The Butcher Strings: Dual Shadows

Echoes in the Mud and The Blind Painter

1513 - Dwarakesh....

[No matter how much the spies searched, they couldn't find a single clue. The king's worry grew day by day.

At last, he made a bold decision - for the sake of his people, he would become a spy himself. Disguised in secret, the king set out to uncover the truth behind the strange events.

To avoid raising suspicion among the people, only one person knew about this - the army commander, Dhristaan. The king was extremely careful to keep his true identity hidden from everyone else...]

next morning with a coffee in my room a knock at the door......

"Finally," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. "The monkey arrives."

who was the best and beaten me in our training the one and only monkey my best companion Krithika whom I was calling from long days for my assistance hoping she can make any difference......

She grinned. "You looked like someone who needed a brain transplant, so I came prepared."

Krithika, the only one I ever trusted in this city of liars. Once my training rival, now my only lifeline.

She tossed a file onto my cluttered desk and started pacing. "I went through every bit of trash you've collected since Day One. You idiot-you missed it on Day Four."

I frowned. "Missed what?"

A very key break through we got that was a photograph that shows a similar crime pattern that we have studied in a case study in our training period which resembles the crime patterns that is the similar evidence that the photograph contains a victim photo after the killing which shows that the all body parts are cut off and removed from the body and kept in mud pots before the victim resembles a person sat for a lunch or a dinner and having a full meals which was hard to describe those.....

My stomach turned......

"This," she whispered, "this matches a case study we read during training. Eighteenth century. Same postures. Same pots. Same meal setting."

Goosebumps danced on my skin. The photo wasn't just grotesque. It was a signature. A message written in blood and bones. We saw at present killings that was found in earlier 18th century similar cases.....

we tried to go through those cases to understand the present crime scene.....sleep is becoming the biggest dream for me due to this and dreams in sleep.......

1513 - Dwarakesh.....

[The king, moved silently under the moon's gaze, now a spy among his own people. Disguised in coarse robes, he wandered the outskirts of the capital. No guards. No horses. Only his instincts - but found nothing.......

Then one day, he came across a painter.......his brush dancing across the canvas with eerie grace....

Just an ordinary painter... or so it seemed. But something strange caught the king's eye - the painter had no sight. He was blind......

"You... you can't see?" the king asked, lowering his voice.....

"I see more than those who do," the painter whispered, not lifting his gaze. "I paint what I feel... what I'm shown inside."

That sight alone surprised the king. Curious, the king approached the painter and started a conversation......

The king was intrigued by the paintings - especially one mysterious picture. It showed a person in a mask. Something about it felt suspicious. The king sensed a hidden clue, so he took the painting and left.

For some reason, the king felt he had to uncover the truth behind it.....

One night, in a small village, he saw someone wearing the exact same mask. His instincts kicked in, and he began to secretly follow the masked figure.

After a while, the person sneaked into a house, behaving like a thief. The king rushed forward and quickly removed the mask...]

Who was behind the mask.....? How the story takes next turn let's make it in the next chapter.....