Legacy Unveiled: The Hidden Heir

Chapter 12: Fevered Dreams and Fractured Hearts

On one particularly cloudy morning, I woke up feeling unusually lightheaded, as if the weight of all the homework and soccer grind had settled on my shoulders. I glanced at the alarm clock - it had been snoozed. As I got up, I noticed my body felt strangely warm, almost like it was ablaze with fever. It was a sensation I'd experienced before, like those scary moments when I was angry and Pragyan was there to cool me down.

I took a quick shower, hoping the cool water would ease the heat and pain, but it only seemed to intensify, sending sharp jolts of discomfort through me, as if I were about to erupt in flames. I dressed in loose sweatpants and a t-shirt, trying to find some relief, before heading downstairs.

"Good morning," I managed to greet my older brother, slumping into a chair as he packed my lunch. Concern flashed across his face as he looked at me. "Good morning, dear sis... Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with worry. "You look sick. Are you sure you want to go?"

I grimaced, the pain gnawing at me. "I have no choice. I have to go... or else I'll miss my test today," I replied, the weight of responsibility heavy on my shoulders. As he continued to look at me with concern, I couldn't help but recall the same expression Pragyan wore when I confided in him about my memories of being engulfed in flames.

I tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness hit me, and I stumbled, nearly face-planting if Rudra hadn't caught me just in time. "You sure you wanna go?" he asked, concern etched in his voice. "You're burning up with a... fever," he added, worry evident in his eyes.

"On second thought, I'll stay," I conceded, feeling too weak to argue. "Can you help me upstairs? I'm afraid I might collapse," I murmured, closing my eyes as the lightheadedness overwhelmed me. Rudra gently lifted me and carried me upstairs to my bed, tucking me in like a protective big brother. Exhausted, I drifted off to sleep, grateful for the relief from the heat and pain coursing through my body.

I slept, but my dreams were a mess-a whirlwind of vulnerability, solitude, and warfare. I found myself alone, fighting battles, facing death. Then came the most disturbing dream of all, a replay of the one from the poolside, where a man offered me power extracted from Pragyan, Arnav, Shivansh, Geeta, and Madhu, all tied up and thrown into a fire sparked by me, or the universe itself.

In my dream, as they were tossed in, I begged, "No... no... come back." Tears streamed down my face, even though I was asleep. When I woke, those five faces were staring at me, and I gasped in shock. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked, scrambling to get up. But a sharp pain throbbed at the back of my head, making me groan and clutch it, tears welling in my eyes.

**Pragyan's POV**

I watched Kiran tossing and turning in her sleep, her face contorted in distress. As she started to cry, it felt like a punch to my gut. I wanted to reach out, to comfort her, to assure her that everything would be okay, but Arnav shot me a warning look.

"Don't even think about it," his expression said, clear as day. I withdrew my hand, feeling a pang of sadness wash over me. I longed to hold her, to wipe away her tears, even though she was furious with me.

Two weeks of getting the cold shoulder from the person I cared about most sucked big time. It hurt just as bad as when I almost slammed myself into a locker at school, feeling like the biggest jerk for hurting her.

<<Flashback: The day Kiran got humiliated in the cafeteria>>

So, I hugged Ishani, thinking it'd make Kiran jealous or something. But instead of yelling at me like I expected, Kiran just grabbed her stuff and bolted out of there. The whole cafeteria went quiet, eyes glued on me, but I didn't give a damn. I ran after her, with Arnav and Shivansh right behind me.

"Why'd you pull that stunt, Pragyan?" Arnav's voice was dripping with anger.

"I was trying to get a reaction out of her," I explained, feeling desperate as we rushed to the library, where Kiran usually goes to chill.

"You big, clueless idiot! You broke her heart. Couldn't you see the pain in her eyes?" Arnav's words hit me hard, making me realize the mess I'd made.

"What was I supposed to do, Arnav?" I confronted him, my frustration boiling over. "Stand by and watch her go out with Grayson?" I demanded, my voice tinged with anger. But Arnav held his ground, his expression firm.

"No, you should have listened to her," he retorted, his tone resolute. I felt my temper flaring, my emotions threatening to spiral out of control. "I couldn't, alright? I lost control in that moment," I confessed, my voice trembling with raw emotion. "You crossed a line, Pragyan. You broke the heart of the girl you claim to love by embracing my sister," Arnav's voice thundered as he pushed me against the wall.

"Kiran is my sister from another mother, not by blood but by heart," he declared fiercely. "You can't mess with her, not while I'm around, and certainly not when I'm not there," he warned, his anger palpable. I stepped back, feeling the weight of his words pressing down on me.

"I can't help it, Arnav," I shouted back, my voice echoing with frustration. "With her, I... lose control," I admitted, the truth ringing out in the air between us.

"You're losing it, man! Are you even thinking?" Arnav's voice thundered, his frustration pouring out. "Kiran meant everything to you, for over a decade! And you just throw it away, messing around with my sister?"

I felt the sting of his accusation, like a punch to the gut. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I couldn't let them see. Instead, I directed my anger at the locker, pounding it with all the strength I had left.

"And what did you think would happen?" Arnav continued, his tone cutting through the air. "That Kiran would just forgive and forget? You've messed up big time, Pragyan, and it's not going to be easy fixing this mess."

I stared at the bloody mark I had left on the now-dented locker. "I lost her, didn't I?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over the sound of my own heartbeat. Tears streamed down my face, each one a testament to my pain.

"I guess you did, and you kinda brought it on yourself, mate," Shivansh replied, his voice tinged with sympathy.