The Greatest Villain of All Time

Chapter 1: Onkar

The connection with my second soul breaks when I hear a choke from beside me, in the deep waters of river Amrit. A stream of black water is emitting from Biju's mouth, as if a dark and evil presence is paving its way out. I freeze and stare with wide eyes. I don't move until Biju starts to kick his legs in the water as if trying to breathe against the force that is trying to... kill him.

I regain my consciousness and swim towards Biju with utmost speed. The moment I get a hold of him, he falls limp. He would have drowned in the waters if I hadn't caught his wrist. I swim to the bank of the river hastily. There, Kartik runs towards us in panic.

"What happened? I just saw black water surfacing—" He stops mid-sentence as he sees Biju limp in my hands. A gasp leaves his lips as he pulls Biju onto the rocky ground. "Oh no, there's blood coming from his mouth." Deep red blood trails down Biju's sienna-brown skin.

"I don't know... I don't know... I just saw him..." I pant as my chest constricts with every breath I take. "First, let's get him to a nearby physician."

I get out of the river, water drips from the white dhoti I had worn that is now sticking to my legs. Kartik lifts Biju by one arm and I take his other arm around my neck. We both try to run as fast as we can but Biju's weight is slowing us down.

The sun is finally rising from the Nagsura peaks, the morning air clawing at my still-wet body. River Amrit is located outside the town of Pellannur, where we reside. It will take us approximately fifteen minutes by walk to reach the town. There is no sign of movement from Biju's end, making my palms clammy. No chariot or cart passes by us that can help us reach faster. When I glance over at Kartik, his upper tunic is drenched with sweat. I gulp constantly to quench my thirst and my anxiety. 

I don't know if Biju is okay. I don't know if Biju is breathing. I don't know if Biju is... No, it couldn't be much of a big problem. He's alive, with us.

We avoid the prying eyes of the few passersby when we enter Pellanur. Fortunately, I see a signboard of a physician's house and scamper towards it. The house is very similar to mine. It has long steep roofs over eight blocks of rectangular structure and is adorned with a deep shade of mahogany. When we are near the gates, it opens, before we can.

An old wiry man comes out of the house sluggishly and gets startled when he sees us. "Oh what're you boys doin'-" He ends his exasperated words when he sees Biju between us, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Sir, please, can you see what happened to our friend? We're not sure because he started bleeding out of nowhere when we were meditating underwater." I blurt quickly as a look of realization dawns upon the old physician's face.

"Oh my fish, bring him in, fast." He hurries inside his house as we carry Biju in. We lay Biju on the wooden carved benches on the veranda. The physician checks his pulse which keeps my heart thumping rapidly against my chest.

Please be okay, please be okay...

I chant the words silently as a pained cry gets stuck in my throat. I don't want to lose a friend, so cheerful and bright. But that moment, when I saw him gagging underwater almost as if someone was strangling him– sends a shiver down my body. But they were his hands, no one else's. There was no one else apart from us under the water.

But that black stream of water... I shudder and clench my hands.

"He's breathing." The physician's words relieve both me and Kartik. I fall back on the wooden passage as I sigh in happiness.

"But what happened to him, sir? Why was he vomiting blood all of a sudden?" Kartik asks.

"All of a sudden? Is this the first time he coughed up blood?" The physician questions with a crease in his brows.