Izaan threw a punch at the guy in front of him, but the man quickly caught his hand and twisted it. Izaan cried out in pain.
Before he could react, the group of boys pounced on him. One kicked him hard in the stomach, another slammed his fist into Izaan's face. He tried to protect himself, but they were far stronger.
Punch after punch, kicks, shoves… Izaan kept falling to the ground and trying to get back up, but each time they beat him down more brutally. Pain spread through his entire body—his lip was split, and blood was dripping from his forehead.
Eventually, when they thought Izaan couldn't stand anymore, they turned to Ved. Ved still lay on the ground, barely breathing, too weak to get up.
"Let's go, we've wasted enough time!" one of the thugs said, and the rest followed without protest.
Now, only two people were left on the street—a bloodied Izaan and an almost unconscious Ved.
Izaan groaned in pain, unable to even move. But just then, he heard Ved's voice—
"You haven't changed at all... still the same..."
Izaan looked at him through his blurred vision. Surprisingly, Ved was smiling!
Ved slowly sat up, touched his wounds, and with a light laugh said, "Still the team captain, huh? You always try to do everything alone… and end up getting beaten."
Izaan looked at Ved with tired eyes. His breathing was labored, his body broken—but deep inside, a faint relief washed over him: Ved was alive.
He lay on the ground, staring up at the sky. Cold air touched his wounds, and somewhere far off, a dog barked. Every part of his body ached, but even more disturbing was Ved's laughter echoing in his ears.
Slowly, Izaan turned his head to look at Ved, who was watching him with that same crooked grin. Though Izaan's breaths were heavy, he asked softly—
"So... is it really you, Ved?"
Ved squinted a little, then that familiar mischievous smile returned to his lips.
"You tell me—what do you think?"
Izaan remained silent for a moment. The air had turned colder. His head was pounding, but somewhere in his heart, a tiny sense of peace sparked. He smiled—just a little, but genuinely.
"Yeah... maybe it really is you," he whispered to himself.
And then… his eyes slowly closed.
The next morning, Izaan woke up to find himself at home.
Still dazed, he touched his forehead—there was a light bandage wrapped around it. Pain throbbed through his body, but what startled him more was seeing Ved comfortably sitting on the couch.
Ved was calmly eating toast with butter while the TV played in front of him.
Izaan sat up, shocked. "What are you doing here…? How did you get into my house?"
Ved glanced at him with a slight smile. "Oh, you're awake?"
Then, without turning away from the TV, he popped another bite into his mouth and casually said, "Don't you think you should clean your place a little?"
He gestured toward the mess in the room. Izaan looked around—the whole place was a disaster. Clothes everywhere, books scattered, and half-eaten food still on the table.
He let out a sigh, rubbed his forehead, and asked, "First tell me—how did you get in here?"
Ved, still watching TV, shrugged and nodded toward the door.
Izaan groaned and sighed deeply. "Who gave you my address?"
Ved flashed a sly smile.
Izaan's eyes widened. "Don't tell me… you were following me?"
Ved shrugged innocently.
Izaan slumped into a nearby chair, rubbing his temples. "You brought me here?"
Ved smirked. "No, ghosts did it."
Izaan glared at him. "Ved!"
Ved chuckled. "Yes, I did. You were unconscious. I figured if I left you there, you'd just land in more trouble—so I brought you back."
Izaan looked at him closely. "And? Why didn't you call the police?"
Ved waved a hand dismissively. "Did you forget? We're Shadow Venom."
Izaan's eyes hardened. In a cold voice, he said, "Not we... just you."
Ved's smile faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered and shrugged.
"Oh, so you're out now? That's what you think?"
Izaan stared into Ved's eyes. For a moment, old memories flashed—but he held himself steady.
"I got out a long time ago."
Ved laughed, but this time there was a faint bitterness in it.
Then suddenly, he leaned closer to Izaan, eyes locking onto his, and whispered—
"You can leave Shadow Venom... but Shadow Venom never leaves you."
Izaan's breath caught for a moment, but he quickly turned away.
"I don't care…" he said coldly.
Ved chuckled again and leaned back.
Walking over to the window and looking out, he suddenly said—
"Yug… he's gone."
"Yug?" Izaan froze.
His breath hitched. He stared at Ved, unsure if he had heard correctly.
"You mean—Yugant Singh Rawat? Shadow Venom's president?"
His eyes went wide.
"Gone...? What do you mean?"
Ved glanced at him briefly but said nothing—he just walked out of the room.
Izaan sat frozen, watching him go. And in that moment… memories from ten years ago flooded his mind, when he and Yug were still together…
Ten years ago…
A boy sprinted down the school corridor, racing toward his class. He was panting, his bag hanging from one shoulder, and his shirt half untucked—clearly, he was already late.
Just then, someone called out—
"Hey Izaan…?"
Izaan stopped, panting, and turned around.
Behind him stood his childhood friend, Nirbhay. He had dyed his hair slightly pink, trying to look cool, and leaned against the wall, bag slung over one shoulder.
Nirbhay stepped forward and said, "You're late every day, Izaan. When are you going to change?"
Izaan grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "Never."
He clapped a hand on Nirbhay's shoulder, and the two of them began walking toward the class exit.
"Hey! Izaan and Nirbhay—class isn't over yet! Where do you think you're going?"
They turned around. A teacher stood behind them, adjusting his glasses and glaring.
"S-sir…"
Both boys froze.