Recruitment

"Smell of rotting flesh, but it was somewhat different," Aahan mumbled as Gurudev eased his grip on his shoulders.

"Was it the first time?" Gurudev inquired.

Aahan shook his head and told Gurudev about his past and everything that happened eight years ago. How the boys from his class used to bully him, and one day, they stabbed his leg with a knife. That was the first time he remembered that smell.

Gurudev wanted to know about the incident, but Aahan informed him that he didn't remember what happened next as he blacked out after seeing his blood.

However, he remembered that when he got a hold of himself, everything around him was covered in blood, and his bullies were lying unconscious on the floor, bleeding profusely.

"According to the police report... I brutally assaulted them 'for no apparent reason'," Aahan could sense his anger flaring up again, and he took a couple of deep breaths before continuing. "When I recognised the smell again, I thought maybe I could get some answers if I followed the smell and ended up inside the other world."

Gurudev, who had been carefully listening to Aahan's tale, scratched his beard, lost in his thoughts. But then he looked at Aahan with the kind eyes he was acquainted with.

"Lord Ram, be merciful. You have been through so much at such a young age..." Gurudev softly mumbled before patting Aahan's back. "As for that smell... was Asura giving the off the same smell?"

Aahan nodded his head, expecting Gurudev to know more about the smell and, in turn, could offer an explanation to him about his past. However, Gurudev did no such thing. Instead, he made Aahan sit back in his chair.

Aahan had a feeling that Gurudev was keeping secrets from him. Although he wanted to know more about the Asuras and his connection with them, Aahan realised it was not worth it. Hell, one could say asking such questions was like pain-shopping.

Suddenly, Aahan had a thought. Gurudev had hinted at something important. The Asura's smell was like the one he had sensed eight years ago.

But at that time, there was no demon present—only Aahan. Could it be that the smell came from him? Had he lost control, much like he did with the attendant earlier? Could he have genuinely tried killing his bullies all those years ago?

'Don't be ridiculous!'

Aahan shook the absurd thought out of his mind. There was no way he could have possibly done all that. Besides, during his time in juvie, there had been a lot of times when he had lost control over himself. Yet, he didn't remember sensing the weird smell.

If anyone was a demon, it must be one of his bullies. After all, their behaviour wasn't different from the Asura whom Aahan had fought against inside the fissure.

After a while, Gurudev spoke up again. "Is there anything strange that might have happened inside or outside the fissure? Something other than the smell?"

Aahan thought hard for a while, then remembered the floating texts he saw as soon as he entered the fissure. He told Gurudev about it and could see him smile, but the smile disappeared so quickly that it made Shinon doubt if he had even seen it correctly or not.

"That's interesting," Gurudev eventually mumbled. "Not everyone who enters a fissure is lucky enough to receive the lost instructions."

"Lost instructions? What are those?" Aahan asked, intrigued to know as much as possible.

"Yes... you could say its memories of those who had to sacrifice themselves inside the demon realm," Gurudev explained. "Sometimes those memories are able to manifest in the form of the texts you saw, and their purpose is to guide Rathis once they are inside the demon realm."

Gurudev continued, "However, it is extremely rare for even the most talented Rathis to manifest the lost instructions. It seems you have been chosen by a higher power for, young child."

Aahan's eyes widened as he listened to Gurudev. Everything Gurudev said seemed unbelievable. If someone had told him such nonsensical things before, he might have smacked the craziness out of their minds.

But after facing the Asura, Aahan realised that if demons could exist, then it was possible for a higher power to help him inside the fissure. The only thing Aahan questioned was... why would the lost instructions appear before him?

After all, he wasn't a Rathi. Hell, he wasn't even aware of the existence of demons a few days ago, let alone being trained enough to defeat them. Soon, Gurudev's voice broke his train of thought.

"So, what have you planned next?" he asked. "Do you have any place to go to?"

Aahan opened his mouth to tell Gurudev about his parents but then shook his head once he remembered they had disowned him long back. Besides, Vivaan was the only one who genuinely wanted Aahan to stay with them, and without him, it was unlikely his parents would even want to see his face.

"I don't think my parents would be very welcoming to me-"

As Aahan said, he realised their parents might not have been informed about Vivaan's condition. He was about to inquire about it when Gurudev read his thoughts.

"Vivaan has been working as a Rathi for over five years," he informed Aahan. "As such, he has ensured your parents never found out about his occupation and has countless back plans for scenarios like the current one. Your parents think he's going to a business meeting in Bali right now."

"I see... that's reassuring."

"So that brings us back to my question. Do you have anywhere to go?"

Aahan shook his head. After all, he had just been released from prison, and the little money he had been gifted by Officer Mehra was left behind inside the fissure. Therefore, he had nowhere to go and nothing to do.

"Good, then how about you live here for a while and consider joining our organisation?" Gurudev smiled. "Only if you want, of course."

Aahan turned to look at Vivaan's unconscious form and took a deep breath. He knew there was much opportunity in the outside world for people like him, but he didn't agree with Gurudev just because of that.

He agreed because he wanted to take responsibility for Vivaan's condition. Had he been strong enough, Vivaan wouldn't have been in the state that he was.

"Sure," Aahan finally replied. "How can I be of service?"