Chapter 23

"Huff!" Dhruv inhaled sharply as he regained consciousness within the sterile confines of the hospital room. His eyes fluttered open to the bright, oppressive medical lights, and he let out a deep sigh filled with disbelief. "I can't believe I actually took the initiative to sacrifice myself," he murmured, the weight of his actions settling heavily upon him.

"Yeah!" Alia chimed in, her voice a mix of surprise and empathy. "I was also astonished when Tara explained it all to me.”

As Dhruv rubbed his hands together, he slowly reached up to touch his face, feeling the contours and reminders of his own humanity. "I now realise just how critical it is to have your own body," he reflected, turning his gaze towards Tara, who sat nearby. "Will clones are walking on a thin rope when it comes to making decisions. I can fully grasp your dilemma when you resort to tricks and mind games to make use of me.”

"Thank you," Tara replied, her expression earnest as she nodded in acknowledgement. "Let me fill you in on the events that brought us to this point."

"No!" Alia interjected firmly, her urgency apparent. "I will explain everything to him since I was also there during these events.”

"Sure, go ahead," Dhruv encouraged, giving Alia a thumbs up while reaching over to pick up a slice of apple from her plate. "It's fascinating to think that only a brief moment has elapsed in real time."

With a determined expression, Alia announced, "Alright, get comfy, I'm starting now.”

…

‘Alia’s Narration—Before your clone got damaged, he sent a text to your phone, which I believe you’re already aware of, so let’s just move on from that point.’

New Message — Unknown Number — 1 minute ago

‘I’m probably going to die, but can you check the hill near the chemical facility when you land in Chennai?’

Tara's expression shifted to one of concern. "What in the world is he doing right now?" she asked, glancing at Dhruv's still body.

Noticing Tara's unusual reaction, Alia leaned in, curious. "What happened?"

Tara explained, her brow furrowed. "Apparently, his clone is facing imminent danger, so he texted to give us a heads-up.”

Alia gently touched Dhruv's forehead, her worry clear. "Will this affect him?"

"Yes," Tara confirmed with conviction. "If his clone somehow manages to save itself and avoids destruction, it will only result in temporary damage that can heal over time. However, if the clone is destroyed, Dhruv's mind will suffer, and his Wisdom skill will permanently lose some of its potency."

"Then call him now! What are you waiting for?" Alia urged, her voice laced with urgency. "Can’t he just wait until tomorrow morning? We’re heading there anyway."

"Listen!" Tara shook her head, trying to clarify. "The clone and Dhruv share the same personality. You have to see it as if he decided to take this action himself. Whatever he’s doing, he must have thought it through and perhaps devised some means of protecting himself.”

‘Alia’s Narration—After a brief dispute with Tara, I sought out my father. I shared the unfolding events with him, and just like that, time seemed to snowball. Before we knew it—it was morning, we were all gathered at the Delhi airport. The group comprised myself, Tara, my father Ricky, Mrs. Meheta, and the secretary of our Prime Minister. Yes, you heard that right. The Prime Minister of our country is involved, and there’s a story behind why. And of course, we can’t forget you—you were lying unconscious on a stretcher.’

The Prime Minister's Secretary addressed us with a serious demeanor. "You must handle this situation with utmost care. Last night, they took the VX Nerve Agent, which is an extremely toxic liquid chemical." She paused, adjusting her glasses before continuing. "Our undercover agents have already been deployed, and Chennai is sealed from all sides."

"Thank you for arranging everything for us," Mrs. Meheta said gratefully.

The PM's secretary nodded respectfully. "I’m merely following orders from higher up. Have a safe trip, everyone. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”

‘Alia’s Narration—We boarded the plane, and just a few hours later, we touched down in Chennai. Our first stop was the hospital, where we ensured you were settled in comfortably, and then we proceeded to the hill mentioned in the text. However, that’s where I diverged from the group.’

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‘Tara’s Narration—Yes, Alia stayed back to look after you while the three of us went out, accompanied by military security personnel. After an extensive search, Uncle Ricky utilised his ‘Tracker’ skill, which helped narrow down the search area, and finally located the sniper’s body. About half an hour later, we found your cracked purple star. Despite Mrs Meheta and I using our healing skills to mend you, we saw no results. In a moment of desperation, I placed your ‘Mind Clone’ into my subconscious, and to my relief, it showed a faint response.’

‘Alia’s Narration—After carefully surveying the area for any clues or signs, the team eventually returned to regroup and discuss their next steps.’

Uncle Ricky looked around, a frown creasing his brow as he asked, “What should we do now? We don’t have any leads to follow up on.”

Tara interjected, her tone steady, “Actually, we have a lead on VX. Agents are currently following their tracks.”

Mrs. Meheta, visibly frustrated, directed her anger towards Tara, saying, “If it weren’t for you, we would have supported Dhruv right from the beginning, just as his father intended.”

With a quick retort, Tara replied, “How was I supposed to know you all had powers? If I had been aware of that, I would have approached you much sooner instead of risking everything with the White Soul users. That decision has already caused serious losses for Dhruv; two of his clones have sustained damage already, not to mention the current situation he is in now.”

Uncle Ricky raised his hand for calm, “Alright, let’s acknowledge that this was a misunderstanding on both sides. For now, you and Alia should stay here while the rest of us head to the city surveillance room to search for more information.”

