🌲 Location:Forest Path, West of the Banyan Clearing
Some time passed as he wandered deeper into the forest. Suddenly, rain began to fall—slow at first, then slightly heavier—carrying with it the pure, earthy scent of wet soil. Aarav moved along an unknown path, each step drawing him further into the forest's quiet embrace. The world of his emotions seemed to fade with the drizzle, replaced by the raw, immediate reality of the rain-soaked woods.
"A curse does not sleep — it waits for you to pause." — Old Saying
The forest path was so narrow the trees almost touched overhead.
Only thin strips of evening light slipped through the leaves.
Every step sank into damp soil. The smell of wet earth and moss filled the air.
Aarav walked in silence.
The banyan tree… the quiet talks with the guide… and then finding him gone it all felt far away, like something from another life.
That's when it hit.
A sharp pain burned behind his forehead. Not the calm warning Ajna sometimes gave, but the same stabbing fire from the night it first opened.
It stole his breath. His knees shook.
Why now?
🌫️ A Strange Scent
A faint smell reached him.
Smoke.
But it was strange — bitter and heavy. Not wood smoke. Not cooking.
The trees were still wet from the rain. Nothing here should be burning.
A chill ran down his arms.
Then a whisper came. Not in his mind. Not as a vision.
Right behind his ear.
"You're not alone on this road."
He turned fast.
No one.
Only the empty path and thin mist curling over fallen leaves.
He grabbed the scroll from his satchel.
No shifting letters this time. Only numbers.
743 days remain.
The ink bled at the edges, like it was melting away.
A new line scratched itself across the parchment:
"The curse hunts in absence. Move, or be moved."
The words glowed once… then faded.
💨Ashfall
Something fell from the branches above.
Not leaves.
Not rain.
Ash.
One flake landed on his shoulder.
It burned through his tunic and stung his skin.
When he brushed it off, the burn mark stayed — and spread into a faint shape.
A lotus.
Then another.
Seven chakra marks appeared across his arms and chest…
All except one.
The Throat mark was missing.
A shadow moved in the fog ahead.
It came closer — slow steps, calm, certain.
The person was wrapped in a cloak of black feathers, silver ash on every tip. Their face was hidden.
Then they looked up.
Silver eyes. The same color his own had glowed when Ajna first opened.
"You're not ready," the figure said.
Their lips didn't move.
The voice was strange — like many voices speaking together.
"The one you seek has no form.
The one who seeks you wears your face."
Aarav took a step forward.
"What does that mean? Who are you?"
The figure tilted their head, as if listening to something far away. Then they turned.
The path ahead was gone.
In its place stretched black water, still and endless, fading into mist.
The stranger walked onto it.
The water didn't move under their feet.
Aarav stopped at the edge.
The surface shimmered with colors. Orange light swirled like the glow of Svadhisthana. Blue light flashed like the mark of Visuddha.
His heart raced. The path behind him was gone too, swallowed by fog.
He stepped forward.
The moment his boot touched the surface, the ground gave way.
⏳ The Two Gates
He fell.
The last thing he saw was the silver-eyed stranger disappearing into the mist.
Then he was standing.
To his left — the orange glow of Svadhisthana.
Warm, flowing, alive.
To his right — the blue glow of Visuddha.
Cool, sharp, unshaking.
The two lights pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
Not together. Against each other.
Like two predators circling the same prey.
The air trembled.
"Two gates," the voice whispered from nowhere.
"And only one path through."
Aarav's throat tightened.
He knew whichever side he stepped toward would open… and the other would close.
And both called to him.
📜 [End of Chapter 22]
Hey readers! 📝 Drop your thoughts and wildest theories 🔮—something unexpected is coming ⚡, and it's going to surprise you 😮. You definitely don't want to miss what happens next 👀, so stay tuned! ⏳