"I need to know. It's been too long, you've been hiding secrets all along. Tell me now, the dungeon, the weapons, the zombies in the dungeon, your disappearance. What is going on?", Avyan says enraged as he stepped out of the SUV after reaching the hostel.

Dauji met Avyan's gaze with a calm resolve, his eyes reflecting a depth of knowledge and experience. "If what I assume is true, we're not safe here, Avyan. We need to find a way to leave the campus. Nowhere within these fences is safe anymore."

"Enough with the mysteries. Besides, we're safe now, we're back at the hostel", Avyan replies aggressively while walking up to Dauji

Dauji looks Avyan in the eyes and calmly says, "I believe we need to find a way to leave the campus. Nowhere within the campus is safe anymore" 

The boys are flabbergasted by this fact. Avyan steps back and looks around him.

Anirudh while looking over the fence says, "What is the danger surrounding us? What do you mean?"

"I'll tell the five of you together, let's head inside"

"No one came out to confirm if the fences are disabled or not? What are Pratyush and Ishan doing?", Avyan says to Anirudh

The injury on Akash's leg had worsened and he took it's toll. He had been given some painkillers and disinfectants by Dauji who took him out of the car and held him in his arms.

The demonic night had fallen off and a bright gloom of hope casted over the horizon. The pleasant light from the sun and the wind made a beautiful weather in the morning. Anirudh threw a rock all the way across the hostel fence and garden aimed at the door to catch the attention of the two inside.

"Oh, I cannot wait all day", Anirudh takes a run and lunges over the fence.

"What? This could have gone sideways", Avyan said

"Nothing will go wrong, come on and jump over"

Avyan follows Anirudh and Akash is also handed over from Dauji to Anirudh over the fence.

"It's not my age to do these kind of stunts. Although, have I told you the story of me and the valleys in my 20s", Dauji says while dusting his clothes.

"Unaware of this one but I think it can wait. Come on, jump across", Anirudh says

"I cannot park the car here and it is too precious to lose. I'll park it across the hostel, beside the wall where it cannot be seen. You guys head inside.", Dauji explains

A mean smirk glazes over Anirudh's face and he turns around to head inside.

Anirudh pushes open the door, "Why is this not locked?"

"Avyan, come on! We need to check on them," Anirudh urged, his agility a stark contrast to the heaviness in Avyan's steps.

The door opened to the vast main hall of the dorm. The vast and modern paintings, dining table, couches and plants lashed out of the beautiful entrance. But, something wavered the boys' heads. Gloomy shadows larked over the corners. The contrast between the inviting decor and the lurking shadows unsettled them.

"Pratyush! Ishan!" Avyan's voice echoed through the hall, but there was no response.

Anirudh's instincts kicked in, "Something's off. We need to be cautious."

"You have good instincts"

Anirudh's eyes grew wide and glassy. His pupils dilated that almost swallow the brown colour of his iris. His forehead creased and his eyebrows raised in disbelief. A drop of sweat swiftly waved down as Anirudh looked at Avyan.

Avyan stood in silence and awe as he saw what was behind Anirudh's back.

Standing at an imposing height, his frame exudes raw power, every sinew and muscle rippling with an aura of controlled strength. His eyes, like glinting shards of obsidian, hold a predatory gleam, hinting at the inhuman instincts that lurk within. Thick brows knit together above eyes that seem to pierce through one's very soul, a chilling reminder of the fear he instills.

His features are chiselled, sculpted by a combination of genetics and relentless discipline, giving him an air of rugged attractiveness that's both alluring and unsettling. His jawline is sharp, set in a perpetual state of determination, while his lips, often curled in a half-smirk, carry a dangerous allure.

Despite the darkness that surrounds him, there's an undeniable magnetism to his presence. His demeanour is cool and collected, radiating an aura of confidence that borders on arrogance. He moves with a grace that belies his immense strength, each step calculated and purposeful.

"I was hoping I'd meet Dauji as well."

(Curkk)

The boys saw Akash who was standing upright facing opposite to the behemoth of man in front of them fall down by a straight chop to the head. 

Anirudh withdrew in fear, "Unconscious or...dead?"

"A single chop is this fatal?", Avyan takes his stance

"You've been called by the mountains"

Avyan and Anirudh are confused, "Mountains?"

"So you really do not remember.

I thought Pratyush was bluffing."

Anirudh says, "What I remember is I kick ass.". This was no ordinary adversary; the air around them seemed to thicken with the villain's inhuman instincts, a primal aura that sent a shiver down Anirudh's spine. Without hesitation, Anirudh leaped forward, his training and skill guiding his movements as he aimed a powerful strike at the villain. But before his fist could connect, the villain moved with lightning speed, sidestepping Anirudh's attack with effortless grace. Anirudh's eyes widened in surprise as he realized the extent of the villain's strength and agility, a stark contrast to his own expectations.

Before he could react, a sudden blow struck Anirudh from the side directly on his obliques, sending him crashing to the ground with a force that knocked the breath from his lungs. Pain flared through his body as he struggled to rise, his mind racing to assess the situation.

"What a beast", Anirudh thinks to himself while Avyan stands there unable to assess the situation at hand.

The villain stood over him, a menacing figure bathed in the bright light, his inhuman instincts evident in every calculated move. Anirudh's anger fueled his determination, but he knew he was outmatched.

"I am Lector, Lector Gonzalez, the divine general of the frost monarch, Zeesham in the uphill region of the north."

Avyan helps Anirudh get up from the floor an they both are confused and shocked as to why the person in front of them is refraining from attacking them.

