"Where am I?!"
Parth's POV:
I opened my eyes and found myself lying beneath a massive banyan tree.
The air was unbelievably fresh—no pollution, no dust. I had never breathed air so pure in my life.
The sky hinted that it was still early morning.
Looking around, I noticed more banyan trees surrounding me, forming what felt like a small forest.
Then the thought hit me—the most important question of all:
"Who am I?"
I felt a strange sense of responsibility weighing on me. I had tasks to complete... but what kind of tasks? And if I were just an ordinary person, could I even step foot inside the palace of Hastinapur?
I had always been that absent-minded kid, living in his own imaginary world.
"Why was I chosen for something this big?"
I decided to leave the forest first. If I wanted answers, I needed to learn more about myself.
After all, my idol is Dhananjaya Arjun. I couldn't afford to get nervous or scared now.
Just as I was about to step out of the forest, I heard a voice nearby.
Finally—a human! Maybe they'd have some answers. Maybe I wouldn't feel so clueless after this.
I ran toward the voice and found a young boy standing there.
"Excuse me... who am I?"
Wow. Great way to start a conversation. I mentally facepalmed.
The boy turned to look at me.
He was surprisingly handsome, but clearly puzzled—as anyone would be if a stranger asked who they were.
Then he laughed.
I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"Why are you laughing? If you don't know me, just say so."
He looked at me like I'd just dropped from the sky. Which, to be fair, felt kind of accurate.
At least he stopped laughing.
Then he finally said:
"You are Guru Dronacharya's best student, the greatest archer in the making. You're my third-eldest brother, Kaunteya Arjun. I am Nakul..."
He kept talking, but I couldn't hear him anymore.
"I'm... Arjun? This must be a joke."
"Bhrata... BHRATA! Why do you look so lost? What happened?"
His shouting snapped me out of my trance.
"I was just pranking you. Let's go back, Nakul."
I tried to cover up my awkwardness. I started walking, still dazed by what I'd just heard.
"Not that way... this way, Bhrata. Let's go."
"..."
I followed him silently.
I'd made a fool of myself. Again.