Chapter 2: A Royal Mess
Meanwhile, 1000 years ago in present , Prince Yuvan stood utterly confused at the front of a bus.
The driver glared at him. "If you weren't going to get off, why did you make me stop?"
Yuvan glanced around nervously. The metallic monstrosity he was standing in was nothing like the royal carriages he knew. The people aboard were staring at him, whispering and snickering.
Feeling out of place, he stepped off the bus and onto a bustling street filled with towering buildings and roaring cars.
"What is this place? It's so loud… and these carriages don't even have horses!"
"Hey, Ira! What are you doing here?" a voice called out.
Yuvan turned to see a boy running towards him. The stranger wore odd clothes—nothing like the royal robes he was used to—and had an air of familiarity about him.
"Ira? Who's Ira?" Yuvan asked.
The boy, Vedant, raised an eyebrow. "Don't play dumb. You're Ira! Are you seriously skipping college again? And what's with those weird clothes? Is this for another one of your part-time jobs?"
Yuvan frowned. "We do not know who you are, but we are Prince Yuvan of the royal kingdom. And kindly do not speak to us so casually!"
Vedant burst out laughing. "Oh, wow. Did you hit your head or something? Or did you not sleep again? Stop acting crazy and come on, we're already late for class!"
Before Yuvan could argue, Vedant grabbed his arm and dragged him along. The prince struggled but gave in, unsure of where he was being taken.
The two entered a large building that Vedant referred to as "college." Yuvan stared at the strange surroundings—the bright lights, the peculiar machines, and the people all glued to small rectangular devices.
As they passed a large mirror in the corridor, Yuvan paused, catching sight of his reflection. His jaw dropped.
"This… this is me! My face, my body, my hair… everything is the same as it was! So why does this strange boy keep calling me 'Ira'?!"
Vedant noticed him frozen in place. "What now? Come on, we'll be late!"
Yuvan's mind raced.
"What madness is this? Why does everyone think I am someone else? And who is this Ira they speak of?!"
Snapping out of his daze, Yuvan followed Vedant, trying to piece together the situation. As they entered a classroom, Yuvan found himself surrounded by even stranger things.
"Hey, where's your bag? And your phone?" Vedant whispered.
"Bag? Phone? What are those?" Yuvan asked, genuinely confused.
Vedant stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Okay, you've officially lost it. Don't tell me you forgot your stuff again! Here, this is a phone." He held up the device. "And this is your bag. Got it?"
Yuvan examined the "phone" with fascination.
"What a marvelous invention! We must bring this back to our kingdom and gift it to the queen!"
Vedant sighed, shaking his head. "You've gone nuts. Just… don't embarrass me in class, okay?"
As the professor began the lecture, Yuvan leaned back, overwhelmed by the chaos around him.
"What kind of strange world is this? And how do I get back to my kingdom?!"