From the captain's words, Hira finally found answers to a few of his questions. Yet the most important one – where was Yash - remained unanswered.
It was not clear if he got trapped in the landslide, or, was he among those who have disappeared?
The captain too didn't know.
A deep ache settled in Hira's chest. His worry for his brother was one thing – but now, his thoughts turned to his family as well.
Were his parents safe? Had they also disappeared… or were they still in the deep sleep?
Did his Dada-Dadi survived the Vicyuta day or were they…
After saying all that, the captain leaned back and said quietly,
"You should rest now, Hira. Tomorrow, my men will arrange a ride for you to Dehradun, from there you can take a sonic train to Varanasi."
Hira fell silent. His mind spiralled between two choices – whether to stay and search for Yash, or to return home and see if his family was doing okay.
The weight of both decisions pressed on him like a storm inside his chest.
Seeing his hesitation, the captain spoke again, his tone firm but not unkind.
"You can't stay here any longer. I can pardon you for this time, but to remind you, this is a restricted zone. And to be seen here without any official order is strictly prohibited; it can also bring your life to danger."
Hira's eyes dropped to the ground. The thought of leaving this place – the last place his brother was seen – tore him apart.
The captain gave him a reassuring look.
"Go back, boy. If we find any trace of your brother… We'll contact you immediately. And don't worry about your omnione bracelet, I will provide you with one of our spares."
Realizing that he had no choice left, Hira quietly stepped out of the tent. He looked up at the sky, darkness was slowly claiming the horizon.
Near the tent, a soldier stood waiting, his posture straight and silent – the same soldier who had brought him to the tent.
He noticed Hira came out of the tent, and gently guided him back towards the tent in which Hira was resting.
. . . . . .
Inside the captain's tent.
As Hira went out of the tent, within a few moments, someone else entered it, a woman.
"Looks like you have got a soft spot for that kid, Ved."
It was the same woman who had checked Hira earlier. Her face carrying the same smile she had before.
"I hope you didn't come here to irritate me, Disha."
The captain's – Ved's – voice reverting to his commanding tone with some irritation mixed in it. Although from his expression, it can be seen that he has grown accustomed to this irritation.
"Oh come on, Ved. Who has the time to irritate you? Unlike you, I am a very busy person. You know"
Seeing his irritated expression seemed to amuse Disha.
'SIGH' Ved sighed.
He knows that if she is not stopped on time, then she can continue to chatter for hours, so he came straight to the point.
"Did you get the information that I asked you for?"
"Straight to the point, huh. Well, have I ever failed to do my work? You should know me that much by now, Ved."
He just glared at her.
"Okay, okay. No need to stare at me so much, I know I'm beautiful."
She seemed to be fixed on irritating him.
"INFORMATION," This time, his voice was a little raised.
"Ahh yes, that, I got it."
Disha touches the bracelet on her left wrist, and a hologram screen appears in front of her. Her fingers moved on a screen like a girl who was chatting on social media. The bracelet was in the design of a peacock's feather, looking very beautiful."
"The information related to that boy is in the files I have sent you. You can check it."
A blue light flashed from Ved's ring on his right hand, indicating that the file had been received.
Seeing that he has nothing else to say, she can't stop herself from saying,
"You know, you might lose your hard-earned position if you don't stop showing kindness to every second person you meet."
She said in a serious voice, her tone completely different from before.
"… What do you mean?" Ved's voice lacking its usual sharpness.
"You know exactly what I mean, but for you, let me say it clearly. You should have let him die in the forest, and even if you had saved him, you should have handed him over to the authorities."
"That's why I asked you to look for his information. If I find anything suspicious related to him, I will hand him over to the authorities." Ved replied honestly.
'SIGH' Now it is Disha's turn to sigh at Ved's words.
She just glanced at him and left.
For a few seconds, Ved just stood in silence, then, with a sigh, he took his seat again.
"Let's see what you have got, Hira Vedman."
He muttered, giving his ring a single tap. A hologram screen appeared in front of him. After tapping it two more times, information about Hira appeared on it.
'Hira Vedman, born on 20th June 0073…'
. . . . . .
Hira sat on the edge of his cot, eyes fixed on the faint glow of the white orb hanging from the ceiling.
His mind, still trapped in the words Captain Ved had spoken – words that had shattered whatever sense of reality he had left.
The captain's voice still echoed in his head: "The world isn't the same anymore." Those words refuse to fade.
The image of his brother Yash kept flashing before his eyes, his laughter mixing with the chaos of memories.
He didn't even realise when the night had slipped away and morning came. He had been awake the entire time, lost in the ruins of his thoughts.
"Mr. Hira, your ride is here."
A faint voice came from outside the tent, breaking the silence that had wrapped around him all night.
A.N. - VED and DISHA are the names of the captain and the doctor. Normal names, not in Sanskrit.