Homecoming

Tiger Reserve National Park , Western Ghats , Country B

A man sees two forest officers on patrol. He grabs a bow and shoots an arrow high up in the sky, grabbing the attention of the officers. The officers jump out of their jeep and run towards that man , drawing their guns out.

"Hands up and don't move," warns one of them. The man does as he's told. The other officer cautiously goes near the man and removes the hood covering his face. He looks at his partner and says, " Gautam , contact the City M Police. This is Karna K , our missing guy."

A few hours later,

Metro Hospital, Meera Nagar, City M, Country B

" He has several micro-fractures, but they are not an issue right now. None of the scars are septic or infected, but he has concussion like symptoms, due to two main head injuries. This might be trouble for him, but physically he is ok. Take everything lightly. He might be suffering from psychological trauma."

The doctor's voice echoed in Inspector  Rana's ears. He walked into the check-up ward to meet his friend's son. After two years of hell, the kid he adored as his own was back.

"How are you, Karna?" ,he asked the boy. Karna looks up at his childhood friend's father and replies, "I am fine,  Rana uncle. Just feeling a bit weird."  Rana smiled a bit. He looked into Karna's eyes and knew he wasn't fine. He had seen this kid since his childhood, but he also understood the impact of trauma.

"Let's go home now."

Leelavathi Manor, Coast Side, City M

The words "Mom, I'm home..." echoed through the grand halls of Leelavathi Manor on the Coast Side, City M. Radha rushed to the door, tears of pure joy streaming down her face as she saw her son. With trembling hands, she performed a traditional aarti, circling the flame around him. "May all evil eyes and bad influences disappear, and may Lord Narayana protect you," she whispered, applying a tilak to his forehead before pulling him into a fierce hug. The rest of the family quickly gathered. His sister, Sania, joined the embrace, while his father, Adirath, watched from the side, his usually stern eyes finally softening with palpable relief.

"Dada..." Sangram, Karna's younger brother, launched himself onto Karna's back. The Angaraj family was whole again. "Sorry, I'm really sorry," Sangram mumbled, his voice thick with emotion. "It's all because of me... I wished—"

"No," Karna interrupted, cutting his brother off with a firm but gentle voice. "It's not you, it's not any of you. Whatever happened has happened, the past is past. Let's start new from now." He walked further into the house, heading straight for his room. He glanced inside, then looked at his father. Adhirath, typically Stoic, refused to meet his son's gaze. Karna's face brightened with a genuine smile. "The room is exactly how I used to keep it. Guess none of you gave up on me..."

"We wouldn't, and we couldn't," Radha interjected, her voice firm with conviction. "We knew you would survive."

That evening,

Karna sat in his archery room, looking at the target. Screams of his TA echoed in his ears as all the haunting memories of two years comes back.

He looks around at the portrait of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the one who is worshipped by people in his city, in his state and a significant part of his country. The Emperor who rose from the bottom and created a legacy to be respected.

"I failed you, Maharaj. I let her die. But I swear on Goddess Bhavani, this won't happen again."

He then puts some secret code and looks at a glass box with a bulletproof costume, a compound bow, arrows and a battleaxe.

Two years ago, Mount Mahendragiri , Western Mountains , Country B,

Karna wakes up in a small hut . He looks at his arm and legs , all patched up and bandaged. He walks out of the hut and finds a monk like man meditating under a tree.

He tries to run out and accidently knocks a pot off the table . The monk looks at Karna and says , " Oh , you are up."

Present time, Midnight, Govardhan Venkateshwara Temple, City M

The temple gets surrounded by cars of henchmen, Crime had increased in the city and today the target was the one good guy running for the local municipality.

But before they could attack, three arrows struck the ground between the goons and the temple . Before the henchmen could react, an explosion occurs, causing a ring of fire between the temple and henchmen.

" Who's that? We will kill you too. ", the goons screamed, but they back off as they silhoutte of a hooded man carrying a bow and a battle axe.

