The smell of blood and shattered glass still hung in the ICU.
Red emergency lights painted the room in long shadows, turning every broken surface into something sinister.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
The unconscious assassin lay half-buried in the rubble of the broken wall.
One body remained motionless near the medicine trolley.
The third had vanished into the darkness of the corridor.
Only the sound of Rudra's heartbeat monitor reminded them that the world had not stopped.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Aarya slowly lowered his hand.
The violet flames flickering across his fingers faded into smoke.
His chest still burnt beneath his shirt.
His pulse thundered in his ears.
Arya Malhotra's gaze remained fixed on him.
Sharp.
Suspicious.
And for the first time—
slightly unsettled.
Karan Veer Rathore broke the silence.
"We need to move."
Aarya's eyes snapped toward him.
"You're not going anywhere until you explain."
His voice was cold.
Controlled.
Karan looked at him for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Not here."
He glanced toward Rudra.
"The poison mark is fading. He'll survive the night."
Arya stepped closer to her brother's bed.
Her hand gently brushed a strand of hair from Rudra's forehead.
The softness in her expression vanished the moment she turned back.
"Talk."
Karan's silver eyes flickered toward the shattered ICU window.
"The rooftop."
Rain still fell when they stepped onto the hospital roof.
The city stretched beneath them in silver and gold.
Delhi never truly slept.
But tonight, something in the air felt different.
Heavier.
Ancient.
The storm clouds above churned like a living thing.
Aarya stood near the edge, the rain soaking through his shirt and coat.
The dragon mark beneath the fabric pulsed.
Alive.
Karan stepped beside him.
Arya Malhotra remained a few feet away, arms folded, watching both men.
Karan spoke first.
"Tell me exactly what you saw when the bullet touched your hand."
Aarya's expression hardened.
"A battlefield."
Karan's eyes darkened.
"Go on."
Aarya exhaled slowly.
"The sky was red."
He closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to recall every detail.
"Broken chariots. Warriors are dying everywhere. A dragon made of shadow."
His voice lowered.
"And a man in black-gold armour."
Karan's jaw tightened.
Aarya opened his eyes.
"It was me."
Silence.
The rain seemed louder.
Arya Malhotra's expression changed ever so slightly.
Recognition.
Karan nodded slowly.
"Then there is no doubt."
Aarya turned sharply.
"No doubt about what?"
Karan faced him fully.
"You are the reincarnation of Aaryaveer Dev."
The name struck something deep inside him.
A strange pulse ran through the mark on his chest.
Pain.
Memory.
A whisper.
Arya Malhotra spoke quietly.
"The Shadow Warrior of Dvapara."
Aarya stared at her.
"You know this?"
Her gaze met his.
"My family has protected an ancient prophecy for generations."
The rain slid down her dark hair and coat.
Her voice lowered.
"When darkness rises in the age of steel, the Dragon Heir shall awaken in the body of a healer."
The rooftop fell silent.
Aarya almost laughed.
Except nothing about tonight felt laughable anymore.
Karan reached into his coat and pulled out an old leather journal.
The cover bore the same dragon insignia.
He handed it to Aarya.
"This belonged to your father."
Aarya froze.
The leather felt worn.
Old.
Familiar.
He opened the first page.
The handwriting stole the breath from his lungs.
His father's.
If you are reading this, my son, fate has reached you sooner than I hoped.
You are not ordinary.
The soul of Aaryaveer Dev lives within you.
Aarya's grip tightened.
Rainwater dripped from the edges of the page.
He kept reading.
Dvapara was not a myth. It was history.
A war was fought between the Dragon Guardians and the Naga Order.
The Shadow Dragon was sealed within our bloodline.
They will come for you.
The words blurred.
Aarya's jaw clenched.
"My father knew?"
Karan's expression darkened.
"He died protecting that secret."
Before Aarya could respond—
Lightning split the sky.
The dragon mark on his chest flared violently.
Pain tore through him.
His vision blurred.
The rooftop vanished.
He stood once more on the battlefield.
But this time it was clearer.
Realer.
The heat of the flames.
The metallic scent of blood.
The screams of dying warriors.
This was no dream.
This was memory.
Aarya stood in the body of Aaryaveer Dev.
Black-gold armour covered his frame.
A spear wreathed in violet flames rested in his hand.
The weight felt natural.
Perfect.
Across the battlefield stood a massive army clad in black serpent armour.
At their front—
a man in crimson robes.
His eyes glowed blood red.
Ancient hatred burned in them.
Mahakaal.
A voice cried out from behind him.
"Aaryaveer!"
Aarya turned.
A woman ran toward him through the smoke.
Long silver hair.
Ancient armour.
Eyes filled with fear and love.
Beautiful.
Powerful.
Her face felt painfully familiar.
Before she reached him—
A black spear pierced her chest.
Aarya's breath caught.
The woman collapsed.
Blood stained the battlefield beneath her.
The crimson-eyed man smiled.
"Even across lifetimes, I will find you."
A roar split the heavens.
The dragon of shadow descended behind Aaryaveer.
Its wings blotted out the sky.
A voice thundered.
"Seal the bloodline!"
Aaryaveer thrust his spear into the earth.
Violet flames erupted.
The battlefield cracked apart.
A dragon-shaped seal spread across the ground.
His voice roared across the heavens.
"I seal the Shadow Dragon within my descendants!"
The world shattered.
Aarya gasped and stumbled backwards.
He was back on the rooftop.
Rain lashed against him.
Arya Malhotra caught his arm before he fell.
For one brief moment, their faces were close.
Too close.
Her voice softened.
"What did you see?"
Aarya's breathing remained uneven.
"A woman."
Karan's expression darkened.
"Princess Vanya."
The name echoed strangely in Aarya's chest.
A pulse.
A memory.
A loss.
Then—
The dragon mark burnt again.
A voice hissed inside his mind.
Closer than before.
"I have found you, Aaryaveer."
Aarya's head snapped toward the distant skyline.
On the rooftop of a building across the road stood a lone figure in crimson robes.
Red eyes glowing in the rain.
Watching.
Smiling.
Mahakaal had returned.