The air inside Dormitory 7B had settled into a quiet rhythm.

  Soft rustles of unpacked bags, the low hum of ambient lights, and the occasional ding from linked holo-devices filled the space as students wound down from their first chaotic day at Triveni Gurukul.

  Most were preparing to sleep-grateful that the exams were over and that the day's mysteries, for now, were behind them.

  But not Krishna Sharma.

  He sat on the edge of his bed, legs swinging, eyes gleaming with mischief. He leaned forward like a magician about to reveal a secret and, in a voice laced with excitement, whispered loud enough for everyone to hear:

  "Boys... let's explore Triveni Gurukul."

  The room froze.

  All five pairs of eyes turned to him.

  Aditya raised an eyebrow.

  Ashish looked up from polishing his combat boots.

  Anand peeked out nervously from under his blanket.

  Pawan groaned from his bed without even opening his eyes.

  "Krishna, no." "I'm tired, my brain is fried, and we just finished not dying today."

  "Ignore him," Aditya said, tossing his jacket onto the wall hook. "He's been malfunctioning since birth."

  Anand let out a soft chuckle and returned to tucking in his bedsheet.

  Krishna scowled, clearly disappointed that his grand idea wasn't igniting the fire of adventure he had hoped for.

  "Fine," he muttered dramatically, rising to his feet and dusting off imaginary dirt from his shoulders. "But you leave me no choice."

  He pointed an accusing finger at the room.

  "Anyone who goes to bed right now is officially... gay."

  Silence.

  Total silence.

  Pawan's eyes snapped open.

  Ashish's jaw dropped.

  Aditya stopped mid-yawn and turned with a slow, shocked stare.

  Even Anand-sweet, shy Anand-sat up in disbelief.

  "What. Did. You. Just say?" Pawan growled, sitting up like a storm cloud rising.

  "I said what I said," Krishna replied, arms crossed and smiling proudly.

  Pawan launched to his feet, fire practically sparking from his gaze.

  "I'm going to roast you with chili powder, stuff you in a curry, and offer you to the kitchen bots for midnight testing!"

  "HELP! MURDER ATTEMPT! HE'S UNHINGED!" Krishna yelped, diving behind Aranab's bed for cover.

  Aditya and Aranab jumped in, holding Pawan back.

  "Whoa! Relax, bro!" Aditya laughed. "We're trying to stay in Gurukul, not get expelled on day one."

  Ashish pointed toward Anand, who was frozen with wide, panicked eyes.

  "Pawan. You're scaring him."

  Pawan's fury faded.

  He glanced at Anand-then sighed and softened.

  "Sorry, Anand. Not mad at you. Just... dealing with a problem."

  Without warning, Pawan picked up an old-school analog alarm clock from the shelf-and hurled it across the room.

  Krishna yelped, ducking just in time.

  "WATCH IT! I'm fragile!"

  The dorm erupted with laughter.

  The storm had passed.

  Krishna straightened up with mock dignity, grinning like he had just won a war.

  "So... we doing this or not?"

  The others exchanged glances.

  Aditya leaned against his locker. "You really want to risk sneaking out on the first night?"

  "Absolutely," Krishna replied.

  Pawan folded his arms, his gaze sharp. "How exactly do you plan to get past the Gurukul's security?" "It's an AI-automated surveillance grid. Infrared scanners. Biometric trackers. Not a playground."

  Krishna's grin only grew.

  "That's why we have Aranab."

  Everyone turned to the boy with the cybernetic arm.

  He raised an eyebrow.

  Krishna dramatically pointed to the glowing projection above Aranab's wrist.

  "Gentlemen... I present to you... the Queen of Hacks. The Empress of Circuits. The One Who Can Rewrite Reality-Minnie!"

  The petite holographic girl blinked at them all, crossing her arms as if entirely unimpressed.

  "No."

  Krishna blinked. "Wait, what?"

