"The scars remind me where I've been, but they don't define where I'm going."

Akash, a slender young man with sun-kissed hair and eyes constantly searching for purpose, gripped his diploma – a weightless paper holding the weight of unspoken expectations. Unlike his classmates buzzing with career paths, Akash was adrift, yearning for something more than the mundane routine of an office job. Days bled into each other, filled with aimless hours at chai stalls with his friends, Raj and Vikas, who reflected his own restlessness.

One languid afternoon, Vikas produced a small vial, its contents shimmering like moonlight dust. "Forget worries, Akash," he coaxed, "This'll set your spirit free." Curiosity, cloaked in rebellion, urged Akash to try it. The initial euphoria was a...