The Hall of Shadows had barely begun its work when Avni summoned Mukul and Anaya into a secluded chamber beneath the Raichand estate. The torches burned low, their flickering flames casting long shadows across the ancient stone walls.
Avni's face was pale but resolute as she unrolled the parchment she had carried with such care. "I told you yesterday about the trace I found," she began, her voice steady but weighed with emotion. "Tonight, I will share what little more I've uncovered."
Mukul leaned forward, his sharp eyes fixed on the markings etched in faded ink. It was no more than a fragment—a map torn from an old chart, with a single emblem scrawled on its edge. A crescent moon entwined with a serpent, the symbol of a forgotten order. Beside it, a word was half-burnt yet legible:
"Andes."
Anaya's eyes narrowed. "The Andes… South America." Her mind raced. "That mountain range runs across Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina. Remote lands, hidden valleys—perfect for someone who doesn't wish to be found."
Mukul studied the parchment silently for a long moment, his mind calculating every possibility. Finally, he spoke, his voice low, controlled. "If she is there, she has built her own shadow. A fortress hidden in the ridges of the earth. No ordinary hand would leave a mark like this—it was left for someone meant to find it."
Avni's eyes softened with both pain and hope. "Do you think… it was her? That she wanted me to know?"
Anaya stepped closer, her hand brushing against the parchment. "It could be her. Or it could be bait. The Andes are a graveyard for the unprepared. Cults, secret sects, and mercenaries thrive in those mountains. Whoever controls them, controls silence."
Mukul's fist tightened over the table. "Then we will not rush. Until we are certain, her name will remain buried. The Hall of Shadows will quietly trace every whisper from South America. No open moves. No declarations."
Avni looked between the two of them, her heart torn between motherly longing and the cold demands of survival. "You must understand—I do not seek to pull her into this world of war. I only want to know she is alive. That my daughter breathes beneath the same sky."
For the first time, Mukul softened. He placed a hand over hers. "You will have your answer, Avni. But we cannot give the enemy even a hint of what we know. If they discover she is blood of Raichand and Malhotra… they will hunt her first."
The silence deepened. Then Anaya spoke, her voice sharp as a blade. "From this night, we add a new layer to the Hall of Shadows. Codename: 'The Lost Star.' Only the three of us will know it. Every clue, every report tied to this name will be guarded above all else."
Avni's lips trembled at the codename, her eyes moist with unspoken gratitude. "The Lost Star…" she whispered. "Yes. That is what she is."
Mukul straightened, his mind already turning to the larger battlefield. "South America is not untouched by our rivals. If they, too, are moving there, then this clue may tie deeper than family. The Andes may become a warfront."
Anaya smirked faintly, though her gaze stayed cold. "Let them come. If the Lost Star is truly there, no force in this world will claim her before we do."
The parchment lay between them, fragile yet powerful, a whisper from the past hinting at a future none of them could predict.
For Avni, it was a spark of hope. For Mukul, a dangerous new variable. For Anaya, a secret worth burying in the deepest vaults of shadow.
And in the distant mountains of the Andes, far beyond their sight, a figure cloaked in silence stood beneath the moonlit peaks—watching, waiting, unseen.