The city border of Vasundhara Metro appeared like the edge of a dead world.
Broken skyscrapers leaned like wounded giants.Cars lay overturned, burned, stripped for parts.Distant gunshots cracked through the air like snapping bones.Smoke coiled through the streets like black serpents.
Arjan slowed his horse, scanning the ruins.
The hawk-drone hovered above him, its mechanical wings beating silently as it projected a faint path in blue light.
A voice buzzed in his earpiece—a Nihang tech-operator.
"Arjan Singh, civilians remain trapped beneath the central flyover. Gangs patrol the area. Approach with caution."
Arjan touched the Suraksha-Vaak on his forearm.Its lines glowed faintly, warming his skin.
"I will reach them," he said."Prepare medical support. I'll extract as many as I can."
"Waheguru mehar kare," the operator said."Broadcast is live."
Arjan swallowed.
The world was watching.
He urged his horse forward.
Under the Flyover
The bridge loomed in the distance—the structure cracked, its pillars stained with ash. Beneath it, Arjan saw movement.
Not civilians.
Not yet.
Shadows first.
Five armed men patrolled with makeshift rifles, wearing scavenged armor. They laughed among themselves, dragging crates of stolen supplies.
Arjan dismounted silently and moved behind a fallen pillar.
His breathing slowed.Heart steady.Mind clear.
He peered around the concrete—just enough to see.
Beyond them, huddled close together, were the civilians.A mother shielding her baby.An elderly man clutching his chest.Children too exhausted to even cry.
Arjan clenched his fist.
"This ends now," he whispered.
The Confrontation
One of the gang members spotted movement.
"Hey! Someone's there!"
They raised their rifles.
Arjan stepped into the open—not hiding, not hesitating.
His blue chola fluttered.The kirpan gleamed at his side.The Suraksha-Vaak hummed with quiet power.
One of the men laughed."Look at this clown! Some kind of old-fashioned warrior? Maybe he's here for a history class!"
Another pointed his gun."Drop the blade and give us everything you got."
Arjan didn't blink.
"Leave these people," he said calmly."And I won't harm you."
The men burst into mockery.
"Or what?""You alone?""A hero?"
Arjan exhaled slowly.
"I am Khalsa," he said."And I won't let you hurt them."
The laughter died.
"…Khalsa?" one muttered, confused."Isn't that some old—"
But he didn't finish.
Because Arjan moved.
The Battle
The first bullet fired—Arjan raised his arm.A shimmering blue shield burst from the Suraksha-Vaak, catching the bullet in mid-air with a sharp flicker of light.
Before the shooter could reload, Arjan sprinted forward.
A swift knee strike.A grab.A twist.
The first man dropped.
Two others rushed him with makeshift knives.
Arjan dodged, spun, and struck with the hilt of his kirpan—non-lethal, precise, controlled.They hit the ground before they even understood what happened.
The fourth charged with a metal rod.
Arjan blocked with his arm-shield and swept him with a powerful kick.
The last gang member raised a rifle with shaking hands.
Arjan's eyes narrowed.
He lifted his palm.
The Suraksha-Vaak flashed with a pulse of blue force, knocking the rifle clean out of the man's grip.
Arjan stepped close.
"Enough."
The last man fell to his knees."I—I surrender. Don't hurt me."
Arjan lowered his weapon.
"Then leave. And don't return."
The surviving men crawled back and fled into the ruins.
The Rescue
The civilians stared at Arjan in awe, fear, and confusion.
A little girl whispered,"Are you… a superhero?"
Arjan knelt, offering her a gentle smile.
"No. I'm just someone who came to help."
The mother stood shakily."You saved us… Why?"
Arjan extended his hand.
"Because Khalsa protects anyone who needs protection."
One by one, the trapped families approached him.Some with hope.Some with disbelief.Some in tears.
Arjan activated his horse's beacon.
A portable shield dome unfolded, creating a protective bubble around the group.
"Come," he said."I'll take you to safety."
As they walked, a drone's voice whispered:
"Broadcast complete. The world has seen."
Arjan looked up at the ruined skyline.
"Then let them see," he said softly."Not my strength… but the path."
Far away, in the hidden fortress, the Nihang Singhs watched the footage.
The eldest nodded.
"It has begun."
The rise of the Future Khalsa.