started laughing in excitement at the thought of being rich.
Meanwhile, the crying baby caught the attention of some street dogs that did not look friendly. Five dogs stared at the baby, growling.
The baby began crying more aggressively as he sensed the danger. One of the dogs jumped at the baby but was suddenly thrown back. The other dogs watched in fear and then ran away.
A shadow loomed over the baby. A figure stood at the entrance of the temple, his hands on his hips, his folded wings covering his back.
Jimmy drove the car through the forest while Mike and Edward fell asleep. The car jolted over a pothole, and Mike stirred. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Edward's head was gone from his neck.
He panicked and started screaming. "Ahhh! Ahhh! Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy! Look at this!"
He abruptly shook Jimmy in the driver's seat, but soon realized that Jimmy's head was also gone. The car went out of control and smashed into a tree.
Several seconds later, Mike crawled out of the broken car, covered in blood and unable to walk. He crawled toward the road, where a jeep stopped beside him.
Mike screamed in pain as Officer Samradh stepped out of the jeep and shoved a gun into Mike's mouth.
"Where's the baby?" he demanded.
Nineteen years later, Vikram woke from his sleep. He was a twenty-year-old second-year college student. He stood up and stretched his arms lazily before going to the bathroom to freshen up.
His phone rang. Still in a towel, he hurried out of the bathroom but slipped on the floor. "Ouch," he groaned in pain, then answered the call.
"Yes, Mom. Yeah, we safely arrived in Delhi. I'll be back in three days."
His mother, Anu, replied, "Take care on the trip, and don't take candy from strangers."
Vikram responded dryly, "Mom, I'm not a kid."
Anu giggled. "Okay, bye. Take care." She ended the call.
Vikram stepped out of the hotel where he was staying. He had actually lied about it being a college trip and had come alone to travel in Delhi.
"So hello, guys. You must be thinking I'm a liar like any other kid, but no — I have a reason for coming here. I keep getting visions of Delhi's Red Fort," Vikram said to the camera while walking through Chor Bazaar.
Around him, multiple phones, Snickers bars, and other items were being sold like vegetables in an open market. It was basically a theft market where thieves sold what they had stolen.
Later, while eating ice cream and looking at the Red Fort, Vikram muttered, "This is the same place. The door must be here if the visions are true."
For years, Vikram had been seeing visions of a strange door. He had finally decided to look for it himself to find out whether it was real — or if he had gone crazy after being single for too long.
Vikram investigates every corner of the Red Fort, but he doesn't find that specific door—the big wooden door with a lotus carved on it. He doesn't want to return, yet the visions are getting too vivid, as if he is seeing an actual place and not a dream. He sees a golden coin and the silhouette of a maiden who gives him different knowledge each time.
Vikram goes to sleep in his room and sighs in defeat as he lies on the bed. His body grows tense. His eyes roll back. He sees himself in a grand castle. Now, in the vision, he is able to see perfectly. The grand hall stretches before him. The floor on which he stands looks like water, and it startles him. He slowly walks toward a door, then realizes that the door he thought was open is actually closed. So he opens it—but to his surprise, the open door looks as if it is closed.
"What kind of illusion is this?" he mutters as he looks outside.
He sees what appears to be a crystal floor. He goes near it, but as soon as he puts his foot on it, the crystal floor turns out to be shining, still water. He swims up, gasping for air. "What a weird place."
He walks back into the grand hall and realizes it is some kind of meeting hall. In front of him stands a grand throne made of gold and jewelry, shining brilliantly. On the ground level are seats for ministers and other people. He walks up the stairs toward the throne and touches it. "Wow… is it real?" he wonders.
He sits on the throne. The air goes still. The light, which has no visible source, flickers. Suddenly, a crystal-like, starry fog envelops the grand hall. He sees that the whole hall is now filled with people in ancient Indian royal attire, as if he is in ancient times.
One man walks into the hall and slips. A woman sees him and starts laughing. Vikram is unable to hold back his laughter, and it echoes throughout the hall. But soon his laughter dies as he notices that everyone is staring at him with deadly expressions.
Suddenly, they all begin slowly walking toward his throne. They draw their swords. Archers create arrows in their bows from thin air. The entire grand hall seems to move toward Vikram.
A bead of sweat forms on his forehead. He gulps in fear.
"What should I do?" he mutters to himself.
An arrow comes flying toward him. His eyes widen as he dodges it.
"Hey!" he shouts at the crowd, but he quickly realizes they are not going to listen. He runs into the corridor, and everyone starts running after him.
Vikram, pale with fear, runs for his life. "Someone help me!" he shouts.