THE FLASHBACK
Aarvansh walked back to the hostel after a long day at the library, his head buried in a notebook. As he passed a small park near the entrance, he noticed a group of boys gathered around a blind man. The old man, shaking his bucket, was hoping for a few coins. But instead, one of the boys had dipped his hand into the bucket, pulling out crumpled notes while the others laughed.
Aarvansh's stomach churned. He had always believed in standing up for what's right, but the familiar voice in his head warned him to walk away. Stay out of trouble, it whispered. But he couldn't.
"Hey! Stop that. It's wrong."
The largest boy turned, a smirk on his face.
"And who's gonna stop us, huh? The saint of IIT?"
Aarvansh's pulse quickened.
"Relax guys, we don't want to create a scene here."
Without warning, the boy pushed Aarvansh back, landing a punch to his stomach. Aarvansh gasped, his breath stolen by the force.
"What's your problem, huh?" another boy taunted, landing a slap across Aarvansh's cheek.
Aarvansh staggered, but he refused to back down.
"Keep the money back and I'll go," he muttered through gritted teeth, standing tall despite the pain.
They closed in on him. A fist met his cheek. Another hit his ribs. Aarvansh fought back, throwing punches, but they were too many. The pain in his body grew unbearable, his vision swimming with each blow.
"Enough!"
A voice shouted from the crowd. But the boys didn't stop. They were relentless until, finally, the crowd surged forward. Strangers pulled the bullies off, and the tide shifted. Aarvansh barely stayed on his feet, his body bruised and bloodied, but he didn't fall.
The old man, unaware of the violence, still held out his bucket. Aarvansh, breathing heavily, grabbed it, offering it back to him.
"Thank you, son," the old man whispered, his hands trembling.
Aarvansh didn't respond. His body ached, but a quiet sense of satisfaction washed over him. He had done the right thing—no matter the cost.
RETURN TO THE PRESENT
The dim glow of a single lamp flickered inside Albert Lam's study, casting long, uneasy shadows along the walls. The air was thick with the scent of old books and unfinished plans, remnants of a man who had vanished without a trace.
Aarvansh sat across from Bhalla Singh, the heavy silence between them only amplifying the storm in his mind. His body was still tense, his fists clenched at his sides as he stared at the man before him.
The memory of that night—the fight, the helplessness, the pain—still burned in his mind. And now, sitting here, he had just learned that Bhalla Singh had been there. Watching. Doing nothing.
"So you were there that day. Watching me fight, and yet you didn't interfere."
"Yes. As agents, we are not supposed to reveal our skills in public."
"So you just dropped your secret government agency card because you found a good boy one day and thought he was worthy of knowing the secrets of the nation?"
His tone dripped with sarcasm, but beneath it was frustration, confusion—betrayal, even.
Bhalla didn't react to the bitterness in Aarvansh's voice. Instead, he leaned back, his face unreadable.
"It's not that simple," he said.
He exhaled, as if choosing his words carefully.
"That's how our agency operates. We don't recruit through exams or applications. We observe. We test. And that night, you passed a test without even realizing it. You stood your ground against injustice, even when outnumbered, even when it cost you. That's the kind of person we need."
Aarvansh frowned, trying to process what he was hearing.
Bhalla continued.
"I was watched the same way before I was recruited. And Albert… he was only thirteen when he was selected."
A brief pause.
"Well, that's a story for another day, but—"
Aarvansh's eyes widened. His heartbeat quickened.
"Wait. You're planning to recruit me?"
His voice rose slightly, disbelief crashing over him like a wave.
Bhalla's expression remained calm.
"That wasn't the only day I saw you. After that, I kept an eye on you. We have a full report on you—your personality, achievements, decisions. Everything."
Aarvansh felt a chill run down his spine. They had been watching him all this time? Every action, every choice—had it all been under scrutiny? His mind raced, but one question burned brighter than the rest.
"Why now?"
His voice was quieter, but no less intense.
"Now that Albert is gone, now you want to recruit me? You should've thought about it before you went on this mission."
Bhalla's gaze lowered for the first time. He exhaled, as if carrying the weight of something unspoken. When he finally looked back up, his expression had shifted—more serious, almost guilty.
"Well, kid… I've done something that's not quite right…"
Aarvansh's breath was steady, but his mind raced. Bhalla Singh's words hung in the air like a storm cloud, dark and heavy with implications.
Bhalla leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, his voice quieter now.
"There's something you need to know," he said.
"Albert… he kept something with him. A piece of Aryan's past. A reminder of what he had done."
Aarvansh's brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
Bhalla exhaled, as if the next words were difficult to say.
"The day Albert shot Aryan… he didn't just leave with a mission accomplished. He took something. A single vial of the superhuman drug Aryan had used on himself."
Aarvansh's eyes widened.
"What?"
Bhalla nodded.
"It was the only vial that remained just as strong as the one Aryan took. After Aryan perfected the formula, he made sure to weaken all future doses—so that no one, not even his own army, could surpass him. He wanted to stay the strongest."
The weight of that truth settled in Aarvansh's chest.
"So Albert just… kept it?"
Bhalla gave a grim smile.
"He never planned to use it. For him, it wasn't a weapon—it was a reminder. A symbol of the choice he made that day. The choice to pull the trigger on a man who was once his closest ally."
A pause.
"But I saw it differently."
Aarvansh could already tell where this was going, and he didn't like it.
Bhalla's gaze darkened.
"The only way to stop Aryan… is to give that drug to someone else."
The words sent a chill down Aarvansh's spine. He shook his head.
"No one in the agency took it?"
Bhalla
"No one had the courage."
"Even if they did, Albert would never allow it. He always believed he could stop Aryan by himself. But now?"
His voice grew heavier.
"Now he's out there, alone—trying to stop an army of twenty enhanced soldiers on his own."
Aarvansh swallowed. He could almost picture it—Albert, fighting a battle where the odds were impossibly stacked against him. A man against monsters.
Bhalla straightened, his eyes locked onto Aarvansh's.
"I know I'm asking too much of you… but our country's future and Albert's life is in your hands now. I want you to take the drug. For the nation…. And for Mr. Lam…"
The words were simple, but they carried the weight of something far greater. Aarvansh felt his fingers tighten into fists. The room felt smaller, the walls closing in.
He had a choice to make. A choice that would completely turn his life.