“Are you sure that you don’t have anything to say?” Abhay asked one more time.
Ananya said nothing and didn’t even look at him.
Abhay gathered his courage then—
“By the way, if you wouldn’t mind…
there’s something I want to share with—”
Suddenly—
The automatic glass door slid open with a soft chime, letting in a brief wash of street noise before sealing it away again.
Two young adult girls entered the restaurant.
Inside, the world felt slower.
Warm light spilled across polished tables.
The scent of spices and fried snacks lingered in the air, mixing with quiet conversations and the occasional clink of cutlery.
Almost immediately, attention shifted.
Heads turned.
Eyes followed.
Even Ananya and Abhay paused mid-conversation as the presence of the two girls cut through the restaurant’s casual rhythm.
But the girls didn’t react—
They didn’t acknowledge the stares.
Didn’t slow down.
Didn’t hesitate.
They simply walked forward.
Then stopped beside the table where two boys were sitting.
The table was right next to Ananya and Abhay’s.
One of the girls introduced themselves.
“Hello!
I’m Shravani, and this is Barsha.”
She gestured toward the girl standing beside her.
“And we’re from the third year.
South Region.”
The boys looked at each other for a moment.
Blink,
Another blink.
A brief silence followed.
“…Okay?” one of them finally replied.
Then both boys looked back at the two girls.
The other nodded.
“Hello!
I’m Shravan, and this one is Aakash.”
Neither Shravani nor Barsha seemed bothered by the response.
The first boy kicked him under the table.
“Uhh, never mind him.
He is just kidding.”
Then he took a deep breath.
When he spoke again, his voice was gentle and polite.
“His actual name is Yuvraj, and myself Nirvaan!!!”
A dangerous silence settled over the table.
Ananya and Abhay were still watching the girls.
Abhay whispered to himself, but it was loud enough for Ananya to hear.
“Why this silence hijacked among themselves?”
“Yes, I think the same—”
Suddenly something clicked in her mind.
“Wait, what was your words earlier?
You said you want to share something with me.”
Abhay immediately looked away, and avoided her direct eye contact.
“What?
Where?
When?
I think you are daydreaming again.”
“Hey, come on.
Don’t be shy.
Share it immediately.”
Meanwhile the nearby table—
Barsha gave the two boys a disgusted look.
“Shravani, don’t you think these two are so weird and suspicious.
Look at their names…”
A brief pause of consideration—
“Also weird.”
Shravani corrected her while keeping her attention on the people around them.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.
I hope y’know about this line.”
“Exactly!
And you are the best one.
That’s why I said I’m Shravan earlier because the feelings of a Shravan only a Shravani can understand.” Yuvraj said and slapped the table with his palm.
Then he turned to Nirvaan.
“And you…
you’ve never even had a female friend before, so I was just helping you get a girlfriend.”
A grin spread across his face.
“That’s why I said you’re Aakash.
It goes well with Barsha…”
His gaze shifted toward Barsha,
The grin instantly disappeared—
Barsha looked at Shravani’s face, but Shravani didn’t even glance in her direction.
Not even slightly.
“I’m taking my earlier words back.”
Shravani said without looking at Barsha.
Far away—above the city—
A figure was flying in the sky.
High above Shunyagarbha City, where clouds drifted like slow thoughts across an endless blue canvas, something moved against the wind.
At first, it looked like a bird—then not quite.
The motion was too steady, too deliberate, as if the sky itself had granted it passage without resistance.
Below, the city continued its rhythm—horns, footsteps, distant voices merging into a single living hum.
Then the figure murmured softly,
The figure adjusted its direction slightly, locking onto a distant point in the city where an immense structure stood—clearly the headquarters of the Awakened Association.
But halfway through descent—
A sudden shift in air pressure rippled through the sky.
For a brief moment, the path distorted.
The figure’s eyes narrowed.
“…That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
In the next instant—
The descent twisted.
Wind folded unnaturally.
And instead of landing at the Awakened Association headquarters—
The figure crashed through a completely different place of the city.
A deep impact shook the ground.
Dust rose—
Silence followed—
Nearby, a group of young adults stood mid-conversation, their teasing voices cutting through the sudden shock.
“I’m the strongest here, y’know, Subarna Darling!”
A laugh followed immediately—
“Jyotshna, no… no!
You are the weakest among us.”
The figure, slightly disoriented, lifted its head.
“…This is not the assigned location.”
A pause—
The figure quickly looked around.
“I have landed in the wrong location.”
Then it rose to its feet, each movement unhurried, brushed the dust from its clothes without a word, and stepped forward toward the group as if the fall had never happened.
The figure approached gently.
“Hey.
Hello!
I’ll be glad if anyone tells me the address.”
For a moment, no one responded—
The air between them felt slightly… unsure.
One of the girls blinked.
“Uh… did he just fall from the sky and ask for directions like it’s normal?”
Another tilted her head.
“But he is too calm.”
Another girl among them looked at the figure for a moment, as if studying him in silence, and slowly drew the sword in her hand.
“I think we should confirm if he’s a demon or a shape-shifting monster.”
The sound of the sword being drawn was sharp.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The teasing mood disappeared.
The air between them turned heavier.
“Oh, come on… Manisha.
