Night had fallen.
But Rudra's mind was wide awake.
He sat on the rooftop of his hostel, staring at the city lights. The stars above were faint, but the glow of streetlamps, vehicles, and buildings below created their own constellation—a man-made universe.
A universe he would soon rule from the shadows.
[Sin Points: 3,820 / 4,000][Skill Unlock Incoming – "Dominator's Eye"][New Shadow Ally Status: ByteGhost – Active]
His phone buzzed.
ByteGhost: "Target neutralized. NGO exposed. Funds redirected to legit orphan centers. No trace left."
Rudra smiled. He hadn't given that order—but Kunal had done it on his own.
It seemed he was smarter than Rudra expected.
He replied with a simple message:
"Good. Shadow never sleeps. Prepare for next phase."
Suddenly, his system vibrated again.
[Congratulations: Shadow Network Level 1 Complete][Reward Unlocked: Dominator's Eye – Active Skill][Ability: See Emotional Signatures (Guilt, Fear, Rage, Greed, Envy) in People Nearby]
Rudra's eyes flickered.
For a moment, his world turned gray—then pulsed with color.
He looked down at the campus from the rooftop.
And there they were.
Glowing auras.
A boy walking alone, his head downsurrounded by a deep red mist of self-hate.
A teacher talking on the phone—his aura green, radiating greed and lies.
A couple holding hands—one blue with affection, the other yellow with boredom.
He could see who was honest, who was pretending, and who was ready to break.
Dominator's Eye wasn't just power.
It was truth.
The Next Morning – College Auditorium
It was time for the monthly debate competition.
Ira Kashyap stood on the stage, looking confident. Her speech was sharp, logical, passionate. She was applauded heavily.
The judges nodded.
Then came Rudra's turn.
He wasn't even signed up. But when one of the participants suddenly dropped out, he raised his hand.
The auditorium murmured.
Rudra was a silent guy. Never involved in events.
Now he was walking toward the mic.
"What topic will you speak on?" asked the host.
Rudra smiled.
"Monsters: Who creates them—society or sin?"
The room went still.
Then he spoke.
Calmly. Coldly. Clearly.
"Everyone hates villains. But no one asks who pushed them. No one wonders how many times they begged for help. How often they were ignored, beaten, laughed at. Until one day… they changed."
Some students exchanged glances.
"Let me ask you this," Rudra continued. "When a boy is bullied daily, and he finally hits back… is he evil? Or is he simply responding to pain?"
The auditorium was silent.
Judges were frozen.
Ira stared at Rudra with narrowed eyes. She could see it—this wasn't just a debate.
He was speaking his heart.
"Heroes are not born. Neither are villains. We are all forged by what the world throws at us. Some break. Some bend. And some… rise."
Applause.
Then silence.
Then a standing ovation.
Rudra smiled faintly and walked off the stage.
But Ira didn't clap.
She followed him backstage.
"You meant every word," she said.
Rudra didn't answer.
She stepped closer. "Who hurt you, Rudra?"
He looked into her eyes.
[Dominator's Eye Active: Ira Kashyap – Aura Color: Violet (Curiosity, Suspicion, Attraction)]
That was unexpected.
Rudra replied, "The world."
And walked away.
Later That Day – Abandoned Building
Rudra stood with Byte Ghost again. The hacker had set up a portable command center—laptops, servers, even a drone or two.
"We're growing, bro," Kunal said. "Shadow Net is expanding."
"Any new potential recruits?"
Kunal showed him a file.
Name: Alina SaxenaAge: 18Background: Silent, Invisible, Genius ChemistSkills: Poisons, Potions, Smoke BombsStatus: Labeled 'Creepy' – Isolated by peers
Rudra's eyes narrowed.
"Perfect. Contact her. Offer her a mission. Tell her… the shadows respect talent."
Kunal nodded. "And what's the mission?"
"Simple," Rudra said. "A professor has been taking bribes for fake grades. I want his truth exposed."
Back on Campus – That Night
Ira sat alone in her room, scrolling through Reddit forums, news leaks, and college gossip channels.
All had one thing in common:
Anonymous justice.
Secret videos. Hidden files. Exposed corruption.
All too neat.
Too perfect.
And all started recently.
She looked at a list of names.
One of them stood out: Rudra Vashisht.
He had zero clubs, zero activities, zero scandals… and suddenly gave the best speech of the year.
"I'll find you," she whispered.
"I don't know who you really are… but I will find out."
In the Shadows
Rudra watched the chemistry lab from afar.
A girl with tied-up hair and dark circles under her eyes was mixing something. She worked fast, with precise hands. No hesitation.
It was Alina.
Kunal had sent the message. She had accepted the job. And tonight, she would plant a formula in the professor's office—one that would explode purple smoke and ink across the room, exposing hidden documents.
No one would suspect her.
No one would trace it.
Just another strange chemical accident.
[Mission in Progress – 4 hours remaining][Reward: 1,200 Sin Points + Recruit: Alina "Witchhands"]
Rudra leaned against the wall.
His network was forming.
Kunal the Hacker.Alina the Chemist.Soon, others.
He didn't need fame.
He didn't need applause.
He just needed control.
Because in this twisted world…
Only the villain could bring balance.