#### **Aarav's Fall**
Aarav Sharma never believed in miracles or fate. He was a man of science, a historian specializing in ancient Indian civilization and mythological texts, particularly the Mahabharata. For years, he had poured over manuscripts, researching the life of Karna—the unsung hero whose destiny was marred by tragedy. Aarav felt an unexplainable connection to Karna, as if he had lived the warrior's life in a distant dream. But he was pragmatic and dismissed the sensation as simple empathy. After all, who wouldn't feel for the son of the Sun God, abandoned by his mother and forever torn between loyalty and blood?
It was a stormy night when everything changed.
Aarav was working late at the Institute of Ancient Studies in a lab filled with relics from long-lost times. His latest obsession was a broken arrowhead, unearthed from a site believed to be near the ancient battlefield of Kurukshetra. There was something about the arrowhead that drew him in, almost like it called to him. He felt a shiver every time he touched it, like static electricity, but he shrugged it off as coincidence. He had been poring over the artifact for days, convinced it held some forgotten secret.
The night the storm hit, the power in the lab flickered and died, plunging the room into darkness. Aarav sighed in frustration, reaching for the flashlight in his drawer. But then something strange happened—the arrowhead, now faintly illuminated by the flickering emergency lights, began to glow. At first, Aarav thought it was his imagination. He blinked, but the light only grew stronger.
Instinctively, Aarav reached out to touch the arrowhead. The moment his fingers made contact with the artifact, a shockwave of energy surged through his body. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced, a torrent of heat and light flooding his veins. His vision blurred, the world around him collapsing into chaos. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the roaring of the storm outside and a voice—deep, resonant, and ancient—echoing in his mind.
**"Aarav, son of the future... your time has come. Rise as the son of the Sun."**
---
#### **Waking in a New World**
Aarav gasped as his eyes snapped open. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. He was no longer in the sterile, modern lab. Instead, he found himself lying on a straw mat in a dimly lit room, the scent of incense and earth filling the air. Confused, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, his muscles trembling with unfamiliar tension.
Where am I?
He looked down at his hands—large, calloused, and weather-worn, nothing like the hands of a modern-day academic. His heart skipped a beat. These were not his hands.
Panicking, Aarav scrambled to his feet and stumbled toward a small polished brass mirror that hung on the wall. The face staring back at him was not his own. It was a face he recognized all too well from centuries of descriptions, illustrations, and dreams—a face carved with sharp features, piercing eyes, and a warrior's strength.
It was the face of Karna.
"No..." Aarav whispered, his voice trembling. His mind reeled with disbelief, trying to comprehend what was happening. This had to be a dream, a hallucination. He had read about people being reincarnated in stories, but never had he imagined something like this could happen to him.
Yet, the face in the mirror was real. He could feel the weight of the armor draped over his chest, the gauntlet on his forearm, the warmth of the morning sun streaming through the window. His legs felt strong, as if they were used to years of battle and endurance. His mind, however, was torn between two realities—his life as Aarav, and the ancient, almost subconscious pull of memories belonging to the legendary Karna.
He stumbled back, the room spinning as Karna's memories came crashing down on him like waves. He saw flashes of a life that was both his own and not his own—glimpses of a mother abandoning her infant child in a river, of being raised in a humble household as a charioteer's son, of facing the scorn of the nobility for daring to challenge their status despite his unbreakable spirit.
**"This cannot be real."** Aarav murmured, clutching his head, but the flood of memories continued.
Suddenly, a sharp knock echoed through the small room, and Aarav jolted, his heart racing. Before he could respond, the door creaked open and an elderly man with graying hair and a kind face stepped inside. Aarav recognized him instantly—it was Adhiratha, the man who had raised Karna as his own son.
"My boy," Adhiratha said warmly, not noticing the shock on Aarav's face, "the horses are ready. We must leave soon for the royal assembly. Today is a great day for you."
Aarav froze. The royal assembly? His fragmented memories reminded him of a key moment in Karna's life. This was the day he would step into the arena for the first time to display his prowess before the Kuru royalty—the day he would befriend Duryodhana and forever bind his fate to the Kauravas.
The weight of this realization hit Aarav like a hammer. He was no longer just Aarav Sharma, the historian. He was Karna, standing at the crossroads of history.
---
#### **The Voice of Surya**
As Adhiratha left the room, the sunlight grew brighter, almost unnaturally so. The brilliance filled the space, and Aarav squinted, shielding his eyes. But then he felt it—the presence of someone divine.
**"Aarav..."**
The voice was warm and powerful, filled with the authority of the heavens. Aarav's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively knew who was speaking.
**"Surya,"** Aarav whispered, his voice trembling.
Suddenly, the room around him faded, and Aarav found himself standing in a vast expanse of golden light. Before him stood Surya, the radiant Sun God, his aura blinding yet comforting. His eyes held both wisdom and a deep sadness as he looked upon Aarav.
**"You have been chosen,"** Surya said, his voice echoing like a drumbeat in Aarav's mind. **"You are no longer simply Aarav of the future. You carry my essence, my blood. You are my son, Karna. But you also carry the knowledge of a world yet to come. This knowledge is your gift, and your burden."**
Aarav swallowed hard, his mind still grappling with the enormity of what was happening. **"Why me?"** he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. **"Why bring me here, now?"**
Surya's gaze softened, and he stepped closer. **"The world of men is ruled by fate and dharma, but the course of history is not as rigid as it seems. You know how this story ends—Karna's life is one of honor and tragedy. His loyalty to his friend, his pride in his birth, his sense of duty... these will all lead him to his doom. But you, Aarav, possess the unique gift of foresight. You can change the fate that once befell Karna."**
Aarav's mind raced. Change the fate of Karna? Was that even possible? In his time as a historian, he had studied the Mahabharata in depth, and he knew how immutable the course of events seemed. Yet here he stood, speaking to a god, with the power to alter destiny in his hands.
**"But how?"** Aarav asked, his voice shaking. **"How do I change what has already happened?"**
Surya smiled, the warmth of his light filling Aarav with a sense of calm. **"That is something you must discover for yourself. You have the wisdom of both worlds—the future and the past. Use it wisely. But remember, Aarav: Karna is not a man of half measures. You cannot live this life by avoiding conflict. You must embrace your fate, but now, you have the power to shape it."**
With that, the light began to fade, and the room reappeared around Aarav. His heart pounded as the voice of the Sun God lingered in his mind.
A new purpose burned within him. He would not let Karna's life end in tragedy. He would change history—not just for Karna, but for the world.
---
#### **Stepping Into the Arena**
Adhiratha returned soon after, leading Aarav—now fully in the body of Karna—toward the royal assembly. As they approached the bustling heart of Hastinapura, Aarav felt the weight of the centuries-old city pressing down on him. This was no longer just a story to him. This was reality, and he was about to play one of its most pivotal roles.
As he entered the grand arena, where princes, nobles, and warriors gathered, Aarav's resolve hardened. He was no longer just an observer of history. He was Karna, son of Surya, and he was about to carve a new path.
The time to change destiny had come.
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End of Chapter 1.
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