In a modern, high-security office, the room echoed with tension. A team of officials quietly entered. Without a word, they removed the lifeless body slumped near the corner and replaced the shattered television on the wall. Their eyes shifted toward a man in the center of the room Mr. V who was repeatedly punching his own head in frustration, his face flushed with rage.
One of the officials hesitantly stepped forward, beginning to say, "Mr. V, sir "
But Mr. V didn't let the words finish. In one explosive motion, he pulled out his gun, aimed it at them, and shouted, "F*** off from here! Every one of you is useless!"
They scattered immediately.
Breathing heavily, Mr. V walked over to his drawer and pulled out a small, dark greenish orb. As soon as it touched his hand, wisps of dark green smoke emitted from it, coiling through the air like snakes. He blinked.
In the next instant, Mr. V found himself seated at a massive dark wooden table surrounded by six ominous chairs. He tapped his fingers slowly, deliberately, waiting.
Smoke coalesced on one of the chairs a thick, dark greenish swirl.
Then another chair ignited in a flicker of dark, unnatural flame.
A third chair filled with a dark, brooding purple aura.
From the fiery chair came a voice malice dripping from every word:
"Looks like Shunyavakta, the leader of the Hollow Pact, and my slave Pothasura failed this mission."
The other two figures the greenish smoke and the purple aura remained silent.
The blackish fire voice continued with amusement, "Mr. V, I still don't understand why you were so insistent on involving yourself in this mission. And now... why the anger?"
Mr. V gritted his teeth. "Just minutes ago... I felt someone tampered with my memories."
Before he could finish, the dark purple aura surged. A voice interrupted, laced with fury:
"It must be Nightmare , the third commander of the Council of Six!"
A long pause, then through clenched rage:
"Master, I thought he was dea..."
Suddenly, a crimson-radiating axe slammed onto the empty sixth chair, the impact echoing across the dimension. A dark, blackish shadow took form beside it Nightmare.
The aura pulsed across the table.
"Looks like every Council of Six commander has returned to this table once again," Nightmare spoke, his voice calm, layered with silent threat.
From the purple aura, a blade dropped in defiance, and the same voice snarled,
"I was the one who buried your ashes then how the heck you came back from life, Nightmare."
From the fire
"Pothasura, be silent. I already confirmed he was alive and returned during the Second Fall of Shield. But Nightmare... I must admit, I'm impressed. You dared to tamper with Mr. V's memories. What are you hiding?"
A rare interruption came from the greenish smoke chair calm, analytical "The identity of the survivor of Numn University. I'm correct... aren't I, Nightmare?"
No words came from Nightmare's seat. But his presence grew heavier.
Nightmare's voice came like a blade "You are correct but also wrong . But just remember I don't share my prey to anyone"
Then, without further discussion, the crimson axe and the shadow vanished, leaving a hollow pressure in the air.
As silence returned, the. Blackish fire spoke again slower, colder "Mr. V... unlike before, I'm impressed you kept your silence this time. So don't interfere with Nightmare. You know the consequences."
The blackish fire disappeared in the thin air.
Moments later, the smoke dissolved, and the purple aura flickered out.
Mr. V sat alone once more at the table of shadows. His jaw clenched. His eyes locked on the empty head chair the seat of power.
"I must take the seat of the First Commander of the Council of Six," he murmured.
----
Inside the venue, the stage glittered under the lights. Three figures stood in a circle, laughing as they danced around, holding the shining trophy Anaya, Isha, and Rohit.
One of them called out, her voice bright:
"Come here, Ayaan!"
Smiling, Ayaan stepped up and joined them in their moment of joy. The cheers of the crowd still echoed faintly as they shared the moment together.
Isha leaned in with a playful smirk and a teasingly dominant voice "Hey junior, how do you know this troublemaker?"
Anaya grinned and matched the tone.
"That's a super-secret, Isha. But how do you know him?"
Rohit and Ayaan exchanged a brief glance a silent nod passed between them. Both agreed without speaking: they would not reveal the truth about meeting during special training under General Rathore.
Rohit replied with a calm smile "My dear junior... I met Ayaan in a place where destiny tends to gather weirdos."
Before Isha could respond, Anaya glanced at Pooja and Sneha standing at the edge of the crowd and shouted with excitement:
"Hey! Come to the stage! Meet my seniors!"
She then turned her gaze toward the main gate, where Riya stood still a gun held loosely in her hands. Anaya waved warmly.
Near Riya, a man approached the hardened frame of General Rathore. He looked at her and said,
"I never thought you'd unlock the Zapper Mode. Was it Dev?"
Riya let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Hearing Dev's name seemed to ground her.
"You're General Rathore, right? I still don't understand… why you gave me this gun, why I was targeted, or why I faced assassination attempts without even knowing. A lot's been racing in my mind lately… but it was Dev who held my hand through all of it."
She began to extend the weapon back to him.
But Rathore shook his head and looked at the gun.
"This gun chose you. So it's still yours. Soon, Isha and Rohit will take you to where your father and Dev are recovering. And... don't mention the hybrid Hollow Pact member to Ayaan."
Riya frowned. "What do you mean?"
Still gazing toward the stage, Rathore replied,
"Dev and Ayaan are wild cards in this operation. Dev facing off against the hybrid wasn't planned. And Ayaan... needs time."
Before more could be said, a swarm of reporters rushed toward them with cameras and mics raised.
Rathore lifted a hand and barked,
"Calm down! Don't create a nuisance. Everything will be explained by Mr. Ranvijay, the Vice President, in the official press meet!"
The reporters grumbled, but one of them snapped a photograph — capturing a powerful image:
Ayaan, Anaya, Isha, and Rohit together on the stage, beaming under the lights.
Riya moved toward the stage to join them. As she did, a frustrated woman bumped past her, muttering under her breath,
"F*** everyone... I deserved that trophy."
Riya ignored her, kept walking, and stepped up to the stage with the others.
---
Meanwhile, General Rathore stood quietly with Bhairava at the venue's edge.
Bhairava spoke first, low and unsettled:
"General... I never expected the original plan for Operation SBS to go this wrong."
Rathore's eyes followed President Aditya, who silently entered his car in the distance.
He responded with a heavy voice:
"Something's changed in the Council of Six, Bhairava. The communication blackout... the appearance of Pothasura — the Sixth Commander... and now, direct attacks from Hollow Pact members on civilians. This isn't how they used to operate."
Bhairava lowered his head, troubled.
But Rathore placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No need to lose heart. Just like Operation SBS... we'll counter every move the Council throws. Never forget our strengths:"
He raised a finger with each line "The Shining Sword... the Confidence in Bow... the Rise of the Fallen Shield... and the Spear, watching over us from afar."
---
Far away, atop a mist-drenched jungle mountain, a man holding the blazing dagger in his hand. A cold smile played on his lips.
"Looks like Operation SBS was a success... then let's prove the final theory."
He leapt into the jungle below silent and deadly, like a lion ready to strike.
---
At the same moment, a jeep rumbled down a deep forest road. Inside were eight people, silent and alert. One of them lit a cigarette the smoke swirled with a dark greenish hue.
With a sly grin, he muttered,
"So... President Aditya's bodyguard Rudra found one of our big hideouts. Let's see who ends up the prey... this time."