Arjun stared at the thing before him, unable to move.
A shadow—vast, shifting, endless—towered over him. Two burning golden eyes glowed in the void.
Again, the voice came, deep and resonant, shaking the emptiness itself:
"Do you wish to see the past?"
His lips trembled. Fear coiled in his chest, yet something in him… wanted this. For as long as he could remember, the past had been his dream, his obsession. And now that dream itself was calling out to him.
Was it a delusion? A hallucination before his soul vanished?
What harm could there be in saying yes, if I'm already dead?
Slowly, he nodded.
The shadow's form rippled like smoke.
"Very well. I shall grant your wish."
The world vanished.
Something pulled him—fast. He was flung through a silent void. There was no sky, no ground, no sound, only the sensation of falling through nothing. His body dissolved; he was thought, memory, and fear all at once.
Then came light.
A blinding flash seared his vision, and with it came feeling: the weight of a body, the warmth of air on his skin, the sound of voices—strange, unfamiliar, and yet ancient.
He opened his eyes.
A woman's face filled his vision. She was beautiful, draped in silk, gold ornaments glittering against her dark hair. Tears streaked her cheeks as she cradled him to her chest.
For a moment he didn't understand. Then, like lightning, the knowledge of history surged through his mind, pieces snapping together.
He knew that face. He had seen it in the pages of his books, carved in stone and painted on ancient walls.
The Queen of the Mauryan Empire.
Shock stole his breath. Mauryan? That means… I'm—
He looked around. The palace. The attendants. The unmistakable symbols of a dynasty long buried in time.
He had been born as the son of the first Mauryan King and Queen.
For the first time in his life—or death—he smiled.
His wish… had come true. He was in Ancient India.
But before he could even savor the moment, the air in the chamber turned cold.
Shadows gathered in the corners of the room, swirling, twisting.
Those same golden eyes opened again, staring at him from the darkness.
The voice whispered:
"Remember… a gift always has a price."
(To be continued in Chapter 3)