The room was dead silent.Izaan's voice was choked, his eyes wet but his face blank.
"We need a leader, Izaan..."Sauryansh's words were still lingering in the air when Izaan slowly looked up—
"You said... a leader?"He laughed — not with mockery, but with deep conflict and shame.
"I'm a bloody loser...I've been running — from life, from my mistakes.When you all needed me the most, I ran away...And since then, all I've done is... bend and bow."
He leaned his head back against the chair, like someone exhausted with himself.
"I don't even know what I'm apologizing for —For my sins...or for betraying all of you."
He took a deep breath.
"I deserve this life.I'm living like someone who shouldn't get anything good...Because I'm such a spineless coward... so weak that I can't even face myself."
"I've always just run... and I'll never be able to fight, not like you all..."
Izaan's voice trembled, his gaze stuck to the ground.Before he could finish his sentence — SMACK!Rishabh's heavy slap sent him crashing to the floor.
"You said it right… you are a loser, damn it!"Rishabh grabbed his collar and yanked him up roughly.
"Stop it, Rishabh!" Kaustubh yelled, but Rishabh had lost control.
He clenched his hand around Izaan's throat and growled —"He's made our lives hell... because of him, we're all stuck under that dog Amay's rule... just because of him!"
Izaan's breath started to choke. His eyes widened. His body began to writhe.
"Let go, Rishabh! Don't be crazy, he'll die!"Kavin tried to pull Rishabh's grip away, but it only tightened.
"Then let him die…"Rishabh's voice was full of venom.
Izaan's mind flashed with blurred memories—A boy was being beaten… fists raining down on him."Stop it! He'll die!"Someone screamed.
"Then let him die!"A kick to the stomach. Another to the neck.The boy fell to the ground.
And then—A brutal kick to the throat… and everything went dark.
Everyone else had stepped back. Death stood before him.
"He can't die... because he is a friend of Yugant Singh Rawat."
Izaan's eyes flew open.With a sudden jolt, he shoved Rishabh away and began coughing violently.
All the boys froze in shock.Even Rishabh stepped back. All eyes were now on Izaan.
Izaan stared at his own hand in disbelief —"I pushed that bull away...? How...?"
Yugant's voice echoed in his head —"When the time comes... you'll fight, and you'll win. Just learn to give yourself a chance."
"You just said you're a loser... then how'd you fight back?"Rishabh stepped toward him, raising an eyebrow.
Izaan was still staring at him — something had changed inside him.Then suddenly, he punched Rishabh in the chest.
THUD!The punch was strong… but Rishabh didn't even flinch.
"Ouch!"Izaan jumped back, clutching his hand —"Does this bull eat stone for dinner? My hand's broken!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Rishabh wrapped his arm tightly around Izaan's neck and pulled him in roughly —"We need you... come back, brother."
Tears welled up in Izaan's eyes, but he said nothing.
Then the rest of the gang joined in, pulling him into a big group hug, all shouting —"We need you, Izaan!"
Something deep inside him melted — perhaps the loneliness that had been frozen inside his chest for all those years.
"And what are you waiting for?"Kavin looked at Kaustubh, who still stood silently in a corner.
Kaustubh slowly raised his eyebrows and said flatly —"You all smell like sweat..."
There was a beat of silence.
And then—
"You jerk!"Everyone pounced on him together — someone grabbed him, someone hit him with a pillow, others laughed and thumped his back.