Facts

1. 1. The mythological characters except Kintharasura are derived from Hindu mythology, but the story is entirely fictional.
2. 2. The names of some of the places used in this novel are real, the architectures and events are totally fictional.

Introduction

Asbin lungs suffer a severe ache. What is this? Water!!!

He opens his eyes, his eyeballs scout inside the opaque thick darkness, Asbin is sinking deep into the water. It is the same place… That I used to see every time.

Asbin opens his mouth, bubbles burst out from his mouth. The water! It is so black.

Asbin’s chest feels heavy. What are those?

Asbin gazes upwards, hundreds of yellow dots pace towards him at high speed!

Asbin writhes, heinous growl echoes inside the water.

What is that? Some kind of fish!

Asbin attempts to row upwards, he feels a stink in his arm. Asbin peeks his left elbow, his eyes widen. Two yellow eyes stare at him! In an act of desperation Asbin gazes upwards, hundreds of eyes cover him.

Asbin gasps and tosses his blanket. His eye scavenges around the room. A dream? He rubs his eyes. No…it is that place.

Asbin sleeps inside a small room, he takes his favorite purple-colored water bottle and pace to the kitchen. He fills water from the nozzle of the aqua guard.

I shouldn’t dive too deep into my thoughts for a mere dream… I just leave it as such.

He takes small gulps from the bottle, every drop further parches his throat. He places the bottle on top of the refrigerator and walks back towards his bed.

In a different timeline (The New Era).

A white cloud floats above Qiuyue technologies. A bloat-car swifts away from the giant building. The bloat-car is common in the new era – it lacks tires and has auto-gyrating fans to partially float above the ground.

“It’s too quiet. Everyone, be alert! The enemy should be anywhere waiting to sneak onto us.” Zesta roars.

He and his henchmen stroll through the long passage.

“Sir I detected a huge door around 50 meters,” one of the henchmen updates, the data displayed inside his Vayu i-578 spectacles.

“Frontal line fire the test shots.” Commander Zesta Mathew gives his order, the mercenaries marching on the frontline shoots five bullets each towards the door. The bullets hit the wall echoing the entire hallway like a mild opera show.

“It seems threat level is zero, sir. Shall we proceed?” One of the henchmen ears for Zesta’s order.

“Proceed with snake eyes,” Zesta leads them straight to the door. Each mercenary enters the door in a single line.

Searching always dulls my life, it is the discovery that excites me… Belphegor yawns, his eyes doddle in front of the huge monitor.

“Can’t I just nuke the building and do the searching after the fireworks?” Belphegor raises a question to his most trustworthy duke Belch Johnson.

“I wish we could, my commander, but the possibilities are it could destroy our pieces of evidence and may even disturb the weapon and put everyone in danger.” Belch gazes into the floating monitor in front of him.

Belch Johnson a man in his early 30’s, still wonders how he maintains his muscles. He has a dislike for facial hair. He wears round-framed spectacles and a white jacket. He ties his hands behind his back while observing the screen.

“Haaa haaaa… You are getting a taste of softness. Is it the stardom?” Belphegor mocks Belch with his wicked sarcasm.

“There is no stardom without you my Commander.” Belch didn’t even blink for a second.

“Well, I can’t expect any type of levity in you. Is the camera unit ready?” Belphegor smirks. Suddenly the alarm in the monitor beeps.

“Commander, it is from Captain Zesta!” Rolly turns around from the monitoring unit.

“Well, I hope it is a new plot twist for my new movie ha ha ha…” Belphegor laughs cynically. “Connect to him, now.”

“Right on it Commander.” Rolly connects to Zesta’s communicator.

“Commander Belphegor Sir… Captain Zesta Mathew reporting from the site.” Zesta yells to his moatch1.

“Don’t bore me with military language, you know I hate discipline. Tell me what you need to tell.” Belphegor shows his dismay through his bearish voice.

“It’s…its Qiuyue Shu-hui. Sir, it looks like he has been murdered!” Zesta’s voice trembles.

“What? How?” Belch’s spine freezes.

The entire control room becomes pin-drop silent, their chills melt away by Belphegor’s mirth out of blue.

“This is a more interesting cliffhanger than I could ever imagine.” He places his left leg over his right thigh and grasp his throne and ogles into the monitor.

His eyes sink in anger and excitement.

CHAPTER – 01

21 – JUL – 2122 A.D. (Saturday, Dubai)

It is early morning. 6 a.m.

