The weight of the book rested heavily in Rudra's hands, yet for all the mystery it contained, it also carried a sense of purpose. He had long known that his life was tied to something far greater than himself, something ancient and powerful. But this—this knowledge—was something he had never truly prepared for. It wasn't just about the ritual or the mysterious entity of Vidhatri. It was about something deeper, something that reached into the very fabric of his existence.
He closed the book, carefully placing it back onto the pedestal. The temple, once silent and dark, seemed to hum with an energy that felt both foreign and familiar at once. It was as though the walls themselves were whispering secrets to him—secrets that had been kept hidden for centuries, now brought into the light. The realization was overwhelming.
Beside him, Kavya was still absorbing the magnitude of what they had uncovered. The air around them was thick with the weight of the knowledge they had just unlocked, and though Rudra felt a deep sense of connection to this revelation, he also felt the fear that came with the responsibility now on his shoulders.
"We need to act," Kavya said, her voice steady but filled with urgency. "The ritual is already set in motion. And those women… they are key to completing it."
Rudra's mind reeled with the enormity of what she was suggesting. His heart pounded, his pulse quickening. The seven women—the ones who had been separated from him all those years ago—were the missing pieces in this complex puzzle. The ritual couldn't be completed without them. It couldn't be completed without him, either.
He nodded, his face set in a mask of determination. "We need to find them. All of them."
Kavya's gaze softened as she placed a hand on his arm. "You're not alone in this. We'll find them together. And we'll make sure they remember."
Rudra looked at her, his eyes full of gratitude. He had always been someone who carried his burdens alone, someone who shouldered the weight of the world on his own shoulders. But now, as the magnitude of the ritual settled into his bones, he realized that he couldn't do it alone. He needed Kavya, and he needed the others—his wives, the ones he was fated to unite.
---
The days that followed felt like a blur of frantic energy. Rudra and Kavya, with the help of his remaining family members, searched tirelessly for any clues that could lead them to the missing women. The mystery of their disappearance had haunted Rudra for years, but now, the search had taken on a new urgency. It wasn't just about finding them—it was about ensuring that the ritual would be completed.
Rudra knew that the women had been scattered far and wide after the tragic car accident that had torn them apart. The world was vast, and they had all been lost to time, each one unknowingly carrying a piece of the puzzle. But now, with the book's revelations in hand, Rudra was certain that the pieces were closer than they seemed.
"We've gone through every lead we have, Rudra," Kavya said one evening, her voice laced with frustration. "But there's still no sign of them. No direct clue."
Rudra clenched his jaw, unwilling to accept that they were stuck. "We're missing something," he muttered. "There's a pattern here. There has to be."
Kavya paused, her brow furrowed in thought. "What if the pattern isn't something obvious? What if we've been looking in the wrong places all along?"
The thought hit Rudra like a lightning bolt. The realization was sudden but clear. The pattern they were searching for wasn't geographical or literal—it was deeper than that. It wasn't about where the women were. It was about how they had been separated, why they had been lost to him. The answer wasn't a physical location; it was within them.
"The connection," Rudra whispered to himself. "It's always been about the connection."
Kavya's eyes widened as she caught on. "You mean… the bond they share? The ritual?"
Rudra nodded. "Yes. The ritual isn't just about bringing us together. It's about the connection between us. The bond we share. The women—they've been waiting for the right moment, the right signal to remember."
"But how do we trigger it?" Kavya asked, her voice filled with both hope and doubt.
Rudra's gaze hardened as he made his decision. "We don't trigger it. We let it happen. The ritual has always been about destiny. And it's time we stopped fighting it."
---
The decision was made. Rudra knew that the only way to find the women was to stop searching for them in the traditional sense. The ritual had already started, and the energy needed to bring them back to him wasn't something they could chase. It was something that had to be allowed to unfold naturally, at the right time, in the right way.
The night was silent as Rudra and Kavya sat in his study, the book opened between them once again. The symbols on the pages glowed faintly in the dim light, their meaning becoming clearer with each passing moment. As Rudra traced the ancient words, he understood. The ritual had begun, and it was now a matter of waiting—waiting for the women to be drawn to him, just as he was drawn to them.
He had always prided himself on being in control, on making his own fate. But this was different. This was beyond him. This was a force much older, much more powerful than anything he had ever encountered.
Kavya watched him closely, sensing the shift in his demeanor. "You're not in control anymore, are you?"
Rudra's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "No. But I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
---
Days turned into weeks, and Rudra's patience was tested like never before. Every day, he waited for a sign, for a clue, for the pull of destiny to draw the women closer. He had put his trust in fate, but the waiting was agonizing. Each passing day brought more questions, more uncertainty. Had he made the right choice? Was the ritual truly unfolding as it should?
But just as he began to doubt, the signs started to appear.
It was a quiet afternoon when the first of the women reappeared in his life.
A letter arrived, sealed with an insignia Rudra had not seen in years—the symbol of his family's ancestral house. The writing was unmistakable, even though it had been so long since he had seen it. His heart raced as he tore open the envelope, the paper inside yellowed with age. It was from his first wife, Meera.
Rudra,
The time has come. I don't know how, but I remember. I remember everything. The ritual, the bond we share, and the path we must walk together.
I don't know how you'll find me, but I trust you will. Destiny always has a way of bringing us back to where we belong.
– Meera
Rudra stared at the letter, his fingers trembling as he held it. A wave of relief washed over him—this was the sign he had been waiting for. Meera, the first of the women, had remembered. The connection was awakening.
And just as Rudra allowed himself a moment of triumph, another letter arrived, this time from his second wife, Ananya. Then another, from the third, and the fourth. The letters were different, each one with its own tone, its own urgency, but they all shared the same message.
"I remember. It's time to reunite."
---
The pieces were finally falling into place. The ritual was unfolding as it should, and Rudra was ready. The women—his wives—were coming back to him, drawn together by the invisible thread of fate.
But Rudra knew that this was only the beginning. The ritual would not be complete until they were all together. Until he had them all back. And until they had the answers they had all been searching for.
The journey was far from over. But for the first time in years, Rudra felt a flicker of hope.
The ritual was alive. And so was his destiny.