As the smoke cleared and the embers from the mysterious red flame died down, Rudra stood silently, scanning the forest with sharp eyes.
But Guru Arvind placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"We're not alone, Rudra."
He said, his voice steady but commanding.
"Their target wasn't just me. Anish's family is here—innocent people. Their safety comes first."
Rudra clenched his fist but nodded, swallowing his frustration.
"____"
Nod~
He turned to look at Anish and his shaken family, who were still trying to process everything—
Especially the eerie silence from Anish's wife, whose stern eyes now held an unfamiliar mix of awe, fear, and thought.
They returned to the vehicle.
Everyone got in without a word.
This time, the mood inside the car had shifted—no panic, just a heavy silence.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Anish's wife, who earlier accused him of selling illegal weapons and being involved in shady dealings, sat with her arms crossed but was deep in thought.
Something inside her had clearly shifted.
Perhaps seeing powers, astras, and a life she never knew her husband lived had opened a floodgate of doubt, curiosity, and regret.
Rudra looked into the rearview mirror and asked quietly,
"Where now?"
Guru Arvind responded,
"We can't risk leading them to Gurukul. It's best we return to Ooty. That area is safer—for now."
Rudra nodded and set the destination.
Nod~
As the tires rolled forward, carving a path out of the wilderness, no one spoke.
The car, once a vessel of tension and action, had now become a cocoon of silence.
Outside, the rain continued to fall gently.
After navigating multiple detours to ensure they weren't being followed, Rudra finally pulled into the familiar driveway of The Highland Leaf – Restaurant & Inn.
The heavy rains had subsided into a gentle drizzle, casting a silvery sheen over the tiled roofs and the lush, misty surroundings of Ooty.
The headlights cut through the fog as the car rolled to a stop.
The Highland Leaf – Restaurant & Inn...
Inside the lodge, Junoo, seated at the reception desk, was on a call confirming a late dinner booking.
But the moment she saw Rudra, Guru Arvind, and Anish's family enter—
Tired, soaked, and serious—
She paused mid-sentence, muttered a quick
"I'll call you back."
And ended the call.
Her expression shifted from a routine professionalism to one of immediate concern.
Without a word, she stepped out from behind the desk and escorted them toward Rudra's office in the back section of the building.
Along the way, she discreetly pulled out her phone and texted:
"They're back. It's serious. Come to Rudra's office. Now."
On the other end, Amirtha, Shiva, Sandeep, and Ravi had been in the event hall, decorating the room with soft lights, garlands, and a banner that read "Happy Birthday, Rudra!"
The plan had been to surprise him at his birthday—
Just a few days away.
Shiva, who had been giving live commentary of Rudra's fight through the visions he had received earlier.
The others turned to him, and he said,
"They're back. Something happened. Come on."
Without hesitation, they left the half-decorated room and rushed toward the office.
The cheer and laughter from moments ago had vanished like a fleeting mist.
Each of them wore a solemn expression.
When they arrived at the office, the atmosphere inside was already heavy with tension.
Junoo stood near the door, her eyes flicking between the newcomers and the seated group within—
Rudra, Guru Arvind, Anish, his wife, and their two sons.
Rudra leaned back in his chair, drying his hair with a towel, eyes distant yet alert.
Amirtha stepped forward first, locking eyes with him.
"We heard about the fight from Shiva."
She said gently.
"Shiva shared the whole story."
Ravi added,
"You faced three Astra users at once. And you won."
Rudra sighed.
Sigh~
"Not won. Delayed them. Dev's reach is deeper than we expected. And now... they know who Guru Arvind is."
The room went silent again.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Meanwhile, In Dev's Men's Hideout...
A cold wind swept across the hidden clearing where three figures stood in silence—
Naman, Zor, and Raftar.
None of them spoke for several minutes.
Ever since their narrow escape, things hadn't been the same.
The moment they found out that Rudra—
The very boy they once mocked and underestimated—
Was the chosen wielder of the Brahmastra? Something inside all three of them shifted?
But more than anything, it was Dev's reaction that shook them to their core.
Their red stone necklaces, still pulsing with corrupted energy, now carried something else—
Dev's wrath.
They could feel him.
Every breath, every twitch, every heartbeat.
Dev was restless.
The sealed lord who once radiated cold indifference now surged with an unrelenting fury.
His sealed statue back on the forbidden island trembled faintly, and a low, vibrating hum echoed through the cursed land—
A scream of frustration and madness that reached directly into their bones.
Zor clenched his jaw.
His fists trembled, but it wasn't out of fear.
"He's... losing it,"
He muttered.
"Our lord... he's never felt like this before."
Raftar, normally cocky and light-hearted even in battle, sat against a stone, his brows furrowed.
