Mahadev's Temple...
The temple courtyard was bustling with energy.
Amirtha, Shiva, their friends, and the orphanage kids had been waiting for Rudra for the past 15 minutes.
They had tried calling him multiple times, but his phone was unreachable.
The pooja had long since started, and their worry grew with every passing minute.
Just as Amirtha was about to send Shiva or his friends to check at the computer centre, a sudden blaring siren echoed through the temple premises.
Multiple luxury cars rolled in, surrounded by tight security.
The MLA, the chief guest for the Maha Shivaratri event, had arrived with his family.
The event organizers sprang into action, welcoming him with a grand reception.
Dum~ Dum~
Dum~ Dum~
Drums thundered, temple priests chanted mantras, and the crowd gathered to witness the spectacle.
As per the event plan, before the MLA entered the temple, the elephant—
a revered part of the temple rituals—was supposed to place a flower garland around his neck as a sign of honour.
At the same time, Rudra finally reached the temple.
He hurriedly parked the scooty in the nearby bike stand and moved through the thick crowd, scanning for his group.
From a distance, Ravi spotted him first.
With exaggerated movements, Ravi lifted both hands and shook them violently, shouting:
"Rudra! Over here!"
Rudra noticed him immediately, nodding and signaling that he would be there in a moment.
But—
Just as Rudra was making his way forward—
The temple elephant, which was supposed to put the flower garland on the MLA, suddenly stopped.
A hush fell over the crowd as the massive creature turned away from the MLA—
And walked straight toward Rudra.
The onlookers gasped in shock.
With slow, deliberate movements, the elephant lifted the flower garland with its trunk—
And placed it around Rudra's neck.
A stunned silence filled the temple grounds.
Rudra, caught in the unexpected and awkward situation, immediately removed the garland, feeling all eyes on him.
Trying to defuse the situation, he turned toward the MLA and politely extended the garland to him, intending to place it around his neck instead.
But—
The MLA raised a hand, smiling politely.
"No need,"
he said, his tone respectful.
Without another word, the MLA turned and walked into the temple with his entourage.
However—
After a few moments, his expression changed.
A hint of curiosity and intrigue flashed in his eyes.
He subtly turned to one of his men and, in a low voice, asked:
"Who was that boy earlier?"
After the awkward moment with the elephant, Rudra held the flower garland in his hand as he walked towards his group.
As soon as he joined them, his friends wasted no time teasing him.
"The elephant must have thanked you for saving it in your past life!"
Ravi joked, nudging him with a grin.
Tejas, one of Shiva and Rudra's school friends, smirked. He was from a wealthy family and had an easygoing personality,
Tejas smirked.
Giggle~
"Or maybe it sensed your inner divinity, O great Rudra!"
Meena giggled.
Beside him, his younger sister Meena giggled.
Unlike her brother, Meena was quieter and more reserved—except when it came to Shiva.
She had a very obvious crush on him, something everyone except Shiva himself seemed to notice.
"Or it just mistook him for the MLA,"
she said playfully, making the group chuckle.
Sandeep shook his head dramatically.
"No, no! It must've sensed that Rudra is secretly its long-lost mahout!"
Rudra rolled his eyes and waved them off.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want,"
he muttered, stuffing the garland into Ravi's hands.
"Here, keep it as a souvenir!"
The group continued chatting and enjoying the festive atmosphere as the Maha Shivaratri pooja concluded.
Soon, it was time to return to the orphanage.
As they reached the orphanage, Shiva turned to Amirtha.
"Ma, the DJ I've been learning under invited me to a DJ night for Maha Shivaratri at the nearby ground. Can I go with my friends?"
"____"
Amirtha glanced at him and then at his friends, who were all looking hopeful.
She sighed but nodded.
"Alright, but be careful and don't stay out too late."
"Yes, Ma!"
Shiva grinned and quickly grabbed Ravi, Sandeep and Tejas, pulling them along.
Meena followed as well, excited to join.
Sandeep clapped his hands together.
"Alright! Time to see if Shiva can actually mix beats or if he's just been bluffing!"
Meanwhile, Rudra decided to stay back.
"I'll keep you company, Amirtha,"
he said casually.
She raised an eyebrow.
