Chapter 5

Chapter - 05

“Have you ever wondered how our lives would turn out to be if we had never met or had any supernatural powers?”

“Well... To be completely honest, I never got the time to think about it. We met, all hell broke loose, and before I could wrap my head around what was happening or how I felt about you, we got married.”

“So you think in some parallel universe we would actually be better off without each other?”

“I can't be sure whether we'd be happier but yes, life most certainly would be a lot different. Who knows? Perhaps easier as well.”

“Do you regret it? Being tied to the one who's prophesized to be

the most evil entity this world has ever witnessed?”

“That's quite an interesting introduction. But no, I have no regrets. And if I were given a choice, I would choose you all over again, with my eyes closed, in every single lifetime, in every alternate reality. I would choose you because I love you!”

“Despite all the heartache?”

“Specially because of all that heartache.”

“You know, you are quite twisted for a Daivik.”

“I'm not. What difference does it make whether one is normal or bestowed with magical powers? We all get a little twisted when it comes to love and I love you Ansh! Always have, always will. It doesn’t matter which version of reality we are in or could possibly be in, I will always find my way back to you!”

Memories! Such power they possess that can give someone hope amidst an ocean of darkness. Ansh remembered every single detail of that beautiful afternoon - the serenity, the warmth; the much-needed alone time which brought out their playful side. But what stayed with him was Piya's unwavering faith in their love. It often astonished him how despite everything they had been through, Piya never once contemplated a life without him whereas his mind wandered in the realm of possibilities - what if he was the reason for her miseries? Would she thrive more in his absence?

Ansh's breath hitched at the idea of getting away from Piya. No matter what he thought or said in a fit of anger, he could not think of a life without her. She was the answer to all of his questions, his anchor that connected him to dear life. He wasn't sure if he was sent back to the past or if some evil entity had trapped him in a mystical world. All he knew was he had to find her. He had to look into those big brown eyes of hers and tell her what she meant to him.

He got out of his car and entered the nursery. Lucky for him, he didn't have to travel all the way to Kanpur to find Piya. He took the wrong route by mistake and perhaps it was the Goddess's wish that his car broke down near a nursery where he spotted Piya. Clad in a sea-green kameez, she was playing with the sapling in her hand. The way she gently brushed her fingers across the leaves - whispering to it and giggling, one might presume her to be nurturing an infant. Ansh couldn't help but feel amused. Some things simply never changed. He moved forward in her direction and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Albeit surprised, Piya turned around and greeted the stranger with a smile, “Yes?” Ansh stood silent, overwhelmed with emotions he didn't know how to express. Clearly, she didn't recognize him. It's not like he didn't anticipate this situation. But it was one thing to hypothesize a theory and another to accept it in reality. “How may I help you?” “You...I...” “Piya!” Ansh froze in his spot hearing the voice. It couldn't be! “Is everything alright?” A tall, well-built guy came from behind. “Stop pretending to be so serious all the time Ayush.” She hit his shoulder playfully, “Please don't mind my brother. He likes to act all rough and tough before strangers.” She said smilingly.

“Well, I have to. Otherwise, who'll protect them from your wreath?” Before Ayush could finish his sentence, Piya smacked his head, resulting in a fight between the siblings while Ansh kept staring at them, stupefied. How was this possible? How could Ayush be there? “Good lord! Guys please stop it. This is a nursery, not our house that you can break into a fight anytime you want. Spare me this secondhand embarrassment.” Another boy came out of nowhere. He looked familiar but Ansh couldn’t recall who he was. “Hi, I'm Danish. Sorry about that. My siblings have a tendency to ensue World War III irrespective of the time and place. Is there any way I can help you?”

Ansh couldn't utter a single word. That's why he looked so familiar. He had seen his photograph in Nishant's old family albums. Danish was barely five years old when Mohana killed him. Then how could he be present there? What the hell was happening? “There you are!” Neha heaved a sigh of relief seeing Ansh. “I have been looking for you all day. What's the matter Bhai? Why did you leave home like that and what are you doing here?” Ansh simply looked at her, unable to answer any of her questions while the latter became anxious seeing his state, “You don't look okay. Let's get you home.”

The ride to their house was completely silent. Ansh remained lost in his thoughts while Neha occasionally caught glances of her cousin from the driver's seat. She had a thousand questions to ask but seeing his condition decided to keep quiet. Once they reached home, she felt relieved seeing Vedashree and Shekhar were back from their trip. If not with her, Ansh could surely open up to his aunt.

Vishesh, the youngest of the cousins was chattering as usual. Apparently, he enjoyed his time in Delhi a bit too much. But what drew attention was Ansh’s questioning glances, as if he didn't recognize him. “Bhai!” He came running the moment he saw Ansh, adding more to his confusion, “You wouldn’t believe what I discovered there - “Crossword”. They had the entire collection of “Batman” and “Wolverine”, can you believe that!” Despite his confusion, the excitement in the young boy’s eyes brought a smile to Ansh’s face, “I would have bought some more but Maa didn’t let me. Once my exam is over, you will take me there, won’t you?” He pleaded innocently holding Ansh’s hand.

“That’s enough Vishesh, let your Bhai take a breath first, will you?” Vedashree entered the hall with a tray full of snacks accompanied by Chaitali. “Maa!” Ansh hugged her tightly. “Thank God you’re here.” Vedashree felt surprised. Usually, Ansh called her “Badi Maa”. What happened to him that he was behaving that way? Ansh broke the hug and heaved a sigh, “Who’s this kid?” “Don’t tell me now you have forgotten your baby brother’s face,” Mohana said smilingly while walking down the stairs, “That’s the type of prank we expect from Karan, not you.”

Uncontrollable rage took over Ansh’s senses the moment he saw Mohana. So it was her who cast the spell. To everyone’s horror, he charged in her direction and throttled her. “You! Don’t you ever die?” His grip on her neck tightened, nearly choking her. “Where is my family? What did you do to them?” “Bhai what the hell are you doing!” Rishi tried to pull him away. “I killed you once before, I'll do it again. Reverse your goddamn spell right now!” Just then, Avinash hit Ansh’s head with his revolver, knocking him down. Before he lost consciousness, Ansh saw the rest of the family members encircling Mohana, unaware of the looming danger in their lives. He tried to warn them but to no avail. A tear dropped down his eyes as his tired eyelids finally gave up before he mumbled her name one last time, “Piya!”

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“Ansh!” Piya woke up from her dream with a jolt and looked around frantically. “What’s wrong Gudiya? What happened to Ansh?” “He…” A tickling sensation made her touch the back of her head when she discovered blood on her fingertips. Astonished, she examined Ansh’s skull as well only to realize he wasn’t healing either. “We’ve got a serious problem.”