Anil: A Son Beyond Tomorrow Chapter 6

After a few moments, the two Anils and Pasapugazh were inside Tirunelveli Railway Station, where they found a quiet spot to talk. Pasapugazh looked at both of them. The two Anils also glanced at each other. Pasapugazh broke the ice.

Pasapugazh looked at the Anil who was a wearing hospital dress. Pasapugazh asked him, “So you are Anil. Who escaped from Xentech lab, right?”

Pasapugazh continued, “Manimaran told me about your one year stay in the past and the illegal access to the time machine. I thought you were hiding something, so I came here. Fine, what was your problem? Why did you spend one year in the past? And why have you come back again to the past on the same date? You have to give me a valid explanation, Anil.”

Anil slightly adjusted his sitting position and took a deep breath. He began to speak, “Sir, my life was not easy. I was born into a lower middle class family. My parents suffered from heavy debts because of a scam by a builder named Time. Due to stress and depression, my father suffered a cardiac arrest and died when I was thirteen years old. After that, my mother, my brother, and I carried a great burden.”

“My mother joined a school as a teacher and also worked excessively as a tuition teacher at home. While others at a young age played and spent time with friends, my brother and I took up odd jobs to support my mother and help with the tuition work so that our lives could continue. In this way, I completed my childhood and earned my degree. Later, I joined Xentech, sir. I was also on your track, sir, to ensure that time travel worked.”

He paused and then continued. “The time travel machine worked and was ready to be demonstrated to the world. After that demonstration, I did not know whether I would ever be able to use the time travel machine again. So, along with the time travel mission, I decided to meet my father one last time. I convinced you to allow the testing period to be set in 2005, even though the earlier option was 1821. Luckily, you agreed and ensured that I travelled to 2005 for testing.”

“I time travelled and met my father. During that meeting, I realized that time itself was against us. If God or even a single person in the world had supported my father, he would have lived with us and my family would not have fallen into debt. A man who had never received anything good in his life needed at least one chance. So I helped my father start a marketing consultancy in the past using the gold coins you had given me. I succeeded, but it took me one full year in the past.”

He looked up and said, “I did not think of changing the past for myself, sir. I did it so that my father could live. I believed I had changed everything, but as soon as I returned to the present, nothing had changed. That confused me and made me wonder what had gone wrong.”

“That night, Vishal, Godson, Salim, and I watched Avengers Endgame. Watching it made me realize that I had created another branch in the timeline. So I decided to travel one last time, even if it meant going against company policy, sir. But I did not have a plan for what to do.”

Pasapugazh and Anil who was from another timeline too felt the burden faced by Anil and his family. However, Pasapugazh continued to act logically and asked, “Alright, what was your mission?” Anil replied hesitantly, “To travel to the past, take some photos and videos, and bring back currency and items from that time.” Pasapugazh asked, “Then why did you divert from the mission?”

Anil hesitated, unsure of what to say. Pasapugazh continued, “You know how serious the mission was. Even if you had lost your anchor watch, or if anyone had discovered that you were from the future, you would not have been able to predict what calamities might have arisen.” Anil bowed his head and said nothing. Pasapugazh then said, “We will talk after this.”

He then looked toward Anil who was from another timeline and asked, “Now tell me who you are.” Anil who was from another timeline took a heavy breath and said, “I am Anil. I am the son of Surya and the owner and chairman of VS Consultancy.” Hearing the name VS Consultancy, Anil’s eyes widened. Pasapugazh asked, “Tell me why you time traveled.”

Time shifted to 2006. Surya had filed a police complaint and posted missing posters across Mumbai. However, there was no trace of Anil. The friend who had given him a job, made him a partner in the company, and later made him the owner of VS Consultancy had gone missing without any trace or evidence.

Surya was completely disturbed by this. He could not concentrate on anything, as various questions kept surfacing in his mind again and again.

After four days, Surya was at his workplace. He was going through the designs, which he had to deliver, even though he was not able to concentrate. At that moment, Selvan entered the office. Surya saw him and said, “Why are you here, brother?” Selvan said, “I just came to check on you. You are coming home late and not sleeping well.”

