The low hum of an approaching engine signaled the arrival of the awaited guests.
A sleek, luxury car rolled up in front of the orphanage, its polished surface reflecting the bright festival decorations.
Right behind it, a large delivery truck followed, its back loaded with steaming containers of food.
As soon as the car door opened, a well-dressed family stepped out.
Gold jewelry glistened against their embroidered outfits, and a mild air of authority surrounded them.
Amirtha greeted them warmly, folding her hands in a polite namaste.
"Welcome! We are honored to have you here today,"
she said, ushering them inside.
The children gathered, watching curiously as Amirtha introduced the guests, explaining their generous contribution.
Her speech was formal yet heartfelt, thanking them for their kindness.
During this moment, Rudra's gaze subtly drifted to the walls of the orphanage, where an old, faded photograph of an elderly woman hung—a silent reminder of the past.
It had been sixteen years since Amirtha took over the orphanage after the passing of the old caretaker, the woman who had once sheltered her.
Though much had changed, the warmth of the place remained, thanks to Amirtha's care.
Once the pleasantries were done, lunch service began.
Rudra and Shiva manned the rice station, scooping steaming mounds onto each plate.
Sandeep took charge of the laddoos, making sure no kid left without one (or two, depending on how cute they looked).
Ravi, carrying a heavy bucket of sambar, navigated through the rows like a warrior on a mission.
The rich family stayed for precisely five minutes, exchanged a few polite smiles, and then departed as grandly as they arrived.
Just as the serving was in full swing, a new arrival disrupted the peace.
The orphanage gate creaked open, and in walked a rotund man in a slightly tight shirt, thick sunglasses perched on his nose—though they did nothing to hide his unusually large, bulging eyes.
He adjusted his belt and cleared his throat before calling out—
"Ahem! Excuse me! Amirtha Ma'am?"
At that moment, Shiva's friends—Ravi and Sandeep—froze mid-action.
Sandeep, who had just lifted a banana leaf to serve a kid, swiftly turned it into a makeshift mask, covering his face.
Ravi, gripping the heavy sambar bucket, ducked behind a table, peeking nervously.
With wide, panicked eyes, they hurriedly shuffled toward Rudra and Shiva, who were still serving food, and whispered in a dramatic, hushed tone—
"CODE RED! CODE RED!"
Rudra raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
Sandeep, still holding the banana leaf to his face, muttered,
"HE is here."
Shiva, confused, looked over at the entrance.
Then he saw him.
His face paled.
"Oh no. No, no, no—why is HE here?!"
Ravi, still clutching the sambar bucket for dear life, gulped.
"Who knows?! Maybe he came for revenge?"
Amirtha, unaware of the unfolding disaster, turned toward the new guest.
"Yes? How can I help you?"
The man adjusted his sunglasses and spoke in a deep, familiar voice—
"Ma'am, I'm here for a very important matter. My name is Mr. Bose."
Shiva and Rudra exchanged horrified glances.
Rudra whispered,
"Mr. Bose?!"
Sandeep nodded frantically.
"Yup. The one and only. Mr. Bose… a.k.a..."
Ravi finished in a whisper of doom—
"THE EYE OF SAURON."
Rudra's stomach dropped.
"We're dead."
Because Mr. Bose was their class teacher.
And today's special class?
The one they all skipped, lying to Amirtha?
Yeah.
That class.
The moment Shiva, Rudra, and their friends locked eyes, a silent understanding passed between them.
RUN.
In a series of perfectly timed moves—
Shiva shoved the rice ladle into a confused kid's hands.
Ravi pushed the sambar bucket onto a nearby unsuspecting server.
Sandeep abandoned the laddoo tray mid-air (which someone thankfully caught).
Rudra casually dusted his hands and, in the smoothest motion, sidestepped away.
Within seconds, the four vanished from the scene like seasoned criminals, slipping past the serving lines and making a tactical retreat out of the orphanage courtyard.
there is only one thing in their mind.
'Mission Status: Escaped (for now).'
Meanwhile, back at the scene of the crime…
Mr. Bose adjusted his oversized sunglasses, scanning the food-serving line where the four had just been standing. He blinked twice, noticing their sudden disappearance.
