September 10, 2001.
Seth City Hospital was a gleaming tower of glass and steel in the heart of Bangalore. It was the crown jewel of the Seth Empire—a place where the rich came for bypass surgeries and the poor came to sell their kidneys.
Shakuntala Devi walked into the lobby. She wasn't wearing her usual cotton saree. She wore a sharp, tailored blazer over a crisp shirt, carrying a heavy leather briefcase. She looked every inch the ruthless corporate auditor she used to be.
She walked straight to the Billing Department.
"I am here to inspect the 'Charity Wing' accounts," Shakuntala announced to the nervous clerk. "On behalf of the... external oversight committee."
It was a bluff. But in 2001, data was unorganized, and fear of "Auditors" was high. The clerk, seeing her demeanor, hesitated.
"Ma'am, do you have an appointment with the Director?"
"Do you want me to call the Director and tell him his ledger for August is missing three lakhs?" Shakuntala bluffed, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Open the file for Patient ID: K-402. Renal Ward."
The clerk panicked and typed the ID.
Shakuntala leaned over the counter.
Patient: Kavya K.
Age: 14.
Diagnosis: Chronic Kidney Failure.
Status: Dialysis (Thrice weekly).
Payer: Seth Corporate CSR Fund.
Notes: Authorization required weekly by V. Seth.
Shakuntala's eyes narrowed. Authorization required weekly.
It wasn't charity. It was a subscription to life, renewable only if Rohan obeyed orders. It was the cruelest form of leverage she had ever seen.
She memorized the details. Then she slapped a piece of paper on the counter—a photocopy of a Demand Draft.
"This patient is being transferred," Shakuntala declared. "To St. John's Hospital. Immediate discharge."
"We... we can't discharge a CSR patient without Mr. Vikram's signature," the clerk stammered.
"Watch me," Shakuntala pulled out her phone. She dialed a number.
"Dr. Rao? Bring the ambulance. We have a girl to save."
Gurudeva Campus. 9:00 PM.
The night was dark. The generator chugged rhythmically in the background.
Rohan stood on the rooftop of the main building. The wind tugged at his loose shirt. Below him, the Hero Stone glowed faintly in the moonlight, the heart of the campus.
His phone buzzed.
Vikram: "Do it now. Or Kavya doesn't get her session tomorrow."
Rohan's hands shook uncontrollably. He held the black disc—the Psychic Anchor. If he dropped it into the ventilation shaft above the central hall, it would disrupt the "Domain of Silence".
He looked down at the courtyard. He saw Moorthy working late in the shed, laughing as sparks flew from a welder. He saw students studying in the library.
I am Judas, Rohan thought. I am betraying the only place that treated me like a human.
But then he thought of Kavya. Her pale face. Her swollen hands.
"I'm sorry," Rohan whispered.
He raised his hand to drop the device into the vent.
"It won't work, you know."
Rohan spun around, nearly dropping the disc.
Surya was sitting on the water tank ledge, legs dangling, eating an apple. He looked calm, almost bored.
"S-Sir?" Rohan gasped. "I... I was just checking the roof. For leaks."
"Drop the act, Rohan," Surya took a bite of the apple. "And drop the device. But not in the vent. Give it to me."
Rohan backed away, terrified. "I... I don't know what you mean."
Surya jumped down from the ledge. The Principal's Authority flared, not as a weapon, but as a heavy, grounding presence.
"Vikram Seth pays for your sister's dialysis," Surya stated. "He renews the payment every week. If you fail, she dies. Correct?"
Rohan froze. The color drained from his face. "How...?"
"I am the Principal," Surya said simply. "I know everything about my students."
Rohan collapsed. His knees hit the gravel roof. He started sobbing, a raw, ugly sound of a boy who had been carrying the world on his shoulders.
"I have no choice!" Rohan cried. "He owns me! If I don't plant this, she dies tomorrow!"
"No, she doesn't," Surya reached into his pocket and pulled out a hospital admission slip.
He knelt in front of Rohan and handed it to him.
Rohan looked at the paper through his tears.
ST. JOHN'S MEDICAL COLLEGE HOSPITAL
Patient: Kavya K.
Admitted: 8:45 PM Today.
Treating Physician: Dr. Arvind Rao (Consultant).
Status: Stable.
Payment: Paid in Advance (1 Year).
Rohan stared at the paper. "St. John's? But... she was at Seth City..."
"Shakuntala and Dr. Rao extracted her an hour ago," Surya said. "It was a bit dramatic. Rao threatened to punch a security guard. But she is safe. She is in a private ward at St. John's. Vikram Seth cannot touch her there."
Rohan looked up at Surya. His eyes were wide, filled with shock and disbelief.
"You... you paid for a year?"
"I sold some gold," Surya lied (he had actually used the Campus Shop revenue and the last of his cash reserves). "Consider it a student loan. You can pay me back when you become a top engineer."
Rohan clutched the paper to his chest. He looked at the black disc in his other hand.
"I... I was going to betray you," Rohan whispered. "I was going to destroy this place."
