Aryan stood still for a few moments, watching Myra walk away. His eyes remained fixed in the direction where she was gradually disappearing into the crowd. Suddenly, a cold, mocking voice rang from behind—
"So, sir… strolling around with Myra, were you?"
Startled, Aryan turned around. Rahul was standing there. His face showed neither a smile nor anger—just an expressionless mask. Seeing him, Aryan felt a momentary jolt of surprise.
---
At that moment, Aryan's attention shifted to his pocket—where his phone had been buzzing for who knows how long. But he was so lost in thoughts of Myra that he hadn't noticed. He pulled out his phone.
The screen was filled with countless notifications—messages from unknown numbers, and over half of them alerts from the bank. Aryan froze for a moment on seeing them. Then his attention shifted to one particular message from an unknown number.
It read—
"Aryan, you have now passed the test of poverty. Your time has come to participate in the race for the successor of the tribe."
Aryan was still trying to comprehend this mysterious message when another notification flashed on the screen. This time, it was a bank alert—
[State Bank of India]
SBI Alert: INR 500,000,000.00 has been credited to A/c XXXX4521 on 17-Sep-2025 at 07:35 IST. Available Balance: INR 500,050,234.75.
Aryan froze for a moment on seeing this. But the next moment, a mysterious smile appeared on the corner of his lips… His eyes then fell on Rahul's calm face, still standing in his place.
Looking at him, Rahul said in a low voice—
"Looks like… the call has come for you too."
Aryan's face reflected pure astonishment. One question echoed in his mind—
"How… is all this happening now?"
Because in his previous life, as far as he remembered, all this would have taken several more months to happen—the test of poverty, the sudden credit in the bank, the mysterious message—all this had occurred when he was in the middle of his final year.
But this time? Everything was happening prematurely. Aryan's breath quickened.
---
But it wasn't just fear… it was the curiosity hidden behind that fear that made Aryan's breaths even faster.
Because he had been waiting for this day for a long time.
The day… when fate would give him another chance.
Images of his past life flashed before his eyes. How he climbed the tribe's hierarchy and reached the forefront in the race to become the successor. How he passed every test with his hard work, struggle, and blood and sweat. How he was close to taking revenge on his mother's killers and all his brothers' murderers.
But… at the last moment, when the crown was about to be placed on his head, something happened that made someone else the successor.
Even then, Aryan didn't care. After that, he took control of the underworld and wanted to spend his life with Myra. But fate didn't allow that.
One night, his enemies surrounded him from all sides. Among the gunfire and screams, Aryan kept fighting till the very end. He killed every enemy, but he too was gravely wounded. Bloodied, he stood firm, countering every blow… yet, in the end, he couldn't save Myra.
By the time Aryan reached her, Myra was lying on the ground, bleeding from her wounds. He immediately picked her up in his arms—his heart pounding as if every beat carried the fear of losing her. He ran holding her, searching for hope, searching for support, but all around was silence and death.
Then Myra, with trembling lips, looked at him. Her breaths were slowing, but her eyes reflected the same love. Whispering for the last time, she said—
"Aryan… I will always love you…"
After saying this, she rested her head on his chest and breathed her last. Aryan remained frozen, sitting there… his world falling silent in that very moment. Remembering all this, tears welled up in his eyes, and his face was filled with deep sadness.
Nearby, Rahul saw him and softly said—
"Little Master, why so sad? You've been waiting for this day… you should be happy."
Aryan was startled hearing "Little Master" from Rahul. Suppressing a slight smile, he said—
"Oh, so now in friendship, you've started calling me 'Master'?"
Rahul shrugged and laughed,
"What to do… earlier I used to talk to you directly, even tease you… but now things have changed. Now you'll have to get used to hearing this."
Aryan raised his eyes slightly at him and laughed—
"Come on, crazy… calling me 'Master' yourself feels weird."
Rahul also smiled,
"Hmm… maybe it does. But slowly, you'll get used to hearing it too."
For a few moments, they looked at each other, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…"
Their laughter held no pain, no burden—just the innocence of old friendship that lightened the atmosphere. Slowly, the laughter faded. Rahul looked at Aryan seriously and asked—
"So… when do we start?"
