Chapter 255.

PART 1.

While the mission of gathering the time fragments was going on, the world of the present time was proceeding as well as it could in the strange circumstances everyone has found themselves in.

While there was still a standoff going on right outside of their solar system, there was another standoff going on right at home. This standoff was between the magical government of the Subcontinent and the government of India.

Naresh, unable to handle the chaos, often blames the magic users for anything and everything. At the same time, he constantly demanded things from Avinash. "Enough! You can't keep my people safe, and you have the gall to demand more from me? My experts nearly got lynched in your country. Fix that, and then we can talk!"

Ever since Avinash exploded in the last meeting with the Prime Minister, there have been no meetings between the two heads of their respective sides. Whatever plans they had formed in the past are now stuck in a state of incompletion.

While all of this was happening, there was chaos in the Zhongguo on both sides. The introduction of magic did not go well there. The country is going through one of the violent fazes for which it is so famous. The magical side is not doing any better. Emperor Hao's tax policies are backfiring on him. As a result, there is another rebellion going on there.

"Keep an eye on the border there." Instructed Avinash to Suresh, when he got the news. "Refrain from getting involved. It appears most people have forgotten that we helped him to get the throne there. Which is good for us. We don't want any chaos in our hands because they resent us."

An advisory was issued by the Department of Foreign Relations. All citizens of the Subcontinent are instructed to leave the country. The situation could devolve further at any moment. They may not be able to get out if it gets worse.

Years pass like this, and elections come and go in India. Naresh lost them quite badly. The new Prime Minister is trying to fix the relations with his neighbors and Subcontinent. Most of his time is spent on that, as opposed to starting new things or taking joint projects to the next level.

Ever since his loss, Naresh has not been seen in public. It is unknown what he is doing these days. Avinash does not bother thinking about him. He has more important things to worry about, such as making sure that the chaos of Zhongguo does not spread into his borders.

PART 2.

Avinash is on guard. A portal opens right in the middle of the courtroom, disrupting the hearing going on currently. Five figures walk out of that portal, looking tired and warned out. The portal disappears, and they get a clear look at these people: This is the group of Hatori and his friends, who were sent to retrieve the time fragments.

"Raven?" Asked Avinash. He is not sure how he should talk to these people. Tom is missing, and so are Munshi and Kalicharan. It is clear that this long mission has taken its toll on them.

"Our mission is done, Your Majesty." Said the general with a salute.

"You completed this sooner than I thought." Said an echoing voice of a woman. It is difficult to pinpoint the location of the voice of this woman, but Hatori blasted the seating section where a group of elderly mages had to leave their chairs in a hurry. Samay appears in the dust, unharmed.

"Why do you always have to be so hostile?" She asked Hatori.

"Why do you have to play coy always?" He asked her in return, not in the mood to play one of her games.

"Whatever." She turns to Avinash, ignoring Hatori entirely. "Your majesty, tell him to give me the fragments if you want your problem to be fixed. Otherwise, I'm leaving." She said, pouting like a child.

"Hatori, give her the fragments." Ordered Avinash.

"Fine." He brought them out and tossed them to her. Shin brings out the two he has and hands those to her respectfully in contrast to Hatori.

The woman disappeared for a few hours. After she returns, she finds a celebration happening in the courtroom. The court session has been dismissed early, and Avinash is plastered with alcohol with others. Hatori is the only sober one in the crowd. He has a drink of his own in his hand, but it is clear to Samay that his body is not letting the alcohol reach his blood. It is broken before it happens. Thus, no matter how much he drinks, he will never experience the intoxication effects of the alcohol.

For a moment, she considers what a sad and paranoid life this mortal must have led to do this to himself. Even she is not mad enough to not enjoy some intoxication once in a while. And here's a mortal who cannot put his guard down, and refuses to surrender his mind to anything.

She walks to him. Samay knows that he has already sensed her. Others waved to her deliriously, and she returned the gesture. "Well done." She clapped him on his shoulder. "Your solar system and the several other systems in the surrounding area are now safe. You won't be erased any longer by the universe. Your future is secure... Except from yourselves."

Hatori had looked outside of the window. The strange-looking sky has disappeared. Once he saw that, he cast a spell to tell the date and time, and it worked perfectly as it used to. "You just had to include that jibe at the end, didn't you?"

"Of course." Said the sorcerer. "You can't deny that I am telling the truth."

