Destiny had always been terrible at minding its own business.
But today, it went a step further.
Today, it committed a crime.
It embarrassed Tara Mehta before 26 witnesses, 4 stray dogs, and an elderly aunty who already believed Tara was possessed.
It happened at exactly 7:43 a.m.
Tara was running toward her bus stop, swinging her bag like a weapon, hoodie half on, hair fully chaotic, toast in mouth like an anime protagonist except much less cute—
When the streetlight above her flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Then exploded.
BOOOOM!
Glass rained down like a bad music video. Sparks shot out in all directions. A loud pop echoed through the street, making a dog yelp and a man curse.
Tara's scream cracked like a baby goat.
"NOT AGAIN!" she yelled, hopping backward. "I DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH IT THIS TIME, WHY DO YOU HATE ME?!"
A nearby uncle visibly reconsidered walking past her.
The bus stop crowd already inching away acted like she was radioactive.
Tara groaned, brushing glass off her hoodie.
"Why do I have the superpower equivalent of an electrical hazard…?"
Her friends arrived just in time to see the drama.
Riya — pastel queen, immaculate eyeliner, carried more confidence than the entire school combined.
Zoya — soft, sweet, but with a mysterious "I will stab someone for my friends" vibe.
Kabir — class clown, self-declared internet mentor.
Adithya — hoodie, silence, unreadable, somehow intimidatingly calm.
Kabir gasped theatrically, clutching his chest.
"THE PROPHECY HAS COME TRUE! THE LIGHTS HAVE FALLEN AGAIN!"
Riya slapped the back of his head.
"Shut up, Kabir. Tara? Are you hurt?"
Tara sighed. "Just emotionally."
Zoya carefully picked a glass shard from Tara's hair.
"You okay? You look shaken."
"No, no. Totally fine. I just survived an explosion. Happens every Wednesday."
Adithya crouched near the shattered lamp. He picked up a fragment and examined it.
His eyes glinted—silver, just for a moment.
"Tara," he said softly, "you know this isn't normal."
Her chest tightened.
He always saw too much.
She forced a laugh. "What, you think I'm cursed?"
No one laughed.
Not even Kabir.
Riya stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Tara… this is the third time this month."
Fourth, actually.
She kept that one to herself.
The bus screeched to a halt, saving her from answering.
On the bus, the weirdness got louder.
Tara slid into her usual seat by the window. The sun glared at her through the glass like it knew her life choices.
The bus engine rumbled.
The light above her seat flickered.
Then died.
Everyone stared.
Tara sank lower in her seat.
She placed her earbuds in, pressed play—
Her phone heated up.
She hissed and dropped it onto her lap.
"What the—? Okay, rude," she muttered, shaking her stinging fingers.
Adithya sat behind her.
She felt his gaze on the back of her neck.
When she turned, he looked away.
Suspiciously fast.
School was worse.
Math:
Her pen grew warm in her hand. Too warm.
She dropped it with a squeak.
Physics:
The lab bulb flickered when she walked under it.
The teacher frowned like she'd offended science itself.
English:
Her textbook crackled with static when she touched it.
By lunch, she felt like a walking malfunction.
She plopped her tray onto the table.
"Guys. I think I'm dying."
Kabir snorted.
"From what, math trauma?"
"No, like—" she lowered her voice.
"My hands are… buzzing."
Riya leaned in.
"Buzzing how?"
"Like… I swallowed a battery."
Zoya reached for her wrist.
"Can I feel?"
"No! What if I electrocute you?"
"Honestly," Kabir grinned, "that would be the highlight of my week."
She ignored him.
Zoya placed a gentle hand on Tara's wrist.
Her eyes widened.
"Tara… your heartbeat feels weird."
Tara froze.
"Weird how?"
"Strong. Fast. Like… energy."
Riya raised an eyebrow.
"Energy? What, she's turning into a power plant?"
Tara forced a laugh.
But the truth?
She could feel it.
A hum in her bones.
A thrum under her skin.
A warmth in her chest.
A heat that wasn't normal.
During lunch, her spoon suddenly heated to steaming-hot under her fingers.
She yelped and dropped it.
"Tara?!" Zoya gasped.
Tara shook her hand, trying to hide the redness.
"I swear that wasn't me—"
In the background, Adithya stared at her from the other table.
Not curious.
Worried.
Like he knew something she didn't.
After school, the world felt… off.
The sky looked wrong.
Mumbai sunsets were dramatic, sure. But today, the clouds dripped red like paint on wet canvas. The air felt heavy—thick, humming, almost electric.
Tara wiped sweat from her forehead.
"Why is it so hot—?"
It wasn't hot.
Not for anyone else.
Only her.
Her skin tingled.
Her heartbeat pulsed in her fingertips.
Her chest warmed—
Then cooled.
Then warmed again.
"What is happening to me…" she whispered.
She turned the corner of her lane—
And froze.
A shadow stretched unnaturally long against the pavement.
Too long.
Too thin.
It quivered.
Like it was breathing.
Tara rubbed her eyes.
"Okay… too much coffee… too much life…"
The shadow twitched.
She took a step back.
And it twitched again.
Then it lifted.
Like a creature crawling out of the ground.
"Tara."
The voice came from behind her.
She spun around.
A boy stood there.
Tall.
Sharp eyes.
Clothes like he walked out of ancient history.
An aura that felt older than anything she'd ever known.
"Who—who are you?" Tara whispered.
He didn't answer.
He moved.
Fast.
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him just as the shadow lunged.
A monstrous shape—dark, smoky, crawling like a nightmare—ripped itself from the pavement.
Tara screamed.
The boy didn't.
He raised his hand.
A circle of light materialized around his palm—glowing symbols spinning like golden fire.
He thrust it forward.
CRACK—BOOOOM!
The shadow shrieked—high, inhuman—and disintegrated into dust.
The air stilled.
Tara's chest heaved.
The boy turned to her, eyes soft but ancient.
"Taarini," he breathed.
She flinched.
"My name is Tara—"
"No," the boy murmured.
"You are Taarini.
Last Flame.
Descendant of Abhimanyu."
Her heart stopped.
Her skin glowed—just faintly, golden threads under her collarbone.
"Tara…" he said, voice quiet and steady.
"My name is Aarav. And your real story has finally begun."
Before she could speak—
A whisper slithered through the air.
A voice dripping venom:
"Found you."
Tara's blood turned to ice.
Aarav stepped forward.
"Taarini," he said urgently, "run."
The shadow reformed.
Bigger.
Hungrier.
Reaching for her.
Tara couldn't move.
Because she realized—
This wasn't random.
Something was hunting her.
And she had no idea why.