"Great to see you, Aavin," said Vaibhav. A faint yet mysterious smile was spread across his lips.

Although utter silence was maintained on Mayank's part, the hunger for a way out of the intricate maze was blazing in his eyes. It was certain that the leader could sense it, for the grin on his face grew wider.

"You have been outstandingly patient, young man." He continued, knowing that it was pointless to await a response. "Now I would be testing it again. For the final time, hopefully."

"Ah, don't worry!" Vaibhav added hastily as the all-rounder's limbs displayed quick sparks of fury. "I'm not going to assign you another mission. That part is done and dusted. Just sit calmly and listen to the story of my life. I promise your time will not go to waste."

Mayank sank back to his chair. The fire in his eyes nevertheless refused to fade away.

"Let me begin where it all began," said Vaibhav as he abandoned his seat and walked toward the window. Although total darkness prevailed, his gaze rested on the silent yard.

"I was born to a poor farmer and his fragile wife as a pleasant surprise. Everyone thought my mother was barren. My father was, in fact, considering the villagers' advice that he should drive away this accursed woman. She was all set to put an end to her life, but God had other plans.

"After nine long months of anticipation, I finally filled the lap of my parents. A healthy child after a long wait. A boy."

Vaibhav chuckled. "I can barely picture their joyous faces."

"I'm sure you can guess that they spoiled me with their boundless affection." He carried on, following a brief pause. "They turned a blind eye to all my faults. The complaints of the villagers fell on deaf ears; my parents were too dazzled by my mere existence. Days after days went by, and I continued to go further astray. All the attempts at educating me went in vain."

Mayank seemed to be immersed in the story; his eyes were no longer burning.

"My offenses grew graver each day, but I roamed around without a care in the world. Years after years passed, and one day... I heard that my mother was going to give birth again.

"What do you think my reaction was? I am sure you are guessing that I was afraid of losing my throne. Would you believe me if I said that I wasn't? Oh, how fascinating the news was to me! I had always dreamt of having a little sister. And there I was, standing just a few months away from...

"I spent countless nights with my ear against my mother's belly, trying to hear what the little one had to say. At times, I used to insist that I had heard a few words. My parents always laughed at my desperation.

"Not much was left of my mother after I was born, and her second pregnancy continued to drain the last bit of her. Finally, the day came. Our house was once again filled with the cries of a new life. But this time, it was in the company of the wails of the grown-ups, as that was the sad end of my wee mother. I sat numbly against a wall with my screaming brother in my arms. I remember one more thing. I didn't cry. Not even a bit. Not until a couple of days had passed."

Mayank could sense a mild yet curious pull in his heart.

"Despite the fact that I deeply loved my mother, the wound eventually faded," continued Vaibhav. "My brother became my entire world. There was hardly a thing that I would not do for him. He was just as fond of me as I was of him. Our dominion stretched across villages. People were tired of our mischiefs, but we could not bother less."

The all-rounder shifted in his seat. Something in him insisted that he was not ready for what was about to follow.

Vaibhav carried on nevertheless. "Ah, those merry days were not meant to last! My father let me go astray, but he could not do the same to my brother. I should have known he was up to something the day he took him to 'see a relative'. I was asked to stay back and watch over the house. I had enough reasons to be suspicious, including the bag that he was carrying, but I did not argue for too long. When he returned alone in the afternoon, I realized that I should have."

The reprobate let out a massive sigh. "He left my brother behind with the relative, or whoever it was. I remember yelling at the top of my lungs. I broke things. I banged my head against the door frame. But my father was not to relent. He had made up his mind." Vaibhav shook his head. "My brother was taken away from me. He was taken away so that he could have a good education and better company."

A moment of silence followed.

"He did come back for a brief visit about a year later, but it was not the same boy who had left. He had changed, and more importantly, he had changed his preferences. He was no longer the boy who would cling to me night and day. I was a bad influence, and it was the last thing he desired.

"It did not take long for me to figure that out. I was furious at first, but soon I convinced myself to let go of the dream of bringing the golden days back. It was for my brother's own good. He had a decent future ahead of him. For me, it was too late; I was damaged beyond repair."

Vaibhav let out a deep sigh once again. The all-rounder wondered how many seas of sighs the felon held in him. Were they bluer than his?

"Days came and went. My brother now lived in a faraway city, studying and running toward brighter days while my gang and I haunted unsuspecting villagers, diving deeper and deeper into darkness every day. Five more years. I had a daughter whom I never deserved. Not long after that, her mother left us for another man, for which I cannot fully blame her."

Although Mayank was not aware, his fist was clenched.

"And my daughter... She was taken away by my brother. He had mercy on her; he could not leave an innocent life in my stained hands. I don't blame him either. I blame no one but myself."

No one halted the march of silence for the next few minutes.

"Why did you tell me all these?" asked Mayank in a mechanical fashion. "What has it got to do with anything that concerns me?"

"It has got everything to do with you, Aavin."

