Quantum Reckoning

Prologue

As Arjun descended into the deep abyss, a feeling of gradual disappearance surrounded him. The darkness engulfs him and devours him bit by bit. His eyes wandered around the dark abyss searching for any signs of light. He noticed a dim light from the corner of his eye and turned towards it.

He gazed at you and exclaimed, "Finally, somebody. Hey..."

He remarked, "I could hear you, Hey... Yeah, you. I can even see you too."

"How, you ask? Well, it's because I'm stuck here. What is this place? Even I don't know. I used to think I knew what this place but now... I don't know," he exhaled.

"You could think of it as a separate realm, unrelated to your or my space and time," he continued.

He remarked, "I'm not joking. Trust me on this. Anyway, I'll describe what I see here if you want. It's... It's nothing much. Just pitch black, utter darkness. I couldn't even see my hands. Do you get what I mean? It's so dark it feels like I was fading into nothing or ... maybe transforming into something. Who knows what's going to happen here?"

Arjun sighed and said, "Honestly, I've stopped dwelling on it. You would too if you were falling into this darkness, like for eternity. Yes, it's been an eternity. I'm not making it sound more dramatic than it is. Trust me."

"It isn't like this every time. Now and then, I can hear or see people from different places or times, just like you, for example. And not only the present you, but I can even see your past."

"Yeah, I know. I'm aware of all those naughty, dirty secrets and lies. Those lies, seriously? Let me ask you, how can you lie so convincingly?"

"Sorry, I was joking. It's been a long time since I'm seeing somebody, and got excited."

"I understand what's on your mind right now. The answer is yes. Oh, come on, don't act like you're not aware of what I'm talking about. You were thinking, 'If I can see your past and present from here, can I see your future,' right? Yes, I can, but it's more like glimpses of future possibilities. It's not the concrete future, but rather potential outcomes. As you know our actions in the present shape our future. If you're still curious, I could tell you about it, but honestly, it's probably better not to know. Trust me, living without knowledge of our future is much better. I'm saying this from my own experience."

"If you're starting to wonder if I'm some kind of alien, or whatever, based on what I've said. Let me clarify - I'm just a regular human like you. Trapped in this, you could say a 'strange' place."

"Doubt? Well, let me pose a few questions to you. Have you ever made mistakes in life? Sorry, that's probably an obvious yes, isn't it? Let me ask something different."

"Have you ever attempted to shift the blame onto others for your mistakes?"

"Have you ever passed judgment or criticized people without really knowing them?"

"Have you ever caused harm to someone close to you?"

"Have you ever done with good intentions for your life or the people around you, only to end up making mistakes? And then, to fix those mistakes, ended up creating more?"

"If you have, you're not all that different from me. I went about it differently and on a much, MUCH larger scale."

"Still curious why I find myself stuck here? I'd love to share, but here's a heads-up: it's a long story. The catch is, I'm not sure how much time I have. I don't know when I'll lose consciousness and slip into what feels like an eternal slumber."

"If you're still interested, there's this guy. I met him, much like how I've met you now. He was the first and last person before I met you. I've already shared my whole story with him. Because we were both bored."

"I'll ask him to narrate it for you. He might not be an expert storyteller, Hell, he might not be a decent one. Actually, I don't know much about him. But it's the only option left. I hope he agrees and doesn't miss any crucial details. I'll request him to skip my childhood and early days. They're pretty mundane and typical like everyone else's."

"I'll ask him to start narrating from 'that day' onward."

"Anyway, let's catch up after the story. As I mentioned earlier, it's quite a lengthy tale. I hope I don't lose my consciousness before our next encounter."

"See you when you reach the end of the journey."