Echoes Of The Past

I was shaking.

The weight of my emotions made it impossible to stand still, but the man before me—Mr. Oberoy—watched me with a gaze full of conflicting emotions.

Finally, with a sigh, he spoke.

"I can change the past," he admitted, "but doing so may lead to greater problems in the future."

His words carried an ominous warning, yet they did nothing to shake my resolve. My expression remained firm, unwavering. I had already made my decision.

Seeing this, Oberoy let out another sigh, his voice turning heavy with something I couldn't quite place—pity, perhaps?

"You will regret it once you learn the truth about your life," he murmured.

A flicker of suspicion crossed my mind as I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean? Why would I regret it? If I can change the past—if I can erase all my mistakes—then what is there to regret?"

Oberoy shook his head, his gaze holding an unfathomable depth.

"It's not as simple as you think, my little friend."

Irritation flared in my chest. "Don't call me that," I snapped.

"My name is Zain. And tell me, what could possibly make me regret saving my parents, my friends… the people I loved?"

Oberoy simply sighed. "Then don't blame me for what comes next. You might end up feeling more guilty than you ever have.

You might even begin to hate your own existence."

His words sent a shiver down my spine. But I had come too far to turn back now.

I clenched my fists, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

"I don't care," I declared. "I'll do anything to save them. Just tell me what I have to do."

Oberoy studied me for a moment before nodding. "Very well. Give me your hand."

The moment my fingers brushed against his palm, a sudden burst of purple light surged forward, wrapping around my body like a living entity. My breath hitched as the luminous energy melded into my skin, forming an armor—an eerie, glowing shell that pulsed with power.

Then, I heard Oberoy's voice—except this time, it was inside my head.

Don't be afraid. This is necessary. You need this armor to prevent detection… and to keep yourself from being killed by ****.

His words blurred into an unintelligible murmur, a static noise that sent sharp pains shooting through my skull. A splitting headache overtook me as I instinctively tried to decipher what he had said.

My body convulsed, the pain worse than anything I had ever experienced—even worse than when I had fallen into the void after my death.

"Don't be impulsive, Zain," Oberoy's voice warned, now laced with urgency. "If you try to remember my words, you might die. Just remember, this world is not as simple as it seems."

I struggled to breathe, my mind a chaotic mess.

"So… can we go now?" I asked, my voice hoarse but resolute.

This time, Oberoy smiled. A real, genuine smile. And then, with a strange glint in his eyes, he chuckled.

"It's been a long time since I broke any rules," he said, an almost childlike excitement creeping into his tone.

Then, he burst into laughter—a deep, wild laugh that sent a chill through the already cold void surrounding us.

His eyes darkened as he looked up into the abyss above.

"Do you know how you ended up in this pit of darkness?" he asked suddenly.

I hesitated, shaking my head. "No. I have no idea why I'm even alive. Let alone why I'm here."

Oberoy smiled again, but this time, there was something unsettling in it.

"You will know soon enough," he said cryptically. "Try to stay sane when you learn the truth."

Before I could process his words, my armor erupted in a dazzling display of energy. White-hot pain lanced through my entire being as a rush of unknown force surged through me.

"Relax, Zain," Oberoy's voice echoed in my mind. "You need to stay calm. If you panic, you might lose your loved ones again. I can only do this once."

I forced myself to nod, swallowing the fear creeping up my throat.

Oberoy grinned. "Then let's go back to the past."

His laughter reverberated in my skull, his voice now fully merged with my thoughts.

The purple armor cocooned me completely as I felt myself accelerating, moving at an impossible speed. The void blurred around me as I was hurled forward, the force pressing against my body like an unseen weight.

The next thing I saw was a blinding white light.

I barely had time to react before it swallowed me whole.

The instant the light clashed against my armor, I felt it an unbearable heat, as if my entire being was being seared away, erased from existence. Sweat trickled down my forehead as I noticed something horrifying my armor was cracking.

"You see," Oberoy's voice drifted into my mind, "if you had attempted to enter the material world without this armor, you would have been nothing more than scattered gas by now."

I gritted my teeth, pushing forward despite the resistance. The light was eating away at my armor, stripping it away layer by layer.

I wasn't sure how long I endured it. Seconds? Minutes? Hours?

But finally, the resistance lessened. My speed decreased, and then,

I crashed into an invisible entity.

The impact sent a violent shock through my body, as if every cell had been momentarily shattered and reconstructed all over again. Cracks formed on my skin, my very existence teetering on the edge of collapse.

Before I could dissolve into nothingness, Oberoy's voice cut through the haze.

"Material bodies are crucial in the lower worlds," he stated firmly, his tone devoid of its usual humor. "Even a little strength can change fate. Remember that."

A thought slipped through my weary mind.

"He's… kind of cool."

Oberoy chuckled. "I heard that, you know."

I groaned. "Stop laughing like a maniac then."

We both burst into laughter, the absurdity of our situation momentarily forgotten.

"You remind me of **** ", Oberoy began, but his words were cut short.

Because the scene before us had changed.

His body stiffened. His hands trembled.

I followed his gaze and felt my heart stop.

We were inside a house. Not just any house, my house.

The walls were made of mud and straw, the scent of damp earth filling my nostrils. I recognized the neem-wood bed in the corner—the same bed I used to lie on with my parents, listening to their stories before falling asleep.

Every detail was as I remembered.

The memories hit me like a tidal wave, their warmth almost unbearable.

Then, a familiar voice drifted from the next room—a voice I had not heard in what felt like an eternity.

Gentle. Sweet. Comforting.

My mother's voice.

Tears pricked my eyes before I could stop them.

"Who's there?"

The soft, feminine voice called out again as the door creaked open.

My breath hitched.

And then, she stepped into view.

She was young, no older than twenty. Long black hair cascaded down her back, thick and shining with youth. Her face was radiant, her skin glowing like moonlight. A small nose, soft pink lips…

She was exactly as I remembered her.

A lifetime's worth of emotions surged within me, threatening to break free.

But before I could take a step forward, Oberoy's voice whispered sharply in my mind.

"Stay quiet. Do not interfere. Do not disturb the timeline."

I clenched my fists. My body trembled.

I had traveled through time. I had defied the laws of existence.

And yet—

I could do nothing.

I could only stand there and watch my mother, so close yet so far away, unable to tell her the words I had wanted to say for so long.

"I missed you, Mom!".

I missed you so much.