Arjun sat frozen on his cot. The voice had fallen silent, but now he could see something. In the corner of his vision, like a translucent UI, were two small bars.
One was blue, labeled PP. The other was gold, labeled CP.
Before he could question it, the voice of the Supreme Being itself—vast, formless, and ancient—boomed through his consciousness, imprinting its laws onto his soul.
[Stagnation is sin. The universe rewards growth. This world is a seed. Elevate it, or be erased with it.]
The voice was gone, but the System's neutral tone remained, providing context as if it were a help menu.
[The Bodhi System runs on one resource: Prana.]
[Prana is Knowledge.]
[Personal Prana (PP): Your mental energy. It is gained by *learning* and *mastering* new knowledge. It is spent to activate System abilities.]
[Collective Prana (CP): The Knowledge Pool of your nation. It is gained by *disseminating* new, valuable knowledge (e.g., building a school, publishing a theory, founding a tech company). CP is the ultimate measure of your mission.]
Arjun's mind, part cynical historian and part 12-year-old boy, reeled. "System," he whispered, his heart hammering. "Show me my status."
[Scanning Host...]
[Name: Arjun Varma]
[Age: 12]
[Personal Prana (PP): 100/100 (Default Pool)]
[Collective Prana (CP): 0]
[Abilities Unlocked:]
1. [Scan]: Spend 1 PP to analyze any object, person, or concept.
2. [Accelerated Learning]: Spend 10 PP per hour to enter a state of perfect retention.
3. [Path of Least Resistance]: Spend 50 PP to calculate the most efficient path to a stated goal.
He was processing this when his mother, Radha, came in with a glass of water and a paratha on a small steel plate.
"Eat, Arjun. You haven't eaten since morning."
"Mom," he said, testing the word. It felt right. "We... are we in trouble?"
Radha's smile wavered. She was a teacher at a local government school. She was bright, but not worldly. She tried to hide it, but Arjun's 2025 mind could read her expression like a book: fear.
"It's just adult things, beta."
"Please tell me." His tone was serious, more adult than a 12-year-old's should be.
She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Your father... before he died..." Her voice cracked. His new memories supplied the context: his father, an auto-rickshaw driver, had died in an accident a year ago. "He borrowed money for my hospital bills. From a local... lender. A man named Mr. Gowda."
"How much?" Arjun asked, his voice cold.
"Thirty thousand rupees."
Arjun's mind did the math. ₹30,000. In 1991, for a government teacher making maybe ₹1,500 a month, this was an unkillable mountain. It was a debt slavery.
"He's coming in three months for the full amount," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "And I... I don't have it."
Arjun's gaze hardened. The grand, cosmic mission to "Elevate the World" would have to wait. The first demon was at his door. He was no longer a cynical historian. He was Arjun Varma. And he would protect this woman.
He was a Krishna in the making, and this was his first adharmic (unrighteous) force to topple.