"But you hesitated," Surya said. "That's why you are still here."
Rohan stood up. His face changed. The fear vanished, replaced by a burning, cold anger directed at the man who had enslaved him.
He held out the black disc to Surya.
"Here. Destroy it."
Surya took the device. It was cold, humming with dark spiritual energy.
He looked at it. Then, a slow, mischievous smile spread across his face.
"Destroy it?" Surya laughed. "Why would I destroy a perfectly good communication channel?"
"Sir?"
"Vikram wants to hear what happens in this college," Surya turned the disc over in his fingers. "Let's tell him a story. A story that will make him panic."
Surya walked to the edge of the roof.
"Moorthy!" he shouted down to the shed.
"Yeah, Boss?" Moorthy yelled back.
"Come up here! And bring your radio equipment. We are going to broadcast a radio drama."
The Next Morning. Seth HQ.
Vikram Seth sat in his office, wearing headphones connected to a sleek black receiver.
The signal was live. The "Anchor" was active.
Excellent, Vikram smirked. Rohan did it. Now, let's hear their secrets.
He turned up the volume.
Crack... Hiss...
Then, voices emerged.
Voice 1 (Surya): "...the alignment is complete, Dr. Rao. The Hero Stone has fully awakened."
Voice 2 (Rao): "It is incredible, Principal. The energy readings... the students are learning at 500% efficiency. At this rate, we will unlock the 'Vedic Super-Soldier' protocol by next month."
Voice 3 (Moorthy): "And the anti-gravity engine? The prototype is stable. We can weaponize it."
Voice 1 (Surya): "No. We keep it secret. If the Seth family finds out we have technology that makes their empire obsolete... they will come. And when they do, we will be ready to seize their assets."
Vikram ripped the headphones off. His face was pale.
Vedic Super-Soldier? Anti-gravity? Seize my assets?
"Father!" Vikram shouted, running out of the room. "We have a problem! They aren't just a college! They are a research lab!"
Back at Gurudeva College.
Surya, Rao, and Moorthy stood around a microphone in the Principal's office. The black disc was taped to a speaker playing the "script" they had just recorded.
Moorthy was wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Vedic Super-Soldier? Seriously, Boss? Anti-gravity?"
"Paranoia is a powerful multiplier," Surya grinned. "Vikram will spend the next month chasing shadows. He won't attack us directly because he thinks we have a secret weapon."
Rohan stood in the corner, watching them. For the first time in two years, he felt light.
"Sir," Rohan said. "What do I do now? Vikram thinks I'm still his spy."
"Exactly," Surya turned to him. "You are now a double agent, Rohan. You will feed him reports. Boring reports. 'Surya ate a dosa.' 'Moorthy fixed a fan.' Keep him confused."
"Yes, Sir," Rohan saluted.
[System Notification]
[Quest Complete: The Trojan Student.]
[Result: Spy Converted.]
[Rewards:]
* Karma Points: +400.
* New Staff Member: Rohan (Student Assistant / Intel Officer).
* Trait Acquired: [Master of Counter-Espionage].
Surya looked at the calendar. September 15, 2001.
The immediate threats were neutralized. The spy was turned. The land was safe.
But the Degree College needed to launch. And for that, he needed students.
"Shakuntala," Surya called out.
"Yes?"
"How much money do we have left?"
"After paying the hospital bill?" Shakuntala sighed. "We are broke. Again. We have ₹5,000 in the account."
Surya groaned. Being a benevolent savior was expensive.
"We need a fest," Surya decided. "A college fest. Cultural and Tech. We invite other colleges. We charge entry fees. We get sponsors."
"A fest?" Moorthy perked up. "Can I build a robot arena?"
"Yes. We call it... 'Vyuha 2001'. The Formation."
"But who will come to a fest in a half-built college?" Rao asked skeptically.
"Everyone," Surya said, looking at the Hero Stone. "Because the guest of honor will be a ghost."
[Mission: The First Summoning Masterclass]
* Objective: Use the 'Spirit Teacher' feature publicly (disguised as a holographic show) to attract massive attention.
* Risk: High. If the Black Lotus realizes it's a real spirit, they will declare war.
"We hide it in plain sight," Surya plotted. "We tell everyone it's a '3D Projection Technology Demonstration'. People will come for the tech. They will stay for the wisdom."
"Get the flyers ready," Surya ordered. "Gurudeva Institute is going to throw the biggest party Bannerghatta has ever seen."
Scene: The Shadows (Order of the Black Lotus).
In a temple hidden in the Western Ghats, an old man sat before a fire. He was the Grandmaster of the Order.
A messenger bird (a falcon) landed on his shoulder.
"Vikram reports strange readings," the Grandmaster murmured. "He claims the rogue user has ancient tech."
The fire crackled.
"Send The Inquisitor," the Grandmaster commanded. "Not to destroy. But to observe. If this 'Surya' truly has Vedic secrets... we do not kill him."
The Grandmaster's eyes opened, revealing pure black sclera.
"We harvest him."