Akul shot up from the bed, wide awake; he thought to himself, "Why do I keep having weird nightmares about sages and war". "Awakening of an ancient power sounds exactly like the kind of bullshit my hyperactive imagination can concoct" He scoffed while thinking of this. He closed his eyes to gather his thoughts Akul opened his eyes slowly to the faint whispers of two people. He got out of bed and walked towards the whispers. When he got closer he found his mother and Maruti arguing with each other. "You must understand didi, It's time he knows what he is meant for", whispered a childlike voice in a serious tone. "No, He isn't", whispered a female voice angrily. The child got agitated and whispered, "He must know, this isn't the first time this is happening neither will it be the last, his powers are increasing and he must learn to control them". The female voice started saying something but was cut off by Akul. Akul asked panicking, "What don't I know Maa? And why is Maruti talking like this? And what is he talking about? What is happening to me?" He continued wheezing, "What powers? What control? I don't-. His mother cut him off, "Calm Down, Akul, We'll tell you everything but first you need to recover". Maruti glared at her. She glared back at him then she turned her head towards Akul and said with a smile, "Go rest, you'll be discharged tomorrow morning". Akul tried saying but Maruti said in a monotonous voice," Boy, We'll talk tomorrow, No more questions". Both Maruti and Dipali left the room without saying another word and leaving a puzzled look on his face. Akul lay down on the bed thinking about what had happened and wondered about the truth that was behind this supposed big secret. His vision blurred and darkness fell before his eyes sooner than he expected.
Akul was sound asleep before he was violently shaken awake. In front of his eyes stood the beggar who sat on the roadside in front of his home. The beggar said nothing and just got closer to his face while staring at him with his bloodshot eyes. Akul wanted to shout for help but something about the look in the beggar's eyes told him not to. The beggar got close to Akul's face and wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead with his dirty hand, smearing dirt across Akul's forehead. Akul gulped as shivers went down his spine. The man got closer to his ears and whispered in a scruffy voice, "Don't believe everything they tell you". Akul nodded his head nervously. Seeing this, the beggar just up and left the room. Akul sighed deeply in relief. He looked at the digital clock hung on the wall; it read 6:02 AM. Akul got up and went to the washroom to freshen up. He came back after fifteen minutes or so, just to find Aarav sleeping on one of the couches in the room. Akul looked at him and smiled sheepishly, he sneakily made his way over to where Aarav was sleeping. And then Akul laughed in a comically evil sort of way, "MWAHAHAHAHA". Aarav woke up with a jolt and flung a punch towards Akul, Akul managed to dodge it barely. "Be careful, I could've died there" Akul said laughing. "Yeah like the time you almost died after getting ignored by your crush," said Aarav menacingly. Akul's face drooped. Aarav looked at him and asked, "Too soon?" Akul replied, "Yeah, Too soon". Aarav's face turned serious and then he asked, "Seriously bro, are you ok?" Akul replied, "I don't know, I am not, I guess". "What do you even mean by that?" Aarav asked, confused. Akul continued, "Well, it's just that weird shit that keeps happening to me in the last couple of days, and it seems like my mother and Maruti both know about why it's happening". Aarav asked, "Maruti? That little kid that's always stuck with you like glue?". "Yes," Akul Answered and continued to tell Aarav everything that had happened in the last two days. "Damn," Aarav said with a shocked expression after listening to everything. Aarav continued to ask Akul, "So what now? ".Akul answered, "I don't know, they said they'll tell me today". "Hmmmm…." Sighed Aarav. Both of them sat silently in the hospital room for moments that felt like hours. That Awkward silence ended when Dipali walked into the room with Maruti in tow. Akul's mother looked at the two boys and sensed that something was wrong, she asked Akul, "Why do you look so low?". Akul glared at her and said in an angry voice, " Because I am scared of whatever the hell that is happening and the cherry on the top is a beggar threatened me to not trust everything you say this morning". Hearing this Maruti's ears perked up, he looked at Dipali and said, " They found him, and they got to him". Dipali Glared at him and said, "No, they did not, and I do not want to hear you say I told you so". Maruti replied mischievously, "I told you so". Akul got angry and shouted, "Who got to me? Will you people quit with the act". Aarav interrupted them and said, "Aunty if this is such huge of a secret, we could talk about it privately after getting home". Maruti said, "Smart suggestion but what do you mean by "We", No way you are getting to know". Akul looked Maruti in the eyes and said, " There is only one person I trust right now, and let me tell you it's neither you nor my mother, So yeah, Aarav is coming with us whether you like it or not". Akul's mother said, "Stop fighting, let's get to our home first". All of of them got quiet and got out of the room Akul and Aarav exchanged glances as his mother filled up the discharge paperwork. They got in a black Honda Civic, and all of them did not dare utter a single word as Dipali drove the car. They got home after half an hour and made their way up to Akul's flat. After getting in and settling around the dining table Akul asked, "Now would you tell me everything?". Maruti took a sip of mango juice, that he had poured for himself as soon as they got home, from a glass and said, "Basically you have the powers of GODS".