Rudra, Shiva, Ravi, and Sandeep stepped into the orphanage cautiously, their movements slower than usual, expecting to be greeted by Amirtha's scolding.
Ravi whispered,
"Brace yourselves, boys. The storm is coming."
Sandeep gulped.
Gulp~
"You think she already cooled down?"
Shiva scoffed.
"No chance. We're talking about Amirtha Ma. She probably has a whole speech ready."
But—
Nothing happened.
The orphanage felt warm and welcoming as always.
Kids played in the background, and the lingering smell of food filled the air.
And Amirtha, standing by the dining area, simply smiled at them.
"You four haven't eaten yet, have you?"
The boys blinked in confusion.
No scolding? No questioning?
Rudra narrowed his eyes.
"Uh… Amirtha? Did our class teacher come to complain?"
Amirtha tilted her head.
"Hmm? Oh, he did. But we can talk about that later. First, sit. I'll serve you lunch."
The four exchanged glances.
Sandeep muttered,
"Something doesn't feel right."
Shiva sighed,
"Don't think about it. Just eat before she changes her mind."
With relieved sighs, they dug into their meal, savoring every bite.
Even though they had snacked on the temple prasad Ravi sneakily brought earlier, nothing could beat Amirtha's homemade food.
For a moment, all was well.
Until—
After finishing their meal, Amirtha wasted no time and went straight to the point, her sharp gaze landing on Shiva first.
"So, Shiva..."
she began, folding her arms.
Shiva, who was in the middle of drinking water, nearly choked.
He set the glass down slowly, trying to act innocent.
"Uh...yes, Ma?"
"Why did you and your friends bunk the special class?"
Shiva nervously glanced at Rudra and his friends for help, but they were suddenly very interested in looking at the sky.
He let out a weak chuckle.
"Uh...well, you see, Ma... The thing is... learning is very important, right?"
Amirtha raised an eyebrow.
"So, uh, we were...um... learning something new! Yes! A different skill! Very valuable!"
Shiva tried.
"Shiva..."
Amirtha's voice carried a warning tone.
Seeing no escape, Shiva slumped in defeat.
"Alright, alright. We ran into this DJ, and it kinda sparked something in me... I wanted to learn about DJ-ing."
He hesitated before adding, "
I just didn't know if you'd support it..."
Amirtha's expression softened slightly, but she still gave him a small smack on the head.
"And you thought lying and bunking class was the best way to handle this?"
Shiva rubbed his head, looking sheepish.
"...No?"
She sighed and turned to Rudra.
"And you? What were you doing?"
Rudra, who had been pretending to wipe his hands very diligently, gave an awkward laugh and avoided her gaze.
"Oh, you know, the usual. Just... learning important life skills."
Amirtha narrowed her eyes.
"Rudra."
Giving up under her relentless stare, he admitted,
"I was at the computer center. You know, the one run by that old man? I help him manage the place sometimes."
Amirtha exhaled, rubbing her temples.
Sigh~
"You both—"
She paused, glancing at their friends.
"All of you—are unbelievable."
Shiva, trying to lighten the mood, grinned.
"Well, at least we weren't doing anything bad."
Amirtha gave him a look.
"And what about beating up your biology teacher?"
Silence.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Shiva and Rudra froze, their smiles vanishing.
Their friends suddenly found the ceiling very interesting.
"Well... uh... you see, about that—"
Rudra started, only to be cut off by Amirtha's sharp stare.
"Talk."
Rudra sighed.
"It's a long story..."
Amirtha crossed her arms.
"I have time."
Shiva muttered under his breath,
"Well, we don't."
Unfortunately for him, Amirtha had excellent hearing.
She smacked him again.
"Start talking."
Rudra and Shiva exchanged a look.
There was no escape.
Time to confess the truth.
fter Rudra and Shiva finished confessing the whole truth, they braced themselves for a long lecture.
But to their surprise, Amirtha didn't scold them.
Instead, she let out a long sigh, rubbing her forehead.
Sigh~
"I should've known you lot wouldn't get into trouble without a reason,"
she muttered acting like she didn't believe them earlier to maintain the act.
So they won't get full of them self.
"Still, next time, don't handle things like this on your own. There are better ways than breaking bones, you know?"
Shiva, trying to be cheeky, grinned.
Grin~
"But Ma, we only broke a few bones—"
Before he could finish, Amirtha shot him a look that immediately shut him up.
He coughed and looked away.
Amirtha shook her head but didn't push the matter further.
Instead, she changed the topic.
