Height: 73.4 ft (a little more than six stories)

Speed of Impact: 75.26km/hr

Time of Impact: 2.13 seconds

These numbers ran through Aditya's mind as he felt the cold wind whip his face. He could not see anything. But, thanks to his abnormal brain, he could calculate the distance of the fall. He calculated it using the rate of change of the sound of the water beneath them.

Aditya did not know the depth of the stream in the ravine. It could be anything between kneedeep to more than ten feet. He did not know if he could survive this fall as his body was weak and frail before this fall. Aditya gripped Taarini's hands tightly so that they would not separate after the fall. He also tried to change the angle of fall so that they could come out with fewer injuries.

Aditya knew that if they land flatly, on their bellies, they would be killed. He also knew that the depth of the water was in question. So, if Aditya placed his body like those professional divers, he was bound to go deep increasing his chances of smashing himself into rocks at the bottom. Aditya tried to achieve a perfect balance between the two extreme criteria. Taarini refused to move her body as she wrapped her hand around Aditya.

SPLASH!

No matter how strong Taarini and Aditya held to each other, the fall and the water pulled them apart. Fortunately, the depth was more than five feet. The rapidly streaming water and Taarini's body broke the fall for Aditya. But he got cut when his body hit the jagged rocks at the bottom, after separating from Taarini. The fall knocked the air out of his lungs as he saw nothing but darkness around him.

Bang! SPLASH!

Just after a few moments of Aditya's fall, the train wagons fell one after the other in the water in the form of blazing debris. Aditya was lucky that the water was moving at a fast pace pulling him along. Otherwise, he would have been smashed to death by this metal junk and bridge parts.

Aditya was a good swimmer. Even in this weak state, Aditya tried to streamline his body so that he would rise above and move forward at the same time. He needed to find Taarini as soon as possible.

Splash!

Finally, Aditya emerged as he too deep gulps of the night air. He frantically looked around in the hope of finding Taarini but could not find her in the darkness. The only source of light was the burning bridge, which he could see in the distance as flames rose in the night sky. The fire and the sounds of destruction broke the peace in the jungle as high-pitch sounds of all kinds of animals and birds could be heard.

Aditya started to feel weak as he expended the little bit of energy at his disposal to search for Taarini. He shouted her name at the top of his voice but did not get any response. Aditya was about to search in another direction when he saw a body in the moonlight floating in the distance. Aditya did not think about anything as he swam towards the body.

It was Taarini. The water waves crashed against her body as she was pushed away from him. Aditya reached her and caught her. Taarini was unconscious, and she had sustained severe injuries. Aditya's heart pained when he saw the cuts across her body. Her clothes were also damaged in some places.

Just as Aditya was about to drag Taarini to the shore, the water stream turned into rapids. These rapids had a high steep gradient causing an increase in the water velocity and turbulence. This action caused great strain on Aditya's body as he had to expend a considerable amount of energy to hold Taarini and stay afloat.

Aditya refused to let go of Taarini as he tried to steer their way towards the shore, but the rapids continued, and he failed to escape. After a few minutes, Aditya's body stopped responding to his commands. His muscles were craving for energy, and his body started spasming. Aditya helplessly looked on as his fingers let go of Taarini, on their own accord, as he also slipped into unconsciousness.

***

Gasp!

Aditya's body jerked as he woke up and opened his eyes. His body was paining all over, and the pain was unbearable. Aditya tried to move his hands only to find that his hands had been tied with sticks and cloth. It looked like a primary method which mimicked a cast that is used to encase a broken limb. He couldn't move them, but when he tried to move, he felt a stinging pain in at least five parts in his right hand and one spot in his left hand.

Aditya's breathing became stabilised when he saw that he was lying on a traditional Indian Rope Charpoy (wooden cot made with jute ropes). It was firm but cushioning at the same time. His body felt a little sore, which made Aditya question the amount of time he had been unconscious.

Aditya observed the room in which he was present. It was a room with mud walls and a thatched roof supported with wooden beams, with no light bulb or any other electrical equipment here. There was an oil lamp placed in a corner which was not burning. Sunlight was shining through an oval-shaped window and Aditya could see a mosquito mesh hanging over his bed.

The mud walls were coated with red earth and rudimentary designs made of white colour could be seen drawn around the windows and the walls. Aditya could see that these paintings depicted hunting, fishing and farming scenes, festivals and dances. Humans and animals were drawn using geometrical shapes. Aditya guessed that this white paint was made from rice paste or acrylics.

Aditya noticed a few metal utensils and a pot containing water in a corner along with a sack of onions.

Aditya heard cheerful sounds of children coming from outside which pacified most of Aditya's concerns. He also listened to some elderly, mature human voices but could not understand their language. Aditya turned his attention back to his body.

"Tya, what's the condition of my body?" Aditya asked as he started to feel the areas of pain and discomfort. Aditya felt hurt in some areas in his legs and some areas of his abdomen.

"I don't know. Remember, you lost all abilities," Tya's cheerful voice sounded in his mind. Aditya felt his heart become steady when he heard Tya's voice.

"Tya, it's so good to hear you," Aditya said. Even though Aditya did not show it, he always had this inexplicable fear that there will be one day when Tya would not reply.

