The train moved steadily across the land.
Mumbai was far behind now.
Rahul sat by the window, silently watching the changing landscape. The towering buildings had long disappeared, replaced by open fields, rivers, and small towns.
Everything looked… simple.
Peaceful.
But Rahul felt none of it.
Inside him, something dark continued to grow.
---
Hours passed.
Then finally—
The train slowed down.
A voice echoed:
"Next station… Gaya."
Rahul stood up.
His expression calm.
Unbothered.
As if he wasn't carrying the weight of countless actions behind him.
---
Gaya.
A place where people came for peace.
For rituals.
For salvation.
For closure.
---
Rahul stepped out of the station.
The air felt different here.
Heavy.
Not physically…
But spiritually.
Even someone like him could sense it.
A strange pressure.
As if the land itself was watching him.
---
People moved around him.
Pilgrims.
Priests.
Families performing rituals.
Everyone busy in their own world.
But the moment Rahul walked past—
Some of them unconsciously stepped aside.
Without knowing why.
Without realizing what they felt.
A quiet fear.
---
Rahul walked toward the river.
The sacred place where people performed last rites.
Where souls were believed to find peace.
---
He stood at the edge of the water.
Looking down at the slow-moving current.
For a brief moment—
Memories returned.
His parents.
Their faces.
Their voices.
The last time he saw them.
Rahul closed his eyes.
Not out of grief.
But to silence the noise in his mind.
---
"Lost someone?"
A voice came from behind.
Calm.
Old.
Steady.
---
Rahul opened his eyes and turned.
An old man stood there.
Dressed simply.
But his presence was different.
His eyes were sharp.
Too sharp.
Not like ordinary people.
---
Rahul looked at him.
"…Yes."
The old man nodded slowly.
"I can tell."
He stepped closer.
His gaze didn't leave Rahul's face.
Then—
Something strange happened.
The old man's expression changed.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
---
"You shouldn't be here."
Rahul frowned slightly.
"And why is that?"
The old man remained silent for a moment.
Then said—
"Because you don't belong to the living anymore."
---
Silence.
The air grew heavier.
Rahul's eyes darkened slightly.
"What do you mean?"
The old man didn't answer directly.
Instead, he looked at Rahul's chest.
As if he could see through him.
As if he could see something hidden.
Something buried deep inside.
---
"That thing inside you…" the old man said slowly.
"It is not human."
---
Rahul stepped forward.
A dangerous aura began to rise around him.
"You see too much," he said coldly.
Anyone else would have trembled.
But the old man didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Instead—
He smiled faintly.
"I've seen worse."
---
Rahul stopped.
For the first time since gaining his powers—
Someone wasn't affected by him.
Not controlled.
Not afraid.
---
"Who are you?" Rahul asked.
The old man replied calmly—
"Just someone who understands what you've become."
---
Rahul stared at him.
Trying to read him.
But something felt different.
He couldn't control him.
He couldn't sense his mind.
It was… blocked.
---
"That power inside you," the old man continued,
"It comes from something ancient."
"Something destroyed long ago."
---
Rahul's expression didn't change.
But inside—
He was listening carefully.
---
"You feel it, don't you?" the old man said.
"The strength…"
"The hunger…"
"The emptiness…"
---
Rahul didn't deny it.
Because it was true.
---
The old man took a step closer.
"And if you don't learn to control it…"
His voice turned serious.
"…it will consume you."
---
Rahul smirked faintly.
"Control?"
He looked at his hands.
"I already control everything."
---
The old man shook his head slowly.
"No."
"You control others."
"But you don't control yourself."
---
Those words…
For a brief second—
Hit something inside Rahul.
---
Silence.
The river flowed quietly beside them.
---
"Why are you telling me this?" Rahul asked.
The old man replied—
"Because if you continue like this…"
"Soon, not even you will remain."
---
Rahul stared at him.
Then suddenly—
He stepped closer.
Very close.
His eyes glowing faintly.
"Tell me something," Rahul said.
"Can you stop me?"
---
A pause.
Then—
The old man smiled.
"No."
"But I can guide you."
---
Rahul narrowed his eyes.
"Guide?"
---
The old man nodded.
"Yes."
"I can teach you how to use that power."
"How to control it."
"How to survive it."
---
Rahul looked at him silently.
Thinking.
Calculating.
---
Power…
He already had it.
But understanding it…
That was something else.
---
After a few seconds—
Rahul spoke.
"…Fine."
---
The old man turned.
"Follow me."
---
Rahul stood there for a moment.
Then walked behind him.
---
For the first time since gaining his powers—
Rahul wasn't leading.
He was following.
---
And somewhere deep inside him…
That ancient power stirred again.
As if it recognized something.
Something important.
---
Something dangerous.
---
Because this meeting…
Was not a coincidence.
It was the beginning of control.
Or…
The beginning of something far worse.