Nusrat was buried deep in sleep, her body heavy and sore from days spent wandering the palace's endless halls. Every bone in her body ached, and for once, she welcomed the quiet darkness that pulled her under.

Then, a sudden, piercing scream shattered the stillness.

Advika's scream.

Nusrat bolted upright in her bed, heart pounding, eyes wide with panic. She glanced toward Advika's bed... and froze.

There, sitting at the foot of Advika's bed, was the ghost. 

Princess Saanvi Rathore.

Her form twisted and distorted, radiating an otherworldly chill. Her bridal lehenga was soaked in blood so dark it seemed to drink the light from the room. Bright crimson tears rolling down from the black holes where her eyes should've been. They painted angry streaks through the pale skin.

Her wrists were twisted unnaturally in her lap, sliced wide open. Fresh, glistening wounds oozed thick, blackened blood, the stench of iron hanging heavy in the cold air. And worst of all, a gaping hole yawned in the center of her chest, ragged and raw. 

Nusrat couldn't stop herself from screaming too. She huddled near the headboard of her bed, her breath shallow, eyes wide with disbelief. She hadn't dared to move since she saw the blood-soaked girl perched at the foot of Advika's bed. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her limbs felt frozen as if the very air in the room had turned to ice.

The ghostly girl blinked slowly at their reaction. Then, gently, almost sorrowfully, she raised a trembling hand and spoke for the first time. "Please... don't be afraid," she said, her voice soft, cracked like old parchment, yet laced with warmth. "I won't harm you. I couldn't. I've waited so long... just to be seen. To be heard."

Advika's breath caught. The sincerity in the girl's voice chipped away at the icy grip of fear. There was no malice in her eyes, only pain. Unspoken, unbearable pain.

"I know what I look like scares you," the girl continued, her eyes flicking down to her own blood-soaked form, "but I didn't choose this. I didn't choose to die the way I did. And I didn't choose to be forgotten." She looked at Advika then, her gaze deep and searching. "But you... you chose to remember me. Even if you didn't know it."

Her words hung in the air like smoke; delicate, haunting, impossible to ignore.

Then, silence.

The girl stared at Advika with silent, pleading eyes... eyes filled with a sorrow so deep, it felt like a black hole had opened in the room, swallowing every trace of warmth. She didn't speak again. She didn't need to. Her grief seeped into the air, thick and choking, pressing down on their lungs like invisible hands.

Advika's heart pounded, but it wasn't fear that overtook her. It was something deeper. A strange, powerful empathy surged through her veins, grounding her in place. She couldn't explain it, but the girl felt... familiar. Not just in form, but in soul. Like a memory she never made but never forgot either. And that recognition made her reach out, slowly, gently, like touching a fragile flame.

Nusrat gasped from the other bed. "Advika, no! Don't touch her! Don't..." But her voice failed her, caught somewhere between a scream and a prayer.

Advika's trembling fingers cupped the girl's cold, tear-streaked face. "A-Are you... really the princess? Of Rajmanya? Princess... Saanvi?"

The girl's grotesque features shifted. The gaping holes filled, revealing two beautiful eyes, eyes drowning in centuries of sorrow. She blinked. The bloody tears flowed faster.

Her lips trembled. Her voice came out cracked and broken, like shattered glass grinding on stone. "Yes."

The name echoed inside Advika's skull. Her body trembled as realization struck like lightning. Princess Saanvi Rathore. The forgotten royal. The missing bride. The ghost no one wanted to believe in... now sat inches from her.

"Have I been..." Advika hesitated, breath hitching, "Have I been dreaming about your death... all these years?"

Nusrat's terrified gaze flicked toward her. "What are you talking about?" she whispered, confused and shaking.

Saanvi nodded. "Yes... y-you have."

"The stories," Advika whispered, more to herself than anyone else, "they said you ran away... eloped before the wedding. But in my dreams... I saw you get murdered. Over and over again."

Saanvi's lips quivered. Her head shook slowly. The lights in the room flickered, casting grotesque shadows on the wall. "They lied," she rasped. "He lied. He killed me..."

Advika's voice faltered. "Was it really... your uncle?"

Saanvi's head dipped again, a slow, soul-crushing nod. "He wanted the throne."

The temperature dropped sharply. Frost bloomed on the windowpanes. Nusrat clutched her bedsheet tightly, her wide eyes darting to the corners of the room where shadows pulsed and breathed.

Advika swallowed hard, rage mixing with her grief. "He betrayed you so deeply, he erased your name from history..."

Saanvi's sobs rose, layered with disembodied whispers, not just hers, but countless others. The walls themselves seemed to cry out. Her body shook as centuries of anguish poured out in agonizing waves.

