The video played in silence, but its images screamed louder
than words. Pooja's eyes widened — her brother was shown selling and
supplying illegal drugs to both ordinary people in local areas and even
VIPs.
Her voice trembled, filled with disbelief:
"What is this? Is this true? Tell me…"
Her brother stood firm, his silence cutting deeper than any
answer.
Pooja's anger erupted, her voice echoing through the room:
"Tell meee…! Why did you do that stuff? I told you many
times not to intervene in these bad habits. Didn't I give you everything you
asked for? Why you… why did you spoil my reputation?"
Her brother finally broke, his voice weak and pleading:
"Apologize… I won't do it hereafter. Please help me to
relieve from this problem."
But Pooja's eyes burned with fury.
"I've heard these words many times from you in the past
days. I won't believe you anymore…"
Before she could say more, the phone rang again. The same
unknown number flashed on the screen. The room froze.
Her brother's face turned pale, his hands trembling. Pooja
stared at the phone, her heart pounding. She knew — this wasn't just about her
brother's mistakes anymore. The underworld had them both in its grip.
Her heart pounded as the ringtone echoed through the room.
With trembling hands, she answered the call.
The voice was cold, deliberate:
"I think you saw the video, didn't you? You saw your
brother selling and distributing illegal drugs to both the rich and the poor.
Don't you realize how this incident will impact your career? You're in your
prime now, every person is waiting to see your performance in the movie. I know
it will ruin your reputation. But why should I care? You said you'd call the
cops. Understand reality — they can't even touch a hair on my head."
Pooja's breath caught in her throat.
The man continued, his tone dripping with menace:
"You're trying to walk on the river. But I am the river.
If you try to walk, you will drown in its depths. Remember that."
Her grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles white.
Then came the ultimatum:
"Now I'll give you two choices, Pooja. One — kill the
people I describe to you. Two — hand over your brother to us. We'll take care
of him, and his debt will be paid. The choice is yours."
Tears welled up in her eyes. She whispered to herself:
"Why is this happening to me? Why now… when everything
was finally falling into place?"
The line went dead, leaving only the echo of the ultimatum
in her mind.
Pooja's hands trembled as she dialed the number again. The
line clicked, and the same cold voice answered:
"So, you finally made a decision. What is it?"
Her voice cracked, heavy with sorrow:
"I hate to do this… but I have no choice. I will kill
them in order to protect my only brother."
The man's tone shifted into satisfaction:
"Perfect. That's it."
Suddenly, a buzzing ringtone echoed — a new message
arrived. The man chuckled:
"They are the ones who insulted your brother at the
restaurant. Kill them, and I swear I won't get in your way hereafter… unless
your brother interferes again."
Pooja opened the message. Her eyes froze, her breath caught
in her throat. The photo showed Karikalan and Maya.
Her mind spiraled:
"What? Is this… Karikalan? Why is he in my way? What
business does he have with that person? Is this a trap… or just coincidence?"
Her heart raced, torn between disbelief and dread.
The voice added fuel to her confusion:
"Don't tell him about this. Don't reveal that I asked
you to kill him. It must remain a secret."
The underworld man's voice pressed harder, dripping with
manipulation:
"I know you want to know about our relation, don't you?
I am one of his relatives. He will do anything for me if you don't kill him."
Pooja's eyes widened, her mind spinning. She had already
been shaken by the photo of Karikalan and Maya, but now this revelation added
more fuel to her torment.
Her thoughts churned:
"Relative? Karikalan… why is he tied to this man? Is
this a trap? Or is it fate pulling me into another storm?
Episode — "The Destination of Shadows"
Karikalan and Maya walked through the narrow path, the
letter's directions guiding them deeper into the unknown. The air grew heavier,
the silence thicker.
Maya's voice trembled as she looked around:
"This area is looking so dark that I couldn't even see
with my naked eyes… can you please cope up with me? Why are you walking behind
me?"
Karikalan's tone was calm, almost sharp:
"The reason why I am walking behind you is because of
you."
Maya frowned, confused.
"What's the reason?"
Karikalan's reply carried a sting:
"It's because you're the one who told me that people
will see us with wrong intentions if we walk together."
Maya sighed, frustration rising.
"I told that before, and you're still following now in
this situation. You're stubborn."
Karikalan stopped, his patience snapping.
"What? You called me stubborn? I'm following you with a
gap of one meter just because I acknowledged your words. And now you're
changing your tone based on the context. Do you think I'm a robot to follow
your commands each and every time, ah?"
Maya froze at the towering structure ahead.
"I think we have reached the destination."
Karikalan narrowed his eyes, scanning the shadows.
"What happened? Why did you stop?"
Maya whispered, almost in awe:
"It is looking like a palace…"
Before they could take another step, shadows erupted from
the darkness. Unknown figures rushed forward, their movements swift and silent.
Black cloths covered their faces as they surrounded the two.
Maya screamed, her voice breaking the silence:
"Who is that? Please help me! Hey! Who are you? Where
are you bringing me? Tell me…!"
Her cries grew desperate as the cloth tightened around her.
"Heh! Please leave me… I have a family, I have a
boyfriend… I just want to live my life with him forever. I have only one life,
after that I don't know what will happen. I am begging you… you can have
Karikalan to you, I don't want him. Just leave the two of us safely. This
happened because of him. Veera followed his path and targeted your members.
It's not his fault, he was misled by Karikalan's actions. I will separate him
from Karikalan once you spare my life."
The black cloth was ripped from Maya's face. She blinked
rapidly, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. Everyone in the hall stared at
her, their gazes heavy and unrelenting.
Maya's voice cracked with panic:
"Why is everyone looking at my face? Wait… where is he?
Is he killed?"
A sudden voice cut through the silence, sharp and mocking:
"I am still alive, you brat."
It was Karikalan.
Maya turned toward him, her face flushed with shock and
guilt.
"If you're alive, then why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Karikalan's reply was calm, but edged with scorn:
"Because I've been hearing your laments for the past
five minutes."
Her eyes widened.
"So… you heard everything?"
Karikalan's words struck like a blade:
"Not only me. Everyone in this house heard your
laments."
The guardians chuckled, but one snapped impatiently:
"Hey! Why are you talking? Just put a sock on it."
Karikalan's tone hardened:
"Apologize. By the way, who is your boss? And when will
she come?"
The guardian sneered:
"What did you just say? The boss is female."
Karikalan's eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"What? Your boss is a female? I can't believe this. When
will she come?"
The guardian shrugged.
"She will come anytime soon."
Karikalan pressed further:
"In how many minutes would she come?"
The guardian repeated, irritated:
"She would come soon."
Karikalan leaned forward, his voice sharp:
"How long have you been working in this house as a
guardian?"
The guardian snapped back:
"That's none of your business. Stop asking us questions
like this."
Karikalan's tone grew colder:
"You're the one who dragged us here, and now you ask us
to stop questioning. Without knowing anything, how can we understand each
other?"
The guardian's patience broke.
"Can you please stop your radio‑recorder voice? It's
getting on my nerves."
Suddenly, a sound echoed through the hall — the soft,
deliberate tap… tap… tap of slippers descending the steps.
All the guardians froze. Silence fell like a curtain.