He attacks them, cutting each of them . The blade work brutal but missing each major artery so there are no casualities. Brutal, bloody but idealist. His martial arts blend, striking, kicking, grappling, weapons all the pillars of the art of fighting transitioning smoothly.

One of the henchmen screamed in pain, " Who the hell are you???"

The hooded figure replied,"I am Vengeance, and you have failed this city."

"This is a sacred land ,and you have violated it with your indecency. This shall not be tolerated anymore. My appearance is a warning to those who control you, run back to them and tell that this city's loyal hound has returned to protect it."

Police sirens sound off all around them. The vigilante, now having incapacitated the whole crowd, throws a smoke bomb onto the ground and runs away.

The next morning, City M Police Headquarters

" Country B's Batman: A Vigilante saves local politician. Wtf is this headline, Rana. "

The commissioner yelled at Rana. The inspector sighed and replied," We are on him, sir.  But he has covered his tracks well. Also, no one is ready to help us. He has gained public support."

"I don't care. I want him caught as soon as possible"

Rana sighed and replied, " Yes sir".

A unknown underground establishment, City M

"Asriri , give me information of the scanned suspects.."

An AI voice echoes back, " As per State M police database, these two men are prime suspect in assault and murder of two reporters who were specifically involved in a sting operation on human trafficking rings through the city harbor. Their names are unknown, but these are the sketches submitted to the Crime Branch. These sketches are made by witness testimonies."

Karna nods and says," Hack into the mainframe of police database and get the cctv footages of the cameras near harbor. I want footages of last 6 months."

Asriri replies," Right away, sir"

Karna looks at the computer screens for a while and then moves towards a lift. He gets in the lift and reaches his room.

"Karna , come here," Radha called. Karna walks into the living room.

"This is Shalya Patil. My junior when I used to work in the police force."

A tall, muscular man extends his hand towards Karna. Karna shakes his hand and nods his head.

Radha smiles and continues, "with random goon attacks and vigilante attacks, I am concerned for your safety. You just came back and us being influential makes you a walking target. So...."

"So, you hired Shalya-kaka to keep an eye on me, for my security?"

"Yes, bala . I am concerned for your safety.."

"It's fine ma. If not for security, at least Shalya kaka will be a good friend to me..."

Radha nods and turns around towards Shalya. "Take care of my son, Shalya."

Shalya nods and says, " You have my word, ma'am."

A few days later,

Days turned into a restless blur for Karna. His daytime hours were spent navigating the city he once knew, a place now riddled with ghosts of his past. He found himself walking familiar streets, only to stumble upon a scene that twisted the knife in his already wounded psyche: Ria, his girlfriend, with another man. The sight was a cold, hard slap of reality. She saw him, her face a mix of shock and concern, and tried to approach, her lips forming his name. But Karna merely shook his head, a silent, definitive rejection, and turned away. His traumatic return had found a fresh, personal wound.

Later, he found solace, if only a somber one, at a quiet corner of the city cemetery. He stood before a simple headstone, placing a bouquet of fresh flowers. The name etched there was Jennifer Joseph, his friend and mentor.  "I'm back," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "I let you down once, but never again. I promise you, I will bring your killer to justice. And I will protect this city, no matter the cost."

The doorbell at Leelavathi Manor rang, a bright, insistent sound that cut through the usual quiet of the afternoon. Karna, lost in his thoughts in the living room, barely registered it until Radha's cheerful voice called out, "Karna, someone's here to see you!"

He walked to the door, expecting perhaps Rana or even a delivery, but stopped short when he saw her. Kai. She stood there, a vibrant splash of color against the subdued tones of the entrance, her presence a burst of sunshine. Her skin was a warm, honeyed brown, luminous against the bright fabric of her kurta, and her dark, expressive eyes sparkled with an uncontainable joy. A cascade of thick, jet-black hair framed her face, catching the light as she moved. From their college days, he remembered her as a whirlwind of energy, always brimming with an unshakeable optimism, and undeniably, someone who had tried relentlessly, and sweetly, to get his attention.

