After Six Hours

Place: Chennai. 

"Where's Avi?" - Khushi asked with teary eyes. 

"His GPS showing he's in now in Mysore, Proceeding his way towards Wayanad..." - Ritwik said while tracking his phone. 

"Aru di?" - Khushi asked again. 

"Same, In Hosur... Proceeding her way towards..." - Ritwik stopped. 

"Where?" - Khushi asked him again. 

"Wayanad!!!!" - He replied shockingly. 

*****

Anika opened her eyes and shocked to see herself in the place where Tushara invited them. But the only difference, Everything was dark. Everything recalled in her mind, She even remembered that shivaay was no more. Tears crossed her eyes but when he recalled the moment in her mind. But she didn't let it crush her strength. She saw Avi laying opposite to her in the unconscious state. She tried to move, But she can't make it. Over then, She heard a conversation. 

"I want to kill them, Right now" - Shrivirdha yelled at her high pitch. Anika clearly heard that. The voice was coming from her back. She tried to turn around. She succeeds. The thing she saw before her eyes provoked the inner fear associated with that memory.

"Wait till another Vaanka come over... And Finish them all together..." - She heard a husky voice which was replying to her. Anika recognized who was that. 

"You?" - The only word escaped from her when she heard that voice again. Shrivirtha turns around having the image of the white snake in her eyelids. Anika's voice choked in shock. She couldn't help herself from recalling what she read in the caves of Andamans about the end of Lemuria, The submerged island. 

"Happened before ten thousand years ago. There were a king and a queen who ruled the Lemuria with prosperity and culture, While they were ruling people were happy. But they never knew their Happiness wasn't constant. Over then, The king who moved across the forest for hunting, He was smitten by a snake, Which was not only the snake but the cursed creature by the god, Who awakes after a million years when the curse dissolved by nature. The king didn't die, But he got powered with the extraordinary power of strength, The king thought that snake was a gift by the god for his nature. But it was a curse, He didn't know it by then. He thought it will give prosperous to the country but it actually hypnotized the king against the country and each and every person of the country either harmed or killed except his hereditary. At one point, The queen turns against the king and slid his head through a powerful knife, Blessed by a Sabtharishi. But that wasn't the end, Along with the king, The whole Lemuria and the snake got cursed again and both submerged under the sea. But His genes moved across the safer place and named themselves Vaanaka"

Seeing Anika across, The snake crawls close to her. "Welcome back, You majesty" Anika was shocked she couldn't able to believe anything. Over then, They heard a cracking sound of the stone surface which cover their space. 

"YOU SAID YOU KILLED SHIVAAY..." - The snake yelled at Shrivirtha. Who was shocked when she yelled the same.  

"But I killed him..." - Shrivirtha said in a scared tone. 

"You have to pay for this..."  He said and threw her off across the entrance with his tail. She fell on Aru's toes. She started to bleed. Anika clearly understood everything from the start. Aru who had jahaan in her arms looked at her shockingly.

"She came" - Shrivirtha looked at her and then look around. 

"Not alone..." - Aru whispered to her with a smile. Anika was shaken when she saw shivaay, The old shivaay coming towards them. Shrivirtha couldn't even have the energy to stand up. She looked at the snake with teary eyes for taking all her strength from her. Then she moved her gaze towards jahaan. She understood, The kid, she tried to kill in Anika's womb born again to take another birth, To them again. Jahaan conveyed everything through her gaze. And She also conveyed that she's going to end everything. 

"Living or Dying. Only Shrivirtha should decide..." - Shrivirtha said, But that snake tail moved grabbed her feet and threw her again to the wall. She started to bleed again this time to the hell. Shivaay couldn't able to figure out what was happening. But when the snake moved across to him and stood to him straight to straight. He understood everything. He completely understood, The reason behind their birth, He understood, Why he's behind everything. He understood, Why he manipulated tushara and his family against him. 

"You majesty" - It again said in a husky tone and bowed it's head to him. 

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM, SHIVAAY..." -  Anika yelled at him on the other hand. But Jahaan moved across towards shrivirtha. She was bleeding. Tears fell across her eyes. She couldn't even able to move her hand. Jahaan sat next to her and closed her eyelids which were wide open. Her last breath came out from her lungs. Jahaan was matured more to her actual age, She could understand everything. 

"Your majesty, Try to recall those beautiful days, when you became a god for the people, You can rule them again... You will have no death, Your majesty... Remember them..." - That snake started to hypnotise him again. Aru who was behind him tried to bring drag him out from the trick and held his shoulder. That snake immediately smote on her hand, She fell unconscious on the next moment. 

"SHIVAAY... DON'T" - Anika yelled again and tried to drag him away from his trap. But this time, That smoke fastly moved towards her and smote her head and she fell back unconsciously. The snake quickly came back to shivaay and continued to hypnotise him. Nobody was there to bring him back. 

"KILL HIM..." - Jahaan yelled at her high tone. Her tone worked like magic and Shivaay finally came out from his trick. When that snake moved towards Jahaan and grab her with its tail. It's body automatically started to burn. On the other hand, Shivaay squeezed its head. When it finally Burnt, The whole place flashed with a high frequency of lightning. And Jahaan fell down unconscious on the ground.  

