Chapter 0.14

Bringing Them Together

Rudhra changed into the clothes he had received as a replacement from the palace store and stepped outside.

As he walked, something brushed against his thigh.

He stopped.

A sudden unease crept up his spine. Slowly, he slid his hand into his pocket. His fingers touched something small and solid. He wrapped his fingers around it and pulled it out.

His face drained of color.

A Tamaskara bullet.

He shoved it back into his pocket instantly and looked around, his heart pounding. The corridor was empty. No footsteps. No movement.

Who put it there?, he thought.

Fear tightened his chest. He forced himself to walk—then quickened his pace, heading straight for the palace perimeter. The moment he crossed it, he stopped and bent slightly, breathing hard. He took several deep breaths, steadying himself, then continued to walk.

Who put it in my pocket?

His pace increased again.

He passed the market and reached the apartment compound where the Amirthyas lived. Without hesitation, he entered Building B and began climbing the stairs. With every step, he rehearsed the words he would say to Ranjan and his family.

At last, he stood before a door marked:

15C

He inhaled deeply and knocked.

Minutes passed.

The door unlocked with a soft click and opened just a fraction. One eye and part of a face appeared in the narrow gap.

“You must be Daithya,” Rudhra said evenly.

“Who are you?” the man asked, his voice guarded.

“Rudhra. I hope your son has told you about me.”

Daithya’s expression tightened, worry flickering across his face. After a brief moment of thought, he opened the door wider.

“Come in.”

Rudhra stepped inside slowly.

The apartment had the same layout as his own—but almost no furniture. The emptiness made the room feel colder.

“Are you here to threaten us?” Daithya asked, his shoulders tense.

Rudhra met his gaze. “No.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Is your family here?”

Daithya frowned. “Why do you ask?”

“Please call them.”

“Tell me why you’re here first. Then I’ll decide.”

Rudhra exhaled quietly. “I need your help.”

Daithya’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of help?”

“I can explain—but only if I tell the whole truth. For that, I need all of you here.”

Silence stretched between them.

“I don’t carry any ill will toward you or your family,” Rudhra added. He reached back, removed the sword—still sheathed—and placed it gently on the floor in front of him.

Daithya studied the weapon, then Rudhra.

After a moment, he nodded. “Wait here.”

He disappeared into the bedroom.

A few minutes later, he returned—followed by the rest of his family.

Ranjan.
Poonam.
Leela.

They stood together, watching Rudhra in silence.

“Hello, everybody. My name is Rudhra Bhuvan. I am an Amirthya living in Building C. I think you already know my apartment.”

Rudhra scoffed softly. Around him, everyone lowered their gaze in embarrassment.

“I am here because I need your help,” he continued. “To protect the Amirthya clan.”

They looked at him, confused.

“Protect the Amirthya clan? From what?” Ranjan asked.

Rudhra fell silent for a moment. Then he removed his windbreaker and rolled up the sleeve of his T-shirt until the wound on his arm was clearly visible.

Shock spread across their faces.

“W–why isn’t it healing?” Leela asked.

Rudhra let the sleeve fall back into place.
“This wound was inflicted by a weapon—the same kind of weapon our Warden possesses. A weapon made of Tamaskara.”

“But I thought that was the only one left,” Daithya said. “It’s used by him to carry out the punishment of death for unforgivable sins.”

“That’s what I believed too.” Rudhra reached into his pocket and took out the bullet, holding it up for them to see. “But the Pranvars have many weapons made of Tamaskara.”

The color drained from their faces.

“W–why do they have that?” Leela whispered.

Rudhra paused for a long moment.
“To enslave us. In nearly five months.”

The room went deathly quiet.

Rudhra went on to explain the true past of the Amirthyas and the Pranvars—and Pranvars’ plans for the future. No one interrupted him. When he finally finished, they remained silent, their breathing heavy with shock.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” Rudhra said quietly. “But we don’t have much time. We need to move fast—before it’s too late.”

“What can we do against people that powerful?” Poonam asked, her face filled with despair.

“I don’t know if we can escape them completely,” Rudhra replied. “But I do know this—doing something is better than doing nothing.”

Daithya frowned. “How did you come to know all of this?”

Rudhra hesitated.
“I… I have an ally among the Pranvars.”

Daithya scoffed. “An ally? Among the Pranvars?”

“Yes. And she’s the one who came up with the plan.”

Ranjan strode forward, anger burning in his eyes. He grabbed Rudhra by the collar.
“How can you trust one of them after everything they’ve done?”

“Because she gains nothing by telling us this,” Rudhra said firmly. “Right now, she’s the only chance we have.”

Ranjan’s grip slowly loosened, and he stepped back.

“So what’s the plan?” Daithya asked.

Rudhra explained the plan Yodhika had shared with him.

The four of them stood in silence, thinking.

“You’ll need a lot of Amirthyas for this,” Daithya finally said.

“Yes,” Rudhra agreed.

“And how do you plan to gather them,” Daithya continued, “considering how divided we all are?”

“I… I don’t know,” Rudhra admitted, lowering his gaze.

Silence fell again.

“We might be able to help you with that,” Daithya said.

Rudhra looked up sharply. “How?”

“Well,” Daithya hesitated, “as part of what we used to do, we observed Amirthya families. Studied their movements, their habits—what they liked and what they disliked. We can use that knowledge to find more people.”

“Can you?” Rudhra asked, hope lighting up his face. “Really?”

“I’m not making any promises,” Daithya said. “And I don’t know how many we can bring together.” He paused. “But the real problem is time. Even if we gather them, they won’t be trained. We’ve worked as a team for two years—but they haven’t. Five months won’t be enough to turn them into one.”.

Rudhra grew thoughtful. He stared at the floor for a moment, weighing Daithya’s words.

“We’ll think about that once we see how many we can actually gather,” he said at last. Then his tone sharpened. “But keep one thing in mind—we don’t want the Pranvars catching even a whisper of this. Everything we do has to remain invisible. Understood?”

Everyone nodded.

“Understood,” Ranjan said quietly.

Rudhra turned to Daithya. “Now tell me,” he said, “what you observed about the Amirthyas—in detail.”

Daithya took a slow breath. He went on to describe the routine of Amirthyas—who left their homes at dawn and returned before nightfall, who followed strict personal schedules, and who avoided certain areas altogether. He spoke of habits repeated every day, of preferences shown only in private: the times they trained, the places they walked, the customs they still practiced behind closed doors.

Some valued silence and predictability. Others clung to old rituals performed alone. A few showed quiet discipline in how they lived, even when no one was watching.

Rudhra listened carefully, his expression unreadable. These families couldn’t be approached as a group. Each would have to be understood on its own terms—observed, respected, and contacted without drawing attention.

If they were to gather anyone at all, it would have to be done one household at a time.

(To be continued)