The Weight of a Tree
The storm had passed.
But it had left scars behind.
Garud stood silently in the field, staring at the destruction. Crops lay flattened, soil cracked, and at the center of it all—
A massive tree, torn from the earth by wind and quake, lay across their farmland like a fallen giant.
Garud's father wiped sweat from his brow and raised his axe.
Thak—Thak—
Wood splintered with each strike.
Garud stepped forward.
"पिताजी," he said,
"इसे हटाने में मैं मदद कर दूँ?"
His father no u will get injured.
"ये भारी है," he replied.
"तू रहने दे।"
Garud nodded.
But something inside him stirred.
The Impossible
He walked to the fallen tree.
Bent down.
One arm slid beneath the trunk.
The other pressed against its upper side.
Karan watched casually—until—
Garud lifted.
The tree rise.
No strain.
No shaking.
As if it weighed nothing.
Garud straightened.
The entire tree was now off the ground, balanced in his shoulder.
Time froze.
The axe slipped from Garud's father's hand.
Karan's mouth fell open.
"…क्या—"
Garud turned walk out of field and threw the tree aside.
It crashed outside the field with a thunderous BOOM.
Silence.
Garud's father stood rooted to the spot.
Karan stared like he had just seen a ghost.
Panic and Truth
Karan suddenly grabbed Garud's arm.
"चल— अभी!"
He dragged him away, toward a neem tree a little distance from the field.
Garud barely reacted.
"तूने वो कैसे किया?" Karan said.
"ऐसे कैसे उठाया?!"
Garud frowned.
"मुझे नहीं पता," he said honestly.
"बस उठाया… और हल्का लगा।"
Karan swallowed hard.
"मैं जानता था," he whispered.
"तू बदल गया है।" there is something different about you.
He looked straight into Garud's eyes.
"सच बता," Karan said quietly.
"उस दिन तूने क्या देखा था?"
Garud hesitated.
Then nodded.
Inner thought.
They had known each other since they were five.
Karan wasn't just a friend.
He was family.
The Confession
Garud told him everything.
The storm.
The gate.
The darkness.
The giant form of Lord Shiva.
The voice.
Karan didn't interrupt.
Didn't laugh.
Didn't blink.
When Garud finished, Karan stood still for a long moment.
Then—
A slow smile spread across his face.
"ये तो बिल्कुल…Manhua जैसा है "
"It's just like the manga's and movies we read and watch."
Garud sighed.
" मज़ाक मत कर।" Don't joke with me.
"मैं मज़ाक नहीं कर रहा," Karan said seriously.
"ये असली है।"this is real.
He pointed at Garud's wrist.
"और वो रुद्राक्ष?"and this Rudraksh.
Garud shook his head.
What's with this.
Karan did you feel something.
"कुछ नहीं हुआ। मैंने कोशिश की थी।"yes,I tried nothing happen.
Karan's eyes gleamed.
"फिर से कोशिश करते हैं।"Try once again.
A Lie for Safety
But Garud's father was watching them from afar.
Karan thought fast.
He ran back.
"चाचा!" he said cheerfully.
"जो आपने देखा—वो हमारी सीक्रेट ट्रेनिंग का नतीजा है।"
Garud's father blinked.
"ट्रेनिंग?"
"हाँ," Karan nodded confidently.
"रोज़ करते हैं।"
His father scratched his head, unsure—but villagers are simple so he believed.
"बस ज़्यादा ज़ोर मत डालना," he said.
"चोट मत लगवा लेना।"You will get hurt.
And with that, he walked home.
The Attempt
Karan rushed back, grinning.
"अब बैठ," he said sit Down.
"नीम के नीचे।"Below the Neem tree.
Garud raised an eyebrow.
"क्या तू कोई साधु बन गया है?"Are you some spiritualists now.
Karan laughed softly.
"मनहुआ पढ़े हैं," he said.i have read a lot of Manhua.
"ऐसे ही शुरू होता है।"everything happens just like this.
He placed the Rudraksha in Garud's hand.
"आँख बंद कर। गहरी साँस ले। ध्यान लगा।"Close your eyes,Take a deep breath,and focus.
Garud sighed.
"तेरी बकवास सिर्फ एक बार सुन रहा हूँ।" I am listening your nonsense just this once.
Karan chuckled.
"बस एक बार।" just one time.
The Return
Garud sat down.
Closed his eyes.
Breathed in.
Focused—right at the center of his forehead.
After a few second.
The world faded.
Sounds vanished.
Wind stopped.
And then—
Darkness.
Not emptiness.
But endless space.
Stars.
Galaxies.
A familiar silence.
Garud's breath caught.
Not again…
He was back.
In that pitch-black void.
But there was a sound that echoed all over the void OM..... It's was faint but relaxing.
The figure in front of him was massive.