"Anyway, whatever you're planning next, put it on hold. We're all going to the Shiva temple this evening at 6 PM with the orphanage kids."
Rudra raised an eyebrow.
"Something special happening?"
"The pooja will start at 6:20 PM,"
Amirtha informed them.
"I don't want any of you running off or getting 'distracted' somewhere else."
"____"
"____"
Shiva and his friends exchanged guilty looks.
"I mean it,"
Amirtha added, her tone carrying a clear warning. "
Everyone is going."
Shiva let out a dramatic sigh.
Sigh~
"Alright, alright. We'll be there."
Rudra smirked.
"Like we have a choice."
"Exactly,"
Amirtha said with a small smile, before clapping her hands.
"Now, go freshen up. You smell like sweat and trouble."
Shiva sniffed himself.
Sniff~ Sniff~
"I smell fine."
Amirtha pinched his ear.
"Ow! Okay, okay, we're going!"
Rudra laughed as Shiva and the others hurried away, already thinking about the evening ahead.
After they left, Rudra informed Amirtha,
"I need to head to the computer centre. The old man is going to the temple with his family and asked me to take care of things until he gets back for Maha Shivaratri."
Amirtha gave him a look.
"You'll join us at the temple, right?"
Rudra smirked.
"Of course. Wouldn't want to miss the fun."
"Good,"
she said, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Don't get too comfortable with those PlayStation kids."
Rudra just chuckled and made his way to the centre.
Computer Center – 5:50 PM...
The small, dimly lit room had the hum of computers running, the clicking of keyboards, and the occasional excited shouts from the gaming section.
Rudra sat at his usual spot, updating some files while managing customers.
The clock read 5:50 PM, and the old man was still missing.
Rudra checked his phone—still no signal.
"____"
Sigh~
He sighed.
'Guess I'll be here a bit longer.'
Currently, he was assisting a woman who had come to apply for an Aadhaar card for her son.
After guiding her through the process and handing over the necessary printouts, she left with a polite nod.
"____"
Just as Rudra leaned back, stretching his arms, he caught something strange—low murmuring sounds coming from the corner of the room.
Whisper~
A few kids were huddled around a computer, whispering among themselves.
Their eyes were darting around nervously, and every few seconds, they would let out a muffled perverted giggle.
Rudra's instincts kicked in.
Narrowing his eyes, he silently approached them, moving like a hunter stalking prey.
As he got closer, the sounds from the computer became clearer—a series of muffled moans and heavy breathing.
Huff~ Huff~
Moan~ Moan~
"____"
Rudra's face froze.
'No way…'
The moment he stepped behind them and glanced at the screen—
BOOM.
A FULL-SCREEN ADULT MOVIE PLAYING IN HD GLORY.
The volume was low but painfully clear.
One of the kids, eyes glued to the screen, whispered dramatically,
"Bhai(Bro)… I think she's stuck."
Another gulped.
"Yeah… but why is the uncle helping her like that?"
Rudra's eye twitched.
Twitch~
He had seen enough.
With lightning speed, he reached over and slammed the monitor off.
The kids jumped in horror, their souls practically leaving their bodies.
"OH RUDRAAAA!!"
one of them yelped, nearly falling off the chair.
Rudra cracked his knuckles, his voice dangerously calm.
"So… came here to learn about computers, huh?"
"B-Bhai, we were just—"
"Educational purposes only!"
another tried, sweating bullets.
"Haaan, haan," (Yeah... yeah...)
Rudra nodded sarcastically.
"You guys are true scholars. Must be researching biology, hmm?"
The kids nodded furiously.
"Oh really? Should I go call your mothers and let them know how dedicated you are to your 'higher education'?"
Their faces lost all colour.
Before they could react, Rudra grabbed each of them by their collars and dragged them to the entrance.
"Nooooo! Bhai, mercy—!"
THUD. THUD.
THUD.
One by one, he threw them out like trash bags.
"DON'T COME BACK UNLESS YOU'RE HERE TO ACTUALLY PLAY GAMES OR STUDY!"
he shouted, dusting off his hands.
The kids, now standing outside, looked at each other with shame and regret.
One of them sighed,
"Bhai, I told you we should've worn helmets like last time."
The others nodded solemnly.
Rudra shook his head, muttering,
"At this rate, the future of our country is doomed."
He sighed, looking at the clock. 5:55 PM.
Rudra sat at the counter, still shaking his head at the future scholars he had just thrown out.
He checked his phone—still no call from the old man.
'Where the hell is he?'
