The world called it Kalyug.
Rudra called it convenient.
Convenient for the powerful.
Convenient for the corrupt.
Convenient for cowards who hid behind law while crushing the weak.
The rain fell hard that night, washing blood into the gutters of the city street. Neon lights flickered above broken pavement as a crowd gathered—not to help, but to watch.
A girl lay on the ground.
Bleeding.
Crying.
Surrounded.
Three men stood over her, laughing.
"She should've known her place," one of them sneered.
Phones were raised.
Videos recorded.
No one intervened.
Except one man.
Rudra stepped forward.
He was not tall.
Not famous.
Not important in the eyes of the world.
But his spine was straight, his gaze steady, and his voice carried weight when he spoke.
"Step away from her."
The men turned, annoyed.
"And who are you?" one asked mockingly.
"Someone who still remembers right and wrong," Rudra replied.
They laughed.
The first punch came fast.
Rudra took it—and didn't step back.
He moved.
Clean.
Direct.
Efficient.
One man went down with a broken jaw.
Another screamed as his arm twisted the wrong way.
The third pulled a knife.
The crowd gasped—but no one moved.
Rudra didn't hesitate.
He stepped in, grabbed the wrist, and drove the knife into the pavement.
The man panicked.
That's when the sirens began.
Police cars screeched to a halt.
Guns raised.
"Step away!" an officer shouted.
Rudra released the attacker and raised his hands slowly.
"She needs help," Rudra said calmly. "They attacked her."
The officer's eyes flicked to the men—well-dressed, influential.
Then back to Rudra.
The decision was made.
A shot rang out.
Then another.
Pain exploded through Rudra's chest.
He fell backward into the rain, breath hitching, vision dimming.
The girl was pulled away.
The men were comforted.
Statements were rewritten.
As life faded, Rudra smiled faintly.
"At least," he thought, "I didn't stay silent."
Darkness claimed him.
—
Silence.
Then light.
Not blinding.
Not harsh.
Warm.
Rudra opened his eyes.
He stood in an endless expanse of ash and stars, time folded into stillness. Before him stood a figure draped in cosmic calm, eyes holding creation and destruction alike.
Shiva.
Mahadeva.
Rudra did not kneel.
He did not fear.
He simply bowed his head slightly.
"So," Rudra said, voice steady, "this is death."
Shiva smiled faintly.
"This is truth," Mahadeva replied.
Another presence emerged—radiant, gentle, overwhelming in compassion.
Parvati.
Her gaze softened when it fell on Rudra.
"You chose dharma even when the world punished you for it," she said.
Rudra met her eyes.
"I didn't choose it for reward," he said. "I chose it because it was necessary."
The cosmos trembled slightly.
Shiva's eyes sharpened.
"You were never meant to be ordinary," Mahadeva said. "Do you know who you are?"
Rudra frowned slightly.
"I am Rudra," he answered. "Nothing more."
Parvati stepped forward and placed a hand upon his forehead.
Memory exploded.
Not human memory.
Divine.
Ages.
Battles.
Meditation.
Destruction and rebirth.
Truth settled like a mountain.
"You are our son," Parvati said gently.
"Born once before," Shiva continued, "to observe humanity."
"Born again now," Parvati finished, "to correct it."
Rudra exhaled slowly.
"I see," he said.
No shock.
No denial.
Only acceptance.
Shiva studied him closely.
"We will not bind you with vows," Mahadeva said. "Nor restrain you with prophecy."
Parvati smiled.
"We will give you tools," she said. "And choice."
The space before Rudra shifted.
Something ancient awakened.
—
[Dharma–Karma Chronicle: Initializing]
[User: Rudra]
[Status: Divine Reincarnation]
[Parentage: Shiva & Parvati — Confirmed]
[Core Function: Observation, Judgment, Enforcement]
—
Boons descended like silent stars.
• Unshakeable Will
• Absolute Fearlessness
• Dharma Resonance
• Karma Perception
• Authority of Presence
The system spoke again.
[Function: Amplification]
[All Boons Compatible]
[Amplification Complete]
Rudra felt it—not power rushing in, but *alignment*.
Shiva stepped closer.
"You will be born again," Mahadeva said. "As a king."
Parvati's voice was warm.
"A crown prince," she said. "So you may shape the world, not beg it."
Rudra nodded.
"When injustice crosses the limit," he said calmly, "I will act."
Shiva's lips curved into a dangerous smile.
"Good," Mahadeva said. "Because next time—"
"There will be consequences."
The world folded.
Light condensed into flesh.
As Rudra's consciousness descended toward rebirth, the system delivered its final message.
[Reincarnation Approved]
[Next Life: Royal Lineage]
[Dharma Authority: Dormant]
A heartbeat echoed.
Then another.
A child's cry pierced the universe.
Dharma did not die in Kalyug.
It was reborn.
-- chapter 1 ended --