Guttural barks and spine-chilling shrieks filled the night. It felt like even the moon was afraid to shine its rays on the surface. 

The crumbling buildings, once monuments to humanity's achievement, now stand as silent witnesses to the horror of the new era, their outlines barely visible in the murky blackness.

On the ground, a young boy was desperately fleeing with something clutched tightly in his arms while ominous shadows pursued him. 

He ran as fast as he could, unaware of the pit ahead. Suddenly, his foot snagged on something, and he tumbled into the darkness below.

As he fell, the boy instinctively tightened his grasp around the object in his arms. His hindhead collided with a blunt rock, momentarily stunning him, but the impact served to cushion his back from the worst of the fall. 

He tried to get up but his body trembled, jaw clenched as a sharp pain jolted from the back of his head. He grabbed his head with the other hand. 

Straining against the weight bearing down on him, he pressed his palms into the ground, muscles tensing with effort, yet his body refused to comply. 

"Mov-move!.. damm it!"

His vision faltered, the world blurred around him, edges fading into obscurity.

With a gasp, he fell face-first on the ground. His consciousness fading away into the void.

When he finally regained it, he found himself in a place that felt strangely familiar, yet distinctly different. It was as though he had been transported to another time, another reality. 

But he was not alone. Surrounding his bedside were the tear-stained faces of his parents, Pooja and Rajesh, their hands tightly clasped in a silent prayer.

As his eyelids fluttered shut once more, the scene shifted, carrying him away on the currents of memory.

Several days have passed since his last scene. Suddenly, an unexpected visitor burst into the child ward of the hospital, sending a ripple of surprise through the otherwise tranquil atmosphere. 

It was an Aghori, his appearance striking fear into the hearts of those present. The air crackled with anticipation as he sought out the boy's parents, Pooja and Rajesh.

In a voice that rang out with authority, the Aghori reassured the bewildered parents, "Fear not, for he is no ordinary child!" 

His proclamation filled the room with an aura of solemnity. "By the decree of Bholenath himself, I declare that this child shall bear the name Rudransh, a fitting tribute to his destiny." 

With these words spoken, the Aghori gently laid his hand upon the boy's head before departing.

The boy closes his eyes again, and this time he is in a playground playing with his cousins and friends.

Just then, his aunt came in, shouting that they were taking his mom to the hospital. He rushed back to the house, but his mom had already left for the hospital with his dad. 

After a few hours, Rudransh, who is now 3, was taken to the hospital, where he saw his baby sister for the first time. 

His face lit up with joy, a warm feeling wrapping around his heart, while he gently played with her soft, tiny hands. 

His mother looked at him, and with a smile, she said, "Now you need to behave yourself, Ansh, now you are a big brother. You will have to take care of your sister, right?" 

Pooja lying on the hospital bed, her hair stretching all way down to her waist. A sheen of sweat on the cheeks, chin, and forehead dawned over her fair face.

Rudransh replied with a big nod, "Mhm" he nodded "I will do my best mom!" 

His uncle and aunts started to laugh, while Rudransh's face turned red. It was when one of the aunts teased him about how he would never get strong if he did not eat vegetables.

One of their relatives leaned forward to have a closer look at the new born "oh! She has your brown eyes, Pooja"

Rudransh, while looking at his sister's face, kept smiling, and his eyes shut again.

Yet another scene unfolds: Rudransh is on top of a boy and beating him down while his sister Bhavya cries. A crowd quickly formed around the scene and separate the two boys, while his mom, Pooja, was called for. 

Pooja arrives at the scene, slowly gasping for air "Wh-what is going on h-here..?". We see here that she has a bulging belly. Walking towards Bhavya, who is now 4 years old. She first picked up Bhavya and gently rubbed dirt from her clothes and cheeks. 

"What happened to you dear?" She gently asked her daughter. 

Tears welled up in Bhavya's eyes, spilling over as her cries grew louder at the sight of her mother's arrival. "T-that boy p-pushed me and kicked m-me on the h-head…"

Pooja looked at the mother of the abusive boy in anger but said no words, She then walked up to Rudransh and placed her hand on his head as she smiled. 

"You did well," 

She grabbed the hands of both her children and started to walk away.

"How could you say this to your own son? Look how badly he has beaten my boy! Are you sure he is just 7 years old?! He looks like a 12-year-old to me, Just wait, I will inform the whole apartment about what your boy did to my son!" The mother of the bully spoke up, her face red and her teeth ground against each other.

Pooja turned back, her head snapping back "Did you just say, what I think you said?" her voice getting louder.

"If your son does this again and I will officially write about this to the secretary of the society! Parents should teach their children how they should behave towards others. Oh, wait, or did he learn this from his father?" 

Pooja turned away, her movements heavy, and began to make her way back towards their house.

Rudransh looked at his sister, thinking to himself that he's glad that nothing happened to her. His sister looked back and smiled, his eyes closed again.

This time Rudransh, who is 9 years old, rushes towards his mom's room with a container of cold water and a towel.

"Mom, I brought what you said! Please make Krishna's fever go away!" he said with tears in his voice while he sniffed his nose.

"Aww" Pooja exclaims

He hands the container and the towel to his mom and walks up to the bedside. Here we see his small baby brother, Krishna, who is 2 years old. 

His face is red and covered with sweat.

Pooja's soft gaze shifts towards Rudransh "It's 3 in the morning, don't you feel sleepy, Ansh?."

