Mahabharat: Cruel Fate

Chapter 1

A fat, juicy raindrop smacked me right on the nose. Great. Just fabulous. I cracked open one eye, wincing at the assault of sunlight filtering through a thick canopy of leaves. Forest. Damp, earthy forest. Not exactly my usual morning ambience.Panic clawed at my throat for a sweet, disorienting moment. Years of training, gone. Replaced by a primal fear of... squirrels? Photosynthesis?Ridiculous. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing a calming breath.            

            ● Rule Number 1:-Never panic. Ever.

I opened them again, a sliver of amusement creeping in at the edges of my rising annoyance. Here I was, Esha, the most feared silent shadow enemy of the Syndicates, reduced to a cliché – the damsel in distress, except with much better knife skills and a complete lack of damsel-like qualities.Sitting up, I took stock.           

           ● Soaked clothes

           ● A throbbing headache

           ● A distinct lack of my usual arsenal

           ● No hidden blades

           ● no throwing stars

           ● Not even a decent lock pick

Just me, the forest, and this throbbing headache that felt suspiciously like ahangover from,Oh      

           ● A time machine malfunction.

A time machine malfunction. Of course. That explained the sudden foliage and the distinct lack of high-rises. That also explained the pounding in my head – those things weren't exactly known for smooth getaways.Laughter, dry and humorless, escaped my lips. Here I was, stranded in who-knows-when with nothing but the clothes on my back and a healthy dose of irony. Well, Esha, looks like you finally got the unexpected mission you always craved. Survive. In the freaking wilderness. With a sigh, I pushed myself to my feet, the damp earth squelching beneath my boots. Time to find shelter, assess the situation, and maybe, just maybe, figure out how to get this glorified metal coffin working again. Because let's face it, even the best assassin needs a good time machine.

**A few days later**

Days bled into weeks as I wrestled the wilderness into a grudging semblance of shelter.Using fallen branches and woven leaves, I managed a shelter that offered a modicum of protection from the elements. Hunger gnawed at me constantly, a relentless companion. I scavenged for edible plants, relying on half-remembered childhood lessons and a healthy dose of trial and error. My stomach grumbled its disapproval more than once, but I persevered.When I would go back these wounds would be proof that I survived.That "I,Esha Rathore survived the Dvapar yuga." At Least I think this is the dvapar yug.The forest, once a source of fear, slowly became a grudging teacher. I learned to track deer, to identify safe berries from their poisonous look alikes, to build a fire that wouldn't send smoke signals into the sky. My nights were filled with the symphony of unfamiliar creatures, both beautiful and terrifying. One day, a particularly loud rustle was there. My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs. With a deep breath, I crept closer, the damp earth deafening my steps. There, not ten paces away, stood a figure clad in simple cloth. He was young, no older than a 17 or 18 with a shock of dark hair and a tense set to his shoulders. He held a bow in one hand, the other clenched into a fist. My gaze snagged on that hand – the thumb was missing, leaving a jagged scar.He didn't see me. He seemed to be focused on a trail of broken twigs leading deeper into the woods. Curiosity warred with caution. Who was he, and why was he missing a thumb? Was he a friend or foe?Before I could decide, he spun around, bow raised. Our eyes met, his a startled brown.But before either of us could speak, he was gone, a silent wraith melting back into thetrees.Left alone, I stared after him, a strange mix of apprehension and... something else. It Was the first human contact I'd had since waking up in this prehistoric wilderness. Aspark of hope flickered within me. Maybe I wasn't completely alone after all.Looking around at the towering trees and unfamiliar plants, a new realization dawned on me. The metal and glass world I knew was gone. This, this dense, vibrant forest, was my reality now. The clothes I wore, the way I moved, everything screamed outsider. But the tools I'd used, the fire I built – those were skills that transcended time.Maybe, just maybe, I could carve a place for myself in this bygone era.