Chapter 8: The Akash-Gaman (Sky-Walking)
The forest was a blur of emerald and shadow, but Vikram didn't move an inch. He sat in a perfect lotus position beneath a Banyan tree, his mind submerged in the Akasha Shop.
The countdown was a red flame in his vision: 03:59:51.
"System," Vikram whispered, the silver light of his Tejas beginning to lift his hair from his shoulders. "I have no time for chariots or marches. I need the mastery of space itself."
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Request: Akash-Gaman (Teleportation).
Requirement: Dhi (Intellect) L10.
Cost: 25,000 Punya.
Warning: Reaching L10 in any attribute without Trimurti-Blessing will consume your entire Punya balance.
Proceed?
"Proceed."
[ INITIATING ATMA-SAMSKARA... ]
[ DHI: L5 ➔ L10 (MAX-MORTAL) ]
Vikram's brain didn't just feel smarter; it felt larger. It was as if his consciousness had expanded to touch the very Indigo Firmament. He could hear the thoughts of the birds, the vibration of the river miles away, and—most importantly—the distorted, rhythmic chanting of the Guru back at the Dandaka Gurukul.
[ SKILL UNLOCKED: AKASH-GAMAN ]
Description: The ability to slip between the atoms of the sky. Distance is now an illusion.
The Leap
Vikram stood. He didn't look back at Sugriva-Ansh or the Vanara warriors.
"Wait for the light in the sky," Vikram told them. "When you see the indigo turn to gold, charge the Gurukul."
Vikram took a single step into the air. His foot didn't fall; it caught on a ripple of invisible Prana. With a sound like a distant bell, he vanished.
The Gurukul: The Blood Moon Ritual
At the center of the Dandaka Gurukul, the ritual fire (Homa) was no longer orange. It was a sickly, pulsating violet. Guru Bhargava sat at the altar, his eyes rolled back, his voice a guttural drone that vibrated with Paap.
Fifty disciples sat in a circle around him, their eyes glazed over in a trance. Thin, black threads of energy—the Mantra-Flow of the Shadow-Asura—were snaking out of their hearts and feeding into a massive, levitating orb above the fire.
[ VEDA-DRISHTI ALERT ]
Target: The Prana-Siphon Sphere.
Progress: 85% Charged.
Current Paap of Guru Bhargava: 150,000.
Status: Posessed by 'Vritra-Shadow'.
Suddenly, the air above the ritual circle cracked. A ripple of indigo light expanded, and Vikram appeared, suspended fifty feet in the air. His presence alone, fueled by Charm (L10), caused the trance of several disciples to flicker.
"Guru!" Vikram's voice boomed, amplified by his new Dhi level. "The ritual is over. The Patala Gate is sealed, and your General is ash."
The Guru's head snapped up. His face was a mask of rotting grey skin, the Shadow-Asura finally showing its true form through the cracks of the possession.
"Vikram..." the Guru hissed, his voice a chorus of a thousand serpents. "You reached L10 Intellect? Impressive. But you are too late. The Blood Moon has touched the horizon. The sacrifice is already signed in blood."
The violet orb flared. The disciples let out a collective moan as their Punya was ripped from their bodies.
The Ultimate Counter
Vikram didn't draw his sword. He didn't use Flash-Step. He raised both hands, his fingers forming the Jnana Mudra.
"I don't need to fight you, Asura," Vikram said. "I only need to Unsubscribe your source code."
[ MANTRA-HACKER (L2) INITIATED ]
Current Punya: 5.
Strategic Move: You are using your MAX-Intellect to rewrite the 50 individual heart-threads of the disciples simultaneously.
What is the plan?
The Mass-Reboot: Chant the Shanti-Mantra (Peace) to instantly sever all 50 black threads, freeing the disciples but leaving you exhausted for the boss fight. The Siphon-Flip: Use your Mantra-Hacker to reverse the flow, making the violet orb suck the Paap out of the Guru and feed it back as Punya to the disciples. The Divine Call: Use your Charm (L10) to speak directly to the soul of the real Guru Bhargava hidden deep inside, forcing him to fight the Asura from the inside while you strike the orb.
How will you stop the sacrifice?