The world is abuzz with groundbreaking news: The World Bank has officially declared that humanity has triumphed over poverty and hunger by the year 2160.
In the aftermath of the catastrophic nuclear war of 2080, India and China emerged as the sole superpowers. United by shared devastation, the nations of the world pledged to dismantle all nuclear weapons. Under the leadership of a single democratic government formed through the United Nations, humanity turned its focus toward healing and progress.
In this transformed world, a young Raj, fresh out of high school, felt a burning pride. Determined to serve both his nation and humanity, he committed himself to the civil services. By the age of 24, his dedication paid off—Raj successfully cleared the prestigious UPSC exam.
But his journey didn't end there. Offered a position in India's elite intelligence agency, RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), Raj accepted without hesitation. His new identity was sealed with a codename: 'Yam,' after the Hindu god of death, symbolizing his covert mission to protect the nation. Under the mentorship of the enigmatic Commander L, the second-highest-ranking officer in RAW, Raj's life took a dramatic turn.
Yet, what began as a noble pursuit soon revealed a darker truth. Project Kali, a covert government operation, unveiled itself as something far more sinister than Raj could have ever imagined.
One day, Raj stormed into Commander L's office. The commander, engrossed in a digital treatise on warfare strategy, barely looked up.
Raj slammed his fists on the desk.
"This mission… this isn't what I signed up for, Commander!" he shouted at him
Commander L leaned back, unfazed. "Take it easy, officer. You've barely been here a month."
Raj's voice trembled with anger. "I can't do this. I can't be a part of this! God's there for us—how could you twist Him into something so evil?"
Commander L's calm demeanour shattered. "Officer!" he barked. "I've spent forty years in this hellhole! Don't preach to me about what you don't understand!"
"Then tell me why!" Raj demanded, his eyes blazing.
The commander sighed, his tone heavy with resignation. "You don't know this world, boy. Not the real one. What has your so-called God done for us? Division. Hatred. War. Colour, ethnicity, language—these are the scars of His creation."
Raj's resolve hardened. "I'll expose this. I'll tell the world everything!"
Commander L's expression turned cold. "what an idiot," he muttered, ordering his Ai assistant. "Track him down. Eliminate him."
Overhearing the chilling command, Raj grabbed a seemingly innocuous pin from the desk and bolted. Speeding away in his ageing car, he raced against time. But his escape ended abruptly at the banks of the sacred Ganga River. Cornered and outnumbered, Raj made a desperate choice.
With bullets raining down, he leapt into the river's depths, clutching the pin tightly in his hand.
Time marched on. The once-mighty Ganga, the last surviving river on Earth, had succumbed to the relentless grip of global warming, leaving only a barren wasteland in its wake.
Seventeen-year-old Shan wandered the dried riverbed, accustomed to the skeletal remains that littered the ground. But something unusual caught his eye—a skull, pierced by a strange metallic pin.
"Shan! Who's there?" his friend called out nervously.
Shan turned, clutching the pin. His voice echoed with a strange certainty:
"It's me. Shan."