"Right indeed!" Dr. Bilasi's voice boomed in Ram's head, startling him so badly he nearly jumped out of his chair. "Because, let's face it, buddy, you've made a right royal mess of things! Dust off your bootstraps, Ram, because we're about to embark on a temporal tango!"
Ram blinked, utterly bewildered. "Temporal... tango? What are you talking about?"
"Time travel, my dear Ram, time travel! I've been tinkering down here in your grey matter for a while now, observing our little 'Babu problem.' And I, with my unparalleled genius, have devised the solution!" Bilasi declared with theatrical flair.
Suddenly, a holographic projection flickered into existence above Ram's desk – a sleek, silver wristwatch pulsating with soft blue light. "Behold! The Chrono-Corrective Chronometer! Or… the CCC, for short. Catchy, isn't it? I'm thinking of merchandising. Keychains, mugs…"
Ram stared at the watch, then back at his computer, then back at the watch. His brain felt like it was trying to run Windows 95 on a quantum computer. "Time travel? You're saying this… this watch can… undo everything Babu did?"
“Well, not exactly undo, more like… re-do with improvements!" Bilasi corrected. "Think of it as a cosmic software update. We're going back, fixing the bugs Babu introduced into the system. And by ‘we,’ I mean you, with my impeccable guidance, of course. I'm more of a behind-the-scenes genius type. Plus, you're the one with the magic and VFX skills, darling!”
Ram cautiously reached out and touched the watch. It felt cool and strangely familiar against his skin. As he buckled it on, a dizzying rush of images flooded his mind – glimpses of the earthquakes, the floods, the wildfires... Babu's twisted, triumphant face.
"Alright Bilasi, I’m in" Ram said with a newly found determination and confidence in his voice , "Tell me what’s our plan , to undo this terror ? "
"Excellent!" Bilasi chirped. "The plan is as follows: We target the source. Those ridiculous rituals Babu performed from that ancient book. We nip those in the bud, prevent him from gaining that initial power. And, most importantly, we have to… well, how shall I put this delicately… convince him he's being a monumental berk!"
Ram groaned. "Convince Babu? After everything he’s done?"
"Look, Ram," Bilasi said, his tone becoming surprisingly serious. "Babu is a part of you. Destroying him isn't the answer. We need to reach him, understand his pain, and show him a better way. Plus, knowing what you will be doing in the future, that is going to be a big advantage for us , don't you think?"
And with that, Bilasi activated the CCC, the room around Ram dissolving into a vortex of swirling colors. He felt a gut-wrenching lurch as time twisted and turned, flinging him backward through the years.
He landed with a thump in his childhood bedroom, surrounded by posters of dinosaurs and half-finished Lego castles. Standing before him, wide-eyed and clutching the leather-bound book, was a younger version of himself... Babu, a boy consumed by curiosity and a yearning for power.
"Alright Babu, Let’s have a serious talk son" Ram said calmly , "Before you make a very big mistake "
The next few weeks were a blur of time jumps and confrontations. Ram, guided by Bilasi's scientific knowledge and his own growing understanding of Babu's motivations, attempted to steer his younger self away from the dark path. He used his VFX skills to create illusions, showcasing the real-world consequences of the book's magic. He showed Babu visions of the pain and suffering he would cause.
Bilasi, meanwhile, kept the technological side of things running smoothly, constantly tweaking the CCC and providing witty (and often inappropriate) commentary. "Oh, look, Ram's talking to his younger self about responsibility! I'm going to need a bigger bucket for all this sap!" he'd quip during particularly emotional moments.
But Babu, even as a child, was stubborn and resistant to change. He saw Ram's warnings as threats, his pleas as weakness. The book, now imbued with even darker energy due to Ram and Babu's tampering with time, had solidified its grip on his mind.
During one particularly fraught time jump, Ram confronted Babu just as he was about to perform a particularly dangerous ritual. "Stop it, Babu! This is going to hurt people!"
"They deserve it!" Babu spat, his eyes glowing with malevolent glee. "They laughed at me! They ignored me! Now, they will feel my power!"
Suddenly, the room shimmered, and a figure materialized beside Babu. It was Babu, but twisted and corrupted, a grotesque manifestation of all his negative emotions – the Evil Babu.
"You cannot stop me, Ram!" Evil Babu cackled. "This world will be mine!"
"Oh dear," Bilasi muttered. "This is not ideal.”
The fight was brutal. Evil Babu possessed the full force of the corrupted magic, and Ram, despite his knowledge and experience, was outmatched. He used his magic knowledge to conjure protective shields and blasts of energy, but Evil Babu deflected them with ease.
"Think, Ram, think!" Bilasi yelled. "He's powered by negative emotions! Find a way to disrupt the source!"
As Evil Babu launched another attack, Ram remembered something Babu had said earlier: He was ridiculed and ignored as a child. An idea sparked in Ram's mind. He closed his eyes, focused all his mental energy, and projected an image toward Babu: a vision of himself and Babu, playing together as children, laughing and carefree. A vision of acceptance and love.
For a moment, Evil Babu faltered, his form flickering and unstable. Ram seized the opportunity, channeling all his remaining energy into a powerful blast of positive energy, amplified by the love and understanding he felt for his younger self.
The blast struck Evil Babu, causing him to scream in agony as his form dissolved into nothingness. The corrupted magic dissipated, leaving Babu weak and trembling.
Ram rushed to Babu's side, kneeling before him. "It's okay, Babu," he said softly. "It's over. You're safe now."
Babu looked up at Ram, his eyes filled with tears. "I… I didn't mean for any of this to happen," he whispered. "I just wanted to be powerful."
"I know," Ram said, embracing his younger self. "We all do. But power comes with responsibility. It's about using your abilities to help others, not to hurt them."
And in that moment, something shifted within Babu. The darkness receded, replaced by a glimmer of hope. He finally understood what Ram, and Bilasi, had been trying to tell him all along.
With the timeline restored, Ram returned to his present, exhausted but exhilarated. He saw his computer, his VFX station. He looked at the silver Chrono-Corrective Chronometer on his wrist, a symbol of the adventure he has just finished.. The world was safe. For now.
"Well, that was a close one, eh, Ram?" Bilasi said, his voice filled with relief. "I think we deserve a celebratory cup of tea. Or maybe something stronger... I'm thinking a nice single-malt from the Cretaceous period. What do you say?"
Ram chuckled. "Maybe later, Bilasi. Right now, I think we have bigger fish to fry."
"Oh?" Bilasi asked, intrigued. "And what, pray tell, could be bigger than nearly destroying the entire timeline?"
"The multiverse, Bilasi," Ram said, a determined glint in his eyes. "There are probably countless other versions of Babu out there, causing chaos and destruction. And it's up to us – all of us – to stop them."
He looked within himself to see Babu standing there with a smile "I’m with you Ram , let’s save the multiverse . "Babu said
He looked again to see Bilasi nodding . "I'm always with you Ram"Bilasi said
Ram activated the CCC, setting the coordinates for a new destination, a new adventure. Together, Ram, Babu, and Bilasi, the VFX artist, the reformed dark magician, and the eccentric scientist, embarked on a new journey, ready to face whatever threats the multiverse threw their way. After all, saving the world was much easier when you had a few personalities to help you out. And a very snarky time-traveling watch powered with magic.