Duty Or Love

Robert looked at Rachel who was sitting near the end of the bed. She was both sad and a little bit afraid. Robert said gently, "Don't be afraid, Rachel. Robin will never find us here. We are safe from him." Rachel looked at him and said sadly, "I am not worried about your brother, but my daughter. She must be searching for me all over the world and here I'm sitting in a dark room helpless and with a complete stranger." Robert said sadly, "This stranger has risked his life for you and has turned on his own brother." Rachel looked at him and said, "I know what you have done for me, Robert and I truly appreciate and is grateful for your help from the bottom of my heart. But, I cannot do what you want from me. I have a family, a husband, a daughter and people who are kind to me. I don't want to hurt your feelings but you are a goon and I cannot love you."

Robert said, "I respect your choice. Yes, I'm a goon, a baf element of the society but it is also true that I am the only one who can save you or your loved ones from the wrath of my brother. I don't want your love, Rachel. For me, my love is enough but please don't snatch away my right to protect you and take you to your family safely." Rachel said sadly, "Life is such a bitch, Robert. I don't know who kidnapped me but I remember him raping me and throwing me away like a garbage. Then, I was sold and again raped and now I'm under the danger of an evil man. If my past self had seen me now, she would have not believed me at all." Robert smiled, "You are quite stronger than you seem, Rachel. I have seen many women breaking down and harming themselves even at the bottom level of the torture you have suffered but you stayed strong and rebuked my brother in his face. My brother for the first time in his life didn't kill you but instead let you live. I fell in love with you even after all the rejections and differences between us and I in my life for the first time went against my brother and followed my heart. If my past self had seen me now, he would have laughed at my helplessness."

Rachel said, "Our situations are quite different, Robert. You have advanced towards something good while my situation has worsened." Robert said, "If you keep lamenting over every small accident, how will you cope up with this harsh life?" Rachel said sadly, "It is easy for you to say. Even if your brother finds us, he will consider leaving you alive as you are his brother but I. I am a stranger and he will sell me again to some bidder." Robert said, "That's why I'm saying that you should be thankful that you have me. I promise that I will keep you safe and take you to your daughter." Rachel said, "I'm hungry. Go and bring some food for me." Robert smiled and went away.

Phantom and Ralph looked at the boat. Phantom and Ralph were following Rachel from a long time since they got to know that she is Alice's mother. Phantom couldn't do anything but to see her ill state and lament. He wanted to go and freed Rachel from Robert's grasp but he is helpless as he is forbidden from mingling with Rachel. He looked at Ralph and sighed, "What's the point of being so mighty when you cannot do anything to save my love of life." Ralph smiled, "Life is a bitch. I too couldn't do anything to save my wife from falling in love with another person nor could do anything to convince her to come back to me. Love makes all the power and might of the world vanish at its feet." Phantom said, "But I won't sit idle and watch Rachel cry." He looked at Robert going and he quickly transformed into Robert and walked inside the boat. Rachel looked at him and asked, "Where is my food?" Robert smiled, "We are in the middle of nowhere so getting food will be quite difficult here." Rachel said sadly, "Even food is not in my fate now. What else can get more troubling now?"

Robert looked at her and said, "Even if it is so troubling now, we should be thankful for the things we have with us. You have a family and friends, but I'm all alone. My close friends left me and betrayed me when I needed them the most. They snatched away the precious person from my life and told me that she has forgotten me. But now after so many years, I have come to know that she has indeed forgotten about me but we have a daughter together." Rachel said, "Love is a curse in your line of business, Robert. If you have ever loved her truly, you will leave her as she is and never try to contact her or your daughter as your selfish friends will try again to snatch away them from you."

Robert smiled, "A hundred percent true advice, Rachel. A hundred percent true advice. But, what will I do with this silly heart of mine who doesn't understand the world's logic and is dying to see his daughter atleast once before perishing." Rachel said, "Tell your heart that his obsession will ruin his daughter's life forever. She will hate herself for being the daughter of an illicit relationship and this hypocritical world will not let her live one day without listening to the taunts and curses of these hypocrite people." Robert's eyes filled with tears and he walked away. Rachel looked at him and tried to call his name but stopped.

Assayah was cleaning his table when Gongamtei appeared and smiled, "Cleanliness doesn't suit us demons. We like our stuff and plans dirty." Assayah looked at him and said, "That policy doesn't work with mortals. Here, the more influential a person gets, the more cleaner he has to stay." Gongamtei took the bottle of vodka and took a gulp. He looked at Assayah and said, "I really don't understand your obsession with being a friend of these pathetic mortals. You should manipulate their minds and treat them as your slaves. I know that you have that much power."

Assayah smiled, "Who said that I don't manipulate their minds? Indirect manipulation is my weapon and I perfectly know how to use it." Gongamtei finished the bottle of vodka and said, "They say that brain beats brawn, but brawn is equally important as much as brain. If you are not strong enough to keep yourself safe, then your smartness doesn't matter at all." Assayah said, "You were an assassin, Gongamtei. You were taught the tactics of the battlefield and some guerrilla warfare, so your approach to winning any duel is more physical in nature. But, I went to the Monastery and brought up between intellectual people and was taught books of famous strategists like Edmond the Conqueror and Visus the Great, who proved their might in the battlefield with their shrewd tactics and became rulers."

