Time: 1:15PM IST, 2100
Location: Outskirts of Amaravathi, Andhra Pradesh
The skiff sliced through the water like a hungry arrow, humming with silent urgency. Towering stupa spires shimmered ahead, basked in the golden glow of a sun half veiled by cyber clouds. Captain Raghu stood at the edge of the vessel, first clenched, eyes scanning the horizon. His vest was scorched from the drone blast, but he hadn't spoken of the pain not when memories of his brother's last moments clung like wet ash to his heart.
Behind him, Myra hunched over her data pad ,fingers moving like a storm. Her brow furrowed. "We're close. The Stupa matches the architectural patterns in the Rigveda overlays... and look," she titled the hologram to Raghu. Ancient Sanskrit glyphs pulsed faintly, glowing with an eerie life.
Raghu grunted. "Lets hope its not another ghost trap".
"Oh,come on," she smirked, brushing hair from her face." You afraid of a few cursed bones, Captain Gloom?"
Chitti sprang onto the rail,spinning loike a cracked top. "Ghost trap aa? Naa spice-spray ready ra! Bring it, bhootam!"
Pinkki laughed, flinging a masala pouch over her shoulder. "Chitti's got more spice than your attitude!"
"Biryani-grade bravery!" Chitti chirped, puffing its metal chest.
Vishnu strummed his mini-sitar, crooning, "We ride, we glide, through cursed tide... and hope we're not fried!"
"Vishnu," Mythili warned, "if you keep singing like that, the stupa spirits might haunt us just to shut you up."
Hanush, silent as always, cracked a tiny smile.
The skiff coasted to a stop before an enormous carved staircase rising from the river, its edges worn by time and secrets. The air grew thick—smelling of rain, incense, and something older.
Raghu led the way, blade sheathed but ready. Myra followed, whispering Sanskrit under her breath. At the top, the stupa loomed—a monolithic structure laced with circuitry and sandstone. Statues of deities wept glowing tears, and a humming sound vibrated through the bones.
Chitti scanned the space. "Something's alive here ra...and it ain't friendly."
Inside, a sanctum glowed with green light. Myra gasped. "The Arc... a piece of it's here." She rushed forward to a raised platform, fingers racing over the Vedic symbols engraved on stone.
Suddenly, the floor clicked.
"Trap!" Raghu roared.
A section of stone dropped out, and a skeletal guardian, plated in gold and embedded tech, rose with a screech. It moved like a dancer, jerky yet elegant, blades for hands.
Chitti yelled, "Naa ghost's cousin ra!"
The fight erupted. The guardian lunged—Raghu dodged, slashing at its legs. Myra rolled aside, clutching the scroll fragment. Chitti blasted its spice-spray—flames burst, but the guardian didn't falter.
Hanush stepped forward.
For the first time, his eyes blazed fully green.
With a low growl, he grabbed the guardian mid-strike and slammed it into a pillar. It screeched, twisting unnaturally. Mythili tossed a vial—mist exploded, clouding the enemy's sensors. Pinkki, with a war-cry, hurled a pouch of chili powder. The guardian staggered.
Raghu leapt up, blade slicing through its neck. It collapsed with a hiss.
Everyone froze, breathing heavy.
Then Chitti coughed, "Naa spice wins again ra."
Laughter broke the tension.
Myra clutched the scroll fragment. "It's only half. The rest..."
A sudden sound—a swoosh and a flash.
Devmani appeared at the temple edge, draped in neon silks, ghoongroos jingling.
"Well done, darlings," she purred, holding up a piece of the same scroll. "You missed this half. Thanks for clearing the way."
Before they could react, she vanished in smoke.
"Damn it!" Raghu growled.
But the altar glowed again.
A figure materialized—an ancient priest, formed of light. He spoke in a voice that thundered and whispered at once.
"Only the worthy may find the Arc. Not by force, but by heart."
The crew stood in silence.
Myra stepped forward. "We... we don't seek power. We seek healing. For the world."
Raghu placed a hand on her shoulder. "And for the ones we've lost."
The altar dimmed. The priest vanished.
They descended the steps, Myra silent beside Raghu. She finally whispered, "You could've died today."
"I won't. Not till you find what your father started."
She looked at him, eyes searching. "Why do you care?"
He hesitated. "Because maybe... I need it too."
She smiled faintly.
Chitti ruined the moment with, "Ra! Captain confessed ra! Love story incoming!"
They all laughed, even Hanush.
but far above, on a broke spire, Zerum watched, eyes like molten obsidian.
"The Amrit awakens... and they are not ready."
Cliffhanger: Is Devmani just a greedy thief -- or working for something far more dangerous