Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable

(A/N):

Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.

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Goddess Yami stared at the two children.

"...."

Neither of them seemed unfamiliar.

Instead... Something inside her heart stirred.

The little girl looked up.

"Mother?"

"Why are you looking at us like that?"

"Did we do something wrong?"

Yami slowly shook her head.

"N-no... I..."

Before she could say another word...

Another familiar voice echoed across the courtyard.

"Looks like they found you before I did."

Yami looked up.

There...

Walking towards them with an easy smile...

Was Devaratha.

He wore simple royal robes instead of armour.

No weapons rested at his side.

No burden weighed upon his shoulders.

He looked completely at peace.

The little boy immediately ran towards him.

"Father!"

Devaratha effortlessly lifted him into his arms.

"So..."

he laughed,

"did you trouble your mother again?"

The little boy puffed out his cheeks.

"We weren’t troubling her."

"We were looking for her."

The little girl crossed her arms.

"Father. He started it."

"I did not! You did!"

Devaratha laughed warmly before gently patting both of their heads.

Yami simply watched.

Unable to move. Unable to speak.

Her heart beat strangely.

The scene before her...

Should have felt impossible.

Instead... It felt familiar. Painfully familiar.

Then... Without warning...

A sharp sensation spread through her mind.

Memories.

Not one. Not two.

Hundreds. Thousands.

They flooded into her consciousness like the waters of a bursting dam.

She saw herself standing beside Devaratha during his coronation.

She saw their wedding once more.

She saw the day this little boy had been born.

She remembered holding him for the very first time while Devaratha stood beside her with tears in his eyes.

Another memory followed.

The birth of their daughter.

Devaratha nervously carrying the tiny child in his arms as though afraid she might break.

Years continued passing.

She remembered celebrating festivals together.

Watching the children learn to walk.

Teaching them their first prayers.

Laughing together during family meals.

Watching Devaratha secretly spoil both children despite pretending to be a strict father.

She remembered sitting beside him beneath the stars after the children had fallen asleep.

She remembered countless ordinary days.

Days with no battles.

No bloodshed.

No responsibilities beyond protecting the happiness of their little family.

Every memory felt complete.

Every emotion felt genuine.

They weren’t appearing like dreams.

They felt... Lived.

Her breathing slowly became uneven.

"...No..."

she whispered.

"This... this never happened."

Yet another memory appeared.

Her son proudly showing Devaratha his first successful archery shot.

Her daughter falling asleep upon Devaratha’s shoulder after refusing to admit she was tired.

A birthday celebration.

A family pilgrimage.

Quiet evenings. Shared laughter.

Arguments over trivial things.

Reconciliation. Years. An entire lifetime.

Yami instinctively placed a hand against her forehead.

"No... I came here because..."

She stopped. Because... Because...

Why had she come?

The answer slipped away before she could grasp it.

The little girl gently tugged at her hand.

"Mother. Come with us."

"We’re going to play."

The little boy grinned brightly.

"Father promised to teach us today."

Devaratha smiled as he extended his hand towards her.

"Come."

"The children have been waiting."

Yami looked at his outstretched hand.

Then at the two smiling children.

Her heart softened.

Without realising it... The memories of the war...

The battlefield... Lord Vishnu’s warning... They all became just a little more distant.

The illusion had become even more dangerous.

It no longer tempted her with a single beautiful moment.

It had given her an entire life.

A husband she loved.

A son.

A daughter.

Years of happiness. Years of memories.

Years of ordinary mornings and peaceful evenings.

It had woven together a future so complete...

That even Yami herself struggled to remember which memories truly belonged to her...

...and which had been planted by the illusion itself.

Night had quietly settled over the royal palace.

The corridors that had been filled with laughter during the day had now become peaceful.

Only the gentle glow of oil lamps illuminated the stone walls, while a cool breeze drifted through the half-open windows carrying the faint fragrance of night-blooming jasmine.

Inside the royal bedchamber...

Two small beds stood side by side.

The little boy had long since kicked away his blanket in his sleep, while the little girl had curled herself into a tiny ball, hugging a small cloth doll tightly against her chest.

Yami smiled helplessly.

She quietly walked over and pulled the blanket back over her son.

"Just like his father..."

she whispered with a soft laugh.

"He never stays under the blanket."

Behind her, Devaratha chuckled.

"I was going to say the same thing."

