The road southward was carved in silence. Neither Lakshya nor Tarka spoke much — their minds were heavy with the whispers of Shunyaka, the Devourer of Meaning. The cultists they had fought weren't mere raiders; they were fragments of something darker. Something that didn't just kill — but erased.
By the second night of travel, the landscape had shifted from rugged mountains to marshy lowlands. In the distance, a pale blue glow rose from the horizon, as if the sky itself had sunk into the earth.
"That's Nilaya," Tarka murmured. "The Drowned City. It used to be called 'The City of Stars.' Now… it's a tomb."
🌊 The Approach to Nilaya
At dawn, they reached the edge of an immense lake. Its surface was unnaturally still, like a mirror. Beneath the clear water, fragments of a once-great city could be seen — towers of white marble now half-submerged, statues eroded by time and whispers.
A small boat was waiting by the shore. It was made of black wood, carved with runes that glowed faintly.
"Someone expected us," Lakshya said, running a hand over the carvings.
Tarka narrowed her eyes. "Or they want us to step into their trap."
Either way, they had no choice.
The boat glided forward on its own, guided by invisible currents. The deeper they went, the stronger the Maya became. Shadows of people — laughing, dancing — appeared in the water's reflection, but when Lakshya looked directly, nothing was there.
🕯️ The First Mirror
At the center of the lake stood a spire. It rose from the water like a broken spear, its surface covered in strange glyphs.
"This must be where the First Mirror is hidden," Lakshya said.
The boat stopped, and they climbed onto the platform. At the top of the spire, within an ancient shrine, a black mirror floated — its surface rippling like liquid.
The moment Lakshya touched it, the world vanished.
🌀 The Memory Maze
He found himself standing in a vast hall of mirrors. Each reflection showed a different version of himself — Lakshya as a warrior drenched in blood, as a king seated on a throne, as a wanderer with no purpose, and as Shiwang — the boy who once dreamed.
"Who are you?" whispered a voice. "What do you truly desire?"
Lakshya looked at each version of himself. Each one spoke:
The Warrior: "You want power — to never be weak again."
The King: "You want control — to shape destiny itself."
The Wanderer: "You want freedom — no chains, no rules."
The Boy: "…You just want to live the life you couldn't."
Lakshya closed his eyes. "I don't need to choose. I am all of these — and more."
The hall shattered.
🌑 The Shadow Test
The mirror flared black, and from it crawled a figure — a silhouette of himself, but twisted, dripping with shadows.
"If you wish to claim the First Mirror," it hissed, "you must conquer your fear of being forgotten."
The shadow attacked. Lakshya barely dodged, its claws slicing through stone as if it were paper. He summoned Bind of Aagniya, threads of fire wrapping around its form, but the shadow dissolved and reformed behind him.
"You will fade, just like Shiwang did. Another nameless dreamer."
"No!" Lakshya roared. His Flame Heart surged, brighter than ever. He drove his palm into the shadow's chest.
[Ability Evolution: Flame Heart → Eternal Spark – Your inner flame cannot be extinguished by fear.]
The shadow screamed and collapsed into sparks, which fused into the mirror.
✨ The Mirror's Gift
The First Mirror pulsed and spoke in a voice like a thousand ripples:
"You have faced yourself and remembered your name. Take this fragment of truth."
The mirror cracked, and a shard of glowing obsidian embedded itself into Lakshya's Agni-Sutra.
[First Mirror Fragment Obtained]
[New Skill: Echo Sight – See through illusions and past false realities for 5 seconds.]
⚠️ The Eye Opens
As Lakshya and Tarka left the shrine, the lake trembled. A black crescent rose in the distance — not a moon, but something alive, watching.
Tarka whispered, "That… wasn't there before."
Lakshya clenched his fist. "Shunyaka knows we're moving."
The Vardaan pulsed with a warning:
[World Shift Triggered: The Sleeper Stirs.]
To be continued…