Lubdhaksh ignore madhav, he just surveyed them with a smile that had no warmth. The serpent's eyes— light ancient hunger—swept over Madhav, Mohit, and Meera like a verdict.
"You are all helpless," Lubdhaksh said, his voice a low rasp that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "I will return in a few minutes. When I do, I will devour your souls." He paused, and the air around them tightened as if pulled by invisible threads. "Do not try to run. You cannot escape. I bound this place the moment I took this form. No foot shall pass this boundary while my body exists."
Madhav couldn't say a word. Mohit's jaw clenched; Meera's hands went cold. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath. For a heartbeat, the world was nothing but the hiss of wind through broken leaves and the serpent's slow, terrible breathing.
Then Lubdhaksh smiled once more—a grin like a blade—and the captain elven body and serpent snake dissolved into a whorl magic of darkness. The shadow collapsed inward, folded over itself, and vanished, leaving behind only a lingering chill and the echo of his promise.
They stood in the shocked silence after his departure, every sense alert to the absence of that presence.The restriction lay like an invisible wall around them: unseen, unyielding, and cursed.
Meanwhile, Kamal sat on a carved wooden chair in the garden of his grand mansion, savoring the calm beauty of the afternoon. The sunlight filtered through the banyan leaves, and the air carried the scent of wet earth and blooming jasmine.
From behind, footsteps approached. It was Yash. He walked up briskly and bowed, touching his grandfather's feet.
Kamal looked at him with mild surprise. "Oh, showing respect today? That's unusual," he said with a faint, teasing smile. "Something special, hmm?"
Yash straightened up, trying to appear composed. "No, Dadaji… nothing special," he said quickly. "I just came to ask you something."
Kamal folded his hands over his walking stick and nodded. "Go on then. You know I don't like guessing games."
Yash hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "Grandfather, Did you remember that boy Raj, right? I sent one of my men to the hospital to check on his condition. But they said he's not there anymore. The staff refused to say where he went. You know he was in a coma, so I just… I wanted to know what happened."
Yash thought to himself: In truth, I wasn't driven by concern for Raj. I only wanted to impress Anika, hoping she'd notice my great kindness.
Kamal's expression didn't change. His calm, unreadable eyes met Yash's. "Oh, that," he said simply. "I had him shifted to another hospital."
Yash frowned. "Shifted? Where?"
"To Gurugram, Haryana," Kamal replied, his tone steady and deliberate. "There's a specialist there—one of the best in his field. The hospital itself is managed through a private collaboration; it's very secure."
For a moment, the garden went silent except for the distant chirping of birds.
Yash's eyes widened slightly, his voice lowering in disbelief. "Gurugram, Haryana?"
Meanwhile, The weather in Gurugram was pleasant. The sun glowed against the glass towers, painting the skyline in gold and amber. Luv stood near one of the city's busiest streets, gazing up at a towering IT complex.
"Wow," he murmured to himself, adjusting his backpack. "So this is Gurugram... First time here, and it already look and feels like I am employee who works here."
He pulled out his phone, checking the message one more time.
Username: n2four and boss1, both person massage is same.
Message: Meet at the Soul-Gram Grand Hub near the shopping mall food court area. Don't be late. The deal must be completed today.
Luv exhaled slowly. "Alright. One meeting, one deal... and then the money's mine," he whispered, glancing at the map again.
He began walking, passing rows of modern buildings. "So... there's the shopping mall," he observed, looking at the sleek glass structure in front of him. "Beside it, the Soul-Gram Grand Hub building—and behind that, a hospital." He chuckled lightly. "Convenient. If someone falls sick after work, the hospital's right there. And if they're hungry, the mall's next door. Perfect city planning."
But as his eyes drifted toward a nearby construction site, he frowned. The building just in front of the Soul-Gram Grand Hub was still under development—half-built, wrapped in scaffolding. "Hmm," he muttered, "that one's still in progress. Maybe it's part of the expansion or a new company building."
