Yamlok: The Realm Of The Dead

Chapter 16

Keval stood alone, staring blankly at the horizon. The strange emotion he felt, shredded his reality. It almost succeeded in betraying his oath. 

The sky was red with a slight hint of purple around the corners. There were tiny sparkling orbs scattered across the sky.

They reminded him of her.

He clenched his jaw as he thought of what she had been through to win. For each blow Abhay had landed on her, he wanted to shower upon him a hundred more. He couldn't understand how he had managed to keep his feet glued as the duel went on.

And her reason to challenge Abhay.

It was him.

He shut his eyes painfully.

She was asleep in her room. As much as he enjoyed holding her close to him, he knew he had to leave for the very same reason. He could feel her presence against him. His fingertips grazed his nose. He smiled sadly remembering how she had tugged it. 'Cute' she had called it.

She had fought for him. There was a time when he thought that nothing could hurt more than his torture had, but this... He could vividly see the betrayal on her face. And true enough, he was terrified.

Unique.

The way she had looked at him, it made him wish he hadn't sided with the Daanavraj. It made him wish he was true to the Rakshaks.

But the truth was simple yet so bitter.

'You've been standing here for quite some time.'

For the first time, Keval didn't tremble with fear when he heard the Yamdhut's voice. He surprised himself by being calm and composed.

'It's flattering that you chose to keep an eye on me all this while,' he muttered dryly, his gaze still fixed at the horizon.

Kasa laughed softly, 'You're starting to warm up to me.'

Keval only snickered in response.

'You can only do so much, Keval,' the Yamdhut moved to stand next to him.

He didn't flinch nor did he try to find a reason to escape. He was too absorbed in sorrow. He was rethinking his decision. He was rethinking everything. But most of all, his mind was occupied by her. Someone who faced so much just for him.

'She fought for me, Kasa,' he managed to say without the brokenness in his tone, 'She fought for my honour... For something that doesn't really exist.' He was revealing way too much but he was past the point of caring. He would not try to escape Kasa. 'She didn't have to,' he continued, 'but she did.' He felt raw with his emotions swirling inside his mind's eye. It was too unclear for his senses but clear enough for his emotions.

'When Abhay was beating her I wanted to destroy him,' He spoke, 'I wanted to rip him apart, inflict so pain on him.' He looked down and noticed his tightly formed fists. He released it. He experienced a sharp pain in his hands when he let go, 'I don't know how I stopped myself.'

Kasa had an answer to that. With a soothing voice, he explained in the simplest words, 'You stopped yourself because it was the right thing to do.'

It rang true but Keval doubted it. 'How do you know it's right, Kasa?'

'We don't till we face the consequences.'

He raised his head up, his connecting to the subtle hints of clouds. He sniggered, 'How I wish I would've known it would come to this!'

'If you wouldn't have made the choices you did, you wouldn't have come here.'

Those words of the Yamdhut struck a chord. Keval saw the underlying meaning. His eyes widened. His lower jaw went slack. He faced Kasa, 'You knew?'