Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Sandhya
"Getting my love, even if you would become an old man and die, I would not love a man who would talk to himself," said a familiar voice.
Ram turned to see Sandhya standing at his door, which was opened. He had locked the door when they had entered his room. How did she enter? Ram frowned.
"I don't require much strength to open this pathetic door. Besides, I am very busy. If I hadn't heard from my friends that you were framed, I wouldn't have come all the till here," she said.
Ram was shocked. He never in his life would have imagined that she would come to him on her own, even believing that he was innocent. He stared at her with his eyes wide, mouth hanging open.
Sandhya sighed. "You are not only crazy, but also disgusting. I would've kicked you, if it weren't for the fact that you are a weakling. Just get it over quickly so that we could discuss something more important, like your future," she said.
Ram was still reeling from shock when Em appeared in his mind's vision. You are really one heck of a lucky guy. To think that she would come here personally, there might be a chance that you would get to be with her.
Ram shook his head.
He tried to compose himself and failed miserably. After god knows how long, he finally calmed down enough to welcome her inside the room.
He stood up and asked her to sit in the couch while he went inside the kitchen. "You prefer Tea or Coke?" he asked.
"Coke," she said.
Ram nodded and after few minutes, they were drinking, more him watching her while she was frowning now and then, twitching her head to and fro from time to time while Ram stared at her beauty.
Em cleared her throat inside his head and Ram started. He laughed awkwardly and then began drinking his coke.
"Why did you come here?" he asked.
"To help you. Since you have been kicked out after getting framed by someone else, it is my responsibility, as the head of …" Sandhya was interrupted by Em appearing in front of them.
Sandhya was so shocked that she yelled, jumping in her couch.
"If I hadn't known you better, I would've believed you, much less him," Em said with her hand pointing towards Ram while still looking at Sandhya.
Sandhya gave her a sheepish smile, much different than her usual cold personality she maintained while they were in college. "I didn't think you would react this quickly. I thought of having fun for at least some time. How long had it been…" she trailed off, looking into the distance.
Em glared at her. "It would be better if you stop thinking about your fun days. I believe you were here under the orders of The Previous Elder of Time?" Em asked.
Sandhya nodded.
Ram was shocked. She knew about the Elder of Time, The Institute and all. She even knew about Em? Who the heck was she?
Sandhya looked at him as if she could understand what he was thinking and she nodded her head. "Yes, I am a part of the Institute. In fact, I am the beloved granddaughter of The Previous Elder of Time. He had been meeting with me after shutting out Em, as you started to call her, telling me that his time was about to come to an end and he tasked me to look for his successor. I have accidentally discovered you when you were using a power of Time few years ago. Since then, I had been following very closely, to see whether you are worthy enough for becoming the Elder of Time," she said.
Em gasped. "A huge conspiracy like this had happened behind my back and that so for so long. How come I didn't know about this?" she asked.
Sandhya grinned. "You know how powerful my grandfather was, he was able to seal these memories in a corner and denied your access to it," she said.
Em looked at Ram. "Can you believe it? I had thought that I am the perfect assistant, that he had trusted me more than anything in this life. But how could've guessed that the person he trusted most in his life was her," she said, pointing towards Sandhya.
"I am after all his granddaughter. If only I had much aptitude, I would've become the Elder of Time after his passing. Alas, I am not worthy enough," Sandhya said.
Em stared at Sandhya in horror. "Wait a second. You are telling me that him," she pointed her shaky hands towards Ram's direction, "was worthy of his successor. He didn't know jack shit about using his powers even after the transfer of powers. Meanwhile, you are the most talented user of the Power of Time."
Sandhya shook her head. "I don't think so. I know it deep in my bones that I am not worthy. I followed him all these years and from the flashes of power that he had displayed, I am sure that if there was anyone that was worthy of being his successor. Though, if he thought he could use it to gain my love, he could forget about it," she said.
Em looked horrified at first, but it turned into a bitter smile. "Well, there goes your chance of hitting on her. Don't waste your time and use it to gain better control of your powers. Why don't you show me using your powers?" she asked.
Ram looked at her as if she were insane. All of their discussion was too much for him. To think that Sandhya had been following him from so long. She had even seen him using the powers of time many times, which he had no recollection of. How could he show them to her? "I don't know. The first time I had observed the Power of Time was when her grandfather had used it to slow down the bleeding just before transferring his powers and memory to me," he said.
Em looked at Sandhya.
Sandhya sighed. "Like I said, he had used his powers accidentally, that too in brief flashes. But I will list some of the powers that he had used so far. May be it would jog his memories?" she said.
Em nodded.
"Time Looping, making the flow of time faster and quicker, pausing time are some of them. I know that I could do some of it to an extent. But what was so special about him was that he not only has the ability to use the power for himself, but he could also affect others," Sandhya said.
Em gasped while Ram looked at Sandhya in horror.
He remembered using one of the powers.
Time Looping.
He had used it to stalk Sandhya again and again for many hours, but when he finally stopped, only few minutes had gone.
Not only that, he had used pausing of time that almost took his life few years ago. He didn't pause his time, but rather, he paused the time of the world all around him.
And that time, he had seen someone with a vicious smile, looking at him. The only person moving other than Ram was him.
He had a scar in his face.
Suddenly, a memory unlocked. It was as if he were watching through someone else eyes, probably the Elder of Time.
It was during one of their battle sand the Elder of Time was on the verge of losing consciousness when his nemesis had taken off his veil and his face also had a similar scar.
Ram knew who the nemesis of Elder of Time was.
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