[ Location: Beneath the Banyan, Nightfall ]
The night had thickened, cloaking the forest in a velvet hush. Shadows mingled with moonlight as if nature itself was holding its breath. Only the ancient banyan remained aglow—not with light, but with memory, with presence. The air around it shimmered faintly, as though caught between two worlds.
Aarav sat still, legs crossed in the same spot as before. His body was motionless, but his mind stirred with quiet turmoil. Yet something within him was no longer at rest. The dream he had seen had not faded—it lingered, echoing like a bell struck in silence, refusing to be forgotten.
Beside him, the guide lay unmoving. Yet now, the stranger's breath had grown steadier. Slow, but no longer shallow. The flicker of life within him was faint, yet pulsing like a distant drumbeat — a rhythm that matched the forest's hidden heart.
Aarav stared downward at the earth. His gaze fixed upon a single leaf that had fallen between them. It hadn't blown away. It remained—undisturbed, still, present. Just like the truth he couldn't yet name, but could sense beneath the silence.
He closed his eyes.
Not to sleep.
To listen.
To surrender to the stillness, to reach beyond thought and memory.
And from within that silence, something stirred—not a voice, not a vision. A feeling. Faint at first, like a ripple beneath the surface.
A root.
It pulsed deep below the soil of his thoughts. Not as memory, but as longing. A deep, aching pull—not just to understand, but to belong. As though his soul was reaching backward into something ancient and forgotten, yet still alive.
Vision Fragment
Suddenly, Aarav opened his eyes—but the world was no longer as it had been.
The banyan still stood before him, but it appeared older, far older. Its bark bore marks like script, and its branches stretched wider, more majestic, adorned with leaves that glowed faintly blue, like starlight caught in foliage.
A figure stood before him—not the guide. Not even human.
It was cloaked in shifting light, its form undefined. Faceless, yet strangely familiar, as if pulled from some place just beyond recognition.
It extended a hand toward him, slowly, with grace.
From its open palm, a cradle emerged once again—just as he had seen in the earlier vision. But this time, it wasn't empty. Within the tiny wooden curve, a soft light shimmered and rocked, flickering like a candle in wind. Fragile. Alive.
"You were seen," the figure whispered, though it had no lips. Its voice resonated within Aarav's chest, vibrating through bone and blood. "Before you were named."
Then—silence.
The image shattered like glass rippling into water, and the banyan returned to stillness.
Return
Aarav gasped and clutched his chest as if his heart had been pulled through time. The cold wind returned, brushing his skin. The forest had returned to what it had always been: quiet, dim, and real.
But something within him had shifted.
It was not the same Aarav who had closed his eyes.
Something within had cracked—not in pain, but in release. Like a shell giving way to something unborn. Like a truth that had been hiding beneath layers of doubt.
He looked at the guide.
Still breathing.
Still silent.
But now, the silence was no longer empty. It held something. An invitation. A waiting.
Then, the guide stirred.
Not much—just a slight turn of the head, and one eye opened halfway.
"You saw something," he murmured, voice dry as wind over stone.
"I don't know what it was," Aarav whispered.
"Good," the guide said. "If you did, it would only trap you."
Aarav hesitated. "Was it real?"
The guide's gaze, unfocused but deep, lingered on the space beyond the branches.
"Truth is not real or unreal. It's remembered—or forgotten."
A pause.
Aarav's voice trembled. "Am I… remembering?"
The guide didn't answer immediately. When he finally spoke, it was softer, like a hush before a storm.
"Not yet. But something… has begun."
And with that, the guide closed his eyes again.
But Aarav remained wide awake.
He could no longer tell if he was following a path, or if the path was slowly unfolding within him.
[End Of Chapter]
From the Author:
I hope this story brings you joy — and opens the door to a new world of discovery.If you're reading this, it means you're already walking this path with me.Truly, I'm grateful for your support — and I promise to make this journey one you'll always remember.
✨ If this story stirred something in you — a question, a feeling, a flicker of truth — leave a comment below. Your thoughts might just be part of Aarav's journey too. 🌿💬
💬 What do you think Aarav saw?❤️ Vote if the vision resonated with you.🔁 Share this if you're following Aarav's path of awakening.📌 Bookmark — more glimpses lie ahead.