Gongamtei smiled, "I'm not an illiterate, Assayah. I also went to school and learnt about the tactics necessary in the battlefield. You had praised Edmond the Conqueror and Visus the Great, but how can you the Manacan legend, King Tawacus who sailed with an army of mere thousand and conquered the vast lands of Manaca and defeated the fierce and brutal savage king, Gonga." Assayah smiled, "Okay. We all have our heroes. But, why did you came here in the first place?"

Gongamtei looked at Assayah and said, "Actually I wanted to know about the tactics of the sword that you have given to me a few weeks back. The sword is all good and well but it doesn't show any other significant amount of zeal and power." Assayah said, "The sword is dependent on its bearer and will only act when the bearer is strong himself." Gongamtei asked him angrily, "Do you have doubt on my capabilities, Assayah?" Assayah said, "Of course not, Gongamtei. But, it is what it is." Gongamtei looked at him with suspicion and asked, "Did you gave me the right sword?" Assayah asked angrily, "Do you doubt me, Gongamtei?"

Gongamtei smiled, "Betrayal are us demon's signature move. But, anyway I was thinking we should make arrangements for the martial arts competition. Your clients won't be happy with your delay. What was the name of the child you were talking about?" Assayah said, "Isabella Shepherd. She is a prodigy according to her mom, but we have to see and test her ourself first before conducting anything on her." Gongamtei said, "Bring her to the city hall martial arts centre tomorrow morning."

Phantom was sitting quietly in a corner of the room and was sobbing. Ralph looked at him and said, "It doesn't mean she doesn't love you. You went there as Robert and so she just said what was in her mind. She knew Robert, not you. If she had known about your love for her, I guarantee you that she would have come running after you." Phantom looked at the reflection of him in the glass and said, "You are wrong, buddy. If she had known my true self and that I left her all alone when she needed me the most, she would have slapped me and run away from me. Actually, I deserve this punishment. I didn't care to go once or even enquire about her."

Ralph said, "You were helpless, Phantom. Bacca would have killed you if you had disobed his command. He would have killed Rachel and your unborn child too." Phantom said, "Mortals believe that we demons don't have heart or know how to love someone. But, they forget that they are the ones who hate us and treat us with malice." Ralph smiled, "We mortals are quite complicated. We want to have all the world, but don't want to pay the price for it. We only pray to God when we feel like we are in trouble, but don't even remember him once in our good time. I wish people would be more compassionate and understanding of their nature and treat organisms different from theirs as their own." Phantom said, "Rachel is happy with her family and I don't want to snatch away her happiness from her. If the distance between us keeps her safe, then I will always keep my distance from her even if it kills me."

Kayuba appeared and looked at them angrily. He said, "You two are stigmas on us demons. I have told you two to keep an eye on Alice and her friends and you two are singing sad songs about your imaginary broken world. Do you two even realise what type of jeopardy you two are creating with your stupidity? Bacca came yesterday and said that Xao Chang has completed ninety percent of his mediation and soon he will complete his mediation and emerge on the surface. And as soon as he comes in the Monastery, what will he do first? He will ask for the spear. The bloody spear which we are trying to acquire for centuries but failed. Now, if Xao Chang realises that we are corrupted by the emotions of the mortal world, he will kill us all and that includes your dear Rachel and her child." Phantom said sadly, "Please, kill me. I have endured much pain already and I have no more strength to endure any more. Master, I beg you to free me from this eternal pain of my life." Kayuba said, "Stop being so dramatic, Phantom and start getting practical for once in your life. Your story with Rachel has ended way before and re-igniting it will only prove troublesome for all of us. I am tired of telling you this every fucking time that you are not a mortal and you won't ever have a love story or family with any fucking mortal.

They are food for us and even less, they are toys for us. If it satisfies your thirst, go and fuck every girl on Earth, but please stop corrupting your mind with these stupid and harming emotion called love." Ralph asked, "Why can't he love? I don't think it written anywhere that demons are incapable of loving someone. In fact, most stories started with the villian trying to acquire the love of his obsession." Kayuba said angrily, "Because, Ralph. It is not some romantic story but real world. I know that loving someone is not forbidden, but if the love is destroying your responsibility towards your duty, it is better to kill that love as soon as possible."

Ralph interrupted Kayuba and said, "Look. They are going somewhere." The three peeped through the window and saw that Robert and Rachel were sailing towards the city of Los Angeles. Kayuba said, "It is your last chance to nab Alice. Go and kidnap Rachel and as soon as she will know that her mother is kidnapped, she will come running after her and that's where we will take the spear form her and finish her story for good. I don't want any stupidity this time. Understood?" They shaked their heads in approval. Kayuba said, "Good. Remember duty comes before anything in this world and we must do what is necessary for our plan to succeed." He transformed into red mist and disappeared. Phantom and Ralph looked at each other and sighed....