The helicopter cut through the night sky, flying low across the southern plateau.

  Across the country, emergency orders had already been issued. Every military unit and police department had received the same directive.

  Shoot Aarav Vardan on sight.

  His photograph had been broadcast across every news channel, circulated to security forces, airports, railway stations, and border checkpoints. The government had taken the most extreme measure possible.

  The Monster was now the nation’s most wanted man.

  Inside the helicopter, however, the atmosphere was far calmer.

  A young woman sat beside Aarav, carefully tending to the wound in his leg where the bullet had struck earlier that day. Blood had already dried along the torn fabric of his clothes.

  Aarav watched her for a moment before speaking. “There’s no need for that,” he said. “Once my powers return, the wound will heal automatically.”

  The woman did not look up from her work. “Yes,” she replied calmly. “It will heal.”

  She paused before adding, “After eighteen hours.”

  The voice that answered next came from the opposite side of the helicopter. “Exactly.”

  A masked man sat there, leaning against the metal wall of the aircraft. The mask he wore was familiar. It was the same mask the Monster had worn during the High Court incident.

  He slowly lowered it just enough to reveal part of his face. Then he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The smoke filled the narrow cabin.

  “I told you before,” the man said calmly, “things wouldn’t turn out the way you wanted them to.”

  Aarav’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Everything went according to my plan,” he replied.

  The masked man chuckled softly. “Really?”

  He took a slow drag from the cigarette. “Then why am I here… saving you?”

  Aarav did not answer.

  "If I hadn’t arrived when I did,” the man continued, “you would already be dead. The Prime Minister wasn’t bluffing about that execution.”

  For a moment the only sound inside the helicopter was the steady roar of the engines.

  Aarav finally spoke. “There are times when I cannot fully control these powers,” he admitted quietly. “Sometimes they take over… and act on their own.”

  The masked man immediately shook his head. “No.”

  He leaned forward slightly. “The problem isn’t your power.”

  His voice hardened. “The problem is you.”

  Aarav looked at him.

  “You bury your anger,” the man continued. “You hide it behind that calm expression you like to wear.”

  He tapped ash from the cigarette. “But anger doesn’t disappear. It waits.”

  His eyes locked onto Aarav. "And when you suppress it long enough, it takes control.”

  Aarav frowned slightly. “It’s not that simple, Uncle K.”

  The masked man’s eyes narrowed. “Sometimes,” Aarav continued, “you have to let emotion guide you. That’s exactly how I got rid of THEM.”

  The masked man sighed. "And that,” he said calmly, “is exactly why you got caught by those CBI amateurs.”

  Aarav looked away toward the dark horizon outside the helicopter window. Far below them, the lights of distant cities glowed faintly. Somewhere in those cities, the nation was preparing for war against him.

  “Okay, fine,” Aarav said quietly. “You were right back then. These people will never understand anything I was trying to do.”

  He leaned his head back against the metal wall of the helicopter. “I’m sorry. Happy now?”

  Uncle K exhaled a thin line of cigarette smoke. “It’s good that you finally understand the truth about this world,” he said calmly. “And about the foolish people living in it.”

  Aarav stared out of the small window beside him. The night sky stretched endlessly beyond the helicopter.

  “Still,” he said after a moment, “there are people I care about.”

  Uncle K looked at him carefully. "Do they feel the same way about you?” he asked.

  Aarav remained silent.

  Uncle K continued speaking. “Now that they know you are the Monster… the one responsible for killing all those people… do you think they will still look at you the same way?”

  His voice carried no emotion. "They will fear you. Hate you. And despise everything you’ve done.”

  Aarav closed his eyes briefly. "Maybe,” he said quietly.

  The helicopter engines roared steadily around them.

  Uncle K flicked the cigarette out of the small ventilation slot and crossed his arms.

  “So what now?” he asked. “What are you going to do next?”

  Aarav didn’t answer immediately. "I don’t know,” he admitted at last. “Right now… I’m just tired.”

  He shifted slightly, trying to ease the pain in his injured leg. “I need some rest.”

  Uncle K nodded. "Fine,” he said.

  Within minutes, exhaustion overtook Aarav. His breathing slowed as sleep pulled him under. But sleep did not bring peace. It brought memories. Aarav found himself standing inside the laboratory. Cold white lights filled the room. Machines hummed constantly. The sharp smell of chemicals hung in the air.

  He looked down. His body was small. A child again. Three scientists stood near a glass console, studying a glowing screen filled with data. One of them sighed heavily.

  “So where exactly did we go wrong?” he asked.

  Another scientist adjusted his glasses and examined the numbers carefully. “Well… his physical development has changed slightly,” he said. “But according to the data, the project is still an eighty-six percent failure.”

  The third scientist frowned. “Failure or not,” he said, “the subject is still capable of maintaining his abilities continuously for nearly three days.”

