The Last Traveler-The past is not just what has happend, it is what must happen.

The Dreamer and His Machine

Delhi, India - Present Day

A young man named Vishwas lived in Delhi, amidst the cacophony of traffic and the noise of daily life. Unlike the average college-age set, he did not enjoy social gatherings or late-night parties. He was a dreamer in every sense of the word, but his dreams had nothing to do with money, fame, or success. He envisioned something far more ambitious—something most people associate with science fiction. Vishwas had a dream about travelling through time.Vishwas was born into a regular middle-class family that lived in a small flat in South Delhi. His father was a government employee, and his mother was a homemaker. Their lifestyle was pleasant but not excessive, and Vishwas understood the value of every rupee. His parents had always urged him to concentrate on his education, thinking that he would find a steady career after graduation. But he had different plans.He was a physics student at a local college, represented the geek stereotype. With thick-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, unruly hair that was usually slightly too long, and clothes that appeared to belong to another era, he was frequently the focus of mild ridicule from his peers. He didn't mind. He was used to being alone and loved it that way. He wasn't good with people, especially girls, and the thought of having to make small chat or exchange social pleasantries made him nervous. His classmates generally described him as quiet, uncomfortable, and overly focused on his literature.For Vishwas, the outside world was a diversion, taking him away from his genuine passion—his research. His room was his haven, littered with textbooks, notebooks filled with scribbles and equations, and a makeshift laboratory he had built with the few thousand rupees he had saved from his allowance. While other students hung out in cafés or studied for exams, Vishwas spent his days and nights digging into quantum theory, wormholes, and the fabric of spacetime.Vishwas awoke one day to a typical morning. The sun streamed through the thin curtains in his room, putting a warm glow on the strewn books. He went for his glasses, pushed them onto his face, and looked up at the ceiling, mentally prepared for the day ahead. His daily routine was nothing out of the ordinary: wake up, go to courses, return home, and then bury himself in his studies until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.He was not especially fond of his college. The lectures, while necessary, appeared overly basic and slow. He frequently found himself daydreaming during class, thinking about the possibilities that time travel could provide. What if he could travel back in time and observe historical events? What if he could travel into the future and witness how civilization has progressed? These thoughts absorbed him, and he frequently skipped social gatherings in order to go home early and continue working.That day, like many others before it, passed in a blur. After a long day of lectures and avoiding encounters with his peers, he retired to his room. When he went inside, he felt a sense of peace rush over him. Here, he was free to be himself and push the limits of his imagination. He sat down at his cluttered desk and flipped through his study notes. For years, he had been fascinated by the concept of time travel, and he had acquired as much knowledge as he could from books, study papers, and internet forums.But today was different. As he reread his notes, he noticed a peculiar equation. He had been working on a difficult formula for months, one that, if solved, could possibly lead to time travel. He had hit dead ends many times before, but this time seemed different. He felt a rush of excitement, and his heart raced as he realized he was on the edge of a breakthrough.Hours passed as he worked diligently on the equation, his mind racing faster than his fingers could write. He barely noticed the sun setting outside or the noises of the city settling down for the night. It was already beyond midnight when he finally put down his pen. He glanced at the page in front of him, the last piece of the puzzle fitting into place. He'd done it. The key to time travel was in his grasp.He soon got to work, utilizing his makeshift lab to build a crude device—a time machine. It was far from the slick, futuristic designs shown in films, but he was unconcerned with aesthetics. What mattered was if it worked. He made the final tweaks with quivering hands before taking a step back to admire his creation. It was modest, simple, and almost unimportant in appearance, but he knew it had the potential to transform everything.He took a deep breath and engaged the machine. The room seemed to throb with energy as the device turned on, the lights flickering and the air crackling with electricity. Vishwas experienced a peculiar sensation, as if the fabric of reality was moving around him. His eyesight blurred, and for a time, he felt weightless, as if he were floating in space.And then, as swiftly as it began, it came to an end. The hum of the machine faded into quietness, and he found himself standing in an unknown location. The air was dense and warm, and the aroma was earthy and primal. He looked around, his heart beating against his chest. He had never seen a landscape like this before, wild and overgrown. But, where was he? What exactly had happened? He'd been back in time, but how far? What period had he arrived in?He stood motionless, a mixture of terror and excitement flowing through him. He'd done it—traveled through time. Standing alone in this weird, ancient world, a new question loomed huge in his mind.Where was he?