The heavy doors of the University library clicked shut behind them, the sound echoing unnaturally loud in the suddenly quiet Mumbai night. Ananya pulled her shawl tighter, glancing nervously into the shadows pooling beneath the ancient banyan trees lining the campus path.
"Sach mein, Kunal… assassination?" Her voice was barely a whisper, heavy with the weight of his remembered death. "And that text… a 'shadow council' whose lineage persists?"
Kunal nodded grimly, the phantom pain at his throat still a cold memory. The humid air felt thick, suffocating. "Ashoka warned me. Lingering forces. Watchers." He scanned the darkness around them. Was that flicker of movement just a stray cat, or something else? Bhayam (Fear) coiled cold in his gut. "If they killed me once because they feared me, and that prophecy says I'm destined to return…"
"...They'd want to stop you again," Ananya finished, her eyes wide. "Now. Before you 'rise' or whatever that means." She shivered. "Yeh sab khatarnak hai. (This is all dangerous.) We need to be careful."
They walked quickly towards the main road, the distant shor (noise) of traffic a thin veil over the newfound silence that seemed to follow them. Kunal hailed a kaali-peeli taxi, the familiar yellow-and-black cab a small island of normalcy in his fractured reality. As they slid inside, he knew he couldn't handle this just with Ananya, as much as he trusted her research instincts. He needed his other anchor.
"Annie," he said, pulling out his phone, "Mujhe Abhishek se baat karni hai. (I need to talk to Abhishek.) Now."
Ananya nodded immediately. "Good idea. Woh samajhdaar hai. (He's sensible.) And… we might need all the help we can get."
Kunal found Abhishek's number, his thumb hovering over the call icon. Kya bolunga usse? (What will I tell him?) He took a breath and pressed call.
"Haan, bhai? (Yes, brother?)" Abhishek's voice, usually relaxed, sounded slightly wary. Kunal realised he must have sounded frantic on his last message before the Chapter 6 library visit.
"Abhi? Milna hai. (Need to meet.) Now. Urgent."
There was a pause. "Sab theek hai? (Is everything okay?) You sound… stressed."
"Bas aa ja. (Just come.) Our usual spot near your place? Half an hour?"
"Okay, okay. Coming."
The small, dimly lit café felt both familiar and alien. Abhishek was already there, nursing a cutting chai. He looked up as Kunal and Ananya slid into the booth opposite him, his expression shifting from curiosity to concern as he took in Kunal's pale face and Ananya's worried eyes.
"Arre, what happened, yaar?" Abhishek asked, leaning forward. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Kunal managed a weak smile. "Something like that, Abhi." He decided to be direct, skipping the earlier confusion, focusing on the latest, most dangerous revelations. "Remember how I told you about the weird dreams? The Kunala stuff?"
Abhishek nodded slowly.
"It's real," Kunal stated flatly. "All of it. Tonight… we found proof. Texts. Prophecies." He recounted Ashoka's dream warning – the world on the brink, lingering forces, watchers. He told him about the shadow council mentioned in the ancient commentary Ananya found. And then, his voice dropping, he told him about the memory flash in the library. "They didn't just blind me, Abhi. They assassinated me."
Abhishek stared, speechless for a long moment, his chai forgotten. He looked from Kunal's haunted expression to Ananya's confirming nod. He wasn't smirking now.
"Baap re,*" he finally breathed. (Oh my god.) "Assassinated? Shadow council? Bhai, this is… this is beyond crazy." He ran a hand through his hair. "But I know you. You wouldn't be this freaked out unless it was serious." He met Kunal's eyes. "Okay. I trust you. So, these… these forces. This council lineage. You think they're still around?"
"The text implies it," Ananya said quietly. "And Ashoka warned him."
"Right." Abhishek became pragmatic. "So, what's the plan? We can't exactly call the cops about a 2000-year-old conspiracy." He thought for a moment. "First things first, Kunal, your security. Phone, laptop – everything needs checking. If these guys are watching, digital is the easiest way. Main kuch check kar sakta hoon. (I can check something.) I know a guy who's damn good with cybersecurity."
Kunal felt a surge of relief. Practical steps. "Yeah. Okay. Good idea."
"And the council?" Abhishek continued. "How do we find a 'shadow lineage'?"
"The text mentioned Jain and Ajivika sources," Ananya said, pulling out her tablet again. "Maybe digging deeper into their histories, especially any groups known for secrecy or political maneuvering during or after the Mauryan era? And the prophecy mentioned a 'Crimson Star' – maybe that's an astrological clue we can research?"
They talked for another hour, fueled by more chai, dissecting the fragments, brainstorming research angles, Abhishek grounding their theories with practical security concerns. A fragile plan began to form – Ananya pursuing the textual leads, Abhishek handling the tech security, Kunal trying to navigate the incoming memories and stay safe.
Later, standing at the window of his own apartment, Kunal watched the city lights blur through the glass, still damp from the earlier rain. He lit a cigarette, the first drag doing little to ease the knot of tension in his chest. They had a plan, allies he trusted. But Ashoka's words, the memory of the blade, the passage about watchers… it all felt overwhelmingly real.
His eyes scanned the street below. Headlights swept past. A few late-night strollers hurried home. Then he saw it. An unfamiliar sedan, parked deep in the shadows across the street. No lights on. He couldn't see anyone inside.
Maybe it was nothing. Just someone waiting.
But as he watched, the distinct glint of light reflecting off what looked like a camera lens flashed briefly from the car's dark interior before vanishing.
Antarhitaḥ paśyanti. (They watch while concealed.)
The line from the ancient text slammed back into his mind. Kunal quickly stepped back from the window, his heart pounding.
They weren't just lingering. They were here. Watching.
To be continued...