Life after the flood was never the same for Arjun. The villagers avoided him, whispering behind his back. Some feared him. Others… simply didn't want to deal with someone who knew too much.
At school, things weren't better. Arjun could see small accidents before they happened—the boy who would trip on the stairs, the girl who would drop her books—but whenever he tried to stop them, something else went wrong.
One day, he saw Rohan, his best friend, running toward the school gate. In Arjun's mind, Rohan slipped on a patch of wet mud, falling hard on his shoulder. Panicked, Arjun shouted, "Stop! Don't go there!"
Rohan froze for a second, then turned and ran in another direction… straight into the path of a falling signboard.
Arjun's heart sank. He had tried to change the future, but somehow, it found a way around him.
From that moment, Arjun understood the cruel truth: the future was a puzzle he couldn't fully solve. He could see it, but he couldn't control it.
At home, he spent hours by the river, thinking. The water flowed calmly, reflecting the sky above. Arjun wished he could throw all his visions into the river, letting them drift away. But they clung to him, persistent as shadows.
Then came another vision.
This time, it wasn't a disaster. It was a glimpse of himself—older, confident, standing in a city full of towering buildings, surrounded by strangers applauding his name. He was happy. Finally happy.
Arjun stared at the vision, his chest tightening.
If he stayed here, he would live a life of fear and isolation. If he left, he would leave everything he knew behind—the village, his family, even Rohan.
But the spark of hope burned brighter than fear.
Arjun clenched his fists. "If I'm meant to see tomorrow, maybe… it's time to choose my own path."
The first real decision of his life weighed heavily on him. And deep inside, he knew that whatever happened next… there was no turning back.