And Advika did the only thing she could think of. She hugged her. It didn't matter that the girl was no longer alive. In that moment, she needed comfort and Advika gave it freely.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, pressing her cheek against the ghost's blood-matted hair. "I'm so, so sorry."

Saanvi's form flickered. Her body phased in and out like a candle struggling in the wind. Her bridal lehenga glowed faintly, soaked in eternal blood, her presence both horrifying and heartbreakingly beautiful.

"While it's really heartbreaking that... you were killed," Nusrat said, her voice trembling as she clutched her blanket tighter, "why is Advika the one dreaming about your death? And why do you both look so alike?" She swallowed hard before continuing, her curiosity momentarily overpowering her fear. "I mean... no offense, Princess, but you look like a younger version of our Advika. Why is that?"

Advika slowly pulled back from Saanvi, her brows knitting in thought. Nusrat's questions weren't just valid, they were logical. Questions that had lingered like smoke in the corners of her mind for years.

Why her?

Why the dreams?

Why this face?

She turned toward the spectral girl... no, the princess... with a mix of confusion and a strange, growing dread. "Nusrat's right. Princess Saanvi... why have I been dreaming about your death for the past nine years? Do you know why?"

Saanvi's lips curved into a melancholic smile, bloody tears still glistening like rubies on her cheeks. Her voice emerged, soft yet laced with a truth that rang through the room like the toll of an ancient bell. "The bond we share," she began, "is deeper than any bloodline. It's the bond of one soul split into two bodies... a bond forged by betrayal and unfinished destiny."

Advika blinked, her breath catching. "I... I don't understand."

"What do you mean by a soul split into two bodies?" Nusrat asked, her voice quieter now, more reverent than afraid.

Saanvi looked between them both; one hand lightly resting over her heart, the other brushing the edge of her blood-stained lehenga. Her presence shimmered faintly, as though the veil between worlds was thinning.

Her next words dropped like a weight in the room. "Advika and I... we are the same. You are me, reborn. You are Princess Saanvi... brought back after eight centuries to finish what I could not. To unearth the truth, to bring justice. To fix what was never meant to be broken."

Advika reeled, as if the ground beneath her had tilted. "What?!" she whispered. "I'm... you?"

"Yes, you are," Saanvi nodded, her bloodstained fingers brushing a loose strand of hair from Advika's forehead. "You carry my soul... my memories... my pain. That's why you've seen my death over and over in your dreams. You've lived it... because you were me. My death was not the end. My soul refused to rest. The gods gave it another chance. A second life. And that life is you." she added.

The air seemed to vibrate with something ancient and powerful. Outside, the wind howled against the windows, and the flickering lights pulsed in sync with the rapid beat of Advika's heart.

Nusrat could only stare between them, stunned into silence.

Advika's voice came out in a hoarse whisper, the weight of realization settling into her bones. "Then... all those dreams... the pain I felt... it was never just a nightmare. It was memory."

"Yes," Saanvi breathed. "Your past. My truth. Our unfinished story."

Advika stared at her, utterly bewildered. The revelation hit like a tidal wave, but her rational mind flailed against it. She took a shaky step back, gripping the edge of her bed for support. "But... how is that even possible? Reincarnation? That's just...."

"A myth?" Saanvi finished quietly, a wistful smile playing on her lips. "That's what they want you to believe. That your dreams are only nightmares. That your pain is just imagination. But you've felt it, haven't you? That emptiness in your chest? That ache without a name? That pull toward something you've never known... but somehow remember?"

Advika's frown deepened. "But still... reincarnation?" she asked, her voice brimming with doubt. "You really expect me to believe that's real?"

Saanvi let out a soft huff, folding her arms in a manner that made her seem less like a mournful spirit and more like a mildly exasperated royal. "They dismiss ghosts as mere fantasy too," she said, her tone dry yet graceful. "And yet, here I sit..... eight centuries gone, still capable of conversation. Rather inconvenient for those who prefer logic over truth." She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated circle, the gesture oddly charming despite the ghostly pallor of her presence.

Nusrat let out an involuntary laugh, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Okay... sorry, but she's got a point."

Advika blinked, startled. "Oh... right." She exhaled slowly, her shoulders sinking a little as the impossibility of it all began to make room for the undeniable.

Saanvi's expression softened again. She didn't move closer. She stayed seated at the foot of the bed but extended a hand toward Advika, palm open, offering quiet reassurance. Her voice dropped to a near whisper, gentle and sure. "You've felt it, haven't you? The glimpses. The grief. The ache that never left you, even when nothing in this life could explain it. That's me. That's you. My story didn't end... it just waited. Inside you."

