The Haunted Fortress of Bhangarh: Book 1

49. Supernatural Realm

Dr. Diya remained calm and smiled affably at him, chuckling towards the end. Noticing his rash breathing, his puzzled expressions, the sweat running down his face, she gestured at him to take a seat. He complied, perching himself on the edge of the sofa.

"Take a deep breath first and close your eyes," she said.

He followed the instructions spoken in a mellow tone, and then his memories slowly started resurfacing. His childhood, his school, his home, his family, his college, his girlfriend, all his friends, Nidhi, Ishita... Finally, it dawned on him. He was not Raghuveer, the warrior of Bhangarh. He was Rudra Sharma, a student of Delhi University, alive and breathing in the 21st century.

Opening his eyes, he peered at his nails in embarrassment. "Sorry for the," he cleared his throat, "confusion, doc. I...I..."

"Don't worry about that." She stood up and went towards her desk, furiously scribbling notes on the sheet affixed on the cardboard as she elegantly plopped on her revolving chair. Her brows furrowed in concentration while her hand moved adroitly across the sheet. "Please take a seat, Rudra," she mumbled, not lifting her eyes to check him but sensing that he hadn't moved an inch from the sofa.

Nodding, he did as was told, assuming the chair across her and sitting as unmoving as a mannequin while his heart thudded in anticipation of what was about to come.

"That was a productive session," she said, peering briefly at him before going back to her notes.

He hummed. "Except for me exhibiting classic signs of delinquency."

She chortled despite the situation, abandoning her pen and focusing her attention on him. "I won't call it that. Our minds and psyche are very complex. This was not an overreaction or signs of madness. It is rare, yes," she smiled, "but it happens."

He hummed again. "So..."

"What I have to say might surprise you." She bit her lips. "You might not believe me, but..."

He blinked in assurance, prompting her to continue.

"This might be a case of—"

"Reincarnation. Past life memories."

Her brows went up. "So you know?"

"I have my theories." He shrugged. "A friend suggested that it might be a case of," he pursed his lips, "reincarnation." He huffed. "Where do we go from here?"

She heaved a deep sigh, fiddling with the dome-shaped glass paperweight she had embellishing her desk. "We will slowly try to unwrap the entire story. Once that's out of the way, we can try to find the reason behind these repetitive dreams. Maybe an unfulfilled promise? An unrequited wish?" She fell silent for a moment, watching him furrow his brows and nod in understanding. "You will need to go to that era and leave the promise there itself. Unfulfilled but abandoned. It's called past life regression and is the only natural succession in this case of psychotherapy."

A grin developed on his features. "Glad to know I am not mad."

She cackled, throwing her head back. "Oh, Rudra! You crack me up every time."

He chortled. "So, when do we start with past life regression?"

"I would suggest at least one more session of dream interpretation before we delve deeper into your psyche. I will schedule a session in two weeks for you. But... I am not an expert in past life regression. So, I might need to consult my colleague and a good friend in London. He is the best, and he will not decline my requests of seeing you." She looked at him, skepticism pooling in her eyes. "Only if you are comfortable with the idea."