Chapter 4
Nitya's demand—to know the escape condition of the Samsara Loop—was not merely a philosophical inquiry; it was the ultimate strategic objective. Samsara, the endless cycle of death and rebirth, was, to Nitya's pragmatic mind, the ultimate soft-lock, the worst possible scenario for an entity driven by an Insatiable Drive: infinite repetition without finality.
Saraswati, now accustomed to the cold, focused nature of her divine-vampiric son, didn't hesitate. She recognized the purity of his logical quest, unclouded by the mortal fear of non-existence.
"The escape condition, Nitya," Saraswati began, manifesting a complex, spherical, ever-rotating diagram of light between them . "It is known as Moksha. Liberation. But to understand the condition, you must first precisely define the system boundary."
The diagram displayed multiple concentric rings. The outermost were the Lokas (planes of existence). The intermediate ring represented the influence of the Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas—the qualities of nature). The innermost core was the Jiva, the individual soul.
Nitya's eyes tracked the rotation of the structure. "The system boundary is the Jiva's Identification with Māyā," he stated, referencing their previous session. "The belief that the temporary, finite structure (the body, the mind, the ego) is the true self. Therefore, Moksha is the cessation of this mistaken identification."
"Perfectly observed," Saraswati praised, the diagram pulsing with acknowledgment. "The soul, or Atman, is truly Brahman—infinite and unconstrained. Samsara continues only as long as the Jiva believes it is separate and limited."
The Stat Allocation of Liberation
Nitya mentally cataloged the various traditional paths to Moksha, viewing them as different Stat Allocation Builds:
Karma Yoga (Path of Action): STR/DEX Build. Performing actions without attachment to the result. High-risk, prone to accidental Karmic bleed-over.
Bhakti Yoga (Path of Devotion): CHA Build. Complete surrender to a deity. High reliance on an external, unpredictable variable (the Godhead).
Jnana Yoga (Path of Knowledge): INT Build. Direct, analytical understanding of the unity of Atman and Brahman. High Synergy with current Emotional Detachment and Insatiable Drive.
"The most efficient path, given current architecture, is Jnana Yoga," Nitya announced, his voice clinical. "It requires the least interaction with the unstable elements of the material plane and directly addresses the core misconception (Māyā). However, this path is slow. It relies on meditation and sustained realization."
He stepped toward the luminous diagram, his small figure casting a shadow of profound ambition.
"I cannot afford slow. My Insatiable Drive dictates maximum efficiency. I need a path that combines the direct bypass of Jnana with an active, accelerated mechanism. My hybrid nature must provide this advantage."
Saraswati watched him, a glimmer of complex anticipation in her gaze. "And what does your peculiar energy suggest?"
"It suggests Consumption and Assimilation," Nitya said simply, the gold in his eyes flashing faintly red. "The vampire does not wait for sustenance; it takes it. I do not wish merely to realize the unity of Atman and Brahman; I wish to assimilate the knowledge of that unity from the source."
🌑 The Active Observer
Nitya elaborated on his radical hypothesis.
"The universe is composed of infinite instances of Brahman, constrained by Māyā. Every soul, every concept, every divine being—including you, Mother, and Father—is an instance of that ultimate reality, differentiated only by function and degree of realization."
"If my Prana Siphon ability can target and draw the Prana Signature (the life force, the energy of existence), why can it not be calibrated to draw the Knowledge Signature? To extract the pure, non-Māyā-constrained knowledge of Brahman directly from a realized being?"
This was not spiritual growth; this was metaphysical vampirism.
"You propose to consume Moksha itself," Saraswati whispered, the diagram of Samsara flickering momentarily as if disturbed by the audacious thought.
"I propose to download the completed system files of self-realization," Nitya corrected, his tone utterly serious. "If I can safely target a realized being, absorb the knowledge of their non-separation from Brahman, I can achieve the state of Moksha instantly, without the thousands of years required for individual meditation and dissolution of the ego."
The sheer arrogance of the concept, divorced from any emotional malice, was stunning. He wasn't seeking to harm; he was seeking to optimize the curriculum.
Saraswati closed her eyes, contemplating the logic. A son of Brahma, the embodiment of knowledge, driven by the calculated predation of Dracula.
"This path is called Rājasic Moksha," she finally said, using a term for liberation achieved through active, forceful striving rather than passive serenity. "It is fraught with danger. The knowledge of Brahman is too vast. If you attempt to assimilate a state of realization beyond your current capacity—your Jiva will fragment. Your consciousness will dissolve into the whole, achieving Moksha, yes, but losing the very Insatiable Drive that fuels your unique existence."
Nitya nodded. "So the risk is not death, but Loss of Save File and Character Identity."
"Exactly," she confirmed.
"Then I must develop a Knowledge Buffer. A protective layer for the Jiva. I must acquire intermediate forms of knowledge—the structured, finite data you and Father provide—to gradually expand my processing capacity."
Nitya turned to his mother, his gaze intense. "My education must accelerate. I must learn to use the Gunas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas—as tuning knobs, not as binding chains. I need the schematics of the lower Lokas. The complete, unedited history of this universe, from creation to dissolution."
He was not asking for stories. He was asking for the entire database of their cosmic civilization, and he intended to consume it one calculated byte at a time.