He carefully tucked a loose strand of hair behind their daughter’s ear.

"She sleeps exactly like you."

Yami looked at the sleeping children.

A warmth spread through her heart.

The room was peaceful.

There were no screams.

No battlefield. No blood.

Only the quiet breathing of the two children sleeping without a care in the world.

For a long while...

Neither of them spoke.

They simply stood there, watching over the children.

Just like countless parents had done throughout history.

Finally...

Devaratha gently extinguished one of the lamps.

"We should let them sleep."

Yami nodded absentmindedly.

"...Yes."

The two quietly walked towards the large bed resting near the window.

Moonlight poured softly through the curtains, painting silver patterns across the floor.

Devaratha sat down first.

Yami slowly followed.

For a while...

Neither of them spoke.

The silence between them wasn’t awkward.

It was comfortable.

The silence shared only by two people who had spent years together.

Devaratha leaned back against the headboard and looked once more towards the children’s room.

A peaceful smile appeared on his face.

"...They’ve grown so quickly."

Yami instinctively followed his gaze.

The little boy mumbled something in his sleep before turning over.

The little girl smiled faintly as though she were having a pleasant dream.

Yami’s lips curved upward.

"They really have..."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

She continued looking at them.

Her heart slowly became lighter.

Her eyelids felt heavy.

The quiet night...

The peaceful family...

The warmth beside her...

Everything invited her to simply close her eyes.

To rest.

Just for tonight.

She slowly leaned back.

Her eyes gradually closed.

Then... Something echoed.

A voice. Very faint. Almost impossible to hear.

"Remember your purpose..."

Her brows twitched.

The voice came again.

"Whatever happens..."

"Do not forget why you entered."

Her breathing suddenly stopped.

Another voice followed.

Gentle.

Filled with infinite compassion.

"The illusion will search your deepest wish."

"Do not remain."

Lord Vishnu.

Her eyes flew open.

A sharp chill ran through her entire body.

She immediately sat upright.

"No..."

Her breathing became uneven.

"No..."

The room. The palace. The children. The bed.

Everything around her remained exactly the same.

Yet now...

Something felt terribly wrong.

Fragments of memory rushed back into her mind.

Surya Loka.

Lord Vishnu.

The pearl necklace.

The battlefield.

Pushpasura.

Devaratha buried beneath the earth.

Her own mission.

"I..."

She suddenly covered her mouth.

"...I came..."

Her golden eyes widened.

"I came to save him."

The words escaped her lips almost as though she were reminding herself.

Tears immediately gathered in her eyes.

She slowly turned.

Devaratha was already looking at her.

His expression was filled with concern.

"Yami?"

He gently reached towards her.

"What happened?"

"You suddenly look frightened."

She looked into his familiar emerald eyes.

The same gentle smile.

The same warmth.

The same face she had watched every day through the celestial mirror.

For one dangerous moment...

Her resolve began weakening again.

"Stay..."

A quiet voice whispered inside her heart.

"Everything you wished for is here."

"Don’t destroy this."

Yami immediately lowered her gaze.

"No..."

she whispered to herself.

"If I keep looking... I won’t be able to do it."

Her hands trembled.

She slowly reached forward.

Both of her hands gently held Devaratha’s.

He looked at her with quiet confusion.

"...Yami?"

The tears she had been holding back finally rolled down her cheeks.

Without warning...

She leaned forward and embraced him tightly.

Her arms wrapped around him as though she feared he would disappear if she let go.

Devaratha blinked in surprise before slowly returning the embrace.

"What happened?"

"You’ve never..."

He stopped.

Yami buried her face against his shoulder.

She could feel her determination slipping away with every passing heartbeat.

This illusion...

It wasn’t merely showing her happiness.

It was making her live it.

Every second she remained here...

The harder it became to remember what was real.

She clenched her eyes shut.

"I..."

Her voice trembled.

"...I need you to do something."

Devaratha gently rubbed her back.

"Anything."

She slowly shook her head.

"No... You have to promise me first."

He smiled softly.

"You already know I will."

She took a slow, shaky breath.

Then, still refusing to look into his eyes, she tightened her grip around his hands.

"Please... When I start speaking..."

"Don’t interrupt me. Don’t ask questions."

"Just ...just listen quietly."

Devaratha became even more puzzled.

"Yami..."

