Travelling Worlds to Save Us (A Karna-Arjun story)

Out of control

Pov: Arjun from the world of darkness

Just as they were about to step through the silver mass--Arjun undertaking the risk of something he did not understand only in the hope of finding Madhav on the other side--the light disappeared.

Arjun blinked against the sudden darkness before he was deafened by the King of Anga's anguished scream.

"ARJUN! ARJUN!"

Arjun jumped out of his skin and stared at Karna in absolute bafflement as he grappled with thin air where the light had been.

"ARJUN--"

A mocking splitting and hissing echoed around.

"No good, Suryaputra," the voice said laughingly.

"TAKSHAK! OPEN THE LINK AGAIN! OPEN IT FOR JUST AN HOUR!" Karna whirled around. "Let me get to Arjun!"

Takshak, whom Arjun recalled having defeated once long back in the Forest of Khandava appeared.

"I am a little busy in the other world, eldest of the Pandavas." His lips were stretched. "The seventeenth day of battle is about to commence and I am to sit on your arrow, you see."

Karna and Arjun both looked at him, wide-eyed.

"You might be knowing what happens when the King of Serpents blesses an arrow. It devours the opponent with venom and makes them disintegrate."

Arjun turned to look at Karna, whose face had drained of all colour.

"In no universe," he said, shaking, "will I do something as dishonourable as that."

"You can choose what to believe," said Takshak, smiling. "And as for you, Arjun, I believe the eldest of the Pandavas just saved your life."

"Yes, I am aware," said Arjun, glancing at his newly-healed wounds angrily. "I did not ask for it. And forget the fact that it was he and his friends who attacked me at night anyway." He glared up at Takshak's faded spirit. "Why do you keep calling him the eldest of the Pandavas?" he demanded.

"Oh no," drawled Takshak. "Not the wounds from Duryodhan's mace, child. He saved you from much worse. He saved your soul from--"

"Takshak, please let me get to Arjun," broke in Karna. "Please. We will forever be indebted to you--you ask us for anything, anything, and it will be yours. But you cannot keep Arjun there--you have to let me get to him."

"King of Anga," said Arjun. "Who is this Arjun you keep rambling about?"

"My brother. My younger brother."

Arjun's eyebrows flew up. "What--you have a brother named Arjun? Well, what a coincidence. We did not even know."

Karna looked at Arjun, who was startled to see how awful he looked. Arjun had never seen him so seized with desperation.

"The link is closed," said Arjun. "Now let us get back to the battlefield, King of Anga."

"Arjun," Karna said tiredly. "If we cannot get through, you cannot see Madhav ever again either."

"What does that mean?" asked Arjun fiercely.

"There are two worlds. Parallel universes. Takshak closed the link between them."

"Madhav will come for me if I cannot go to him!" said Arjun.

"Madhav does not exist in this world."

Arjun's world went a pounding black.

*****************

Madhav had almost broken his vow of not wielding a weapon in the war for him. Madhav had hid the sun for him. Madhav had done impossible things over and over for him.