  The second scientist nodded. “Yes. But after that his body goes for a cooldown.”

  He tapped the screen. “He requires enormous amounts of food and rest for almost four days to recover. If he pushes beyond that limit…”

  He paused. “I’m afraid his body will simply die.”

  The first scientist folded his arms. “So the power is unstable.”

  “Exactly.”

  Suddenly another voice spoke from above them. “Hmph.”

  All three scientists immediately stiffened. High above them, on a metal observation balcony, a man stood watching. His face was hidden behind a familiar mask. The same mask. The Monster’s mask.

  “What a waste of time and money,” the man said coldly.

  He walked down the metal staircase slowly until he stood beside the scientists. His eyes briefly moved toward the small glass chamber where young Aarav stood silently.

  “Use him for the next experiment,” the masked man ordered.

  “Sir?” one of the scientists asked nervously.

  “Within a week,” the man continued, “new subjects are arriving.”

  He spoke the words casually. “From Africa. America. China.”

  The scientists exchanged glances.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “After that,” the masked man said with clear contempt, “discard this piece of trash.”

  His gaze returned to the child inside the chamber. “As far as I’m concerned… he’s already useless.”

  The scientists nodded immediately. “Understood, sir.”

  Back in the helicopter, Aarav’s sleeping body twitched slightly. The memory faded. But the voice of the masked man still echoed inside his mind.

  The helicopter sliced through the dark sky above the southern plateau, its rotors roaring against the cold night wind. Inside the cabin, the dim yellow lights flickered slightly as the aircraft trembled in the air.

  Aarav slowly opened his eyes.

  For a moment he looked confused, as if the fragments of a dream were still clinging to his mind. Then he pushed himself upright and glanced down at his wounded leg.

  The bandage had already soaked slightly with blood.

  “How long was I asleep?” he asked quietly.

  Across from him, Uncle K sat leaning against the metal wall of the helicopter, arms folded. "Two hours,” he replied.

  Aarav nodded slowly. “Oh… alright.”

  He leaned back against the seat and stared at the vibrating ceiling for a few seconds. “There’s something I want to ask you.”

  Uncle K raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

  Aarav rubbed his forehead as if trying to organize his thoughts.

  “Back there… when Director Mehra was interrogating me,” he said slowly, “he asked about my parents. About how I got these powers.”

  Uncle K didn’t react. "So?” he asked.

  “I told him the truth.”

  For a brief moment, a faint crease appeared on Uncle K’s forehead. It vanished almost immediately. “That won’t change anything,” he said calmly. “They still can’t defeat us.”

  Aarav shook his head slightly.

  “That’s not what I meant.” He looked at Uncle K directly. "My question is something else.”

  A short pause filled the cabin before he spoke again.

  "How was I created?” His voice grew quieter. “And why?”

  Uncle K didn’t answer.

  Aarav continued. “I saw something in my dream just now. A memory… maybe.”

  He stared out through the small helicopter window where nothing but darkness stretched across the horizon.

  “There was a masked man in the lab. He told the scientists I was useless. He told them to discard me.” Aarav’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Who was he?”

  For years Uncle K had avoided answering this question. Aarav only knew two things about his past. He had been created in a laboratory. And one day he destroyed it.

  Uncle K looked toward the cockpit. “Two minutes,” he said casually. “We’ll be arriving soon.”

  Aarav let out a short laugh. “So you’re still not going to tell me.”

  He leaned back again. “That figures.” Then he spoke again, his voice sharper now. “You still work for them, don’t you?”

  Uncle K didn’t hesitate. “No.”

  Aarav’s gaze hardened. “Then tell me about them.”

  His voice carried quiet determination now. “Tell me about their mission… and most importantly...”

  He leaned forward. “Why do I exist?”

  For a long moment the only sound inside the helicopter was the roar of the rotors.

  Uncle K finally sighed. “Twenty-six years ago,” he began, “a group of scientists discovered something unusual in the eastern forests of Assam.”

  Aarav listened silently.

  "It was a fossil. But not an ordinary one. The fossil belonged to an ancient creature that didn’t match any known species.”

  Uncle K glanced toward Aarav. "The surprising part was that fragments of its DNA were still preserved.”

  Aarav frowned. “So they studied it.”

  “More than that,” Uncle K said. “They built an entire project around it.”

  He paused slightly. “Project: Monster.”

  The name hung heavily in the vibrating air of the helicopter.

  "The goal,” Uncle K continued, “was simple.”

  He tapped the metal wall beside him. “Create the strongest human weapon in existence.”

  Aarav’s eyes narrowed.

  “They tried to fuse the DNA of that ancient creature with human DNA,” Uncle K explained. "The result was supposed to be something beyond human.”

