When Aryan… was lost in his thoughts, Mayra—who had been watching him curiously just moments ago—was already gone. And by the time Aryan came out of the alleys of his imagination, he realized… Mayra had already left.
Aryan rushed down the corridor to catch a glimpse of her, hoping to meet her once more… but she wasn't there.
Seeing this, Rahul teased him—
"Who are you searching for in such a hurry?"
But Aryan didn't reply. He just walked away.
Inside the hostel, a flickering tube-light buzzed dimly.
Aryan lay silently on his bed, staring at the ceiling. There was no sleep in his eyes—only the burning fire of old wounds.
Just then, a voice came from the next bed.
Rahul turned to him and joked—
"Oi Shergill! You solving math problems on the ceiling or what? Let me sleep, or I'll smother you with this pillow!"
Aryan stayed quiet.
Rahul laughed out loud—
"Ha ha ha ha… Tell me honestly, have you already fallen for some Delhi girl? Your face looks like you're drowning in debt since the first night itself."
Aryan exhaled lightly.
"Go to sleep, Rahul… stop your nonsense."
Rahul immediately jumped onto his bed.
"No way! Not until you spill your secret. Otherwise, I'll sit on your chest and sing Hanuman Chalisa all night. You know my voice… the entire building will wake up."
Aryan glared at him.
"Swear to God… if you don't shut up, I'll make you count your teeth till morning."
Rahul burst into laughter.
"Now that's what I wanted! That anger on your face. Otherwise, you looked like you came straight out of a saas-bahu serial."
Aryan threw a pillow straight at his face. The two wrestled with pillows for a while before Rahul collapsed back on his own bed, exhausted.
Rahul (mumbling half-asleep):
"Alright, fine… tomorrow we'll hear your Shergiri dialogues… let me sleep now."
Aryan turned to the window, staring at the night sky. A faint smile appeared on his lips, but the depth in his eyes remained. Slowly, both drifted to sleep.
---
Some time later… Aryan, now deep in sleep, was dragged back into his darkest memory—his childhood.
A boy of barely ten or eleven, surrounded by towering flames. Smoke so thick that even his face and hands vanished within it. Every breath stuck in his throat as he coughed and cried, his little eyes filled only with fear and helplessness.
Around him—screams, chaos, death. Corpses scattered, blood everywhere. Heads severed from bodies. The sound of swords clashing with gunfire thundered in the air—
as if the whole world was ending at that very moment.
The boy collapsed on his knees, his body trembling, breath breaking apart. Suddenly, through the fire… a woman appeared. Her royal attire revealed she belonged to a noble house, but her eyes held only one thing—desperation to save her son.
She pushed through the flames, stretching out her hand, and screamed—
"Aryan! Son, this way…!"
At that very moment, a spark of hope lit the boy's terrified face. Yes—this boy was Aryan. His tiny, trembling hand reached out toward his mother.
But then—
a gunshot ripped through the chaos.
Aryan's eyes widened in terror. With one last effort, he stretched out both his arms and screamed—
"Mother…!!"
His cry drowned in the fire and smoke. The world fell silent, filled only with the echoes of his brothers' bloodied corpses and his mother's screams.
And then—deadly silence.
Aryan shot up from his sleep, his body drenched in sweat, breathing harshly, trembling violently. His eyes were wet, as though he had just returned from a burning hell.
The images replayed endlessly in his mind—his brothers' mutilated bodies, his mother's dying cries. It wasn't just a nightmare. It was truth etched into his veins… a past that refused to release him.
Tears streamed down his eyes. He covered his face with his hands, whispering through trembling lips—
"Why… why does the same nightmare burn me to ashes every night? Mother's cries… my brothers' corpses… that gunshot… Even if I want to forget, I can't."
His fists clenched tight. The tears in his eyes began to harden into fury.
"This is my past… and it will never let me live in peace. Not until I find out who poisoned me, who stole my world… I will never rest."
