...

  "Five years ago...?"

  Raghav's curiosity was piqued, just as Randheer's was. Randheer had heard whispers of the past, but the truth? That remained hidden even from him.

  "Yes! It was a massive incident. If you search for the 'Azamgarh Lab Case' on the internet, you'll still find traces of it."

  Hearing the name Azamgarh, the color drained from Raghav's face. He was in Himachal, he hadn't expected a mention of his home region here.

  But since it's already been mentioned, why just the spices? Raghav will only stop after knowing the whole recipe. Even though he knew such an event hadn't happened in his original world, this was the matter of the book he was trapped in.

  "What happened, Jagat Sir?"

  And Jagat, noticing this, realized that the boys' curiosity and eagerness had increased. He, too, thought it best to tell them.

  "People were conducting illegal experiments in a lab. They ended up creating a creature of such Power level that it began devouring Fighter Cores. Since a Fighter Core is a fighter's life, they started dying like flies. And this creature... it was a nightmare. It could split its body into multiple parts, and each part grew larger by consuming more Cores."

  The beginning of Jagat's story was so chilling that both Raghav and Randheer shivered. Jagat had no intention of scaring Randheer, who had just recently entered the world of fighters, and Raghav, who was just starting out.

  But a story worth telling is a story that haunts.

  "The police officers present there and the District Magistrate worked as diligently as possible and managed to evacuate a large section of the population from Lalganj."

  At the mention of Lalganj, Raghav’s eyes widened to their absolute limit.

  Lalganj?

  That was his home.

  To find out that his home in this world was tied to such dark secrets sent his mind into a tailspin.

  『Lalganj? Is there a concept of parallel worlds here?! What was going on in the mind of the author of that Red Book? Who actually wrote it?』

  Raghav was thinking about all this and Jagat noticed Raghav drifting away into his thoughts.

  "Raghav-ji?!"

  "Oh!"

  Raghav snapped back, scratching his head with an apologetic smile.

  "Sorry! I just got lost in thought."

  "No worries."

  Randheer patted his shoulder, assuring him that it's okay. It's normal to lose focus mid-conversation. With that, Jagat continued his story.

  "The Research Director of the lab, a Supreme-tier researcher, tried to flee. But on the highway, he was intercepted by another Supreme-tier fighter. A ferocious battle broke out, and in the end... the Director was killed."

  Raghav was not in the mood to dig up old graves, but still he could not stop himself from noticing the missing link.

  No one is foolish enough to fight another person of their own level without a massive reason. Certainly not intentionally.

  Especially not to the death.

  But it happened here. And a life was lost.

  『Something fanned those flames... but what?』

  "They wouldn't just fight for no reason. There must have been a cause..."

  Randheer said, voicing Raghav’s exact thought. But this shouldn't have been surprising, and neither should Raghav. If anyone else had heard it, they would have asked the same question.

  "That, no one knows. It remains a secret. But after that fight, all those core-eating monsters vanished as well."

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  "So, what does that story have to do with this lightning?"

  "Everything!"

  "Because that Supreme-tier fighter... was him."

  Jagat pointed toward the gate. The lightning had stopped, but smoke was still rising into the freezing sky.

  The gates opened, And the figure of a soldier stepped in. Beyond that, he could no longer see, but Raghav's eyes remained fixed on the gate.

  Deep inside...

  Deep inside, he felt like this was all just a small scene in a much larger, darker picture.

  And deep inside...

  Deep inside, his chest, somewhere behind his heart, he began to feel a faint, sharp ache...

  ?°?°?°?°?

  Major Shaurya now stood before Pranali. His squad had already handed over the massive monster tusks to the Kaalminar staff, valuable materials for research and weaponry.

  "Welcome to Kaalminar, Major!"

  Pranali thought it was the right thing to say first. She was grateful, and she should be grateful.

  Ketki, standing behind her, and Tushar, who had arrived just a short while ago, also had the same expression on their faces.

  "Please, you must be exhausted. At least that's what your comrades are suggesting."

