Kri giggled. "It is indeed a sorrowful sight to witness your departure in a place so squalid as this. Yet, you were never deserving of the title of a higher being, for you were naught but a mere—" Atharv gave Kri a hard smash against the wall. But couldn't land a critical hit. Kri spread his wings and rushed back. Strangling Atharv again in the grasp of his wings. "You have turned weak."
Manya arranged a few feathers beside and gently placed Dhruv on them.
"Hope yet lingers in your eyes, despite the devastation," Kri said to Atharv.
"Manya!" Atharv said. In an instant, Atharv disappeared from Kri's grip, snapping Manya out of her sorrow. As time passed, the entire area resonated with the unsettling sound of Kri's laughter.
A few warm drops of liquid hit the back of her neck, and as they trailed down her skin, a quiver ran down her spine. She instinctively reached up to touch it, a wave of terror engulfed her. Blood? It wasn't black, nor was it hers.
She refused to give in to her negative thoughts. "No. There has to be another explanation. It can't be." She didn't want to believe that the blood could be Atharv's. "Yes," she wiped her tears. "It can't be him. I am sure."
Kri bent over and touched her chin. "Eyes veiled by shadows, bereft of the celestial ember."
She spotted a hand—grabbing Kri's hair. She crawled back and bumped into something solid but warm. Her gaze locked onto the hand above, dripped with black blood while her hand traced the thing she had bumped into. The moment her hand touched rubber, tears seeped down her face, and her body trembled with each sob.
Her gaze landed on Atharv's legs—covered in blood. As she looked up, her chest clenched. Many sharp objects chained to the wall had pierced Atharv.
Even after losing a lot of blood from the wounds, Atharv appeared unaffected by them. Chains had limited his movements. Regardless of that, he tossed Kri aside. When his powerful gaze met hers. Her vision glitched again—as if the fabric of reality itself was on the verge of breaking apart. "Don't worry. No going home. With you tonight," the mysterious male voice said. The same burst of pure energy she had felt before—again coursed through her veins.
Matching Atharv's gaze, her face lit up as she nodded. Taking one step forward, she ended up beside Kri, surprising him. He struggled to avoid her continuous onslaught. She grabbed the feathers laid on the floor and aggravated Kri's existing wounds. Erasing the smug off of his face. Kri launched several feathers at her, which she dodged. She clutched the biggest feather and, with a roar, dashed forward and plunged the growing feather into Kri's chest. Waiting for his eyes to lose any hope of living.
His veins started turning purple. Same purple liquid enveloped the feather she had ripped him with. Manya rushed to a safe distance. His mouth quivered, gulping for a breath amidst the purple liquid blocking his sense. The dark hue in each feather of his wings taking a darker shade; they had made it impossible for him to move. Within a few seconds, the purple liquid—supposed to give him strength—engulfed him, leaving behind another pool of blood.
A wave of exhilaration washed over her, leaving her breathless and energised. The reality around her started to glitch. Made it harder for her to focus and balance. She faced Atharv. His legs had given in, his body swaying gently as he hung from the chains, his blood pooling beneath him.
He gestured her to stop—touching him would only increase the torture. With a heavy heart, she knelt beside him. Gently, Atharv placed his hand over her head. The pain in her chest surged, causing her to gasp for breath.
"W-Why? What did we do wrong? Why all this?" she said.
"I don't have much time for your melodrama." A subtle smile played on his lips.
"We'll go to the hospital. You'll be fine!" she said. However, she had no clue how to remove the chains without hurting him. Her eyes darted over the source of the chains.
He smirked. "Listen. I never thought a day like this will come, at least not this early. My heart doesn't want to leave you alone." And for the first time since the day she met him—tears streamed down his face. Real tears. Each one a dagger tearing apart her soul.
Atharv softly caressed Manya's head. "It's going to be tough, dangerous. Just… fun out your way through every obstacle." He grabbed her hand and traced his thumb over a ring she was unaware of. "Give this ring back to her. Tell her she was too good for me." The ring glowed with a faint yellow shimmering light. "Miss me." A warm smile played on his lips.
A circular layer appeared around Atharv, and in a split second, also around her. Everything around her started fading away into a blur. Her arms stretched towards Dhruv, longing for a touch.
Several shadowy figures had surrounded Atharv. They moved their arms in mid-air. As if they were working out some controls. Sooner bindings appeared around Atharv and her. When she met Atharv's gaze, he winked at her and, in a split second—the world around her dissolved into darkness—leaving her surrounded by an eerie silence.