  "You want me to breach Triveni Gurukul's multi-layered defense grid... just to sneak around past bedtime?"

  "Not breach!" Krishna said quickly, raising his hands. "Just... bend the rules a little. Fake our room presence. Trick the logs. Maybe give the system a little nap?"

  Minnie stared at him.

  He dropped to his knees-dramatically, of course-and put on his best puppy-dog eyes.

  "Please, Minnie. For the sake of discovery. Adventure. SCIENCE!"

  She sighed, folding her digital arms.

  "Fine. But I'm logging this under your account. You go down-I'm blaming you."

  Krishna spun around with a victorious grin.

  "And that, my friends, is why I'm the idea guy."

  Pawan shook his head. "This is either going to be legendary... or get us all kicked out."

  Aditya smirked. "Most likely both."

  Ashish grabbed a jacket and slung it over his shoulder.

  "Let's make it count, then."

  As the six of them grabbed their cloaks and quietly slipped out the door, the cameras in the hallway flickered-briefly pausing.

  The system logs showed:

  Dorm 7B: All students present. Status: Sleep Mode. Lights: Off.

  In the end...

  They all gave in to Krishna's madness.

  Once Minnie completed her subtle override of the dorm surveillance system, she gave a smirk from her perch on Aranab's wrist projector.

  "Room logs adjusted. You're now officially asleep and behaving."

  That was the cue.

  No more second-guessing. No more hesitation.

  Like shadows slipping under moonlight, the six boys crept out of Dorm 7B with a mix of nervous energy and playful anticipation. The corridor stretched ahead-dimly lit, quiet, and riddled with the thrill of the unknown.

  Krishna took the lead, crouching dramatically like a soldier on a stealth mission.

  "Stick to the plan, gentlemen. If one of us gets caught, you've never seen me before in your life."

  Aditya rolled his eyes, deadpan.

  "The confidence you inspire is staggering."

  Anand tiptoed nervously behind them, clutching his ID like it was a talisman of protection.

  Ashish, calm and watchful as ever, scanned their surroundings like a true protector.

  Pawan, of course, followed without saying a word-but his eyes flicked to every corner like a hawk. Even in silence, he was always calculating.

  Meanwhile: Triveni Surveillance Command

  Inside the Gurukul's central surveillance room-a chamber of holographic maps, blinking alerts, and polished steel consoles-an AI assistant chimed a soft warning:

  "Alert: Suspicious activity detected. Dormitory 7B. Six student signatures no longer aligned with room presence logs."

  The lone security officer on duty, a grizzled man with a long moustache and years of midnight shifts under his belt, sipped his masala chai and glanced up from his console.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "Let's see what our freshers are up to tonight..."

  He pulled the visual feed onto the central display. What he saw made him chuckle-six boys sneaking down a hallway like characters in a low-budget spy movie. Ducking, crouching, whispering.

  "Gods above... they're playing ninja."

  The AI's voice rang again, flat and emotionless.

  "Would you like me to deploy disciplinary containment units?"

  The officer leaned back, balancing his chair on two legs with a grin.

  "No. Let the cubs roam. Let's see what kind of lions they grow into."

  "Acknowledged."

  With a quiet whirr, a stealth drone-no bigger than a palm leaf-unlatched from the wall and zipped off into the night, invisible to the naked eye.

  The door to the dormitory slid open with a soft hiss.

  And the moment the boys stepped outside-

  They stopped.

  The silence of the night wasn't empty.

  It was sacred.

  A sprawling emerald lawn stretched out before them, shimmering under the moonlight. The breeze whispered through tall trees in the distance. Soft silver light bathed the stone walkways and metallic railings in a pale glow, and far beyond, the luminous towers of Triveni Gurukul pierced the sky like ancient sentinels watching over the land.

  Above them-the stars.

  Endless. Radiant. Wild.

  Anand gasped, his nervousness forgotten. His eyes widened as he tilted his head back.

