Chapter 13

  Sevavann

  Part Two

  “Is this your home?” Manya said. Just like the rest of the land, water is an essential element of his mansion. At the corners, there were sphere structures floating, connected to the centre by a semi-transparent path adorned with intricate frames. In the middle, there was a perfect blend of natural curves and see-through surfaces and a breathtaking panorama of a bustling city and endless ocean behind it.

  “Yes,” Vidyut said.

  The interior of the mansion looked undeniably futuristic, but to the regular inhabitants, it appeared ordinary. Reaching the entrance, her shoes clung to the floor, forcing her barefoot. It was the norm there. A norm she admired.

  ‘Welcome back, Sir Vidyut,’ a butler by the door greeted with a warm smile. ‘Evening, Ms. Marina.’

  “Guts to be in my sight? Move away you, obsolete junk,” Marina said. Her friends also treated him with coldness and rudeness.

  ‘Evening, Ms. Ira.’

  When she extended her arm for a handshake, it startled everyone; even the butler himself. It took him a few seconds to return the favour.

  “Good evening, to you too,” she said. What bewildered the butler was the firm grip of Manya’s handshake that refused to let go. “Your name?”

  “He’s Alok,” Vidyut joined them. “Alok, are the preparations for our esteemed guest done?”

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  “He’ll show you to your room. We’ll leave at 7 pm.”

  Entering the mansion, everyone except Alok vanished into several paths. They came from wherever they went, could be tired to bones, but one should at least offer water or a tour to their guest.

  Alok ushered her into a room that exuded richness and a sleek design. It had all the latest technological amenities according to him, such as walls that could turn into mirrors or displays, a high-tech TV. Beds with advanced features. The mattresses were created with the goal of providing maximum comfort by adjusting to personal preferences and room temperature.

  Alok took the effort to explain the room’s control system to her, and what intrigued her the most was the cloud setting. With a few taps on the flying controller, the mattress softened to an extreme level of comfort, and the room’s walls displayed a beautiful, realistic view of the sky filled with fluffy clouds and a bottomless sky. Shivering her core, as it wasn’t long before she had experienced a familiar view in reality.

  It brought up the thoughts of Ira, trapped in a prison, begging the officials for food. If not for Marina’s deep love for angels, or freedom to talk about them in public, Manya would have crashed into the prison to save Ira. Unlike her, the crowd here doesn’t seem to hate angels to the same extent.

  To calm her curiosity, she said. “Alok, human or not?”

  With sadness, he shook his head. Manya halted her motive of delivering an empowering speech to him, appreciating his current state of happiness. And to prevent a war between AIs and humans.

  “Alok.”

  ‘Yes, Ms. Ira.’

  “Thank you.”

  ‘It is truly my pleasure to be of service.’

  After a refreshing long shower and spa, she leaped onto her plush cloud-like bed. Recognising that the room had everything necessary for comfortable living. “One could live here forever without ever leaving.”

  She had come to terms with the fact that surveillance cameras were everywhere, always aware of her actions and words like a reality show.

  Even Ira knew nothing about her and Atharv. Now she had to take part in the Pre-Initiation Day event belongs to unranked, which she never applied for. She doubted that gaining information about Atharv would be possible living as a native unless she had money to hire help.

  “Should ask Vidyut for a job at any detective agency or police station… What if I become a ranker?” She stretched to confirm the mattress beneath her. “Krishna, no more mission.”

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  ***

  Waking up, her hand looked for a clock, but only found a soft mattress around. She jolted up and sighed. Relieved to be in a familiar place. A tiny cloud approached her. It transformed into a glass filled with a liquid that resembled water, though slightly thicker.

  “What’s this?” she said.

  ‘Prashjal,’ a male voice announced. ‘It contains natural herbs and minerals which are meticulously engineered to stabilise the body’s internal equilibrium.’

  With each sip, taste aromatic herbs enveloped her tongue. A shiver of calmness coursed through her veins, allowing her mind to relax and the never-ending mental noise to fade away.

  “I have to learn the recipe,” she said.

  With a knock, a screen appeared beside her, showing a live feed of the door. It was Alok, standing with an alert stance. She pressed the option, which clearly stated, “Unlock the door.”

  ‘Good evening, Ms. Ira,’ Alok said. ‘I am here to escort you to the dressing room.’

  Her eyes searched for a clock. “What time is it?”

  ‘It’s 6:00 PM, Ms.’

  She jumped off the bed. “Are you kidding? How can I, in an hour?”

  ‘I have arranged the dressing room and the servants are ready to assist you.’

  She had imagined her room transforming into a dressing room, but it remained nothing more than a figment of her imagination. Instead, Alok led her to a bigger, empty room. When she moved to the middle, a set of sensor mirrors surrounded her.

