A Tale As Old As Time - Page 3

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.”

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“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. 

Chapter - 03

“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.”

Ansh opened his eyes slowly and sighed. At times he wondered why people always hung up on the bed memories rather than being grateful for all the amazing things in their lives, including himself. One ugly fight shouldn’t be the determinant of their relation or whether they were happy or not. He knew he was; even after all these years, she was the first person he wanted to see whenever he opened his eyes. But was she?

He shook his head as if trying to shrug off his idiotic thoughts. How he wished he could stop feeling like that! Every time he doubted if he was good enough for her, she assuaged his fear, sometimes by going out of her way. Despite that, he could never fully get over his insecurity no matter how hard he tried. 

It pained him because he knew how much his apprehension hurt Piya. Yet, he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t sure whom to blame for it - his overprotective family for always keeping him first or himself that he equated their love and concern with him being a burden. All he knew was he had to get over his anxiety otherwise he was gonna continue hurting Piya.

He looked beside him and froze - Dafli wasn’t there in her crib. Just as he jumped out of the bed, he was surprised to find himself in his room. “When did I return?” He mumbled. Something felt different. There was no picture of Piya or their kids in the room. Even the interior looked familiar but different. Puzzled, he came out of his room and started looking for Piya. 

“Bhai what are you doing?” Ansh was pleasantly surprised to see Neha. “Neha! When did you return? How was your trip?” He felt ecstatic seeing his cousin after so long. Last week Neha informed them that she was coming back during her summer vacation but he didn’t expect her to return so early and surprise them. 

“What are you talking about? Where would I go? Anyway, forget it. Please get ready and come downstairs. We’re gonna be late for college. And where is Karan Bhai? Has he forgotten today’s occasion?” Neha’s last words thunderstruck Ansh. “What did you just say?” “I’m looking for Karan Bhai. All this time he kept blabbering about how he's gonna propose Mansi and now that everything has been taken care of, he’s nowhere to be seen. Please find him and join us in the car…”

Neha kept talking about their plans but none of her words reached Ansh. He was shaking like a fallen autumn leaf. How was this even possible? He looked at the photographs hanging on the wall and received the shock of his life - there was a family portrait of Mridul and Mohana with all three of their kids - him, Karan, and Kajal. 

“Bhai,” Neha addressed him softly, “Are you alright? You don’t look so good. It’s okay if you want to stay back and lie down a little. Rishi and I’ll take care of the rest of the arrangements.” “What’s the date today Neha?” Ansh asked with much difficulty. “What?” “Today’s date; what year is this?” “Okay, now I’m getting scared. What’s going on?” “Neha I...” He stopped midway. What was he supposed to tell her when he himself was at a loss? “You were saying?” Ansh took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Whatever it was - a nightmare or some sort of spell, he didn’t want to confuse Neha and complicate the situation further. 

“I need to know today’s date. Please!” Neha was about to say something but stopped midway. Clearly, her brother was going through something. Perhaps it was better to comply with his inquiry at that moment than bombard him with unnecessary questions. “It’s 3rd August, 2011.” “I gotta go.” Ansh stormed out of their apartment and got into the elevator. Before he could get into his car, his phone beeped and the message on his screen sent a shiver down his spine, “Thank you so much for such a lovely surprise Sugarlips! I had a wonderful time last night. Never knew you could be so romantic and come up with a better idea than going to the Lantern Festival. Can’t wait to see you...… Ruby”

His phone dropped down his hand. He had met Piya for the first time in the lantern festival. It was on 2nd August, 2011. If he didn’t go to the festival itself then…

“I wish I hadn’t met you in the first place!” 

He had tears streaming down his face recalling what he had wished earlier. If someone up there really liked him and decided to fulfill his wishes, He couldn’t have been more wrong. Or maybe it was his punishment for taking everything he had for granted. Either way, he couldn’t just stand still and play the victim card. No matter what happened, he was gonna find his way back to Piya.

At first, Ansh couldn’t decide where should he go. Considering their first meeting had been interrupted, there was a high chance of Piya not being his classmate as well. In that case, she should have been in Bandap with Guru Maa. With shaking hands, he started his car and closed his eyes in prayer, “I know I have been wrong, and I am aware how much I have hurt Piya. But please Devi Maa! Don’t snatch her from me! I am ready to bear any punishment but this. Please! Let our paths cross again!”