He checked his watch. "I'd better reach before they do."
Inside the shopping mall, the hum of people and different types of stores, including clothing, bags, and electronics, created a lively buzz. Luv moved toward the food court, where the aroma of food filled the air. He scanned the food stalls one by one: pasta, biryani, dim sum, pastries, and juices. Outlets selling pizza and momos were also visible.
As he turned a corner, he accidentally bumped into someone, almost spilling the drink the other person was carrying.
"Oh! I'm so sorry," Luv said quickly, stepping back. "Totally my fault. I should've been more careful."
The man he bumped into laughed softly, checking his cup. "It's fine," he said, smiling. "See? My pineapple juice survived. No harm done."
Luv smiled too, relieved. "Good! I love pineapple myself. Would've been a tragedy if it spilled."
"Then," the man said with a warm grin, "next time we'll have a pineapple juice and pineapple cake party. But for now—" he glanced at his watch, "—I'm running late."
"Oh, sure," Luv said, stepping aside. "We'll meet again, maybe."
"Of course," the man replied, walking off through the crowd. "Why not?"
Luv watched him go, something about the stranger lingering in his thoughts—the calm confidence in his walk, the sharpness in his eyes, the easy authority in his voice.
He muttered under his breath, "What a man… the way he talks, the way he carries himself—it's like he's a leader or something. Probably some big executive around here."
The man, however, was also thinking about Luv. He'd seen this person somewhere else and suddenly remembered: Luv was a social media video creator.
As Luv turned back toward the food court, he didn't realize that the man with the pineapple juice had glanced back once too—his faint smile fading into something far more serious suddenly in his phone notification massage came say one parcel receive in your office room.
He sat quietly in the buzzing food court, tapping his fingers on the table, trying to think.
"How do I make them notice me easily?" he muttered under his breath.
Luv looked around and spotted a pizza outlet glowing with neon lights. "Perfect," he said with a grin. "Something big, flashy, and obvious."
He walked over to the counter and ordered the most expensive pizza on the menu—a large triple-cheese with extra toppings—and three cold drinks. After paying the bill, he took his tray and sat at a table right in front of the outlet, where anyone entering the food court could easily spot him.
He quickly sent a message on the app:
Luv : I'm sitting in front of the pizza outlet with a large pizza. Come fast.
Five minutes later, two figures approached through the crowd—a girl with sharp eyes and a confident stride, and a plump boy with a careless grin.
Luv stood up quickly. "Hello!"
The girl spoke first. "I'm n2four."
The boy followed, his voice gruff. "And I'm boss1."
"Oh, so those are your usernames," Luv said with a friendly smile. "Nice to finally meet you both."
He offered them the cold drinks. "Please, have some. It's a hot day."
"Thanks," said n2four, taking a sip. She leaned forward. "Did you bring what we wanted?"
Luv nodded, patting his backpack. "Yep. The device is safe and working perfectly. But before we start… are you sure you don't want to know my name first or you want to introduce yourself?
Boss1 frowned. "No need. Just hand over the device to me quickly."
Luv raised his hands slightly. "Alright, alright. I will. Just… give me two minutes. I need to use the restroom first."
"Fine," the girl said. "Be quick."
As Luv hurried toward the washroom, Boss1 boy leaned toward her, whispering, "I'll handle him. We don't need to pay this guy a single rupee."
n2fourgirl smiled faintly, swirling her straw in the drink. "Don't do anything stupid. If you do, I'm not responsible."
"Oh, okay, I won't," Boss1 said, standing up. "Just wait here."
He walked briskly toward the restroom, his eyes glinting with mischief.
Inside, Luv was just finishing up when he heard heavy footsteps behind him. He turned and saw Boss1 blocking the exit.
"Hey," Luv said, frowning. "What's wrong? Why are you here?"
The plump boy smirked. "Just give me the device right now, and maybe you'll leave this place in one piece."
