Mystery of Illusion and Myths

Prologue

"Please, help her!"

"No, it's not my place to get involved. She made her choices, and now she has to face the consequences."

"Please, I'm begging you. She's my mother! How can you just sit here and watch her suffer? If you won't help, I will," I said, my voice firm as I pushed my way through the crowd.

The crowd was growing angrier and more violent by the second. Stones were flying, and some people were encouraging others to join in. Seeing my mom in pain and fear made my heart race, and each breath felt heavy. I shoved my way through the chaos, just in time to shield her from the hail of stones. Soon, I was the one on target.

When a stone the size of a coin struck my cheek, I winced, my left hand instinctively reaching for the pain while I kept Mom shielded behind me with my right. I pulled my hand back, only to see it smeared with blood. Before I could fully grasp what was happening, an unsettling silence fell over the scene. I looked up to see the crowd and even my mom frozen in place—some with their hands raised to throw stones, others frozen mid-yell, and a few just standing, staring. It was as if time had stopped, leaving only me moving.

Then I saw him—his dangerous gaze cutting through the crowd as he pushed people aside, coming straight for me.

With each step he took, it became harder to breathe and harder to focus. The adrenaline drained from my body, replaced by dizziness. Everything went blurry, and I felt myself falling. As I tumbled into the darkness, I could barely whisper his name.

"Rudra."