With that fear out of the way, Aditya asked the next most important thing in his mind, "Tya, do you know what happened to Taari..."

Before Aditya could complete his words, the door to the room was pushed open. A female, dressed in a red tribal women's clothes, walked in. Aditya looked at the woman and couldn't believe his eyes.

"Taarini!"

Aditya would have loudly shouted, but when he opened his mouth, he felt his throat dry and voice hoarse. Taarini looked gorgeous in these tribal clothes. She had almost homely feeling around her devoid of the usual icy aura which frightened people around her. The dress was covered in exotic, ethnic designs and was embedded with small mirrors which glittered in the sunlight. Her hair was covered with similarly designed cloth, and a few hair locks were visible as they rested on either side of her face. Taarini had a refreshing feeling around her. She had a red dot in between her eyebrows.

Taarini's hands, which were holding onto a wooden bowl, trembled when she saw that Aditya was awake. She hurried towards Aditya and asked, "are you alright? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

"Forget about me. How are you? I saw you injured with my own eyes. Have I been unconscious for a long time?" Aditya hurriedly asked as he looked at Taarini. She seemed perfectly fine.

"Well, the tribals had rescued both us. In the beginning, my wounds were indeed severe. But I recovered from these wounds in a matter of hours. Tya said that the reason was the medicine that you had infiltrated into my bullet wound. He said that this drug would remain in effect for three days in my blood." Taarini explained as she looked at Aditya with a smile. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Oh? So, that's what happened. Wait!" Aditya was shocked as he looked at Taarini with wide-open eyes. How could she know about Tya? Why was she speaking as if it was perfectly normal?

Taarini mildly chuckled when she saw Aditya's expression. She walked towards Aditya's side as she set the wooden bowl which contained hot, steaming soup. Aditya's eyes lit up when he saw that these tribal clothes left her side waist uncovered. Taarini, with her perfect athletic physique, had stunning curves. Aditya could see a drop of sweat rolling down her waist as she bent down to place the bowl on a small table made from bamboo wood.

"Adi, Taarini has nice curves, right?"

"Maahi, those curves are not just nice but godly. There is no imperfection to be found. Wait, MAAHI?" Aditya was shocked to hear Maahi's voice inside his mind. He felt that things were becoming stranger by the minute.

Aditya felt like crying when he saw Taarini look at Aditya with a calm gaze as she covered her waist and said, "So, this is what you think under the cover of that innocent face."

"Tya, can you please explain what is happening before I lose it?" Aditya implored.

"Adi, how are you feeling? Elder sister Taarini, have you seen the wounds. I know that Tya said that Aditya could heal on his own, but I still feel that he should be admitted in a hospital," a soft, melodious voice was heard in Aditya's mind. Aditya's heart trembled when he heard this voice. Is it not Hamsa's voice?

Aditya felt his throat dry up when he heard the voices of Maahi and Hamsa. His heart became turbulent, but it was in a good way and was heartwarming. He was in the care of his loved ones, what more did he want?

Taarini sat beside Aditya as she began to unwrap his the white cloth bandages around his legs and hands. "Hamsa, I have yet to see the wounds today. I have also made the soup according to your requirements." Taarini's voice was heard in Aditya's mind, similar to Maahi's and Hamsa's.

"Adi, after you had fainted, you had begun to drown in the rapids. I was forced to simulate 'Cellular Regulation' ability to keep you afloat by forcefully blocking air in your cells. The Dark Energy seeking ability of your soul particle was affected before this, so I had to see if I could stimulate Maahi's soul particle and utilise that energy for you."

"During that process, I saw your soul particle transform once more, causing changes in the bonds you shared with Taarini, Maahi and Hamsa. Didn't I say before that your soul particle was evolving? This transformation seems to be one of the unintended consequences."

" So, because of this change, you have established telepathic communications with Hamsa, Maahi and Taarini. Since this communication was established using Dark Energy and your soul particle as a basis, I can manipulate it. Each of you are now able to share each other's sensory experiences completely."

Aditya listened to Tya's explanation as he saw Taarini working on his wounds. There was an unpleasant odour coming from those bandages like some herbal medicine had been applied.

"Taarini, what about you? How did you end up here?" Aditya asked as he looked at Taarini's beautiful side profile.

"Well, you and I both were rescued by these tribals that night. We were found by the tribals who had come to investigate the explosion. After I woke up, I discovered Tya in my mind. It took a little time for me to accept, but when compared to your unusual abilities, I was able to accept it easily. When I was thinking of taking you to a hospital, It was Tya who said that you and I would be fine and hospitalisation was not needed."

"Since it was better to stay low profile after what happened, I decided to stay here to look after you until you recovered," Taarini said as she observed the wounds. There was heavy scarring over his wounds and Aditya could feel the itch coming from those scabs.

Aditya calmly gazed as he saw Taarini wash his body with a wet cloth, "How many days have I been unconscious?"

"Three days."

"How is Raghav?"

"Out of danger."

"Good to know," Aditya's heart completely settled down when he heard that Raghav was fine. A couple of followers had been killed, which was the only loss on their side. Given the abilities that those people possessed, it was the best and most optimistic outcome.