Waring ⚠️:- Violence alert
The warehouse reeked of gasoline and fear. The flames licked higher, swallowing the man's screams, and Shaurya stood there, smirking-like the Devil had crawled out of hell just to watch the show. His sharp eyes glowed against the firelight, and in that moment, he wasn't human. He was punishment in flesh.
The sound of boots echoed. Rudra stepped inside, his face blank, and tone disciplined. "Sir, you called me."
Shaurya didn't look at him. His gaze was fixed on the man burning alive. "Tell me, Rudra... is it wrong to punish the ones who betray you, when you was the very reason they had a life worth living?" His words dripped venom, soft yet more terrifying than the screams .
Rudra's voice was as cold as the steel he carried. "No, boss. They deserve it."
Shaurya's cruel smirk deepened, eyes glinting still fixed on burning man . "Bring my gun. Give him an easy death after all, selling our information is forgivable. But their biggest mistake..." His expression darkened, jaw tightening. "...was trying to kill my mother."
He shifted his gaze to the second man, tied to the chair, trembling. "Bring boiling water and make his skin taste it, let him know what betrayed feels like."
One of Shaurya's man embed iron nail on the man's fingertips his scream ripped through the air as his body convulsed in agony. "Ahhh-please, leave me! I have kids... a wife-"
Shaurya's hand shot forward, grabbing man hair, yanking his head back until the man's throat strained. His knife slid into the man's chest slow, deliberate. Shaurya leaned close, his voice a whisper of death. "Oh really? suddenly you remember family? Where was this love when you tried to destroy mine?"
He twisted the blade. The scream that tore out wasn't human.
The boiling water (140°F) come in contact with his bare skin his scream ripping through the warehouse. I smirked, letting the sound wash over me. "Pleasurable," I muttered, tasting the chaos like fine wine. His skin start peeling off itself .
Rudra lifted his gun, ready to finish the job. I raised a hand. " Throw cold water on him and let phantom play with this new toy , u know ."
He froze, understanding instantly. After throwing water on him . A Minutes later, the doors creaked open, and my shadows entered. Phantom, padded silently to my sides. I pressed my hands against his head.
"Go ahead," I said, my smirk darken, sharp.The man's eyes widened in terror. Phantom moved with predator grace, circling, silent, inevitable. The lesson was simple: betrayal leaves no mercy not when you cross me.
After a minute
The screams had ended. That basterd lay still, a corpse of his own mistakes. Phantom came to my side, his massive paws silent against the cold floor.
I sank onto my knees, hands resting on my thighs, leaning close to him. "You smelled it too, didn't you?" I murmured, in low voice ,almost a whisper. "The betrayal... it licked him like fire before he even knew it was coming."
I was still looking at the dead body with a smirk of satisfaction, "Someone says the truth, Betrayal always costs life either you betray and pay, or you're betrayed and someone dies. and that someone is me"
I take out handkerchief from my pocket and Phantom's low roar rumbled in the room, a soft, approving vibration through my chest. I wiped my baby faces clean with my handkerchief, blood streaked across his fur from the chaos. "Let me do this," I said, smirking. "If Maa sees this mess, she'll have my head before breakfast."
He nudged against me, obedient and lethal, and I stood. My suit smelled faintly of smoke and iron, the faintest trace of carnage still clinging to me. Phantom flanked me as we walked out of the warehouse. Silent predator beside me.
The car doors opened, leather warm beneath my fingers. I slid in between them, feeling the heat of Ember and the cold shadow of Phantom against my side. The city waited outside, ignorant of the blood that had been spilled, ignorant of the storm that walked among them.
The doors of the mansion shut behind us with a soft thud. Phantom pressed close, silent and lethal, his eyes scanning every corner. I felt the weight of the empire pressing around me-the gold, the marble, the illusion of civility. So I decided to go there where I find peace with pain .
The room was quiet, the only sound the soft hiss and beep of machines keeping her alive.
Maa lay there, pale and still, wrapped in blankets, a ventilator breathing for her, 9 long years of silence between us.
I stood at the bedside, hands clasped behind my back, posture rigid. The world saw me as ruthless, cold, untouchable - but here, in this room, none of that mattered.
I whispering, in low, almost a growl "Maa... it's been 9 years. Nine years and you're still not wake up."
I clenched my fists slightly, jaw tightening. Memories of that night flashed - the screams, the fire, the chaos, and the hollow feeling of losing everyone.
My voice softer, almost breaking "I did everything I could... I... I took the throne. I became what father want me to be . But you... you're still not waking up."
I ran a hand over her face careful not to touch the tubes. "Seven years... and I've never let anyone see me cry. Never. But ... I- I miss you , papa , Di , Jiji and my little star ."
A shadow flickered across my face, a storm of anger, grief, and loneliness. I was the king of an empire built on fear, yet beside her bed, I was just a son longing for the warmth of a mother .
I sat down on the chair beside her, elbows on my knees, eyes locked on her tear building in my eyes. I whispered , "Maa... I-I'm sorry. I should have been there. I should have... I should have saved everyone. I should have... saved you."
