# CHAPTER 7:- UNFAMILIAR WORLD
A large room stretched quietly before them, lit by pale blue ceiling lights. A common table stood at its center, placed neatly in front of a long, low sofa. The black floor tiles shimmered faintly, but instead of elegance, they gave the room an eerie, haunted vibe.
The tall windows weren't wide, but extended upward almost to the ceiling—dark-tinted, letting in little light from outside. Everything felt unusually silent, like sound itself had been swallowed by the room.
Two figures entered.
Their boots clicked softly against the black tiles, breaking the stillness with each step. Off to the right, a visitor's sofa sat in a recessed area. Loca made his way there and sat down, crossing one leg over the other casually.
One of the figures turned to him and asked, "Did you notice anything strange about her?"
Loca tilted his head upward, calm and casual. "She seems normal to me. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Meanwhile…
Kavya Chandan sat silently on her bed, lost in thought. Her mind spun with everything she'd learned—the truth about the portal, the ten-year wait, and the world that now surrounded her.
Then, the door to her room opened gently with a soft hiss.
Rox stepped in, holding something in his hands. "Kavya! Look at this!"
She blinked out of her thoughts and reached out as he handed her the paper.
It was a sketch—simple, almost childish. But its shape intrigued her.
Three continent-like land masses, connected by a thick, dark line down the center.
She furrowed her brows. "What is thi—"
Before she could finish, Loca entered the room behind Rox, his footsteps brisk but calm. He walked straight up to her, eyes scanning her posture.
"How's your health?" he asked.
Kavya looked up at him. Her voice was steady, even calm now.
"Much better than before."
"It's been five days since I got here… I must be causing you a lot of trouble," Kavya Chandan said quietly, lowering her gaze in guilt.
"Ahh, no wor—" Rox began, his voice warm and cheerful.
Suddenly— A sharp beep echoed from the ceiling. A red dot of light flickered onto Kavya's forehead.
Rox's eyes widened.
Without thinking—he lunged.
"Get down!"
He tackled her to the floor, rolling them across the sleek black tiles.
A split second later— ZZZZSHHH!
A crimson laser ripped through the wall, sizzling as it scorched straight through the air—exactly where Kavya had been sitting.
The shot sizzled through the room, leaving a glowing, smoldering hole in the far wall.
Kavya's heart pounded in her ears. Her breath was shaky. She stared at the hole—too stunned to speak.
"They found her…" Loca's voice came from the hallway, grim and composed.
He was already drawing a weapon from his side.
"Shit. This isn't random."
Loca stormed into the room, his eyes scanning the still-glowing laser hole in the wall.
Without a word, he grabbed the long rifle slung across his back and slammed a lever down with a metallic CLANK.
A surge of blue light exploded across the rifle's surface—thin glowing lines snaked along the weapon, pulsing with energy.
He pointed it directly at the breached wall.
"MOVE!" he shouted, voice sharp as steel. "Rox! Take Kavya and RUN!"
Rox hesitated, frozen for a second.
"GOOO!!" Loca roared, eyes locked down the glowing scope.
Rox snapped into action. He grabbed Kavya's arm, yanking her to her feet.
"Come on! This way—NOW!" he shouted.
The two dashed out of the room, their footsteps pounding down the hallway as alarms began to blare throughout the facility.
Behind them, Loca knelt low, finger tightening on the trigger.
His voice was low but cold as ice.
"Let's see who dares to come after her…"
Rox held tightly onto Kavya's hand, pulling her through the sleek corridors at full speed. Their footsteps echoed against the metallic floor, alarm sirens now wailing in the distance.
"This way!" he shouted, weaving past stunned robots and glowing terminals.
Kavya struggled to keep up, her eyes darting around—everything still felt unfamiliar.
The walls buzzed with energy. Robotic assistants zoomed by in organized panic. It felt less like a building and more like a living machine.
What is this place…? she thought.
They burst through a set of sliding doors onto a large open balcony.
"Rox—wait!" Kavya gasped, but he didn't stop.
Without warning, he jumped.
And he was still holding her hand.
"What the hell are you doing?! We're gonna die!" Kavya screamed, panic rising as they plummeted downward.
"Psycho, now!" Rox yelled mid-fall.
Below them—waiting like clockwork—stood the robot Psycho. In a single swift motion, a giant cushion-like air mattress shot out from its back, unfolding with a loud THUMP just in time.
WHUMP!
They landed hard—jolting but safe.
Kavya lay there, breathless, her heart pounding in her ears.
"What the actual hell…" she muttered, staring at the sky above.
Rox popped up beside her, panting.
"See? Easy!"
Kavya Chandan sat frozen on the mattress, her eyes wide, breath caught in her throat.
The world in front of her didn't feel real.
Cars floated smoothly above the roads, gliding silently through the air with faint neon trails behind them. Trains zipped across transparent sky rails, suspended in mid-air like beams of light. Skyscrapers soared so high into the sky that their tops disappeared into the clouds, gleaming with blue-tinted glass that reflected the sunlight like crystals.
Along the roads, lush green trees and vivid plants grew in perfect harmony with the futuristic tech, lining the walkways like living art. The streets were impossibly clean, pristine like a showroom. Every person wore glowing screen-like visors over their eyes, busy in conversations or immersed in invisible interfaces.
Above, she even saw entire buildings floating in the sky, tethered to nothing—levitating like magic.
Kavya's lips parted in awe.
"This... this is a fantasy…"
But there was no time to admire it.
"No time to rest—let's go!" Rox shouted, grabbing her wrist.
Still stunned, Kavya barely reacted as he yanked her to her feet.
Rox whistled sharply, and just like when Loca had saved her—
A floating platform detached from their apartment unit, zipping toward them from above.
It hovered gently in front of them, ready for boarding.
As the floating platform soared through the futuristic skyline, a sharp whirring sound echoed behind them.
Kavya snapped her head back.
Four sleek, metallic drones zipped through the air—closing in fast. Their bodies glowed faintly red, and with a sudden hiss, they unleashed bursts of laser beams.
ZRRRMMM!
Bolts of searing light whizzed past them, one grazing the edge of the platform with a fiery sizzle.
Rox didn't flinch.
"Synchronize!" he shouted.
A soft hum pulsed from his visor as his brain linked directly to the platform's control system.
The moment he tilted his head left, the entire platform followed, banking hard—just in time to dodge a blast that scorched the air behind them.
Another laser zipped past—too close.
It struck the street below, exploding into sparks and fractured tiles. One more beam clipped the corner of the platform, sending out a spray of molten fragments.
Kavya ducked instinctively, heart racing.
Her eyes were wide—disbelief flooding her expression.
She had seen strange things already… but this?
Flying drones firing lasers.
A kid syncing with tech like it's second nature.
A floating platform moving like it's alive.
It wasn't just another world—this was beyond science fiction.
Her grip tightened on the platform's edge.
"This is insane…" she whispered, breathless. "What the hell is this world?"
But the platform wasn't fast enough.
The drones behind them split apart mid-air and reformed into a V-formation—strategic, deadly.
All at once, they fired.
ZRRRMMM—!
Red beams of concentrated energy surged toward Kavya, converging straight on her position.
She didn't move.
Still overwhelmed by the chaos, her eyes wide, frozen in disbelief.
"Dodge it, you fool!" Rox screamed, panic cracking in his voice. "That'll fry you alive!"