Night in Bharnakhet was heavy.**
The village slept in silence—no festivals, no prayers, only the wind moving through blackened ruins. Veer sat near the collapsed Shiva temple, eyes closed, fingers lightly brushing the dirt where he had seen the symbols swirl only hours ago.
The system inside him hummed with unease.
> [Passive Sense: Unknown spiritual presence detected]
[Warning: Observation from a hostile source]
Veer opened his eyes. The stars above were clear—too clear. The moon shone pale and round, but its light could not pierce the dark feeling gnawing at the edges of his awareness.
And then—
A soft crunch.
A whisper of breath.
A blur of movement in the corner of his eye.
He stood immediately, alert.
From the shadowed edge of the village square, a figure stepped out—tall, lean, wrapped in robes darker than night itself. His face was covered by a silver mask shaped like a wolf's snarling head. In one hand, he carried a staff twisted like a serpent's spine. On his chest, a pendant glowed faintly—a shard of obsidian, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"You're the boy who speaks to ash," the stranger said, voice like a blade wrapped in velvet.
Veer didn't move. "And you are?"
The man tilted his head. "A Seeker. Like you. Only… I don't ask the gods for answers. I take them."
He raised his staff, and the shadows around him moved. They slithered across the ground like smoke, coiling toward Veer.
> [Combat Threat Detected – Shadow Invocation Magic Identified]
[System: Wordcraft Defense Options Available – "Truth Shield" Ready]
Veer stepped back, hand to his heart.
He whispered a single word: "Satya." (Truth.)
A faint light shimmered around him like a sphere, pushing back the approaching darkness. The shadows hissed like snakes in pain.
The masked Seeker narrowed his eyes. "So… the boy has learned his first tongue. Not bad. But words alone won't save you."
Veer stared at him. "What do you want?"
The man took a step forward. "The shard of Shiva. The one hidden here. You've seen its memory, haven't you? You touched the ashes. You followed the echo. Tell me where it is, and I might let this village live."
Veer's blood boiled.
"You burned their homes. You killed the innocent. And you dare speak of mercy?"
The man's laughter was cold and hollow.
"There is no mercy in the age to come, boy. Only power. The gods sleep. Their temples rot. Only those who seize the fragments will survive the storm."
Suddenly, the obsidian shard on his chest glowed.
> [System Alert: Corrupted Fragment Detected – Origin: Unknown]
[Spiritual Interference Level: High]
Veer gritted his teeth. His shield flickered. The power the Seeker was channeling was not just dark—it was twisted. A perversion of something sacred.
He had to act. Not to defeat—but to endure.
He took a deep breath and whispered the word the sage had once made him meditate upon for hours:
"Maun." (Silence.)
The world slowed.
The wind froze.
The Seeker's movements became sluggish, as if fighting through water. Veer used the moment to gather the ash he'd placed around the temple ruins earlier. He drew a line on the ground and placed both palms over it.
"Lord Shiva," he murmured, "grant me steadiness… not for myself, but for those who cannot fight."
The line of ash ignited—silently—and formed a barrier between Veer and the Seeker.
A ring of fire. Pale blue. Calm.
The Seeker hissed. "So the boy truly has been chosen…"
He stepped back into the shadows. "This is not the end, Word-Speaker. The hunt begins now."
And just like that—he was gone.
As the barrier dimmed and the wind returned, Veer sank to his knees. His breath was heavy. His limbs shook.
But he was alive.
And more than that—he was ready.
> [System Message:]
[New Foe Registered: Seeker of the Black Tongue]
[Quest Unlocked: Fragments of the Forgotten God – 1/7 Located]
[Skill Progression: Wordcraft – Tier I: 85% | Tier II Unlock Pending]
[Emotion Registered: Righteous Resolve]
[Reward: Minor Blessing of Shiva – +Resistance to Corruption]
The next day, Veer would tell the village what he saw. And then… he would begin the search for the stolen fragment.
Not as a boy in hiding.
But as Veer, speaker of truth.