  And while not the Major, all the soldiers standing behind him nodded their heads vigorously in unison, some were giving thumbs up.

  But the moment the Major glanced back, they snapped to attention like drawn bows.

  "Fine."

  Major replied simply. They all moved toward the meeting room.

  ?°?°?°?°?

  The same room, the same view, the same massive table.

  In the center, the pride of the Himalayas and Uttranchal, the Brahma Kamal flower, hovered and rotated in the air.

  Nothing had changed, only the people were different. All the soldiers and the major were sitting in their seats, having had a light snack.

  "If my calculations are correct, if the Kaalmani isn't returned within forty-eight hours, everything here will slowly freeze solid. Thirteen hours have already passed. We only have thirty-five hours left."

  Everyone fell silent for a while after this serious revelation. The monster attacks were relentless, and the hunger for the other gems in the tower was growing. They had to solve the mystery of who stole it, and why?

  Major Shaurya picked up his glass and swirled the water in his glass but didn't drink.

  "So, you’ve chosen someone for this task, No?"

  Pranali nodded. Just as she was about to speak to Ketki, the door opened. The man of the hour had arrived.

  "Apologies for the intrusion, Ma'am! But there’s something I needed to tell you."

  Raghav stood there with his chocolate eyes, the butterfly still tucked partially inside his shirt. Major Shaurya watched him with sudden interest.

  "Raghav! You’ve come at the perfect time."

  Raghav raised one eyebrow, then lowered the other. Some part of his brain seemed to be ringing a bell. He felt someone’s gaze boring into him, but there was no purpose in looking towards them right now.

  "Ji?" ("Pardon?")

  Pranali rose from her chair and walked over to Raghav, placing a hand on his shoulder as she pointed towards the huge table on which the Brahma Kamal flower was rotating in the air.

  Raghav looked at it, and this time there was a purpose behind looking at it.

  "This is Major Shaurya, leader of the Para-SF Fighters Special Unit which deals with problems related to fighters or monsters. And this is Raghav. He is currently solving this case."

  Finally, Raghav's eyes fell on the Major, and the Major's on Raghav. The Major, too, stood up from his seat, approached him, and extended a hand.

  When Raghav saw him, it certainly dawned on him that his tall stature, build, demeanor, and icy glow matched someone special. But for now, he shook hands.

  "Pleasure to meet you, Sir."

  "Likewise."

  As they pulled away, the blue creature inside Raghav's shirt peeked out to stare at the Major. Its antennae twitched as if sensing something... Unique.

  "Ma'am? Can I use your room in the Second Tower until the investigation is over?"

  Pranali looked at him and smiled despite herself.

  "Fine, do it. Just don't break anything."

  Raghav returned the smile. Neither Tushar nor Ketaki knew, but it was surprising that these two had developed a strange, comfortable bond in just a few hours.

  "Where are Randheer and Jagat? Weren't they with you?"

  "They’re waiting outside, Ma'am."

  Pranali nodded. Her eyes drifted to the butterfly clinging to Raghav, peeking at the one behind him, who was also gazing at the creature with blue-gold wings.

  "It acts very... domesticated with you."

  Raghav stroked its wings and pulled it back to his shoulder. The staring contest between the insect and the Major was broken.

  "Ji..." ("Yes...")

  Pranalii chuckled at his usual 'Ji.' She felt relieved that the boy wasn't as terrified as he used to be.

  "Go on then."

  She ruffled his hair. Raghav gave her one last smile and left. The door closed behind him, but everyone was still looking in that direction. Pranali too. And the Major too...

  『How lucky the mother must be, to have a son like him...』

  Pranali thought. But not everyone's thaughts are the same. Just as the five fingers of a hand are not all equal.

  There are many ways of looking at the same thing, and there are many ways of understanding those ways.

  Just as Shaurya’s thoughts were different. He knew that butterfly was anything but ordinary. And if the pet wasn't ordinary, its owner couldn't be either...

  『Interesting... very interesting...』

  To be continued...