Surya sighed and said, “What are you expecting then? Anil totally handed over the company to me and vanished. My mind is brushing with various questions. Why did Anil make me the owner of the company he owned? Why did he leave the place? Was it all Anil’s plan? Also, I have to complete the clients work. So I am feeling like I am standing on the cliff of a mountain.” Selvan said, “I know, but what can we do? The same questions are pressuring me also. But we have to think forward. If you do not concentrate on work, you could lose what Anil left for you.”

Surya tried to say, “But brother...” Selvan said, “Surya, we all are looking for Anil. If he is found, then we will see. Until then, you are the company owner. Think and act like Anil.” Surya realized he had a responsibility now. He had to grow VS Consultancy for Anil and for his future. So he made the decision to concentrate on his work.

Surya started working toward building VS Consultancy into a great empire. With hard effort, handling small to big contracts and establishing a marketing team, he left no loophole for VS Consultancy to go down in history. With careful planning and the required employees, over around seven years Surya raised the company to a mid-cap company in Mumbai, making solid annual revenue of 75 lakhs on average. He was still working to make it great.

At the same time, Surya had reached 28 years, a preferred age for marriage by Indian societal standards. Vani's brother, Sundar, came to Mumbai. As soon as he arrived, he went to Surya's office, which was now situated in Santacruz. As he entered, he saw 40 employees working and the printing going on continuously. The office was adapted to the newly designed style of 2013. Sundar registered himself at the entry desk. Then the peon allowed him to go to Sundar’s cabin.

As Sundar entered the cabin, Surya welcomed him while looking at files on his laptop. Surya said, “How are you, Sundar bro? You came here suddenly without informing.” Sundar took a seat and said, “There is a thing that needs to be addressed, that’s why.” Surya said, “I know what that is,” and Sundar advised him, “You also know it is about Vani’s marriage. Both of you love each other, then why can’t you get married? She is crossing the marriageable age and is firm that she will only marry you. You also have a company, earning explicitly more. Then what is stopping you.” Surya said, “I have to make this company even bigger. That’s my aim and dream as of now. So I can’t think about marriage right now bro. Don’t worry, I will marry her, but I need some time.”

Sundar said, “Surya, I have been hearing this from you for months. See, you can develop this company even after marriage. I don’t have a father or mother; my wife and I are looking after my sister. For the sake of all of us, at least think about Vani.” Surya thought about the major events of his life and the advice he had been hearing for years from his brothers and Vani. So putting marriage on hold further wouldn’t work. On May 23, 2013, Surya and Vani were married.

After the marriage, the love life of Surya and Vani began fully. A distance that once existed became closeness. With such closeness, they cherished their married life fully. But no married life is complete without hurdles; in their married life, the only hurdle was the VS Consultancy office. Surya devoted more time to VS Consultancy during his marriage. As the business needed to be monitored and made to grow, Surya had to come late from the office to his Juhu residence. Vani understood this, so she didn’t make a fuss. Their marriage continued in this way.

After one year of marriage, Surya and Vani welcomed their first child, a boy. Both of them felt happy. Surya remembered that one friend who had given him everything. Fame, company, and wealth in his life. He named his first child Anil. Then, after one and a half years, they welcomed their second child, a girl, and named her Pallavi.

With years passing, VS Consultancy grew steadily without missing a chance. A company that had started as a small marketing service company with one second-hand PC and a small room in Dharavi grew to a mid-cap company with 160 employees, becoming a pioneer in marketing services in Mumbai. Clients also contacted them from across India regarding their services. No business can succeed without dealing with hidden charges for politicians and police. Surya also dealt with these from time to time.

His family life remained the same, with Surya having to deal with business work. Vani took care of the house and children. As both children had crossed the age of five, Vani also joined the VS Consultancy board and started overseeing management work. The children spent the whole day at school, and their parents worked on the business.

