The following night, the air around IIT Madras had grown colder—not with temperature, but with weight. Spiritual weight.
Amrit could feel it. His left eye, newly awakened with the power of Yama's Veilpiercer Vision, occasionally throbbed under the surface of his skin, reminding him that the veil between realms was thinning, and that every decision he made now echoed across the Lokas.
He needed to anchor himself. To not lose his humanity amidst all this cosmic noise.
Thus, he went searching for silence.
The Forgotten Temple of Hanuman
Tucked behind the old electrical labs and partially swallowed by a thicket of banyan and neem trees, there stood a ruined Hanuman temple, long forgotten by the rest of campus. No rituals were conducted here anymore. No oil lamps. No aartis. Only dried flowers, and a cracked marble idol covered in vines.
But when Amrit walked inside, the stillness was... holy.
The ground was dusty but felt warm. The wind outside howled gently, but within the temple—silence. As though something ancient still protected it.
He approached the idol.
Though the marble was cracked and the colors faded, Hanuman's eyes still blazed. Calm. Steady. Watching.
Amrit knelt and whispered, "Help me hold my rage."
The visions of Naraka haunted him. Yama's throne decaying. Satish, his friend, likely tormented in the lowest realms. The cult. The betrayal. The whispers of Outer Gods… it was too much. His breath trembled.
Then, from the old sanctum's cracked roof, a single peepal leaf fell into his open palm.
In that moment, the System chimed again:
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Sanctum of Hanuman DetectedAligning Spiritual Core with Avataar of Bhakti and Strength...
REWARD UNLOCKED: Mantra of the Heart
– You have gained access to the Silent Japa technique: a meditative chant that steadies rage, restores clarity, and allows the cultivation of Unshakable Resolve.– Passive Effect: Whenever you focus on dharma over vengeance, your energy regeneration doubles.– Active Use: Allows entry into the inner chambers of your spiritual heart, where Divine Guidance may occur.
Amrit took a deep breath, let the mantra rise from instinct—not intellect.
"Ram... Ram... Ram..."
His breath slowed. Thoughts faded.
In the temple's dusty quiet, Amrit descended inward.
The Inner Chambers of the Heart
He stood, now, not in the temple, but within a space shaped like a great golden lotus. Each petal shimmered with memories: moments of laughter with his family, hours of study at IITM, the pain of Satish's fall, the joy of early discoveries in the System.
But at the center of the lotus stood Hanuman, tall and radiant—not as a god, but as a warrior in meditation.
"Your heart is full of fire," Hanuman's voice echoed, neither stern nor soft. "But fire must warm, not burn."
"I know," Amrit replied. "But every step I take shows me how broken this world is."
Hanuman nodded. "And yet, still you walk."
A flicker of pride touched the deity's eyes. He held out a glowing seed.
"This is not for destruction. This is for stillness. Carry this seed in your breath, and you will not be shaken when others fall."
Amrit accepted it. His body glowed from within.
You have gained: "Hridaya Beej – Seed of Inner Balance" Emotional resistance +20% Prevents corruption during extended exposure to Outer Realms Unlocks access to Divine Bhakti cultivation path (Secondary Route)
Back in the Temple
His breath returned like a wind through trees. The temple walls seemed clearer now, less abandoned. Amrit bowed once more to the idol.
As he exited the temple, he saw two figures waiting near the edge of the grove.
Radhika and Ashwin.
Radhika's expression was a mix of worry and quiet awe.
"You've changed," she said. "There's… light around you. Like your anger melted."
Ashwin nodded. "You're not as… tight, anymore. The pressure is gone."
Amrit smiled slightly. "I met someone who reminded me why fire isn't just for war."
They walked in silence.
Elsewhere: Ripples in the Dark
In a dim room beneath the mathematics department, the cult's surviving leader, the anthropology student now possessed by a whisper of Nirriti, shivered.
He had felt it.
"Someone has... defied rage."
The minor spirit in his bones howled in frustration.
"THE AVATAR WALKS. THE SEED IS PLANTED.WE MUST POISON THE HEART."
Final System Message
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
You have entered the Bhakti-Path Subroute of the Cosmic Dharma Tree. This does not prevent advancement through the primary Karmic-Mystic route. Progress now depends on emotional mastery as well as spiritual trials.
Next Trial Unlocked:The Mirror of Karma Location: Faculty Housing Sector B Timeframe: Before next moon cycle.
Amrit stood beneath the full moon that night, hand over his chest where the Hridaya Beej now pulsed.
There was still darkness. Still danger.
But for the first time, he felt unshakable.
The next night, the air on campus shimmered.
It wasn't the Chennai heat—Amrit felt it in his breath, in the space between heartbeats. The Hridaya Beej planted within his soul pulsed softly, harmonizing with the night.
The moon was half-waning. According to the Pranayama Scroll, this was the ideal phase to attempt an astral projection into Bhuvarloka—the Plane of Light, home of Siddhas, saints, and watchers of cosmic flow.