Advika's defenses wavered. She thought of all the nights she'd woken in tears, clutching her chest, haunted by vivid dreams of betrayal and blood. Nearly a decade of torment and now, here was the answer. An answer she wasn't sure she was ready to accept.

"Why now?" Advika whispered. "Why appear tonight?"

Saanvi's voice dropped to a whisper, like a secret carried on the wind. "Because the veil is thinning. The past stirs. And you, Advika, were born... to mend what was broken."

Advika's eyes searched Saanvi's face, desperate for clarity amid the storm of revelations. "But how? How am I supposed to fix something that happened 800 years ago?"

Nusrat cut in, skeptical. "She's right. Everyone who betrayed you is long gone."

"There is a way," Saanvi said softly, the weight of centuries resting in her words.

Advika leaned forward, heart pounding, hands trembling in her lap. "What way?"

Saanvi's tear-streaked face hardened with resolve. "I have gathered powers through the ages. I've waited for you, preparing for this moment. I can send you back... back to where it all began. Back to the past."

Advika stared, stunned. The room seemed to hold its breath, charged with silent electricity. "Back to the past?" she breathed.

"Yes," Saanvi said, her voice almost otherworldly in its calm. "You will return to the time of betrayal. To the moment when I... when you... were wronged."

Nusrat's voice cracked with disbelief. "What?! Are you mad? Princess, Advika is just a normal girl from today. How's she supposed to manage everyday life there, let alone solve a royal murder?"

Advika's mind reeled. The words "back to the past" echoed in her ears like a haunting melody she couldn't shake off.

"No," she said at last, her voice firmer than she expected. "I can't do that."

Saanvi blinked, the flicker of hope in her expression faltering. "You must."

Advika stepped back, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Princess, but this is insane. I have a life here... a future. I didn't ask for any of this! I'm not... you. I'm not royalty. I wouldn't know the first thing about surviving in your world."

Nusrat crossed her arms, nodding in firm agreement. "Exactly! She doesn't know how to ride a horse, or carry herself in royal courts, or... oh, I don't know... avoid getting killed in a palace full of traitors?" She gestured toward Saanvi, eyes wide. "Advika is a modern girl! She's afraid of lizards and burns toast. You want to throw her into an 800-year-old murder mystery?"

"I'm not afraid of lizards," Advika muttered weakly, but neither of them laughed.

Saanvi's eyes dimmed. The fight in her seemed to still for a moment, and her voice dropped to something fragile. "I know it's asking too much... but you're the only one who can fix this."

Advika hesitated. A part of her wanted to help, to understand the pull she felt toward Saanvi's pain. But the rest of her? That part screamed to run. To forget. To pretend this night had never happened. "I need time," she whispered.

Saanvi nodded solemnly, rising slowly from the edge of the bed. Her translucent form shimmered, almost glowing under the dim light. "I will return," she said softly. "But choose wisely, Advika. Some doors open only once... and some fates, if left unchanged, never stop echoing."

And with that, Saanvi vanished... leaving behind only silence, and the cold imprint of a choice too heavy for one heart to carry alone.

Advika sat frozen on the edge of her bed, eyes fixed on the spot where the ghost had been moments ago. Her hands trembled slightly, and her heart pounded as if still trying to catch up with the flood of revelations.

Nusrat finally shifted from where she'd been huddled under the covers, pulling the blanket off slowly like she wasn't sure the coast was clear. "So..." she said, her voice hoarse, "that just happened."

Advika let out a shaky laugh, more disbelief than humor. "Yep. Ghost girl from the 13th century wants me to time travel and solve her murder."

Nusrat blinked. "No big deal. Just a regular Tuesday night."

They sat in silence again, the air still heavy, the atmosphere crackling with aftershocks.

Advika hugged her knees to her chest. "Nusrat... what if it's true? What if I really am her?"

Nusrat hesitated, then climbed off the bed and joined Advika, sitting cross-legged beside her. "Honestly? I don't know. But those dreams you've had... the panic attacks, the chest pain, the crying in your sleep for years? I always thought it was some kind of repressed trauma. But now?" She shook her head slowly. "Now I don't know what to think."

Advika leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "She says I'm the only one who can fix it. But what if I mess everything up? What if I die there? What if I don't even know who to trust?"

"Yeah, and what if you can't come back?" Nusrat asked, her voice tightening with concern. "I mean, this isn't like a school trip to the past, Advika. No Phone. No Google Maps. No Wi-Fi. No medicine. No electricity. No feminism." She paused. "No... conditioner."

