Royal District — Gardens
Evening settled gently over the Royal District.
The sun dipped low, painting the sky in deep golds and fading oranges, its light spilling across the palace gardens in long, warm shadows. Birds chirped softly as they returned to their nests, wings fluttering through the branches overhead. The air was calm, cool enough to carry the faint scent of flowers and water from the fountains.
Rajkumar Hamsa walked alone along the stone paths, hands loosely clasped behind his back.
"Man… tonight's dinner was great."
Burp.
"…Okay, maybe a little too great."
It's been a few days since the whole mess with Garuda's awakening.
The aftermath was… loud. Painfully loud. I got chewed out from every direction imaginable for doing something that big without informing anyone first. Actually, "chewed out" is generous—I got multiple lectures, some emotional, some political, some just plain angry.
Still, Acharya Ram backed me up. Hard.
That's the only reason I'm not grounded for life—or worse. Because of that, I'm off the hook for now. For now.But there are rules now. Clear ones. My experiments aren't unrestricted but anything even remotely dangerous has to be reported to both the palace and the temple.
Annoying.
…but fair.
Honestly, I can't even argue with that.
Garuda, at least, is doing well. Better than expected, actually. Watching his mana stabilize—seeing it settle into a rhythm instead of flaring all over the place—taught me more than weeks of reading dusty manuscripts ever did.
Which leads me to the biggest takeaway so far:
Mana cost is wildly inconsistent.
The ape experiment? Barely anything. A gentle push. Like nudging a door that was already half open.Garuda?
That took nearly one-fifth of my entire mana well.
Which… yeah. Makes sense, I guess. He isn't just another test subject. He's human. He's my brother. His mana structure is more complex, more rigid, and way more resistant to outside interference.
Still.
That only tells me one thing.
I need more data.
A lot more data.
As he keep walking, his thoughts drift.
Lately, I've been getting more visitors. Not officially—not in a "formal audience" way—but people are paying attention now. Before, access to me was tightly controlled. "Various reasons," they said.
Those reasons are… disappearing.
I'm not great at small talk. Never have been. If it's not direct and purposeful, I tend to miss the point. But even I can read this much.
A new faction is forming.
And it's leaning in my direction.
I don't have to think too hard to know why.
Grandfather.
Raja Vijayadeva Varman's influence is subtle, but it's there. He never pushes openly, never makes demands—but people listen when his name is involved. I didn't ask for this, but I'd be stupid to pretend it's not happening or reject it.
If people are already placing bets, then I need to be ready for what comes next.
First step?
Gopal.
And the others who've attached themselves to me.
Honestly, I should probably do something similar to what I did with Garuda. Just… without knocking myself out afterward.
If I influence their mana directly—do something so far outside the norm that it's undeniable—it would anchor their loyalty to me, not to my grandfather. Awe works. Fear works even better. This world runs on both, whether people admit it or not.
They're all adults too, which should make it easier.
…Probably.
I'll handle that later.
Because there's something else that's been bothering me more.
The dreams.
They've been getting worse.
Or maybe clearer.
Sometimes I'm back in my old life. Sometimes I'm here. Familiar places, familiar moments—until suddenly, something speaks to me.
Sometimes a person.
Others an animal.
A presence.
At first, I wrote it off as hallucinations. Stress. Mana exhaustion. My brain stitching memories together in ways it shouldn't. But it keeps happening. Too consistently. Too… deliberately.
And if someone else were messing with me using mana?
The barrier unit would've gone absolutely insane.
So it's not that.
Which means it's either coming from inside me…
…or it's something I really don't like the implications of.
Tonight, I won't back out.
The last few times, I woke up before anything meaningful could happen—heart racing, mana flaring like I was under attack. Instinct. Reflex.
This time, I'm staying.
If it's nothing, great.If it's something else…
I'll deal with it.
Hamsa's thoughts settle.
One way or another, I'm done avoiding.
With that resolve set, Rajkumar Hamsa turned toward the Royal Residence. He planned to sleep earlier than usual tonight.
For once, he wanted to be ready when the dream came for him.
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A party was underway in a large, brightly lit venue.
It was the kind of gathering only people of status could host—technically a birthday party, but in practice more like a social gathering for the rich and powerful elite.
Off to one side, a group of children were playing loudly, darting around chairs and laughing without restraint. Slightly apart from them, a boy sat on a low seat, absentmindedly eating fried snacks while watching the others.
Then—he jolted.
His body stiffened, heart skipping a beat as awareness crashed into him all at once. He looked around sharply, eyes scanning the hall, the lights, the people.
…Whoa.
Where am I now?
The noise, the colors, the smell of food—it all felt too real.
From the looks of it… this was a party. A familiar one.
As he focused, details began to line up. The layout. The decorations. The faces.
Wait.
I remember this place.
This was a place where my dad took to parties foten.
His gaze moved from face to face, recognition dawning one after another.
Those kids over there… yeah.Those are my friends. From my past life.
He swallowed.
Judging by the group—and the fact that even Arun is here—I've got to be… what, eleven? twelve at most?
Before he could process that any further, a hand suddenly landed on his back.
He flinched and turned around quickly.
A girl stood there, looking at him expectantly.
"…Janvi," he said, more startled than he meant to be.
"Oi, Raj," she said casually, as if nothing was strange at all.
"Wanna get another cup of ice cream from the dessert section?"
Raj just stood there.
Staring.
Like an idiot.
Holy shit. It's her.
Her name is Janvi.
And if I'm being honest with myself…I had a crush on her back then.
By high school, it was obvious to everyone who knew me well—everyone except me, apparently. I only realized it after she and Arjun came forward and said they were dating.
