Shadow venom - The Alchemists of Pain

Aniruddh led Izaan toward a locked room. As soon as he entered the code, the door opened with a click.He stepped inside, and Izaan followed right behind.

The entire room was drenched in a galaxy theme — glowing lights in shades of blue and violet, and bright white lights scattered all around, as if stars had descended from the sky onto the ground.Izaan's eyes moved across the room — everything felt like a dream.

He remembered… when they first started Shadow Venom, all they had was a crumbling old fort.That's where all the meetings used to take place… and at that time, there were only seven boys in the group.Today… ten years later… that same group had grown into a force of more than five hundred.Time had changed everything.

"Come here, Izaan," Aniruddh's voice broke his trance.He walked over to him. In front stood a royal, king-like chair — and beside it, a table with framed pictures of the seven founding members of Shadow Venom.

Izaan stared at those pictures for a long time —Every face was familiar, every pair of eyes held a story.

"Sit here…" Aniruddh said.

Izaan took two steps back and lowered his head,"This is Yug's place…"

Aniruddh looked at him deeply and replied,"And today… you are Yug."

Izaan felt like his heart skipped a beat.

Yes, he had taken the responsibility of Shadow Venom's President —But this chair… this name… this place…He never wanted to take Yug's place.

To Izaan, Yug wasn't just a friend —He was his idol.His guiding light.His inspiration.To walk the path Yug had shown, to live by his values — that had always been Izaan's dream.

"Izaan…" Aniruddh called again, snapping him out of his deep thoughts."Y-Yeah?" Izaan responded, slightly startled.

"Sit." Aniruddh's voice was soft, but firm.

Izaan hesitated, then slowly stepped forward and sat on the king-like chair beside the pictures of the seven founders of Shadow Venom.Aniruddh sat across from him, locking eyes with him.

"When you were part of Shadow Venom ten years ago… there were ten of us, right?"

Izaan nodded,"Hmm..."A small smile mixed with a twinge of pain appeared — ten years, ten boys… and now…

Aniruddh gestured toward a large screen on the wall."Look there."

Izaan turned to the screen. It showed the Shadow Venom building — a grand, gleaming structure.

"That's us now… Shadow Venom," Aniruddh said. Izaan smiled.

"Do you remember why we started the Shadow Venom group…?" Aniruddh asked with a soft smile.

A flicker of the past lit up in Izaan's eyes."Yeah… to protect Nirbhay."

Aniruddh's smile deepened."Well, now we need to focus on our present position..."

His tone turned serious."Currently, Shadow Venom has 500 members, divided into five separate 'Swords'. Each Sword has 100 members. You've already met the five captains… and today, their vice-captains will report to you."

"Kaustubh is our treasure head — he handles all our financial activities. Ved Raichand is our arms dealer — he supplies the gang with weapons. And I..."

"The Vice President..." Izaan finished.

Aniruddh nodded.

There was hesitation in Izaan's voice —"You're more capable than I am… you have fighting skills, experience… then why didn't you become the President yourself?"

Aniruddh walked over to the glass wall, from where the entire city was visible.

He spoke softly,"Izaan, I can fight well… I've seen the best fighters in my life…But someone who raises their voice against the wrong, who can bring everyone together, walk with them…Someone who can win people with his words — he is a true President."

"A soldier fights, and so does a king…But a soldier fights alone…A king fights with his army, giving them strength and belief."

His eyes now fixed on Izaan."A good fighter becomes a soldier...""But a good thinker becomes a king, Izaan."

Izaan lowered his head and said softly —"Still… I'm just a loser who failed in his own life… a guy who's been kicked around everywhere…""How can I lead all of you?"

Aniruddh smiled — a deep, wise smile.Then said —"Hmm… maybe you were a loser in life… maybe you kept running away…But you were the only one Yug believed in…""And I believe in Yug's belief."

Izaan whispered,"Yug… has there been any news of him? Where is he...?"

A faint sadness flickered in Aniruddh's eyes."No… we have no news of him…But… he's not someone who can be defeated easily…And I truly believe — he's out there, alive…For now, we need to focus entirely on the upcoming fight with Gang of Hell..."

After a few more discussions, Aniruddh and Izaan sat by a small table in the corner of the room, sipping coffee.There was a gentle silence in the room — only the rising steam from their mugs and the occasional clink of a spoon broke it.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Aniruddh called out in a deep voice,"Come in."

