The bus moved towards east, engine groaning as it tackled broken highways. Kunal leaned against the window, cheek pressed to cool glass, eyes half-lidded but sharp. Outside, the plains stretched endless — fields, rivers, sleepy towns rolling past in shades of dust and green.
Beside him, Vaibhav stirred awake, rubbing his face.
"Bro… how long left?" he croaked.
"Couple hours," Kunal murmured, not looking away.
Vaibhav stretched, joints popping. "Feels like we've been on this bus for two lifetimes. My ass is gonna break sitting this long."
Kunal gave a tired half-smile.
"You signed up for this, bhai."
Vaibhav groaned, flopping back into his seat. "Yeah… remind me never to sign up again."
---
As the sun climbed, the city finally unfurled ahead — Patna, Bihar the modern town built on ruins of Pataliputra. Layers upon layers of history, half-buried under modern chaos.
The bus pulled into the terminal with a screech. They stepped out into heat and noise — horns blaring, vendors yelling, the humid air sticky against skin.
Kunal scanned the streets automatically. Every shadow felt too still. Every glance felt a little too long.
His phone buzzed.
No ID.
He frowned, opened the message.
"They're near. Known places aren't safe. Seek the unseen. Move carefully."
Kunal's breath caught. The guide again.
He pocketed the phone.
"Vaibhav," he said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"Change of plan. We can't hit the usual sites."
Vaibhav's eyebrows shot up. "Bro… what's going on now?"
"Message from the Deva guide." Kunal's tone was clipped. "Said we're being watched. Said known ruins are dangerous."
Vaibhav sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Great. Love that for us."
---
They ducked into a small chai stall, sitting at a cracked plastic table under a peeling tin roof. Kunal dialed Ananya on their encrypted line.
"Just got a warning from the guide. To avoid known ruins. We need to find some places which are off the books or some location. Let's hope I get some hint there," he said, low.
Ananya's voice came tight, sound of keys audible at her end. "Oh my god! Kunal are you okay? Give me a minute. I am cross-referencing lesser-known digs… wait. Okay. There's an old mound east of Kumhrar. Overgrown. Some archaeologists logged strange magnetic readings years back while surveying that location, but the dig was not allowed and there's no news after that about the location."
Kunal felt that as per guide it will be a perfect location and he thought that it might be them who stopped the archeological activities.
"Send me coordinates."
"Already did." Ananya's tone softened. "Kunal…please be careful."
"Always am."
Vaibhav leaned across the table as Kunal hung up.
"Let me guess. We're going somewhere no one's supposed to go?"
Kunal gave a small smile. "It wouldn't be us otherwise."
Vaibhav shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "Insane, bro. Absolutely insane. With you I will also go insane. Please spare me milord!"
---
They flagged a rickshaw, bouncing through narrow lanes until city gave way to scrubland. The mound rose ahead — low, uneven, half-swallowed by weeds. A few broken stones peeked through grass. No fences. No signs. No movements.
It looked like nothing.
But Kunal felt it.
That quiet tug in his chest once more, steady and sure.
He pulled out the obsidian fragment.
Faint warmth bloomed in his palm.
"Bro…" Vaibhav's voice was low. "That thing's… humming?"
Kunal nodded.
"I think we are at right place."
---
They climbed slowly, eyes scanning every crevice. Kunal felt the pull guiding him along faint lines — half-collapsed stones, old carvings eroded by time.
Then Vaibhav stopped, squinting down.
"Bro. Come here. Look at this, it's same as Taxila."
Kunal hurried over.
Vaibhav pointed at a stone slab, half-sunk in dirt. Along its edge, a narrow groove curved — just big enough for the fragment.
Kunal's pulse kicked harder.
Without hesitation, he pressed the stone into the groove.
A faint glow shimmered, tracing delicate lines across the slab.
Then — a low click.
Somewhere beneath, ancient gears shifted, a deep grinding sound rolling under their feet.
And slowly… a seam cracked open in the earth.
A narrow passage, descending into darkness.
Vaibhav stepped back.
"No, no. I'm not going down some dark creepy, hidden underground chamber.. I think I am becoming claustrophobic."
While next moment he moved forward saying,"Just joking".
Kunal stared at his back for a moment and then followed behind shaking his head.
"Looks like we found it."
Vaibhav blew out a breath. "Man, you're gonna get us killed."
Kunal smiled faintly thinking that if anything happens to him it will be over his deadbody.
"Not today."
---
He adjusted his backpack, flashlight ready.
Vaibhav groaned, cracking his neck, rolling his head.
"Fine. I'm your shield today like I have always been. But if a snake jumps at me, I'm blaming you and you will owe me."
"Noted," Kunal said, stepping forward.
The entrance waited, cool air whispering out, like the ruins were breathing.
And together, they disappeared inside.
To be continued…