Light was always deadly.
From the peak of the towering mountains, sunlight filtered through drifting mist, shrouding the city of Prashantpuri in a sacred haze. The air was thick with devotion, so heavy that even Sarthak struggled to breathe. For the people here, this sanctity was not merely reverence; it was the inescapable weight of obedience to the gods and their decrees.
Sarthak (20 years old) ran his fingers nervously over the rudraksha mala around his neck, which felt more like a chain of restraint than a protective charm. On the bed in his home, his younger sister Urvi slept—her skin pale and marred by a magical disease. Without the blessings of Prashantpuri's chief deity, Prabhakar, there was no hope of her cure.
For the past three years, Sarthak had devoted every action, prayer, and ritual to the gods. Yet the result was zero.
A jagged doubt pierced his mind:
> "If the gods are truly omnipotent, why this suffering?"
Night had fallen. The temple bells, once soothing, now rang like a threat across the city. Sarthak stepped outside, the strange mixture of love and fear clutching at his heart. Today, he would venture to the hidden altar atop the mountain—a place forbidden to all but the chief priests. He knew he was committing a sin, but nothing mattered more than Urvi's life.
As he climbed the rugged slope, sand slipping beneath his feet, the cold air wrapped around him like a warning. At the summit, he saw it—a seething pillar of light trembling on the ground. Near the altar stood a magnificent figure with golden wings—like Prabhakar, yet exuding the intensity of hell itself.
The figure gripped a man in its hands, a man whose eyes were filled with fear and betrayal. Blood, light, and energy flowed—being absorbed into the deity.
"Your worship ends here. This power belongs to me alone," the deity's voice echoed, reverberating like ancient stones across the earth.
Sarthak's head spun. The truth was not just painful; it was monstrous, a force that had consumed his entire world.
The rudraksha mala around his neck shattered with a loud crack, carrying with it all his faith, hope, and courage.
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