  "It's like... a dream."

  Ashish smiled gently beside him.

  "No dream ever felt this real."

  Krishna turned to face them all, spreading his arms like a showman unveiling a secret kingdom.

  "Gentlemen... Welcome to Triveni at night."

  Aditya gave a rare, approving nod.

  Aranab, ever composed, simply muttered, "Whoa..."

  Even Minnie blinked in mild awe from her holographic perch.

  Krishna spun on his heel with theatrical flair.

  "See? Wasn't crazy after all."

  Pawan stepped beside him, his usual scowl replaced with something more human.

  He punched Krishna lightly in the shoulder.

  "Idiot. You should've led with this view." "We'd have followed you without a word."

  Krishna chuckled.

  "What can I say? I believe in dramatic reveals."

  The wind whispered through the trees.

  A few fireflies danced across the field like tiny stars set free from the sky.

  And in that moment-in that silence under a silver moon-the air around them changed.

  Not just students. Not just dormmates.

  Something more.

  Krishna turned to face the group, his voice sincere now.

  "And you're not thinking about going back yet... right?" "This? This is just the beginning." "Our first night. Our first step." "One day, we'll look back at this moment... and know this is where it started."

  The others said nothing.

  They didn't need to.

  Their silence was agreement.

  Their glances were promises.

  Their laughter-just moments later-was the thread that stitched their brotherhood.

  A Bond Forged Beneath the Stars

  That night, they didn't find secret ruins or uncover ancient mysteries.

  They found something rarer.

  A moment of freedom.

  A sliver of peace.

  A memory they would carry into every battle that came after.

  Six boys-standing in awe under the sky, unaware that the world was watching, and destiny was already shifting.

  And from the shadows above, the drone hovered-silent, observant.

  Recording the beginning of legends.

  They didn't even realize how or when they ended up near the Fresher Girls' Dormitory. It just happened-one step at a time, following Krishna and his magnetic madness.

  As they halted near the high-walled entrance bathed in soft moonlight and shadow, Krishna turned with his signature grin. That grin-half mischief, half madness-was enough to make Pawan's instincts flare.

  Pawan narrowed his eyes.

  "Bro... don't tell me this was your master plan?"

  Krishna raised both hands dramatically, as if declaring divine innocence.

  “Bro, this was a divine accident—part of my master plan!”

  Aditya groaned, massaging his temples.

  “You seriously need therapy. Like, immediately.”

  Anand, already a nervous wreck from being out past curfew, now looked like he was about to pass out.

  “Shouldn’t we… go back?”

  His voice shook like a leaf in a storm.

  Ashish nudged him playfully, a calm smile on his face.

  “Sometimes, you need a little adventure, bro. This is Triveni Gurukul—not some regular school.”

  Just then, Minnie chimed in, her voice crisp and emotionless-

  "Alert: You have entered a restricted zone. Surveillance density is at Level 5. Proceed with caution."

  Aranab projected a holographic map from his robotic arm, the display flickering in midnight blue and red.

  "This area's hot. If we trigger anything, we'll land straight in detention."

  Pawan's tone dropped into grim seriousness.

  "Let's not push it. We already flirted with disaster once today. I'm not up for a second date."

  But Krishna wasn't done being Krishna. He turned, hands on hips like a general rallying his troops.

  "Warriors of Triveni! Tonight, we stand at a crossroads. Return to our dull dorm beds... or become legends-explorers of the unknown, remembered as the batch that dared!"

  The group exchanged glances.

  Silence.

  Then-

  Ashish raised his hand. "I'm in." Aditya sighed and nodded. Aranab: "If we get caught, I'm blaming Krishna." Krishna, with a wink: "That's the spirit!"

  Everyone turned to look at Pawan.

  He stared at Krishna for a long moment, then sighed deeply.

  “If we get caught… I won’t shoot you with a Desert Eagle. I’ll beat you with a rolling pin.”