"Whatever." Said Hatori. "I don't care anymore. Let them kill each other in the future. I'll disappear into the mountains or something. Let them figure out how to fix their problems for a change."

He then smirked. "At least they won't have some stupid horseshit like a prophecy hanging over their heads. Lucky bastards."

Samay shook her head. 'If only you knew.' She said, looking upwards. Her gaze is focused on the roof of the castle for an onlooker. But only Samay knows what exactly she is looking at.

PART 3.

Once the time problems were sorted out, the king of Elves ordered that the fleet currently outside of the Earth's solar system back off. Princess Amara couldn't do much about it. Her father is the supreme ruler of Elves. Once he gives an order, everyone must obey, No matter what. Besides, he is not pleased with her ever since she got beaten on Earth by that brute and acted arrogantly in front of him.

When the fleet backed off, the trio of races consisting of Dwarves, Goblins, and Orcs breathed a sigh of relief. They do not want a war with Elves right now. Economic warfare is one thing since they do not have to exchange blows with Elves. They can handle it easily, given their resources and connections. The isolation of Elves also helps them in this endeavor.

But direct fight is not something they want. However, one thing is clear: their plan to find and help out other races in the galaxy is a good one. Earth has demonstrated its potential that in a short amount of time, it will be able to keep up with them and reach their level. Unlike Elves, they are not pursuing an isolationist policy either.

If they can keep this momentum together, and make sure that they don't destroy themselves in their own petty fights in the future, they can be a strong ally and an economic partner in the future. The alliance has no hurry when it comes to that. Time in the galactic politics moves very slowly. Besides, certain things cannot be moved in a hurry, or else it would end up spoiling the entire game.

PART 4.

After the celebrations were over, Hatori left. He didn't tell anyone. He saw Josh looking at him while he was leaving. Hatori is certain that Josh will inform others. Some might think "Isn't it disrespectful to leave like that in the presence of a king?"

To which Hatori has only one answer: "Leave before I carbonize you."

Besides, he wants to look at how exactly his project is doing. He then needs to meet with his family, make sure that the younger kid recognizes him as awesome, and undo whatever morals his mothers have installed within him in his absence. So far, he only knows that the kid in question is a boy, which means Daphne named him Ahim. 'I'll confirm that later.'

How did he get this information? The answer is that the house spirit told him when he arrived.

"Welcome back, master Hatori." It greeted him when he entered. "I assume your trip went well?"

"As well as it could." He answered while the scene of three deaths flashed in front of his eyes.

"Congratulations master, you have a boy." Informed the spirit.

"Indeed?" asked Hatori, moving to the back, and entering the room containing the portal to his dimension where artificial life is evolving on the copy of Earth without planet Earth.

The entire thing is an experiment where Hatori has animated and revived various creatures from the past. These creatures are then put into this world, where they start to live like normal. Once they evolve, they branch out in their own containment zone, which is isolated from the others. Several species have reached a dead end when it comes to evolution, and these are archived, and they no longer live in this dimension. Records are kept of how they reached this dead end.

"Everything is running smoothly," Hatori muttered, looking at the logs in the form of various runes. "Not any errors at all."

So far, dinosaurs haven't appeared in this world. "But given that impressive specimen we faced in the past, maybe I should bring them here in their own branch?"

He quickly checked whether the system could handle this or not. When he got the positive answer, he got a wide smile on his face. "Looks like some sample stealing in order."

After he leaves this artificial world, he arrives in the room where the portal is contained, where the spirit of the house gives him new information. "Sorry master, I forgot to inform you. There is a new Prime Minister. Naresh Saini lost the last election."

"That's interesting. What is he doing ever since?" Asked Hatori, exiting the room.

"It is unknown. The former Prime Minister has not been seen in public. He is likely inactive in politics."

"Does he live in the same place as before?" Asked Hatori.

"It is true. He had a home allotted to him in Delhi, but he lives in his private residence in this very town." The spirit shows him the map where the location of the house of Naresh is highlighted.

"I collected this information by tracing the records." Explained the spirit.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Excellent." Said Hatori, leaving the house. "I'll go and meet him. Do not share this capability with anyone else." Instructed Hatori.

"Understood." Said the spirit of the house, and then it went quiet.

Naresh is a former Prime Minister. Therefore, he has a tight security detail for himself. Now that magic is firmly entrenched in the Republic of India, he also has mages in his security detail.

