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698 Words
"One day... I'll expose every single one of them."
He looked toward the horizon where the sun was slowly disappearing.
"And one day... I'll watch every one of them suffer."
Asad remained silent.
He knew his cheerful, lively nephew very well.
The more Hamail learned about the dark reality of his country...
the more pieces of his heart would break.
That was why Asad had always tried to shield him from that darkness...
hoping he could preserve the bright smile that never left his face.
"In shā' Allāh," Asad said softly.
"One day, we'll both achieve our dreams, Hamail."
He wrapped an arm around his nephew's shoulders.
"You'll serve this country as a news anchor... and I'll serve it by joining the Intelligence Bureau."
A determined smile appeared on his face.
"We'll fight for justice."
Hamail's face brightened immediately.
"In shā' Allāh... In shā' Allāh!" he replied enthusiastically.
A moment later, he threw an arm around Asad's shoulder.
"And listen... you're my favorite uncle."
He pulled him closer.
"So you'll tell me about all of your investigations."
Asad winced.
"Let go... you're hurting me."
He tried to pull away, but Hamail's grip was surprisingly strong.
Hamail raised a fist dramatically.
"If you don't tell me..."
"...then trust me, you're going to get beaten up."
Asad laughed.
"By your hands... or by your teeth?"
Hamail bared his teeth without hesitation.
"Both."
Asad shook his head, laughing.
Just then, a familiar voice called out behind them.
"When will you two come back?"
Both of them turned around.
Standing there were Sarah and Manahil.
They were wrapped warmly against the winter cold, wearing woolen caps with shawls draped around their shoulders.
The last golden rays of the setting sun gently illuminated their faces.
They were beautiful Pashtun girls with rosy cheeks and large expressive eyes.
And within those eyes...
was the sadness of knowing Asad and Hamail were leaving.
Hamail smiled warmly.
"Don't worry."
"We'll come back one day..."
"...as successful men."**
Sarah smiled at his confidence.
Then she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"And don't you dare do anything stupid while you're there."
"Otherwise, it'll be very bad for you when you come back."
Hamail grinned mischievously.
"Don't worry."
"I'll hide the numbers of all my girlfriends..."
"...and when I come back, I won't tell you anything about them."
"You..."
Sarah glared at him.
Meanwhile, Asad and Manahil burst into laughter.
"Why are you teasing her?" Asad said, lightly punching Hamail on the arm.
"Who knows when we'll meet again?”
Hamail smiled.
"We'll meet again very soon."
He looked toward the distant mountains before speaking.
"Right now, we've only found the river..."
"...the sea is still waiting for us."
This time, Sarah smiled too.
The four of them had been together since childhood.
They had grown up side by side.
And they all knew how deeply they loved one another.
Everyone already knew that Asad and Manahil, and Hamail and Sarah, would one day get married.
And everyone around them was happy about it.
---
The next morning passed in preparations.
Hamail and Asad were scheduled to leave that evening.
While Asad had been away for two years undergoing Intelligence Bureau training, Hamail had spent much of his free time at a small café about thirty minutes from his home.
He loved going there to play video games.
Over time, he made many online friends.
But among them, the two he became closest to were boys from Karachi.
Since Asad was also living in Karachi at the time, Hamail's friendship with those two had grown even stronger.
One of them was Aryan Qureshi...
and the other was Azal Qureshi.
---
One day, while they were playing a game together, Hamail noticed a little child on Aryan's camera.
"Who's that kid?" he asked curiously.
Whenever Aryan played games with someone, he always turned his camera on.
It had become his habit.
That way, both players could see each other while gaming.
Completely focused on the game, Aryan answered without looking away from the screen.
"My brother."
He had no idea...
that the boy sitting on the other side of the screen...
would one day become a part of Aeran Home.
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- Writer