  “Fair enough,” Krishna replied with a cheeky grin.

  And just like that, the unofficial mission to uncover the secrets of the Girls’ Dormitory had begun.

  Triveni Gurukul - Surveillance Room

  Somewhere in the security control tower, a bored officer was watching his twelve-screen holographic dashboard over a cup of hot chai.

  One screen suddenly blinked red.

  "Unauthorized presence detected. Dispatching surveillance drones."

  The officer raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

  "Show me..."

  Six boys snuck across the grounds like poorly trained spies from an old school heist movie. He chuckled.

  "These kids..." he muttered, grinning, "They've got guts."

  "Deploying stealth drone," the AI reported.

  "No alerts. Just monitor. Let's see what they're up to."

  The boys had just reached the main hallway when the system finally triggered.

  "Unauthorized presence detected. Initiating counter-surveillance protocol."

  From hidden panels in the walls, sleek black drones zipped out with mechanical hisses. Spotlights flashed. Sirens pulsed faintly.

  Krishna yelled over the noise: "Split up! Meet at the dorm gates if you survive-or in detention if you don't!"

  They found themselves at a cross-section of four corridors. Without hesitation, they split:

  Ashish and Anand

  Krishna and Aditya

  Pawan and Aranab

  But not before Krishna dramatically shouted-

  "WAIT! I demand to go with Minnie!"

  Everyone groaned.

  Pawan: "Krishna. Focus. This isn't a dating sim." Aranab (flatly): "She's a hologram." Krishna (grinning): "And still more real than your love life."

  They didn't dignify him with a response and scattered into the shadows.

  The corridor stretched ahead like a hallway of destiny, lit faintly by glowing floor lines and a cold silver wash from Triveni's artificial moonlight panels.

  Pawan and Aditya moved fast-leaning into shadows, ears alert to the soft hum of the patrolling drones.

  Aditya whispered: "Do all your adventures end like this? Bursting with chaos?"

  Pawan muttered: "If Krishna's involved? Chaos is step one. Step two is clean-up."

  Aditya chuckled... then paused.

  "Are you... actually angry?"

  Pawan's face stayed calm, but his eyes were storms.

  "I wanted to break Krishna's nose tonight. Vikram used to hold me back... but he's not here anymore."

  The moment hung in silence.

  Aditya finally spoke, voice gentler.

  "I'm jealous, you know... of that bond. The three of you-it's something rare."

  Before Pawan could respond, a red sensor beam swept across the floor.

  "Drones-move!"

  They ducked into the side. But the hum grew louder. They were surrounded.

  Aditya panicked: "We're boxed in!"

  Pawan's eyes scanned quickly-walls, ceiling, floor. Then-a door. Without hesitation, he rushed to it and knocked twice in rapid succession.

  "Are you serious?" Aditya whispered. "Got a better plan?" Pawan snapped.

  Silence.

  The hallway was bathed in silence, pierced only by the faint hum of surveillance drones circling overhead like invisible vultures. The click of the unlocking door echoed like a gunshot in the quiet night.

  A faint strip of golden light spilled into the corridor, breaking against the floor like liquid sunlight. A pair of large, nervous brown eyes peeked through the crack-curious and frightened.

  She looked about their age. Small-framed, fragile. Her messy black hair curled around the rims of her round glasses, and she clutched the doorknob like it was her only shield from the world.

  "...Who... who are you?" she asked in a tremble, voice barely above a whisper.

  Pawan took a slow step forward, his face calm but his instincts razor-sharp.

  "We're, uh... conducting an inspection," he said smoothly. "Unofficial tradition. First-year exploration squad. Totally normal."

  A beat of awkward silence followed.

  She blinked, looking from Pawan to Aaditya and then behind them-her gaze filled with uncertainty.

  Behind his back, Pawan's fingers twitched. A soft metallic glow shimmered briefly-his Desert Eagle, summoned just in case.