Despite this, Hatori is not scared. When he appeared, the mages recognized him and left his path open. Others were not convinced of his identity, but they couldn't stop him from entering. In the end, a loud argument breaks out between the security personnel. "Unprofessional behavior." His words quieted them at once. "I'll Tell Raven that the quality of his men is slipping."

After saying that, and smirking at the expression of dread on their faces, Hatori opens the door and enters the house. Naresh is sitting alone in the hall, looking at a picture. He looked at Hatori when he entered, and then he went back to looking at the picture. When he was done looking at it, he greeted Hatori.

"So, you're back." He spoke. "The time is normal now. I expect everything went well?"

Hatori enlarged a chair for himself and sat in front of Naresh. "If nearly dying multiple times is considered good, then yes. It went well."

"Oh?" Asked the old man.

Hatori told him some of the things he encountered in the past. "I get the feeling that several historians will give an arm or a leg, maybe their firstborn children to go in the past and witness the things you have."

"They are welcome to it," Hatori said. "I am happy in my current time."

Naresh laughed. "Look at me," he said to Hatori. "I feel like I haven't laughed in ages. What happened? Where did I go wrong?"

"You need to give me more details." Said Hatori. "It has been only a few hours since I have returned. I am not all-knowing after all."

This time, it was Naresh's turn to launch into a story, where he explained everything. How he was furious at mages for causing this problem of time, Avinash not admitting anything, the increasing pressure on him, due to which he made some anti-magic policies, and the worsening relations with the surrounding countries, all of which led to his loss.

"I don't understand people in power." Said Hatori.

"That is strange. You are a powerful person." Said Naresh.

"That is my personal power. It is not tied to any institution." Said Hatori. "The way I see it, you had a chaotic country in hand, but you couldn't handle it. You needed something to blame, a target where people could express their frustration. You found an easy way to do it: blame magic users."

Naresh didn't say anything in his defense. "I won't claim to tell you whether your decisions were right or wrong. But I will tell you this: when I approached you, you were a calm and collected man who looked at everything from all angles, and only then you would make a decision. Furthermore, you had the will to do good in you, and you believed that if you got the highest position in the country, you could do the best in that position. But you lost both of these things. It is not clear to me whether you have won that election even if you kept your cool or not. But you won't be this glum old man sitting here."

"I can't deny that." Naresh agreed with Hatori's assessment. He has no problem agreeing with him. He is not here to criticize every decision of his. That entire assessment was personal, and it was about his own attributes.

"Well, let's hope you have a wonderful time. Write a book or something." Said Hatori. "That is the best way to use your time I think."

"Who would read it though?" Asked Naresh.

"Dude, you are the former Prime Minister of this country. You climbed to that chair from the very bottom. That alone gives you a lot of readers. Besides, if it is truthful and uncensored, I'll read it." Said Hatori.

"Will you write the forward for me?" Asked Naresh.

"Why not? I'll do it." Said Hatori.

"Then it is done." Said Naresh, feeling more like his old self. "I'll start typing. I'll let you know when it is done."

"Don't die before completing it." Said Hatori, getting up and changing the chair to its normal size.

"I think that applies to you more than me." He replied.

Chuckling at his retort, Hatori leaves the hall and sees that his comment had an effect. The security is behaving like they should. He then took flight and disappeared in front of them. He chuckled at their awed looks.

Whenever he dealt with Naresh in the past, Hatori was grateful that the man was not a mage himself. His threat level would skyrocket as a result, and he wouldn't be able to deal with him as a result. 'I am sure he felt the same way about me.'

But now that he is not active in politics, Hatori didn't get that same feeling of danger from him. 'It is the oddest thing. Maybe it is my paranoia? Nah, I think he was truly dangerous with the power to back it up. Even if it was not magic.'

PART 5.

Hatori is sitting alone in his study. Previously, this place was occupied by Zeko. Hatori was not one of those curious children from fiction, who are overly nosy and pilfer through everything. Besides, he had other things to worry about, such as making sure he was not knocked unconscious due to the training module's unpredictable attacks.

After he was done with his business on the other side, he came to his home on the magical side. He spoke with Ravina and Daphne. 'Those two are way too perceptive. They immediately sensed my mood, that I was not in much of a mood to celebrate or talk.'