  A faint bitterness crept into his voice. "A living weapon.”

  Aarav said nothing.

  “To achieve that,” Uncle K continued, “they brought in three hundred children.”

  Aarav slowly looked up. "Three hundred?”

  “Yes.”

  Uncle K’s voice was calm but cold. “None of them survived.” He paused. “Except one.”

  Aarav looked down at his hands. "That was me.”

  “Yes,” Uncle K said. "But not exactly the way you think.”

  Aarav frowned.

  “You survived because of a mistake.”

  “What mistake?”

  “The amount of ancient DNA injected into your body was slightly lower than the others,” Uncle K said. “It was a computer miscalculation.”

  He looked directly at Aarav. “That tiny error saved your life.”

  Aarav clenched his fists.

  “You stood there alive,” Uncle K continued quietly, “surrounded by the bodies of three hundred children who weren’t as lucky.”

  A heavy silence filled the helicopter.

  “You survived,” Uncle K said, “but your abilities came with limitations.”

  He raised three fingers. “You can use your power continuously for three days.”

  “After those three days,” Uncle K went on, “your body enters a cooldown phase. Your abilities shut down completely.”

  He tapped the metal wall of the helicopter. “During that time you are no different from an ordinary human. No telekinesis. No enhanced speed. Nothing.”

  Aarav looked down at the bandage around his leg.

  “That cooldown now lasts close to eighteen hours,” Uncle K added. “If you try to push your powers beyond their limit, the cooldown becomes longer.”

  He glanced at Aarav. “And during that time… anyone could kill you.”

  “That’s why the project leader called you…” Uncle K paused. “The Failed Prototype.”

  Aarav’s eyes flashed with anger. “Failed?”

  “Yes.”

  Uncle K nodded. "The leader believed Indian genetics were too weak for the experiment.”

  Aarav’s fists tightened.

  “So they shifted their focus. To American, Chinese, and African subjects.”

  He paused again. "But before they could begin the next phase…”

  A faint smile appeared on Aarav’s face.

  “I destroyed the lab.”

  “Yes,” Uncle K said quietly.

  “You were seven years old.”

  Aarav leaned back slightly. “Seven years of torture ended in a single night.”

  He exhaled slowly. “I still remember that feeling. Freedom. No more experiments. No more torture. And no more innocent children dying.”

  Uncle K nodded. “That’s when I arrived.”

  Aarav looked at him.

  “I was ordered to kill you,” Uncle K said. The words hung in the air. “But when I saw you… I saw something else.”

  He paused.

  "A child who had never been treated like a human being. So I disobeyed my orders.”

  Aarav watched him carefully.

  “I took you away,” Uncle K said quietly. “And gave you a life.”

  The helicopter began descending slowly. Aarav remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

  “What happened to the leader?”

  “I don’t know,” Uncle K replied. “I was expelled after saving you. My men left the organization, and I stopped funding the project.”

  He looked out the window. “That bastard disappeared.”

  “And the DNA?” Aarav asked.

  “No idea,” Uncle K said. "Probably destroyed.”

  Aarav let out a slow breath. “Thank God.”

  Uncle K shook his head slightly. “But now the whole world knows who you are.”

  He looked directly at Aarav. “They will come for you.” His voice hardened. “From now on, you need to disappear.”

  Aarav shook his head. “No.” His eyes burned with anger. “They destroyed my life. They took my childhood.”

  He leaned forward. “I’m going to hunt them down.”

  Then a sudden thought struck him.

  “Wait.”

  He looked at Uncle K again.

  "My parents.”His voice sharpened. "Are they still alive?”

  Uncle K’s face darkened. For the first time during the entire conversation, he hesitated.

  “Uncle K,” Aarav said firmly. "Tell me.”

  A long silence passed. Finally Uncle K spoke. “Your father sold you.”

  Aarav blinked. “What?”

  “He sold you for money.”

  Aarav stared at him. “That’s it? What about my mother?”

  Uncle K’s voice softened slightly. “She’s dead.”

  Aarav looked away toward the dark horizon.

  “Kid,” Uncle K said quietly, “you shouldn’t think about them. They never wanted you.”

  The helicopter began descending lower.

  “We’ve arrived.” Uncle K stood up. “Go to your room. Change your clothes. Get some rest.”

  Aarav shook his head slowly. “Everything was already insane enough,” he muttered.

  He gave a dry laugh. “I honestly thought my parents were kidnapped or killed or something dramatic.”

  He stepped toward the door. “Never expected this.”

  “Move already,” Uncle K snapped.

  "Yeah, yeah,” Aarav muttered as he climbed down from the helicopter. But one thought refused to leave his mind. Whoever the mastermind behind all of this was… he had not simply disappeared.

  A man who dreamed of creating a Monster powerful enough to conquer the world would never abandon such an ambition.