Vishnu's Internal Monologue
The smell of blood.
The sound of his heartbeat, fading like a drum swallowed by distance.
I remember it so clearly… the moment I first met her—my mother.
A blurry memory, yet so warm it pierced the fog of death. She picked me up after I fell while playing, her hands rough but soft, like they were stitched from the fabric of love itself.
That was the first time I felt comfort in this world.
My father… a man of calloused hands and tired shoulders. No matter how late he returned home, he'd still find time to smile, to play, to say, "I'm proud of you, son."
They were so happy when I got into school. So scared when I fell sick. I was so proud when I got into college to pursue my education.
And then, there was her—Sumati.
I met her in my final year. She laughed when I stumbled over my words, then invited me to her birthday party.
We grew close. Slowly. Too slow.
My parents resisted. Love marriage? In Shambhala, it was seen as a selfish sin, a betrayal of family duty.
But we fought. We endured.
In the end, we were stronger.
The day I found out I would be a father was the happiest day of my life.
I was so happy.
I was so happy.
And then… You came into my life, Bhagya—my light.
I tried so hard to be a good father. A good son. A good husband.
And now, standing here at the edge of death, I realize something…
I'm glad I tried.
____________________________________________________
Vishnu collapsed into Bhagya's arms, blood soaking both of them.
"Father?!" Bhagya's voice cracked as he shook him, panic clawing through his chest. "What happened? This isn't funny! FATHER!" The sun was setting
The atmosphere was getting darker and darker with every instance of that horror.
Kira stood above them, eyes cold, his shadow stretching long across the room.
"How does it feel…" Kira's voice was quiet but sharp as broken glass. "…to see your parents like this?"
Bhagya ignored him, pressing trembling hands against his father's wounds, desperate to stop the bleeding. "Don't die! Please, don't die!"
Before Bhagya could do anything, a sudden boot slammed into his stomach. Bhagya was cornered by a wall along Vishnu. Bhagya felt true fear for the first time in his life. The sight was so horrifying and painful to watch that even the sanest person would go insane.
"UGH!" He vomited, the air ripped from his lungs.
"You little piece of shit," Kira hissed, his voice dripping with disdain. "You don't deserve my courtesy. I asked so kindly… but you? You deserve no mercy,".Kira declared angrily.
Kira's hand tightened on the sword. His lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Let me end your suffering quickly."
Time froze. The wind howled. Heat surged inside Vishnu's body, burning like molten lava.
The atmosphere became heavy and darker; the smell of blood was increasing.
Divine voice declared
"ROOT CHAKRA ACTIVATED!"
As a desperate attempt to save Bhagya, Vishnu raised his hand to warn Kira to stop the unfair execution.
"You should be dead. What the hell are you?" Kira spoke, annoyed
The words didn't come from any human mouth. They thundered, like the earth itself was screaming.
Vishnu, barely conscious, raised his head. "Stay… away from him…!!" His voice cracked and broke, every syllable drenched in blood and pain.
Kira sneered. "Still resisting?"
He lifted his blade, the steel catching the faint light like a wolf's fang.
"Let's finish this. Now I can finally get my revenge. I will not spare you."
Step.
Another step.
"So you die, Vishnu."
Something in Vishnu's chest froze. That voice… he had heard it before.
Not in this life. Not in any life he could recall. But deep in his soul, a whisper said: This is not the end.
CRASH!
The wall behind Kira exploded into shards of stone and dust.
From the smoke, a small figure emerged—swift, sharp, dual swords in hand. Her silhouette was lit by the setting sun streaming through the broken wall.
Bhagya blinked, his vision blurred by tears.
"T-That's… the girl! The one who smiled at me earlier!"
Before Kira could react, the figure moved.
She didn't run—she unleashed.
A spinning kick slammed into Kira's chest, the impact cracking the floor beneath his feet.
Kira flew back, crashing several meters away, his sword skidding across the ground.
Vishnu's eyes widened. (That's her… the girl who led us here…)
A strange voice, neither male nor female, echoed in the silence:
"Fate was sealed. But the Destiny Resistors have entered the stage."
The girl turned, her eyes locking onto Bhagya's tear-stained face.
"Hey, kid. You okay? Hurt anywhere?"
Bhagya, trembling and blood-soaked, snapped back.
"Kid? You're a kid too! Don't talk down to me!"
She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Huh. Want me to leave you lying here like this?"
She turned slightly, her swords gleaming.
"Didn't think so. Sit tight and let me work."
She adjusted her grip on the blades, muttering under her breath:
"Be grateful, kid. Say thank you. I'm not here to kill you."
But Bhagya's anger cracked through his fear.
"I don't even know what's happening! If you knew this would happen… why didn't you save my father?!"
Kira from debris of industry quickly rose and....
CRACK!
A blur.
Kira's boot slammed into the girl's ribs, sending her tumbling. She crashed beside Bhagya and Vishnu, her swords clattering across the floor.
Kira's voice came, low and vicious:
"You all, my rights are precious, how dare you kick me without any declaration, a direct attack on me, they are a violation of my rights, isn't it? Hey girl, you are not getting away with this." Said Kira in anger, his red eye flickered, and he said:
"You think I ever cared about you two?" said while seeing Vishnu and Bhagya from a short distance.
He stepped forward, eyes wild with fury.
"Every moment I played the 'friend,' I was laughing inside. I gave you those Non-Corruptor clothes for a reason—so everyone would see you as the scum you really are."
He placed his boot on one of the girl's swords, kicking it aside.
Kira raised his blade, pointing it at Vishnu.
"This world doesn't need weak hearts like yours, Vishnu. Your death was inevitable…"
A grin twisted across his blood-smeared face.
"…I just made sure you'd feel every second of it."
Bhagya's monologue:
This is not supposed to be the outer world I thought it would be, but it is just constant suffering; everyone here suffers, it's just a false utopia rather than a carefree world.
"I hate this world, I hate this world," screamed Bhagya while crying.
[To Be Continued in Part 2]