Seeing them leaving, Rahul whispered,
"Aryan, those two are leaving from here…"
Aryan replied in a calm but serious tone,
"Let them go for now. Even if we tried to face him together, we would have to go through severe difficulties."
In a grave tone, Aryan continued,
"And anyway, right now you need to focus more on yourself than on him."
Rahul chuckled lightly,
"Ah, it's just a minor scratch."
But as he said this, his eyes suddenly fell on Aryan's side, where blood was still flowing. He gasped,
"Aryan… this wound—"
Aryan cut him off immediately,
"It's nothing, just a small scratch."
Rahul said sternly,
"A small scratch? This is deep. Come on, let's go to the hospital now."
Aryan replied in a soft tone,
"No need to worry… I'm fine."
He took a deep breath, staring into the distance, and said,
"But don't forget, the danger is not over… in fact, the real beginning has just started."
---
As he said this, a faint, yet evil smile appeared on Aryan's face.
Meanwhile, Rahul, who had only minor scratches, was staring at Aryan in disbelief —
he still couldn't believe that Aryan had defeated that masked man alone.
He was lost in thought, wondering how Aryan had managed it.
Then Aryan looked at him calmly and said,
"Come on, let's get out of here."
The two turned and slowly walked toward the hostel.
Night was deepening, and the street was bathed in the pale light of street lamps.
When they reached the hostel, they saw — the gate was locked, and the guard was asleep on a chair, snoring.
Seeing the guard asleep, they quietly opened the gate and slipped inside.
Walking carefully, they approached their room.
Suddenly, Aryan felt something strange, as if the atmosphere had shifted slightly.
Rahul was about to open the door when Aryan raised his hand to stop him.
"Be careful… open it slowly," Aryan said in a low voice.
Rahul nodded, and together they opened the door slowly.
The room was completely dark.
Aryan stepped in and scanned the room; everything seemed normal, yet a slight unease lingered in his mind.
Because of what had just happened, both were still on alert, cautious.
A single question kept running through their minds —
Was this one of the people waiting to enter their room?
And their suspicion wasn't entirely wrong, because it wouldn't take much effort for someone to locate their hideout.
They knew — if anyone truly decided to find them, reaching here would be only a matter of time.
Then Aryan's eyes fell on a corner of the room —
where a dark figure was sitting on a chair.
At first, he thought it might be a trick of the light, but on closer inspection, it was clear — someone was actually sitting there.
Suddenly, the room fell completely silent.
Rahul's breathing quickened, and he immediately went into a defensive stance, ready for any attack.
Aryan's gaze, however, remained fixed on the person.
The man sat completely still, as if lifeless, patiently waiting for their presence.
Just as they were growing anxious, suddenly the lights turned on —
and the man's face came into full view.
He was a middle-aged man, sitting calmly, completely unbothered.
A faint smile rested on his lips, and his posture, along with the grandeur of his clothes, made it clear he was a man of royal stature.
Both were stunned for a few moments, as if time had stopped.
Rahul glanced at Aryan, while Aryan's eyes remained locked on the man —
as if trying to recognize him.
---
While Aryan and Rahul stood there astonished, in the darkness outside, two masked men were moving swiftly across rooftops from one house to another.
One of them moved slightly slower — he looked slightly injured.
Yes, they were the same masked men who had attacked Aryan and Rahul earlier.
The injured masked man panted heavily,
"Man, I didn't expect those Agnivansh boys to know martial arts so well…"
His voice carried both surprise and frustration, while the other moved silently ahead, still tense.
The injured one said in a strained voice,
"This time I was a little careless. But if I get another chance, I'll erase that Agnivansh boy completely."
The other masked man yelled at him,
"What are you saying? Careless? You put us in trouble — next time, if it happens again, I'll deal with you first before touching that boy."
They paused on the rooftop — the rustle of their clothes and heavy breathing echoed in the night.
The second masked man glanced around, then said firmly,
"You're waiting for some perfect moment here, attracting attention to yourself."
"Move quickly, or we'll get into serious trouble," the other added.
"We don't even know what punishment awaits us for this failure."
The injured masked man rubbed his neck in frustration, nodded, and both quickly disappeared into a nearby alley.
Their footsteps slowly dissolved into the night's silence.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed past them.
Their faces changed instantly —
they became alert, scanning the dark alleys.
And then… a heavy, terrifying laugh echoed through the area —
"Ha… ha… ha… ha…"
Fear and chill filled the air immediately.
Both masked men's faces clearly showed terror.
From the darkness, a voice boomed —
"Shadow Clan… so you dared to attack our Young Master?
Looks like some life still remains in you."
As the voice drew closer, a figure emerged from the shadows, clad completely in black,
with the Red Dragon emblem shining on his chest.
Both masked men froze in fear,
uttering involuntarily,
"Red… Commander…"
Before they could speak further, a sword glimmered in the air —
and in the next moment, their heads had rolled to the ground.
Silence fell again — terrifying and absolute.
Blood flowed from their heads, sending chills through anyone who saw it.
The image would be forever etched in memory — a scene no ordinary person would ever want to witness.
The man watched their lifeless bodies for a moment.
There was neither anger nor regret in his eyes — just cold silence.
Then, with a faint smile, he said,
"The punishment for failure… doesn't end here.
The real cleanup begins now —
because whoever challenged our blood will now have to burn."
He disappeared slowly into the darkness, leaving behind only the smell of blood and the silence of death.
---
Meanwhile, in the hostel room, Aryan and Rahul were staring at the man in astonishment.
Rahul's face was tense — his brows furrowed, eyes full of questions.
Aryan, however, remained completely calm, observing the man.
A strange, composed smile lingered on his face, as if he was secretly pleased with some hidden knowledge.
In reality, Aryan had already recognized the man in front of him.
But he hid his emotions, pretending as if this was the first time he had ever met him.
The man, in turn, was also staring at Aryan intently.
For a few moments, silence engulfed the room — so deep that even the faint hum of the ceiling fan was audible.
Then, breaking the silence, the man spoke — his voice deep, carrying a cold smile:
"Master Aryan… it's been a long time since we met.
Do you still remember me?"
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Aryan's face —
as if memories from the distant past had resurfaced.
Meanwhile, Rahul's face reflected sheer shock.
Hearing the voice, he immediately recognized the man.
But instead of joy, fear surged through him —
and cold sweat dotted his forehead.
The room felt suddenly heavy, as if a shadow from the past had returned.
Aryan smiled lightly and said,
"People forget those they stop remembering…
And anyway, forgetting you would never be easy, Black Commander Vishwajeet."
For a few moments, silence filled the room.
Then Vishwajeet's deep, resonant laughter echoed:
"Ha ha ha ha…
Well, at least you remember me — that's good, Master Aryan."
His voice carried that same old cold confidence, making the room feel heavy.
At that moment, words escaped Rahul's lips in panic:
"C… C… Commander Vishwajeet!"
His face turned pale, sweat dripping down his forehead.
Vishwajeet looked at him — but his eyes had the glare of a predator.
Maintaining that glare, he said to Rahul,
"Well… hello, my dear nephew."
He smiled slowly, but it was no ordinary smile —
it was a threat, a warning, a danger in itself.
"How are you?
Have you ever remembered your little uncle?"
---
So, what happens next? Who exactly is Commander Vishwajeet, and why does Rahul shudder upon seeing him?
And who was the Red Commander, who ended the game of those masked men in the blink of an eye?
All these questions, and many more mysteries, await you in the next chapters.
Read on — and discover the dark and dangerous secrets of The King of Shadows