The keeper of time

Chapter 5: Echoes of the Future

Chapter 5: Echoes of the Future

Anaya had never felt so vulnerable. Every step forward felt like walking deeper into the unknown. Her thoughts were a chaotic swirl of fear and determination, the weight of the amulet heavier around her neck than it had ever been before. The room they had found was dimly lit by the last rays of the sun, casting long shadows on the dusty floor, and her heart raced with the unrelenting fear of what was to come.

But it was not just fear she felt. Beneath it, something else stirred—a strange connection to the power she didn't fully understand. She touched the amulet absently, feeling its cold surface press against her palm. Each moment with it felt like a tether pulling her deeper into the folds of history, into a destiny that was not just her own.

She glanced at Riya, who had taken on a new aura of intensity ever since they'd escaped the alley. Riya had always seemed invincible—calm, steady, and focused—but now there was a sharp edge to her demeanor, as though she, too, was grappling with the growing dangers around them. Anaya could feel the tension in the room. The air was thick, heavy with the unspoken weight of the task ahead.

Anaya's heart pounded as her eyes drifted toward the doorway, her mind racing with all the possibilities of failure. She had always been analytical, good at solving problems, but this was different. The stakes were too high. Her breath hitched, and sweat broke out on her neck again, pooling just below her ears, making her skin slick.

"We need to move before it gets dark," Riya muttered, pulling Anaya from her thoughts.

"Where?" Anaya whispered. "We don't even know where the next fragment is."

Before Riya could respond, Arjun, still seated near the door, shifted uncomfortably. His face was paler now, his once fierce determination softening into uncertainty. "The amulet knows," he murmured. "It showed me something. When I touched it back there... just before we ran... I saw things. Visions."

Riya spun toward him, her eyes narrowing. "Visions? What kind of visions?"

Arjun's brow furrowed, his hand absently rubbing the small copper fragment in his palm. "It's hard to explain... It felt like memories that weren't mine. Images of an ancient city... somewhere far from here. There were temples, markets, people... but it all felt so vivid. Like I was there."

Anaya's breath caught in her throat. The weight of his words sank in slowly. Could the amulet really be showing them the path forward? Could it be guiding them toward the next piece? She felt a shiver down her spine as she looked at Arjun.

Riya remained silent for a long moment, her eyes flickering with a mixture of concern and determination. "If the amulet is showing you this, we can't ignore it. We have no other choice. It could be leading us toward the next fragment."

Anaya felt a pit of anxiety settle in her stomach. "But where exactly is it? How do we get there?"

Arjun shook his head. " It was just flashes, scattered. But there was something—an old city, with massive temples. I remember hearing the name... Patliputra."

Anaya felt the name land in her mind with a strange resonance. She had studied ancient Indian history in her academic life, and Patliputra was a name that echoed through time, the seat of great empires and a city of monumental significance. But to actually go there, to see it with her own eyes? It felt unreal.

"Patliputra?" Riya's tone was flat, but her gaze was intense. "That city has been gone for centuries. If that's where the amulet is taking us, we're not just traveling through space. We're traveling through time."

Anaya's heart skipped a beat. The idea of time travel had always been abstract to her, something to be studied and theorized. But now it was a reality she couldn't ignore. Every nerve in her body tingled with anticipation and fear. She felt like she was on the edge of a precipice, about to plunge into a reality she wasn't prepared for.