Time: ~9:00 PM IST, 2100
Location: Ruins of Hampi, Karnataka
The Godavari faded behind them like a forgotten dream. They travelled overland now—silent roads winding through Andhra and into Karnataka. The skiff, now fused with rusted wheels and half a drone's rotor thanks to Chitti's manic upgrades, crawled like a beast across the red dust trails.
By the time they reached Hampi, dusk had surrendered to a deep indigo night. Stars blinked over shattered stonework and looming monoliths. The ancient ruins—once the beating heart of Vijayanagara—rose like broken verses from a lost poem.
Pinkki stepped out first, her eyes wide. "This place smells like history dipped in ash."
"Correct," Mythili said softly. "It was burned down in a single night. The empire fell… but faith stayed."
Myra adjusted her goggles, scanning the skeletal temples and granite elephants that lined their path. "Shard's pulsing. Something's here."
Raghu moved ahead, karambit drawn, every step calculated. He didn't trust places that whispered instead of shouted. Hampi was whispering in Sanskrit tonight.
They entered a cracked courtyard flanked by stone pillars, moonlight dripping like silver ink on the broken floor. A half-sunken temple loomed ahead. A towering Hanuman idol, its face serene yet fierce, stood at the center.
The shard in Myra's hand vibrated like a heartbeat.
"This is it," she said.
Suddenly—CLANK. Chitti tripped over a stone idol and went tumbling.
"Ra! Who leaves toes of gods lying around like this?!"
"You tripped over Hanuman's foot," Vishnu smirked.
"Then Lord Hanuman owes me an apology," Chitti grumbled, recalibrating.
Pinkki knelt at a pillar. "Spices burned here. Look—old smoke traces. Maybe ritual fire?"
Myra stepped forward and touched the idol. Vedic inscriptions flickered to life, spinning like wheels around the statue's base.
"It's a puzzle," she whispered. "These symbols... it's like a lock."
Raghu stood beside her. "I've seen these before. On a relic my brother died trying to open."
She turned to him, softly. "Then we'll finish what he couldn't."
Together, they began turning the stone inscriptions. The idol pulsed—slowly, deliberately—until a central slab shifted, revealing an underground staircase.
Suddenly—BLAST!
A drone exploded mid-air above them.
Devmani's gang had arrived.
From the shadows emerged the Ghoongroo Gang, bangles now glowing, torsos wrapped in metallic saris that shimmered with kinetic energy.
"Surprise, sweethearts!" Devmani's voice echoed. "Did you miss me?"
Raghu threw a grenade, instinct sharp. "Cover the entrance!"
Hanush lunged, arms glowing green, slamming two goons into a collapsed mandapam.
Chitti zipped across the stones, shouting, "Deploying spice-smoke—flavor of vengeance!"
A spice cloud burst in orange fury, blinding two attackers.
Pinkki, ducking under a flying bangled fist, tossed a mustard-oil flash bomb. "Mess with the cook—you get cooked!"
Vishnu flailed with a broken diya stand, shouting, "If I die here, let it be with rhythm!"
Mythili yelled, "Incoming from the left!"
CRACK! A support beam gave way. Stones rained down. Mythili tried to shield herself—but a slab pinned her leg. She screamed.
Hanush saw her. In one motion, he dashed, lifted the rock, and pulled her close. Her breath caught—not from pain, but his arms around her.
"You okay?" he asked, voice trembling.
She nodded, breathless. "You always this heroic?"
He looked away. "Just when it matters."
Down below, Myra and Raghu had reached the heart of the ancient chamber.
A massive Hanuman idol, different from the one above, sat enshrined in silence. Its body was chipped, but its eyes were inlaid with silver and ruby—closed, yet watching.
The two shards in Myra's hand pulsed—synchronizing.
Suddenly, the idol's eyes opened.
A voice, deep and timeless, filled the chamber:
"You seek the nectar of gods… but only those who endure doubt may drink from its flame."
Myra gasped. "It's sentient."
The idol's hand slowly moved—pointing to a stone tablet on the wall. Symbols on it glowed, forming a map: not of India, but a smaller village nearby, marked with fire-like runes.
"Kudligi," Myra read. "A fire-walking shrine. West of here."
Raghu narrowed his eyes. "That's where we go next."
The voice spoke again:
"In Kudligi, walk where fear burns and faith remains."
Then the eyes closed.
Back at the surface, the crew was bruised, but victorious. The goons retreated. Devmani's voice rang out once more:
"You can run to your fire festival, but you're just lighting the way for me!"
Silence followed.
As they gathered themselves, Myra tucked the shards carefully in her pack.
"We have our next clue," she said. "And Zerum will know it too."
Suddenly, from behind a crumbling arch, a figure emerged. Tall, draped in a sari threaded with nanofiber, her eyes golden and sharp.
Gungun.
A new enemy.
Watching. Waiting.