‘Alia’s Narration—Following my father’s instructions, Tara and I stayed behind while the others ventured out. However, the news that came through shortly after was grim; all the agents trailing the chemical truck had met with their demise. On a brighter note, we managed to capture an individual attempting to flee the Chennai border in a truck loaded with cash. They escorted him to the police station, where my ‘Truth Finder’ skill would be invaluable.’

“Father, I’m here to help!” I declared as I stepped into the bustling police station.

“My sweetie, come here! We’ve all been waiting for you…”

“Stop!” Tara interrupted.

‘Tara's Narration—She is simply just exaggerating her part now. Let me continue, Alia went there, with the help of the interrogation officer and her father. They found out that, after your clone got damaged they came back to pick up the Hacker and went to an underground parking lot. The Driver and the Hacker took one money truck each and left in a hurry. The Hacker is still missing.’

Alia shot Tara a sharp look. “You completely skipped over my part in this,” she retaliated, her voice filled with indignation.

Tara, maintaining her sincerity, replied, “Honestly, it doesn’t really matter.”

‘Alia's Narration—In the aftermath, we discovered that the last Black Soul user had met with two accomplices at the port. Together, they launched a swift attack on the water supply facility, causing notable damage. After that, they made their way to a military camp where six missiles were stored, remaining there for the past ten days while we were left monitoring things from the hospital. And that’s where everything concluded—The End.’

Tara teased lightly, “Now this is what I call skipping.”

Alia snapped back, “Yeah, that’s exactly how I felt when you skipped over my contributions.”

‘Tara's Narration—As Alia noted, our next move involved confronting two Black Soul users. You’ll be pleased to hear that their supply of black beads was dwindling, which is why they turned their attention to the missiles at the military camp. In a tragic turn of events, Uncle Ricky lost his left arm in the skirmish, while our damage to them is minimal as they changed their bodies everytime they suffered damage. Meanwhile, we left Mia alone as she has long range healing power same as Mrs Meheta. So whether she is an ally or an enemy it doesn't matter.’

Alia asked curiously, “Ah! I meant to ask earlier, can she fix my father's arm?”

“I don't think so,” Tara replied bluntly, a hint of sadness in her voice.

‘Alia's Narration—Regrettably, many of our soldiers paid the ultimate price as well. They were so ruthless that they even threatened the Military commander’s family in an attempt to manipulate the army into action. At least we managed to prevent the VX from contaminating the water facility by sealing off the water supply; otherwise, we would have faced catastrophic losses.’

“Indeed. But there was a loss of eighty thousand lives from that incident which is not small either.” Tara added, her expression grave but resolved. “After that point, we experienced numerous minor skirmishes between both factions. Other countries even attempted to intervene, but our government successfully thwarted all their efforts.”

Dhruv interjected, his expression reflecting the weight of the discussion they were having. “You guys truly went through a lot,” he remarked seriously. He then directed his gaze towards Alia and added with urgency, “Can you call everyone who came with you here?”

Alia nodded, understanding the importance of the request, and stepped out of the room, leaving Tara and Dhruv to confront the swirling thoughts in their minds alone.

After a moment of silence, Dhruv broke it, lowering his voice as he posed a question that seemed to linger in his mind. “Do you think my father was from the Supreme world?”

Tara paused, caught off guard by the intensity of his question. After a brief moment of contemplation, she furrowed her brow and responded, “Now that you mention it, it does make a certain amount of sense. Alia and the others don’t have a Receptor, yet they can use skills because your father gave them an artifact.”

A spark of realisation flashed across Dhruv’s face, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Ah! Was that also my father's doing?”

“Yeah,” Tara continued, her tone steady. “Alia shared how they met your father and received the powers from him.”

“Hmm,” Dhruv reflected, “I thought he was being used by someone to target me, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now. When I didn’t see his soul, that’s when I started getting suspicious. He manipulated my family to change who I am for all these years. Who knows if he’s even my real father or not? And who am I, really?” His voice trailed off, the weight of his revelations settling heavily on his shoulders.

“Now you’re overthinking it,” Tara chimed in, trying to pull him back to the present.

“Maybe so, but it’s still a possibility, isn’t it? I need to gather my thoughts and figure out the best course of action moving forward. I can't stay stuck in this place any longer.” With that, he closed his eyes, a storm of thoughts racing through his mind, each crashing into the other with urgency.

Tara silently observed him, her thoughts racing just as fast as his. ‘I want to know who you really are too,’ she mused silently. ‘How did you end up in this mess? It can’t be mere coincidence that I found the Stone Tablet. Right after that, I was contacted by the Lords of Soul Domain.’ She couldn’t help but continue to watch him, her mind wandering. ‘I really look forward to seeing what you do in the upper world. What’s your purpose? And what’s the truth about your father? I genuinely wish you success in whatever lies ahead, and I hope we get the chance to meet again someday.’ A subtle blush crept to her cheeks as those thoughts swirled in her head.

“Alright, this will work,” Dhruv finally announced, opening his eyes. He was met with the sight of Tara quickly hiding her face as if she had been caught in a moment of weakness. “What are you doing?” he asked, puzzled.

“Huh! What?” she replied, feigning innocence.

He waved the moment away. “Anyway, let’s get everyone together. I’ll explain the plan once they’re here. By the way, did you manage to get the Soul Box from the person my clone defeated?” Dhruv inquired, shifting back to business.

With a playful smirk, Tara responded, “Oh, how could I not? But I haven’t told the others about it yet.”

“Good, that’s the renowned thief for you, always staying focused on her goal,” he teased lightly, the atmosphere between them easing slightly.

Tara shot back with a playful glare, “Dude, you’re really not funny, you do know that, right?”