Around mid-March 2019, the Covid virus outbreak hit the world. People had to stay at home, patients were filling hospitals, families had to stay apart, the economy crashed, and nations fell under curfew. The Covid storm hit VS Consultancy as well. The company generated more income from physical marketing than digital marketing. This was not the first time Surya dealt with such a problem. The introduction of GST and demonetization had pushed them back once, but they survived. So Surya felt the problem was not that critical. He used the company’s savings for employee salaries, continued digital marketing, and enjoyed some time at home.

Surya used to narrate his friend Anil’s story to his children. How they met, Anil’s job offer at VS Consultancy, their initial struggles, Anil’s intelligence, and then how one day he gave VS Consultancy to him. Surya said, “So he left like air, just leaving a letter and VS Consultancy to me. Dad tried to find him but found no trace.” Anil and Pallavi, who were six and five years old, were listening to it. Pallavi asked, “Dad, seriously, he left without saying anything?” Surya nodded, “Yes, my friend left a letter for me and vanished. Why did he give me such a company? Why did he leave suddenly? All this is still mysterious to me. But with time I stopped thinking about it and felt gratitude to him.”

Anil said, “This is why you named me Anil, right?” Surya nodded, “I want you to be like my friend, a generous, determined, intelligent, and hard-working one.” Pallavi asked, “Dad, show me that uncle’s photo.” Surya took his phone and showed them Anil’s picture, which he always kept on his phone. Anil looked at that Anil in the photo curiously. Vani, from behind, said, “Ok, time’s over, dad, and kids’ chit-chat. Now come to have dinner.” So they went to have dinner.

That night, after the kids slept, Vani and Surya discussed the Covid lockdown. Vani said, “Dear, we have to look at this. It has already been two months, and we have been paying our employees from savings. But we need to plan for the future to survive.” Surya said, “I know. Initially, it felt it would be a three-month lockdown, but it is going to extend. Terminating employees is also a hard part because they can’t find jobs and still need to survive. So we need to do something. How about increasing digital marketing?” Vani said, “Income-wise, digital marketing is giving solid returns, but we need clients who will invest.” Surya said, “We can convince our regular clients, so we make some money. Vani, we need to survive this period, not make a profit.” Vani said, “Then we will go ahead and introduce the work-from-home concept and expand digital marketing.” Surya nodded, also thinking about the warning Anil mentioned regarding a one-year lockdown and AI. So he needed to act on AI now.

The VS consultancy shifted his working domain to work from home, proposed and accepted their clients to digital marketing and started researching on AI. Already Suriya was busy with his work, but due to research and expanding the digital marketing he shifted more time towards those. Ignored families many time, not able to spend with them.

Even though Vani also handled management work, she found time to spend with the family. Both children were missing their dad’s love. Pallavi, being younger than Anil, was still able to understand her dad’s work, so it didn’t bother her. But Anil missed it more. Not being able to spend time with his dad, even though Surya bought him gifts, did not matter to him. With this routine lifestyle, their family life continued.

At the age of 16, Anil joined VS Consultancy as an intern. To the outside world, it looked like Anil was working as an intern in his father’s company. But inside the company, the management knew they were raising the next generation of VS Consultancy. It was Anil’s idea; even though his parents tried to stop him, he still joined. Anil’s secret idea was at least to spend more time with his dad. But that didn’t work, as his father assigned him a job starting from the bottom level.

Anil started his work in the printing section for one year, and then moved to the designing section the next year, followed by the coding section, the marketing section, and the management section. Each day he went to college and came directly to VS Consultancy. He spent his whole day there while managing his studies as well. While Pallavi chose to study abroad, Anil chose a reputed college in Mumbai so that he could manage his work at VS Consultancy, or more conclusively, stay close to his dad.