The all-rounder raised an eyebrow as he led his stare toward his companion. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I lost everything, Aavin. Everyone and everything."

"You have your minions."

"I would not deny that. We have another story there."

"How many stories have you got?"

"Countless. But most are as insignificant as my pathetic existence."

Mayank smirked. "Not quite proud of yourself, are you?"

The gesture was reciprocated. "What do you think? The last droplet of pride left my soul the next time I saw my brother. Prior to that, he had never said a word to my face. But this time, he did. He no longer hid how much he hated me, how much he hated the fact that my daughter would never get to catch a glimpse of her parents, and how much he hated that I was doomed for good. He wasn't wrong. I never saw him again. He spat on my foot, but it was my soul that bore the trace forever."

Vaibhav turned around and walked back to his seat. His eyes retired behind the lids as he continued in a voice marked by exhaustion. "For months, I refused to step out of my yard. My men had no reason to stay loyal. They left me to join the gang of my worst enemies. Only two of them stayed back. I don't know why."

"It's not that I wanted them to stay. Or perhaps I did. I do not know," he added. "All I know is that they somehow pulled me out of the cave I flung myself into. In a year, we were back to business. Well, we weren't half as notorious as before; we only did what it took to keep our body and soul together."

"That's why I never saw anyone else. Your tall one did provide me with a hint the other day," commented Mayank.

Vaibhav nodded.

"But I am still looking for my answer."

The leader opened his eyes and leaned toward Mayank. "Concerning why I made you listen to my dumb history? Oh, yes. Let me get to that part."

"Make it fast. I have forever, but I don't want to spend much of it here."

For a moment, Vaibhav held the all-rounder's eyes under his lifeless glare. "You are welcome to join me, Aavin. But before that, I want you to think about it."

"Think about what?"

"Think about what this path did to my life. Think about what it can do to yours."

Mayank chortled. "Life? Does it even matter anymore?"

Wild desperation conquered the leader's limbs. "Mine? Perhaps not. Yours? Definitely. I have been in a nasty world for too long, Aavin. You can't fool me. You are strong, passionate, and unbeatable to a fair extent, but... you do not belong here. Yes, I am ready to welcome you with open arms, but I would still say that you were never meant to be here. Yes, you want to be here, but you shouldn't."

Mayank's eyes went cold. "You... you have lost your mind."

"I lost it long ago. I am only trying to stop you from losing yours. Think, Aavin, think. Your life is for far greater things. Don't let it succumb to darkness. For the sake of your brother, if not yourself."

The all-rounder abandoned his seat at once. "So why are you telling me all these now?" He howled. "Why did you send me to all those stupid missions?"

"Because I thought you would fail! I thought you would fail and leave on your own."

"What?"

Vaibhav got up and turned around. "It was all staged."

"Staged?"

"Yes. Each and everything. Except for the time when my boys wanted to take the matter into their own hands. That's because they figured out by then that you are too good to be stopped like this."

"Why do they hate me so much?"

A somber Vaibhav faced the all-rounder once again. "They have been with me through thick and thin while the rest of their mates betrayed us. It is only natural that they would not allow anyone to rise to their spot so easily."

"It makes no sense! If you did not want me to join, then you should have simply asked me to leave."

"That's the difficult part, Aavin." A meager grin pushed its way through the crowd of melancholy on Vaibhav's face. "Because somewhere deep inside, I want you to stay. Every time I sent you on a mission, I wanted you to fail, but at the same time, something in my mind made me crave the sight of a proud face. Something in my heart told me I would hate to see you lose."

Mayank raised an eyebrow. "Hold on a second there. You want me to stay or not?"

"Maybe I do want you to stay, but it's a wish that should better be left unfulfilled. Of course, despite everything, you can choose to ruin your life and that of your brother. But let me tell you one thing: It would make you taste death twice. You will die for the first time when you realize what you have done, and sooner or later, your body will follow the lead."

Vaibhav stood under Mayank's flummoxed glare for a couple of moments. Following a brief, pointless survey of the surroundings with his feet frozen against the ground, the all-rounder threw his hand up to his head and arrested an unfortunate tuft of hair. He spoke no more; with eyes red from rage and disorientation, he burst out of the place.

In no time, he was standing in his allotted room, but the little trouble was nowhere to be seen.

"Why, you cheeky rat!" he bellowed. "Where the hell are you hiding?"

There was no response. A minute went by, letting him know that he was waiting in vain. "The second time I see you," he muttered under his breath. "It would be in hell."

He walked to the bed and flung himself roughly on the recently replaced surface. His limbs were, at once, too heavy. He placed his hands against his closed eyes in a futile attempt to block out the carousel of daring emotions that seemed to surround him. A million voices challenged his ears while he found himself stranded amidst arcane compositions, where no more than three gracious words agreed to ring a bell.

Life. Brother. Regret. 

Mayank wished to let out a thunderous scream, and then another, and then another, till his mouth was blessed with the saline taste of blood. Not a single groan, however, escaped his throat.

The battle went on until the warrior was seized by slumber.