### EPISODE 26.1 Aaryan's Tragic Story: Episode 3 - "The Path of No Return"
The book felt heavier in Aaryan's hands as he carried it home, the weight symbolic of the burden he was about to take on. As he stepped into his small apartment, a sense of determination washed over him. Gone was the boy who believed in kindness and fairness. Now, he was a man driven by a thirst for power, one who would stop at nothing to make the world pay for what it had done to him.
Aaryan opened the book and began to read. The language was archaic, filled with cryptic symbols and diagrams, but somehow, he understood it. It was as if the knowledge had been waiting for him, buried deep within his mind, ready to be unlocked. The pages spoke of ancient rituals, forgotten gods, and the dark arts—practices that had been banned or lost to time. Power was within his grasp, but as the old man had warned, it would come at a price.
For days, Aaryan shut himself away from the world, immersing himself in the book's teachings. He memorized every ritual, every incantation, each word etching itself into his mind. The dark energy from the book began to seep into him, changing him in ways he couldn't yet comprehend. He felt stronger, more confident, but with that strength came a growing sense of detachment. The things that had once mattered to him—friendship, love, even his own morality—began to fade away.
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#### The Ritual Begins
One night, after weeks of studying, Aaryan decided it was time to put what he had learned into practice. The first ritual he had chosen from the book was one of empowerment, designed to grant him control over others. It wasn't enough for him to gain power for himself—he needed to be able to bend others to his will, to make them see him as someone they could not ignore.
The instructions were clear: he needed certain materials—herbs, animal blood, and a personal item from the person he wished to control. Aaryan didn't hesitate. He gathered the materials, knowing exactly who his first target would be: Rohan, his former best friend. The one who had abandoned him when he needed him the most.
Aaryan still remembered how Rohan had ghosted him after promising to be there for him. The betrayal had stung more than anything. They had been like brothers, inseparable. And yet, when Aaryan's world crumbled, Rohan was nowhere to be found. Aaryan wanted to make him pay, to see the fear in his eyes when he realized what he had done.
The night of the ritual, Aaryan prepared everything meticulously. He followed the instructions to the letter, drawing the symbols on the floor in chalk, lighting the candles, and chanting the incantations from the book. The air around him seemed to hum with energy, and the room grew colder, the temperature dropping unnaturally fast. The shadows in the room stretched and flickered as if they were alive, moving of their own accord.
Finally, Aaryan placed a photo of Rohan at the center of the ritual circle, a personal item to establish the connection. As he spoke the final words of the incantation, he felt a surge of power rush through him, like a lightning bolt that electrified his very soul. His vision blurred for a moment, and then everything went still.
It had worked.
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#### Confronting Rohan
The next day, Aaryan met Rohan in a café, the first time they had seen each other in months. Rohan was unaware of the ritual, oblivious to the fact that he was now under Aaryan's control. As they sat down, Rohan greeted him with the usual fake friendliness that Aaryan had come to despise.
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your dad's funeral, man," Rohan said, sipping his coffee. "Work's been crazy, you know how it is."
Aaryan clenched his fists under the table, fighting back the urge to lash out. *How dare he lie so casually,* Aaryan thought. But he didn't show his anger. Instead, he smiled.
"It's okay, Rohan," Aaryan said, his voice calm and steady. "I understand. In fact, I'm not even mad at you anymore. I just want to talk, like old times."
Rohan smiled, relieved that Aaryan wasn't angry. But what Rohan didn't realize was that he was no longer in control of the situation. Aaryan began to speak, asking Rohan about his life, his job, his new friends. With each question, Aaryan subtly invoked the power of the ritual, bending Rohan's will to his own. The more they talked, the more Rohan began to open up, revealing his insecurities, his doubts, his fears. He didn't even realize that he was being manipulated.
By the end of the conversation, Rohan was no longer the confident, carefree man who had abandoned Aaryan. He was a broken shell, unsure of himself, questioning everything. Aaryan could see the fear in his eyes, the confusion. Rohan didn't understand why he suddenly felt so vulnerable, but Aaryan knew exactly why.
As they stood to leave, Aaryan placed a hand on Rohan's shoulder. "Don't worry, Rohan," Aaryan said softly, "I'm always here for you. After all, we're brothers, right?"
Rohan nodded, his eyes filled with uncertainty. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but he didn't know what. As he walked away, Aaryan watched him go, a dark smile playing on his lips. It was only the beginning. He had tasted the power, and he wanted more.
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#### The Price of Power
But as Aaryan reveled in his newfound abilities, something else began to stir inside him. The dark energy from the ritual had left its mark. The more power Aaryan gained, the more he felt the darkness within him growing. It whispered to him, urging him to take more, to never stop. His humanity, once so strong, was slowly slipping away.
At night, Aaryan's dreams were filled with visions of fire and chaos, of a world in ruins with him standing at the center, crowned in shadow. He woke up in cold sweats, the darkness inside him gnawing at his soul. He had thought power would bring him control, but now it seemed that the power was controlling him.
The old man's warning echoed in his mind: *Power comes at a price.* Aaryan had been so eager to gain that power, he hadn't stopped to consider what he might lose in the process. But now, it was too late to turn back. The path he had chosen was one of no return.
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