Hatori didn't feel good about his rather lethargic behavior towards them. 'They don't deserve it.' He thinks to himself, while a glass appears in his hands and a bottle opens up. It contains the extracted coconut water, freshly planted by Nandan. The former champion sent him this bottle as a gift upon his return.

Taking a sip, he contemplates how long it has been. 'I just feel too much time has passed me by. Not because of this latest escapade. But just in general. Is this what old people feel? Is this how you felt, master Zeko, father?'

He looked at the pictures on the wall to his right. King Porus, proudly smirked with the crown on his head. Zeko, looked dangerous, and yet proud of himself, when he came back from his training trip with Munshi. Kalicharan has a crafty smile on his face, the shadow of his long imprisonment still visible on his face. Munshi, the calm and composed one, who does not reveal much through his expression or body language. Karan and Rita, Hatori's parents, holding their hands together, while looking down upon the young Sushima.

None of these people are alive now. None of them died peacefully, apart from Hatori's parents. Porus suffered a lot during his last moments. His body was too broken, and his brilliant mind was overwhelmed by the constant pain. Rita passed away soon after Sushima was born, and Karan died a few years later. Apart from these three, Zeko, Kalicharan, and Munshi all died in battle.

No adult from his childhood is alive now, someone whom he used to look up to, or someone who raised him. He takes another sip of the coconut water.

"Well done boy," said the picture of Zeko. "Stay away from any substance which may dull your mind."

"Do not become a drunkard." Thundered the picture of Karan.

"I'm sure our boy won't go down that path." Said Rita.

Hatori snaps out of this mental state when he hears the footsteps of Sushima. He sensed him before he opened the door. "Dad?" He has a large stack of files in his arms. "Don't you want to look through these?" He asked him.

"Not at all." Said Hatori, motioning him to come inside, and sit with him. "I am sure you've done a good job in my absence."

Sushima ran the business of supplying yantras and enchantments in Hatori's absence. Judging by the glances he took at the accounts; the boy is doing well. Though there are a lot of necromancy-related requests he had to refuse since he doesn't have that kind of talent.

"Well, I suppose your trust is not unwarranted. Older clients think that I am easier to deal with compared to you." He said with a smile.

"Don't let them walk over you." Said Hatori.

"I don't. It's just, that I don't have the reputation of city destroyer yet." Explained Sushima.

"Where is Ahim?" Asked Hatori.

"In the Academy." Said Sushima.

Normally, he would have made a sarcastic remark about how the drink is affecting Hatori even without any alcohol, but his father is clearly out of it. He is finding it difficult to adjust to the time.

'Well then. Looks like an invasion is in order.' Hatori smiled.

"Dad, don't kidnap Ahim from the Academy." Sushima tries to stop the impending disaster.

"Don't be silly son, you can't kidnap your own kid." Said Hatori.

Done with his drink, Hatori launched the glass away, which passed by Sushima's ear, all the while making a whizzing sound. He then gets up and walks out, while Sushima tries to persuade him from his chosen path.

PART 6.

In the City of Thrones, the king of the Subcontinent is in a dark mood. Hatori will understand why he is like that. Avinash is drinking an alcoholic drink, unlike Hatori.

He is looking at the picture of Tom. As the elders of his generation passed away one by one, Avinash came to rely upon the people of his own generation to run this country. But they are also dying out one by one.

'To think that there is another plotting against me already.' He grumbled in his head. "These people never learn!"

He feels like a tiger tied to the anthill, and despite burning the ants who try to bite him, they never learn their lesson. He is starting to feel tired.

"Is this how you felt, Porus?" He looked at the picture of his predecessor.

No one is willing to come and challenge him. In fact, no one has the potential to beat him in the younger generation. At this rate, Avinash will die as a king, and the ensuing power struggle will cause another civil war among the candidates to acquire the throne.

"At least it will be a rules-based one." He said to the picture.

It is the feature of the throne. If a ruling king dies, several candidates are listed as potential kings. These candidates then wage wars among themselves, and the winner becomes the new king. In this war, they are not allowed to massacre the civilian population, doing so has the hefty penalty of a cruel death. Which makes sense, you can't murder the people whom you want to govern... For the most part.

The picture failed to answer or agree with Avinash. Getting disappointed, he leaves his office and decides to have a good sleep. Maybe when he is rested, he will feel better and less depressed.