Monuments crumbled...
One by one like yellow-wrinkled leaves, and great continents, tore themselves apart into two or more separate settlements almost as if they were just thin sheets of plain paper in the hands of a toddler.
Waves of fire enveloped the shallow ocean in its fierce embrace as the havoc-wreaking thunderstorms destroyed the vast land which was once filled to the brim with life, but now there was only ruin all around and the feeling of despair wafted around the corners, like the aroma of a well cooked dish.
The strands of reality that had been woven to form the halls of the multiverses, the Swarg and the Narak, and the realms of all the divinity alongside the void that contained all of the aforementioned realm– started to shake with a great intensity threatening to unravel!
Everything was on the verge of destruction, and this wasn't happening due to the cosmic dance(Tandava) of the destroyer Lord Shiva nor was it happening due to the wrath of the supreme Devtas.
No.
These occurrences were all caused by the violent clash of two beings, once mortals and now they were ascended.
Once best friends, comrades, and now they stood on the opposing sides of each other.
Time is the ultimate paragon of change, and such a grand shift of ideology was inevitable within the grand scheme of destiny itself.
It was just a matter of bloody time, of course.
Swords clashed and floods of divine prana surged forth, the two warriors destroyed many and de-stabilized everything in the way. Yet, none of the Devtas went down to interfere; they merely observed.
On one side was Yamini– the beautiful princess of the Shastrapur Kingdom and the daughter of Indra(King Of Devtas, Thunder God)– who had been invoked by the mother of the young girl with a powerful mantra–granted by an ascetic pleased by her prior devotion.
And on the other side, was Shreiyas– the radiant and mighty warrior prince of the Chitrangada Kingdom. The one who wasn't born from the womb of a woman, instead he was born right out of the sacred ritualistic fire conducted by his father who was once grieving over the loss of his family due to a deathly illness.
Graced by both Agni(Fire God) and Surya(Sun God), he was truly an awe inducing man in this dark era of Kaalpurush.
Yamini leapt back leaving a faint trail of blue lightning, dodging the celestial blade made out of silver and gold, some white locks did fell down which were not so lucky in the aspect of speed.
And then she circulated the prana in her seven major chakras, along with the seventy other minor chakras– present between the gaps of two major chakras.
Then through the nadis (spirit veins in the form of serpents used for channeling of prana), the prana travelled to her outstretched right hand from which emerged a bright bolt of lightning.
And that lightning piercing through everything be it metaphysical or physical, went at a speed that surpassed light and started to bend space and time around it.
But Shreiyas easily predicting such an attack due to the boon of clairvoyance received, caught the lightning in his left, breaking it in half.
"Yamini, you have become predictable. Come on! I know you better than anyone could ever have." Shreiyas deflected another blow of the sword made out of corruption and umbra in her hands, wrath and irritation clear in her beautiful eyes of amethyst. "You are better than this..... Did joining the forces of Kaalpurush also reduce your famed intellect?"
"I have by no means grown weaker, brute." The voice of Yamini was like Antartica, cold and chilling yet her sharp face matching the colour of snow and toned curvy body could arouse the heat of any man willing to sin.
This was an innate trait of any spawn emerging from Devendra (another epithet for Lord Indra).
"You have simply grown stronger."
Shreiyas stopped his attack, panting a bit to gain some of the lost stamina back, as he stared with confusion in his amber eyes that seemed to radiate as bright as the sun.
A smile was present on the face of Yamini who too had ceased her blows, leaving them floating and standing on nothing but thin air.
The black armor(made from the ores present in Naraka) that completely encased her body(neck to toe, no gaps were present hence not even the slightest bits of skin was revealed) in spikes and strength stopped oozing the reddish vile aura.
While the golden armor created by Vishwakarma(Architect Of Devtas) by harnessing the supreme energy of the Surya, stopped radiating the divine heat.
"Who the hell compliments their enemy in the middle of battle?!" The right eye of Shreiyas twitched, and he furrowed his brows with a frown.
The radiant cheeks of Shreiyas had turned a bit red, as he turned his handsome face to the side, and his broad herculean body seemingly relaxed for just a bit.
"We are not enemies, and second why can't I compliment you?" Yamini answered along with questioned in a few words, and her voice remained cold yet Shreiyas knew that she was feeling happy at the effect she still has on him.
"First of all, yes we are enemies and second of all, this isn't one of those novels we used to read where the villain and hero would drag their conversation in order to prolong the sections of the chapter. This is real life." Shreiyas told her as he groaned and shook his head, snapping out of the distraction that she still could inflict on him.
Yamini simply sighed at his words, and a small frown appeared. She didn't consider him as her enemy, she never would, never.
He was her first and last.... Friend?
But the only thing that made them fight were their alliances.
She supported the side of Kaalpurush while he supported the side of the Devtas.
"No, Shreiyas, I don't know what poison they have fed you to influence you in such a manner, but there's still time.
Join me. Please. Kaalpurush is the only one who thinks about humanity, not the divine!"
Shreiyas didn't reply to her anymore, knowing anything he would say would simply not even budge her a little.
He indeed had a keen sense for fights, leadership, and intellect but never could he beat her in words.
Her arrogance and stubborn nature painted itself to be a huge pain in the butt.
"I am sorry." Shreiyas whispered knowing what he had to do.
"In life, there's many decision I regret. I have done many cruel deeds, yet this one....I will regret the most. I am sorry Yamini."
Shreiyas thought as he made his mind rigid and steady, the eyes of amber lost their brilliance leaving just a cold fog of clarity.