***
Questions flooded her mind. Was she trapped? Had she somehow met her demise? Or was she caught by those strange beings and they had pushed her inside some dark place? Last, she hoped for everything she had just experienced to be a dream.
'Link Disconnected,' a female voice announced.
Several light spots surrounded her vision. The world around her became defined, and the outline of her hand was now visible. Within seconds, she found herself reclining in a rectangular structure with a front made of glass. The glass had long marks of sharp cuts all over. Her clothes were intact, not a single stain of blood and no stab marks.
Sooner, the glass in front of her opened, exposing a strange setting with unknown objects highlighted by the faint light emitting from whatever she was lying into. Feeling weak and confused, she hesitated before trying to step onto solid ground. She had the sensation of being trapped beneath a heavy object. After a few minutes, she regained enough strength to do it.
When her feet touched the ground, the lights in the room came to life. In a small hall, there were varieties of advanced and unfamiliar technologies. Each displaying intricate designs and alien interfaces. One particular digital display was mounted on a wall, with a timer counting back 15 minutes.
"So how was your experience with soul cloner?" Atharv said. She rushed towards the sudden display of Atharv on a screen. "You must have lots of question, about what just happened, right? First, sit on that couch."
After glancing around for a few seconds, she found no couches, but then a couch formed from metallic particles. "Are you okay?" she said. "And where are you? What is this place? And why am I here?" Seeing Atharv unharmed and well spread a wave of relief.
"If you are watching this video, that means two things, either I had married Purvi and currently, I am on my honeymoon or…" his eyes sparkled with excitement. "I am kidnapped! Or dead if they had arrived late."
She observed his clothes unscathed. "But when did you?"
"Now let's clear the maze your thoughts are lost in." Atharv stepped away from the desk, with the camera following him around. He approached the machine; she had just woken up in and opened it. He glanced at the camera. "It's going to be interesting."
Stepping out of the machine, a black humanlike figure, appearing to be agender, stood beside Atharv. "This here is a soul cloner. In books, it has a hard technical name, which I never liked, even though it was me who… Forget it. Fun part is that this one is the last model in the entire cosmos and I had made sure no one will be able to build it. There are similar technologies, but not without any limitations."
"Think of it as a spare body. With no difference." He traced his fingers on its material and checked several detailed texts hovering around it. While he was explaining to her about a strange technology, she struggled to accept the reality that the man standing before her, with his sincere smile and curious expression, was no longer with her.
Atharv's sudden action confused her. He ascended the stairs to her room with the soul cloner following him. "Don't make such a face, the 'stuff' you had gone through… I had figured out when I saw Dhruv for the first time. I wanted to stop you, but your wish to live a normal life came in between."
He stepped inside her room while she was fast asleep. "Sorry for drugging your coffee." He removed a ring from his finger, gazed at it affectionately, kissed it, and then gently placed it on her finger. "Begin," he said. The cloner touched her arm and within seconds, its arm started changing, becoming a replica of her own. Manya blinked rapidly. Not a single difference; not even her clothes. They were faded from the right places. Atharv cradled Manya in arms and carried her to his office.
Leaving the screen, her eyes fell over every technology and intricate details around her. "So, this was what you were hiding?"
With great urgency, Atharv carefully put the sleeping Manya into the rectangular machine and closed the glass. "Pretty cool, right? I know you would be confused, sad, probably crying over me. But you couldn't have done anything." He pointed at himself. "This piece of handsomeness, attractiveness, a man who was magnetic, elegant and captivating, is now probably dead or millions of light years away."
A knock on the office door distracted Atharv. "It must be you." He rushed to the door. The camera shifted its focus towards the door.
"Yes, milady?"
"Can't you track his location?"
"I can."
"Then hurry!"
Atharv shut the door and lingered for a moment before reopening it. "Found his car near a cafe in Connaught Place."
You knew everything. But how?
"It's obvious he should be inside, and he always forgets to charge his phone."
"No, I mean, there's no sign of him in the entire state."
"Entire state? Is this one of your clever jokes? But he went to see his sister! What if she? His father, but."
"Get in the car! And wait for me."
She wondered how far had Atharv predicted the events, for him to make a clone of her.
After checking some screens beside the rectangular technology, Atharv returned and faced the camera.
"I have to hurry, as you know, how stubborn you get. By now you must be wondering, why did I do it? And how did I know? Let's just say, I am smart, no, a genius," he giggled, "listen. Why I didn't tell you? Because your last wish was to live a normal life, and I made sure you get one. However, it was. Both of us did able to live a year of a normal Earth life," pride lingered in his eyes. "It wouldn't sound big, but it is. Way bigger than my entire precious collections." He leaned closer to the camera. "I know your next step, but finding me will lead you to the past nobody wants to remember. Choose wisely. And if you are worried about those creatures, they won't come near Earth ever again. Not until you act rationally."