Despite the tightness in her chest, Advika managed a small smile. "You really do know my pressure points."

"I'm serious." Nusrat's voice cracked slightly. "I don't want to lose you. I don't care if you're some reincarnated princess with a tragic fate... you're my best friend. And I'm scared."

"I'm scared too," Advika admitted.

They sat in stillness, side by side, as the night wrapped around them like a cloak.

Finally, Nusrat reached out and squeezed her hand. "Whatever you decide... I've got you. Even if that means figuring out how to sneak into the 13th century with a baseball bat and a torch. But promise me you won't rush into anything. Please."

Advika nodded slowly. "I promise."

Outside, the wind whispered past the windows. Not loud. Just enough to remind them the story wasn't over.

... - ...

... - ...

... - ...

DAY 3:

Early the next morning, both designer teams had gathered at the entrance of the resort, backpacks stacked, coffee cups in hand, laughter echoing faintly across the breezy lawn. All were waiting for the bus to arrive so it could take them to the ruins of Rajmanya and they could begin another day of exploring.

But Advika and Nusrat stood apart, quieter than usual, shadows of the night before still flickering behind their eyes.

Advika hugged her arms around herself, pretending to be cold. At 6:45 a.m., it was a believable enough excuse. Beside her, Nusrat scrolled idly through her phone, but Advika could tell her mind was elsewhere too.

A honk from a passing car startled both girls.

"Still no bus?" came a familiar voice. Chirag strolled up, sunglasses in place, hair perfectly tousled as always. "Fashionably late, I see. Just like me."

Nusrat gave him a half-smile. "You're always late, Chirag. The bus has no excuse. It was supposed to be here by 6:30 a.m."

Chirag chuckled, then leaned casually against one of the luggage trolleys. "I'm not relying on this bus. I'm going to take a taxi to the ruins. We only have a limited amount of time left in this place. We can't waste it on stupid transport. And if I don't help myself, why would anyone else?"

He said it like a joke, but his words landed deeper than he probably intended.

Advika's gaze snapped to him.

If I don't help myself...

A sudden chill ran down her spine. The memory of Saanvi's eyes... full of pain, longing, and hope... flashed before her. Saanvi hadn't come to beg.

She had come to Advika, trusting her. Saanvi had asked for help... not as a stranger. Not even as a ghost. But as another version of herself.

Advika's thoughts raced. If something terrible happened to her today, wouldn't she want her future self to fix it? To stop it? To protect her? Why was she treating Saanvi like a different person just because time stood between them?

She wasn't.

She was Saanvi.

They were one and the same.

She turned to Nusrat, her eyes wide, uncertain, still piecing it all together. But Nusrat was already looking at her.

Their eyes met, and in that one glance, Advika saw it. Nusrat knew.

She didn't say anything. She didn't need to.

She just gave a small, nearly imperceptible nod.

Advika's heart steadied.

The decision hadn't been made aloud, but in that shared look between friends, it was understood: the next time they saw Saanvi, Advika would tell her.

She was going back.
To fix it.

... - ... - ...

Nusrat and Advika had separated from Chirag and Joseph as soon as they reached the ruins. Chirag's plan to skip the bus and take a taxi, had been shared with Joseph, who agreed instantly. So, their team arrived earlier, eager to use every minute before sunset.

While the boys wandered toward the outer courtyard, the girls headed for Princess Saanvi's chamber, carrying the lehenga they had borrowed the day before. A part of them hoped they might see Saanvi again.

But the room was quiet. Empty.

Not even a whisper of her presence.

Hours passed.

By 3 p.m., frustration had started to bubble in Nusrat. She let out a sigh as they sat near one of the cracked marble balconies. "How come she's nowhere to be seen now that we actually want to meet her?" Nusrat huffed, tossing a pebble down the mossy steps.

Advika just smiled, amused by her friend's impatience. "Maybe ghosts keep weird office hours," she teased.

But then...

A voice, soft and curious, floated in the quiet air behind them. "Who are you trying to meet here? As far as I know, no one lives here anymore."

The girls turned sharply.

And there she was.

Princess Saanvi stood a few feet away, her expression gentle, her head tilted slightly in curiosity. No eerie wind, no flickering lights. No shadowy aura this time. She looked... radiant. Warm.

She was dressed in that same lavender lehenga... the one Advika had first seen her wearing while dancing. Even though she remained slightly translucent, there was something softer about her presence today. Less haunting, more human.

"You!" Advika said with a surprised laugh, rising to her feet. "We were looking for you! Well, you're looking much more... tolerable today," she added playfully, her eyes flicking toward the faint shimmer of Saanvi's outline. "Even though you're still kind of see-through."