Luv blinked. "Wait, what? You're joking, right?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Boss1 snapped, stepping closer.
Luv backed up, raising his hands. "Alright, calm down, bro. You'll get it. Just relax—"
Before he could finish, Boss1 lunged forward, trying to snatch the backpack. Luv ducked instinctively, and because the floor was slippery, Boss1 lost his balance and crashed hard into a toilet stall with a loud thud!
Luv stood frozen for a second, then sighed in relief. "Wow. I'm safe… and you, my friend, need some serious balance lessons."
He quickly left the restroom, brushing off his shirt, and walked straight back to the pizza outlet. The girl was still there, scrolling on her phone.
Luv placed the phone-like device on the table. "Here's what you asked for."
n2four looked up and smiled slightly. "How much do I owe you?"
"Total—one lakh twenty thousand rupees," Luv said confidently.
"Twenty thousand extra? " she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Travel and food charges," he replied with a grin. "Also, this device works perfectly—one hundred percent success rate in digital infiltration, plus it's untraceable, undetectable, and loaded with custom hacking tools and a unique OS."
She smirked. "Fine. Done. Your payment will be transferred within two minutes."
Luv nodded. "Good doing business with you. By the way… your friend—"
"Oh, I know," she said calmly, taking another sip of her drink. "You can go. I'll take care of it."
As Luv walked away through the crowd, he couldn't help but glance back once. The girl stood up from her seat and moved toward the men's restroom.
When she stepped inside, she found the plump boy, Boss1, still on the ground, having broken a toilet stall behind him in his fall.
She looked down at him and said, her voice dry, "I got the device, so I win. And you told me to just wait? Now you wait here."
She give proud smile than turned and left the restroom.
As Luv stepped out of the shopping mall, a sudden blast echoed through the city.
The explosion came from the top floor of the Soul-Gram Grand IT- Hub building, shattering windows and sending a blazing line of crimson energy shooting into the sky, which affected nearby buildings as well.
People screamed as glass shards and chunks of metal rained down. Sirens blared in the distance. Panic spread through the crowd like wildfire—everyone was running, shouting, desperate to escape the chaos.
Luv stumbled back, shielding his face from the flying debris. He could feel the heat of the blast even from where he stood. Then, as the energy beam rippled outward, he noticed something strange: he had a powerful instinct that something significant was happening here, something he absolutely have to record.
He looked around, frantically searching his backpack for a proper camera—but there was none. Quickly, he pulled out his phone and started recording, his hands trembling as another shockwave rattled the ground all around him.
Half an Hour Before the Blast,
Dark clouds gathered over Gurugram's sky as Lubdhaksh appeared, his form a mix of magic energy and half-flame. Behind him slithered the vast, invisible shape of a serpent, its presence betrayed only by the distortion in the air and a faint hiss echoing through the wind.
Lubdhaksh's crimson eyes scanned the glittering city below. He inhaled deeply, tasting the air. "So... this place is totally different than the last one I saw," he muttered. "But no matter. His scent is still here. Since Raj is unconscious, it's not easy to find him directly..."
Following the faint trace of the smell, he descended toward a hospital situated behind the Soul-Gram IT complex. As he approached the building, he stopped dead in front of it and frowned.
"Interesting... the smell is also coming from another building, and it's stronger from there. That means Raj isn't here."
He turned his gaze toward the Soul-Gram Grand Hub and grinned wickedly.
"There you are."
In a blur of movement, he shot forward and crashed through the wall of the third floor, the impact sending concrete dust and sparks across the office space. Startled employees froze mid-task—papers scattered, monitors flickered, and terrified eyes turned toward the intruder.
Standing amid the smoke, Lubdhaksh looked otherworldly—tall, pale, with serpentine eyes and pointed elven ears gleaming under the fluorescent light.
One employee, trying to be brave, shouted, "Hey! What do you think you're doing? If you want to enter, the door's and elevator also there!"
A young woman beside him whispered shakily, "B-but this is the third floor... how did he even get here?"
