A month had slipped by since Safal's brother unarrival. Each evening, Safal shared dinner with his uncle's family—his uncle, aunt, and their daughter, Diksha.
Noticing the shadow over Safal's usually bright demeanor, Diksha leaned in, her eyes filled with concern.
"Safal, what's bothering you?" she asked gently.
Safal forced a smile, attempting to mask his sorrow with a light-hearted jest.
"Oh, just my face looking sadder than usual," he quipped, hoping to deflect her worry.
But his uncle, sensing the depth of Safal's hidden pain, decided it was time to unveil a long-held secret.
"I remember the evening you and your brother arrived at my doorstep," his uncle began, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
"You were just a toddler, cradled in your brother's arms. The fear in his eyes was palpable, and I found myself bowing before him, though he was just a child. He carried a knife—deadly and unwavering. He commanded me to care for you, promising to return in ten years. Then, as swiftly as he appeared, he vanished into the night."
Safal's heart raced, each revelation striking like a hammer against his chest. The room seemed to close in, the weight of his unknown past pressing down upon him.
"Don't be confused," his uncle continued, sensing Safal's inner turmoil. "Though we share the same caste, our bloodlines diverged long ago. Our ancestors parted ways for reasons lost to time. I possess no knowledge that can illuminate your past."
The air grew thick with unspoken truths, the flickering candlelight casting dancing shadows on the walls. Safal's mind swirled with questions, each more pressing than the last.
Suddenly, the chair scraped against the wooden floor as Safal stood abruptly, his eyes burning with a mix of determination and defiance.
"I choose to live in the present," he declared, his voice steady yet charged with emotion. "You are my family now. The past holds no sway over me. But I will find my brother."
Without another word, he turned and left the dining hall, the door closing behind him with a resolute thud. The family sat in stunned silence, the echoes of his proclamation lingering in the air, a testament to the storm brewing within Safal's heart.