Chapter 6 :The life of a lonely man
"When the body breaks, the soul begins to speak."
Darkness.
Endless. Silent. Still.
Karikalan floated in a void, weightless and numb. No pain.
No fear. No memory. Only the echo of his own heartbeat—faint, distant, fading.
Then, a voice.
Playful. Calm. Ancient.
"Hey… what's up, man? Wake up. You've got a lot of duties
today."
Karikalan stirred, his eyes fluttering open in the
dreamscape.
"Who… who are you?" he asked, his voice echoing into the
abyss. "I've never met you before. Tell me… who are you?"
The voice chuckled, neither mocking nor kind—just… present.
"You can call me whatever you want. Void. Soul.
Nothingness. I've been with you since the beginning. I am the silence between
your thoughts. The fire behind your tears."
Karikalan's breath caught.
"Why are you here?"
The voice grew solemn.
"To remind you. Do not stray from your path of justice. If
you do… the balance will collapse. The world will fall into chaos. You are the
savior. The embodiment of truth. The future. You are the key to the phenomenon
that binds this world."
"Remember it."
Karikalan gasped.
His eyes flew open.
The ceiling above him was white. The scent of antiseptic
filled his lungs. He was lying on a hospital bed.
"What… what's happening to me?" he whispered. "That voice…
that message… I've never thought about 'phenomenons' or justice like that. But
why does it feel… familiar?" "Why does it feel like I've always known?"
He sat up slowly, wincing from the pain in his ribs.
"Where… where am I?"
The door creaked open.
A nurse stepped in, startled to see him awake.
"Karikalan! You're awake! Stay still—I'll call the doctor!"
The hospital room was quiet, save for the soft hum of
machines.
Karikalan stirred, blinking against the sterile white
light.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
His uncle, a tall man with a commanding
presence and eyes worn by years of political battles, rushed in.
"Karikala! You're awake! Oh my god… what a response from
the heavens. I missed you, man. I thought you were gone…"
Karikalan looked at him, expression unreadable.
"Why is he acting so emotional now?He didn't visit me for a year.What brings him here
today?"
He forced a polite smile.
"It's okay, uncle. I'm fine."
His uncle's face darkened.
"Who the hell attacked you? I'll kill them myself. I'll
file a petition. I'll drag them to court!"
Karikalan shook his head gently.
"Please don't, uncle. That'll only create more chaos. I
don't want revenge. I want peace."
🚶 Scene: The Walk Home
They walked slowly down the hospital corridor, the
afternoon sun casting long shadows on the tiled floor.
His uncle sighed.
"I'm sorry, my son. I failed you. Ever since your parents
passed, I should've been there. But politics… it swallowed me. Ever since I
became chairman of the democratic party, I've had endless duties."
Karikalan nodded.
"It's okay, uncle. You have a responsibility to lead. Your
duty is to serve the people. I understand."
His uncle looked at him, eyes misty.
"It's been 18 years since I lost my sister. I still
remember her laughter. Her strength. I can't believe how fast time has flown."
The room was quiet, save for the ticking of an old wall
clock. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting golden streaks across
the floor. Karikalan sat on the edge of his bed, his body still aching, his
mind heavier than ever.
His uncle stood by the window, arms crossed, eyes distant.
Uncle: (softly)
"Yeah… I know about your struggle, my boy. You sacrificed your childhood for
discipline. You were always the top student, even when no one noticed. But you
lost more than just your childhood. You lost… the right to be a child."
Karikalan: (gazing
at the floor) "I know. I remember everything. Eighteen years of silence.
Eighteen years of watching others laugh, play, live. And me? I just… existed. I
never knew how to joke. Never knew how to talk to someone without feeling like
a burden. They only came to me when they needed help with exams. Never for
friendship. Never for me."
Uncle: (sighs,
walking over) "That's how the world is. People take what they need and leave.
You can't change them. You can't string them to your path. But you can change
yourself."
Karikalan:
(quietly) "How?"
Uncle: (firmly)
"By believing in yourself. By becoming strong. Not just in body—but in will.
Think about everything you've endured. Every insult. Every betrayal. Once you
learn to find pleasure in pain… You'll stop craving their love. You'll stop
needing their approval. You'll become… untouchable. You'll become the version
of yourself that no one dares to break. Even if it means becoming a little…
darker."
Karikalan:
(suddenly, voice sharp) "Stop. Please… don't say that. I'm fine. But that kind
of talk… it hurts. I don't want to become something I'm not."
Uncle: (taken
aback, then nods) "Okay, son. Maybe I exaggerated. I just… I don't want to see
you broken again."
A long pause.
Uncle: (softly)
"It's been 18 years since I lost my sister. Your mother… she was the strongest
person I knew. And you… you carry her eyes. Her fire."
Karikalan:
(smiling faintly) "She gave birth to me in her final breath. I never even got
to hear her voice. Sometimes I wonder… if she would've loved me. If she
would've taught me how to laugh."
Uncle: (placing a
hand on his shoulder) "She would've loved you more than anything. And she'd be
proud of you. Even now."
Just then, his uncle's phone buzzed.
He answered, listened, then his face tightened.
Uncle: "I have to
go now. Party meeting. Emergency. Take care of your health, Karikala. We'll
talk again soon."
Karikalan: "Okay,
uncle. We'll meet again."
His uncle rushed out, leaving Karikalan alone once more.
🧠 Scene: Karikalan's Thoughts
"Everyone wants me to be strong.But no one asks if I'm okay.They want me to become
something else.But what if I just want to be… human?"
Scene: The Return Home
Karikalan's uncle stepped into his home, drenched in worry
and frustration. The air was heavy, the silence unsettling.
He turned to the household guardians.
"What's happening now? What's the status?"
One of them stepped forward, voice trembling.
"Sir… one of our men—the one who tried to lift the corpse
as per your orders—he's dead."
The uncle froze.
"What? How?"
The guardians looked at each other, helpless.
"We don't know. He was found lifeless. No wounds. No signs
of struggle. Just… gone."
The uncle's fists clenched.
"Dammit!"
Without hesitation, he dialed the police.
The cops arrived swiftly, combing through the house,
questioning the staff, inspecting the scene.
They found nothing.
No fingerprints. No signs of forced entry. No cause of
death.
After gathering statements, they left with more questions
than answers.
The house slept.
Rain lashed against the windows. Thunder rolled across the
sky. Lightning flashed, illuminating the walls in ghostly white.
Karikalan's uncle stirred in bed, throat dry. He reached
for the glass of water on the table.
As he drank, another flash of lightning lit up the room.
And in that moment—he saw it.
A masked figure, standing silently in the
corner of the room.
Drenched in shadow. Eyes glowing faintly beneath the mask.
Presence cold and ancient.
The uncle dropped the glass, shattering it.
"Who… who are you?" he stammered. "How did you get into my
house?"
The figure didn't move.
Then, in a voice that echoed like wind through a cave:
"Do not touch the corpse again. It belongs to me, you
filthy arrogant."
The uncle's breath caught.
"What… what are you talking about?"
But the figure was already fading—melting into the darkness
as if it had never been there.
Only the sound of rain remained.