Rudransh shakes his head from left to right "First make..my little brother's fever go.. Away!" His gaze fixed at his brother's small little hands, while his eyelids flickered.

Gentle taps on his head wake up Rudransh, Krishna was trying to wake up his big brother in his own way. 

Rudransh's face beamed with happiness when he saw Krishna. "Krishna, let your brother sleep! He kept awake, helping me the whole night" Pooja picked up Krishna in her arms and kissed Rudransh on the forehead, he drifted back into slumber.

This time he feels a strong, rough but somewhat warm hand on his cheeks, his father waking him up gently. "Ansh, we will be late for that Spider-Man movie! Bhavya and Krishna already left with mom." 

Rudransh hurriedly wakes up and rushes towards the washroom to get ready. Running out of it with mismatched clothes and poorly done hair. Looking at him his father, Rajesh, and his mom laughed.

Rudransh notices that Bhavya and Krishna were on the dining table. With a sigh "You tricked me.. Again!"

Rudransh's face puffs up as he looks up to his father."I am not talking to you anymore!" as he sits down on the floor.

Rajesh chuckles, struggling to talk. "Oh, come on! It's not my fault.. you weren't waking up." 

Pooja glared at her husband and pointed towards Rudransh. "Fin- fine.. I make up for it, I will buy you all ice cream after the movie."

Rudransh got up and jumped towards his mother, giving her a high five "I love you, mom!".

His father's eyebrows frowned. "B- but I am the one who is buying the ice- ice creams…" as his shoulders slouched.

They go to the theatre to watch the Spider-Man movie. Rudransh and his siblings enjoy every moment of the movie. 

"Mom…! If I have superpowers! I will be the best hero and save everyone!" his face beaming with excitement.

"Mhm!" her mother nodded back.

As they stepped out of the theater, Rudransh's gaze lingered on the vibrant movie posters lining the walls, his mind still lost in the world of superheroes.

Turning to his mother, he furrowed his brow. finally raising the question that had been nagging him throughout the ending of the film.

"Mom," he spoke softly, "Why don't superheroes exist in this world?" 

Pooja, after thinking for a few moments, replies, "Cause there's no dangerous villains! But heroes do exist, like the people who keep us safe. Your father, that police officer, people in the army—they are all heroes, don't you think?"

Rajesh strolled up to them, a smile brightening his face as he handed over the ice creams.

Despite the sweet distraction in his hand, Rudransh couldn't shake the feeling that this world was just too boring.

Yet again his eyelids shut and another scene unfolds.

Although he is now a teen, the idea of superheroes being real lingered on with him.

Sometimes the trio of young adventurers, Rudransh, Bhavya, and Krishna donned their makeshift superhero costumes, capes fluttering behind them as they embarked on their imaginative quest. 

With giggles and shouts, they raced through the rooms of their home, their young minds weaving tales of heroism as they defeated their imaginative villain.

But on this evening as sun began its descent, casting long shadows through the windows, Rudransh suddenly stopped on his track and turned around.

A creepy whisper pulled his attention from the play towards the dark room's door that was rarely used. "co-come.... here..."

"Don't you think it would be cool if villains were real? Imagine how fun that would be!" This time the voice was different, it sounded like a young boy was asking this question in excitement.

"Yes, that would be very fun," Rudransh replied, his voice lacking its usual spark, his expression oddly blank. "I want to save everyone, be the best superhero."

"Then.. why do..don't you ww-ish for it?" The whisper grew stronger, its tone more insistent, echoing louder in his mind, its grip tightening with each word.

For a fleeting moment, Rudransh's mind detached from the reality. Soft hesitant, wishers escaped his lips, almost hesitant whisper. "I wish... Asuras... Rakshasas... and Demons were real..."

In a sudden rush of realization, Rudransh's hands flew to his mouth, as if trying to catch the words before they could escape them. 

But then, with a shaky breath, he relaxed, the tension easing from his shoulders.

"They were just words, there's nothing like monsters and demons?" he tried to reason with himself.

Just then, Bhavya rounded the corner, her footsteps faltering as her eyes fell upon the figure standing behind her brother. 

A chill ran down her spine, and her face drained of color, every muscle in her body tensing up from the sight of this ominous figure.

"Mama! Papa!" With a terrified yell, Bhavya's voice tore through the atmosphere. Her scream alerted Rajesh and Pooja, who rushed to their children's side, their hearts pounding with concern and fear. 

When they finally got to them, they were astounded to see the tall, dark creature that was lurking behind Rudransh and exhibiting a malevolence and frightening aura that made their eyes widen.

Rajesh tired to speak up but if felt like the words just won't leave his lips. Standing in the same place as the figure created a vacuum of a fear in which they couldn't even breathe.

"Ansh..son.. come here," Rajesh said very slowly.

The shadowy figure emerged from the darkness, moving with an eerie grace. "Shh," he murmured softly, his tone tinged with a sense of urgency and warning.

The figure loomed before them, an otherworldly presence towering at roughly eleven feet tall. Clad in a crimson robe that billowed around his form, his body seemed devoid of flesh, instead draped in a dark, ethereal veil that obscured his true nature.

Glinting golden exoskeleton adorned various parts of his body, shimmering in the dim light like fragments of ancient armor. His face, hidden behind a golden mask, exuded an aura of regal authority, crowned by a matching golden headdress that gleamed with intricate detail.