Around the age of 23, Surya made his son Anil the CEO of VS Consultancy, while he continued to hold the chairman position. At the company anniversary party, Surya stood at the centre of the hall, the soft lights reflecting on his greying hair and calm smile. “Hello gentlemen, kindly give me your attention,” he said, holding the mic firmly. “Today is not just the anniversary of VS Consultancy. Today is the day I hand over my responsibility to the next generation.” The hall fell silent. “For years, this company was my life. I built it with mistakes, lessons, losses, and hope. I was not alone. My family, my team, and one unseen friend guided me through this journey,” he paused for a second, his eyes resting on Anil. “Today, I proudly announce Anil Suriya as the new CEO of VS Consultancy.” The hall erupted in applause. Anil stood frozen for a moment. His heart raced. He walked toward the stage, touched his father’s feet, and hugged him tightly. Surya whispered softly, “I know I was never around much. But I want you to do better than me not just in business, but in life.” Anil nodded, holding back tears, “I won’t let you down, dad. I promise.” Surya smiled, relieved, “I trust you. That’s why I’m stepping back.”

That night, after the celebrations ended, Surya and Anil sat alone in the office cabin, the same cabin where Surya had once struggled alone. Surya said, “Leadership is not about power, Anil. It’s about responsibility. People’s families depend on your decisions.” Anil replied, “I learned that by watching you… even when I felt you were too busy for us.” Surya looked at him quietly, “I know I failed there. I hope you forgive me someday.” Anil shook his head. “You didn’t fail, dad. You just taught me differently.” Surya smiled, placed his hand on Anil’s shoulder, and said, “All the best for your career and don’t forget to live.” That was their last long conversation.

A week later, early in the morning, Surya collapsed at home due to a sudden cardiac arrest. By the time they reached hospital, the doctors declared him dead. The news shattered the family. The funeral was held quietly, yet the crowd was massive employees, clients, competitors, and people Surya had helped silently over the years. Vani stood numb, Pallavi cried uncontrollably, and Anil stood still beside his father’s body, unable to process the reality. The man who guided him, scolded him, inspired him, and unknowingly shaped his entire life was gone.

After the rituals, the house felt unbearably silent. Days passed, then weeks. Anil stopped speaking much. He attended office mechanically, signed files, and sat alone in his father’s old chair. At night, he stared at Surya’s photo, the same calm smile, and the same reassuring eyes. The weight of responsibility felt heavier than ever. He blamed himself, “If I had spent more time with him…If I had said more…” Sleep escaped him. Food lost taste. Success felt meaningless. Anil, now the CEO as well as Chairman of VS Consultancy, was fighting a battle no board meeting could solve, a silent depression born from the loss of the one man he always wanted more time with.

After office, Anil returned home and went inside his dad’s room to find comfort. He started going through his dad’s memories. There was a box containing Surya’s personal pen drive with personal photos, a letter envelope which had the original letter from Anil, and many memorable things. Anil took the pen drive and started going through the albums on it using his laptop. Each photo flooded Anil with memories, making his tears flow nonstop.

For around two hours, he went through the memories. As he did, he saw a photo of Anil, the one person who was the reason behind the family’s wealth, business, and everything else. Anil looked at the photo more closely, as the original Anil had taken only one photo. The original Anil looked similar to the present Anil and Surya. While it was understandable that Anil and Surya looked alike, why this Anil looked like his dad raised concern. He remembered his dad’s words about how he had started VS Consultancy earlier and shaped it. Then one day, he left everything, leaving only a letter behind. All of this raised doubts in Anil’s mind.

He quickly took the letter from the box and read it. As he was reading, there were lines: “In the future, many things will come, a drought period where business might slow, one year of business shutdown due to political or environmental reasons, artificial intelligence. The name might sound different now, but when it comes, do not panic. Wait for one year, understand the work, and implement it in the business. Grow this business and become wealthier. Also, give money to police and some politicians to sustain it.” Reading these lines, he tried to map them to real events. The line ‘one year of business shutdown due to political or environmental reasons’ was referring to the Covid outbreak, and the AI mention aligned with the AI uprising.

Anil’s doubts arose. How could a man from 2005 know all the future outcomes? What was the mystery behind him? He still could not understand.