My hands gripped the edge of the bed, tightly that my knuckles turned white. I could barely stand the silence, the absence of her voice, the way she had become a stranger in her own home.
My voice starts trembling, "but I took the throne... I did everything what I could to protect what was left. But now I am feeling I couldn't able save you... just like I couldn't save Di... Jiju... Papa... none of them."
The room felt smaller, suffocating. The weight of guilt pressed down on me harder than any enemy ever had. I leaned closer, my forehead almost touching the blanket.
I softly, choked, "Please... wake up, Maa - Please... Your son needs you , this Empire's heir needs you . I... I can't do this without you. I'm nothing without you Maa ."
The ventilator hissed steadily, a cruel reminder that her heart still beat, but her mind was trapped in darkness. I closed my eyes and allowed the tears I had fought for seven years to fall freely, hot and bitter.
My voice breaks completely "I hate this world, Maa... I hate that I can't fix it. I hate that I can't bring them back. I hate that I can't hear your voice again... just one word. One laugh. One... 'Shaurya'."
My voice was shaking, and eyes were on her pale face "Maa I may became the most feared, the richest, the most powerful Just like Papa..."
"But after all this... I have nothing, what papa have not even that's 1%. Papa had you, Di, Jiju, Dadi , little star ... I only have Dadi saa and you. But look at my bad luck Maa even u aren't waking up, Maa?"My chest tightened. I swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears that had been waiting to fall.
I whispering, barely audible voice, "I've done everything I could... everything I was told. I became what I had to. But it's not enough... it's never enough if you're not here."
I gripped her hand, between me plam feeling the fragility of her fingers against mine, the only connection to the family I had now."I don't care about power anymore. I don't care about fear. I just-I just want you back, Maa. I want my family back. I want to hear your voice again just for once mumma ." Broked into tear badly.
I kissed her hand as tear was still falling" I beg you Maa open your eyes look at your little shaurya now I am big and I also don't eat ice-cream and chocolates at night." My head was low looking at the blanket as a sad chuckled escape from my mouth and I look at maa knowing that she is not going to open her just like she not open them in these 9 year .
I stand from my place and kissed on Maa's forehead " if father will be here then he will definitely wake you up till now , i failed on this ." A man who never ever loss any deal any war in this dark realm who rules this dark world with fear and ruthlessness but here he is the biggest failure or losser that he is not able to save his family that day " I'll make you fine one day maa".
Her Mother was tying her long, soft, curled hair into a braid."Vidhi, tu 19 ki ho chuki hai aur tujhe abhi tak baal bandhnaa nahi aata."
("Vidhi, you are already 19, and you still don't know how to tie your hair properly.")
I turned and looked at my mother with a little smirk. "Kaun keh raha hai nahi aata? Aata hai na. Style banana aata hai, bun banana aata hai, aur ponytail bhi aati hai... bas braid nahi aati. Aur aap ho na, Mumma."
("Who said I don't know? I do. I can style my hair, I can make a bun, I can even make a ponytail... only braid I can't. And you are here, Mumma.")
My mother placed her hand softly on my head. "Hamesha toh nahi rahungi na saath."
("I won't always be with you, will I?")
My lips formed into a pout. I hugged mumma's hand tightly and kissed her palm. "Kyun? Kahaan ja rahi ho aap? Kahin nahi jaane doongi main aapko."
("Why? Where are you going? I won't let you go anywhere.")
mumma sighed with done face and hit on my head . "Jab teri shaadi ho jaayegi tab kya karegi tu?"
("What will you do once you get married?")
I replied instantly, savage as always "Pati kis din kaam aayega mera phir?"
("Then what's the use of a husband, if not for this?")
Mumma raised an eyebrow. "What if he doesn't know how to tie a braid?"
I rolled my eyes dramatically. "Saasu maa se kahungi-kya sikhaya apne ladke ko? Braid bandhna nahi aati! Mujhe nahi aati toh theek hai, par usse toh aani chahiye na." she stand and said " as mumma tie scrunchie on my hair I stand and take my hobo bag. " Ok mata shri now I'm getting late so give me permission to take my leave".
("I'll tell my mother-in-law-what did you even teach your son? He doesn't even know how to tie a braid! It's fine if I don't know, but at least he should, right?")
Mumma stand and kissed on my forehead then on cheeks " of course you can my drama queen" mumma tap on my cheeks " Take care of yourself my baccha " i nod and then leave.
Honestly I do love my mother alot but I really hate when the topic came to marriage I mean why the hell i even need to spend my life with XY chromosome . And all those this which I see in real life and even in web series no woman is happy after marriage they only treated like a trash in house by there in law in mean some times i think that people say marriage is a pure relationship it's between husband and wife but i think it's more looks like selecting a maid who didn't take any fee and when she will come she will come with dowry like it's a premiums for goodwill that's going to distribute b/w old partners shit isn't it also there soo called husband never takes there wife side in anything if she cry they say stop your this drama is it a drama no man she leaves her house for you and your can't even console her the go fu*k up yourself. And believe me mujhse nhi hoga ye sab that's why I don't even want to ever get married.
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That's it for today .
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