The noise never stopped.
That was the first thing Sahadev noticed.
Even after several minutes standing in the narrow alley, the roaring sounds around them refused to fade into the background.
Machines screamed past the open road beyond the alley, their lights slicing through the night like streaks of fire.
Metal beasts.
That was the only word Karna's mind kept returning to.
Except these beasts had no legs.
No breath.
No life.
Yet they moved faster than any horse he had ever seen.
Karna stood near the alley entrance now, watching the road with the tense alertness of a battlefield veteran.
Another machine roared past.
A long rectangular one.
Its windows were filled with people.
The entire structure moved like a giant armored chariot with no horses pulling it.
Karna's jaw tightened.
"This place defies nature."
He spoke in Sanskrit.
Sahadev understood him perfectly.
But no one else around them would.
Sahadev stepped out of the alley cautiously.
The ground beneath his feet was unnaturally smooth.
Dark stone stretched across the wide road like a perfectly carved surface.
Except it was warmer than stone.
And slightly elastic beneath pressure.
Strange.
Very strange.
People walked past them constantly now.
None dressed like warriors.
None dressed like royalty.
Clothes were short. Colorful. Strange.
Some people held glowing objects in their hands while staring down at them.
Sahadev watched carefully.
The glowing objects reflected light onto their faces.
Small rectangular devices.
Everyone seemed strangely absorbed in them.
Karna joined him near the edge of the road.
His eyes moved constantly.
Watching.
Measuring.
If this was truly the future, then the people of this age had created an entirely different civilization.
A loud horn suddenly blasted beside them.
Both warriors reacted instantly.
Karna's body moved before his mind finished processing the sound.
He stepped forward sharply, hand reaching for a weapon that wasn't there.
The large metal creature stopped abruptly in front of them.
A man inside leaned out of the window.
"Are you insane? Move!"
The language was unfamiliar.
It sounded vaguely related to something Sahadev had heard before.
But distorted.
Altered.
Karna frowned.
"What tongue is this?"
Sahadev listened carefully.
The sounds were similar to Sanskrit.
Yet simplified.
Broken.
Centuries of evolution layered over the original language.
He tried responding.
"भवान् कः?"
The driver stared blankly.
"…What?"
The car behind him honked loudly.
"Bhai move the car!"
The driver waved his hand in irritation and drove off.
Karna watched the machine disappear down the road.
"They did not understand you."
Sahadev nodded.
"The language has changed."
Karna exhaled slowly.
"How many centuries would it take for language to transform this much?"
Sahadev did not answer immediately.
He looked around again.
Electric lights.
Towering buildings.
Machines moving without animals.
Artificial illumination replacing fire.
Civilization had advanced far beyond anything Aryavarta had imagined.
"Thousands," Sahadev said finally.
The word sat heavily between them.
Thousands of years.
Karna folded his arms.
"If this is truly the future…"
His gaze hardened.
"…then our world is long gone."
Sahadev did not respond.
But the thought had already crossed his mind.
Empires rise.
Empires fall.
Even legends eventually become dust.
Another group of young people walked past them laughing.
One girl slowed down slightly.
She looked at Karna's armor.
Then at Sahadev's clothing.
"…Guys look."
Her friends stopped.
"Are they actors?"
"Historical show maybe?"
One of the boys raised his phone.
The small glowing rectangle pointed directly at them.
A strange clicking sound followed.
Sahadev frowned.
"What device is that?"
Karna stepped slightly in front of him instinctively.
The boy looked at the screen.
"Oh my god the photo is insane."
"Bro the costume detail is crazy."
They walked away laughing.
Neither Karna nor Sahadev moved for several seconds.
Finally Sahadev spoke quietly.
"They believe we are performers."
Karna almost smiled.
"Then we will not be treated as enemies."
Sahadev nodded slightly.
For now.
But confusion would not remain harmless forever.
They needed information.
Shelter.
Understanding.
And quickly.
But communication was impossible.
Everyone spoke that strange evolved language.
Their Sanskrit meant nothing here.
Sahadev turned slowly, scanning the street again.
Then his eyes stopped.
Across the road.
Near a small street food stall.
A girl stood arguing with the vendor.
She spoke quickly.
Confidently.
Her hair was tied loosely in a messy bun, strands falling around her face as she gestured animatedly.
Her clothes were simple but modern.
A loose kurti.
Jeans.
A cloth bag slung over one shoulder.
But what caught Sahadev's attention was something else.
Her language.
It sounded different.
Closer.
Much closer.
Not identical.
But closer to Sanskrit than anything they had heard tonight.
He stepped forward slightly.
