chapter 1
The wind was colder than usual tonight.
The kind of cold that didn’t just settle on your skin—it seeped into your bones, settled behind your ribcage, and stirred the ghosts you thought you’d buried.
Kashish stood on the rooftop of an abandoned apartment building, her arms crossed, hair pulled back into a loose braid that swayed in the breeze. Below, the city hummed with life—cars honking, people arguing, neon signs flickering like weak hearts still beating.
But up here, it was silent. Too silent.
She hadn’t blinked since the message had been sent. Her fingers tapped rhythmically against her sleeve, betraying a restlessness she didn’t dare name. Her eyes were fixed on a single warehouse barely visible in the distance, tucked away behind old factories and forgotten alleys.
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
He heard it.
That voice message wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t even a warning. It was a test.
And if she knew Shivaay Singh Rathore as well as she once had—he wouldn’t sleep tonight. Not after hearing her name in that voice.
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
Shivaay
Even silently thinking it felt like pulling at an old wound.
He had always been sharp—ruthless even—but to her, once upon a time, he was warmth hidden in storm clouds. She knew what he was capable of, had seen it with her own eyes. And yet, a part of her had foolishly hoped that she could send that message without feeling anything.
A soft shuffle of footsteps behind her didn’t startle her. She had sensed Riya’s presence before the girl had even reached the stairs.
Riya kashvat ( assistant)
Usne sun liya.” (He heard it.)
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
“Main jaanti hoon.” (I know.)
The younger girl stepped closer, her boots crunching on shattered pieces of glass.
Riya kashvat ( assistant)
You okay?
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
Does it matter?
Riya kashvat ( assistant)
(Hesitate) What now?
Kashish finally turned, the moonlight catching her sharp jawline and unreadable eyes.
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
Now… we see how much he remembers.
Riya kashvat ( assistant)
“Aur agar kuch bhi yaad nahi aaya toh?” (And what if he doesn’t remember anything?)
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
Then I’ll remind him.
Her words weren’t loud, but they carried weight—like the edge of a knife.
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the wind’s low howl. Riya watched her cautiously.
Riya kashvat ( assistant)
You’re playing with fire, Kashish
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
Kashish’s lips curved into a bitter smile. “Main aag hoon, Riya. Aag se khelne waale jal jaate hain.” (I am the fire, Riya. The ones who play with fire... they burn.)
Riya looked down, unsure whether to be scared or in awe. Kashish had always had that effect. She wasn’t someone you understood—you just learned how to survive around her.
Riya kashvat ( assistant)
He’ll come looking for you
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
I’m counting on it (eyes narrow) Let him come. Let him bring all his questions and anger and hatred. Because the moment he looks into my eyes…
She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper laced with pain.
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
“Mujhe uski aankhon mein dekhna hai, Riya… dekhna hai ki kya usmein ab bhi kuch bacha hai—jo mujhe pehchaan sake.”
(I need to look into his eyes, Riya... to see if there’s still something left in him that can recognize me.)
Riya said nothing. What could she say? She hadn’t been there when the past had burned everything to ashes. She only knew what Kashish had told her—and that was barely a fraction.
Riya kashvat ( assistant)
What if there isn’t?
Kashish stared into the dark, her voice turning to steel.
Kashish Rajawat/AAGYA (FL)
“Toh main usse yaad dilaaungi.”
(Then I’ll remind him.)
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