She hurriedly continued before she lost the courage.

"Everything I’m about to tell you... is true."

"No matter how impossible it sounds. No matter how unbelievable it seems."

"It is the truth."

Her tears continued falling.

"And..."

She hesitated. Her fingers tightened around his hands.

"I... I can’t look into your eyes while I say it."

"If I do..."

She bit her lower lip.

"...I’ll lose the strength to continue. I won’t be able to say the words."

"So..."

She slowly lowered her head until her forehead rested against his chest.

"Please... just listen.nDon’t stop me. Because if I fail now..."

Her voice broke completely.

"...then neither of us will ever wake up again."

Yami took several slow breaths before forcing herself to continue.

Every word felt heavier than the last.

It was as though someone was asking her to destroy the happiest years of her own life with her own hands.

Her fingers remained tightly wrapped around Devaratha’s hands.

She still refused to raise her head.

She knew herself too well.

If she looked into his eyes...

If she saw that familiar smile again...

She would lose the resolve Lord Vishnu had entrusted to her.

Her voice trembled.

"...Please... just listen."

"I don’t know how much time we have."

"So let me finish."

Devaratha quietly nodded.

"I won’t interrupt."

The room fell silent once more.

"...."

"...."

"...."

Outside, the moonlight gently illuminated the palace gardens.

Inside, only the quiet breathing of their sleeping children could be heard.

Yami slowly closed her eyes.

Tears continued slipping down her cheeks.

Then...

She began speaking.

"Everything around us..."

she whispered,

"...isn’t real."

The words alone felt like knives piercing her own heart.

She tightened her grip around his hands.

"This palace... Our marriage... Our children..."

"This peaceful life... They’re all part of an illusion."

Her breathing became uneven.

"They aren’t memories. They’re dreams."

"A beautiful dream... created to keep us here forever."

She paused for several seconds before continuing.

"In the real world... There is no palace."

"There are no peaceful nights like this."

"There isn’t even time to rest."

"The world outside is still burning."

"The war hasn’t ended."

"It is still continuing."

Her tears fell freely onto the back of Devaratha’s hand.

"You are still fighting."

"You have been fighting for a hundred days without giving up."

"You were buried beneath the earth by Pushpasura."

"And the flowers he created... They trapped your consciousness inside this place."

"You’ve been trying to escape."

"But the illusion kept pulling you deeper."

Yami’s voice became softer.

"I came here... to bring you back."

She finally admitted the truth she had been holding onto since entering this world.

"I didn’t come here as your wife."

"I came here because Lord Vishnu sent me."

"I entered your mind through the pearl necklace blessed by me..."

"My purpose... was to wake you."

She slowly shook her head.

"If I fail... You’ll remain trapped here."

"And if you remain trapped... The whole of Bhuloka ...will lose its king."

"The people who placed all their hopes on you... They’re still waiting."

"They’re waiting for you to stand up again. They’re waiting for their king to return."

She drew another trembling breath.

"Hanuman is waiting."

"Guru Parashurama is waiting."

"Karna..."

"Ashwatthama..."

"King Padmanabha..."

"The soldiers who have fought beside you every single day..."

"They’re all still there."

"They haven’t abandoned you."

"They’re still believing that you’ll come back."

Her voice cracked with each words.

"And... So am I."

The words escaped before she realised what she had said.

She froze for a moment.

Then smiled sadly.

"I’ve been watching you every single day from Surya Loka."

"I watched every battle."

"Every wound. Every victory."

"Every time you stood up after falling."

"I watched all of it."

She lowered her head even further.

"I couldn’t help you. I could only watch."

"And today... This is the only thing I can do."

She tightened her hold on his hands once more.

"So... please. Wake up."

"This isn’t where you belong."

"This isn’t your home."

"Your home... is the world that still needs you."

She finally fell silent.

The room became completely still.

Not even the night breeze seemed willing to disturb the silence that followed.

Devaratha had not interrupted her even once.

Just as she had asked.

He simply sat there quietly, listening to every word.

Yami remained with her head lowered.

She still didn’t dare meet his eyes.

She was afraid.

Afraid that if she looked up and saw the husband she had spent years with in this illusion...

Her heart would betray her.

Afraid that she herself would choose to stay.

So she simply whispered one final sentence.

"...Please..."

"...don’t let this beautiful lie make you forget the truth."

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(Author note:)

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