THE HIDDEN ANCESTOR

the busy city of Mumbai, there lived a boy named Dev. At first glance, he looked like any other school-going teenager. He attended classes, hung out with his friends, and enjoyed life like every normal boy. But inside him, something powerful was hidden—something ancient and extraordinary. This power wasn’t new. It was passed down through generations in Dev’s family. Only his parents and a few of his ancestors knew about it. It was said that this hidden strength would awaken when the child turned 15. And now, Dev had just celebrated his fifteenth birthday. After that, things started to change. He began having strange dreams—visions of ancient temples, mysterious voices echoing in the dark, and a calling that gave him goosebumps. A deep, eerie voice whispered to him every night: “Dev… the time has come.” His parents knew what these dreams meant. They had been preparing for this day in silence. One evening, they sat Dev down and gave him a serious warning. “No matter what happens,” his mother said, “don’t use your powers. Not yet. And don’t tell anyone.” “But why?” Dev asked, confused and curious. His father looked at him with a heavy expression and said softly, “Because… there are things watching you.” Dev didn’t understand everything, but he nodded. A few days later, Dev’s school was selected to attend a National Study Camp in Punjab. It was a big event where students from across India were invited. Dev was thrilled. It would be his first time traveling far from home. He packed his bags with excitement and boarded the train with his classmates. But during the journey, his bag accidentally got swapped with another boy’s. That boy was Prateek, a student from Delhi who was also going to the same camp. This small mistake became the reason they met and became fast friends. But Prateek… wasn’t ordinary either. When the train reached the camp gates, Prateek received a call. He walked away from the group and spoke quietly on the phone. It was his older brother. He said something that sounded strange: “Don’t use your powers. Especially not on this land.” Dev didn’t hear the call—he had already gone ahead into the camp. Meanwhile, far away in a dark room, someone was watching Dev on a screen. A mysterious man with a crooked smile leaned back in his chair and whispered to himself: “The power has awakened… and this boy doesn’t even know what’s coming.” The camp began the next morning. Students were assigned to rooms. Coincidentally, Dev and Prateek were placed in the same room. Both of them looked a bit uneasy. Maybe they were worried that being together for so many days would expose their secrets to each other. After all, both carried something unusual inside them. What Dev didn’t know was that the mysterious man watching him was named Prithvi. He was the one who had organized the entire camp. Everything was part of his plan. He had felt a surge of power the moment the camp opened—and he knew it came from Dev. He immediately ordered his people, “Keep an eye on that boy. When the time is right, take him to the fort.” That fort was not just any place—it was the old Mughal Fort of Punjab, famous for strange legends. Locals said it was haunted by beings not from this world. Most avoided going near it. Prithvi didn’t tell his men that Dev was the one with the power. He feared that if they found out, they might betray him and take the power for themselves. Prithvi wanted the strength for himself. He wanted to be the most powerful man alive, and no one—not even his own allies—could stand in his way. Back at the camp, Dev felt uneasy. He had a strange feeling that someone else nearby also had powers—maybe even stronger than his own. But he brushed off the thought, thinking, “If there was someone else like me, surely my parents would’ve told me.” Prateek, too, wasn’t feeling right. In all his years, he had never sensed another energy like this. He was smart, though. He thought to himself, “If I don’t use my powers, no one will know who I am. I’ll be safe.” Elsewhere, one of Prithvi’s trusted men, Kartik, had doubts. He sensed that Prithvi was hiding something big. He decided to confront him. When Kartik arrived at Prithvi’s chamber, the room was tense. Prithvi looked up, surprised but calm. He assumed Kartik had good news. But instead, Kartik said: “You’ve never told us the full truth. As your closest friend, I deserve to know—why are we really watching this boy?” Prithvi stayed silent for a moment. Then he replied, carefully choosing his words: “Dev is from far away. His father is my old friend. He asked me to look after his son during the camp. That’s all.” Kartik wasn’t convinced. He frowned. “Do you think I’ll believe that? I know you too well. You’re hiding something from me, Prithvi.” Kartik sighed and added: “I’ve told you many times—stop all this. Live a normal life like me. The reason you're doing all this… it’s long gone. Let it go. Don’t become like your father. He lost everything chasing power, and now you’re doing the same. I’ve broken rules for you before, I’ve saved you from danger—but I can’t do this forever. Accept the truth. Your father is gone. The power you seek… may not even exist anymore. Only you and I are left now.” With that, Kartik walked out, leaving Prithvi deep in thought. The room fell silent. Only the soft hum of the fan echoed through the darkness. To be continued...