Lubdhaksh tilted his head and smirked.
" Pathetic , Useless humans... standing between me and my food. Thorns in a garden of prey. And thorns..." —his voice dropped to a growl— "...must be removed."
Before the man could react, Lubdhaksh vanished and reappeared behind him. In one fluid motion, his claws sliced through the air—the man's body was torn into dozens of pieces, blood splattering across the floor and walls. The woman screamed, trying to run, but Lubdhaksh's arm shot through her chest, his hand emerging from her back clutching her still-beating heart. Lubdhaksh deflated the heart as the blood come out, and he drinkthat blood.
Panic erupted.
Alarms blared.
Employees fled in all directions—shouting, crying, tripping over each other.
Lubdhaksh walked calmly through the chaos, cutting down anyone who came near him. Bullets fired by the building's security guards bounced off his body like drops of rain.
He laughed softly, a sound colder than steel.
"Tell me…" he hissed, grabbing a man by the neck and lifting him into the air. "Where is Raj? Where is he hiding?"
The man only choked in terror, unable to say anything. With a bored expression, Lubdhaksh threw him aside. The man's body crashed through a wall, falling several stories below.
A group of employees tried to flee using the left corridor. Lubdhaksh noticed them and smiled.
"Going somewhere... without me?"
He blurred into motion again, his laughter echoing through the halls.When the elevator doors opened on the twenty-fifth floor, a river of blood poured out , staining the polished marble. Lubdhaksh stepped out, licking crimson blood from his hand, his eyes glowing brighter than before.
Emergency alarms wailed. The entire building trembled under the aura of his magic. Only four security officers remained, standing their ground, guns trembling in their hands.
He tilted his head. "Where is Raj?"
None of them spoke. One raised his gun and fired. Lubdhaksh smiled. "Too late."
With a wave of his hand, flames engulfed the men. They screamed as their bodies turned to ash in seconds, their weapons melting into molten lumps.
Smoke filled the corridor. Lubdhaksh moved past computers and desks, stopping infront of the glass wall.
As Lubdhaksh stared at the glass wall, a voice suddenly came from behind. He spun around to see a man coming near , he just stand there confidently sipping pineapple juice. The man was well-dressed and good-looking.
"Are you looking for me?" the man said.
Lubdhaksh frowned. "Oh, again I get nothing here. Hey , have you seen human name Raj anywhere? Someone hiding him here ."
The man simply took another deliberate sip of his juice, completely ignoring the him.
The man spoke, his voice soft . "Because of you, my company has suffered so much damage, and you've killed my innocent employees. Oh If my children get to know about this, they won't work here in the future."
Lubdhaksh shouted, frustration flaring. "Are you trying to die? Reply to what I am asking! Where is Raj?"
The man moved forward to an employee's desk, placing his juice cup down deliberately. He said by smiling "Are you blind or what? There are many posters in this company written: 'Siddharth Raj, CEO of Soul-Gram Company.'"
He then pointed to himself. "And that's me."
When Lubdhaksh heard this person trying to make fun of him, he moved to attack. But at that very moment, Siddharth taken a plastic Ruler (30 cm) from an employee's desk. He swung the plastic ruler like a sword, and energy instantly burst forth, activating his ultimate Final Strike.
A huge blast erupted, and a blazing horizontal line of laser energy sliced through the twenty-fifth floor, severing the top of the building, and also cut through Lubdhaksh's neck. His head fell to the ground with a dull thud, rolling slightly before coming to a stop. Shiddharth stood still, the remains of the ruler disintegrating into dust in his hand.
Silence...
Lubdhaksh's severed head lay on the floor, his face alight with an excited expression as he stared up at Siddharth.
"Human," captain elven cut head said, his voice raspy. "The first time in this world someone has attacked and cut off my neck."
Captain Elven's headless body, still standing for a beat, suddenly dropped down, grabbed the severed head, and placed it back into its original position upon the neck.
I like it.