"You don't want to go with them?"
Rudra shrugged.
"Just felt like staying back."
In truth, his mind was preoccupied with something else.
[ DING... ]
[TASK GENERATED: PROTECT ORPHANAGE'S PEACE]
[STATUS: INCOMPLETE]
[DESCRIPTION: TONIGHT, A GROUP OF THUGS WILL ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE ORPHANAGE, TARGETING YOU. IF LEFT UNCHECKED, THIS WILL LEAD TO CHAOS AND DISTURB THE CHILDREN'S SAFETY. STOP THEM BEFORE THEY CAN CAUSE TROUBLE.]
[REWARD: 20 HOPE POINTS, BGM BOOSTER, DANCE (MAX)]
Rudra's eyes narrowed as he read the system notification.
Midnight had settled over the orphanage, and the children were fast asleep.
The only sounds filling the quiet night were those of Rudra and Amirtha chatting while watching TV.
On-screen, an elderly man danced around on stage, moving with exaggerated expressions.
Rudra groaned.
"Ugh, who watches this at midnight? Can we please switch to something funny?"
Amirtha chuckled at his irritation and changed the channel to a comedy movie.
"How about this?"
"Much better,"
Rudra muttered, stretching his arms behind his head.
Just as the movie picked up, the power suddenly cut off, plunging the entire orphanage into darkness.
"____"
Frown~
Rudra frowned, glancing outside through the window.
Every house in the street still had electricity—except theirs.
His sharp eyes caught sight of something even more concerning.
A row of jeeps was parked outside the orphanage.
In the dim glow of the streetlights, he saw shadowy figures stealthily making their way inside.
Amirtha, who had also noticed, folded her arms.
"Looks like trouble."
Rudra's mind clicked into action.
"The power lines aren't cut. Someone shut off the main switch after breaking in."
"That means they're already inside,"
Amirtha deduced.
"Exactly. Come with me,"
Rudra said, guiding her through the dark.
Ever since awakening the system, his body had reached peak human condition—his strength rivaled that of a super-soldier, and his vision was perfect even in complete darkness.
He moved soundlessly, leading Amirtha toward the main power control.
Whistle~
Near the power box, a thug stood casually lighting a cigarette, completely unaware of the two approaching figures.
Before he could take his first puff, Rudra moved like a shadow.
In an instant, he grabbed the man's neck and slammed the back of his head against the wall.
The thug crumpled to the ground, unconscious, his cigarette slipping from his fingers.
Rudra pushed open the power control room door and ushered Amirtha inside.
"Stay here,"
he instructed before locking the door from the outside.
That would prevent anyone from tampering with the power again.
As he turned around, a group of thugs spotted him.
One of them, a burly man with a scar on his cheek, let out a loud, mocking laugh.
Haha~
"Look at this! The little rat just walked straight into our trap!"
A lanky thug sneered, cracking his knuckles.
Crack~
"What's the matter, kid? Were you so scared you came running to surrender?"
Another thug, chewing gum obnoxiously, smirked.
"Tsk, tsk. You must really care about this dump. Too bad, though. By the time we're done, this place will be unrecognizable!"
A short, stocky thug chuckled, waving a crowbar.
"And you? Oh, we're gonna enjoy breaking every bone in your body, brat!"
They laughed arrogantly, their voices oozing confidence.
None of them noticed Rudra's expression.
He simply stood there, calm and composed, his sharp gaze locking onto them.
His eyes held no fear—only quiet amusement, as if he were looking at a bunch of insects buzzing in his way.
With his hands in his pockets, he tilted his head slightly and let out a small chuckle.
"Is that so?"
The night air was thick with tension as the thugs circled around Rudra in the orphanage's main hall.
The dim emergency light flickered, casting long shadows across the worn-out floor.
One of the thugs, a bulky man wielding an iron rod, smirked.
"This brat thinks he's some kind of hero. Let's show him what real pain feels like!"
Without waiting, he lunged forward, swinging the rod straight at Rudra's skull.
Rudra didn't move until the very last moment.
With terrifying ease, he tilted his head to the side, dodging the strike by mere inches.
Before the thug could react, Rudra's fist shot forward—
BAM!