Lector walks around and sits down on the couch, "When the outbreak started, five years ago, all civilizations collapsed. There was no government, no rules and only berserk beings. The zombies made extreme conditions at the start, people died in vain. Mothers saw their son transforming into a monster, friends saw friends kill each other. It was total chaos. 

 Lord Zeesham was among the four pillars of the resistance group who quickly devised a plan to override the apocalypse. He formed a coup as soon as the outbreak started and slowly rose to power. He organised search parties, armed evacuation, safe hideouts and food supply for the people. He saved thousands of people and added them to his group. Soon a community was formed where each survivor was given a different task to perform; cooks, artillery, army and many more.

People started to perceive him as a god. This was the origin of blind obedience. Soon the whole northern part of the country was in the palm of his hands. Right now, there is no one in the surviving civilizations across the world that matches the power that the monarchs have."

Avyan interrupts, "Monarchs? And...and five years?"

"There are four such monarchs. Frost monarch in the north, rain monarch in the east, dry monarch in the west and the monarch of the monarchs. You'll get to know them soon.

I am your ally, you don't need to worry."

Avyan says, "I don't know what you want with us, but you're clearly bluffing. Dauji already told us that this started only over a month ago. Five years is a great stretch for a lie. 

I want to know where Ishan and Pratyush are?"

Avyan looks towards lector and is frightened by the glowing green eyes that release an aura of their own. Avyan is in utter disbelief as he goes through what he know about the situation right now in his mind, "Pratyush and Ishan might have encountered him already and are confiscated somehow. I need not worry about them. What should I worry about is this beast of a man. If things turn physical, I don't think we collectively can defeat this monster. However, Dauji might enter anytime now; He is our last hope."

Lector laughs, "You are contemplating, funny.

There is no way out.

Besides, Dauji is not coming back."

Anirudh and Avyan are shocked. Their eyes wide open in utter disbelief. Anirudh shouts in a creaking voice, "What the hell are  you talking about? Who are you anyways?"

"I do not remember you guys to be such fools. 

It is Dauji that has been manipulating, harvesting and exploiting you from the starting. You think he is a saviour? He is a lying manipulator.

He still leaves you guys in between right? 

Fact is, the boys of this hostel are dead because of Dauji. If you would even have the slightest of mind presence, you would have noticed his pet zombies. Those are your friends.  

As soon as our army found you guys are staying back at the campus again after so much went through, they shot Dauji and then sent the message to me. I was confused that why are you again colliding with Dauji when I figured it out. You are brainwashed.

And what? A month, seriously? 

You want to know who I am?

I was never able to fit in. The world rejected me, told me I was weak, pathetic. I was shoved aside. I turned angry. But my anger turned into hate. I found myself alone in the darkness. So I let it consume me; and turn me into something better.

I won many battles, many wars. Every soldier still freezes to death if he hears my name. But I need you. You do not know who you are. You think Dauji is your saviour and leader; you know nothing.

Me and Dauji go way back. I know him from the core, he isn't coming back. There are many things you don't know about the old fella. You might have heard what happened to the boys that hurt his wife, right? It is a popular story. What were the names? Yes, Aman and Rohit. 

Dauji killed Aman. He caught the both of them, kept them in his house in the village, tortured them for weeks and finally forcefully fed Rohit an alive Aman. Aman was alive when Rohit ate his arms, legs, torso. Rohit went insane due to the shock and finally Dauji abandoned him in the village since he would never turn out to be a problem for him due to his mental condition, where he was found by a peasant and eventually returned to his family. It was not a hard task to fake a student's suicide next." Lector takes a break, sees Avyan fall down to the ground in shock and Anirudh's jaw dropped. Avyan cannot believe what he just listened. Dauji was the only light and hope till now. Can this all be true? Is he saying the truth or just trying to play his game. Anirudh takes a deep gulp and say, "Bu..But"

Lector stands up and walks over to Anirudh and bends down at his eye level, "You need to understand. You are in a matrix, you are the node that connects it all. There are things you don't know. You do not even know what was done in the past. You are not what you think you are. You have fuzzy memory right? This college with all it's defences, the blocked entrance, the lakes. This college was not meant to keep the zombies out. It was meant to keep you guys in."

The sudden revelations shock both of them. They try to contemplate the unfolding events. Thinking and scrutinizing their relations, bonds and trust. The temporary silence in the room is hauled.

Avyan's mind raced with disbelief and confusion. "Dauji... a liar? How can that be?"

Avyan says, "We cannot go along with you till we get all our answers. What happened in the past? Who am I? Why are we so important? Who brainwa..."

Lector interrupts, "The answers you seek shall be yours, once I claim what is mine."

Anirudh growls in anger and confusion, "Where are my friends?"

"Ishan is waiting for you in the mountains."

Avyan and Anirudh look over to each other in shock and dismay. Anirudh feels a deep urge to hit Lector but resists and thinks, "I can't beat him...yet." whereas Avyan appears to be troubled over Ishan's condition. He thinks, "Ishan in the mountains... I can't imagine what he's been through. We can't abandon him."

Lector stands up straight and turns towards the door, "Shall we proceed then?"

Avyan asks, "What about Pratyush?"

Lector raises his hands and keeps them over his head and turn his head, 

"Pratyush is DEAD"

The origin of blind obedience was no more upright but is it what it seems to be or are there much deeper secrets lying beneath? Is Dauji a liar, a monster? Who are the monarchs? What is the relation between Dauji and the Monarchs and how do the boys get entangled in all of this.