7:00 AM - CIB Headquarters, Delhi
The morning sun streammed into the CIB conference room, feeling alien after the perpetual night of Verma's dream world. Arav sat stiffly in a chair too expensive for his comfort, watching Riya pace before the floor-to-ceiling windows. She'd changed into a fresh uniform, but shadows clung beneath her eyes.
"They've been in there for two hours," Arav said, nodding toward the closed door where CIB Director Mehta and other senior officials were deciding their fates.
"Bureaucracy takes time," Riya replied, though her tight shoulders betrayed her own anxiety. "Especially when explaining how the head of the Dream Crime Division teamed up with the thief she was supposed to catch."
The door finally opened. Director Mehta, a stern woman with silver hair, gestured them in.
"Arav," she began, her voice unreadable. "Your actions, while criminal, exposed a conspiracy and saved countless lives. The official record will state you worked undercover for CIB."
Arav's breath left him in a rush. He was free. More than free—he was a hero.
"However," Mehta continued, turning to Riya, "your methods were... unorthodox. Going rogue, withholding evidence, collaborating with a known criminal."
Riya stood straighter. "It was necessary, ma'am."
"Perhaps." Director Mehta's lips thinned. "Which is why you're not being fired. You're being promoted."
Riya blinked. "Promoted?"
"The National Dream Archive is creating a new division—the Dream Security Agency. You will lead it. Your mandate is to regulate dream-tech, prevent corporate misuse, and protect citizens." Her gaze shifted to Arav. "And we expect you to accept the role of Deputy Director. Your... unique expertise is non-negotiable."
Arav could only stare. Thief to Deputy Director in one night.
2:00 PM - The New Office
Their new headquarters was a sun-drenched suite high above Delhi, a world away from the cramped, three-desk division Riya had inherited. Glass walls, humming servers, and a view that stretched for miles.
"It's too quiet," Arav murmured, standing beside her at the window.
"The calm after the storm," Riya said. But her eyes were distant, fixed on the horizon.
"A rupee for your thoughts?"
She hesitated. "When my father held me back in the dreamscape... I saw something in his memories. Just a flash before he faded."
Arav turned to her, concerned. "What was it?"
"A symbol. A silver serpent coiled around a key. I've never seen it before, but he was terrified of it." She finally looked at him. "Verma kept calling my father 'the foundation.' What if he wasn't the only one? What if there are others like him trapped elsewhere? What if Verma wasn't working alone?"
Before Arav could respond, the main console chimed. Ankit's face appeared on the screen—alive, though he sported a bandage on his forehead.
"Sorry to interrupt, bosses," he said, his usual cheer dimmed. "We've finished the preliminary analysis of Verma's personal files. You need to see this."
A file transferred to the main holo-display. It was a project timeline, stretching back fifteen years. Project Chimera was just one branch of a much larger, older initiative. Its name was "Operation Kaleidoscope."
And at the very top of the organizational chart, above Verma's name, was the same symbol Riya had just described: a silver serpent coiled around a golden key.
"He wasn't the mastermind," Riya whispered, her blood running cold. "He was just a piece on the board."
Arav zoomed in on the chart. Dozens of names were listed under "Active Assets" and "Research Facilities." Locations spanned the globe. One name, listed as "Project Head," was highlighted but redacted.
"Verma was a lieutenant," Arav said, a new dread settling in his bones. "We stopped the foot soldier. The general is still out there."
Riya's new comms device, emblazoned with the DSA logo, buzzed. An encrypted message flashed on the screen, from an unknown, untraceable source.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Officer Sharma. Your father would be proud. We've been waiting for you to take your rightful place."
Below the text was the silver serpent and key.
The war for dreams was over. A new one had just begun.