A brutal punch landed straight to his stomach, lifting him off his feet.
The thug's body folded as he crashed backward into two others, knocking them down like bowling pins.
The remaining thugs hesitated for a second.
But then, with furious shouts, they charged.
One swung a wooden stick at Rudra's ribs.
WHOOSH!
Rudra ducked, letting the stick slice through the air just above him.
Without wasting a second, he twisted his body and delivered a spinning kick to the thug's jaw.
The sheer force sent him sprawling onto the floor, unconscious.
Another thug rushed in from behind with a knife.
But Rudra sensed it.
In a blur, he grabbed the thug's wrist mid-air, twisting it at an unnatural angle.
The man screamed as the knife clattered to the ground.
Clatter~
"Not so tough now, huh?"
Rudra muttered before delivering a devastating knee to his face.
Blood sprayed as the thug collapsed, unmoving.
"____"
"____"
"____"
The remaining thugs grew desperate, pulling out steel pipes, chains, and daggers.
"GET HIM!"
one shouted, and they all swarmed in at once.
But Rudra was faster.
He moved like a shadow, slipping through their attacks with surgical precision.
A thug swung a chain at his head, but Rudra ducked and countered with an elbow strike straight to his chest—
CRACK!
Ribs shattered, and the thug crumbled to the ground.
Another tried to stab him, but Rudra sidestepped, catching the man's wrist and twisting it with brutal force.
The knife dropped, and before the thug could react, Rudra sent him flying with a powerful sidekick.
One thug grabbed a chair, lifting it high to smash it over Rudra's head.
But before he could bring it down, Rudra spun in a full-circle motion—
SWOOSH!
—and delivered a crushing roundhouse kick to his temple.
The thug's body went limp as he collapsed instantly.
Three more rushed him.
Rudra sprinted towards them and leaped, flipping in mid-air over their heads.
Before they could even turn around, he landed behind them and swept their legs with a single spinning kick—
THUD! THUD! THUD!
—all three hit the ground face-first.
A massive thug, the tallest of the bunch, bellowed and swung a metal rod like a baseball bat.
Whizz~
Rudra casually leaned back, the rod whizzing past his face.
He grabbed the thug's wrist and yanked him forward.
With a precise palm strike to the chin, Rudra sent the man flying backwards.
At this point, the last few remaining thugs were trembling.
"____"
"____"
One tried to run.
Big mistake.
Rudra bolted forward with lightning speed, grabbed the back of his shirt, and slammed him onto the floor.
The impact knocked the air out of him as he lay there, groaning in pain.
Now, only one remained.
The leader of the group—
the same thug who had been arrogantly mocking Rudra earlier.
He clutched his bleeding nose, crawling backward in sheer terror.
His once smug face was now pale with fear.
Rudra crouched beside him, gripping his collar and pulling him up slightly.
His voice was low and menacing.
"Who sent you? Why are you after me?"
The thug, still whimpering, tried to resist.
But then Rudra pressed his thumb against a pressure point on his shoulder, making him scream in pain.
"AHHH! PLEASE! I-IT WAS—"
He gasped, barely able to speak.
"IT WAS MLA'S RIGHT-HAND MAN—RAJAN!"
Rudra's eyes narrowed.
'So, it was the MLA's people. But why?'
The thug groaned, clutching his shoulder as Rudra released him.
The fight was over.
25 men, all unconscious, laid sprawled across the orphanage floor.
And Rudra? He hadn't even broken a sweat.
With a casual movement, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Rudra?"
Commissioner Anwar's voice came through the line, laced with curiosity.
"There was a break-in at the orphanage,"
Rudra said, his tone calm but firm.
"About twenty-five thugs. They're all unconscious, but they said Rajan, the MLA's right-hand man, sent them after me."
There was silence on the other end for a moment before the Commissioner spoke, his voice carrying a mix of surprise and urgency.
[THAT'S SERIOUS. I'LL BE THERE SOON WITH A TEAM. DON'T LET ANYONE LEAVE THE AREA.]
"I wasn't planning to,"
Rudra replied before hanging up.
He glanced at the mess of groaning thugs and sighed.
"Guess I'll have to clean up later."
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! and power stone!!!
Which will motivate me more.