Rishi was living in an orphanage whose owner was a kind old man named Kishor. He worshipped nature, loved peace, and helped orphan children with the little money he had. Rishi had never seen his parents, so the old man was the only person he truly liked. He had become familiar with him four years ago, and since then he had been living there with three other children.
Before this, he had lived in an orphanage that spread propaganda about a religion that believed in one supreme god while disrespecting others and preaching many nonsensical ideas. It proved that human nature rarely changes. So he ran away from there and eventually met Kishor da.
He rose from the bed, went to Madan, and said, "Hey! Stop shivering. You are not going to die. It is just a test."
Yes, it was only a test for the path of evolution. People would gain abilities according to their performance and talent. Nobody would die because only consciousness would take the test, not the real body. If someone died in the test, their consciousness would return to the body. However, many people could lose their mental stability because of the experiences they went through.
He exited the room and went to meet Kishor to tell him about the test. Within two minutes he was standing before Kishor and informed him.
After everything , Kishor took a deep sigh and spoke.
"Rishi, you don't know this, but your father was my acquaintance. After your father died, I searched for you when you were six years old, but you had already been taken by another orphanage."
He remained silent for two minutes, then spoke again.
"I have something for you that your father left behind."
He took out an ink pot and a letter from the desk and slid them across the table.
"I don't know what is special about it or why he kept it. After all, I am just a normal person."
Rishi took the ink pot and put it in his pocket to study later and said, "Thanks, Mr. Kishor."
It was evening. Rishi examined the ink bottle carefully, but he could not find anything unusual, so he put it aside. Maybe he would be able to find something after evolving.
There was nothing to prepare because the body could not fight in a test of consciousness. So all he did was rest and contemplate what he had learned for six years, all for this test.
.....
Two days later,
Rishi was standing inside a temple like structure building, that was alter, the whole temple.
There were countless alters in world and they would appear at the time of test and then disappear like they never exist and one has appeared in their orphan. In the temple there were only sleeping pods everywhere, looking very luxurious. It was really different that he had thought. He simply lie down on one and closed his eyes comfortably, he has never felt this good before and how, he was a poor orphan. Even he failed, coming here would not be meaningless.
Suddenly, a notification appeared in his mind.
"Welcome, participant. You are about to start your journey to become a player. Are you ready?"
Rishi answered, "Yes."
"Before you start, give me some answers," the chatterbox said.
"What makes someone powerful?"
Rishi did not think for even a second and answered, "It is knowledge and experience. Seek knowledge and put it to use, not just store it. The second is experience—the experience you gain and how you handle it. Many individuals lose control when they experience power or wealth. The power that should help others becomes the reason for their downfall."
"What is power then?"
Rishi answered, "Power lies in balance. It is good to be knowledgeable, but you must know when to remain unknown. Stay in the middle. It is bad to remain ignorant, but it is equally bad to know everything."
"Then what do you think about the power of body and muscles? Don't you want to be strong? And what would you do if you faced someone stronger than you?"
"Yes, I want to be powerful—in body, mind, and spirit. Muscle power is temporary and can be shaken by a strong will. As for your last question, if I face a stronger opponent, I will use my intelligence and whatever resources I have. Or I will retreat if victory cannot be achieved, so that I can remain alive for the future."
A chuckling voice was heard.
"That's a political answer."
"Last question. What do you think 'Maya' is?"
This time Rishi chuckled.
"It's a tricky question—both hard and simple. A newborn comes into the world and lives a simple life, yet he is living in Maya. A knowledgeable person trying to escape it is also trapped in the cage of Maya. I think if you can stabilize your mind to zero, there might be a chance to get rid of it. Again, it comes back to balance. But this is only my guess. I am not fully sure."
The voice spoke again.
"Talking big is useless. Prove yourself."
"You have twenty one days while in real world it would be three days."
With that, Rishi lost his consciousness.
The last words he remembered were,
"The test for your path begins now."
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Note- Maya means Magic and illusion. If you don't know about this then first search because this concept will remain throughout the story.