That night, Ranveer stared blankly into the dim-lit room, the photo still resting in his hand torn slightly where Ayaan and Anaya once stood close. But then...
A chill overtook the air. A metallic hum barely audible resonated across the walls. The clock's needles stopped. Time froze.
And then he appeared.
A towering shadow cloaked in the hiss of silence, holding a crimson-radiating axe that shimmered like fire trapped in steel.
Ranveer opened his mouth to shout, "Who are you?! Latha, where are you—?" But no sound escaped. No breath moved. His body, paralyzed. His voice, locked.
The figure stepped forward without a word. With the edge of his axe, he made a shallow cut on Ranveer's neck and plucked the photo from his trembling hand. The shadow paused... inspecting the torn image his malice growing as he noticed the deliberate gap between Ayaan and Anaya.
A slow, venom-laced voice emerged from the figure:
"I don't care what games you want to play… Ayaan and Anaya are my preys. If you disturb my play "
In one clean motion, he tore off Riya's head from the photo.
Ranveer, filled with rage and fear, reached for his pistol but the moment he aimed, a small crack split through the silence. The shadow was gone.
Latha entered seconds later. "Husband? Padma agreed for the blind date between Riya and Dev. Wait... why are you holding your pistol like that?"
Ranveer, shaken, lowered the weapon. "It's nothing," he muttered, glancing down.
The photo? Untorn. No missing faces. No gaps. Only Latha's next words shook him further.
"…Why do you have a small cut on your neck?"
Ranveer said nothing.
---
Next Morning – Police HQ
Padma listened in silence as Ranveer finished describing the encounter. Her fingers trembled before she steadied them.
"The shadow figure with the crimson axe… are you sure?" she asked, her voice lower than usual.
"Yes. And I don't know who else I could trust to share this with… but right now, I'm relying on you."
Padma went pale. Her breath hitched. Her mind raced. She muttered to herself, almost in a trance:
"Did I miss something...? Riya eavesdropped on Rathore, Dev, and Ayaan. Then Rathore gave her that gun with the spear symbol. That conversation was about the upcoming bomb blast… Twelve failed assassination attempts… And now, Ranveer sees Nightmare? That spear… and Anaya… no, it can't be…"
Ranveer leaned forward. "What bomb blast? What did you just say?"
Padma snapped herself out of her thoughts with a sharp slap to her cheek. Then, eyes firm and cold, she turned to him. "Yes, Ranveer. That shadow you saw… he's real. We call him The Nightmare."
Ranveer's blood ran cold.
"And if what you say is true," she continued, "If he appeared before you then this is no longer minor. We may be heading toward another Tragedy of Numn University."
She held out her badge, revealing the etched bow symbol, then nodded slowly. "You've seen too much. You've felt the fear. You've protected your daughter. That's why… I officially invite you—"
A pause.
"—to Project-M. The last place where hope stands, and the only place where life and death truly matter."
-------
A Day Before the Present Time
A phone call rang through.
"Riya, I already heard you messed up the previous blind date. No more excuses. I want to meet you—come to Room No. 10 at the restaurant tomorrow morning."
Meanwhile, at the police station—
"Mr. Ranveer," a constable pleaded. "My brother… he's jobless. Please give him a job—maybe as your butler."
Ranveer, preoccupied with his own thoughts, noticed something odd. Sweat trickled down the constable's neck.
"…Why are you sweating?"
The constable quickly responded, "It's nothing, sir."
Ranveer paused, but eventually agreed. "Fine. Tell him to report tomorrow."
---
The Next Morning — Restaurant
Sitting in the restaurant, fingers locked, eyes focused on the table, Ranveer stared into nothing.
"Why did my one and only daughter fall into this kind of mess?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a phone call from Padma.
"Padma, hi. Sorry for yesterday. On behalf of my daughter, I'll scold her for the mess she caused with the blind date."
But Padma's voice came through—furious.
"No time for personal talks. I heard you hired a new butler recommended by one of your constables?"
"Yes… why?"
"That constable is dead, Ranveer. The man you hired is an assassin. Where are you right now ?"
Click.
The line cut. Ranveer's breath caught in his throat. He turned to the new butler who was now smiling strangely at him.
The butler spoke smoothly, "I heard from the receptionist… your daughter is here. Let me go ahead and invite her."
Ranveer forced a smile. "Yes, please…"
Then he saw her Riya. Marching in with a familiar young man by the collar.
"Dev! Clear my name already! Tell them the truth about that blind date!"
Ranveer stood, trying to control the situation. "Riya! Let go of him—and Dev, I'm sorry on her behalf…"
Once everyone settled around the circular table, Ranveer's eyes drifted to Dev and Ayaan. He noticed something. Their expressions were focused tense. Alert.
He leaned in. "Is something bothering you both?"
Ayaan spoke up first, glancing at the butler. "I heard you hired someone recently. I just wanted to ask…"
Dev finished the sentence. "…Is your butler really a butler?"
