Black rain fell heavy as guilt, each drop burning like poison on Kartik's bruised skin. The courtyard lay ruined—stone shattered, bodies still or writhing in agony. In the center of it all, Maayak raised his palm swirling with dark power, aimed at the terrified little girl whose eyes glistened with desperate hope.
Kartik's heart thundered, but his limbs felt numb, his strength swallowed by despair. His gaze rose toward the towering statue of Shiva, rain streaming down the god's carved face like silent tears.
And something inside Kartik broke.
With breath ragged, voice hoarse, he whispered—not to the enemies before him, but to the stone presence above.
"I know… I have not trusted you all these years.
And I definitely deserve to be punished for that…
But this… this is too much.
Please… help us stop these people.
Otherwise, all of your devotees will die.
My friends… my last hope to live a life without fear… everything will be ruined."
His words shook with raw truth—honesty he'd never dared admit, even to himself.
"I know I may not deserve your power right now…
But just this once… only this once…
Please, grant me enough power to defeat these monsters in human flesh.
Because I… I cannot bear to see a child killed in front of me."
Tears blurred his vision, mingling with the cursed rain. His broken hand scraped across the wet stone as he bowed his head.
"Just this once…
And I swear, I will devote my life to you.
Just protect us… please… Lord Shiva."
His voice faded into the roar of rain and screams.
And as Maayak's hand began its deadly descent a strange vibration pulsed through the air.
Kartik gasped. The sound felt like the deep echo of a drum, far yet near, ancient yet alive. Shadows halted. Black rain froze in midair, each drop hanging like a glass bead. Agastyan's flickering flame stopped mid-sway; Ranthak's wounded roar silenced, mouth still open but unmoving.
Everything stopped.
Except Kartik.
Breath shaking, he rose shakily to one knee, staring in awe. "What… what is happening?"
The dying courtyard lay frozen in a single moment of time. His heartbeat pounded louder than ever.
Then his gaze turned back to the statue and the statue changed and kartik was able to see all the space and countless galaxies in to the statue.
A pull, invisible yet irresistible, tugged at his soul.
Before Kartik could speak, the world dissolved.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
He stood in a pitch-black plane, the ground beneath his feet hard yet undefined. No sky, no walls, no horizon—only endless night.
Kartik turned, searching desperately. "Where… am I?"
No answer came. The silence felt absolute, like a tomb of eternity.
Yet in the distance, a flicker of warm light blinked into existence.
Hope sparked. Kartik stumbled forward, each step echoing in the nothingness. As he drew closer, the light revealed itself: a small flame dancing atop a stone pedestal, its glow carving a small circle of golden warmth in the sea of black.
He reached out, breath caught in his throat.
Before his fingers touched the flame, a calm voice resonated Kartik :
"What do you want?"
Kartik flinched. His heart raced, fear and awe warring within him.
Swallowing hard, he answered, voice shaking, "I… I want power."
"Power?" the flame whispered, its light flickering gently.
"But why? You are already powerful by yourself. Why do you seek more?"
Kartik's mind reeled. His lips parted, and the truth poured out.
"I want… to protect everyone I care about.
My friends, my teachers, the children… they're all dying.
I don't care what happens to me—but I can't let them suffer and die."
A soft laugh, warm yet sad, rose from the flame.
"You wish to protect everyone… but who are you to protect them?
If their creator himself does not intervene, why do you feel you must?"
Kartik's mouth opened, then closed. He thought—really thought—past fear, past pain.
"Because… I love them," he whispered, voice cracking.
"And they're the only ones who love me back.
They gave me a home, a purpose… a reason to keep living.
I can't… I won't abandon them."
Silence reigned, the flame swaying gently.
"See… that is what holds you back, Kartik," the voice murmured, gentle as falling ash.
"You do not yet know who you truly are… nor the depth of your own power."
"You see only with your open eyes—only one percent of reality.
The remaining ninety-nine percent, the truth of this world… remains hidden from you."
Kartik's eyes stung with tears. "Then… how can I see? How can I know? And how can I get the power to protect them now?"
The flame burned brighter, shadows dancing beyond its edge.
"You must walk the sacred path," the voice said. Walk as your destiny wants you to and you will achieve everything."
Only then will you discover who you truly are—and what you are meant to become."
"And only then will you attain the greatest strength a human can ever hope for."
Desperation knifed through Kartik. "But… I can't! I can't wait that long! They'll die—my friends, that little girl… they'll all die before I even begin!"
Tears flowed freely now, hot against cold skin.
"Please… I beg you," Kartik sobbed, chest heaving.
"They trusted me… they believed in me.
I can't stand here and watch them die."
The flame grew still, as if listening to the beat of his heart.
Then, softly, almost like a sigh:
"I cannot let my dear children die, Kartik.
That is why you were chosen—to stand here at this moment."
"Everything that has happened, every pain, every step—it was all written. Nothing in this world happens without reason."
"And so… for a brief moment, I will let you taste what lies beyond your sight. The power of an enlightened human who knows the truth."
"I will unlock this power that is hidden inside you for a little while.Use it wisely—to protect the weak and to drive back the darkness."
Also do remember you are also my child and I will always cherish you and keep you protected and then kartik thinks whose voice is it and why did the voice called everyone it's children and the light fades away and kartik snap open his eyes in the real world...
To be continued.....
Note - Please add to your library and do comments about the chapter!!!!