Atharv faced several screens and interacted with air beside them. On one of them, Manya glimpsed the country's map with several lines moving across each state. He halted; his face was as if he was listening to something.
Wiping off a tear, Atharv continued. "Dhruv looked harmless. But on the night, when you went unconscious," he swayed his hand—activated dozens of circular things on the screens behind, spreading each second. "Where was I? Manya, there's a reason you entrusted your life and heart to him the moment you saw him. Reason which made you kiss him on the train's roof, without worrying about your own safety."
Memories of Dhruv's death welled up in her eyes and trembled through her limbs.
"You were attracted to his energy. Which wasn't his, but a cheap copy of the original." He checked his watch. "Remember, whatever happens in your future, never let agony and regret stop your steps. And again, I'd advise you to don't enter the world you begged to leave," an alarm erupted behind him, signalling an impact at the central. "One last thing, careful of the countdown. I have sold the house. Take the key on the desk over there," he pointed at the desk in the corner. "Hope you like the new apartment. And never. Ever. Forget to have fun." With a smile, he sighed—suppressing his tears. "Goodbye, my queen. Miss me."
The monitor went dark. With only a minute left on the countdown, she hurried towards the screen, desperate to save what little was left of him, but couldn't find any data drive. She took hold of the key and the portrait, showcasing their first visit to Krishna's temple.
With only 30 seconds left on the countdown, she rushed out to the avenue and stumbled upon a group of individuals accompanied by the local realtor.
"Here she is," the realtor said. "She's the niece of the last owner. How is your mamu?"
Her gaze darted over the cautious, yet excited bunch. "He's kidnapped by aliens," she said.
The bunch gazed at each other and then burst into laughter.
"She's a funny one. Let me tour you the place," the realtor said.
"No!" Manya said.
"What happened? Is there something wrong?"
She was hoping for some kind of explosion, even a tiny one. "Nothing."
They all went inside. Even after five minutes, the house was still standing. The potential tenants were checking the living rooms, scolding their kids to behave. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside. Her jaw dropped over the house interior. It was basic.
"You forgot something?" Realtor said.
She nodded. "Some stuff from my room."
Every aspect within the walls had gone through a significant transformation. It was more than just a change. Like she had never lived in the house at all. Atharv's paintings and cherished showpieces. Her room had undergone a complete transformation, erasing any remnants of her past. With its clean surroundings and empty cupboards—all brand new.
She left the house and sat on a bench on the lawn, using the excuse of needing closure. The only thing left from the past was the photograph of her and Atharv. Not even the garden both of them had decorated together.
The cold, mournful glow of the moon and the gentle breeze tried to comfort her as she shed tears. In her sulking, she yearned for a bridge to the past, a way to reconnect with the life she once knew. The world around her faded into the background, consumed by her struggle with overwhelming emotions and profound changes.
Her chest tightened; she couldn't even recall the faces of her parents. And the person who had taught her about love, has departed—left her alone. The guilt of not being able to save Atharv and Dhruv, of witnessing him die helplessly, ached her heart.
"Why?!" she cried out. Just as she was drifting between wakefulness and sleep, a hand touched her shoulder.
"Manya?" It was Purvi, their neighbour and Atharv's girlfriend. With a gentle touch, she wiped away her tears. "What happened?" Purvi grabbed her hand. "You are freezing! Come with me." She guided Manya to her bedroom and cocooned her with blankets, while the warmth of the heater embraced them both.
"What in the world you are doing out there, this late?" Purvi said. "And where's Atharv?"
No word escaped Manya's lips. Purvi offered her hot coffee. The warmth of the coffee comforted her trembling hands. A sip down her throat refreshed the pain. Her gaze fell on the ring on her finger. She gave it to Purvi. The one who had been consoling and comforting her and now shedding tears. Because of her.
"What did he say?"
"He said that you are too good for him."
Purvi giggled. "His excuses. Where is he?"
Manya wanted to question Purvi about Atharv's business and any suspicious activities, but she doubted Purvi's knowledge of a world she herself had only just discovered today. "He had left the country."
"Coward."
"W-We both know he wasn't anything near to it."
As night fell, they found solace in each other's presence, words becoming unnecessary in the embrace of silence. Purvi place a pillow on her lap and asked Manya to lie. She caressed Manya's head. "It wasn't like he was the first one to break my heart," Purvi said. "It's been long since we had spent some girl's time. How is your boyfriend? His name… Dhruv, right?"