Shadows of the Past!

"I must not waste my breath on thinking nonsense," Maqbir muttered under his breath, forcing himself to stay focused. His son was out there somewhere, and time was slipping away. Without hesitation, he pushed forward, making the branches and leaves tremble as he stepped into the cave.

Darkness swallowed him whole. From the outside, the cave had appeared small, just another hollow in the earth, but as he ventured deeper, it expanded into something vast—an underground realm, stretching endlessly like a forgotten city buried beneath the surface.

His eyes struggled to adjust. "What is this immense, undiscovered land? Where does this path lead? Has Shailya wandered here as well?" Maqbir's mind swirled with questions.

Thick, gnarled roots snaked across the walls, pulsating as if alive. The air was dense, almost suffocating, filled with the scent of damp stone and something else—something old, something beyond time. The willow leaves at the entrance formed a natural barrier, blocking out even the faintest trace of sunlight. It was a pit of uncertain death, a place where shadows whispered and memories turned to ghosts.

Still, Maqbir pressed on. His voice echoed through the cavern, "Shailya! Are you here?"

A deep, rasping voice cut through the darkness. "Who are you?"

Maqbir's spine stiffened. He swallowed, straightened his posture, and answered firmly, "I am Maqbir Mahoraga." His voice held a weight of certainty now, a strength drawn from years of battles fought and lost.

Silence stretched, thick and heavy. And then, the voice spoke again, softer this time, laced with something unreadable. "Maqbir... why have you come to me again after all these years?"

Maqbir frowned. "Again? I don't recall ever stepping foot in this cave before."

A pause. Then, a chuckle—bitter, almost mocking. "First, you came for your daughter. Now, you come for your son. Why does fate insist on bringing us together, even after that incident?"

That voice… it tugged at something buried deep in Maqbir's memories, something he had long since sealed away. But no matter how hard he tried, the identity eluded him.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

A shift in the air. Then, the voice changed, melting into the soft yet firm cadence of a woman. "You truly don't remember me, do you?" She exhaled, almost as if disappointed. "Maqbir, I am—"

A pause.

And then, the name that shattered the walls of his past.

"I am Meilin Shikawa."

Maqbir felt the air rush out of his lungs. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, deafening, drowning out everything else. His legs trembled, his hands curled into fists.

"Meilin…" His voice cracked. "You… You're alive?"

A low, knowing laugh filled the cave. "Yes, Maqbir. Not even the Creator himself could claim my life. I returned from the depths of something far worse than death. Heaven and Hell? Mere illusions compared to the place I was cast into after leaving Prithvi. And there, in that abyss, I met the Creator."

Maqbir's breath hitched. The Creator? The being beyond comprehension, beyond existence itself?

Meilin continued, her voice filled with something indescribable. "No mortal, no god, no being has ever seen the Creator. No one—except me. And I was given a choice, Maqbir. To stay shackled to the past or to serve a higher purpose. I chose the latter. I am no longer the strongest woman in the world… That title now belongs to our daughter." She took a breath. "I serve the Creator, and I have found my place."

Maqbir clenched his fists, shaking his head. "Meilin… The Creator, your duty, none of that matters to me. You are still Meilin Shikawa. You are still the woman who stood by my side, who never abandoned me, even when I lost my way. I don't care what titles you have forsaken or whom you now serve. To me, you are still my first and only accomplice, the one person I trusted beyond all else." His voice broke slightly, but he steadied it. "Do you know, Meilin? Our daughter—our daughter is strong, so incredibly strong. Just this once, let us fight together again. A war unlike any we have ever faced is coming. If we unite, we can stop it before it swallows Prithvi whole. After that… we can meet our daughter together."

A silence settled between them. Then, a deep sigh.

"Maqbir," Meilin's tone was gentle yet firm, "stop it. You are married now. Do not drag me back into the past we once shared." She paused before continuing, her voice filled with something unreadable. "I am glad I got to see you again. Truly, I am. But you must let go. Shailya is your son, yes? That boy carries the weight of a future far greater than you can imagine. His potential is limitless—he is meant to lead not just this world, but the universe itself. But in order to become what he is destined to be, he must break free from the chains of his past… from you."

Maqbir felt as if a dagger had been driven into his chest.

Meilin's voice softened. "He is safe. Vahalla—the greatest Chakradhari in history—is training him as we speak. Let him go, Maqbir. Give him a year. When the time comes, you will understand why I ask this of you."

She hesitated, then added, "And I will take our daughter, Tanii. I will train her myself. Just one year. That is all I need."

Maqbir's vision blurred. His throat tightened, his breath uneven. "Meilin…"

"You need to trust me, Maqbir," she said, her voice carrying both warmth and finality. "Just as I once trusted you with our daughter, trust me now with both of them. The War is near. In this time, you must forge a leader. Train the one who will stand at the frontlines when the darkness comes. We will protect this world again, Maqbir. Together."

A gust of wind tore through the cavern, and with it, Meilin was gone.

"Meilin!" Maqbir reached out, but his hands grasped at nothing but air. His knees buckled, and he fell, his fingers curling into the damp earth.

"Meilin… Meilin!" He called out, his voice cracking, but there was no answer.

Then, as if the heavens themselves mourned with him, the sky outside the cave darkened. A low rumble echoed across the land, and within moments, the rain poured down in torrents.

Maqbir staggered out of the cave, his body numb, his soul heavy. Cold droplets struck his skin, blending with the tears streaming down his face. He did not wipe them away.

The sky wept with him, washing over him like an unrelenting tide, mirroring the storm within his heart. He clenched his fists, raised his head, and let out a raw, guttural cry—

"ARGHHH!"

Lightning flashed, illuminating the endless gray sky. Thunder roared like the grief that clawed at his chest. The rain poured harder, beating against the earth, against his skin, as if punishing him for the sins of the past.

But even as his anguish echoed into the void, Maqbir knew—this was not the end.

It was only the beginning.

[To be Continued in Chapter 34]