After one year, the world-renowned scientist Kosaki Pasapugazh introduced the first time travel machine to the world with four testers: Godson, Salim, Vishal, and Karen, on a live telecast with world-renowned people in the hall. Anil, who was watching it from his office, connected the dots and realized that the original Anil was a time traveler.

Anil had a hectic workload, but he put that aside and started researching time travel theories and paradoxes. He came across many theories and paradoxes, such as the Multiple Universe Theory, Alternate Fixed Timeline Theory, Dynamic Timeline Theory, Multiverse Theory, and Parallel Universe Theory. As he was searching for the closest theory that could explain what had happened, he found the Time-Travel Paradox. The theory states, “What if you went back in time and accidentally prevented your mother from meeting your father before you were conceived? This creates a logical contradiction: if you succeed, you would never be born, meaning you could not travel back in time to prevent their meeting, which means they would meet and conceive you, allowing you to go back and prevent it.”

Anil said to himself, “According to this, I may travel to the past, create VS Consultancy for Dad, and then return here. So it would have happened. But why should I create VS Consultancy for Dad? I need to time travel for that first. Let’s see if this machine becomes available to the public.” So Anil set the idea aside for later and focused on his administration work at VS Consultancy.

After two months, the machine was opened to the public at a high cost of 1 lakh per trip, with strict guidelines in place. The enormous wealth it promised, coupled with the curiosity about why Anil had created VS Consultancy, pushed many people to book a journey, even though the government assured that time travel had no harmful or mild effects on health. Anil, however, felt a twinge of fear about potential health risks, but his curiosity was stronger, and he couldn’t resist experiencing it for himself.

At Xentech Lab, five people were waiting in the lounge alongside Anil, all from different parts of the world. Among them was a YouTube vlogger chatting excitedly, two researchers quietly discussing theories, and a wealthy young socialite scrolling through his phone. When the receptionist called Anil’s name, he stood up and entered the time chamber. He was instantly amazed by the high-tech environment of the lab, the sleek machines, glowing panels, and humming energy all around made it feel like stepping into the future. One of the scientists approached him with a warm smile and said, “Hello, Anil sir, nice to see you.” Anil returned the greeting politely, “Nice to see you too.”

The young scientist gave him the watch. He said, “Wear this watch, sir.” Anil wore it, and then the young scientist said, “Kindly press the blue button on the watch, sir.” As soon as Anil pressed it, he was covered by the time travel suit within a second. Anil was slightly frightened by it. The young scientist said, “Sir, calm yourself. There is nothing to worry about.” Anil, inside the suit, could not hear him but could see the young scientist’s actions. So he calmed himself, and the young scientist asked him to press the watch button again.

As soon as he clicked it, the suit deformed and went inside the watch. Seeing this technology, Anil was amazed. He said, “What kind of technology is this? Totally mind blowing.” The young scientist said, “It is a special watch developed only for time travel. The suit contains protection that shields you from the radiation of time travel, sir. Also, the watch is very important, as it will be your device to return from the past.”

Anil asked, “Okay, how does the return part work?” The young scientist said, “It is simple, sir. As soon as you complete your tour in the past, use the watch. It has GPS enabled to guide you to the red spot, sir. When you reach it, the watch will blink. Then press the blue button to suit up and the red button to return. But the most important rule is do not reveal that you are a time traveller, sir. We have also already set the time period, so do not worry about that.” Anil nodded.

Then the young scientist guided him to the time travel pod. Anil clicked the blue button and suited up. Then he lay down on the pod. The pod closed, and Anil prayed to God, “God, let everything go well.” Soon the pod closed completely, and flashes of light started surrounding the suit. Unable to withstand the flashes, Anil closed his eyes. In a fraction of a second, he felt there was nothing supporting his back and his hands were moving freely. He opened his eyes and saw himself traveling through space at the speed of light, seeing various lights bending around him. In another fraction of a second, he landed in the past on 13th April 2005, on the outskirts of Tirunelveli.

