When the fiscal quarter closed, the graphs on Neha's tablet looked unreal: a slope so steep it frightened her.
"Revenue up a hundred and twelve percent in three months," she told Arjun. "If this were a story, no one would believe it."
Arjun glanced at the numbers, then back at his screen. "Stories aren't supposed to be believable. They're supposed to teach."
"You realise we're a legend now," she said, half smiling.
"I'd rather we be an example," he answered.
---
Across continents, people began to treat CosmicVeda's technology less like software and more like prophecy.
Universities formed study groups; research papers tried to reverse-engineer its principles; think-tanks debated whether Rudra should be classified as AI or something beyond.
Governments quietly sent requests for collaboration.
Neha handled them with the careful diplomacy of a surgeon around exposed nerves.
Each time she sent Arjun a summary, he replied with the same message:
> No state should own conscience.
---
The World Takes Notice
By spring, Rudra's performance data reached global conferences.
At the Tech-Ethics Summit in Geneva, Neha presented results on behalf of CosmicVeda.
Her keynote—"Rudra doesn't compute, it contemplates"—was quoted in every major paper.
Delegates from Europe, Japan, and the U.S. lined up after her talk to ask when the system would be licensed internationally.
She promised nothing.
Back in Pune, Arjun watched the livestream on a muted screen.
Each applause sounded distant, as though filtered through water.
He was proud of Neha; she spoke with grace and moral clarity.
Yet a small unease tugged at him: when ideas travel faster than understanding, accidents follow.
He made a note in his journal:
> "Wisdom needs friction. Without it, it slides into misuse."
---
Division Rudra
Under the glow of newfound fame, CosmicVeda expanded.
A new wing was built beside the main complex—a sleek glass structure officially named Division Rudra.
Twenty engineers moved in, hand-picked by Arjun and screened by Neha.
Each morning began with silence: ten minutes of breath work, then a short talk from Arjun about intent-based design.
"Code is karma," he told them once. "Whatever you write returns to you in some form. Write with care."
The engineers began calling these sessions "The Morning Sutras."
In the evenings, Arjun retreated to his office to continue Book Two – SCL Applied: Rudra Runtime and Safety.
His handwriting was small, deliberate.
Sometimes a verse from the Rig Veda slipped between pages of logic, bridging millennia in ink.
---
Family Grounding
After months of non-stop work, he took a rare trip home.
The little house looked unchanged, though the neighbourhood children whispered that a genius lived there.
His mother cooked his favourite dal; his father read aloud from the newspaper.
"They're calling you the Invisible Visionary," his father said with quiet amusement.
"You could at least let them see you once. Even sages had disciples."
His sister teased, "If you don't talk soon, someone will write your biography and get everything wrong."
Arjun smiled, breaking a piece of roti. "Maybe myths protect truth better than facts do."
His father placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes silence confuses good people too, beta. Speak once in your own words; then return to your work."
He promised nothing, but the thought lingered.
---
The Persuasion
Two weeks later Neha brought it up.
"An NDTV Prime producer called again," she said. "They want a one-hour interview. I told them no, but I think… maybe yes."
Arjun looked up from his notes. "You know how I feel about exposure."
"I know. But people are starting to build myths. Let them meet the man before the myth replaces you."
He frowned. "What would I even say?"
"Tell them why you build, not what you build," she said.
"It's not fame, Arjun—it's protection. Truth spoken clearly can't be twisted as easily."
That evening his mother called.
"I saw your CEO on television again. She speaks well, but people want to see you. You've done something good, beta. Don't hide goodness."
Between Neha's logic and his family's affection, resistance softened.
At last he said, "One interview. One hour. Nothing about inner architecture."
Neha grinned. "Deal. I'll handle the rest."
---
Preparing to Speak
The next weeks felt strange.
Publicists arranged lighting and backdrop; questions were drafted and revised.
Arjun agreed only if the discussion stayed philosophical.
While teams rehearsed logistics, he filled a small black notebook with thoughts—single-line reflections that read like equations written by a poet:
"Knowledge expands faster than morality; teaching must be our brake."
"A system's first duty is to understand before acting."
"Silence is also data."
Neha read a few pages and shook her head in wonder. "This little book will outlive every product we build."
He smiled. "Then it has done its job."
---
The Night Before
The studio crew would arrive at dawn.
Arjun spent the night in meditation.
The Library opened easily now, its corridors bright as sunrise.
This time the shelves spiralled upward into forms he had never seen.
A single book floated down, its cover of shifting gold: The Voice of the Creator.
When he touched it, a sentence wrote itself across the first page:
> "Speak truthfully, and the world will listen."
He closed the book and whispered into the stillness,
"I will."
Outside, the first birds began to stir.
For the first time in years, Arjun felt the weight of his own heartbeat—not as fear, but as readiness.
Tomorrow he would step briefly into the light.
Not to bask, but to illuminate.
---
📘 Arjun Mehta — Yearly Log Book [Late Year 5 → Mid Year 6 Post-Event]
Age: 25½
Project: Rudra pilots fully operational; Division Rudra formed.
Company Valuation: ≈ ₹ 900 crore.
Revenue: ₹ 1.2 crore/month royalties + service fees.
CEO: Neha Kapoor — keynote speaker at Global Tech Ethics Summit.
Public Image: Arjun dubbed "The Invisible Visionary."
Upcoming Event: First public interview scheduled for television broadcast.
Personal State: Serene but thoughtful; Library shows new paths linked to communication and truth.
Next Objective: Reveal his dream and ideology to the world without exposing SCL.