Ritwik and Khushi finally managed to reach their location, It said, Both Aru and Avi's Location in the middle of the forest. When they reached their location, They found Aru, Jahaan, Avi and Anika on the upper surface of the forest in an unconscious state But Shivaay was nowhere. Both Khushi and Ritwik tried to wake them. Only Jahaan wakes up. They took everyone to the hospital. On the other hand, Both Khushi and Ritwik shocked to see there was no symbol in their forearm.

******

After 3 Days. 

It had been three days after the incident, Shivaay didn't show up, Avi got his consciousness back as he was just hitten by the herbs, Hours later after Jahaan but Anika and Aru still in the dangerous state. Jahaan now can able to speak normally, But Nobody was there to cherish the moment. She didn't tell anything about the incident to any of them. Anika's parents came to the hospital. Avinash thought Shivaay was dead and he was in the huge distress. He didn't come out from his ward. But Khushi stayed with him forever. 

On the other hand, Doctors couldn't figure out what actually happened to Aru and Anika. Their health condition was getting worse day by day. Ritwik was broken. Doctors predicted that child might have died but they weren't sure of everything. Staying in Avi's room for longer, She finally came out of his ward. She sat on one of the benches with a worried face. Tears crossed across her eyes when she took shivaay's button from his shirt when he held her on the way towards Wayanad from Bangalore. She recalled the moment she spent with shivaay and how she used to sleep peacefully in his arms. She even knew he's her dad. But she just didn't have an opportunity to call him daddy. When Aru told he's her dad, She didn't get surprised, she just knew it, by the way, He and Anika treated. She met Anika hardly three times. But she can feel the connectivity with her. 

"I miss you, Daddy..." - Jahaan whispered. Before her tears fell on the ground. She felt someone sitting next to her. 

"Why my doll is crying?" - She heard shivaay's voice. She turns around him and surprised to see him. 

"Daddy..." - The words escaped from her eyes when she saw him next to her. Shivaay had tears in his eyes when he saw her. She didn't wait for him to hug her, But she initiated it, He hugged her tightly. 

"I miss you..." - She cried on his shoulder, Shivaay didn't say anything but caressed her hair. 

"Let's go to Avi..." - She held his hand but he stopped her. 

"Let's go outside, First..." - He said, held her palm and moved towards the outside. Jahaan was confused when she saw him, Smiling at a person. She moved her gaze towards that person. Upto her surprise, She was shocked to Anika standing under the shed of a tree, Smiling at her with teary eyes. Jahaan left Shivaay's hands and rushed towards anika. She went on her knees while widening her arms. Jahaan jumped to her, Anika showered her with kisses. But the reality strike to Jahaan when she recognized Anika in the hospital ward connected to many strings. She broke the hug with teary eyes. Shivaay stood behind Jahaan. 

"Mumma..." - Jahaan held her hand with teary eyes. 

"Yeah, Baby" - Anika replied to her. Shivaay held Jahaan's shoulder and Kneed in the middle of them. 

"Are you... Are you... Are you dead?" - Jahaan asked her teary eyes. Anika was shaken. Shivaay kept his other hand on his shoulder. She nodded with teary eyes. Tears fell across the eyes. 

"And you're not my dad..." - Jahaan turned towards Shivaay and cried. He closed his eyes when he couldn't able to see her crying.

"But you're his soul..." - Jahaan cried. Anika and Shivaay moved close to her and gave her a tight hug. 

"We didn't die, My doll... We will be there with you, Aru and Avi always..." - Anika tried to console her but she didn't stop crying. 

"Baby... Gauri said right, Body dies but Soul remains with the close one... So technically, We are not dead..." - Shivaay said while kissing her forehead. 

"Be a good girl..." - Anika said and she broke the hug. 

"I will" - Jahaan said with tears. 

"Don't leave anywhere without Avi and Aru..." - Shivaay said. Jahaan nodded. 

"Listen to Avi and Aru's words, Whatever they say, They will say for good..."  - Anika said while cupping her face. she nodded. 

"Don't think they don't love you when they spend more time with their kids, Don't forget, You will be their first kid always..." - Shivaay said with teary eyes. 

"Don't miss us so much..." - Anika finally said. This time Jahaan nodded no to them. Anika couldn't stop herself from hugging her tightly. Shivaay hugged her again. 

"I love you, mumma... I love you, Pappa... Make sure, You go to heaven..." - Jahaan said and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, She was in Khushi's arms who was next Avi. Avi tried to wake anika up. But she didn't wake up. Jahaan understood, She was asleep and They met in their dreams. 

"Arushi gained her consciousness and her child is absolutely fine..." - Jahaan heard Doctor's words in between everyone sobs. Anika's parents were crying uncontrollably. But Jahaan stayed silent looking at her mother's closed eyelids. 

******

On the other hand, Anika and shivaay's soul were sitting in the table with their hands intertwined before grim-reaper who was none other than Shivaay Nair's mom. She looked at them. 

"Shivaay, Anika... The two intertwined souls..." - She called them out. They both acknowledged her. 

"Your life as Shivaay Singh Oberoi and Anika Sheshadri finally ended in peace..." - She said. Both nodded sadly. 

"And the fight you both have been fighting for three births came to an end in the last birth..."- She again said. Both Acknowledged without spelling a word. 

"Do you want a quick recap of your three births?" - The grim reaper asked her. Shivaay and Anika looked at each other with a smile. 

Yes...  - They both said in chorus. 

So listen... - The grim reaper started to narrate their own story to them. 

(TO BE CONTINUED)

******