The skies above Mahakaal Lok rippled as if reality had inhaled.
Far beneath the crust of the world, in a subterranean realm known only in forgotten scriptures, a pool of liquid darkness stirred—its surface smooth as obsidian glass. Around it stood twelve figures cloaked in mirrored veils, unmoving as statues. And at the center, seated on a throne carved from calcified souls, sat the Mirror-Binder—a being whose face was not a face, but a shifting pattern of reflections.
He opened one hand.
The surface of the black pool quivered.
A single word escaped his lips—an echo not heard, but felt.
"Awaken."
From the pool, a form emerged. It was humanoid, but bloated, hollow-eyed, and silent. A failed Herald, corrupted beyond identity, bearing no name, no language—only will.
It would become the next Trial.
Aboveground – Temple of Burning Echoes
Lakshya sat on the dais of the broken mirror. The pieces now floated gently around him like ghostly petals. His eyes were shut in meditation, yet his senses had expanded far beyond the room.
He was remembering something again. Not just visions—feelings.
A mountain.
A friend's hand.
A voice saying: "You were meant to lead, Lakshya. Even if we die, you will stand."
He opened his eyes. Ravinya stood before him, torchlight casting a gentle golden hue on her face.
"You remembered something," she said softly.
He nodded. "A brother… or maybe a comrade. I don't know his name, but he believed in me."
Ravinya hesitated, then offered him a tightly rolled parchment. "While you rested, a messenger arrived. It flew like wind, cloaked in starlight. This was the only thing it left."
Lakshya unrolled the parchment. His fingers stiffened as he read.
The Black Water is moving. If you are truly reborn, meet it before it swallows the Silent Crown.
— From one who remembers the flames.
Lakshya rose. "What is the Silent Crown?"
Ravinya's gaze darkened. "A kingdom lost before the Fall. The first rulers to defy the Mirror, now buried beneath the Blackwater Basin. No soul has returned from there."
Lakshya exhaled, the fire inside his chest growing warmer.
"Then let's change that."
Journey to the Blackwater Basin
Their path led through Ashfen Hollow, where even sunlight dimmed. The trees had no leaves—only bark twisted by time, and roots that whispered old regrets.
Midway through, they were joined by a young boy—no older than twelve—with eyes like cracked mirrors.
He called himself Bhrigu.
"I was born where no wind blows," he said. "The Crown summoned me in a dream. You're the one with the Vardaan, right?"
Ravinya narrowed her eyes. "Why would the Silent Crown summon a child?"
Lakshya knelt beside the boy. "Because he still listens to the world. We adults forget how."
Bhrigu beamed.
Despite his age, he kept pace with them through every obstacle. When they reached the edge of the Blackwater Basin, it was he who pointed first to the anomaly.
"There's no reflection," he whispered.
Indeed, the black waters mirrored nothing—no sky, no faces, not even their torches.
It was not water.
It was memory liquified.
Descent into the Basin
Lakshya stepped forward, placing a foot into the black pool. It held him.
And then, without warning, it pulled him under.
Ravinya and Bhrigu shouted, but it was too late.
Beneath the surface, there was no drowning. There was no cold. There was only silence.
Lakshya floated, suspended in an ocean of forgotten time. Shapes began to form—kingdoms long destroyed, people turned to whispers, a city made of starlight beneath the water's crust.
At the center of it all lay a crown.
It was massive, worn by a skeleton seated on a throne of coral and broken stone.
And beside it stood a creature—taller than a man, its limbs stretched unnaturally, face blank, dripping with the same black substance that surrounded them.
Lakshya heard no voice, but a single phrase echoed in his soul.
"This kingdom remembers. Will you listen?"
He stepped forward.
The creature moved.
Battle Under Silence
The enemy didn't speak, but every movement was a statement. Each strike carried a memory—some foreign, some eerily familiar.
A memory of Lakshya as a boy, weeping in a storm.
A memory of Ravinya, bloodied, screaming his name.
A future that hadn't happened… but might.
He activated his Vardaan.
Echobind!
Tendrils of light lashed forward, connecting to the creature's body. Through the bond, Lakshya felt.
It wasn't a monster.
It was a king.
The Last Crownbearer.
He had drowned in the black water to save his people from the Mirror's corruption. He had asked to be forgotten so they might live.
Lakshya whispered, "You don't need to guard this pain anymore."
His Vardaan pulsed.
The crown lifted from the coral throne and floated to Lakshya. As he touched it, the black water shattered into light.
Aboveground – After the Awakening
Ravinya and Bhrigu pulled him from the dry basin.
The waters had vanished. In their place was a spiral of glassy ground, glowing softly.
Lakshya still held the crown.
It did not weigh like metal. It felt like responsibility.
Ravinya stepped forward, tears in her eyes.
"You've earned the trust of the Silent Crown."
📜 Vardaan Update:
🔸 Memory Fragment: 4/7 Collected
🔸 Item Gained: Crown of the Last King – Grants immunity to illusion and reveals hidden truths within any realm.
🔸 New Companion: Bhrigu (Seer of Forgotten Paths)
🔸 New Ability: Crown's Insight – Temporarily view the truth of any person or place.
🔸 Inner Flame Level: Tier 3 – Kindled Sovereign
Far away, the Mirror-Binder clenched his fingers.
"This… child… is gathering what we buried."
A second figure appeared beside him, wearing a cloak of moonfire.
"Then perhaps it's time to unbury what even he fears."
To be continued....