He needed guidance. Something beyond books and rituals. The Outer Gods were awakening, and he couldn't fight what he didn't understand.
He returned to the Hanuman temple. Though it remained silent and crumbling, the atmosphere had changed. His own peace anchored the space.
Spreading a mat before the deity, Amrit drew a triangle with sandalwood paste, placed a lotus bead at its center, and set the Pranayama Scroll beside him.
Then, he whispered the activation mantra:
"Yontral Mukti Om—Let the body rest, and the soul rise."
A deep breath.
One hundred slow counts.
He released the final exhale—and the world dissolved into radiance.
He rose, not with wings, but as a windless flame. His astral body floated above the temple, then broke upward into a higher frequency.
Everything changed.
He stood now in a realm of twilight light—skyless, groundless, yet filled with translucent platforms of energy. Beings of light moved across bridges of mantra and thought. Some had bodies. Others were voices, geometries, or music.
He had reached Bhuvarloka.
But he was not alone.
A form approached.
It was shaped like a man, but taller, robed in golden silk that seemed woven from sunlight and silence. His face was serene, eyes closed, breath steady.
A voice sounded directly in Amrit's mind.
"You carry the seed of stillness. And yet, your fire is not gone."
Amrit bowed respectfully. "Are you a Siddha?"
"One of many. I am Vajratapas, once mortal, now watcher of Dharma's winds. Few ascend here without invitation. But the fire in you… opened the way."
Amrit hesitated. "The Outer Gods… they are moving. I saw Naraka, I saw decay. Yama's throne trembled. I need to understand. I need to be ready."
Vajratapas turned his gaze toward a distant ripple in the astral veil. "They do not come through violence. They come through imbalance. Through scholars who abandon truth. Through students who chase power. Through silence when injustice is seen."
He looked at Amrit. "You walk the edge between monk and warrior."
"To walk this path… you must see more than the material."
He placed a hand upon Amrit's astral forehead.
A vision exploded.
Spinning chakras. Melting galaxies. The laws of karma as threads of fire. He saw choices ripple through time. A single thought tipping the scale of a nation. A word turning a friend into a traitor.
Then—a new System window opened:
REWARD UNLOCKED: Astral Compass – Vajratapas' Gift
Allows the user to sense shifts in cosmic law and dharmic imbalance within a 500-meter radius. Active use reveals truth veiled by illusion, especially in places of learning, worship, or power. Cooldown: 1 hour Additional Effect: Can detect presence of Outer God influence in speech, objects, or thoughts.
The compass appeared in Amrit's hand—sleek, metallic, etched with Vedic sutras. It had no needle, only a glowing center that pulsed stronger the closer he came to imbalance.
"Use this," said Vajratapas, "to know when to speak. And when to be silent. When to fight. And when to walk away."
Amrit steadied himself. "Can they truly be stopped?"
Vajratapas's smile vanished. "They can only be balanced. Nirriti, the Lord of Rot, seeks to flip the karmic wheel backward—so that actions have no consequence."
Amrit's hands clenched. "And Satish—my friend. He's trapped under Nirriti's influence. What should I do?"
"You must walk through shadow without becoming it."
"To fight Nirriti, you must first resist inner decay—pride, vengeance, cruelty."
Vajratapas's hand reached into the air and retrieved a final gift: a scroll of translucent mantra-energy.
"This is the Sookshma Sutra—a dharmic harmonizer. When read aloud in a space polluted by corruption, it can temporarily stabilize it, allowing you to act freely."
"But beware. The more you use the sutra, the more attention you draw."
The realm dimmed. Amrit's spiritual energy flickered—he had been in Bhuvarloka too long.
"Wait!" he called. "Will I ever meet you again?"
"Only if your inner flame stays alight," Vajratapas replied.
"And if you remember this: Strength means nothing without wisdom. And wisdom without compassion is just cold logic."
The light vanished.
Amrit's eyes opened to the soft orange glow of morning.
His body was sore. But the Astral Compass lay on his lap—very real.
Its glow pulsed gently.
The System Interface chimed once more:
Main Quest Progressed: Path of Cosmic Dharma
Bhuvarloka Traversal Next Recommended Objective: Investigate "Lunar Temple of Chandra" on upcoming eclipse night.(Ritual Activation Required)
Emotional Stability: 91%Astral Fatigue: Moderate – Recommend meditation or rest.
Later that day, at the canteen, Radhika noticed something new about him.
"You don't look… drained anymore."
Amrit smiled faintly. "I met a man who showed me how to walk in chaos and still stay whole."
She raised an eyebrow. "A dream?"
He pulled out the Astral Compass and held it between them.
"No. A vision."
Her expression darkened. "We're not safe anymore, are we?"
He looked her in the eyes. "No. But now… we can see them coming."
Astral Journal Entry Logged
You have unlocked Tier II Insight into Dharmic EquilibriumYou are now recognized by astral watchers as a potential Karmic Anchor
Next Location of Power: Crescent Moon Temple, highlands of Tamil Nadu
Status: Eclipse Alignment due in 3 days.
Prepare accordingly.