⋊DREAMS⋉

'Where the hell were you?'

Vikram winced when Kedav opened the door to find Atrap standing in the doorway. And made it much worse to think of Atrap's point of view, where Vikram had a bandage on his chin and Kedav a bandage above his eye. Signs of bruises lingered on the outer part of the bruise, and Vikram was wearing a suit along with Kedav, who wore a chef's attire. 

'Let's just save that for later.' Half-groaned Kedav as he walked in and disappeared in his room. Atrap didn't stop him, but instead, turned to Vikram, who had no energy to escape into the other room. 

Atrap was a big man, with specks of a beard and short brown hair. He wore a skin-tight t-shirt, which showed his well-built biceps. He wasn't a buff man, and definitely unlike the short and slim Kedav. But despite showing obvious strength, he was more of an intelligent man, who had increasing knowledge about history. He was in love with books and stories, and always looked to the knowledgeable part of things.

So it was safe to say, using the facts, there was nothing knowledgeable in what Vikram and Kedav had done. 

'Do I seriously need to repeat my question?' Asked Atrap, this time more calmly, to Vikram's joy. A raged Atrap was never a good situation. 

Vikram sighed. 'As much as I hate to say this, I agree with Kedav. Save it for tomorrow. I'm beat.' He glanced at his watch, which read nine forty-five. He sat on the couch, immediately leaning back in exhaustion. They had received more money from the President in their service, and were being called to the Rashtrapati Bhavan two days later in honor of their service. Though Vikram didn't see what good he had accomplished except for revealing where the shooter was and getting punched hard. Though the former was crucial.

They hadn't told the President that they were fakes. But Vikram felt that they already knew. Obviously, judging from the fact that they were teenagers.

'Ok then.' Said Atrap who sat down next to him. 'Then tell me-' He picked up the old, tattered book Vikram had been seeing about earlier. 'What this is?'

Vikram frowned as he gazed lazily at the book. Then turned away in understanding. Atrap took classes in Sankrit, and was a natural lover of it. Vikram didn't think twice about why he was interested in it.

'I don't know. It showed up in the mail today, with a note.' Said Vikram. 'The note said: The right way does not always seem clear. It was one of the ominous quotes that I suspected was from an ad poster, but it didn't say anything except for that.'

Atrap frowned then flipped- not too hurriedly- through the book. 'This can't be an ad. It's old Sanskrit. With bits of Prakrit in it.' His frown deepened. 'And the cover suggests that this was quite old.' He looked at Vikram. 'I think we should get this checked out in the library.'

Vikram nodded, eyes closed, much too tired to argue. All he wanted was some sleep. Atrap left him, and he gladly fell asleep on the couch. 

Waking in a dazed state, Vikram glanced around, frowning. The air felt.. weird.. wrong, almost. He woke up to unfamiliar surroundings, with the walls made of a blue, powdery substance. There were glowing blue crystals in the walls, the ceiling a few feet above Vikram's head. He realized he was in a narrow passageway. 

On the inside, Vikram felt.. disoriented. He wore his clothes from the night before, but it just felt as though what he was experiencing, where he was, wasn't real.

Nevertheless, he followed the passage as the glowing blue crystals led him. A few twists and turns, and slowly he ended up walking into an opening, where he could see a much larger space. Going through the makeshift doorway, Vikram gasped as he took in the sight in front of him.

It was a much larger version of the passage, with the powdery substance everywhere along with the crystals. In the center, stood a single spire, made of the same blue powder with crystals in it. The spire seemed to glow more than the rest of the crystals, throbbing. As Vikram neared the spire, his head began to hurt a little. Flashes occurred, and he winced, pulling back. The flashes became rapid and sudden, hurting his mind.

A sudden spiral of images flashes in his mind, he saw.. memories. Images of what had happened, but not to Vikram's knowledge. He had never seen nor experienced these memories, yet it all came to him in a sort of familiar way. He reached his hand out to the spire, reluctantly. The spiral of memories began to flash faster, but Vikram moved his hand more forward. If only he could-

'Ah. That's for later.'

Vikram froze and turned. Before him, stood a man in his late thirties. He wore a sleek black suit, and had pupils darker than shadows. His midnight-black hair was neatly brushed, and he had a roughish handsomeness. Vikram automatically disliked him, figuring he was a much prouder version of Kedav. He smiled as if he knew everything Vikram was hiding, and his eyes glistened, as though he knew exactly what Vikram was thinking. It freaked him out a little, and with that thought came a little conclusion to the fact that the person standing right in front of him was slightly mad.

Indeed, as he began to gaze at his eyes, he realized they were half-crazed, with a tinge of madness. As though a man was hanging from a cliff, but finding no reason to hold on.

Vikram wanted to ask a million questions. Who was he? Where were they? What was going on?

Instead, he said: 'You don't have a reason to live, do you?'

To his satisfaction, the man recoiled a little from the question. As though he had met someone for the first time who could meet his arrogance. But he slowly regained his composure. 'You can catch up well. As for the answer to your question, yes. I find it useless to live anymore. The only reason I stay around is because of what I long for. Satisfaction. Perfection. Things mankind has deemed: unattainable. I simple want to achieve the impossible. Because there was nothing else left for me to achieve.'

Vikram frowned. 'And how do you plan to achieve the impossible?' For some reason, he felt an odd ambition to challenge the other man.

Though nothing changed physically, it seemed as though his smile deepened. 'I cannot reveal anything yet. But I will tell you one thing. Be prepared. A lot is going to happen. And I have a feeling events that even I cannot foresee are bound to occur. You will play a key part. I do hope you succeed.'

It seemed like a closing note. Vikram looked around, starting to feel dizzy. His head began to spin, and the world began to dissolve. He caught the man still smiling at him.

'And if you do succeed, that will be my ultimate satisfaction.'

An image burned itself into his mind. The man dissolved, and the last thing he saw before everything turned black was a man sitting on a throne, atop a pile of skulls on fire. He got a close look at the face, and screamed.

For he sat on the throne, laughing hysterically.