Arjun, being the stand-up guy he always was, even apologized. As he was my oldest friend who know the most about me, and honestly the only person I semi-opened up.
Though… even if I had realized sooner, I doubt I would've done anything about it. It's not like she—or anyone—would've wanted to deal with a walking bag of problems.
…That's still weird to think about.
I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about seeing her like this.
But focus.
Get it together.
You're not here for nostalgia. You're here to figure out what the hell is going on with these dreams. This is your old world now—for all intents and purposes, a fantasy.
"Oi," Janvi said again, snapping her fingers in front of his face."Are you coming or not? That uncle over there won't let me take another scoop, and my mom and dad already got me a second one. I can't ask them again."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice dramatically.
"So please come with me. You can talk to adults easily, right?"
Raj blinked.
"Well… why don't you ask someone else?" he said.
"No," she shot back immediately. "You come. You're good at talking to adults, so you come and convince them." she replied with pleading eyes.
Damn.
Was she always this… cute?
—No. Stop. What the hell am I thinking?
She's the wife of my best friend. And right now, she's a kid.
This is wrong on so many levels.
Get a grip me.
He sighed, finishing the last of the fried potato snack in his hand and brushing the crumbs off his fingers.
"…Okay. Fine. Let's go."
"Okay! Let's go!" she repeated enthusiastically, grabbing his hand without hesitation and pulling him along.
"Hey—stop running," he protested as she dragged him forward.
"They're not going to run out of ice cream."
She ignored him completely, laughing as she pulled him toward the dessert section.
After successfully acquiring their ice cream—through a combination of pleading, logic, and Raj being unreasonably polite—they sat down at a nearby table.
Janvi swung her legs slightly as she ate, then glanced at him.
"Hey, Raj," she asked, "where's your dad? Won't he scold you for eating too much?"
Raj paused, spoon hovering over his cup.
"My dad?" he said slowly. "He's probably out there… talking to people."
He took a bite of ice cream.
"And it's not like he really cares what I do here anyway."
The last part slipped out quieter than he intended.
Janvi didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she did, and didn't know what to say.
Raj stared down at the melting ice cream, a strange tightness settling in his chest.
Yeah.
This really is my old world.
And whatever brought me here…it has a terrible sense of humor when it comes to memory selection.
So far, it's been digging up the bad ones. This, at least, was slightly better.
Still—seeing my dead dog talk to me was… unsettling, to say the least. Though as bad as these memories are, seeing all this makes a part of me wish I could see how my friends are doing now.
Well for the moment, though, all I can do is wait till something happens.
With that, he finished his ice cream and stood up, brushing crumbs from his clothes.
"Hey, if you're done, give me your bowl. I'll throw it away with mine," he said casually.
No reply.
"…Janvi?"
He turned.
She was still sitting on the bench—but she wasn't eating anymore. She was staring at him.
Not blinking.
"Finally," she said.
Her lips moved—but the voice wasn't hers.
It was deeper. Colder.
"For once, you didn't snap out of it. Good. It was a wise choice to use this memory."
Raj felt the chill crawl up his spine—but he didn't recoil this time. No panic. No flaring up.
He forced himself to breathe evenly.
"What are you," he asked steadily, "and why are you doing this to me?"
Janvi tilted her head slightly, as if considering the question. Then she blinked—and when she spoke again, it was her normal voice.
"Well, I can't exactly answer the 'what' part directly," she said lightly. "But as for the 'why'… you're special."
She leaned back, resting her hands behind her.
"It's been ages. From what I can remember, you might be the third… or fourth person to reincarnate with both memories and soul intact."
Raj's expression tightened.
"Third or fourth?" he pressed. "Explain. And while you're at it—what are you actually doing here? And how?"
She sighed dramatically.
"As for the 'what' part—I'm here to give you my location. Talking like this is inconvenient. A hassle, honestly. It would be much easier to speak properly."
"And the why?" Raj asked.
She smiled faintly.
"I'm bored."
He stared at her.
"…You dragged me through my old memories because you're bored?"
"Partially," she said without shame. "But also because you're interesting."
Raj crossed his arms.
"And what makes you think I'll just show up if you hand me a location?"
She leaned forward now, tone softening.
"It's entirely up to you. But you'll gain answers. And… perks."
She held his gaze.
"You can trust me. I won't harm you. And this isn't a trap. I have no intention of putting you in danger. I just want you to come."
By the end of the sentence, she had slid off the bench and was kneeling on the floor, hands pressed against the tiles, almost pleading.
Raj didn't answer immediately.
A full minute passed.
Then—
"If you're within the borders of the Valangar Kingdom," he said evenly, "I'll come. If you're outside of it, I won't."
Her eyes lit up instantly.
"Yes. You'll find the place near what your scholars call the Great Mana Dead Zone. More commonly known as the Mana Dead Zone. Northwest border region—Punja."
Raj let out a slow breath.
"Northwest… Punja, huh." he said in a low voice and added. "Fine. I'll come."
He looked at her carefully.
"But don't expect me anytime soon. Things are complicated on my end."
"Fair enough," she said brightly, standing again as if nothing had happened.
"That aside, as a token of goodwill, do you want me to show you a specific memory? Something pleasant, maybe? I can."
"No," Raj replied immediately.
"There isn't a single memory I'm eager to revisit. And even if there was, I'm 100% certain my mind would twist it into something negative at this point."
Janvi—no, whatever was speaking through her—studied him for a long moment.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Very well."
The room flickered.
The sounds of the party grew distant.
"And Raj Sharma.... Rajkumar Hamsa."
He looked at her one last time before everything began to fade.
"Try not to die before you get there."