"Hmm?"
He rubbed his chin.
"Where did—"
A polite voice interrupted him.
Amirtha turned back toward him with her usual composed expression.
"Yes, Mr. Bose?"
The man exhaled sharply.
"It's about Shiva, Rudra, and their friends."
His voice carried the heavy weight of frustration.
"Those rascals bunked today's special maths class! Not just today! I checked—They haven't attended a single special class this entire month!"
Amirtha's brows raised slightly.
She sighed, shaking her head.
"I see. I'll make sure to discipline them. After all, I'm not just a mother to Shiva. I'm also the guardian of Rudra, Ravi, and Sandeep. They're all part of this orphanage, and I'll ensure they take their studies seriously."
Mr. Bose looked mildly satisfied.
But then, his expression darkened as if recalling something far worse.
"There's… something else."
Amirtha tilted her head.
"Go on."
Mr. Bose hesitated, then spoke in a lower voice, glancing around as if afraid someone might overhear.
"It's about… the incident with the biology teacher."
A beat of silence.
Amirtha's expression sharpened slightly.
"What incident?"
Mr. Bose inhaled.
"Three days ago, Rudra and his friends… beat up the biology teacher."
The air inside the biology lab was thick with tension.
The middle-aged biology teacher, a man in his early forties with a fit, well-built body, stood with sweat forming on his brow.
His hands trembled slightly, but his face was set in defiance.
Across from him stood Rudra.
His expression was eerily calm, but his presence alone made the room feel smaller.
His friends—Shiva, Ravi, and Sandeep—stood behind him like loyal sentinels.
The teacher took an involuntary step back.
CRACK!
Before he could react, Rudra moved.
With the effortless grace of a predator, Rudra's fist slammed into the man's gut, sending him skidding backward into a table.
The teacher gasped, choking on air. His knees buckled.
But Rudra wasn't done.
One punch to the ribs. (Crack.)
One swift kick to the shin. (Snap.)
A final uppercut—sending him crashing onto the floor.
The entire classroom went silent.
The teacher groaned in pain, clutching his side.
His right arm hung limply, dislocated.
One of his legs twisted at an unnatural angle.
A few teeth clattered onto the floor.
And yet…
When the principal rushed in moments later, the biology teacher refused to say a word against Rudra.
Instead, he scrambled to his feet (or rather, tried to) and frantically shook his head.
"I—I slipped in the bathroom!!"
Everyone stared.
The principal's brows knitted together.
"What?"
The biology teacher nodded so hard his swollen face jiggled.
"YES! BATHROOM SLIPPERY. VERY DANGEROUS."
His eyes darted to Rudra, then back to the principal.
"I swear on my ancestors—I fell! No one touched me!"
And with that, he fled.
Out of the school gates.
And never returned.
Mr. Bose finished the story, adjusting his sunglasses again.
"So, ma'am… what do you have to say about THAT?"
Amirtha leaned back slightly, her gaze thoughtful, unreadable.
Then, she smiled.
A slow, knowing smile.
"Rudra wouldn't do something like that without a reason,"
she said simply.
"And I believe in him."
Mr. Bose stiffened.
"But—"
"If the teacher himself says he slipped in the bathroom,"
Amirtha continued,
"then who are we to argue?"
Silence.
Mr. Bose opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Adjusted his glasses.
And, with a defeated sigh, muttered,
"Fine."
But as he turned to leave, his mind still swirled with suspicion.
Because if there was one undeniable truth about Rudra Eswar—
It was that he wasn't just strong.
He was terrifying.
The four friends huddled together under a large banyan tree, their backs resting against its sturdy trunk as they speculated about Mr. Bose's visit to Amirtha.
Ravi scratched his head.
"Maybe he finally realized that special maths classes are useless?"
Shiva scoffed.
"If that were the case, he would've come to thank us for bunking, not complain."
Sandeep, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly stiffened.
"Wait…"
He gulped.
"You don't think this is about me and Mr. Bose's daughter, do you?"
Three heads snapped toward him.
Rudra raised a brow.
"What did you do?"
Sandeep shifted uncomfortably.