Asbin is a pilot who works under the government of India. It was during the year 2095 A.D, the Great Consortium came to a conclusion of terminating all private transportation running on air, water, and road. Common people’s transportation such as bus, auto-rickshaw, and taxi now run under the service of the government, private transportation are terminated, but people can still use their own vehicles.

All the countries are recreating their broken threads of trust and bonds after the brutal World War III, which destroyed the entire Russian nation in 2075 A.D.

The transportations under government consist of a tracking device which is used to prevent hijacking, terrorism, and also consist of an instant explosive detonator for emergencies. The world is trying to regain its lost peace and happiness it once experienced in the past!

The feet of technology leaps faster than metabolism – synthetic roads which have high durability can withstand all kinds of disastrous weathers, four-wheelers are replaced by a globular orb in the center, which makes the vehicle move at a 360 angle.

Asbin drowses in his bed. The bed is made of a new material called synthetic pulp which is one of the best discoveries made by the government to save the endangering species, the plants.

Plants became so rare in the world that the food now commonly includes meat and dairy products. Scientists start projects to renew the chemical component to recreate plants and the ocean. A vegetarian meal is considered being a rich man’s menu. Synthetic food has become the new black in the culinary world.

The bed has a charging plot, digital clock, a bottle holder, and an ashtray. The digital clock hits 6:30 with a beep. The bed slowly vibrates mildly, and after every thirty seconds, the intensity surges – the alarm system introduced by India to reduce sound pollution. Asbin gradually opens his eyes after a few more shakes. He clutches the bed sheets and releases a deep yawn. He jumps from the bed, the alarm stops immediately.

Asbin is a 26-year-old man having a well-trimmed, thick beard, he is 5’8 feet tall and has a normal physique, Asbin’s charm catches the attention of all the stewardesses, but his eyes are like a dead rotten mouse. It’s always been that way for a long time!

The cabinet available for a pilot is comfier than it looks. Besides the bed, the private space consists of an open balcony, refrigerator, television, and a high boy. The kitchen is a foldable shelf near the open balcony. In one word we can say it a man’s little paradise.

Asbin’s phone rings, the display shows a photo of Asbin and a beautiful old woman. Asbin unplugs his phone from the bed and checks the display.

Mom…? Asbin frowns, so early. He attends the call. “Hello…?”

“Hello… Hello Appu… Hellooo…” Gauri yells from the other side of the phone.

“Mom how many times do I have to tell you not to shout through the phone.” Asbin takes the phone away from his ears for a second.

“OH… I thought you couldn’t hear me.” Gauri says.

“Mom, I can hear you clearly.” Asbin was in dismay. Whatever technology is introduced, my mom will always be a typical Indian woman.

“Why are you calling me so early in the morning?”

“Yes, my boy I ringed you as soon as I woke up. I called you several times yesterday.” Gauri murmurs.

“Yea I reached Dubai late, I didn’t check my phone yesterday, I just woke up.” Asbin paces to the bathroom.

“OH did you eat anything yesterday night?” Gauri asks.

“MA… I did! Stop treating me like a kid.” Asbin knits.

“You will always be a kid to me, my son.” Gauri giggles.

Asbin gawks at his phone. She has a point there.

“Ok. So you called me in the morning just to check out what I ate yesterday?”

“OH… I almost forget about it. It’s about your marriage; we finally got a match for you in the matrimonial site.” Gauri’s voice overfills with joy.

What marriage…? Asbin freezes for a moment!

CHAPTER – 02

21 – JUL – 2122 A.D. (Saturday, Dubai)

U.A.E. is one of the countries that have grown exponentially after WW III. Their petroleum products hiked at the global market. Countries like Iraq had some lucifugous collection of Russian arsenals which includes old-styled rifles to modern laser beam emitters and some nuclear missiles! In other words, the U.A.E. leader Alam has built the nation to bait all other countries, but he is not lubber-minded to wage an all-out war against the world.

Dubai has become a hot spot tourist area in the world. It has been a bridge to all kinds of trades, most of the celebrities have properties in Dubai. In 2120, Dubai is announced as the most peaceful country on the globe.

“But mom, don’t you think it is too soon?” Asbin tries to rat out from the marriage.

“What soon…! You are about to be twenty-seven after a few months.” Gauri yells.

“But mom. I don’t think I’ll get leave.” Asbin rushes his thoughts to find a pitiful excuse.

“I know you come up with something to sneak out. That’s why I and Murali have thought about visiting the bride’s home this Monday.” Gauri doesn’t give a proper ear to any of Asbin’s words.