Karna noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Sahadev's eyes remained fixed on the girl across the street.
"She might understand us."
Karna followed his gaze.
The girl was now laughing at something the vendor said.
She paid him and turned away, holding a paper plate of food.
At that exact moment—
Her eyes met theirs.
For one brief second.
She froze.
Her brain processed the scene instantly.
Two men.
Standing under a streetlight.
Ancient armor.
Ancient clothing.
Both watching her.
Her first thought was simple.
Oh great.
Some historical drama shoot probably.
But then she noticed something strange.
They weren't surrounded by cameras.
Or crew.
Or lights.
Just… standing there.
Like they had actually stepped out of history.
Karna spoke quietly to Sahadev.
"Ask her."
Sahadev nodded.
He stepped forward carefully.
The girl watched him approach.
Curiosity replaced confusion.
Then Sahadev spoke.
Clear.
Formal.
Ancient.
"भवती किम् संस्कृतं जानाति?"
Do you know Sanskrit?
The girl blinked.
Her brain paused.
Once.
Twice.
Then her eyes widened.
"…Wait."
She stared at him.
Then at Karna behind him.
Then back at Sahadev.
Her mind finally processed the sentence.
And her heart skipped.
Because that accent…
That pronunciation…
That wasn't someone speaking memorized textbook Sanskrit.
That was someone speaking it like it was their native language.
Slowly she said,
"…A little."
Both warriors froze.
Karna stepped forward now.
Hope flickered for the first time since arriving in this strange world.
Sahadev's voice remained calm.
"Then tell us…"
He gestured to the glowing city around them.
"…what age this is."
The girl looked at them.
Then at the towering buildings.
Then back at their armor.
Her brain ran through several possible explanations.
Cosplay.
Actors.
Prank.
Film shoot.
But something about their eyes…
Something about the way they carried themselves…
Her instincts whispered something completely insane.
But logic crushed it immediately.
No. Impossible.
No one just… walked out of history.
The girl cleared her throat slightly, forcing her brain back into something reasonable.
"Uh… yeah," she said slowly, switching to careful Sanskrit. The pronunciation was hesitant, but understandable.
"I studied it in school."
Sahadev's shoulders relaxed a fraction.
Karna's eyes sharpened with sudden focus.
Finally.
A bridge.
The girl glanced between them again, still trying to process what she was seeing.
Up close, the details were… unsettling.
The armor wasn't plastic.
It wasn't costume metal either.
It carried scratches.
Wear.
Weight.
The kind of marks things gained from real use.
And their posture…
Actors didn't stand like that.
Actors didn't look at their surroundings like every shadow might hide an enemy.
Something about them felt… real.
Too real.
She forced a small laugh.
"Are you guys shooting something nearby?"
The question came out in modern Hindi.
Both men looked at her blankly.
Sahadev frowned slightly.
"I do not understand."
The girl blinked.
"Oh. Right."
She switched back to Sanskrit again, slower this time.
"Is there… a drama performance? A play?"
Karna exchanged a brief glance with Sahadev.
Then he answered calmly.
"We do not know this word."
Her smile faltered.
"Play? Acting?"
Still nothing.
The silence stretched.
The noise of the street filled the gap between them.
Car horns.
Engines.
Voices.
The girl shifted her weight uneasily.
"Okay… weird question then."
She gestured vaguely at their clothing.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
Karna answered immediately.
"This is how I am dressed."
Not defensive.
Just factual.
The girl opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Her brain tried very hard to make sense of that sentence.
"Right…"
She rubbed the back of her neck.
Then Sahadev spoke again.
"Forgive the question."
His tone remained calm and respectful.
"But we require information."
He gestured toward the city.
"What is this place?"
She blinked.
"…Delhi?"
Neither of them reacted.
"Delhi," she repeated slowly.
Still nothing.
The unease in her stomach deepened.
Sahadev continued carefully.
"And the year?"
That question made her laugh automatically.
"Uh… 2026?"
The number meant nothing to them.
They simply stared at her.
She sighed.
"Okay. Wait."
She switched back to Sanskrit again, thinking harder.
"In the… Kaliyug."
That caught their attention immediately.
Karna straightened slightly.
"Kali Yuga?"
"Yes."
Relief flickered across Sahadev's face.
Finally something familiar.
He asked the next question quietly.
"How long since the war of Kurukshetra?"
The girl froze.
For a moment she genuinely thought she had misheard.
"…What?"
Sahadev repeated calmly.
"The war of Kurukshetra."
She stared at him.
Then at Karna.
Then back again.
Her brain tried to file the question under historical reenactment.
But the tone.
The seriousness.
The way they were waiting for a real answer....