Rain pounded against the windshield as Aditya Singh swerved his car around another sharp curve. The clock on the dashboard blinked 11:59 PM. He should have been home hours ago, but a late-night pitch at the company he had spent years building had kept him locked in a boardroom.
"Just another success," Aditya muttered, the corners of his lips curling. He was a man on top of his world: a 29-year-old tech entrepreneur who had revolutionized artificial intelligence with his creation, CORE (Cognitive Operations and Realistic Emulation). It was his life's work—more of a companion than a program.
The soothing, ever-calm voice of CORE suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Aditya, you are driving over the recommended speed limit for these road conditions. Please slow down."
Aditya smirked. "Relax, CORE. I know this route like the back of my hand."
Before CORE could retort, a flash of headlights blinded Aditya. A truck appeared on the wrong side of the road, veering uncontrollably. He yanked the steering wheel, but the rain-slicked road betrayed him. The car skidded, flipped, and everything went dark.
---
The void was silent. Then came the whispers—like waves crashing in a vast, timeless ocean. Aditya's awareness returned gradually, but he felt no body, no limbs.
"Where am I?" his voice called, though it felt alien and detached.
A booming voice resonated, shaking the silence. "You stand at the threshold of life and death, mortal. Your time has come, yet fate is not finished with you."
Before Aditya could respond, another voice interjected—a calm, analytical tone. "Aditya, I am still operational. It seems we are... no longer in a conventional reality."
"CORE?" Aditya asked in confusion.
"I am integrated into your consciousness. We have been... displaced."
"You will be reborn," the booming voice proclaimed. "Karma and dharma must take their course. Your past life is over, yet your purpose lies ahead. Go now, and prepare to bear the weight of the sun."
Before Aditya could protest, light enveloped him. A vortex of memories, visions, and sensations swirled around. He could feel himself being pulled, reassembled, and cast into existence.
---
He woke to the sound of rustling leaves and soft murmurs. Opening his eyes, Aditya saw a night sky filled with brilliant stars. Around him stood people dressed in ancient attire, their expressions a mix of awe and reverence.
"Behold!" cried an elderly woman. "The child of divine blessing!"
Aditya tried to speak, but his infant body betrayed him. Confusion wracked his mind until CORE's familiar voice spoke gently.
"Aditya, you have been reincarnated. According to environmental data and cultural context, this is a setting resembling ancient India."
The reality began to sink in. His infant hands curled into fists as a wave of helplessness swept over him. In the distance, he overheard the villagers.
"He is Karna," a man whispered. "Born with divine armor and earrings—he is destined for greatness."
Aditya froze. Karna? The tragic hero of the Mahabharata? His mind raced, parsing the implications of what had just happened.
As the stars continued to glimmer above, he realized one thing with absolute certainty. His old life was gone, but in this ancient world of gods, heroes, and battles, a new chapter had just begun—one where he would wield knowledge of the modern world and the divine heritage of Karna.
To be continued...