I looked at my son and realized there was no version of this conversation where any of us walked away unchanged. Vikram stood in the middle of the living room looking like his entire world had been ripped apart piece by piece. His breathing was uneven, his hands were trembling, and the betrayal in his eyes cut deeper than any weapon ever could. He looked at me like I was a stranger, like every memory he had of me as his father was being rewritten in real time. Beside him, Sahasra looked equally devastated. Tears streamed endlessly down her face as she struggled to process truths no eighteen-year-old should ever have been forced to hear. My wife was crying beside me, and Sahasra's parents looked just as shattered. The entire room felt suffocating, as if years of buried lies, grief, and guilt were finally crashing down on all of us at once. And somehow, I knew this was only the beginning.
I took a deep breath, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside me. My chest felt painfully tight, and for the first time in years, I was terrified of what my son would think of me once this conversation was over. I quietly told them that I would explain the prophecy, but not all at once. Vikram's jaw tightened, but he remained silent. I explained that the prophecy was tied to everything, their past lives, their siblings, and the story of three people who changed the fate of the world forever. Both Vikram and Sahasra stared at me in complete silence as I continued. I told them it was the tale of three friends, but it was also the story of their previous lives, their older siblings, and the story of Vikram and Sahasra. I watched both of their expressions crack all over again when they heard those names. I told them the time had come for both of them to know the truth, that they deserved to know who their siblings were, how they died, and why all of this had fallen onto their shoulders.
Vikram stared at me with hollow eyes that looked far older than eighteen and told me to just tell them. The anger was gone from his voice, and that terrified me more than his shouting ever had because now he sounded completely empty. I swallowed hard before telling him that before I could explain who his brother was, he needed to know who he used to be. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he quietly asked what I meant. The single word nearly broke me because it sounded so fragile. I forced myself to continue and told him that in his previous life, he had been the heir to the Indian Agency. The room went completely silent as confusion slowly turned into disbelief on his face. I told him he hadn't been just another agent. He had been the most feared agent the world had ever seen.
Vikram froze completely as the words hit him. His eyes widened, and for a moment he looked like he had forgotten how to breathe. Then I turned toward Sahasra and told her that in her previous life, she had been second only to him. Her entire body tensed as I told her she had been the second most feared agent in the world. Both of them looked completely stunned, but I forced myself to continue. I told them that Vikram had led an elite squad made up of the ten best agents the Indian Agency had ever produced and that they were known across the world as The Dragons. I could still remember them vividly, their loyalty, their strength, and the way they followed my son into battles that should have killed them all. I told them governments feared them, criminal empires collapsed because of them, and wars had ended because they chose to step in. Then I looked directly at my son and told him that he had led them.
He looked physically sick as if his body was rejecting every word I was saying. I told him that I had been the previous leader of the Indian Agency before his brother inherited that role. Then I looked toward the staircase and told him that after he died, his sister had been placeholding his position. Vikram slowly turned as his sister stepped forward from the staircase. Her eyes were red from crying, and her hands were shaking so badly that she had to grip the railing just to steady herself. She softly told him that everything I was saying was true. Vikram looked completely shattered as he looked at her and called her name in a way that sounded desperate, like he needed someone familiar to tell him this was all a lie.
She slowly walked toward him and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small device with trembling hands. She whispered that this was never supposed to happen like this and told him that the device contained a message he had left behind. Vikram stared at her in confusion and asked what she was talking about. Her lips trembled as she explained that he had told them to use the message only if things went wrong. She looked down at the device before looking back at him, but she couldn't finish the sentence. Her voice broke before the final words left her mouth.
Vikram took a step toward her, and for the first time since entering the house, fear replaced the anger in his eyes. Panic slowly crept into his voice as he asked her what she meant. He asked her, in case what. The room went completely silent. Even breathing felt too loud. Tears finally fell down her face as she looked directly into his eyes and told him that the message was meant to be used in case he didn't come back. I watched my son's entire expression collapse in front of me as if his soul had shattered all over again, and I knew we still hadn't reached the worst part of the truth.