  Better safe than sorry, he thought. Triveni's surprises haven't exactly been kind lately.

  Aaditya gave him a subtle side-eye, mouthing silently:

  "Seriously? A gun?"

  But the girl stepped aside with a hesitant nod.

  "Okay... okay... please come in."

  Pawan dismissed the weapon instantly. The threat had passed.

  Inside a Lonely Room

  The dorm room was smaller than theirs, dimly lit with a soft orange lamp near the bedside. Personal items lay scattered-books in haphazard stacks, half-unpacked luggage, clothes clinging to furniture like whispers of someone fleeing.

  The girl motioned them in nervously.

  "I-I'll get some water..."

  She disappeared into the kitchenette.

  Aaditya leaned toward Pawan.

  "That was intense," he whispered. "You were really gonna shoot someone?"

  "Just being careful," Pawan replied coolly. "This school's tried to kill me twice. I'm not taking chances."

  Within minutes, the rest of the group-Krishna, Aranab, Aashish, Anand, and Mini-slipped inside, dodging patrolling drones thanks to Aranab's live map feed.

  "Security's tightening," Aranab muttered. "We need to make this quick."

  When the girl returned with a tray of water, she stopped mid-step.

  "T-There's... more of you?"

  "All part of the inspection team," Pawan said with a half-smile. "Sorry for the surprise."

  Mini, floating quietly above Aranab's shoulder, flickered into full holographic form.

  "Name. Age. Sector of origin?" she asked politely.

  "M-my name is Asha," the girl replied, startled. "I'm sixteen. From Rise Continent..."

  Her voice trailed off, trembling again.

  Aashish offered her a kind smile.

  "Do you have a Vardaan? Or magical affinity?"

  She looked down. Her fingers curled tightly at her sides. A beat of silence followed.

  Aashish softened his tone.

  "You don't have to answer. We're just talking."

  Aaditya chimed in to ease the mood.

  "What classes did you pick?"

  "Um... Cooking Magic... Astrology... and... Musical Beast Control," Asha whispered.

  Krishna scratched his head, genuinely intrigued.

  "Musical Beast Control? That sounds badass."

  "It's not," Asha replied quietly. "People make fun of it."

  No one laughed. They just nodded, thoughtful.

  Krishna, always the curious one, looked around.

  "Why are you alone? Didn't they assign roommates?"

  Her eyes flickered. Her shoulders stiffened. The silence was answer enough.

  The room held clues: a bed stripped of sheets, a half-packed suitcase under the bunk, a cracked mug on the table.

  "She left," Asha whispered, "after... things got tense."

  No one asked for details.

  They didn't need to.

  Sometimes silence said everything.

  For the next half hour, they stayed.

  Krishna cracked jokes, Mini offered AI trivia, and Anand told an accidental story about getting chased by a campus cleaning droid.

  Asha laughed. Not loudly, but enough to show her wall had lowered-just a little.

  She offered them biscuits.

  Krishna happily accepted. Pawan, for once, smiled.

  And when Aranab finally confirmed the hallway was clear, the boys stood to leave.

  Pawan lingered a moment at the door.

  "Asha," he said softly, "if you ever need help... seriously. Just reach out."

  "We're a mess," Aaditya added with a grin, "but we're your mess now."

  "Especially him," Krishna added, pointing at himself. "But you'll grow to love me."

  Asha's eyes watered slightly. She gave a small, trembling nod.

  "Thank you."

  She didn't know yet-

  But that night would change her life.

  Not because this six boys broke curfew and dodged drones.

  But because, for the first time in a long while-

  Someone had knocked on her door just to see if she was okay.

  The door to Room 7B creaked open once again, this time from the back-Krishna's earlier "preparation" now paying off. One by one, the boys filed in under the hush of night, faces flushed with adrenaline and mischief still buzzing in their veins.

  Krishna was the last to enter. As he shut the door behind him, he sighed, stretching like a cat that had just escaped a scolding.

