The chamber was cold, windowless, and lit by nothing but the soft pulse of runes etched into the stone walls. They shone dimly in a crimson hue... like spilled blood.

Several figures sat in a semi-circle before a tall silk screen, the other side of which rested the soul piercing form of their commander.

None spoke above a whisper, and none showed their faces. Masks of porcelain, wood and metal, each carved to depict the likeness of ancient deities long erased from public memory, covered their faces.

“His demeanor is that of a king, but his hands tremble when he casts spells,” muttered a sharp voice sounding like a chisel on stone. “The Crown Mage of Suryavarna, yet he fears his own power.”

“He speaks of unity and restraint,” said another, venom in every syllable. “As if discipline brings strength. We need fire, not peace.”

“The heavens favored him,” a third voice murmured, impatient. “But he’s a coward. How long must we wait for him to act? To realise that he has the potential to bring magic back to its peak stature?"

Silence followed.

They heard a shift behind the screen. A breath, followed by soft clicking of a boot on stone.

When the commander spoke, their voice was low, calm, and full of weight.

“Do not mistake stillness for weakness.”

The masked members fell silent, heads bowed in reverence and fear.

“He has not been tested. Not truly. We will watch. And when the storm comes, he will have to choose.”

None of them objected.

“Power cannot be kept hidden. It has to rise to it's full extent. And when it does, it casts a glow on those in it's vicinity.  Whether he is a subject to this willingly, is yet to be determined.”

The runes flared brighter for a moment, and then dimmed. The masked figures adjusted their eyes to the sudden surge and fading to lights to see the seat at the head of the table empty.

Their commander had teleported out of the headquarters of Order of the Crimson Sun.

---***---

"Did you really repair the core of Unit 47 with a chewing gum?"

Mindful of her new work environment, Akshara was quick to get latched to the only other girl remotely close to her age. They exchanged stories about their lab adventures, marveling at each other's intellect.

"That's an exaggeration. I used duct tape." Akshara didn't even try to contain her pride, before realising how it might have sounded.

To her relief, the new coworker, Riyanka Chandran,  looked even more impressed.

"Tell me more about this lab. It's within the palace premises. Did you guys have the king storm in here in fury and say 'off with your heads' yet?" Akshara attempted to steer the conversation away from praise.

"No, silly. The king's really chill from what I heard. It's the princess you need to watch out for."

"Who? Princess Veda? Does Her Highness visit here?"

Before the lady could answer, a male coworker hijacked the conversation. "Careful now. If Princess Lathika hears you speak that way you might get into trouble."

"What did I say?" Alarmed, Akshara subconsciously clutched her shirt collar.

The man, whose nametag read Sahir, laughed at her. "It's a known fact that Princess Lathika and the king's step siblings don't see eye to eye."

"Why is that?"

"Imagine being royalty by birth. Niece of the late king. And first cousin of the current one." Sahir began.

"Okay?" It took Akshara several nanoseconds before comprehending who the characters were. The royalty in question was Princess Lathika. She was king Adhiraj's paternal cousin. Her mother and his father were siblings.

"Imagine your teenage years. You are second to none but your cousin, the crown prince. And then suddenly!" Sahir paused for no other reason than drama.

"What happened?"

"Your uncle divorces his wife and marries a woman with two kids your cousin's age. And now your cousin is their sibling. They are a team. Inseparable. Now you are sidelined. And rubbing salt to your wound, they are given titles equal to yours, by your uncle. When your cousin ascends the throne he make them his advisors. An honour that should have been yours. Any self respecting woman would hate it." Sahir stared into mid distance.

Akshara looked at Riyanka, who whispered, "Sahir owes his promotion to Princess Lathika."

"Poor Princess Lathika! What a pitiful life she had! I would have renounced my princess title in protest, if I were her." Akshara shook her head in mock sympathy.

"Why should she?" Sahir demanded, not noticing the sarcasm. "Those who wronged her should. But they are still here even after their stepfather's death, right next to their stepbrother. No value for blood relations."

Akshara had had enough. It's one thing to hold someone in a high regard. But badmouthing others for no reason... now that's something she couldn't tolerate. "Why must blood relatives be more important? The king wants his step siblings as advisors. It means he must have seen something in them that's lacking in Princess Lathika." 

Riyanka nudged her roughly with her elbow. "What Dr Raghuvanshi meant to say is--"

"I don't know how things were back in your previous workplace, Dr Raghuvanshi." Sahir's friendly attitude evaporated. "But there is a certain order to things here. Try not to speak your opinion so openly."

"Of course, sir. I'd follow your footsteps." Akshara faked a smile, hoping he would drop it.

"You might want to slow down and stay in your lane. There’s a reason protocols exist. Maybe you can start by reorganizing the capacitor shelves. They’re a mess." Sahir assigned her a task.

"Hardware sorting, Sahir? Dr Raghuvanshi is a senior sci--"

"Too advanced for her?"

"Of course not, sir. Would you prefer them arranged alphabetically or by elemental compatibility?" Akshara asked.

"Just the usual way."

Akshara looked genuinely curious. "The system where ‘Class C’ components are stored beside coffee mugs? We should build a new system.”

He huffed at the suggestion. "Just follow orders. You’re not here to change how we do things. You have until tomorrow." The last part sounded more like a warning.