Ranveer hesitated, then his eyes moved to Dev and Ayaan. Carefully, subtly, he began tapping his finger on the table in a rhythmic, coded pattern:
"The new butler is an assassin. He's here to kill Riya. Please—help my daughter."
Ayaan and Dev exchanged a glance and understood.
Their eyes sharpened. Their faces darkened with controlled rage.
Then Dev stood abruptly. With a loud, awkward sound, he deliberately farted.
"…Oops. Stomach issue. I need to use the bathroom. Ayaan—come with me?"
Ayaan nodded. "Let's go."
Riya blinked. "Wait, what."
But they were already gone. And a silent war had begun.
------
Current Time – Inside Room No. 5
Only two people were present—Ranveer and Riya. Silence hung heavy between them, thick with tension.
Ranveer stood still, holding the gun.
Its spear symbol gleamed faintly in the ambient light.
He wasn't just holding the weapon—he was gripping it like it held the weight of every unanswered question and every shattered piece of trust.
Tears fell but only from his right eye. The left eye burned with rage.
With his voice cracking under the weight of confusion and fear, he shouted:
"You don't know what kind of mess you're in, Riya!"
Riya, unable to meet his eyes, collapsed to her knees on the cold floor. Her shoulders trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Father... I'm sorry..." she cried, her voice trembling, "I'm sorry for hiding the gun..."
Ranveer gritted his teeth, his knuckles white as he stared at the symbol.
And with a voice torn between pain and fury, he growled:
"I don't care about the gun. I care about this.."
He raised the weapon slightly.
"This symbol. Do you understand what this means?"
Riya looked at the weapon, confused.
"What do you mean by this spear symbol...? I never really noticed it before... But..."
Ranveer stepped forward, emotions swirling across his face.
"Yes you don't know. You really don't know what mess you've fallen into. If you hadn't brought Dev or Ayaan today..."
He clenched his fists.
"I could've lost my one and only daughter."
He gently lifted Riya from the ground.
Riya, confused and stunned, asked:
"What do you mean... me?"
Ranveer, voice shaken:
"That newly hired butler he was an assassin sent to kill you. If Ayaan and Dev hadn't noticed... you might have died."
Riya staggered back, horrified.
"Why...? Why me? You never had issues with criminals before .so why this...?"
Ranveer responded grimly:
"Because you're holding a weapon with the spear symbol. According to Padma... those who bear it are rare and unpredictable."
Riya blinked in shock.
"Padma aunty knew? She knew I had this gun...?"
Ranveer nodded.
"Yes. She's the one who notified me."
He exhaled, heavy.
"Riya, you truly don't understand the danger you're in..."
Riya, breathing heavily, started to laugh bitterly through tears.
"So Padma aunty... just like Dev, she can't be trusted. All this—just to blackmail you into accepting their proposal? I see it now. She's a selfish bit—"
SLAP.
Ranveer's hand struck her cheek.
The silence was thunderous.
Ranveer who had never raised a hand to her shouted:
"Don't you dare speak that way about Padma or her son!"
His voice trembled.
"From what your mother told me Padma helped ensure your very survival at birth! And now, according to her files, she's the only reason you've survived twelve assassination attempts. And today if it weren't for Dev and Ayaan you would have been dead!"
Ranveer's tone shifted steel beneath sorrow.
"Riya... you are my daughter. My only daughter. I'm selfish about your safety. That's why from now on, I don't care about your feelings. I don't care about threats to my own life. That's why..."
Riya shut her eyes and covered her ears.
"Stop—!"
"That's why," Ranveer continued, his voice like iron,
"Whether you accept it or not... I'll arrange your marriage with Dev. Or..."
"Stop—!"
"Or I'll kill your friend Anaya and force you to marry Ayaan instead. So if you care about your friend's life... choose Dev!"
The words shattered Riya. Her heart cracked, her world spun.
She snatched the gun from the table, shoved it into her handbag, and bolted out the door. Her hands clamped over her ears.
"I don't want to be alone!" she screamed.
"I don't want to be alone!"
She ran blindly and collided into someone.
She crashed to the floor.
A familiar male voice said softly, with genuine concern:
"Are you okay...? And alsobno one wants to be alone, Riya."
Her eyes opened wide. Sweat glistened on two familiar faces Dev and Ayaan.
Dev knelt to help her up.
"Riya, are you—"
She slapped his hand away, eyes furious, voice cracking:
"It's all because of you, Dev Kollari!"
Suddenly, the soft twang of a guitar string echoed through the hallway.
A third voice, calm and curious, broke the silence:
"It's beautiful... just like the pair Ayaan and Anaya, and your names Dev and Riya. Beautiful pairs indeed."
Ayaan turned toward the sound.
"Oh it's Teja. From this morning."
Teja smiled.
"Yes, bro-in-law. That work was finished. Did I come at the right time?"