Saanvi giggled, a sound light as silver wind chimes. "I didn't want to scare you two," she said bashfully. "You looked very scared last night. I thought... maybe if I looked the way I did in life, it would feel easier."

Nusrat crossed her arms, half-mocking, half-relieved. "Well, it's working. You're officially less creepy."

Saanvi beamed. "Thank you. So... why were you looking for me?"

Advika glanced at Nusrat before stepping closer, her voice more serious now. She exhaled slowly, fingers tucked into the pockets of her jeans. Her dusty boots crunched softly against the stone floor of the ancient room. "I've made my decision," she said quietly. "I'm going to your time." But then, her voice wavered. Her brows drew together, shadows of doubt flickering in her eyes. "But I have concerns..." she admitted, barely above a whisper. "What if I fail? What if I can't change anything? What if I make things worse?"

Saanvi stepped forward, her translucent form glowing faintly in the sunlight filtering through the broken stone walls. She reached out, her ghostly fingers hovering just above Advika's hand. There was no real weight but somehow, it felt warm. Comforting. Anchoring.

"You won't fail," Saanvi said gently but with quiet strength. "You have something I never did... the truth. You know what really happened to this kingdom. The betrayal, the lies, the blood spilled in the name of greed. Rajmanya wasn't meant to fall. They twisted fate... rewrote destiny to serve their own ends. But you, Advika... you carry the strength of two lifetimes. That strength will guide you."

Advika swallowed hard. The fear didn't vanish, but it softened, like a wave pulling back before the tide turns.

Nusrat, leaning against the ancient wall nearby, tilted her head. "Okay, but... if Adu does succeed, what happens then? Won't everything here, in our world, change?"

Saanvi shook her head. "No. Your present won't be affected. King Surya Aditya was always destined to rule Rajmanya. That history remains untouched. Whether he marries me or not... his legacy endures. What we're correcting is the betrayal... the moment everything went wrong."

Advika crossed her arms over her t-shirt. "And when it's over? You'll bring me back?"

Saanvi smiled faintly. "When your task is complete, I'll return you to your time. One minute after you left."

Advika arched a brow. "One minute? So I could be gone for weeks, fighting assassins, sabotaging political plots, probably learning to ride a horse, and no one here will even know?"

Saanvi let out a soft laugh. "Exactly. It will be as though you never left. But for the people of Rajmanya... everything will finally be as it should have been."

Nusrat's jaw dropped slightly. "That's actually... amazing. Time travel with benefits." Then, her eyes widened. "Wait... did you say assassins?"

Advika shot her a warning look, but Nusrat was already stepping forward, squaring her shoulders. "Okay, well, I have a condition," she said suddenly.

Saanvi tilted her head. "A condition?"

"I'm not letting my best friend go alone," Nusrat declared, unwavering. "This is literally life and death. Advika's brave, yes, but I've seen her trip over her own shoelaces while daydreaming. Someone needs to be there to stop her from getting herself killed."

"Nusrat!" Advika hissed, half-panicked, half-laughing. "You don't know what you're getting into!"

"Neither do you!" Nusrat shot back. "But at least now you'll have backup. You jump off a cliff into the past, I'm bringing a rope and snacks, if they let me."

Saanvi studied Nusrat for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Very well. If your heart is strong and your intent is pure... I can send you both." Her voice grew serious. "But understand one thing.... this path is dangerous. The past wasn't kind to women who asked questions. You'll be foreigners in a court filled with secrets and enemies."

"I don't care," Nusrat said firmly. "I'm going."

Saanvi smiled, wider this time. "Then so be it. Tonight, when the moon rises above the eastern tower, I'll bring you both here. I'll give you basic lessons in royal etiquette, so you can blend in. I'll be with you in spirit, but you must be able to act without raising suspicion."

"Okay," both girls said in unison.

Advika and Nusrat exchanged a glance; one part fear, two parts thrill.

There was no turning back now.

They were going to rewrite history.

Together.

... - ...

... - ...

To be continued...

... - ...

... - ...

A/N:: And that's a wrap on this chapter! 💫 Advika has made her choice, and Nusrat—being the ride-or-die bestie that she is—is jumping straight into history with her. From here on out, things are only going to get wilder—ancient palaces, secrets, danger, maybe a bit of romance (👀), and two modern girls trying to survive royal chaos without Wi-Fi.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please don't forget to vote, comment, and share your thoughts! Your support means the world and helps this story reach more amazing readers like you. 💜

As always, thank you so much for reading! Drop your thoughts, theories, or snack suggestions Nusrat should take to the past in the comments—I love hearing from you all!