genIP

The night was chill. Sky was a little cloudy. And at the roof top of Ishan's house, it was the man and Ishan.

Ishan was tied up, but he couldn't figure out how he was tied up. He could not see anything on his hands, yet... 

"wh- why can't I move my hand.. Am I tied up? Bu- But how"

Ishan was not able to think of anything else. He was confused, scared, tired. He was breathing heavily, eyes were swollen. 

As he opens his eyes, vision was blurry. But after some time it started to clear out on its own. And then, he started trying to understand his situation. It was night, moon was bright, a full moon night. 

"I still can't see properly but.. I can somewhat see moonlight. Moon is.." as he moves his head upwards, towards the moon "Moon is fairly high but not at its zenith." Looks around his surrounding "And judging by the shadows of nearby building.. They are slightly stretched westward. So chances are its around 11 PM. But why the fuck am I wasting time calculating the time?!"

And then Ishan notices the man, sitting at a distance away from him. "Wai- Am I abducted?" By this time, his vision slightly came back, he was able to see a little more clearly. And only then Ishan notices the mysterious man. "Is he- Is he sleeping?" Ishan, squinting his eyes, trying to see. "I think he is sleeping. And we are at the roof top of my house. But the question is WHY? What is happening." Ishan by now was consumed by his overthinking. He was thinking so loud that one could hear him. "fir- FIRST IT WAS THE MORNING INCIDENT. WE KEPT RUNNING AND RUNNING. IS THIS MAN WAS THE REASON FOR THAT TOO? AND THEN ARASP AND BHISH. WHY WERE THEY REFERRING TO EACH OTHER WITH DIFFERENT NAMES?! YALKA?! REBI?! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! Wai- don't tell me the pain in the neck that I felt today, the pain that Arasp felt in his neck was- wa- but then did Bhish also experienced something like that too? Nothing is making sense."

Ishan, in panic, is still thinking of what to do next "but no- NOW WHAT DO I DO?! My hands are tied up. HOW. I can't see ANYTHING on them AT ALL. Should I run away? No no no. With what I had witnessed today. Running from that man is not a solution. Should I confront the man. But what if I end up provoking him. What if he then ends up hurting mother and Teeshi. Wai- Are they-" With the thoughts of man doing something to them, he lost it.

"HEY! HEY YOU WAKE UP." Ishan, yelled at the man. But he got no response. 

"HEY YOU WAKE THE FUCK UP. WAKE UP. WAKE UP-" The man then, raising his head. He let out a loud sigh, "So you woke up. Took you.. long enough." 

Ishan by then had calmed down to some degree. "Maybe.. Just maybe... it just a coincidence. He might not know that this is my house and we are just at random roof top from his perspective. I should not take any rash decision." while he was thinking all about this. From the other side, the man asked "So why were you yelling?"

"WHY WAS I YELLING?! ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW? WHY HAVE YOU ABDUCTED ME?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAND?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHERE ARE WE? WHERE THE FUCK AM I ? WHERE! ARE! WE!" Ishan shouting at the man. "This is... your house. I suppose you already know answers... to your obvious question." Man saying this, while he is playing with the "Umbrella". Ishan, notices the man, and the Umbrella. "My assumption was correct. This man... is not stupid. I doubt- wait.. is that my... Umbrella?"

"Hey. Where did you get that umbrella from?" curious Ishan, asks the man about the umbrella as it looked familiar to the umbrella that he has. "It's yours"

"And where did you get that from?" Ishan asking questions again to which, the man, annoyed, said "Just get to the point. You and me both knows you aren't dumb or naive."

Ishan, went silent for a time. And proceeded with "Alright. I'll get straight to the point. Did you do anything to my family?" "Hmm? What I did to your family" man responded, looking towards Ishan with tired eyes.

"My umbrella should've been still in its place, so the only way you could have it is if you've taken it from my house. And I'm now worried about my family... After witnessing today's incident. What you did- I am worried. So please... Tell me about my family"

With a sigh, man says "Your family huh..." Man while standing up "I've.. put them to sleep for now-"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU FUCKER!!! WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU?!" he shouted, while crying out loud. On the other hand, the man, with the weirded out eye look "can you let me finish me? I meant literally what I said. I've put them, your mother and your younger sister, to sleep. They will.. wake up fine tomorrow."

Ishan after finding out that his family was safe, was relieved. "Thank God.." He thanked god, while tears were dropping down from his eyes. Ishan, after 10 minutes of silence, asks the man "so what are you planning to me"

"Oh nothing."

"Nothing? you say but you've tied me, we are on roof top. It's midnight. You are holding my umbrella for GOD KNOWS what reason. And you are planning nothing. GREAT. Oh you know what? I'm the stupid fuck here." 

"Your umbrella..." man points the umbrella towards Ishan. "This umbrella is something important to you right?"

To which Ishan nodes quietly. "It's so important that you take it to school. Daily. And once you almost died while protecting your umbrella-"

Ishan on hearing the man's words, was thinking, confused and now scared too "huh. Ho- How does he knows about all that. Has he been stalking me? But WHY-"

"Why? Ishan.. Why do you care about this umbrella so much"

Silence. 

