Year-2037, mumbai
"Ashu… Ashu… Stop, my child!"
A woman screamed frantically as she ran toward her little son, who had wandered far ahead of her. The small boy, oblivious to everything around him, was chasing after a ball that had rolled toward the busy street. Vehicles zoomed past every few seconds, but the child had no idea how close he was to danger. All he could see was his toy. What did he care about the world around him? After all, he was just a child.
The woman's cries grew sharper and more panicked with every step. People nearby began to notice the desperate mother and her son. But as they say, in big cities, people mind their business more than each other. The same was happening here.
Yet, an elderly couple rushed toward the boy—
but it was too late.
The child had already reached the ball. Just as he bent down to pick it up—
Honk!
A blaring horn cut through the air.
"Ashu!"
The woman screamed at the top of her lungs. She came to a sudden halt.
"A...A...Ashu…"
Her lips trembled. Fear filled her eyes—a fear of losing something precious.
Darkness clouded her vision. It all felt like a horrible nightmare she wanted to wake up from. She longed to hold her son, to feel him in her arms.
But this wasn't a dream. This was real.
Her legs buckled. She couldn't keep herself steady. Just before she collapsed, the elderly couple caught her.
"My… my child… A-Ashu…"
She was slowly losing grip on reality.
A crowd began to gather—people who had earlier stood idle now circled the weeping mother. Traffic came to a halt. No vehicle could pass.
Suddenly, the faint sound of a child crying pierced the noise, but it was drowned in the crowd's chatter.
Still, someone heard it.
The woman, leaning against the couple, had been waiting to hear that very sound. She immediately turned her head and broke free from their grip, pushing through the crowd toward the middle of the street, desperately searching for her son.
Then, she heard the cry again.
She turned her head across the road—and saw a young man holding her child up by the back of his clothes, as if he'd picked up a piece of trash.
The woman rushed across the street, took her son from the man's arms, and hugged him tightly, crying uncontrollably.
Moments passed.
Were those tears of joy… or regret?
Just then, a calm voice echoed near her,
"You still haven't answered—were those tears of happiness… or of guilt?"
She turned around and found herself staring at a handsome young man. In her panic, she hadn't even thought to look at who had saved her child. But now that she did, she couldn't look away.
He had long black hair, porcelain skin, tranquil ocean-blue eyes, and a clean-shaven face. He looked around 20, and his charm was such that any girl would find herself captivated in seconds.
"You didn't answer," he repeated, snapping her out of her daze.
She wasn't at fault—it was hard to look away from someone like him.
Still overwhelmed, she finally responded,
"These tears… are because I got to see my son safe."
"Hmm…"
He thoughtfully rubbed his chin, then knelt and handed the ball to the child. The boy hesitated, staring into the man's emotionless eyes. Then, slowly, he took the ball.
By now, a crowd had formed around them, and many were recording the scene on their phones.
Seeing this, the young man shook his head slightly.
"Be more careful next time… and if you can't, give him to me."
He extended a white card to her.
The crowd gasped.
The woman, who had wanted to thank him from the bottom of her heart, now felt insulted. She took the card, tore it into pieces, and threw them in his face.
The young man closed his eyes.
'Did I say something wrong?' he wondered silently.
People who had praised his bravery just moments ago were now calling him names.
"Leave!" the woman said angrily.
Though furious, she controlled herself out of gratitude for him saving her son.
He didn't say a word—to her or the crowd. He simply turned around and walked away.
What he didn't know was that a pair of beautiful eyes had been watching him from a red Ferrari the entire time.
While others had missed the beginning of the incident, she had seen it all. She saw him risk his life to save the boy. But due to the chaos, she couldn't hear what was said between him and the woman.
She gave him one last look, smiled softly, and drove away.
Outside, the young man pulled up the hood of his black hoodie. Just then, as he was about to walk off, he remembered something.
"Where did you go…?"
He looked around.
A black-and-white squirrel scurried up to his shoulder.
"Where were you?" he asked, as if expecting a reply.
Now, many of you might think this is crazy—who talks to animals and expects them to understand and respond?
You're not alone. Everyone thinks that. After all, even while walking on the road, he continues talking to the squirrel on his shoulder.
But this wasn't madness.
It's just that he trusts animals far more than humans.
Including him, his family has five members—and all of them are… strange. He doesn't listen to anyone, except his little sister. Her words are the only ones he never ignores.
So meet the soul of this story—the one who pulls the strings behind the scenes.
This is Rudra—the hero of our tale.