"Karna! You're really back!" Her voice was a cascade of genuine joy and relief. Before he could fully process it, she was already pushing past him, a small, brightly wrapped gift box in her hands. "I heard you were home and I just had to come. This place needs some cheering up, and you definitely do!" She spoke quickly, almost nervously, her eyes scanning his face for any hint of a smile.

Karna just looked at her . His mind was running through comparisons. Women hated him for being a playboy but there was Kai, she was different. She had liked Karna before and still liked him.

"It's… well, it's not much," she mumbled, "but I remembered you were always pulling things apart and putting them back together, or making them better." She gestured to the box. "It's a precision multi-tool kit. High-grade alloys, magnetic tips, all the tiny bits you could ever need. Thought it might spark some ideas, or just give you something to mess with."

Karna took the gift, a flicker of genuine surprise and a hint of interest in his eyes. He hadn't thought anyone remembered such a small detail, or understood that particular itch. "Thanks, Kai," he managed, his voice softer than he intended.

Kai, however, wasn't deterred by his subdued reaction. She beamed, then clapped her hands together. "So! Tell me everything! Well, not everything," she quickly corrected herself, catching his immediate withdrawal, "just… how are you feeling? Are you up for some real food? My mom made your favorite rasam and I could bring some over! Or we could go for a walk? The botanical gardens are beautiful this time of year!"

Karna smiled. This wasn't a cold, practiced smile but a warm genuine one. Kai was a force of nature and this force of nature was ready to rattle him back to the world, where once he was the prince.

But a dread settled in him, he can't divulge the details to her.  Whatever happened during his trip to the Western Ghats was brutal and horrific. He refused to let anyone know of the horrors he had faced there, especially not Kai. He wanted to protect her innocence, her genuine belief on kindness of people.

He looked away for a split second, a practiced evasion. "Oh, it was just… a hiking trip gone wrong," he said, forcing a casual shrug. "Got separated from the group after an accident, ended up pretty deep in the forest. Just took a while to find my way back." The words were smooth, a well-rehearsed lie designed to spare her the grisly truth, to keep the horror locked away.

"A 'hiking trip gone wrong' that leaves you missing for two years?" Kai asked, her voice quiet now, gentle but firm. She didn't press, didn't accuse, but the implication hung in the air. Her gaze was direct, unwavering, filled with a profound empathy that bypassed his carefully constructed facade. "Karna," she said softly, reaching out to briefly touch his arm, "you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. But please, don't pretend it was just a walk in the woods. I know you better than that."

Karna smiled and nodded.

The next day, City M Forensic Lab

The pressure on Inspector Rana was mounting. The Commissioner's fury over "Country B's Batman" was a daily backdrop to Rana's already strained work-life. He was grateful for Karna's return, but the new vigilante was a problem he couldn't ignore. The public, tired of the city's spiraling crime rates, was hailing this masked figure as a hero, making Rana's job of apprehending him all the more difficult.

Rana knew he needed an expert eye, someone who could cut through the theatrics and tell him what he was truly up against. He made a call, and a few hours later, found himself in a brightly lit forensic lab at the City M Police Headquarters.

"Kai, thanks for seeing me on such short notice," Rana said, gesturing to the table. Spread out before them were high-resolution photographs of the goons incapacitated by Guha at the Govardhan Venkateshwara Temple. The images clearly showed their injuries: deep cuts, bone bruises, limbs contorted at unnatural angles, yet no fatal wounds.

Kai, already donning a pair of nitrile gloves, leaned over the table, her dark, perceptive eyes scanning each image with intense focus. She didn't speak for a long moment, moving from one photo to the next, occasionally adjusting her spectacles. Rana watched her, recognizing the meticulous concentration that made her such a respected forensic expert.

