Chapter 19: The Veil Within

***

After enduring agonizing pain for a long time, Jash, who had lived a peaceful life, lost consciousness.

Unfortunately, he didn't just lose consciousness—have a memory gap and regain it.

As soon as Jash lost consciousness, he felt his senses abruptly return.

Afraid of the mind-boggling pain yet again, he tried to resist regaining his senses. 

However, his efforts proved futile. His senses re-emerged, but they brought unexpected sensations.

Similar to Bhairav, Jash found himself submerged in unending darkness.

Being the naive 13-year-old, he couldn't help but fear the darkness as it slowly gnawed at him, chipping away his sanity slowly but surely.

Unlike his counterpart, his mental fortitude crumpled after spending some time in the nothingness.

Even if there was no concept of space and time in this strange place, it felt like a second and an eternity at the same time. It was enough to make anyone go insane.

Luckily, Jash got saved from eternal damnation.

Just when he was at his utter limits, about to shatter, the scenery in front of him abruptly shifted to a more vibrant one.

In his desperation to find anything to prove he was still alive, the strangeness of the situation eluded him.

His situation, in one word, was bad.

He didn't even have time to realize he couldn't think, feel, or see in actuality.

That was the striking difference between the two individuals, despite sharing one soul.

...

Looking through the scenery frantically, Jash tried to find some semblance of life and figure out his situation instinctively, even without actively thinking.

Fate, however, was a cruel mistress, indifferent to one's misery, constantly sending challenges.

Just like that, a vivid tapestry of a young boy's life played out before Jash.

The first memory Jash witnessed was being pampered by a strange, unfamiliar couple. Yet warmth and happiness surged through him.

He lived these memories as a spectator, unable to comprehend the sudden change.

He was merely a spectator who vividly experienced every emotion and environmental cue, be it smell, taste, pain, or any other sensation.

Going through something like this would break anyone's mind, but Jash didn't suffer such consequences.

A golden, shimmering light enveloped his consciousness, preventing it from collapsing before the inevitable clash between the two personalities.

Unaware, he continued to live through the memories, going through a rollercoaster of emotions before utter despair clouded his senses.

Feeling the gaping loss of one's own parents at the tender age of 10 broke him down, yet the indifference and greed of Bhairav's relatives was the final straw.

However, as one can expect, when darkness overcomes one's life, a shimmering ray of light—hope—exists.

That hope was his uncle, who helped him circumvent everything, shielding him from the harsh reality of society, and fighting for his wealth and his parents' murderer.

Jash became so immersed that he couldn't distinguish himself from the boy, experiencing everything from a first-person perspective, unaware of the change within his own being.

Alas, all good things must come to an end.

Faced with the gripping reality of getting kicked out and taken advantage of by the same uncle at the age of 18, the boy broke.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the life Jash witnessed to the point of having trouble differentiating himself from the boy, Bhairav, didn't end there.

Bhairav was sensible, doing part-time jobs to earn his own expenses ever since he entered high school as he didn't want to be a burden to his guardian, his uncle.

Steering clear of girls despite being proposed by his crush. It was anything but easy, given teenage hormones.

At this point, Jash felt his own emotions burgeon with pity for the boy, or perhaps for himself. He didn't know.

Yet the life he witnessed didn't get better.

Bhairav lived on the streets, barely scraping by, just another high school graduate without a college degree.

However, things took an unlikely turn when the boy went back to his uncl—no, his parents' house.

Jash could feel the boy's emotions vividly, his rising heartbeat, adrenaline coursing his veins, nervousness, rage, doubt, hatred, anger, grief, regret, helplessness...

The number of emotions he felt the boy go through was staggering in and of itself.

But Jash couldn't comprehend how the boy could have taken such drastic actions.

...

Looking at the boy for another year, living as a fugitive and a wanted criminal, always on the run.

Despite his pressing situation, he didn't even steal a penny.

Yet Jash couldn't help but doubt, remembering the brutality with which Bhairav killed his traitorous uncle. His father's best friend.

It was inevitable.

His actions allowed Jash to differentiate and extricate himself from confusing Bhairav as himself.

But he couldn't stop the memories.

Finally, going through life here and there, the boy found a job—a questionable job of being a male escort.

Turns out some women, married or unmarried, find themselves attracted to criminals.

Never having even held a girl's hand, the job was tough, but all he needed to do was be an eye candy.

Not difficult, considering he looked handsome already. With a little bit of work being put in, he looked hella fine.

It didn't take long for him to get famous among a certain clique of ladies. But it didn't last long, just like everything in his life.

On one particular night bustling with guests, he served a young woman. He wasn't tempted by her allure or anything but just serving her once brought trouble to him.

The woman drank quite a bit of strong liquor, nearly half a liter of wine with 39.8% alcohol by volume, becoming heavily intoxicated.

...

Living through the memories, the naive Jash had already matured after experiencing such a hard life, feeling all the hardships too vividly.

Unfortunately, as the world around him distorted and broke down, he couldn't see anything more.

The last thing he sensed was actually words that didn't belong to the tapestry of memories he had lived through.

"Any more and he will break."

***

'Hmm... Forcing him out won't bode me well...'

Despite knowing the repercussions he would face for his actions, Bhairav didn't mind it one bit.

After all, what use would it be if Jash gets tainted and breaks even before their clash?

That too, in a clash, where everything will change.

He didn't want Jash's decision to be influenced any more than what was already beyond his control.

'Plus, there is just no way that darned system will show itself... My memories would be more or less just a hazy blur for him.'

Bhairav seemed to be in his own world, while his control over the soul waned due to his direct interference.

He wasn't even keen on taking over their soul.

If he had wanted to, he could've just asked the system to reincarnate him.

Why bother to seal his memories?

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy, given his knowledge about unknown enemies and his decision was slightly influenced from the Demon King's final words.

He didn't take them to heart or believe them to be true, but the unbridled fear and rage in the Demon King's eyes at the mere mention of their existence were eerie enough.

'If there are beings strong enough to shatter space and exile the demon race, then...'

***