"I... uh… I was just being friendly."
Ravi's expression darkened.
"Define 'friendly.'"
Sandeep quickly waved his hands.
"Nothing! I swear! I just... might have tried to get close to her a little."
Shiva crossed his arms.
"And?"
Sandeep let out a long sigh.
"And she told me, 'I already have an older brother, I don't need another one.'"
A silence fell over the group.
Then—
Ravi and Shiva burst out laughing.
"Brother-zoned! HAHAHA!"
"Oof! That's worse than getting rejected! You got a promotion in the wrong direction!"
Sandeep groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"Ugh… now I want to disappear."
Before the teasing could escalate further—
Rudra's phone rang.
The sudden vibration in his pocket made him pause.
Pulling out his phone, he saw an unknown number.
He hesitated for a second before answering.
"Hello?"
A trembling voice came from the other end.
"Rudra beta…"
Rudra straightened, instantly recognizing the voice—it was the father of a girl from his class.
"Thank you… from the bottom of my heart."
The laughter from Shiva and Ravi died down as they noticed Rudra's expression change.
His usual relaxed demeanor shifted into something more serious.
"Sir?"
Rudra said calmly.
"You don't have to—"
"No."
The man's voice wavered with emotion.
"If it weren't for you and your friends, my daughter… I can't even think about what could've happened."
The memories came rushing back.
Flashback...
It happened three days ago.
Rudra, Shiva, and their friends had been goofing off after school, wandering into an empty classroom purely by accident.
But what they found inside froze them in place.
A girl—one of their classmates—was sitting on the floor, her wrist bleeding.
A small blade lay beside her, soaked in red.
Tears streaked her face, her breathing uneven.
In front of her lay a suicide note.
The moment Rudra saw it, he acted.
Shiva immediately ran to get first aid.
Ravi and Sandeep held the girl's trembling hands.
And Rudra knelt beside her, his voice calm but firm.
"Look at me."
She hesitated before lifting her teary eyes to his.
"You don't want to die,"
Rudra said, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"You want help. That's why we're here."
The girl broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Between shaky breaths, she revealed the horrifying truth.
Their biology teacher had been blackmailing her.
Using morphed images and edited videos, he had threatened to ruin her life unless she obeyed him.
Unable to take the pressure, she had decided to end it all.
Rudra's fists tightened.
With a soft but commanding voice, he made her promise to tell her parents.
To fight back.
With the strength of his words and the support of his friends, she finally agreed.
When the girl's father—who happened to be the city commissioner—found out, he was furious.
But instead of storming into the school right away, he did something smarter.
That night, he went straight to the biology teacher's house.
There, he found hard evidence.
Hundreds of photos.
Dozens of videos.
Not just of his daughter—but of several other girls.
Without hesitation, he destroyed everything.
And then, with an icy tone, he had told his daughter:
"Tell Rudra and his friends they have my permission… to do what needs to be done."
Flashback Ends...
As the call ended, Rudra slowly lowered the phone, his jaw clenched.
His friends, having heard most of it, sat in silence.
Even Sandeep, usually the clown, looked grim.
After a long pause, Shiva finally spoke.
"So… the biology teacher?"
Rudra exhaled.
"Arrested."
Ravi let out a low whistle.
"Wow… I mean, we knew what we were doing was right, but to think the commissioner himself approved it…"
Shiva smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Tch. We're basically government-approved vigilantes now."
Sandeep shuddered.
"Yeah, yeah. But let's be real— Imagine if he hadn't given us permission. We'd all be in jail right now."
Ravi chuckled.
"Then we'd just break out, Bollywood-style."
The tension finally eased, replaced with a sense of camaraderie.
Rudra, staring at his phone for a moment longer, then put it away.
"Let's go back."
As they walked down the street, Shiva slung an arm around Rudra's shoulder.
"So, you wanna tell Amirtha ma about this?"
Rudra gave him a look.
"And have her scold us for fighting? No thanks."
Ravi grinned.
"Fair. Let's just enjoy lunch before she finds out."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
It will motivate me if you guys give your opinions and comments to maintain a good interactive relationship between us.
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! and power stone!!!
Which will motivate me more.