The door opened.Five boys stepped in with disciplined, precise steps. Their posture made it clear — they were well-trained.

The boy in front stepped forward and called out —"Reporting, sir!"

Aniruddh took his last sip, placed the mug on the table, and looked at Izaan."These five are the Vice-Captains of our five Swords. Before the battle, you need to meet them."

Izaan straightened up.

"Yashveer Verma," the first boy stepped forward. His voice was calm and confident."Vice-Captain of First Sword. Our department handles political influence."

The second boy nodded with a slight smile,"Ahiraj Anand — Vice-Captain of Second Sword. Our main focus — gambling and betting."

The third boy fixed his eyes directly on Aniruddh and Izaan, almost sizing them up."Shreyansh Mehra — Vice-Captain of Third Sword. We fight with our hands — hand-to-hand combat runs in our blood."

The fourth was the quietest — a deep intensity in his eyes."Rudransh Chauhan — Vice-Captain of Fourth Sword. Our department deals with drugs and weapons."

And finally, the last boy, Vihaan Shekhawat, stepped two steps forward and bowed lower than the rest,"Vihaan Shekhawat — Vice-Captain of Fifth Sword. Communication and technology are my domain."

Aniruddh gestured for them to leave. They bowed in unison and walked out.

He then pointed toward the screen again and explained:

"Our gang is split into five parts, five Swords..."

"First Sword — handles political influence. Bribing, threats, rigging elections, securing government contracts, pulling people out of legal trouble — all through political contacts."

"Second Sword — gambling and betting. Secret casinos, card clubs, betting networks — from cricket to politics, wherever there's a bet, we're there. Also hacking. And we recover money from losers — by any means necessary."

"Third Sword — hand-to-hand combat. Maintains discipline, recruits new members, and trains them in Shadow Venom style. This unit leads during war."

"Fourth Sword — drugs and weapons. Handles dealer networks, supply chains, market expansion. They also maintain and deliver all weapons that Ved Raichand arranges."

"Fifth Sword — internal affairs, communication, and technology. Resolves internal conflicts, ensures loyalty, monitors enemy movement, and keeps internal security intact."

"And together, these make up Shadow Venom."Aniruddh took a deep breath,"Our main goal is to protect our members, our friends — and end the injustice against them."

Izaan asked hesitantly,"But… gambling, betting… isn't all this wrong, Aniruddh?"

Aniruddh laughed."What else do you expect from a gang, Izaan? Should we open an NGO and start doing charity?"His tone carried a bitter truth.

"This world crushes the weak. In this world, right and wrong are defined by power."Aniruddh's gaze was fixed on Izaan."When we were kids, when our friends were getting beaten… nothing 'right' came to save us. No social worker stepped in. We had to save ourselves. Clench our fists.There's only one way to survive — fight. And to protect your people, you need power… and power comes this way."

He emphasized,"Remember… Shadow Venom isn't a criminal gang. It was formed to protect friends. It still does that.Whatever we do, we do with one purpose — survival and protection.Power comes from money.And earning clean money as a teenager was impossible — so we chose this path."

"Right and wrong, morals — they sound good in books.But when you're starving, humiliated, and living in fear — the only thing that works is power."

"We don't burn homes…But if someone tries to snatch the roof from our people — we burn them to ashes!"

"Yes, we run betting, drugs, weapons — because those are tools of power. And power… power is what we need to protect our people.We're not interested in being heroes, Izaan…We're fine being villains — as long as we're the wall no enemy can break through.If we don't crush our enemies, Izaan, they'll crush us.Yug always wanted to bring a new era for gang members — one where no one could hurt his friends, no one could take their lives…"

"If you still think all this is wrong — you're free to leave…"Aniruddh said firmly."We'll find another president — but never accept one who doubts our mission."

Izaan paused.What had his past ten years been? Just… dust.Anyone could beat him, humiliate him.No one respected him, no one took him seriously.His manager — younger than him — insulted him daily.The bar owner looked at him like an object and tried to force himself on him…

Yes, this is the world — a world that crushes the weak.He had been weak — always crushed.

His emotions, his self-worth, his dignity — all destroyed.He had been stripped of every reason to live…

No! Not anymore!He couldn't live like this anymore.He had to change.He had to free his friends.Yes — he would.His inner voice screamed.

And he yelled out loud —"Absolutely not… I will free my friends!"Tears fell from his eyes.

Aniruddh, half-plugging his ear, smirked,"You could've said that a little softer too, you know… I'm not deaf."