Changing The Past

As Zian reached for the door, preparing to shut it behind him, something unexpected happened—something that sent a shiver down Zain's spine.

A voice, low and commanding, echoed in his mind.

"This is the time, Zain."

It was Mr. Oberoy.

Before Zain could react, his body moved on its own. The purple armor encasing him pulsed with an eerie glow, and suddenly, he was propelled forward like a spear thrown by fate itself.

His father stood just three meters ahead, reaching for the door handle, unaware of the force about to strike him.

Zain's palm covered with purple armour crashed into Zian's lower abdomen, sending the towering man flying backward. The impact was brutal, knocking the air from his lungs as he hit the ground with a loud thud.

A brilliant purple light erupted from his body, flickering like dying embers. But to Sarah's mortal eyes, all she saw was her husband collapsing before her.

She gasped, rushing to him in a panic, unable to perceive the ethereal glow surrounding his fallen form.

Zain, trapped inside the armor, was powerless.

He hadn't moved of his own will. His body had been stolen from him. He had been forced to attack his father.

His rage boiled over, a scream forming in his throat. But before he could release it, the voice spoke again, calm yet urgent.

"We have to leave. Now."

Zain's breath hitched as he noticed something terrifying.

The purple glow surrounding his father was fading. Flickering once, then vanishing completely.

Before he could ask what had just happened, his armor shattered into a thousand shards of violet energy.

The world dissolved.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

Then, as if responding to the silent shift in the air, a figure emerged, just after they leave the room.

A man clad in pristine white armor with a golden crest on the chest, materialized before the space where I had been just moments prior. His eyes, sharp and calculating, scanned the room, his gaze settling on Zian and Sarah, who remained unaware of his presence. He stood motionless, the flickering remnants of the purple energy glowing weakly at his feet.

"Interesting, "he murmured, his voice tinged with amusement. "Did I just miss something?"

And then, just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

---

Zain stood in the void once more.

The abyss stretched infinitely in every direction, consuming all light, all sound. Yet, hovering before him, was the faint glow of violet energy. Mr. Oberoy's presence.

Zain's fists clenched, breath ragged. Rage burned inside him, deeper than anything he had ever felt.

"What did you do to my father?"

His voice roared through the darkness as he lunged forward, aiming to punch the glowing figure before him, as if striking it would make Oberoy feel the fury boiling within him.

But the old man remained eerily calm.

"Your father is safe. I didn't harm him. I was trying to save him."

Zain stopped, panting, glare sharper than a blade.

"Save him?" he spat. "You made me attack him. You threw him to the ground. And now, you've ripped me away before I could understand what happened. Explain yourself!"

Oberoy let out a slow sigh, the light surrounding him flickering slightly.

"Look for yourself."

Before Zain could respond, the void shifted.

A blue screen materialized in front of him, glowing with an unnatural radiance. Four separate visions flickered into existence, like windows into a reality he had never lived.

Zain's heart pounded as he stared at the first screen.

~~~

His father lay unconscious for an hour before finally stirring. Sarah sat beside him, eyes red and swollen from crying, clutching his hand as if she feared he would disappear.

He whispered soft words, calming her, pulling her into his arms.

Zain exhaled sharply. His father was fine.

More than that—he was alive.

As time in the vision moved forward, Zain watched as his parents postponed their plans for a week. They didn't act on their decision immediately. They waited.

And then—nine months later—a baby was born.

A girl.

Zain's breath hitched.

She was tiny, delicate, wrapped in warmth. She laughed, she cried, she lived.

"Her name is Ria," Oberoy murmured.

Zain could hardly breathe.

He saw her growing up, running through fields, joining school, bringing joy into a home that once felt distant.

And then, something that shattered him.

His parents, his once strong, fierce, untouchable parents—grew old. But they weren't taken by war, by cruelty, by the hands of a merciless government.

They passed peacefully.

Surrounded by love.

Zain's vision blurred. He hadn't even realized he was crying.

He saw Ria, now a grown woman, marrying, starting a family of her own. His parents, now grandparents, laughed with their grandchildren, telling them stories, holding them close.

And when their time came, they left the world gently.

No suffering.

No agony.

Just peace.

But something gnawed at him. A question.

"Why isn't there any sign of the colonial government?"

Oberoy answered without hesitation.

"They never found your continent."

Zain's eyes widened.

"What?"

"The ships that set sail never returned. A hurricane swallowed them whole."

Silence.

And then—

Zain let out a sharp breath.

"Serves them right," he muttered, a cruel smile twisting his lips.

~~~

[ Second Screen ]

Then he saw her.

The only woman he had ever loved.

She had been twelve when he first met her at a fair. He was thirteen. He still remembered the moment he saw her smile.

They had planned to marry when he turned nineteen.

But then—war.

He had lost her.

He thought she had perished.

Yet here, on the screen, she lived.

Zain watched as she met someone else. A man he recognized. The son of a landlord from a neighboring village. In his past life, this man had been betrayed by his own family, his wealth stolen.

But in this world, he lived.

She married him.

They had a family.

They grew old together.

Zain exhaled, his heart heavy.

He didn't know whether to be relieved or heartbroken.

~~~

[ Third screen ]

Veer.

His brother-in-arms.

A man who had bled beside him, suffered beside him.

In Zain's past life, Veer had fought in the rebellion. He had lost his wife to illness, died while saving his life.

But here…

Here, he never picked up any weapon.

There was no war to fight.

Zain watched as Veer worked the fields, married the woman he loved, raised three daughters and two sons.

She never suffered from illness.

Their children never had to grow up motherless.

Veer became a good father, a loving husband.

And in the end, he too passed peacefully.

Buried beneath the same oak tree.

Tears dripped down Zain's face.

He had never known such a life could exist.

The screens faded.

Zain stood motionless, staring into the void.

"Did you see?" Oberoy asked softly. "They all lived. They all left with smiles on their faces."

Zain nodded slowly.

He wanted to thank Oberoy. To bow.

But as he lowered himself, Oberoy stopped him.

"Don't thank me," he said. "Just remember this favor. One day, you may have to return it."

Zain swallowed, but something still gnawed at him.

"How did you change everything just by making me attack my father?"

Oberoy smiled faintly.

"I removed something inside him."

A chill ran down Zain's spine.

"What did you remove?"

Oberoy sighed.

"The seed that would have created you."

Zain's world collapsed.

"You mean"

"Yes," Oberoy said. "You were an anomaly, Zain. You were never supposed to exist."

Zain's breath caught in his throat.

And because he didn't—

Everyone else had lived.