Anil from another timeline then said, “This is how I reached here. Dad used to tell me he saw Anil on 13th April 2005 at the train. So I thought he could have boarded one station earlier. I chose Tirunelveli. As I arrived, I was about to enter the railway station when I saw an Anil entering the station with a bag. As I was about to follow him, I saw him. I got confused. There were two Anils, and he also started heading toward the first one. I thought it was better to catch him to understand what was happening. Here he is saying he is Dad’s son and built VS Consultancy for Dad so that Dad would not drown in debt and die. Alternate time branch. Kindly explain to me, Pasapugazh sir, what is happening here?”

Kosaki Pasapugazh then started saying, “Okay, fine. In order not to confuse things, I will call you Anil 2 and him Anil 1.” Both of them nodded. Pasapugazh continued, “First, you are both Surya’s sons. Second, you need to understand how time branches work.” Pasapugazh took a stone from the ground and drew two lines on the bench they were sitting on. Then he drew a straight line between the two lines and marked one point as 2005.

Pasapugazh explained, “So Anil 2, consider these two lines. Inside these two lines is our universe. This straight line is one of the timelines of our universe. Do you understand so far?” Anil 2 nodded. Pasapugazh continued, “This is the timeline from which I and Anil 1 come. Anil 1 was a Xentech employee who demonstrated time travel to the world. In your story, you mentioned Karen, right? In place of Karen, it was Anil 1 who did the demonstration. Anil 1’s job was to go to the past, complete the time travel objectives given to him, and return. But this idiot Anil 1 diverted from that objective, used the gold coins we gave him, and created VS Consultancy for Surya so that Surya would not suffer from poverty and could come back alive. A classic time travel movie, Anil 1 expected. Am I right?” Anil 1 nodded.

Pasapugazh drew a slant line from the 2005 point and a straight line from the end of the slant line. Pasapugazh continued, “Now comes the twist. Time travel does not work like that. It is a moving line. If you change the past, it will create another timeline from that point. It is in the same universe, but different branches.” Anil 2 said, “You are saying the same universe, interconnected branches theory, right?” Pasapugazh responded, “Yes, you have brushed up your knowledge on this.” Anil 2 smiled. Pasapugazh continued, “So what happened is it created your timeline, everything the same as in our timeline but with changes such as VS Consultancy, the surroundings around that consultancy, and your family history. Anil 1 came here to rectify what he had done, and Anil 2 came to see what happened here. This is the story of both timelines’ history.”

Anil 2 asked, “Okay, now I am able to connect the dots. So what I predicted was not the time travel paradox in my case.” Pasapugazh nodded. Anil 2 looked at Anil 1 in anger. Anil 1 said, “Why are you looking at me in anger? You should be happy that you are living a happy, rich life.” Anil 2 said, “Do you think I am happy, or Dad was happy? Do you know what we had to suffer?”

Anil 1 said, “Do you know what my life was? My dad died due to a builder scam. My family had to work hard like dirt, and my brother and I did not have a life to enjoy our childhood. All because of that money. You got that in your life. Because of that, you have been able to travel here, unlike me, who had to risk my whole career to see Dad live.”

Anil 2 said, “Yes, I was rich, so what? That does not mean I have been living an enjoyable life. Mom and Dad had to fight for the company you created. There was pressure from every side to satisfy politicians and police with money. If we went down, many families would go down too. Each day, I had to spend a lonely life in that huge house. Now, as CEO and Chairman, I have to deal with every company problem. My mom and Dad were mostly not around during major parts of my life. My sister also went abroad, so I joined the company at least to stay near them.”

Anil 1 said, “A rich brat like you does not know the value of money, like I do.” Anil 2 said, “You do not know the pain of mine, having to raise everything alone even though I had everything.” Pasapugazh interrupted, “Both of you just stop arguing with each other.” Anil 1 and Anil 2 said, “We have to know the answers.” Pasapugazh shouted, “Shut your damn mouths.”

