"What is going on? W-Why do I feel that I can't breathe...... V-vijayan! H-help!!!!"

Vijayan on the other hand was no different. Both the royals struggled to breathe along with countless others that fell prey to the evil ploys of the demons.

They could see as each of the supposed police men slowly fell to the floor, losing their battle to life,barely having enough strength to even let out a shriek of anguish.

It was surely a shocker to see more than half of the male population dying while the females were ruthlessly dragged away to somewhere where the latter would meet a worse fate than death itself.

Neither of the two royals could keep up with the fight of life as they soon collapsed on the ground.
Finally, accepting their fate like all the others.

*____________*____________*___________*___________*

"Your Highness! Can you hear me? Thank Havens that you are fine!", a voice echoed as Shivansh's eyes fluttered open.

Long gone was the dull environment with signs of struggle of life, replaced by an extravagant chandelier and a comfy bed with the bedsheet made of finest quality of silk.

Had the people from the future ultimately learnt that he wasn't lying? Or had the demons realized his potential and kept him in the castle?

His mind was clouded with a thousand thoughts as he struggled to navigate his second near death experience.

"Where am I?", Shivansh croaked out.

"At your palace my Lord! In your bedroom....", The man spoke out who by the looks of it was a doctor.

Nothing really made sense to the King as he sat dumbly in his bed.

He had somehow slipped into the future, people didn't believe him, he was almost jailed, demons annexed the world, he died in the future and most importantly..... He was now at his own kingdom which he was familiar with and yet felt disconnected to.

"How long has it been?"

"6 months my Lord! We were so worried about you...... I could not find a cure since you did not show any signs of any illnesses I came across..... It's only God's grace that you are alive!"

"And who was taking care of the affairs while I was gone?"

"Mahamantri Vijayan, Sir!"

Shivansh faltered once again. All this time, he had spent the unpredictable adventure he was dragged into with his best friend and the Mahamantri, Vijayan. How could the aforementioned man be here if he was all the while with him?

"I see that Your Highness has woke up.....Maha Vaidya, could you give us the privacy for a moment.", Vijayan chimed as he entered the room.

"What is going on Vijayan.... I-I don't understand!!! Everything is a mess and I have no idea what to do..... ", Shivansh said as he broke down.

To his people and the other kingdoms, Shivansh was an absolute definition of Perfection. Never had anyone seen him slacking or slipping even for a moment. But, if there was anyone who had seen his vulnerable side, then that was Vijayan.

Being childhood friends had bought them so close that Shivansh never once hesitated to showcase his raw emotions and perturbarance to the latter.

"Your Majesty..... The truth is that I am not Vijayan...... I am the painter that gifted you the painting."

"T-Then how? Where is my friend then? What have you done to him?!?"

"Calm down Your Majesty.....Whatever is happening is destined to happen.....I was once in the Mahabharat, I fought with valour and yet was betrayed to have been snatched of my invincibility..... And here I stand before you, cursed to remain immortal till the end of time..... Does that ring a bell?", The disguised Vijayan said.

"You are.....Ashwatthama!", Shivansh said turning the gears in his head.

"I am indeed.....Albeit of all the bad things that happened to me, I got the power to teleport between the eras whenever I wish along with disguise that is.....

Vijayan is still trapped in the Ghor Kalyug and you need to rescue him..... Together you both will bring Lord Kalki to save the world for you were destined to do so."

Nothing could have prepared Shivansh for whatever was going on with his life. He did not know why he was chosen to help Ashwatthama.... But he knew that he had to save his friend no matter what.

"Alright.....So I suppose that till the time me and Vijayan are in the Ghor Kalyug, you would be handling the matters here, right?"

"It goes without a question.And on the right time I shall help you both too."

Shivansh was about to question a bit more but was cuttoff by Ashwatthama who simply dragged him back to the painting and extended his hands to place it upon the former's head.

The feeling was quite nauseating as the King struggled to get rid of the hand upon his head. It was only a matter of a few minutes which felt like eternity that he opened his eyes back to the same  old dusty, dull and polluted scene.

The first thing he saw now was the chambers that held several of women, all looking deafeted and silently waiting for their miserable life to end.

Shivansh had not seen the gruesome scene which those women had witnessed, yet it didn't take a genius to know what had transpired as his eyes fell on the machine displayed with splotches of blood.

The heavy footsteps of demon gaurds were heard as he hid behind a big beam. As the gaurds passed by, he noticed the patterns on the beam. They looked like inscriptions written in some demonic language with drawings that showed a man floating in air amidst a dusty cave.

Just one look at it and he knew that it was Kali who these demons were supposed to bring back to life. It was chilling to see the designs that lay silently showcasing the destiny of the current world.

"Do you smell a human too?", A demon asked another gaurd as they patrolled close to the spot Shivansh hid in.

"No what are you talking about...... I think you are smelling the human smell of the women that are here.", The other demon said taking a deep sniff.

It seemed like the first demon gaurd wasn't much assured as he slowly neared the spot Shivansh was hiding in.

Catching on the demons smelling him, Shivansh backed out of the spot as silently as he could and drew out a blade that was made out of bones and ashes of his ancestors. The blade was blessed and he considered it to ward off bad omen..... more like demons in his case.

With a swift swing of his blade, the demon fell and its body pulsated before turning to ashh and disappearing. The other demon was stunned and stood there blank. Without letting the demon register, he smoothly grabbed its neck and sliced its head.

Dealing with the two demons was easier than he expected..... All he had to do now was search for his friend and get out of the forsaken place.

"Who the hell are you?"

That voice was too familiar. There laid Vijayan half beaten to death, tied to the post of a bed as a demon stood in front of him laughing mockingly at him.

Shivansh couldn't hear more of their conversation since the demon talked in a conscending low tone which wasn't much audible from the distance.

His hand twitched to swing his blade at the demon for using such a tone with Vijayan....yet he waited for it to leave so he could finally rescue his friend.... Only that it wasn't as easy as he had made it out to be.