They drank coffee, ate dinner, and finally retreated to their rooms as the city lights dimmed into a mechanical calm. By the time silence settled over the apartment, Prabhas had already fallen asleep, unaware that the night was about to drag him into a world far older and far crueler than his own.
When Anamika appeared, she was already crying. Chains wrapped tightly around her wrists and ankles, glowing faintly as if heated from within. She knelt on scorched ground, flames licking dangerously close to her legs. Her tears fell soundlessly, evaporating the moment they touched the earth. "Prabhas…" she called, her voice trembling. "Prabhas, please… help me."
She kept repeating his name, again and again, as though it were the only thing anchoring her to existence. Prabhas stood frozen, unable to understand how he had come to this place. The air smelled of smoke and burning flesh. The sky above was dark, not like night, but like something hollowed out, empty of mercy.
Anamika struggled against the chains, her eyes wide with desperation."If I don't obtain a body," she cried, "my spirit will perish. The fire is consuming me… please, Prabhas. Please save me." He took a step toward her.
Before he could reach her, a sudden force slammed between them. A man materialized out of thin air, huge, towering, his body built like a mountain carved from stone. He wore an orange khadi dhoti that swayed despite the still air, and in his hand gleamed a long sword, its edge reflecting the firelight.
Without hesitation, the giant seized Anamika and dragged her toward the flames. "No!" Prabhas shouted. Anamika screamed as she was thrown into the fire. The flames swallowed her instantly, her cries dissolving into the roar of burning. Prabhas ran forward, but the giant stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"This is not the moment for you to enter," the man said calmly, though his voice carried the weight of judgment. "Why did you burn her?" Prabhas demanded. "What sin did she commit?" The man's eyes were cold, ancient."She committed a grave crime in her previous life. Her soul must be punished." Prabhas clenched his fists. "Then why show her to me? Why let her call my name?"
The giant raised his sword slightly, not in threat but in warning."You are still alive. You cannot interfere. You have a role yet to play, one written by the will of God." With a single push, the giant flung Prabhas backward. The world shattered. Prabhas fell, and landed on his bed. The clock struck 6:00 a.m.
He shot upright, gasping for breath, his body drenched in sweat. Sunlight filtered through the window, warm and reassuring, as though the dream had never existed. For a moment, he simply stared at his hands, flexing his fingers, relieved to see that they were whole and unharmed. "It was just a dream," he whispered. But the image of Anamika burning refused to fade.
He shook his head and stood up. There was no time to dwell on nightmares. He had work to do, and questions to answer. The girls. How was he supposed to find the truth without any evidence? Then his father's words echoed in his mind. "Those girls are different, Prabhas. They don't react like others. No excitement. No emotions." Akshatha, Aparajitha.
They sat silently in class every day, faces blank, eyes steady. Even the half robot students showed exaggerated expressions, wide eyes, programmed enthusiasm, but these two were different. Too different. I'll observe them carefully from now on, Prabhas decided.
The academy buzzed with mechanical precision as Prabhas entered his classroom. Rows of students sat perfectly aligned, their movements synchronized. He activated the holographic board and began his history lecture. "Today," he said, "we will talk about the Stone Age, the beginning of human civilization." Images of primitive humans flickered into existence.
"In the earliest times," Prabhas continued, "humans survived by hunting and gathering. Food was scarce. Sometimes they went hungry for days." The students listened attentively. "They ate raw meat, fruits, and vegetables. During winters, plants disappeared, so they hunted animals to survive. The earth was cold, harsh, and unforgiving."
He glanced at Akshatha and Aparajitha. They were listening intently. "Without weapons, humans used stones to kill animals and fish. Over time, as the climate warmed, many species, and even some humans, went extinct." He gestured, and the scene shifted.
"Nearly 22,000 years ago, humans entered a phase known as the Fertile Crescent. Some settled in one place, others moved forward. Tools evolve, sharp stones, bone tools, antlers." The class absorbed every word. "But the greatest invention of all," Prabhas said slowly, "was fire." The room grew silent.
"Stone Age humans discovered fire by rubbing stones together. Fire gave them warmth, protection, and, eventually, cooked food." He smiled faintly."When meat accidentally fell into fire, they discovered something new." A hand shot up. "Sir," a student asked, "what is taste?" Prabhas froze. He had forgotten.This is 2090. No one here knew what taste was.
"Taste," he explained carefully, "is a sense experienced through the tongue when eating food. It tells us if something is salty, sour, or spicy." Shock rippled through the class. Before more questions could come, the bell rang. Class dismissed. Students filed out, except Akshatha and Aparajitha. They remained seated. Prabhas approached them. "You're not going home?"
They exchanged a glance. "Sir," Akshatha said, "your lectures are interesting. We want to explore these things ourselves." Aparajitha added, "We don't want to stay inside buildings all the time." "Take us with you," they said together. Prabhas stared at them, stunned.
"I can't just, your parents, ""Our parents rarely visit," Aparajitha said calmly."They come only to refill the refrigerator." "We were born in laboratories," Akshatha continued. "Tube babies. Robots raised us." "We've never seen the world outside this academy." "Please," they whispered. "Accept our request." Prabhas hesitated. Finally, he nodded. "You'll stay with me at all times. I'll take you out after class and return you safely every night." For the first time, They smiled.
As they walked toward his home, Prabhas looked up. The stars winked at him from the endless void beyond the moon's pale glow. Some shimmered birthstone-blue, others sparkled like distant embers of angel fire. They felt like beacons, hope for lost souls. He couldn't shake the feeling that fate was unfolding.
Will I take them out? What is Anamika's sin? why do all paths seem to lead back to fire? The journey had only begun.
To be continued…
💬 Will Prabhas uncover the truth?🔥 What secret from the past condemned Anamika?🌌 And what will the girls discover beyond the walls of 2090?