“But mom…” Asbin swallows his words thinking, Damn I didn’t expect this right away from a treacherous sleep.

“Are you backing off your word that you gave me?” Gauri lures Asbin into her emotional zone, utilizing his soft spot.

“OH…K Mom… Ok, but you know what happened between you and dad, how can I trust a woman who I never have met in my entire life.”

Before Asbin can finish his words Gauri interrupts him, “I don’t want my son to experience the same life that I had been through. Now you are a grown man, think like one. You are aging and I am worried about it.”

“Pssh… I know mom, I’m only twenty-six.” Asbin expresses his mawkishness towards his mom, who still treats him as a little child.

“What I really want to say is Appu…you shouldn’t judge your life based on what I had gone through.” Gauri’s voice sharpens.

“Ok, Mom I’m trying on that.” Asbin nods. “You got me, I can’t say any further to catch you off guard, but I will decide only after I have a conversation with my bride-to-be.” Asbin eases his breath and accepts his defeat. “Whoever she is.”

“Ok Appu, I’ll send you the details of the girl to your WhatsApp through Murali’s phone. Her name is Ajirika…Ajirika Devdas. You will definitely like her.” Asbin can sense his mother’s senseless joy even she is kilometers across the globe.

“Ok, Mom let me go, I need to take a shower.” Asbin nods and hung up his phone. He gawks at his phone’s display, Marriage… not something that I wanted…It’s so soon…too soon.

Asbin places his phone over the table and plods to his high boy, takes his trunk and bath towel and rushes to the bathroom. Modern technology allowed doors to transit into shutter systems to gain space; indoor fabrication is so much rare in the modern world. Artificial Intelligence has become one of the prime components in this new generation.

The shutter of the bathroom opens automatically. Asbin gets inside the bathroom and takes his toothbrush. The bathroom is a well-confined space having a separate shower room and a small bathtub. The washbasin consists of a spinning table having Asbin’s brush and soap, an automatic sanitizer machine that sprays after each time a person enters and exits the room. Government jobs are the highest glory for a citizen, It is the best position to safe zone your life at such young age.

Asbin stands under the shower, each water drop hitting his flesh stimulates his thought. He stands there in a form of trance.

It was during the time of the last Pongal that mom collapsed. The doctor confirmed that she has breast cancer, an unholy punishment fate can give to a person who is as naive as her.

The water cools down Asbin’s body but there is a huge eruption of thoughts boiling inside him.

And just like that, the family joined forces with my already gently manipulative mom for the pressure of marriage. My mother worries about a lot of things that people don’t even value…and marriage is one of those things. Foreign countries are trying to ban marriage and some people even created a movement for anti-marriage and in support of adoption. I don’t know what is the logic in that.

He soaks his head more deeply in the shower.

I succeeded in convincing them by accepting to open an account in matrimony…why these sites still aren’t banned… I should have seen this coming, but not so soon. Maybe I can find some excuse after I speak with her. But does it mean that I’m not fulfilling the word that I give to my mom… No, She can’t be sad because of me…again.

Asbin gets lost in his thoughts unaware of the minutes spent under the cold shower.

Cracks of his childhood memories play in his mind like a little nightmare. Hints of his face when he was a kid, the face of hopelessness, Agony, everything tides a huge wave of thoughts into his brain. Asbin sinks into a mild sleep under the shower.

Unexpectedly! Asbin sees the face of a Chinese man. Asbin freezes for a moment as his hands in the shower shake. He gnashes and holds the walls with his hands more firmly. He has suddenly entered a deep state of trance.

A few minutes later, Asbin widely opens his eyes. He hesitates to catch his breath and crawls out from the shower room. He coughs and stoops on the floor paralyzed. Asbin’s breath becomes heftier; his eyes reflect a sense of panic and fear.

A few seconds before,

Asbin falls into a black place. He turns around. What is this place? Am I dreaming again? Asbin’s legs are stable in the black space. I’m not drowning…Wait I have seen this place before. Asbin’s head navigates the black terrain like an ostrich. I can’t remember, for some reason.

Asbin spots a blue square a few meters away; Asbin storms to the square.

An old man drags himself up from the other side of the square. His knees and chest are busted. He resembles a monk.

Asbin’s eyes tremble in dread.

The old man gawks at Asbin and whispers something.

Asbin flounders from his own thoughts as his heart pounds hard.

He said…they are coming for me.