Chapter 2

Chapter - 02

“You smile just like your mother little one!” Ansh couldn’t help but smile recalling Dilruba as he put Dafli in her cradle. That crazy Chudhail! Who would have ever thought one day they would become teammates and fight side by side? If it wasn’t for his one ill-informed decision…Suddenly the moment she died flashed before his eyes and Ansh felt like someone had squeezed his heart, knocking the breath out of him. She deserved better. She deserved to be here and cherish every moment with Naman and Dafli as he got to do with Piya and their kids.

“You never realize how you keep messing around because I have been cleaning up your mess since the moment we met.”

“If that’s what you think, then I wish I hadn’t met you in the first place.”

His jawline stiffened recalling his fight with Piya earlier that day. He couldn’t even remember what was theexact reason behind their argument but one thing was clear - they needed some time out. Ever since he had defeated Mohana, life became easier. Or to be more accurate - NORMAL. In the beginning, it felt like a blessing. Finally they could focus on their lives without constantly worrying about the supernatural world or someone coming after them for their powers. Until they realized, that neither he nor Piya was habituated to this new situation.

When they were separated, it was different. They had full authority over their kids which made it easier to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives. However, despite being together and living in a joint family, both of them started to falter in their respective roles. It was true that handling two kids with supernatural powers was no easy task. Specially when they were as mischievous as Adi and Pari. But there was more to it. As astonishing as it might sound, they simply didn’t know how to live a normal life. Perhaps that’s why scheduling a meeting with his clients or deciding on who should pick up the kids from their school started to seem more difficult than fighting Mohana or any other Kaalishakti for that matter.

Would it be better if Piya and his lives weren’t intertwined with each other? Ansh knew he was wrong to ask that question. A twist of fate, their destiny, or by her own choice, Piya made it very clear that she would choose him over everyone and everything. If her words weren’t enough, he lost count of how many times that girl risked her to save his. Then how could he question her love like that? Yet, a part of him felt restless all the time.

If it weren't for their shared destiny, a lot of people would have been alive today, including their family members. Perhaps it would have been different had they met under different circumstances as regular people. Who knew? Piya might have never noticed someone as introverted as him and reciprocated Naman’s feelings. Would that be better? Would everyone be happy in that alternate universe?

Lost in his thoughts, Ansh didn’t notice the fume coming out of Nishant’s laboratory. He heard something dropping the armory and opened the door. Somehow the Kohrayan Talwar got knocked over and fell on the floor. As he bent down to pick up the sword, unknowingly he inhaled some of that fume and fell unconscious while mumbling his last words to Piya - “I wish I hadn’t met you in the first place.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Oh God! What happened here!” Following her father’s gaze, Saavi received the shock of her life; Ansh was lying on the floor, unconscious, whereas Dafli was playing in her crib. She took the child in her lap immediately and checked if she was okay while Nishant proceeded to check up on Ansh. “He’s breathing normally. And there’s no sign of injury as well. Then why isn’t he opening his eyes?” Just then he noticed Ansh’s phone was ringing, it was Naman. “Hello, Ansh? Is everything okay with Dafli?” “Naman, it’s me, Nishant. Did you bring Dafli to the office?” “No. I requested Ansh to look after her as I had to pick up Amma from the railway station. Wait, is Dafli there at the office? Is she alright?”

“Calm down Naman, Dafli is just fine. I guess Ansh had some work here and he brought along.” “Then why do you sound so stressed?” “Something happened to Ansh. We don’t know exactly what but he’s not responding to us.” “How is that possible? There’s no way he can be harmed by any Kaalishakti.” “That’s what we are trying to figure out. Could you please pick up Pandit Ji on your way here?” “Sure. I’ll be there within half an hour.” Nishant disconnected the call and took a deep breath. It wasn’t the time to get panicked. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with Ansh physically so all they had to do was connect the dots and find out what happened to him. Just as he opened “Daayan Rahasya” for some clue, he heard Saavi exclaiming,

“Oh no!” “What happened Saavi? Did you find anything?” “Dad, earlier when you were talking about the forbidden spell, you said something about channeling Prathmayan’s energy.” “Yes. But why are you talking about that now?” “Ansh Jiju, he died and then he was reborn from Sanatan Agni – a pure, eternal source of energy. If Prathmayan’s energy can be harnessed then so can be Jiju’s, right?” “Technically speaking, yes, it may be possible. But…” “When we found Jiju, his hand was touching the hilt of the Kohrayan Talwar. Earlier I was brewing some potion that had some of the key elements required for the time-traveling spell. Do you think Jiju…”

“Of course not. Ansh isn’t even aware that one such spell exists. And even if he does, why would he want to change the timeline?” “He wouldn’t. But what if this happened by an accident?” “Saavi, don’t you think you are taking too much creative liberty? Yes, we discussed a particular spell and its implications but that doesn’t mean everything that will happen from now on will go in that direction only. It could be anything. But whatever it is, there’s no doubt that it’s extremely powerful. Ansh’s entire frame is made of Sanatan Agni. There’s nothing that can take control over his body or mind.”

“That’s exactly my point. He can’t be defeated but he most certainly can become the anchor to a parallel world.” “For argument’s sake, even if the spell was cast, we wouldn’t have found Ansh’s body here. He would have gone back to the past and our entire timeline would be affected.” “What about a dreamland? Like the one Ayush Bhaiya created? At that time his body was present in this plane but his mind was stuck somewhere else.” “From a parallel universe to a dreamland, don't you think you are stressing too much about the time-traveling spell?”

“I don't. Look at his eyes Dad. His eyelids are moving spontaneously as if he’s dreaming. I know Jiju doesn’t have a single reason to create a dream world as per his convenience or tamper with time. Still, I can’t help but feel the presence of all the essential elements at the same time can’t be a coincidence.” “You are right. We can’t leave anything to chance. But that doesn't mean we'll keep wandering in the same direction. I understand your apprehension and yes, the unimaginable power that Ansh possesses can prove to be fatal if it's harnessed in the wrong way. But right now Ansh's wellbeing is our priority. We have to find out what’s happened to him before it’s too late ”

Saavi nodded her head and headed back to the library. Nishant was right, anything was possible in the supernatural world and it would be foolish of her to keep hypothesizing about the possible outcome of a spell that hadn't been even cast yet. Nothing was more important than Ansh. She couldn't let Piya lose him at any cost. Little did she know she was right. Unknowingly Ansh had opened up a portal to the past. While he had his memories intact being the anchor between the present and the past, the lack of precision as well as some of the key elements resulted in the creation of a parallel universe where his mind was stuck in the past while his body remained in the present. Another branch of the already existing timeline was created solely to fulfill its creator's wish unbeknownst to Ansh himself what trouble he had invited for everyone.