Summoning his sword once again, granted to him by Devi Durga, he rushed at her leaving a trail of flames as wings huge as mountains emerged from his back with no feathers only fire.
Yamini reacted quickly and summoned her own sword granted to her by Guru Shukracharya (Teacher Of The Asura). The vile red aura returned yet again, and her eyes obtained a reddish outline.
The senses were enhanced and the rotation of the blade was swift, the fiery slash was blocked and Yamini breathed out just for a split second as she could feel the strain being placed on her arms.
Shreiyas eyes remained mundane and swift, as he quickly blocked a kick that forced him to fly back but due to his wings, he balanced himself.
"Emerging Nova."
Serpent like lightning rods pierced through the limbs of Shreiyas, immobilizing him in place, and then Yamini was upon him.
Her blade siphoning lightning, elongated until it was the size of a dwarf star before it crashed down!
....
-Boom-
The void was covered with a bright light, covering each corner and then it was all gone.
The armor cracked and a long slash bleeding molten gold appeared starting from the collar bone to the hip.
Yamini had a somber gaze for hurting Shreiyas but she knew he would survive. After all he possessed many boons that gave him immense regeneration and nigh-immortality.
Shreiyas still had no visible expression of pain, as crimson trickled down his chin.
"Please. Just stop! Look at you.... Look at your state. Where is Lord Shiva? Where is the others? No one is here to help you against me.
You are just a pawn! Why don't you understand, Shreiyas?"
Yamini's voice boomed in the emptiness and even then he remained silent.
Shreiyas turned his eyes towards her and flexed his muscles causing the binds, which were once overpowering him, to break into micro shards– some were still embedded into his skin, but wasn't restraining him any longer.
The wings of fire then in an instant, crashed upon Yamini, but she knew that he would do this hence she had snapped her fingers to form a shield around her.
This shield was in reality a divine weapon just like her sword, but in this case, this wasn't gifted by a devta instead it was given to her after Kaalpurush molded the skeleton of Ravana–that was enriched in durability and endurance– which was why his bones were formed into such a powerful shield.
But what she didn't expect that, the wings of fire were actually a distraction!
Shreiyas flickered behind her leaving an afterimage in his prior place. The wings were no longer there, instead all of the fire, was transferred to his silver blade.
And then,
He pushed forward his sword, and Yamini could only twist her head slowly.
DEATH WAS APPROACHING.
----------------------
-WOOSH-
The blade never reached the intended target.
Instead it was stopped in its track, all because a third enemy who couldn't be detected during the fight, slashed and the head was separated from the body.
The molten gold spewed from the neck and landed at the outstretched tongue, then the blood was swallowed.
Kaalpurush had ended the battle with a treacherous attack!
Yamini screamed and then darkness consumed her, as Kaalpurush teleported into their own realm– Naraka the realm of the damned and vile.
While the beheaded body of Shreiyas floated in the emptiness and everything destroyed in existence all due to the large scale battle formed yet again.
All abiding to divine law but that wasn't the only reason. No. The main reason was the sizzling blood that ignited the creation of the destroyed multiverses containing souls and metaphysical concepts.
Yes the death of the ascended had formed life anew.
The reality strand had stopped shaking and everything became stable.
But was this really the end of Shreiyas?
Has the fire finally burned itself into complete ashes?
"Of course not."
The void encasing all the realms and devtas, started to twist and tear, and emerging from it was one of the supreme Trinity.
The Holy and Omnipotent Destroyer.
LORD SHIVA.
The one who was worshipped the most by the son of flames.
The omnipotent being didn't speak, his cosmic form simply descended down to the body and the floating head was picked up by one of those infinite hands.
And then the body disintegrated into grey ashes, which soon covered the body of the lord.
Only the bright soul of Shreiyas containing three divine traces(Surya, Agni and Unknown), remained which was cradled by the hands.
"You have suffered enough due to the callous nature of Niyati (Fate or Destiny), my child. You who strived to be pure and in the end met betrayal and strife.
Such is life, but. Your time hasn't come. You still have many duties and goals to achieve. The full potential still remains untouched.
Thus, forgive me for granting you another life where you would face betrayal and strife at every turn, but..... Only you shall hope to defeat Kaalpurush.
I know you can't hear me nor understand, and even if you could, you wouldn't remember. But never cower nor kneel in front of anyone.
You were created to rule not to bow!
Yet, to further alleviate your troubles, I will grant you three boons.
The first will be, you will be reincarnated into a world an exact replica of novel which you loved to read and remembered vividly.
Second, the potential to grow further than even your prime self.
Last but not the least, You will be granted all of your memories which you will unlock after a set period of time and then you will unlock the ability known as the system, for everyone there has one, needed to be considered as an Occult Aspirant.
I love you my child. Live long and achieve your potential, for you will need it during the final battle."
Then, Lord Shiva disappeared into the mist as though he had never been there, and the void repaired itself in an instantaneous speed.
But now there was no body nor was there the soul.
Shreiyas was gone.
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[Welcome, Aspirant Of Occult Arts.]
[Memories Awakened]
[Title: Son Of Fire, Granted]
[Title: Divine Ascended, Granted]
[Title: One Of The Shaivas, Granted]
[Title: Anomaly, Granted]
[Open Your Senses, And Ignite Once Again]
[Shreiyas The Raja]
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Author's Note:-
This is my submission to WSA 2025, and so hope you like it, and also support it.
Trying something new, by using my roots. Though, still I have taken inspiration from other novels too, to integrate this root of mine well into fantasy.
Bye I guess.
See you at the next chapter!