The winds at the border carried dust and death in equal measure.
Ram stepped out of the armored vehicle, boots crunching against dry gravel, eyes scanning the desolate stretch of land ahead.
His rifle felt heavier than usual, his chest tighter not from fear of war, but from something far more fragile.
Distance.
From Sita.
His comrades welcomed him with the weary nods of men who'd seen too much.
They spoke of raids, hidden bunkers, and a rising enemy force that was organizing in the shadows.
Ram took it all in every map, every strategy his mind focused, but his heart elsewhere.
One night, after rescuing a young girl from a burning village near the border, he sat by the flickering campfire.
The girl, trembling with shock, clutched a cloth to her wounded arm. She reminded him of someone.
Not from now.
From a dream.
He leaned closer. "What's your name?"
She whispered, "Afreen."
The name struck him like thunder on clear skies. He froze.
Because in his dreams… Afreen wasn't a little girl.
Afreen was someone else someone fierce, bold, a brother in spirit… Bheem.
The moment lingered.
He blinked. The flames cracked louder.
A distant scream of an owl broke the night.
Ram touched the side of his head. "What's happening to me?" he murmured.
Later that night, he couldn't sleep.
He stared at the stars, clutching the letter Sita had given him before he left.
He didn't open it not yet.
It was a promise for the future, not something he wanted to break now.
But the dreams returned.
Only this time, they weren't of Sita alone.
He stood in a jungle, arrows whizzing past.
Beside him stood a man not a soldier, but a warrior, dressed in tribal marks, roaring with rage and love.
The man looked at Ram and whispered, "Brother, fight with your heart."
He woke up gasping, drenched in sweat.
Afreen was sleeping near him.
He looked again and for a moment, he saw Bheem's eyes in hers.
Not literally, but something familiar… something eternal.
He felt his soul stir.
But before he could process it, alarms rang. Gunshots. Chaos.
The enemy had attacked a nearby outpost. Ram rushed with his team, firing, covering, running.
He saved lives. Burned through ammo.
And then… silence.
Until a sharp crack echoed.
A blow to his head. The ground beneath him slipped. Darkness fell.
When he opened his eyes… he was in a prison cell.
Trapped. Alone. Captured.
And for the first time in days, the dreams were gone.
Only memories remained.