His friend sneered, "Idiot, let's move."
Shan crouched beside the ancient skeleton, its skeletal fingers clutching a pin that seemed to pulse faintly with a strange, cold energy. Hesitating for just a moment, he snatched the pin, feeling its weight pull at him in a way he couldn't explain. The eerie sensation lingered as he tucked it into his jacket.
As they drove through the shimmering city, the world outside passed by—a world of towering skyscrapers and endless luxury. Shan barely noticed until the car screeched to a halt, crashing into the modest house—an oddity among the gleaming glass and steel structures.
"Damn it!" Shan growled, stepping out, eyes locked on the house. "Who the hell allowed this shack in the middle of the city?"
An elderly man emerged from the house, bowing low. "Forgive me, my lord," he pleaded, trembling. "I didn't mean to offend. Please… spare me."
Shan's eyes narrowed, and his anger flared. "Last chance," he spat, kicking the man aside before storming back to the car.
Tamaya stayed silent, sensing his internal struggle. "Finally, we're here," Shan muttered as they arrived at the building. "What a miserable journey."
They ascended to the sixth floor of a shadowy skyscraper. Shan stood before the heavy steel door, raising his hand, his psychic power effortlessly opening it.
On the other side stood his father, a stern expression on his face. "You're late," he said with a sharp tone, his eyes cutting through Shan's. "You shouldn't be out causing trouble. The Maddychip is already straining you. You're too young to handle its full power."
Shan avoided his father's gaze, his mind drifting to the pin burning a cold hole in his jacket. His father knew nothing of it, and Shan decided it was best to keep it that way for now.
Hours later, Tamaya suggested visiting Dinoland, the newly opened theme park, to take their minds off things. The park was an incredible sight—towering animatronic dinosaurs roaring in life, their massive forms moving with lifelike precision.
They paused before a massive T. Rex, its teeth bared in a terrifying grin. "Look at this beast. Absolute badass," Tamaya said, her voice filled with awe.
Later, they entered an auditorium for a 3D history show. The lights dimmed, and the narrator's voice filled the room, carrying an eerie weight.
"Long ago, giants ruled this earth—the dinosaurs, the masters of their age. Their reign ended in fire, and meteors fell from the sky, ending their dominance. What was once… powerful… was obliterated." The screen flickered with scenes of meteors crashing into the earth, fire and ash filling the skies as the
Dinosaurs vanished into the void of time.
"But remember," the narrator continued, his voice lowering with a gravitas that made the air feel thick. "An end is a new beginning."
The imagery on the screen shifted, showing the end of the dinosaurs—a world consumed by chaos, fire raining from the heavens, and the earth itself trembling. But even as the dinosaurs perished, the world began to heal, as humanity's rise began.
When the show ended, they made their way back to the car. But suddenly, Shan's father was stabbed and he later collapsed.
He chased the culprit as fast he could but the oxygen cylinder didn't let him go through
He saw his dad calling him
"Dad?!" Shan cried, rushing to his side. His father gasped for breath, clutching his chest. Despite their efforts, he died before help could arrive.
The funeral was bleak, the only mourners being Shan, Tamaya, his mother and the cremator. The man adjusted his oxygen mask and spoke solemnly. "Fifty years," he muttered. "A good life for a semi-elite in this day and age."
After the ceremony, the cremator handed Shan a weathered book written in Sanskrit. "This is tradition," he said, his voice unwavering. "Your son and his future fiancée must read this. What's the reason is beyond my understanding."
Shan stared at the book, frustration boiling inside him. "Why not just upload it to my Maddychip? What's the point of this ancient ritual?"
The cremator shook his head. "The ritual must be done as it was written earlier. It's the only way."
Reluctantly, Shan and Tamaya opened the book and began reading the first stanza aloud.
The moment the words left their mouths, the air around them shifted. A heavy force gripped them, and their surroundings dissolved into nothingness.
Before them, a portal appeared—an eerie, glowing window into the past. Through it, they saw the history of the earth unfold, the cycles of rise and fall: ancient empires, blood-soaked battlefields, and forgotten civilizations, all in vivid detail.
As the portal shifted, Shan saw the eruption of a massive volcano, followed by the construction of great pyramids, and then… the end of the dinosaurs. The meteors fell, the world was consumed by fire and darkness. And yet, within that destruction, a new beginning had begun.
The portal flickered once more, showing a future far darker. Skyscrapers—much like the ones that defined Shan's city—lay in ruins. The world he knew was on the brink of collapse.
The ritual had not been just a passage through time. It was the catalyst for something much, much more dangerous.
And it was just the beginning...