The grand hall of the mansion echoed with the soft hum of a classical melody as the performance concluded. The lingering notes of the dance still filled the air when a woman, clad in a sharp yet elegant uniform, approached the man seated near the entrance.
"You wish to meet Ma'am?" she asked, her tone firm but respectful.
The man nodded. "Yes, I do."
The bodyguard gestured for him to follow. "Come with me."
She led him through the lavish corridors, past shimmering chandeliers and intricate carvings that whispered tales of old wealth and power. Soon, they arrived at a private seating area, where a polished wooden table stood at the center.
"Please have a seat," the bodyguard instructed. "Our Ma'am will be here shortly."
With that, she turned and left.
The man—Nico—sat down, his fingers lightly tapping against the table. He adjusted the cuff of his sleek black suit, scanning the surroundings. This place dripped with elegance.
Suddenly, a presence filled the room.
A woman, poised and breathtaking, walked toward him with an air of quiet confidence. Her silk saree glowed under the chandelier's soft light, and her piercing eyes held the weight of authority.
Nico immediately stood up, offering his hand.
She accepted it with a graceful shake, her touch cool but firm.
"Hello, my name is Nico," he introduced himself, his voice steady.
The woman smiled, tilting her head slightly. "Oh, I know exactly who you are."
Nico raised an eyebrow.
"You arrived from Italy six months ago," she continued smoothly. "Since then, you've been working with us. I must say, you've made quite an impression."
Nico gave a small smirk. "I see you've done your research, Miss Navya."
Navya chuckled softly. "It's my job to know
who works under me." She gestured toward the lavish spread on the table. "But tell me, why don't you have something to eat? The food here is excellent."
Nico shook his head. "I appreciate the hospitality, but I'm here for something important." His expression turned serious. "Miss Navya, please listen to me."
Navya's smile faded just slightly,she said "Go on,".
Navya leaned back in her chair, swirling the wine in her glass as she listened to Nico's report. The dim lighting of the private lounge cast long shadows over the polished table, adding weight to the conversation.
"As you already know, Shimla has seen some… unnatural events," Nico began. "People dead, buildings destroyed. And the cause?" He exhaled sharply. "That blind man—Roy."
Navya's expression remained unreadable, but her fingers tightened slightly around the stem of her glass.
"Roy?" she echoed. "I thought he was only meant to observe."
Nico smirked. "That was the plan. But he didn't work silently—he unleashed Da-Tan there."
Navya's eyes flickered with understanding. Da-Tan. A powerful mythical creature that should have been handled with care. Instead, Roy had made a spectacle of it.
She asked, "By the way, where's Roy now?" Nico replied, "After giving us the information and location of the cursed coin, Roy's last known location was Nepal."
Nico continued, "And now, there's a problem. A vlogger got wind of the events. "That guy with the JustCode vlogs channel, who calls himself the best at everything and seems to have come out of nowhere, somehow got information about a large creature's footprint. He's been spreading rumors about some unknown creature destroying the area, claiming it's like something out of mythology was responsible for the destruction. His channel growing up overnight."
Navya scoffed. "Do people actually believe him?"
Nico shrugged. "It's hard to say. But what matters is that he's getting traction. His subscriber count skyrocketed because of that video, and he's now launched a whole new channel."
Navya frowned. "Why not just use his old one?"
A smirk played on Nico's lips. "Because his old channel was for something else entirely. He used to teach coding, ethical hacking, things like that. He's shifted his focus now."
Navya set her glass down. "Fine. Whatever. I don't care about some internet fool. What I want to know is—did we retrieve the cursed coin?"
The question shifted the mood in the room, and Nico's face grew more serious. "For your request, the work will be done quietly—no destruction. After what happened with Roy and his actions, he gave us the name of the person who has it and location, and I've sent my three best people."
Navya arched a brow. "And you're that confident they'll succeed?"
Nico's voice grew even more assured.
"Yes. One is incredibly strong. The second is a highly skilled fighter. The third is not just intelligent—he's a good leader. Together, they'll get the coin."
Navya leaned forward slightly said " and ".
Nico chuckled. "And they've hired" secured the help of a criminal team—11 members in total. The leader of this group is a man named Vikash. This group killed an entire family of five, brutally, over some kind of mistake or confusion.
Navya said that the group of people had completely wiped out the family.
Nico said no, the only survivor was the family's son. Because of that the case went to court, and with the evidence was there—camera footage, everything.
She then asked how the team members were released from the murder case. Nico replied that his loyal contact had told him he'd contacted the vlogger who runs the JustCode-vlogs channel , hacked the footage and deleted it."
Navya's eyes narrowed, clearly calculating. "So you've got your team on it. And you trust them to succeed?"
Nico nodded once, his expression firm. "I trust them completely. They'll handle it quietly. No more chaos."
Navya took a slow breath, processing everything.
Navya let out a slow breath. "So the vlogger knows more than he should."
"Exactly," Nico confirmed. "But for now, our focus is on the coin. My team will handle everything."
Navya's lips curled into a slow, calculating smile. "Good.
Navya's fingers tapped lightly against the polished armrest of her chair. Her golden bangles jingled softly, the only sound in the vast, dimly lit chamber. She exhaled, eyes cold and calculating.
"If that vlogger dares to interfere again," she said, her voice smooth but laced with authority, "capture him."