"We mocked that boy. We thought he was just a tool, someone we could outclass easily. But the Brahmastra—"
He let the word hang in the air like a curse,
"—It chose him."
Naman remained silent the longest.
"____"
His fingers brushed the red stone around his neck, feeling its irregular pulse—
An extension of Dev's will.
Finally, he spoke, voice low and grim.
"It chose a boy over the great Dev. The Brahmastra... turned its back on our lord. It has aligned itself with a child who wasn't even born during Dev's age of conquest."
There was venom in his tone, but also a sliver of something else—fear.
Zor looked up sharply.
"Do you think... Will lord Dev lose his mind completely?"
"No,"
Naman replied coldly. "
He's too focused. But I do think he'll stop at nothing now. He's going to obsess over Rudra."
Raftar leaned forward.
"What do we do?"
Naman's gaze turned distant, his expression dark.
"We follow orders. And prepare. Next time we face Rudra... it won't be to chase or test him."
He paused.
"It'll be to kill him."
And in the distance, from the unseen depths of the island, a sound echoed again—
A guttural roar laced with divine hatred.
Dev had chosen his enemy.
Four Days Later – Ooty...
The Highland Leaf – Restaurant & Inn...
The tension that once gripped the air around The Highland Leaf – Restaurant & Inn had now thinned, replaced by a semblance of peace.
The bustling sounds of the kitchen, guests checking in, and the gentle rhythm of Ooty's serene atmosphere had returned.
For now, life moved at a slower, more grounded pace.
Rudra's hotel ran as usual—
At least on the surface.
But behind the scenes, a silent storm was being prepared for.
Shiva, Sandeep, and Ravi had decided to remain at the hotel for the time being.
Though they had returned briefly to assist with the orphanage under Amirtha's care,
The gravity of the threat they now faced made it clear: this was not the time to split up.
As for Guru Arvind, he had already taken decisive measures.
Through a secure call to the Gurukul, he ordered that all entries be sealed, checkpoints fortified, and access granted only to those with verified clearance.
The Gurukul needed to remain protected at all costs.
"Until we know exactly what Dev's next move is,"
He told Rudra,
"We must assume the worst. He will not stay quiet."
Anish Shetty and his family continued their stay at the hotel, housed in one of the private suites.
It was a rare moment for the family to stay together under the same roof
—albeit in tense circumstances.
Guru Arvind had insisted they remain there for safety, and Anish didn't argue.
He knew what Dev's men were capable of.
The day they escaped from the hospital was no coincidence—
It was the beginning.
And everyone could feel it.
This calm was only temporary.
Soon, Dev's followers would come again.
And this time, they wouldn't come in small numbers or to test Rudra's strength.
They would come with full force.
And when they did, everyone staying at The Highland Leaf would be ready.
Or so they hoped.
The air in The Highland Leaf remained heavy, filled with an unspoken anxiety everyone was trying to ignore.
Trying to lighten the mood, Ravi nudged Sandeep and smirked.
Smirk~
"Hey, how about we take a trip to the nearby Lord Krishna temple? It's a full moon tonight—might be our last chance for peace before Rudra's birthday madness begins."
Sandeep laughed.
Haha~
"Yeah, and maybe we can pray that Dev's minions take a holiday too."
But their lighthearted joke was met with sudden, stunned silence.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Rudra, Amirtha, and Junoo froze.
Their eyes widened in realisation.
The full moon.
They had been so distracted preparing Rudra's surprise birthday party that they completely forgot.
It was the very night Hélène had warned them about.
The night Jack's evil spirit would return.
Before anyone could speak, the temperature in the room dipped.
A faint shimmer appeared in the air—
And then, as if summoned by their thoughts, Hélène materialised before Rudra in full spirit form.
"Rudra!"
She shouted, panic thick in her voice.
"He's coming! Jack will definitely come tonight. I knew it—to continue searching. You have to prepare."
Gasps filled the room.
Anish's wife let out a shriek and collapsed, fainting on the spot.
Even Amirtha and Junoo were shocked.
"Hélène?!"
Junoo whispered.
"You were here this whole time?"
The ghost nodded quickly but didn't take her eyes off Rudra.
Nod~
"____"
Everyone turned to look at Rudra.
The way Hélène addressed him—
It was clear he had known about her presence all along.
Caught under their piercing gazes,
"____"
Rudra let out an awkward chuckle and scratched his head.
Chuckle~
"Uh… yeah… about that…"
His mind raced to come up with a believable explanation that wouldn't send the rest of the hotel into mass panic.
Twich~ Twich~
Just as the tension hung thick in the air, a tiny movement from Rudra's chest broke the silence.
Hammy, the spirited little squirrel who had fully claimed Rudra's coat pocket as her home, popped her head out.
