The countryside outside Mumbai was a scarred thing, green trying to strangle grey.
Once, the route from Mumbai to Pune was a bustling highway. Now, it was a broken spine of rusted vehicles, collapsed flyovers, and creeping banyan roots that grew through the bones of old machines.
Dhruv walked alone, the system silent for the past hour.
He passed crumbling signboards and long-abandoned petrol stations. His hoodie was damp with sweat, his jeans caked with dust. Yet, with every step, something inside him felt lighter, like the weight of the city had stayed behind.
Relic Integration: 12%
Memory Fragments Ready: View?
[Yes] [No]
He tapped 'No' mentally. Not yet. His mind was already a spinning mess of relics, karma, and visions of a future self.
Around noon, he spotted smoke curling from a forested valley.
A village.
The system pinged.
Karmic Detour Detected. Optional Encounter Available.
Approach with compassion or secrecy?
He frowned. "You judge everything, huh?"
Karma is not judgment. Karma is a record.
He chose compassion.
The village was small, maybe thirty huts made of mudbrick and salvaged plastic. Chickens clucked nervously. A few goats bleated as he approached.
He raised his hands, palms open. "Just passing through. Not looking for trouble."
A boy with a stick spotted him and ran. Soon, a few adults emerged, wary but curious.
Then she appeared.
A girl, maybe fifteen. Dirty face, bright eyes, long braided hair. She stared at him like he wasn't quite real.
"His light is crooked," she said.
Dhruv blinked. "What?"
"Your threads," she said, pointing. "They're golden, but some bend funny. Like someone else is tugging them."
He froze. "You... see them?"
She nodded. "Sometimes. When I focus. Dadi says it's a curse. I think it's a story waiting to happen."
"What's your name?"
"Meena. And you're carrying a fire that's not yours."
Before he could ask more, an old man stepped forward. "You're marked. You carry relic power. That means danger. We want none."
"I'm not here to fight," Dhruv said. "I'm heading to Tulapur. There's something under the temple ruins."
The villagers exchanged glances. The old man frowned.
"You mean the ashen shrine. People who go near it don't return the same."
Dhruv nodded. "I have to. It's... calling."
Silence.
Then Meena piped up. "I'll guide him."
"No," the old man said.
"Yes," she replied. "He needs someone who sees karma. And I'm tired of sweeping courtyards."
Dhruv hesitated. He didn't want to drag a kid into this.
But the system whispered:
Companion Option: Meena (Seer-Class Potential). Karma Thread: Neutral Curious.
He sighed. "Only if you're sure."
Meena grinned. "I've never been more sure."
They left at dusk.
As they walked, Meena hummed folk tunes and told him stories of gods who turned into trees, of a ghost bull that guarded treasure under rivers. She wasn't afraid.
"You're weirdly calm about all this," Dhruv said.
"Because I saw you in a dream last month," Meena replied. "You had lightning in your skin. I figured you'd show up eventually."
The system pinged again.
Karma Thread Strengthening. Bond Level: 1
Perception Boost Active in Companion Radius.
By midnight, they reached a ridge overlooking Tulapur's ruins.
The old temple lay broken, swallowed by earth and ash. Columns tilted sideways. Statues were buried at their necks. But beneath it, something pulsed—a faint red glow from the cracks in the earth.
"That's new," Meena whispered.
Dhruv stared. The glow wasn't firelight. It was… hungry.
Warning: Hostile Entities Detected Below. Estimated Power Level: Moderate.
Relic Status: Jamadagni's Axe — Bound by Wrath. Entry Conditions: Karma ≥ Neutral. Intent must be declared.
A chill crawled up his spine.
"Looks like the real test starts now," he muttered.
Meena looked at him. "You're going down there, aren't you?"
"I have to."
She nodded. "Then I'm going with you."
He opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it.
Because somewhere deep in the earth, something howled.
Not human. Not animal.
Something waiting.