  Swift and efficient, a dozen maids entered the room, their footsteps echoing softly on the polished floor. Behind her, a chair materialised, offering her a comfortable fabric to sit.

  The maids were all… young. Since she had entered this planet, every person has flawless skin. And they weren’t using makeup. All had a messy bun with bangs and wearing a sleek black bodysuit with matching skirt, with faint white lines glowing along its surface. Paired with black slip-ons.

  A black shiny layer appeared around Manya; hiding her body below the neck.

  ‘Please close your eyes,’ a maid said.

  There wasn’t any touch, just some faint sensations all over her body. Her body went through a constant shift of temperatures, as if someone was blowing hot and cold air against her skin. She grappled with the challenge of suppressing her sexual urges amidst the skilled attention. Taking a peek, the maids were tracing their glowing tip fingers over the black layer in a pattern. They all looked like engineers working on an unfinished product. She took a deep breath. Ok, there’s a road of pizzas and… and Happy is walking all over them. She sighed.

  ‘It’s done,’ a cute female kid’s voice said. She doubted that Vidyut was indulging in child labour. But as soon as she opened her eyes, “Woah!” she was surprised by the sight of the middle-aged woman. Scam!

  She looked around the room and found it to be empty except for the middle-aged woman wearing off shoulder white bodycon. Before she could inquire about the sudden emptiness, a flurry of young maids entered the room, wearing a sleek white bodysuit with a matching skirt, with faint black lines glowing along its surface and white slip-ons. And same messy bun with bangs; but white hair.

  The bodycon woman instructed her to stand and wear two white circles over her eyes. Manya hesitated, but upon feeling the softness of the circles, she couldn’t resist but to obey. It began massaging her eyes with gentle, cold rubs, focusing on the softest ones in the middle.

  Panic coursed through her when she touched her thigh, and there was no fabric. With no idea on how to remove those white circles on her eyes. She extended her arms and sighed after feeling the surface of the privacy layer around her.

  ‘You can open your eyes,’ same cute girl voice.

  The world before her sparkled as she slowly opened her eyes, “What the fu…?” but the person standing there made her flinch few inches. There wasn’t some middle-aged woman, but a cute girl, worthy of such a voice. “What kind of trick is this? Sorry baby, I said those words in the moment of surprise.” With a heartfelt smile, the girl exited the room.

  The mirror circled her, granting the flawless vision to complement her outfit. The maids had dressed her in a stunning black saree that stressed her figure; with a glimmer in its every fabric. A beautiful diamond pendant necklace with a layer of silver and matching earrings. A diamond bracelet adorned her wrist, and her feet slipped into elegant black ankle-strap heels.

  For the final touch, her makeup was expertly done—sheer foundation, neutral eyeshadows that enhanced her eyes, well-defined lashes, a soft blush for a healthy glow, shimmering lip colour, and a hint of highlighter for a radiant finish. To ensure everything stayed in place, a dewy finish spray was applied. The result was a truly captivating and glamorous look. And she still had 15 minutes left to 7 PM.

  “So, this is how they are going to take over the world? Won’t be a surprise. He was right. We aren’t ready for this.”

  Wrapped in a beautiful attire, and not a single person to take photos. Atharv would have showered her with flashes and newer poses.

  ‘Ms. Ira,’ Alok said. She turned to him. ‘It’s time. Master Vidyut is waiting downstairs with Ms. Marina and her friends.’

  The moment she neared the stairs, every gaze present in the lobby fixated on her. Most eyes held admiration and compliments, but Marina’s gaze was filled with nothing but contempt.

  This experience brought to mind an old phrase she had heard from Atharv. “Woman is woman’s true enemy”. A phrase she used to resent in the past, but now struggled with its accuracy.

  Descending the stairs, she now understood why maids wrapped her in a saree. Vidyut was dressed in a sleek navy-blue suit, whereas Marina and lackeys were symbolising lust.

  Vidyut held Manya’s hand and pressed a kiss to its back. She took a deep breath, mustering up the courage to accept the gesture gracefully, reminding herself that it was a simple act of kindness. Vidyut reached out to hold her arm, but as he met her stern gaze, he quickly pulled back.

  Leaving the house, a magnificent night sky greeted her, painted with countless stars that illuminated the darkness. Same as Earth.

  Grateful for Alok’s help, she expressed her thanks and accepted Vidyut’s invitation to sit in the front seat beside him. Perfect to avoid Marina and her two companions. As she waved goodbye to Alok, a smile played on his lips.

  The car’s engine roared to life, its powerful sound reverberating through the air, and to her astonishment, it lifted off the ground, ascending vertically until it was level with the road. She admired how roads aren’t visible from beneath. This brilliant idea was logical because having a network of roads in the sky would obstruct the beautiful view from the ground.