Mahabharat:Reincarnated as Dhananjaya Arjun

Something warmer — stranger — pulsed beneath the cold breeze. It stirred Parth's skin like static, familiar and ancient.

He looked at the 'man' standing infront of him.

White kurta. Simple posture. Long hair tied behind. A soft smile playing on his face as he watched the world with neither interest nor disinterest.

Parth's throat tightened, and his fists clenched slowly by his side.

"Madhav."

He didn't say it aloud.

He didn't need to.

Only one person in any world could hide in plain sight like that.

Anant. Krishna. Madhav. Or Kalki.

Aarav felt something as well but he couldn't quite get a hold of it. Neel stayed silent, his eyes sharp. But Parth's gaze held something else. Not fear. Not awe.

Just recognition.

He walked away without speaking.

He didn't need confirmation.

He already knew.

He was no longer alone. He was no longer the one,who needed to fight against all those evil entities.

---

Deep in thought, Parth was walking towards their tent.

It was the last day of their camp. From tomorrow, they would be going back to college as usual.

On his way, he collided with someone — and that someone fell straight to the ground from the force of the collision.

And that someone was, unsurprisingly, Sia.

"I'm no longer amused by the fact that you love to get in my way, Storm Princess."

He was clearly mocking her, but she was lost as she looked up into his eyes.

Parth was shocked too.

They clearly hated each other.

They had clearly tried to stay away from each other as much as possible.

It was the first time their eye contact had lasted this long.

Parth noticed a slight pained expression on her face.

But the pain didn't seem to be caused by the collision —

It came from somewhere else.

He also noticed her eyes.

The gaze seemed too familiar.

Almost like a girl he had loved so much—Subhadra.

He remembered how he first met Subhadra at the grand banquet of Hastinapur — through a collision.

He had also met Sia for the first time through a collision.

His thoughts came to a halt as Sia suddenly stood up and walked away without any snarky remarks like usual.

Strange…

---

Elsewhere — the fields of Tamil Nadu

A green ocean of paddy shimmered under the last golden light of evening.

And in the middle of it, he stood.

His skin dark as ink, glistening with an unnatural sheen. His eyes burned amber. His hair fell wild down his shoulders, like smoke frozen in motion. He wore black robes stitched with ash.

He didn't move. He didn't blink.

The wind rustled the grains around him, bowing gently. It was almost as if the land knew him — and feared him.

He smiled.

> "So green. So ripe. So ready," he whispered.

The crows overhead circled once, then twice.

> "Let them eat. Let them dream. I will come when their bellies are full."

The smile didn't fade.

---

Midnight, Madurai

The restaurant's backdoor slammed shut.

> "Get lost! No food for dogs!" the owner shouted.

The beggar staggered back, barefoot, ribs showing through torn fabric. His lips were dry, his eyes hollow. He hadn't eaten in days. He had forgotten his own name.

He collapsed beside a gutter, ignored by the world.

People passed. Nobody stopped.

Hours slipped by.

The street emptied.

Then, he saw her — a young girl, returning home late, her footsteps light.

She looked clean. Fed. Warm.

Something inside him snarled.

He got up.

Followed.

Faster. Faster—

She turned, startled.

He lunged.

Not to rob.

Not to hurt.

To eat. To tear human flesh apart.

Her scream tore the silence like paper. But no one came.

And by morning, the alley smelled of blood and fear.

---

Author's Note:

> Before you start panicking — no, I'm not turning this into a zombie apocalypse 😭

It's still a Mahabharata story. It's just… Kaliyug.

—your author 💅