Just as he was about to curse his luck, the old man finally arrived, looking slightly out of breath.
"Oi, Rudra! Sorry, sorry, got caught up at the temple—"
"Yeah, yeah, no time for excuses!"
Rudra cut him off, already moving toward the door.
"I'm late. I'm borrowing your Scooty!"
"Huh?—WAIT, MY—"
Vroom~
But before the old man could finish, Rudra had already zoomed off, leaving behind a dust cloud.
Rudra checked the time.
Five minutes left.
'If I hurry, I can still catch up with Amirtha and the others at the orphanage.'
But just as he was about to take a turn toward home—
[ DING! ]
[SYSTEM NOTICE: WARNING!]
[UNLOCKING FUNCTION IN PROGRESS. ESTIMATED TIME LEFT: 3 MINUTES.]
Rudra slammed the brakes, the Scooty screeching to a stop.
'Shit.'
The unlocking was happening now?!
His heart pounded.
He had no idea what kind of effect this would have on his body.
What if it caused him intense pain?
What if he passed out?
'I need to find a safe place. Fast.'
His eyes darted around, scanning the area.
Then it hit him—the pond near the temple!
Without hesitation, he revved the Scooty and sped toward the temple.
The timer was still ticking.
2 minutes left.
As the temple came into view, Rudra didn't even slow down.
He swerved sharply, heading straight for the pond.
1 minute left.
He parked the Scooty under a large tree and ran.
30 seconds.
There was no time to go to the temple.
Taking a deep breath—
He jumped.
Splash~
The moment Rudra plunged into the water, a strange energy surged through his body.
He went deeper and deeper, the cool water swallowing him whole.
Then—
A golden light burst from his forehead.
For the first time in 16 years, Rudra's Third Eye reappeared.
It glowed brightly, illuminating the entire pond in a mesmerizing blue halo.
The water shimmered, and for a moment, time itself seemed to pause.
[SYSTEM: UNLOCKING PROCESS 0% → 100%]
[SYSTEM: WORLD TRAVEL FUNCTION IS CURRENTLY LOCKED. REQUIREMENT: UNLOCK 10% OF DIVINE BODY.]
[SYSTEM: ACKNOWLEDGED. HOPE POINTS WILL BE STORED.]
[SYSTEM FULLY ACTIVATED!]
Inside his mind, Rudra saw a status screen appear.
[SYSTEM: STATUS UPDATE]
[PEAK HUMAN STATS – UNLOCKED
DIVINE BODY TRAIT – LOCKED (REQUIRES 10% UNLOCK FOR ACTIVATION)
NATURE'S SON – ACTIVE
ONE DESTINED TO BE WITH FATE – ACTIVE
HOPE POINTS REWARDED: 1,000 (BASED ON GOOD DEEDS IN THE LAST 16 YEARS)
WORLD TRAVEL FUNCTION – TEMPORARILY LOCKED (REQUIRES 10% DIVINE BODY UNLOCK)
STORE FUNCTION – LOCKED (REQUIRES WORLD TRAVEL TO BE UNLOCKED)
NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: RANDOM REWARDS FOR EACH GOOD DEED]
"____"
Rudra floated in the water, processing everything.
The real shocker was the World Travel Function.
'So I can travel to different worlds… but only after unlocking more of my Divine Body?'
Rudra clenched his fists, feeling the raw power flowing through him.
Rudra slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see only the murky depths of the pond.
Instead—
A spectacular sight unfolded before him.
A swarm of fish and snakes spiraled around him like a living barrier, moving in perfect harmony, as if they were drawn to him.
His eyes widened in shock.
'Why were they acting like this?'
Before he could process it, another realization hit him.
He touched his face and nose—
He was breathing underwater.
There wasn't even a hint of discomfort.
No need to gasp for air.
'This… this isn't normal!'
Yet, it felt completely natural.
The blue glow that had illuminated the pond just moments ago dimmed back to normal, but Rudra noticed something else—
He could still see clearly in the darkness.
Even the slightest ripples in the water, the smallest pebbles at the bottom—everything was crystal clear.
BOOM.
With a powerful kick, Rudra launched himself upward.
The fish and snakes that had been spiraling around him scattered instantly, making way for him.
Breaking through the surface, he took a deep breath—though he hadn't actually needed it—and swam back to shore.
Water dripped from his clothes as he hurried to the scooty, wiping his face.
He checked the time—
6:30 PM.
'Damn, the pooja must have already started!'
Without wasting another second, Rudra revved the scooty and sped off toward the temple.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(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.