  "I actually feel bad for that girl," he muttered, plopping down onto his mattress.

  Silence.

  And then-

  "You should feel worse for us," Pawan grumbled, not even turning from his bed, "for putting up with you."

  Laughter exploded in the room-relieving, contagious, like a balloon finally popped after too much pressure.

  For a while, they just laughed-no longer worried about drones or rules or reputations. Just boys, back from a reckless quest that already felt like legend.

  Eventually, the night reclaimed its quiet.

  Pawan fell onto his bed with a long sigh, the day's weight catching up to his bones.

  "Krishna..." he warned, voice low but deadly, "If you pull something like that again, I swear... I'll beat you so hard, you'll wake up in next semester."

  Krishna, undeterred, yawned theatrically and rolled over.

  "Relax, bro. No more 'gey' jokes. Unless absolutely necessary."

  Pawan threw him a glare but was too tired to argue further.

  "Good night, morons," he mumbled.

  "Good night," Ashish echoed, his voice already trailing into sleep.

  "G-good night..." Anand whispered, snug beneath his blanket like a turtle in a shell.

  On the far side, Aranab powered Mini down with a soft voice.

  "Night, Mini."

  From beneath his covers, Krishna piped up again.

  "Hey! I wanted to say goodnight to her!"

  "Krishna, sleep. Now," came Pawan's half-muttered warning.

  "Chill, bro, chill... I'm already dreaming," Krishna yawned dramatically.

  And finally, the room gave in to silence.

  The gentle hum of technology, the slow breaths of sleep, and the quiet pulse of Triveni Gurukul at night created a lullaby of its own. Outside the window, stars watched quietly, as if acknowledging the promise of greatness nestled in this chaotic group.

  ---

  Within the Imaginary Realm...

  As Pawan drifted into sleep, his consciousness melted into a dream that wasn't quite a dream.

  When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in his dorm.

  He was beneath the sacred canopy of the Pure White Peepal Tree-its ancient branches glowing with soft, ethereal light that shimmered like stardust. The ground beneath him was cool, kissed with petals from flowers that had no earthly name. In the distance, the breeze carried the sweet chime of anklets-Chee's payal.

  And just like that, all the weight in Pawan's chest lifted.

  He turned, and there she was.

  Chee.

  Radiant. Real. Home.

  She walked across the moonlit grass, dressed in soft white-lehenga and blouse that moved like clouds, her translucent dupatta drifting behind her like mist. Her golden hair shimmered beneath the tree's glow, and when she smiled, the entire realm seemed to exhale.

  She said nothing as she reached him-no need for words.

  She sat beneath the tree, and Pawan followed, settling beside her with an ease he never found in the waking world.

  Without hesitation, he lay his head in her lap.

  Chee's fingers threaded gently through his hair, her touch rhythmic, familiar.

  "How was your day?" she asked softly.

  Her voice was a melody-neither distant nor divine, just warm.

  Pawan looked up, eyes meeting hers.

  "Uneventful... but this? This moment? Feels like everything."

  Chee raised an eyebrow.

  "Was that your attempt at flirting?"

  He smirked lazily.

  "Nope. Why flirt," he whispered, "when you already belong to me?"

  Her hand paused, just for a second... and then continued, gentler than before.

  Pawan's breathing slowed. His lashes lowered.

  "Chee..." he murmured sleepily.

  But the sentence never finished.

  Sleep claimed him, deep and safe.

  Chee gazed down at him-with a smile.

  She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

  "Sweet dreams..."

  And the Pure White Peepal Tree swayed above them, its leaves whispering lullabies not even time could silence.

  Here, in a world untouched by war, expectation, or memory-

  Pawan rested.

  And the Imaginary Realm, just for tonight, stood still with him.

