"Shouldn't I have died already?" thought Vikram. He tried to speak but found no voice escaping his lips. Instead, his thoughts echoed within himself, loud and clear, yet silent to the world.
He was bewildered. The coldness of death had seeped into his last breath, and yet here he was—awake, aware, alive.
Before he could make sense of it, a voice—warm yet commanding—resonated directly in his mind.
"Do not worry, Vikram. Your body is indeed dead in your world. What you are experiencing now is your soul. You no longer have a mouth to speak or ears to hear, so I am speaking directly to your essence."
The voice carried an unshakable authority, demanding respect without effort. Vikram's thoughts raced. "What is this voice? How is it speaking directly into my mind?"
The voice interrupted his musings as though reading his thoughts.
"As I said, this is the afterlife. You cannot speak, but I can hear your thoughts. Think of it as telepathy between your soul and me."
Confusion gave way to a flood of questions. "Is this truly the afterlife? If so, why am I alone? Shouldn't there be countless others dying every second?"
"You are special, Vikram," the voice answered, unwavering. "You accomplished what others could not. You unearthed and decoded knowledge thought lost to time, cultivating your spirituality to heights only achieved by the sages of ancient eras. Even the combined spiritual power of humanity today pales before yours."
Vikram struggled to process the magnitude of the voice's words.
"Your actions extended the age of Kalyug by 10,000 years—an unprecedented feat in all cycles of existence. Such karma cannot go unrewarded. Thus, you will be granted five wishes by the gods themselves. Choose wisely, for this is a rare privilege given only to those who transcend mortality."
Vikram was stunned. The ancient scriptures he had dedicated his life to decoding—the ones dismissed by the world as myths and stories—were true. The gods were real, and he had earned their attention.
"Five wishes," he murmured in his thoughts, disbelief tinged with awe. "Anything I desire?"
"Anything within reason," the voice affirmed. "You cannot wish to become a god or destroy a world, but everything else is within your grasp—be it unimaginable power, infinite wealth, or the ability to shape your destiny in ways never thought possible."
For the first time in decades, Vikram felt uncertain. The weight of this choice bore down on him like never before. He had achieved greatness in his life, yet this was beyond anything he had imagined.
"Give me some time to think," he finally said.
The voice fell silent, allowing him space to contemplate. In the endless void, Vikram's thoughts churned. The possibilities stretched before him, boundless yet daunting. What should he choose? What could he wish for?
For the first time in his life, the man who had mastered all stood at the precipice of the unknown.