Akshara tilted her head, all politeness. "Absolutely, Dr Sahir. I love following orders." He nodded and walked away. "Especially the ones that make no sense." She muttered under her breath after he walked a few paces.

An unpleasant encounter with a senior coworker was not on her first day bingo card. They had the power to oppress her and jeopardize her career, which had already started judging by the task assigned to her.

"Sorry. He is a year senior to me. I can't override his authority." Riyanka looked apologetic. "You might have to work overtime if you have to finish the task today."

"Not your fault . I had to run my stupid mouth." Akshara smacked the back of her head. "Next time, remind me to keep out of things that don't concern me."

Riyanka looked amused. "I could do that. But something tells me that would be futile."

"Huh?"

"I have a feeling you will be famous in this lab." Riyanka eyed her, amused. "You're too big for people like Sahir to control.

Akshara laughed nervously. She waved at her new coworker and went to the storage area to start the sorting. She worked nonstop occasionally looking at her watch and panicking. But there wasn't a shortcut to her task. It was time consuming.

At around 9 pm when she was minutes away from finishing it off for good, she heard an assistant from night shift call her. "Dr Raghuvanshi, you are needed in the crisis room. Third tower. Main palace."

---***---

The massive hall was quieter than usual. Only a few early arrivals filled the semicircle of chairs before the central holographic map. The air hummed with soft magical resonance, and Adhiraj, seated at the head, reviewing a preliminary report.

A young aide read aloud. "Chemical leak at Velnagar Manufacturing Unit. Reported to be minor. Contained. No fatalities.”

"Then why are we here?" asked a council member. "Sounds like a situation under control."

"It's the protocol. Just to double check. Sorry to have troubled you at this hour." Veda explained. "Looks like no one has any new input." She scanned the faces of those present. Nobody had anything to add that could imply further action was needed.

She glanced at Adhiraj who nodded at the council members. Few of them rose to leave.

"No! Wait!" An urgent voice made them pause.

Heads turned. A few senior advisors exchange glances before taking at look at the owner of the voice.

Akshara stood up. "This can't be right."

There was a murmur. Adhiraj knitted his eyebrows at the young lady. Before her words or even her face could register, his cousin spoke.

"And you are...?" Princess Lathika asked drily.

“Akshara Raghuvanshi, Your Highness. I'm a scientist. I reviewed the exposure data. The instruments used to measure the emission level were calibrated for low-level leaks. They wouldn’t catch a major leak if it hit them in the face.”

"Oh, and how do you know this isn’t just minor overreaction?" A councilwoman asked mockingly.

Adhiraj shook his head. You shouldn't have announced your profession, Miss. They hate your kind.

"Only one way to know. Hear her out." The last sentence was a command.

“Because a wildlife sanctuary ten kilometers away from the gas explosion has reported abnormal symptoms in animals within fifteen minutes of the explosion. That’s doesn't sound like a situation under control.” Akshara projected the data from her device towards the centre of the hall.

A few smirks faded. Fear replaced them.

A moment's pause. Then Adhiraj spoke, quiet but decisive. "Connect me to the site. Right now. "

The aides scrambled. A flicker later, a live feed from the factory appeared. The technicians at the manufacturing plant looked unnerved at the sudden call by their king.

"This is Dr Raghuvanshi. You’ll answer her questions."

Akshara stepped forward and began calmly, asking about readings, effects on surrounding tech. "I will send you simple instructions to determine the severity of the leak. A simple test. You will find the equipment to set this up in your storage itself. It will hardly take five minutes." She sent them step by step instructions. "Once you are done, ignite it. If the flame is blue you are out of danger. If it is red, then we are looking at a serious poisoning. And don't remove masks. Protect yourselves." Her tone was firm but compassionate.

The on site technicians dispersed to set up the equipment for the test while the council waited.

"You don't look very experienced." Lathika addressed Akshara.

"I have been working in this field for two years, Your Highness."

"Some nerve you have got there, Dr Raghuvanshi. A newbie challenging data from a royal report has never happened before."

"Does the duration of her career matter?" Veda spared Akshara the pain of answering. "Her intellect can save us from a potential disaster. I'd choose the embarrassment of a newbie correcting us over an entire district getting poisoned anyday."

"She better be correct then." Lathika smiled at Veda. "For your career's sake, dear." She addressed Akshara again

"I pray that I am wrong, Your Highness. For the sake of all the lives at stake." Akshara replied.

Adhiraj whipped his neck towards her. He knitted his eyebrows. The gravity of the situation didn't let him observe this young scientist. But, in that moment, she stood out.

"It's red!" Someone pulled him out of his train of thoughts. "Dr Raghuvanshi, you are right." A technician on the call yelled. "Also the air is getting denser. It's like a fog. The poison seems to be spreading."

"Evacuate the area. And begin containment protocols. The real ones." Adhiraj instructed Veda. "A site visit. Gather the personnel needed and assemble at the base. We leave in ten minutes."

Everyone else stood up to leave. Akshara followed the suit.

"Dr Raghuvanshi, where are you going?"

"Sir?"

"You are coming with us. We need you." Adhiraj left no room for discussion.

---***---

Enjoy your pre parenting days to the fullest, fellas. Once you have kids you are always on the verge of banging your head against the nearest wall.

I will return with a new chapter, if this little hurricane gives me some breathing space.