Chapter 12: Shadows of Resolve

The living room was a ruin, splintered wood from the blasted door littered the rug, blood streaked the floral sofa, the ceiling fan whirring above like nothing had happened. Aadi slumped against the wall, scars throbbing chest slashed from some buried wound, arm jagged from rough blows, ribs welted from a night he couldn't pin down each pulse tied to the faint hum inside him, a sound he'd never questioned. Ramesh stood over Leela's crumpled form, handgun trembling in his blood-slick hand his kurta torn, face bruised, jaw swollen from her shotgun's stock, blood dripping from his brow. She lay near the center table, shotgun limp, blood pooling from her shoulder, eyes shut, faking it, Aadi knew, the hum buzzing a silent alarm he couldn't voice. 

Ramesh dropped the gun, a dull clatter, and limped to Aadi, sinking to one knee. "It's done, she's down," he rasped, gripping Aadi's shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug, blood smeared between them, warm on Aadi's shirt. "You're safe nobody's taking you, son." His voice cracked, eyes wet his embrace fierce, rare, a flicker of DBZ days long gone. "I've got you just breathe," he said, forcing a shaky smile "We'll sort this out tomorrow." Aadi's chest tightened and the hum surged "Dad she's not—" he stammered, pushing Ramesh frowned "She's out " turning too late. Leela's eyes snapped open, shotgun rising "Fool," she hissed the barrel flashed blood sprayed as a blast tore through Ramesh's chest he crumpled, a thud on the tiles, red pooling beneath him. 

"Dad—no!" Aadi screamed, lunging hands slipped in blood Ramesh stilled the hum roared, scars flaring. Leela stood "No loose ends"shotgun swung her slippers squelched blast seared Aadi's chest pain erupted the hum shrieked darkness clawed "You can't change it," her voice faded blackness reset him.

He jolted awake breath surging, eyes blinking against dim light through cracked slats the school shed. He sprawled on the concrete floor, sketchbook splayed Manisha's voice cut through: "Oi, Aadi, stop daydreaming help me with these!" He froze, hum pulsed, Manisha stood by a rusted locker, braid swinging, smirking Neha sat cross-legged, doodling, adjusting her glasses "You're both hopeless." The shed smelled of mildew—broken chairs, faded posters before it all. 

His hand hit his chest with no blood, but a new scar welted another on his gut proof. He stumbled up "Manisha Neha " voice raw, he lunged, wrapping Manisha in a tight hug "Aadi, what—" she stiffened then Neha, pulling her close "Hey!" he clung, trembling "I'm sorry," he choked, tears stinging "I'm so sorry." Manisha pushed back "What's wrong?" Neha's glasses slipped "Aadi?" He let go, breath hitching Ramesh's blood flashed in his mind he stepped back, hands shaking, forcing calm. 

"What's wrong?" Manisha asked, her voice low but firm.

Aadi swallowed, forcing his tone to stay steady. "Someone's after me—after us. They're called Axiom. We need to move, stay ahead of them."

Neha frowned, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Axiom? Who are they?"

"I don't know everything yet," Aadi lied, his gaze flickering away. "But they're dangerous. That's all you need to know for now."

Manisha studied him, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she could sense the weight he wasn't sharing. But she didn't press. Instead, she nodded, swinging her legs off the cot. "Then we stick together. No risks."

Neha reached out, her hand finding Aadi's arm. "We've got your back, okay?"

Aadi managed a small, strained smile as the three of them pulled into a brief, tight hug. Their warmth grounded him, steadying the storm inside. When they parted, he turned away, his expression hardening as his thoughts churned.

He'd been looking at this all wrong. For so long, he'd seen his power—the ability to reset time—as a curse, a burden tied to loss and pain. But what if it was something else? What if it was a weapon, a chance to dismantle Axiom completely? If he made a mistake, he could reset, try again, refine his moves until they were flawless. He could outmaneuver them, outlast them, destroy them from the inside out.

His fingers brushed against the faint scar on his forearm, a jagged line that hadn't faded even after the last reset. A flicker of doubt crept in. The resets weren't perfect. Some scars stayed, etched into his skin like warnings. What if there was a limit—a threshold his body couldn't cross? This power was new, untested, and he didn't know its breaking point. The thought gnawed at him, but he pushed it down, clenching his fists.

No. He wouldn't let fear stop him. Axiom had taken too much—his father, his peace, maybe even his mother's soul. They wouldn't take anything else.

Aadi turned back to Manisha and Neha, who were gathering their things in quiet determination. His voice cut through the silence, steady and resolute.

"I'll destroy Axiom for good. And anyone who stands between me and that goal—they're going down too."