Nico nodded but hesitated for a moment. "I've checked both his old and new channels. His address is fake. Even his name—there's no way to confirm if it's real or just another layer of deception."
Navya waved a dismissive hand. "Fine. Do whatever you need to, just—" She leaned forward slightly, her eyes darkening. "Not a word of this to my dear son. He must never know what I'm doing."
Nico smirked. "Don't worry, Ma'am.
Navya leaned back, satisfaction flickering across her features. "We are members of one of the Great Four Families. It is our duty to retrieve the cursed coin. It belongs to us."
Before Nico could respond, a soft whisper interrupted them.
A young woman stepped forward, her face shadowed . She leaned close to Navya, whispering something inaudible. Whatever it was, it made Navya's eyes gleam with sudden interest.
She stood abruptly. "Come with me, Nico."
Without hesitation, Nico followed as Navya led him through a series of grand hallways. The mansion's elegance faded with each step, replaced by an eerie silence. Finally, they stopped before a large iron door.
Navya pushed it open.
Inside, five figures stood in a line, their faces hidden beneath dark hoods. The air smelled of damp stone and old blood. In the center of the room, bound and trembling, sat a man—his wrists locked in iron shackles, his face streaked with tears.
Roy.
Nico's eyes flickered with amusement. "So the blind man got caught."
Roy's head snapped up, his empty sockets where his eyes once were now wet with tears. "Please! Forgive me! I—I didn't mean to disobey!" His voice cracked with desperation. "I only wanted to prove myself!"
Navya stepped closer, her gaze a mixture of disdain and curiosity. "And yet, here you are. Broken. Begging."
Roy shook his head violently. "I can still fix this! Just give me one more chance!"
Navya tilted her head, a slow smile creeping onto her lips. "Oh, Roy… your chance has already passed."
As the five hooded figures stepped forward, they reached for their cloaks and pulled them back, revealing their faces.
Nico's breath hitched for a moment. Elves.
Their sharp, elegant features glowed faintly under the light, their silver eyes unreadable. One of them, a tall female elf with braided white hair, stepped forward. Her voice was calm, yet carried an unshakable authority.
This man has lost his da-tan creature.
He overstepped his bounds, so we captured him."
Navya's expression darkened, her fingers curling into a fist. Her patience was already thin, and this was the last straw.
The elf girl tilted her head slightly. "Shall we punish him according to our laws, or do you have any suggestions.
Navya's lips curled into a smirk. "I know exactly what kind of punishment he deserves." She turned her cold gaze toward Roy, who was trembling, his wrists still bound in iron shackles. "Throw him into the Cave of Bahrupiya."
Roy's entire body stiffened. A strangled scream tore from his throat as he thrashed against his bindings. "No! Please! Not there! Kill me instead! Just kill me now!"
But Navya only watched in amusement.
Roy's voice turned frantic, desperate. "Bahrupiya is a very dangerous creature! It feeds on human emotions, warping them, twisting them! It can shapeshift into anything—anyone! Please, I beg you! Anything but that cave!"
Navya said to the elf girl, "Say hi to your leader for me."
The elf girl simply nodded. "So be it."
She turned to her kin, and without another word, the elves lifted their hands in unison. A soft glow surrounded them, and in the blink of an eye, their forms shimmered and vanished into thin air with Roy.
As the elves and Roy vanished, Nico turned to Navya, his curiosity piqued.
"Why was Roy so terrified of that cave? Is Bahrupiya really that dangerous?"
Navya raised a hand, signaling him to wait.
The room was dimly lit, with patches of greenery scattered across the stone floor. At her silent command, a rustling sound emerged from the foliage. Suddenly, three small creatures leaped out from the shadows, landing gracefully between the leaves.
Nico's eyes widened in surprise. "Da-Tan... You have Da-Tan?"
The creatures were sleek and catlike .Their glowing golden eyes fixated on Navya as she approached. She bent down and gently picked up the smallest one in her hand, cradling it like a delicate pet.
"You're adorable," she murmured, stroking the creature's tiny ears.
Nico let out an amused breath. "This is only my second time seeing one in real life."
Navya glanced at him with a knowing smile. "Da-Tan are rare, but Bahrupiya... is something far more elusive."
She turned the creature slightly in her palm as she explained.
"Bahrupiya is a magical creature entity. No one truly knows its real form, but it is said to resemble a small rat-like creature with enormous eyes and an unnaturally long tail. It thrives in dark, quiet places and is drawn to lost souls."
Nico frowned. "And what does it do?"
Navya's expression darkened. "It misleads people. It whispers false paths into their minds, guiding them into danger. It thrives on confusion, feeding on emotions like fear and despair. And worst of all..." She let the Da-Tan leap back onto the ground before finishing, "It's a shapeshifter. A master of deception. Some call it the Trickster."
A shiver ran down Nico's spine. "Yeah... I don't think I ever want to meet that thing."
He hesitated, then added, "My cousin once told me he encountered a magical creature called a Doxy. Tiny, but it could fly away in an instant."
Navya hummed in thought. "Doxies are harmless compared to Bahrupiya. And to make things worse..." She folded her arms, her gaze flickering toward the Da-Tan. "I'm not certain, but I believe Da-Tan and Bahrupiya are natural enemies."