You’re scaring him.” Another girl responded softly.
The figure waited patiently, as if the silence itself was part of the process.
Then he spoke again, unchanged in tone.
“I am looking for the Awakened Association headquarter.
Do you know the way?”
A brief pause followed again—
One of the girls slowly raised her hand and pointed in a random direction.
“That way… I think.”
Another immediately slapped her arm.
“Nishita, don’t just send him anywhere!”
The figure nodded once, as if accepting the information with full trust.
“Understood.”
He turned slightly in that direction.
Then paused—
His eyes moved back to them.
“Thank you for your assistance.”
No response came—
The figure fully turned toward them.
Then spoke—
“By the way, what are you all doing here in a jungle?
And more importantly, your group has nine girls and only one boy.”
His gaze shifted to the boy.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit unusual?
Especially in a silent jungle.”
And just like that, he stood there for a second longer, waiting, as if expecting the conversation to continue.
Almost twenty minutes passed, but no one said a word—
The boy had been standing there, leaning against the tree, watching the figure in silence.
Then he slowly raised his left hand toward him, palm open, silently gesturing for something.
The figure immediately understood what he was asking for.
He stepped forward and placed a small piece of paper in the boy’s palm.
The girls noticed it in silence.
But didn’t interfere.
The figure noticed the silence of all girls and something clicked instantly in his mind.
“These young adult girls are acting like this boy has authority inside their team.
But what is bothering me more is that this jungle feels like it has a lot of dangerous creatures.
I don’t know why these little kitties are here.
And none of them seem to have any spiritual energy or other energies.
I don’t think they’re awakeners.”
A girl asked the figure—
“You look like you are from another universe.”
The figure nodded politely.
“Yeah, your eyes are so sharp.
I don’t belong to this universe.”
“Can you tell the name?”
“Sure!
I can.
I belong to
Absolute Continuum Matrix Omniverse,
The Silent Continuum Multiverse,
Void Covenant Universe.”
“Huh, nice to meet you.”
A girl went near to the boy and asked.
“Ark, what is written on this address?”
Ark silently handed the piece of paper to her.
Her eyes locked onto it.
Another girl noticed it—
“Kritika, what does it say?”
Kritika replied,
“Nothing, Suryamayee.
Just a simple address.
But the handwriting is so bad it looks like a giant anaconda has crawled across the paper.”
Kritika turned the paper slightly, trying to read it from different angles.
“Why does it look like the letters are fighting each other…”
Suryamayee leaned closer.
“It’s not even handwriting anymore.
It looks like a map drawn during an earthquake.”
Ark was silently watching them.
Then, without any expression change, he spoke.
“Give it back to brother.”
Kritika immediately handed the paper back to the figure.
A brief silence followed—
The figure, still standing nearby, tilted his head slightly.
“Is there a problem with the address?”
Kritika waved her hand quickly.
“No, no… it’s fine.
Just… uniquely written.”
The figure nodded as if accepting that explanation completely.
“Understood.
Handwriting quality does not affect information accuracy.
By the way, don’t mind it.
My master doesn’t care about it.”
He paused—
“Okay, I’ll tell you the address I’m looking for.”
He looked at the paper.
“Omniverse:- Existence Core Network
Multiverse:- Null Continuum
Universe:- Zero Plane
Galaxy:- Null Horizon Galaxy
Solar System:- Prime Stellar Node
Planet:- Void Prime
Continent:- HexaGrid
Nation:- India
Province:- Odisha
District:- The Garbha
City:- Shunyagarbha
Road Number:- 2034S
Road:- Mahakaal Road
Unity:- Rudraksha Unit
Residence:- Rudrendra Mishra Residence
PIN Code:- SG-019478”
He continued—
“Name – Acharya Rudrendra Mishra.
He is the Owner and Chairman of the Awakened Association.
He is the father of the CEO, and his son is the Vice President of the Student Council of Mahashunya Vishwavidyalaya.”
Silence—
A very long silence.
The figure folded the paper neatly and put it away.
Nobody spoke—
Nobody moved—
Then Nishita slowly raised her hand.
“I have a question.”
“Yes.”
“Why do you know his son’s position in the Student Council?”
The figure thought for a moment.
“It is written on the address.”
Another silence followed—
Subarna laughed slowly.
Then looked at others.
The figure looked toward them in confusion.
“I’m Zeroth King.
By the way, why are you all laughing?”
Subarna covered her mouth, trying—and failing—to suppress another laugh.
“No, no…
it’s nothing.”
Zeroth King tilted his head.
“Then why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re in the wrong place, and this city is called Vishwagarbha City.”
“Okay, but I saw the Awakened Association.”
Another burst of laughter escaped the group.
“That’s the Awakened Association of this city.
Every city has its own Association.” Subarna corrected him.
Zeroth King became silent—
A long silence,
A very, very long silence.
Then he slowly looked toward the group.
“By the way, are you all from this city?”
There was a faint trace of hope in his voice, as if he had finally found people who might know where he was supposed to go.
Jyotshna looked at him with a warm smile.
“The thing is…”
Zeroth King’s eyes lit up slightly.
“…Nope, we’re all from Anantagarbha City.”
A sudden silence returned—
Bro has the destination, but not the direction.