The war between gods and demons shattered the balance of the universe.
Now, mortals are chosen to rise against an ancient chaos threatening to engulf humanity. Guided by divine artifacts and powers shrouded in mystery, they are thrust into a battle...
My eyes snapped open, and a sharp, throbbing pain hammered inside my head. Everything around me felt strange, as if I weren't fully awake. The room blurred, like I was looking through foggy glass. Slowly, the haze cleared, but my body felt stiff, like I hadn't moved in weeks.
"Where am I?" I whispered, my voice shaky and hoarse. The silence around me made my words seem unnervingly loud. I looked down at myself-dressed in a plain hospital gown, my arms and chest wrapped in bandages. Faint bruises dotted my skin, but the ache inside me was worse-deeper. It wasn't just physical. Something was missing, something important.
"Baba..." The word slipped out before I could stop it, and my chest tightened. Where is Baba?
A low murmur from a television broke the silence. The sound was faint, muffled by static, but there was an urgency in the voice that grabbed my attention. I turned toward the TV in the corner of the room, squinting at the screen.
The words I read hit me like a thunderbolt.
"TRAGEDY AT KALA VAIKUNTHA: MASS DEATH AT VIDHWANS MAHA YAJNA..."
Kala Vaikuntha. Maha Yajna. The names stirred something inside me, sending a cold wave of dread over me. My trembling hand reached for the remote, and I turned up the volume. The reporter's voice, now clear and sharp, filled the room.
"In the dense forests of Varanasi, near the Kaal Bhairav Temple, thousands gathered for the Vidhwans Maha Yajna. But what should have been a sacred event turned into a nightmare last night. Nearly everyone in attendance is dead-except for a handful of survivors. The cause remains unknown, but each victim was found with a strange symbol carved into their foreheads."
The screen flashed with images of lifeless bodies, their faces frozen in terror. My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat. But it was the symbol-etched into their skin-that caught my attention.
I knew it.
The realization hit me with an icy shock, sending shivers down my spine.
"I was there," I murmured, my voice barely audible as flashes of memory pierced through the fog in my mind.
Baba and I had been there together. I could see his face now-smiling as he explained the importance of the yajna. His warm hand gripping my wrist tightly, guiding me through the crowd. Then... chaos. His face, twisted in pain. The sound of him calling my name. The memory shattered after that, leaving only darkness.
I clutched the pendant around my neck-its ruby and lotus design still warm in my palm. Baba had given it to me. It felt hot against my skin, its weight heavier than usual. As I held it, a strange sensation spread through me.
A pulse.
Not just from the pendant. From me.
It started faint, but then it grew stronger, aligning with the rhythm of my heartbeat. A whisper seemed to float through my mind, quiet but insistent.
Look outside.
I didn't know why, but I obeyed. My legs moved of their own accord, carrying me toward the window. I pulled back the curtains, and my breath caught in my throat.
The sky was broken. Clouds swirled in shades of black and red, like an open wound in the heavens. The ground trembled beneath me, each jolt vibrating through my bones. The air itself seemed alive, charged with an energy I couldn't explain.
The pendant pulsed harder, urging me forward. Then came a sharp knock at the hospital room door-quick, loud, and startling in the stillness. My pulse spiked.
Another knock, stronger this time. My hands shook as I moved toward the door, each step feeling heavier than the last. I gripped the knob, my breath shallow, and hesitated. Finally, I opened it.
Two cloaked figures stood on the other side, their faces hidden in shadow. Their presence felt overwhelming, like the air around them crackled with an unearthly charge.
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"Who are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
One of the figures stepped forward and lowered his hood. My breath caught as recognition hit me like a wave.
"Na... Narad Muni?" I stammered, the name tumbling out before I could stop it. It couldn't be real. Stories, legends-he belonged to those, not here. Yet here he was, standing before me.
He smiled warmly, his gaze calm yet piercing. "Yes, child. It is me."
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. "Why are you here?"
Before he could answer, the second figure stepped forward, lowering his hood. He was younger, with sharp features and an air of quiet strength. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, it felt like time stopped. There was something in his gaze-familiar, as if I had seen him in another life.
"This is Vishendra," Narad Muni said, gesturing toward him. "And we are here because your time has come."
"Time? For what?" My voice cracked as the pendant throbbed again, its pulse now stronger than ever.
Narad Muni's expression softened. "The forces of this world are shifting. The balance is breaking. You have a role to play, Ishani."
I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. "A role? My father is dead. Everything I cared about is gone. How can any of this matter now?"
Vishendra stepped closer, his voice steady, yet full of quiet strength. "You can let the chaos consume you, or you can fight it. The choice is yours."
I looked down at the pendant, its faint light pulsing like a heartbeat, as if alive. The storm outside raged on, the fractured sky mirroring the turmoil in my heart.
Deep down, I knew there wasn't really a choice.
I took a shaky breath, then met their eyes. "I'll come with you."
Narad Muni's smile grew, his gaze filled with approval. "Good. The journey begins now."
With one last look at the ruined sky, I stepped forward, leaving the pieces of my old life behind.