Finally, she straightened up, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. "Inspector," she began, her voice calm but firm, "whoever did this... they're not just skilled. They're a perfectionist."

Rana raised an eyebrow. "Perfectionist? They brutalized these guys, Kai."

"Exactly," she countered, pointing to a photograph of a particularly nasty laceration on a henchman's arm. "Look here. The cut is precise, deep enough to cause immense pain and incapacitation, but notice how it consistently avoids major arteries. This isn't just about fighting; it's about control. The strikes are designed to inflict maximum non-lethal damage. Every blow, every cut, it's calculated. It's almost like they know human anatomy intimately, or they've trained themselves to hit just below the threshold of lethality."

She moved to another photo, illustrating a fractured wrist. "This fracture, and others like it, they're not random. They seem to be the result of highly specialized joint locks or strikes designed to disable without requiring excessive force. The person responsible has an extraordinary understanding of martial arts – a blend of striking, grappling, and perhaps even pressure points. They're not just strong; they're expertly trained, disciplined, and have an almost surgical precision in their violence."

Kai looked up at Rana, her gaze unwavering. "This isn't a random street brawler, Inspector. This is someone with elite combat training, perhaps even military or specialized martial arts background, who has chosen to apply their skills with a very specific code of conduct: maximum pain, zero fatalities. They don't want to kill. They want to send a message, loud and clear, by demonstrating overwhelming, controlled force."

Rana absorbed her words, a grim realization dawning on him. This vigilante wasn't just a nuisance; he was a force to be reckoned with, a ghost with a warrior's discipline. And Kai's assessment only made the task of catching him seem even more daunting.

"there's one more piece of evidence I need you to examine," Rana said. He trusted this young prodigy with anything.

Kai nodded in agreement and Rana tossed an evidence bag towards her.

"Found it embedded near the impact zone. Doesn't look like anything standard issue."

Kai carefully extracted the fragment with tweezers, her brow furrowed in concentration. She rotated it under the lab lights, examining the intricate scorch marks and the remnants of its unique construction. Her fingers, nimble and precise, traced the delicate wiring and the remnants of what looked like a miniature circuit. "Hmm," she hummed, a thoughtful sound.

"This isn't just an arrow, Inspector," Kai finally declared, her voice laced with a growing awe, and a chilling recognition. "This is a miniature explosive device, integrated seamlessly into the arrowhead. Look at the remnants of the casing – custom-machined, not something you pick up off the shelf. And the trigger mechanism, it's incredibly sophisticated for something this small."

She paused, then looked up at Rana, her eyes wide with a new understanding. "Whoever built this is not only an expert archer, but also an expert tinkerer. Someone with a very high knowledge of physics, especially ballistics and explosive forces. They understand chemistry to formulate or miniaturize the explosive compound, and certainly electronics to design such a precise detonation system. This isn't just an improvised device; it's a piece of advanced, bespoke weaponry."

As Kai spoke, a name echoed in her mind: Karna. The precision multi-tool kit she'd given him, his lifelong fascination with pulling things apart and putting them back together, his knack for understanding intricate mechanisms. The pieces clicked into place with an alarming clarity. The "tinkering" she'd remembered as a charming quirk was, in fact, a deep, specialized expertise. He had always been brilliant with his hands, capable of understanding how things worked, and how to make them work better, or differently. And now, a vigilante was deploying custom, high-tech explosive arrows.

A cold dread settled in her stomach. It was a terrifying, almost unbelievable connection, but her forensic mind, trained to follow the evidence wherever it led, couldn't ignore it. The meticulous control of the injuries, the precise, custom-made weapon. It all screamed Karna.

Inspector Rana asked, " do you have any suspicions, any record of previous cases like these?"

Kai replied , " No sir. Nothing like that" .

She chose too keep it a lie as an internal battle started

"Karna, what the hell happened to you?", she mumbled to herself.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***