The hallway of Metro City Hospital had seen its fair share of drama—fainting patients, wailing relatives, an occasional fire drill gone wrong—but never in its entire sterilized history had it seen a half-conscious man in a hospital gown walk out like a warrior who'd just stepped off a battlefield.
"Karan—dude! You're not supposed to be walking!" Arnav hissed, trying to catch his arm.
"I told you he's high on some post-trauma adrenaline!" Shaurya muttered, clinging to Karna's other side.
Karna swatted both hands away with reflexes that were far too coordinated for someone who had recently hit their head on asphalt.
"Touch me not, Arjun. Nor you, Sahadev. I do not know what deceit this is, but I will not fall prey to more illusions."
Arnav blinked.
Shaurya blinked.
Then both burst out laughing.
"Did he just call you Arjun?!" Shaurya choked, practically holding his sides.
"Bro, if I'm Arjun, then you're a royal court astrologer," Arnav shot back. "And why the hell am I the serious one here?"
Karna's eyes narrowed. "You jest… but the truth has not changed. I see you, even if you do not remember. The tilt of your chin. The shadow of your dharma."
"Oh no," Shaurya said under his breath, stepping back. "I think he's cracked."
"He's cracked harder than the helmet he wasn't wearing," Arnav muttered, gripping Karna's arm and trying to steer him back. "Come on, bro. Back to the bed. Let's get you some glucose or holy water or whatever fixes ancient amnesia."
Karna resisted, but the modern clothing made him awkward to maneuver. Also, there was a weird cold breeze on his back and he didn't like it.
> "I will not be caged again!"
"You're not caged! You're in a hospital room! There's AC, not prison bars, oh my god—Shaurya, help me here!"
"Do you think he thinks we're kidnappers?"
"No, worse. He thinks we're his siblings from another yuga!"
Eventually, through a combination of sheer force, awkward bribery ("We'll give you food! Real food! Not poison!") and Shaurya threatening to scream and draw the nurse, they managed to shove Karna gently onto the bed. He sat stiffly, glaring at them both as though they were Rakshasas sent by Shakuni.
"Now," Arnav said, taking a deep breath and speaking slowly, "you're Karan. Okay? That's what your wallet said. Karan Malhotra. Twenty-four years old. You had a bike accident. You're not in... whatever… era you think you're from."
"My name is Karna. Not Malhotra. Not Karan. I was born to Kunti, raised by Adhirath. King of Anga. Warrior of light. Who are you to rename me?"
Shaurya groaned. "Okay but like... was he also this dramatic in his last life? Because dude. The monologue."
Arnav pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Sure. You're Karna. Cool. Reincarnation and all that. I'll go ask the doctor if this kind of head injury leads to mythological delusions."
"Do not mock what you do not understand," Karna said calmly, but his eyes had a haunted, faraway look. "I remember dying. I remember the dust. The war drums. The arrow through my chest. I remember my blood in the soil."
Shaurya's laughter choked off halfway.
"Wait what?"
Arnav glanced over at him, uneasy now. "It's probably just vivid hallucination. He must've read too many history comics or something. Or watched some god-level documentary while concussed."
But Karna wasn't listening anymore. His eyes had dimmed, his voice quieter. "And then I woke in that strange bed. With lights that hum, walls that weep cold air, and women who wear no armor. You dare say this is not Maya?And you two are not supposed to be like this too...Neither am I."
Shaurya gulped. "Okay. Now I'm scared."
"You should be," Karna said, completely serious. "Because if I have returned, then so have others. And fate is a patient creature."
"Okay!" Arnav clapped his hands. "That's enough Mahabharat for today. I'm gonna go… call the doctor. And maybe our ma and kaki. Because they need to come see what level of karma Yash just dumped us into."
Shaurya flinched. "Wait. Our ma and kaki? Are you insane?"
"Do you want to explain to Ma why we let a guy walk out of the hospital straight after a head injury?"
"…fair. But if Ma comes, Meera Kaki will come. And if she comes…"
Arnav groaned. "Yeah. We're dead."
---
Ten Minutes Later,
Arnav had escaped the room, leaving Shaurya inside with the ancient soul in a hospital gown who was currently examining the saline stand like it was a siege weapon.
Shaurya sat in the farthest chair possible, occasionally glancing over and texting Arnav furiously.
> [Shaurya]: bro he just asked if the walls r alive
[Shaurya]: I said no he said "they hum. like demons breathing"
[Shaurya]: send help
[Arnav]: dealing with doctor + Yash
[Arnav]: ma and Kaki ETA 30 mins
[Shaurya]: ok cool we have 30 mins before he kills me with the IV pipe
Karna looked up suddenly.
"You—Sahadev—do you truly not remember? The twin flames of Nakul and you… the oath you made…?"
"Bro. I am not Sahadev," Shaurya said, his voice cracking. "I don't even know how to ride a chariot. I failed my learner's license test twice."
Karna frowned, disappointed. "Then perhaps this is not rebirth… but a new form of exile."
Shaurya blinked. "Okay now I feel bad."
He got up, awkwardly grabbed a juice box from the hospital tray, and shoved it into Karna's hand. "Here. Drink this. Welcome to Kaliyug."
Karna held it like a sacred object. "What… is this?"
"Just—just don't squeeze it too hard. It explodes."
Karna nodded solemnly. "Like a potion."
Shaurya was too tired to correct him.
---
Meanwhile – Arnav's POV
Arnav paced the empty corridor near the nurses' station, muttering curses under his breath.
"This is bad. This is SO bad."
He glanced over at the doctor, who was busy typing something into his chart and nodding solemnly like "we've got another one who thinks he's Napoleon."
And then there was the bigger problem.
Ma.
And Meera Kaki.
Two powerful women.
With Questions. And Volume.
> "Why did you go out late at night?"
"Who told you to ride with Yash?"
Arnav groaned, already visualizing Meera's slipper flying through the air and hitting him mid-apology.
"Stupid Yash," he muttered. "This was his idea. Let's go for momo and chai, he said. It'll be chill, he said. Now we have Mahabharat in a hospital room and I have to explain it to my mom in three languages."
He peeked back toward the room.
Shaurya was currently trying to teach Karan how to sip from a juice box.
And Karan?
Karan looked like he was preparing to declare war at any moment.
---
🌸Author's note:
I demand some comments 🔪🙂