The sun rose reluctantly over Jaipur, casting a pale light over streets that were eerily devoid of their usual bustle. Military checkpoints dotted the roads, uniformed personnel conducting rigorous checks on vehicles and pedestrians alike. The city, known for its vibrant colors and lively energy, now simmered with an undercurrent of unease.
Meanwhile, inside a dimly lit room in Mehra Palace, Karan sat on the edge of a sofa, his phone pressed to his ear. His voice was low but sharp, each word punctuated with controlled urgency.
"I don't care what it takes," he said. "Seal every exit. I want no one leaving or entering the city without my knowledge."
On the other end of the line, a subordinate responded with hesitant acknowledgment. Karan ended the call, leaning back and rubbing his temples. He had pulled every string he could to enforce the lockdown, his sole focus on finding Priya. The masked figures who had disrupted the wedding, the chaos they'd left in their wake, all pointed to one thing: she had been taken.
But by whom? And why?
For now, Karan had no answers, only suspicion.
Inside the sterile walls of the hospital, the steady beeping of medical monitors was the only sound accompanying the tension between Meera and Karan. Sameer lay unconscious but stable, a faint flush returning to his cheeks as the doctor assured them he would recover with rest.
Meera sat by Sameer's bedside, her eyes clouded with worry. She clutched a glass of water, her knuckles white, but hadn't taken a sip. Every now and then, she glanced at the door, her mind racing.
"Any news about Priya?" she asked softly, breaking the silence between them.
Karan, who had been pacing the room, froze mid-step. His shoulders were rigid, and he turned to face her with an intensity that felt almost accusatory.
"No," he said curtly. "And that's the problem."
Meera's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Karan exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. "I mean, we're stuck. I've got half the city on lockdown, and we're still nowhere closer to finding her. Meanwhile, you're sitting here, keeping secrets."
Meera blinked, caught off guard. "Secrets? What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Karan snapped, his voice rising. "The masked men. The ones who took Priya. You recognized one of them, didn't you?"
Meera's face paled, but she held his gaze. "I… I don't know for sure," she stammered, her words hesitant.
"Don't lie to me, Meera!" Karan's voice thundered in the small room, making her flinch. "If you have any idea who they are, you need to tell me. Right now."
Meera stood abruptly, the chair screeching against the floor. Her own anger flared, mingling with the guilt and fear that had been simmering inside her. "And what if I don't know?" she retorted. "What if I'm just as lost as you are? Do you think I'm not worried about Priya? She's my friend too!"
"Then why aren't you doing more?" Karan shot back. His frustration was palpable, his voice cutting like a knife. "You've been acting like a bystander, Meera. Like you're too scared to face whatever's really going on. Well, guess what? We don't have time for fear."
"That's not fair," Meera said, her voice trembling. "I've been doing everything I can. I—"
"Have you?" Karan interrupted, stepping closer. His eyes burned with a mix of anger and desperation. "Or are you holding back because you're afraid of what you'll find? Afraid of who might be behind the mask?"
The words hit Meera like a slap. Her throat tightened, and for a moment, she couldn't speak. Her mind flashed back to the fleeting glimpse of Envy's face, the haunting familiarity that refused to leave her. She had been avoiding the truth, but not for the reasons Karan thought.
"I'm not afraid," she said finally, her voice quieter but firm. "I just don't want to make things worse by guessing. What if I'm wrong? What if chasing ghosts costs us more time—time we don't have?"
Karan shook his head, his jaw tightening. "That's just an excuse. If you really cared about Priya, you wouldn't be sitting here second-guessing yourself. You'd be out there, doing whatever it takes to bring her back."
"And what about you?" Meera shot back, her frustration bubbling over. "You're so obsessed with finding Priya that you're ignoring everything else. Sameer almost died, Karan! Does that even matter to you? Or is he just collateral damage in your mission?"
The accusation hung in the air like a heavy weight. For a moment, Karan's expression softened, and guilt flickered in his eyes. But it was gone just as quickly, replaced by his usual resolve.
"This isn't about Sameer," he said, his voice steady but cold. "It's about Priya. And if you can't help me find her, then stay out of my way."
Meera opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat. The door swung open, and Ishaan walked in, his presence cutting through the tension like a knife.
"Enough," he said, his voice firm but calm. "This isn't helping anyone."
Both Meera and Karan turned to him, their expressions still heated but their arguments momentarily halted.
"I know you're both scared," Ishaan continued, glancing between them. "We all are. But fighting with each other isn't going to bring Priya back or wake Sameer up. We need to focus."
Meera crossed her arms, her gaze dropping to the floor. Karan ran a hand over his face, exhaling deeply.
"I'm going out," Meera said after a moment, her voice quiet but resolute. She turned to Ishaan. "Stay with Sameer. Call me if there's any change."
"Meera—" Karan began, but she cut him off with a sharp look.
"I'll find Priya," she said. "But I'm doing it my way."
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the room, leaving Karan and Ishaan in tense silence.
Later, in the stillness of the safehouse, Envy tossed and turned in his sleep. A fragmented dream unfolded before him:
Sameer shouting something, his voice distant and distorted. Meera running toward him, her face pale with fear. "Alef, stop!" she screamed, the words ringing clear despite the chaos.
The dream shattered as Envy bolted upright, his breath ragged and his chest tight. He glanced around the room, disoriented. The weight of the dream lingered, pulling at something deep within him—a memory he couldn't quite grasp.
The door creaked open, and Kavya stepped inside, her sharp eyes assessing him.
"You're awake," she said, her tone neutral.
Envy nodded, running a hand through his hair. "I… I don't know what's happening," he admitted. "That dream—"
"Forget it," Kavya said firmly. "Dreams mean nothing. Focus on what's real."
She walked over to the small table and picked up a file. "The lockdown is Karan's doing. He's trying to trap us in the city while he searches for Priya."
Envy frowned. "And the Organization?"
"They're losing patience," Kavya said. "We have two choices: kill Priya and end this mission, or wait for reinforcements to deal with her—and us."
The weight of her words hung heavily in the air.
"What do you want to do?" Envy asked.
Kavya looked at him, her expression unreadable. "We finish the job. But we do it my way."
Back on the streets of Jaipur, Meera wandered in the growing tension of the lockdown. The city felt suffocating, its usual pulse subdued. Her argument with Karan replayed in her mind, each word stinging like a fresh wound.
She thought about Priya, about the helplessness she had felt watching her friend disappear into the chaos. The image of one of the masked intruders flashed in her mind, and a chill ran down her spine.
Stopping at a secluded corner, Meera pulled out her phone. Taking a deep breath, she dialed a number she hadn't used in years.
"Hello?" a voice answered.
"It's Meera," she said. "I need your help."
The voice on the other end hesitated before replying. "What's going on?"
"It's about Alef," Meera said. "And Priya. I think they're connected."
Back in the dimly lit room where Priya had been held, the chains around her wrists felt tight, constricting. She woke with a start, her mind clouded with confusion and panic. The cold, damp air of the room only heightened her fear as she struggled against the restraints.
She tugged at the chains, but they wouldn't budge. Her breathing quickened, chest rising and falling in erratic bursts.
"Karan?" Her voice cracked as she shouted his name into the silence, but there was no answer.
She glanced around the room—bare, empty, with nothing to mark her location. No window, no way out. Just the haunting silence.