Without thinking, Aryan replied—
"From today."
So what's going on in Aryan's mind… after the college bell had rung a little while ago?
It was exactly 3 PM.
Amid Delhi's scorching sun, Aryan and Rahul stood in the shadows of the towering buildings, eyes fixed on the city's largest bank.
People called it the "Bank of the Rich."
Where even commoners found it hard to enter, today these two stood there.
Rahul whispered—
"This is… the place to begin."
Aryan looked at the bank's gleaming windows. There was no fear in his eyes now… only a strange calm and determination.
He muttered to himself—
"If fate has given me another chance… this time I won't lose anything."
Rahul glanced at him and smiled slightly—
"So shall we… 'Master Aryan'?"
Without replying, Aryan took a step forward. His stride amidst the crowded street had a unique poise—like a player not entering the field for the first time, but for the last time.
Both of them entered the multi-story building. Inside, they paused for a moment at the sight—glass, crystal chandeliers, gold and silver decorations, grandeur at every corner. Perfume and wealth filled the air.
But Aryan wasn't impressed by this glitter. He had seen countless luxurious buildings in his past life, and this seemed ordinary to him. For Rahul, however, it was new and slightly overwhelming.
Rahul whispered—
"Wow… this is something else."
Aryan glanced at him and said, moving forward—
"Alright, focus on work now."
Rahul took a deep breath and followed him. They reached the lift, where an old guard opened the door for them. Aryan immediately pressed the button for the 7th floor. The lift ascended.
The guard watched them from top to bottom all the way, making Rahul slightly uncomfortable.
Soon, the lift reached their floor. The doors opened, and they stepped out.
Just a few steps later, Rahul took a deep breath and said softly—
"That old man was staring at me like I owed him some ancient debt. I felt like if I stayed there a moment longer, he'd have handed his daughter's hand to me."
Aryan laughed at this, and Rahul joined in immediately. Their laughter echoed through the entire seventh-floor hall.
Aryan controlled himself, slightly suppressing the smile on his face, and said—
"Let's focus on work now."
---
Just then, a girl suddenly bumped into them. She steadied herself and said with mild annoyance—
"Can't you watch where you're going?"
Her gaze fell on Aryan, and she immediately recognized him.
"Aryan? You're here?" She said with slight surprise and a faint smile, "I thought only big people come here, so seeing you surprised me."
Aryan was also shocked. This was the same girl who often appeared with Taniska. He hadn't expected to meet her like this. Her taunts made his eyebrows furrow slightly.
Rahul was about to say something when the girl noticed him and began mocking him too.
"So you came here for some work and brought your poor friend Rahul along? Here, there's only one guard's job, and if you want more, you can sweep the floor."
Rahul's face turned red with anger, fists clenched, but he remained silent at Aryan's signal.
---
Many people in the bank hall were now watching them. The atmosphere was getting tense. Aryan tried to move forward quietly, but the girl blocked their path again.
Then a man appeared—around thirty-two, dressed formally, with a stern face.
"What's happening here?"
The girl quickly approached him, adopting an innocent look—
"Look, Sumit, these two are causing a ruckus, disturbing everyone."
She exaggerated some details, and Sumit, hearing her words, said sharply—
"Watchman!"
Two guards quickly arrived. Aryan tried to explain calmly—
"You're mistaken, we just…"
But Sumit didn't hear a word and gestured at the guards—
"Take them out. Only respectable people are allowed here."
Aryan spoke firmly—
"Look, we really came to withdraw our money. You can check if you doubt us."
But the girl immediately interjected—
"No need to listen to them. They're lying. I've known them for a long time. This boy is poor. He couldn't possibly have money here."
Sumit nodded seriously—
"You're right. This is no place for troublemakers." Then he signaled the guards—
"Take them out. And make sure there's no disturbance."
The guards moved towards them, and the atmosphere grew even heavier. Suddenly, a deep, commanding voice echoed throughout the hall—
"Who is making all this noise here? And why?"
---
So now the question is—what will happen to Aryan and Rahul? Will they be thrown out of the bank, or will Aryan's truth be revealed to everyone? And whose powerful, commanding voice was that?
To find out the answers, keep reading the next chapters… The King of Shadows
With me: Nitish Chandel