It's been a day since then. The teleportation magic used to come back home took a toll on everyone. Everyone fell asleep before their usual time, except Tanuja who couldn't sleep all night.
" Where's our leader di. " Rashi asked..
" She is sleeping. " Dhruv locked the door and replied. " She was too anxious to fall asleep."
" Did you check up on him today? " Dhruv asked.
" Yes, Tarun did. He is stable for now. Even though it's not worsening, it's not getting better either. " she said in a sad voice.
" Ok, I will leave for my office now. " Dhruv said. " I asked my brother to be here. "
" We are all working adults. Who will take care of him? " Ishika asked.
" We will take turns. " Shaan came up wearing his coat.
" You had a night duty right? Aren't you sleepy? " ishika asked.
" I am. But I want to see the patient too. Oh. Did our sleepyhead return? " he asked in a joking tone.
" How can he? Teleportation does not work with one person. And besides he can't even use teleportation." Pihu had cooked meals for everyone today. She got up at four in the morning.
" Then? Is he going to fly all the way through?" Shaan asked.
" No way, taking a flight or train is less exhausting than flying the whole way. Its twelve hundred kilometres. " Vishu said wearing his grey overcoat on his white shirt.
" It's great Pihu. You are the best when it comes to cooking. No one comes close. " Rashi said as she took her share of the food. She quickly finished it and rushed downstairs where Tarun had been waiting already.
" Let's go. "
Rashi and Tarun, the couple both doctors by profession,work at the same hospital now. They had been married for nearly ten years now - has a daughter of seven and a son of three.
" Hey once I get a bit older I would start losing my magic. I would not be able to remember you guys then right? " Pihu sat down on the sofa cum chair with embroidered covers.
" Yes that's obvious isn't it? " Ishika laughed. " Why are you scared of getting old? "
" No idiot. What if someone wants to get a long life & does not want to forget the people he connected with. They could try to steal others magical core to extend their own lifespan. " Pihu replied.
" That's most likely what's happening. The concerning thing however is the fact that it's the first time in history someone has been able to actually do that. People used to think it's impossible. "
" What if it had always been there but the knowledge was only passed down to greedy people. "Vishu said as he started leaving for his office at a news reporting agency.
" Is that even possible.. Wouldn't the higher ups know? Or maybe, " Shaan said. " I am going to check up on the kid, And then 'll go home. I am sleepy as hell. Doing night shifts two days in a row. "
" The higher ups know it and were keeping it a secret. " Dhruv said slamming his hand on the table.
" And then someone from the higher ups got greedy and corrupted and started to misuse the knowledge. " Tanu opened the door, her hair still messy, one eye still partially closed.
Everyone left as Shaan, Tanu and Ishi sat quietly. " Do you guys want to come with me? " Shaan asked softly.
Tanu waiting for someone to ask her this question answer immediately " Yes. "
Ishi however shook her head hesitantly. It wont be safe for him if so many of us gather around him like that. He has a lot of infections. "
" Then look from the other side of the glass. " Tanu casually nodded her head..
" Ok. Then let's go. "
The hospital is located in a different building. They have to cross the invisible bridges to reach there. The colourful bridges had pstterns, to step on. The pattern they stepped on led to different buildings some to the market some to schools others to the hospital. They couldn't risk getting their identities known by the people.
The boy was kept in a small chamber completely sanitized. Shaan changed his clothes to the doctor's uniform and gave two other recently washed and sanitized ones to the both of them. " As Rashi said, his condition is too fragile, I think both of you should not get much close to him. We can't lose him. We have to save him at any cost. The least we can do is get him justice. "
Shaan closed his eyes and prayed before looking at him again. He has bandages all over his body. Fingers and toes were all crushed, has many old and new scars, the new ones overlapping the old ones.
" See. " Tanu pointed out.
" Yes. Probably he was shackled for a long time. " having seen those marks on his legs and hands, Shaan trembled at the thought of what could have happened. His face has been punched so much that the chin bone is also broken and the face is barely recognizable.
" How do we find his identity with his condition? " Ishi asked as tears started rolling down her eyes.
" We have to. Whoever did this is broken in their heads. What if the person has other victims too. "
" I don't think it's the work of a singular person. " Shaan said as he carefully examined every injury and every report prepeared by Rashi and Tarun so far.
" Yes that's what I think too. But what could be the reason I wonder? "
" We should split in groups to investigate it. The four of you take care of him. The rest if us would find the culprits. " Tanu said in a low voice.
" If we are fighting someone from the higher ups, it is going to be a challenging task. " Ishika said thinking every possibility. " Shaan can't you guys gradually use your healing magic on him to some extent? "
" Yes I can, and I will, slowly. I don't know what his type was. If it's the opposite to mine, then it would do more harm than good. "
" I know that. But you guys should at least try. "
" Of course we would. We are not inhumane people. " Shaan said looking away. It reminds him of his own teenage years. Those lonely days, they were so painful, no one really understood him. He begged to be understood, for someone to accept him the way he was, no one did at that time.
In this world if you develop magical abilities you start developing undefinable habits, that's not considered as " normal. " Gradually they learn to live with it or are found by organizations like these to be finally welcomed.
" Where do we start? " Tanu bit her lips while thinking.
" The place where we found him. Where else should we? " Shaan replied.
" Do you think he would open his eyes, ever? " Ishi said still looking sad.
" Donr look, if it hurts you that much. " Shaan snatched the photos from her hand.
" He is a boy. " Tanu sighed as she said.
" Why? What does that have to do with anything? "
" If he had been a girl, we could have added possibilities of moral policing. " Tanu said " What's the reason behind this cruelty. "
" What if he stole someone from some rich or influencial? Or what if he. Nah, let's investigate and not predict the reasons blindly. " Shaan said.
" When sleepyhead returns, take him and go back to the beach. " Shaan said as he waved at them to leave for his own house.
To be continued