Pasapugazh said, “Damn, I am a highly patient guy, but hearing your silly questions makes me angry.” Anil 1 and Anil 2 looked at each other. Pasapugazh then continued, “First, understand that you both are opposite poles. One was born with a silver spoon and the other is just a lower middle-class guy. The way you see life also changes. Anil 1 cares about money, and Anil 2 cares about love and affection. Everyone has their own problems.”

Pasapugazh then looked towards Anil 1. “Anil, can you assure that if you change your dad's destiny, he will live a longer life? Your dad still died due to cardiac arrest in the other timeline. Does money save him this time?” Anil 1 hesitated and said, “Sir, at least my dad would be happy. He might have lived with a smile always until the end of his life, not like he died due to stress and lived that cursed life.” Pasapugazh said, “Maybe, but that does not mean he did not have happy moments in his life.” Anil 1 fell into deep thought. Pasapugazh continued, “Anil, understand this: your dad was happy around all of you. Death is unexpected, but changing it is not in our hands.”

Anil 1 was filled with tears. Pasapugazh looked at Anil 2, “For you, your parents were not near you, and you had to spend a lonely life.” Anil 2 nodded. Pasapugazh continued, “But you need to understand one thing: your parents spent most of their time in the office so that they could give you and your sister a proper lifestyle. Also, many families depended on your company. So, you have to understand that too.”

Anil 2 nodded, and Pasapugazh then said, “For both of you, your dad is everything. But both of you need to accept what happened and move on.” Anil 1 asked, “Sir, can't we change what happened regarding the time travel?” Pasapugazh said, “You can't change time. If you try to change it, it would create another branch. You both are interconnected now. Anil 2's timeline was born because of Anil 1. So, what happened, happened.”

Later, at some moment, Pasapugazh, Anil 1, and Anil 2 were at the outskirts of Tirunelveli district. Anil 2 said, “I still cannot believe what I have seen. Pasapugazh, are you sure I will land in my timeline only?” Pasapugazh said, “See, this time travel machine is based on quantum science. It maps coordinates from one timeline to another. Even if you are from different timelines, it maps you to your timeline from where you came. It is only risky if you exchange the watch, and even that is limited.”

Anil 1 and Pasapugazh nodded. Pasapugazh said, “Also, Anil 2, tell everything that happened here to your timeline, Pasapugazh. Both of your cases are lessons for future people who try to change the past.”

Anil 2 nodded. He then looked toward Anil 1 and said, “Both of us should just move on from this whole thing and focus on our lives. At least enjoy every moment of life we have.” Anil 1 said, “Take care of VS Consultancy. It is in your hands.” Anil 2 nodded and walked a few steps away from them. The watch started blinking red. He pressed the blue button to suit up first, then the red button. Soon, a beam of light fell upon him, and Anil 2 vanished.

Pasapugazh and Anil watched the alternative branch Anil go to his timeline. As he was gone, Pasapugazh put his hand on Anil's shoulder. Pasapugazh said, “Also, sir, what should I do with you for doing such idiotic stuff?” Anil hesitated. “Sir, if you want me to resign from the company, I will do it. But please, sir, don't file any case or impose a hefty fine. I can't bear that.”

Pasapugazh laughed, and both of them started heading to their jump point. Pasapugazh said, “Let's see to that when we go to our present timeline.” Anil smiled at that. Both Anils decided to live their own lives now, concentrating on their own paths, while Anil 2 would look after his company and Anil 1's fate at Xentech would be decided by Kosaki Pasapugazh. Come on, do you think anyone would leave Anil after doing such a thing? At least we hope whatever Pasapugazh decides will not be too harmful.

Time, in the end, did not reward those who tried to conquer it, nor did it punish them outright. It simply revealed a quiet truth: that every life, whether born in struggle or abundance, carries its own invisible weight. Anil learned that love cannot rewrite destiny, only give it meaning; Anil learned that wealth cannot replace presence, only delay understanding. Between two timelines and one shared soul, the universe remained indifferent, branching, flowing, moving forward, while humans learned the hardest lesson of all: the past is not meant to be fixed, only remembered, and the future is not meant to be controlled, only lived.