The Lost Time - 2

 The morning air was crisp, the kind that bites at your skin and fills your lungs with a sharp chill. A veil of mist hung low over the rugged Himalayan terrain, blurring the edges of the world. Within the safety of their camps, the group huddled near the fire, its amber flames crackling softly, casting a warm glow against the cold shadows. Sia, however, was elsewhere.

Wrapped in a plain, oversized shawl that did little to shield her from the cold, Sia wandered away from the campsite. Her boots crunched against the frost-kissed ground, leaving faint imprints on the snow-dusted path. She was oblivious to the beauty around her—the towering deodar trees standing like sentinels, the faint rays of the sun trying to pierce through the dense fog. Her mind was consumed by memories, guilt pressing down on her like an unseen weight.

She stopped suddenly and looked up at the vast expanse of the sky. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks, glistening in the faint light.

"Time... it slips through our fingers," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You can earn back anything in this world but not time. Time never grants second chances." Her mother’s words echoed in her mind, making her heart ache.

Her breath hitched as she spoke, her voice breaking, "I was a fool... a fool to ask for a wish that will never come true. But still... all I want is the lost time. The time that could take me back, stop me from making those choices, undo the pain that took my family away. Is that too much to ask?" She wept bitterly, her gaze fixed on the indifferent heavens. "Is it really impossible?" she cried out into the void.

A low, resonant voice cut through the silence. "Do you truly believe your assumptions reflect reality?"

Startled, Sia spun around, searching for the source of the voice. The fog around her thickened, blurring her vision, until a tall figure emerged. Draped entirely in flowing white robes, the man exuded an aura of calm yet unshakable strength. His long, untamed hair framed a weathered face that seemed to carry the wisdom of countless ages.

Sia furrowed her brows, her confusion evident.

The man approached her with unhurried steps, stopping just a few paces away. His deep-set eyes bore into hers. "The world," he began, his voice steady and deliberate, "is nothing but a mirage. It preys on your helplessness, twisting it into a false reality. To trust only your eyes and ears is to allow yourself to be deceived. There is more beyond what you perceive, but few dare to seek it."

As he spoke, his words carried a cryptic weight that only deepened Sia’s bewilderment. He turned to leave, his robes swaying with his movements.

"Wait!" she called out, her voice trembling. "Who are you? And what do you mean?"

He paused, a faint smile curling at his lips. "No human can understand me or my words without living them," he said enigmatically. Before Sia could respond, the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears. The stillness of the forest was abruptly shattered by a distant growl.

Her heart leapt into her throat. The unmistakable roar of a tiger echoed through the trees, sending a chill down her spine. The fog seemed to close in tighter, as though mocking her fear.

“We need to leave,” she whispered urgently, her voice barely audible. “It’s a tiger. If we stay, it’ll—”

The man remained rooted to the spot, his calm demeanor unshaken. His serene expression, so out of place in this moment, unnerved her.

“What are you doing? Are you insane?” Sia hissed, clutching his arm. “We have to move! It’ll kill us!”

But his unyielding grip held her in place, his strength far surpassing hers. Her attempts to pull him along were futile.

“Let go!” she pleaded, panic rising in her voice. “Do you want to die? Are you trying to get me killed too?”

Her words were cut short as the tiger emerged from the mist. Its striped coat gleamed in the faint light, muscles rippling with every step. It was no more than ten strides away now, its golden eyes fixed on them with predatory intent.

Sia’s breath came in short, frantic gasps. Sweat beaded on her forehead despite the biting cold. The roar of the beast grew louder, reverberating in her chest.

She turned to the man, desperation written all over her face. But he remained unmoved, his serene smile unwavering.

The tiger crouched low, its powerful hind legs coiled like springs. Sia’s heart stopped as it lunged, a blur of orange and black. Her scream pierced the air as she braced for the inevitable, her eyes squeezing shut.