He rose from his bed, glaring into the night through the window. The darkness outside was deep, but his eyes burned red within it.
"The one who gave me this pain… I will find him. No matter where he hides. And when I do… only one of us will live."
His voice was low, but so cold that even the air in the room seemed to freeze.
From the depths of his soul, one truth echoed—
"This story isn't ending… it's only beginning."
---
Aryan was still panting, body trembling, sweat dripping down his face. His eyes were bloodshot, like he had just returned from hell.
Rahul stirred from the next bed, rubbing his eyes, and saw Aryan sitting up, breath uneven, face drenched in sweat, haunted.
Rahul rushed to him, his voice low—
"What happened Aryan…? Another nightmare?"
Aryan lowered his head, tears brimming, lips trembling. He said nothing. Just wiped his damp face with his hand.
Rahul put a hand on his shoulder, his voice gentle—
"Brother… I've told you so many times. These are just bad dreams. The past is gone. If you keep holding onto it, it will eat you alive."
Aryan slowly looked at him, his eyes glistening with tears, but burning with anger.
His voice heavy, he said only—
"Some dreams… can never be forgotten, Rahul. Because they're not dreams… they're reality."
The weight of those words silenced Rahul. The room sank deeper into stillness, as if even the nightmare lingered in the air.
Rahul spoke softly again—
"The same dream… again?"
Aryan closed his eyes, as if surrendering. His fingers still trembled.
After a pause, Rahul whispered—
"Your past won't let you live in peace, Aryan. But don't forget… your blood is not ordinary."
Aryan's eyes met his—there it was. The quiet trust of a true friend. The comfort of someone who listened without needing words.
Aryan muttered—
"Sometimes I feel… this will never end."
Rahul's hand pressed firmly on his shoulder. His voice deepened—
"It will end. But only when you embrace the truth within you. The truth… that you were born with."
Aryan stayed silent. The room held only the faint hum of the fan and their heavy breaths. Rahul's face half-hidden in shadows, his eyes carrying secrets he wouldn't reveal.
---
The night passed, and morning arrived.
The moonlight faded into golden rays spilling across the hostel walls.
Aryan still lay asleep, a faint peace on his face—as though Mayra's memory had briefly soothed his wounds.
And then—Rahul's familiar mischief-filled voice broke the silence.
"Oi Aryan… wake up, man! Or are you planning a holiday on your second day of college itself?"
His tone was casual, his face playful—as if the deep, mysterious Rahul of last night had never existed.
Aryan turned to look at him, bewildered. Was this the same Rahul? The one who, in the darkness, had said—
"It will end… but only when you embrace the truth within you."
At night, Rahul seemed like a keeper of secrets.
By morning, he was the mischievous boy pulling him out of bed.
Aryan couldn't help but smile faintly.
Which Rahul was real? The mysterious one in the shadows… or this lighthearted joker in the daylight?
---
"Five minutes more…" Aryan groaned, pulling the blanket over his head.
Rahul laughed.
"Five minutes? You say that every morning. At this rate, your entire semester will be gone in five minutes!"
He grabbed a water bottle and splashed it over Aryan's face.
"Come on! Or your attendance will disappear again. And if the professor catches you, he'll stick an 'ABSENT' label right on your forehead."
Aryan shot up, dripping wet, annoyed—
"Are you insane? Every morning you start this nonsense!"
Rahul grinned mischievously.
"Without you, this hostel would feel empty, brother… my mornings wouldn't be half as fun."
Aryan burst into laughter—
"Ha ha ha! Alright, enough drama. Get ready fast, or we'll be late."
Soon, both of them slung their bags and stepped out of their room. The corridor buzzed with chaos—students rushing, some brushing their teeth while running, others clutching books as they hurried down the stairs.
Aryan and Rahul exchanged a look and smiled.
Another day had begun.
---
But what happens next?
Will Aryan and Rahul face those boys in college once again?
And this time… will Aryan confront them?
To find out, stay tuned to The King of Shadows.
With me: Nitish Chandel