In the afternoon, the three drove around the city, visiting different malls and markets for their monthly shopping. 

“I am really happy that I get to spend time with Mom but still, how come shopping for a single afternoon is more taxing than an S-class mission in foreign territory. Look at Mom. Even at her age, she looks so energetic, as if she could go on the entire day,” Raiden whispered. Lewin quickly shut his mouth and said, “Shhhhh. Don’t you know that all women are experts in the art of shopping and whispering?”

At this point, Mommy Smith said, “Let’s go to the antique market. I have always wanted to have a look.”

“Alright Mom,” they happily agreed.

When the trio reached the antique market, the place was bustling with people, and shouts of haggling filled the air. Since he wasn’t short of money, Raiden decided to splurge for once, and anything that Mom even vaguely liked, was bought without any hesitation. 

While they were examining a flower vase from the Tang dynasty period, suddenly, a ring caught Raiden’s eye. It didn’t have any precious stones, nor did it have any intricate designs, but once he saw it, he couldn’t look away from the ring. Like some of those ancient temples in India which may have been ravaged by the onslaught of time, but the underlying majesty still attracted people, reminding them of a glorious time. There seemed to be a voice calling out to him from within the ring. Raiden took the ring and inspected it, instantly falling in love with it. It was a ring for men, with inscriptions that vaguely resembled a dragon. He decided to buy it and asked the shopkeeper, “Old man, how much for this ring?”

The old shopkeeper, who was smoking without care, took a glance at the ring and said, “Well, that shit ain’t worth much. Give as much as you want and take it.”

Raiden was stumped, not expecting such a reply. Lewin and his Mom also couldn’t find anything good about the ring, but they didn’t persuade him not to buy the ring. Marketing had never been his forte, so he simply put a 100 yuan bill in the old man’s pocket and left.

In the evening, Raiden gathered a lot of absurd things and went into his room, which he shared with Lewin. Lewin, who was working out, looked at him as if he was an idiot.

“What are you looking at, dumbass?” Raiden asked.

With a smirk on his face, Lewin replied, “Admit it brother. You are not meant to have a normal life. See, you already got bored of your corporate life. What now? Trying to find some divine inheritance from the ring? Haha.”

Raiden had dark lines on his face. “I am just cleaning the ring, dammit. I think if it is maintained properly, it would look better,” he said. Without paying any more attention to his idiot brother, Raiden started his experiment. He had seen many Youtube videos and was ready. He dipped the ring in vinegar and waited for some time, after which, he cleaned it with a soft brush. Although the ring looked slightly cleaner than before, it only changed from a rusty colour to the colour of bronze. Raiden thought that something was missing and decided to improvise. He took a jar and filled it with salt water. Then he brought two copper wires and connected it to a battery. Yup, his genius plan was to use electrolysis to remove the impurities. He didn’t know whether it was scientifically correct or not. He had nothing to lose anyways, but his gut said he was right. At that time, he didn’t realise that his trivial experiments for passing time had invited a disaster. He put the ring into the jar and thought of teasing his brother.

“Oi, come here and give me some of your blood. Then this divine artifact would bind to you,” Raiden said to Lewin. 

“Fuck off!! I want nothing to do with your stupid experiments. What a nutcase. I am fully convinced now that you have gone mental.”

“What? You scared now, punk?” Raiden taunted. When Lewin stopped paying him any attention and looked away, he pouted and said, “Fine. Lemme show you how it is done.” 

He took a needle and slightly pricked himself, and mixed 3 drops of his blood into the water. Raiden himself didn’t understand why he was doing all this. He may like to fool around, but he wasn’t as impulsive as today. There seemed to be some higher power affecting his thoughts and guiding him along the steps. He went along just to satisfy his inner thoughts. He dipped his experimental rods into the water and connected the circuit. That is when strangely, the water started churning and became a mini tornado of bloody red colour within the jar. Seeing this, Lewin dropped his dumbbell and sat with his mouth wide open in shock. Raiden was also surprised but he quickly collected himself and gloated, “Unlike someone who resembles a gorilla, I am a genius. As if I could ever be wrong.” Lewin was fuming but he truly didn’t understand what was happening. The tornado subsided and slowly, the water became clear. That’s when they saw a shiny black ring at the bottom. Its shade had turned darker but now, it truly looked like a piece of art and was glowing slightly. Raiden took it out with glee and wore it on his left hand’s ring finger. It may have been his misconception but he felt like the ring adjusted to his finger on its own and fit snugly.

That’s when a voice was heard, “Sigh…..I didn’t expect that after waiting for so many years, the ring found its owner in such a bizarre way. Tut, tut, tut. Fate is truly mysterious.”