Chapter 38: What Happened in Puri**
It was past midnight.
The house was quiet, blanketed in a gentle silence. Even the fans hummed softer
than usual.
Vaishali had stepped into the hall to drink water when she saw **Ravindra's phone**
glowing dimly on the couch, screen still on.
Out of habit, she walked over.
> Gallery was open.
> One image paused.
She froze.
---
### **The First Photo**
It was old.
Ravindra… smiling. His arm around **his first wife**, who stood tall, elegant,
radiating kindness. Beside her was—
> **Abhimanyu.**
Except…
He looked **slightly different**.
Still the same eyes. Same hair.
But he was **shorter**, thinner — more like a boy.
Still tall for his age, yes.
But **not the Abhimanyu of now.**
His jaw wasn’t as sharp. His shoulders weren’t sculpted. There was innocence in how
he stood.
Date: **24th April 2024 — Monday**
Location: **Puri**
---
Vaishali frowned. Slid to the next photo.
### **The Second Photo**
Dated **26th April 2024 — Wednesday**
And she almost dropped the phone.
> He looked… like a different species.
The boy was now tall.
Taller than Ravindra.
**6'5**, maybe more. Shoulders like carved rock. Arms defined. Beard faintly
blooming.
But still—
His head was **resting on his mother’s shoulder**, eyes closed peacefully like he
hadn’t changed at all.
And she hugged him back, unfazed, smiling with **that kind of love that knows every
form you take**.
---
### **The Third Photo**
Abhimanyu stood **alone**.
No smile.
Wearing a plain black dhoti and kurta, but...
> **Adorned.**
* On his legs: **Golden kadas** — one a **peacock design**, the other, **snakes**.
* On his neck: **The Rudraksh mala Sonia had described**.
* On his wrist: **The copper “राम” kada**.
* On his fingers: Two **thick ruby-gold rings**, faint blood glimmer still visible
near the base.
* In his hand: The large **Rudraksha bracelets**.
* The scarf was missing. But his aura… wasn't.
His eyes were glowing faintly. Not light—**intensity**.
Not one thing about him said *child* anymore.
He looked like a **warrior prince born from meditation and fire.**
---
### **The Fourth Photo**
She was gifting him a pair of **spectacles**.
Thin frame. Lens color-change feature. Worth at least ₹10,000.
She saw the joy in his face.
How gently he held them. How carefully he wore them.
A **silver bracelet and chain** also wrapped around his wrist and neck now.
All from her, apparently.
---
Vaishali’s hand trembled.
> “What the hell happened… in those six days?”
From **April 24 to April 30, 2024**.
From “almost 15” to **a man gods saluted**.
From hugging his mother…
To commanding the sky.
---
She slid through more images.
A few selfies. A temple shot. A vague crowd.
Then one image:
> Abhimanyu standing in front of the Jagannath temple, barefoot, head bowed… while
dozens of pigeons sat in a perfect **circle around him**, none flying away.
Something **ancient** had happened.
And Ravindra never told her.
---
She looked up from the phone.
The house was silent again.
But now, the silence had weight.
> **Purpose. Secrets. Memory.**
And one boy — the boy behind the closed bedroom door —
> **had been reborn in Puri.**