Her fluffy ears twitched, eyes locking onto Hélène.
She tilted her head.
"____"
A ghost? But she didn't understand that—
Only saw a glowing, dramatic figure yelling warnings like the old nanny crow who used to scold it for its laziness.
Assuming Hélène was just some oddly dressed human,
Hammy puffed up her tiny chest, crossed her arms, and started mocking her with chittering noises and overly dramatic gestures—
Arms flailing, fake shrieks, even a little head toss.
The room watched in stunned confusion, but Rudra couldn't help the grin tugging at his lips.
Hammy squinted at her and muttered,
"What's this gloomy floating lady doing glaring at my human? Bet she can't even catch a nut in mid-air!"
Thinking Helene wouldn't understand a word,
Hammy stuck out her tiny tongue and did a dramatic hair toss with her tail.
Rudra raised an eyebrow, already anticipating trouble.
But before he could say anything, Helene crossed her arms and shot back dryly,
"I heard that, you overgrown furball."
Then, calmly and clearly, she retorted in Hammy's own language.
"I can hear every squeak of your tiny tantrum, rodent."
Hammy froze.
"____"
Hammy's eyes went wide —
Wider than the nut she once stole from the kitchen.
She gasped,
Her eyes bulged, then pointed at herself, at Helene, and then at Rudra in rapid succession, whisper-shouting:
"Another one?! Another human who understands the noble language of squirrels?!"
She practically leapt in circles on Rudra's chest with giddy squeaks of excitement.
Rudra chuckled softly, poking her fluffball belly.
Chuckle~
"She's a ghost, Hammy. Not your average squirrel-whisperer."
That sent Hammy into a classic cartoon reaction.
"____"
She stiffened, eyes wide as saucers, then dove comically back into Rudra's pocket like a squirrel seeing a vacuum cleaner.
A moment later, she cautiously poked her head back out, holding a slightly cracked nut above her head like a peace offering.
"Okay, okay! Deal time!"
She said, eyes darting at Helene.
"You don't haunt me, and I'll give you this premium-quality walnut. Straight from Rudra's snack stash. Fair? Sweet Hammy wants peace, not paranormal punishment."
"Don't haunt Sweet Hammy, please."
She squeaked, placing the nut on Rudra's shoulder and nudging it toward Hélène.
"Let's call it even. One shiny nut. Very rare. Top quality."
Hélène blinked, then laughed—
A light, echoing sound that somehow made the room feel just a little less tense.
Hahaha~
Rudra shook his head, smiling as the others watched the bizarre exchange unfold with a mix of awe, confusion, and suppressed laughter.
Even Amirtha couldn't stop herself from saying,
"That squirrel's got more personality than half the staff here."
Junoo folded her arms, whispering to Shiva,
"Remind me to never get on her bad side."
After the brief moment of laughter brought on by Hammy's antics,
The mood gradually settled. Rudra turned serious, his gaze shifting to Junoo.
"Junoo,"
He asked, his voice steady,
"Do we have any guests checked in or rooms reserved for today?"
She shook her head quickly.
"Luckily, no. No bookings came in today."
Rudra nodded firmly.
Nod~
"Good. Then, from this moment on, put an occupied tag on every room. No new guests, no exceptions — not until tomorrow."
Junoo understood the weight in his tone.
Without another word, she stepped out to follow his instructions.
Seeing the sudden change in Rudra's expression,
Anish, still holding onto his wife while his two sons stood beside him, looked confused and a bit alarmed.
"Why?"
He asked, hesitantly.
"Is it... because of the ghost? This Helene?"
His sons, despite their young age, had clearly picked up on the tension.
Though frightened by the idea of ghosts being real, they stared at Rudra with wide eyes, clearly waiting for answers from the only person they now trusted in this chaos.
Anish continued, trying to piece it together.
"And this 'Jack' she mentioned... is he also a ghost? Or something worse?"
Rudra exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck before answering.
"Yes,"
He said, his voice low but clear.
"Jack was a human once. But what's coming tomorrow... isn't human anymore."
The air seemed to grow heavier.
"He's something Helene's been warning me about for a while now,"
Rudra continued.
"And for some reason... It's coming here tomorrow night. That's why we're sealing off the hotel. No one else should be caught in this."
Anish glanced at his sons, his jaw tight.
"Are we safe here?"
Rudra looked at him with quiet determination.
"You're with me. I'll make sure you all stay safe."
From his pocket, Hammy popped her head out again, this time with a more serious tone.
"If anyone's gonna get haunted, it better not be me. I've got three more walnuts left to eat before bedtime."
That earned a faint smile from Rudra —
just enough to ease the tension for a second.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! And power stone!!!
Which will motivate me more?