The atmosphere was filled with the pin drop silence. "What do you mean why. It's my umbrella, it is.. it is very important to me"

"I know. I know. And I'm asking why"

"Why do you care huh"

"Truth is you don't know either. Do you? Ishan"

Ishan was already confused with the situation he found himself him, but now that the topic umbrella was brought up. Ishan truly didn't knew what was the reason that he cared about the umbrella. "now that I think about it.. since when I've been attached to that umbrella like that. I don't even know when was the umbrella introduced in my life. By whom, don't know either. I- I.. Truly don't know"

As Ishan was thinking about the umbrella, The man looked up, towards the moon. "Ishan..." Ishan looks towards the man. "It looks like it's 18th June now. Happy birthday."

"Happy huh..." Ishan, as he sighs out loud "yeah, my very happy birthday. Thank you."

The man, as he smiles says "Very well then. Let's get started."

"what do you mean"

The man then walks away from Ishan, at some distance he puts the umbrella on standing upside down position. In the full moon night, umbrella casting a shadow. At the bottom of handle of the umbrella, there was a mark. He then aligns the mark, in the direction of the shadow. 

While he was doing this, from the other side Ishan was shouting "HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ANSWER ME DAMN IT. WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT UMBRELLA"

While he was shouting, the man, after aligning the mark to the shadow he pressed the handle of the umbrella downwards for 9 times, then he pushed the handle inwards and he rotated the handle in the counter-clockwise direction for exactly 6 degrees. And then the handle of the umbrella popped out and from inside, he pulled out a long blade with a long black handle.

He then starts to walk towards the Ishan, while Ishan was shouting out his lungs. "WHAT WAS THE BLAD- HOW DID YOU PULLED THAT OUT. BELIEVE ME I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT UMBRELLA. PLEASE BELIEVE ME. PLEASE" 

"Why are you so scared... Ishan? I believe you. Of course you don't know anything about the umbrella. But you know Ishan, I know what you are thinking of. Sadly, No can do." Man replies to Ishan's desperate shouts.

"But- BUT WHAT DID I DO TO YOU. ATLEAST TELL M-"

The man, from the distance with a deep voice says "I'm sorry... but... you know. I have had enough now"

The man then walks up to Ishan, Ishan felt like all the surrounding air is flowing towards the man, not just air from any specific direction, but radially flowing inward. The man had a chill aura, to the point... It started to feel "Unbelievable...", were Ishan's thoughts.

The man then holds the blade like a dagger. And... slices Ishan's body, starting from the right shoulder to the lower left abdomen. In a single slice. It was in an instant. Ishan couldn't even react, but as the time passes Ishan started to shout out loudly in extreme pain. Blood was flowing out of his body like water out of a waterfall. Uncontrollably. He cried out loud in pain.

A large amount of blood stuck to the blade. The man takes seven steps back. And with a deep voice "Krozilo Owl. Paint'o Soul... Itng... Fobuak." As he finished his word, the ground between Ishan and the man started to look like a thick liquid. And then, a wide yet short caterpillar looking like monster started to come out of that ground, first its head and then its body but unlike its head, there was no flesh on the body. Man then throws the blade, covered in blood, to that monster. Monster, catching the blade in its mouth. Dives back down into the ground. And on the same time, at a distance, Ten Golden conical looking towers started to appear, touching the sky radially in all direction. Atmosphere got extremely winds, chill yet hot. It got cloudy within seconds. Dark and thick clouds. 

And in the sky, right above Ishan a ball of energy started to appear. It looked like it is collecting lightning from all ten towers. It got brighter and brighter in the sky, with some distinct red and black stripes all over the ball.

With that, Ishan body started to levitate up in the sky. It looked like he was being pulled upwards from his waist. 

The man then throws the remaining umbrella upwards, towards the Ishan's levitating body. And as it was going up, in the sky Ishan was crying, thinking of his mother, his younger sister, his elder brother, Ryku, and Arasp. Wishing he had spent more time with them. He was filled with regret as well as anger. levitating in the sky helplessly. The man then sits down on his knees, lowering his head. As the umbrella got right on top of Ishan's body.

"Welcome back. Master..." as the man finished his words, as if he was paying respect. The lightning, the energy ball struck on Ishan's in an instant.

After that it was followed by "Ahahahaha! Mwahahahaha!"

Ishan started to laugh, laugh like a crazy man. Who was still floating, but this time it looked like he was in full control. As if he was flying. His body started to heal with an unreal rate.

"Look at this. JUST LOOK AT THIS! It was this easy defea- defeating you. IT WAS THIS EASY"

To which the man, who is still on his knees with a smile "Master. It... was not."

"Shuttt uppp"

"pfftt..." "hahaha" After which both started to laugh quietly.

Ahh...so, children. You are now probably wondering what just happened here. Who was the mysterious man? And who... am I? Honestly, it's a long story. A very, very long story.

Sigh... So long that now I'm starting to forget some of the finer details. Hmm... let me think... ah yes! It all began around my 16th birthday. In the year 2018. Yeah.. that's where it all started...