  Planet Bhram - The Scarred World

  Far from the vibrant life of Earthlok, beneath a sky that had long forgotten the sun, the cursed planet Bhram endured its eternal suffering. Once a realm of balance and celestial power, it now lay fractured-cracked earth glowing with molten veins, like the lifeblood of a wounded god bleeding endlessly into silence.

  The wind here did not sing-it howled, carrying whispers of grief, of betrayal, of wrath still echoing through the bones of the dead.

  Above this desolate land stood a figure, still as a monolith.

  Model 50.

  Sleek, precise, yet stained by the soot of war. His body bore the marks of his mission-long, perilous, and silent. And now, finally, it was complete.

  With a pulse of energy, his core activated.

  A shimmering transmission flickered into being, connecting him across dimensions to a place untouched by time.

  The Silver Castle - Management Hall

  Bathed in eternal twilight, the Silver Castle rose from a field of floating crystals and star-forged vines. Inside its grand hall, Model 25-administrator, observer, tactician-glanced up from his transparent console as a glowing projection of Model 50 appeared before him.

  The hologram shimmered with ash and ember, a visual echo of the broken world he'd just left.

  Model 25 (cool and clinical):

  "Transmission established. Report."

  Model 50 (voice calm, but heavy):

  "Bhram remains unclaimed by either Deva or Asura. The guardian... chose wrongly. He sided with the Asuras during the Great War, believing in change. But they corrupted him. Twisted his power. When they no longer needed him, they abandoned him. He snapped."

  Model 25 (brows raising slightly):

  "And the planet?"

  Model 50:

  "Devastated. Entire cities reduced to molten ruin. Life twisted into abominations. It's more than cursed-it's mourning."

  He paused.

  "But the guardian still exists. Not alive. Not dead. Sealed himself in isolation, surrounded by guilt. Still aware. Still dangerous."

  Model 25 (sharp):

  "Then why did Mother send you?"

  Model 50's expression darkened, calculating.

  "To ensure the rift beneath Bhram remains sealed. If that space-time tear expands into Earthlok-especially Alok Continent-it won't just rupture the planet... it'll fracture reality."

  Model 25 sat back, fingers steepled. The information was dire.

  "We'll continue monitoring the rift. Good work. Return when extraction is complete."

  Meanwhile - Triveni Gurukul, Earthlok

  Within the quiet hum of the dormitory, students drifted into sleep. But in the heart of Dorm Room 7B, something subtle and extraordinary happened.

  Pawan's uniform shimmered and vanished, pixel by pixel.

  Thousands of miles and a dimensional veil away, inside the Silver Castle, a gentle hand caught the falling cloth.

  In a room scented with star-lilies and glowing thread, Aashi stood in her maid uniform, elegant and ethereal. She was not just an attendant-she was his attendant. Hand-bound by Pawan's soul during the early days of the Imaginary Realm.

  She held the uniform close, brushing her fingers across the fabric with delicate reverence.

  Aashi (softly):

  "It's his first day in the outside world... it must be perfect."

  Her fingers shimmered with gentle magic as she traced protective enchantments across the seams. Whispered incantations bound layers of divine shielding, and a hidden tracker-linked only to her and the realm-ensured his safety.

  When she was done, she placed the uniform atop a glowing sigil and raised her hand.

  Aashi (warmly):

  "Be safe, my lord."

  And the uniform vanished once more-returning to Earthlok.

  Back in the Silver Castle - A Plan Begins

  As the transmission ended, Model 50's hologram dissipated into fragments of light.

  Model 25 turned toward the massive arched window of the Silver Castle. Beyond the crystalline walls stretched an endless sky, shimmering with silver rivers and light from unreal stars.

  Model 25 (quietly):

  "So... Bhram has lost everything."

  For a moment, he simply watched the stars.

  Then, he smiled-sharp and knowing.

  "Then maybe it's time... to give it something back."

  He tapped across the console. Systems activated. The air vibrated with quiet power.

  "Let's begin Phase Two. Earthlok will need balance... and soon."

  To be continued......