The rebirth of Shree Yan was not as effortless as he had imagined. His return was heralded by the breaking of the heavens and the trembling of the earth, but the cost was far higher than he anticipated. In the moment of his resurrection, he could feel it—something had changed, something within him that threatened to unravel his very essence.
A World Not Ready for His Power
As Shree Yan stepped into the mortal realm, the world did not bend willingly beneath his feet. The force of his power, once unquestioned, was now met with resistance. The kingdoms and sects that had once crumbled before him now fought back with an intensity that was foreign to him. The souls of the living no longer bent to his will, and the very fabric of reality seemed to recoil at his presence.
His crimson eyes scanned the horizon. The storm he had conjured still raged above, but below, the people did not cower in the same way they once did. They fought. They resisted.
In the distance, the Gautam Kingdom's defenses had been strengthened, and the air was thick with the scent of magic and preparation. King Rajendra Gautam, long crushed under the weight of Shree Yan's power, had not fallen into despair this time. Instead, he had gathered allies from across the land—mages, warriors, and generals who were not afraid to die fighting.
Shree Yan's hand twitched as he summoned his dark powers, but the connection he had once had to the earth, the shadows, and the very essence of the world now felt... fractured. The air around him crackled with something more than just resistance—something far older, far more dangerous.
The Curse of the Immortal
In the depths of his soul, a gnawing emptiness began to grow. The power he had once wielded so effortlessly, the power that made him the Immortal King, was slipping from his grasp. His connection to the dark arts—the Prithvi Sadhana, the Tamas Vidhana, and the Atma Sankalan—was faltering. Each technique he attempted to use caused a backlash, sending violent ripples through his mind, his body, and his very being.
The earth beneath him began to crack and bleed, and the sky above churned as if the world itself was rejecting him. He had mastered time, space, and life, but this... this was something different. Something far more sinister.
For the first time in his life, Shree Yan felt the cold sting of fear.
The Return of the Gods
The gods, long silent since his first ascent to power, had taken notice of his return. They had watched from their distant realms, content to let the mortal world destroy itself beneath the weight of Shree Yan's ambition. But now that he had returned, they could no longer sit idly by.
High above, in the divine realms, the gods convened.
"I sense a disturbance," said one god, his voice booming like thunder. "Shree Yan has returned. But something is wrong. His essence is broken. He is no longer the same."
"The world was never meant for his kind," another god intoned, his voice like the hiss of wind through dead leaves. "He was not meant to walk among us again. The balance has been disrupted. We must stop him before he brings the end to all things."
But not all the gods were unified in their judgment.
"He is still a king, still an immortal," a third god spoke, her voice calm but firm. "Perhaps he can still serve the balance. Perhaps he is a necessary force, one that we cannot afford to destroy."
But the others were resolute.
"His return is an abomination," the first god growled. "The mortal realm must be protected."
And so it was decided.
The gods would intervene.
The Curse of the Gods
A barrier, unseen but unbreakable, was placed around Shree Yan, and his connection to the world's energy became distorted. The earth that had once been his ally now turned against him. His cultivation, his power, began to wither. The very essence of his immortality seemed to unravel. The immortality he had craved for centuries now felt like a curse.
No matter how hard he tried, the techniques he had once perfected now faltered. The Earth Cultivation, which had allowed him to manipulate the very earth beneath him, caused violent tremors, but it also twisted the land, causing it to reject him. The Shadow Cultivation, which once allowed him to vanish into darkness, now left him vulnerable and exposed. And the Soul Binding, the technique that allowed him to bind others to his will, now shattered his own soul with every attempt.
The Demon's Awakening
As the weight of his struggle bore down upon him, a voice echoed in the darkest recesses of his mind.
"You are not the only one who seeks immortality," the voice whispered. "You are not the only one who has sacrificed everything for power."
Shree Yan's eyes widened as a presence began to materialize within him. It was an ancient entity, a demon bound by forces even Shree Yan could not comprehend. The demon, bound deep within the realms of forgotten space, had been awakened by Shree Yan's return. It had lain dormant for millennia, waiting for the right moment, and now that moment had come.
"I am your opposite," the demon hissed. "Your strength, your power—everything you've gained has been built on lies. And now, we will see if you are truly worthy of immortality."
The demon surged within him, attempting to take control, to bend Shree Yan's own will to its desires. Pain, unlike anything Shree Yan had ever experienced, tore through his body as the entity clawed at his soul.
For the first time in his life, Shree Yan felt the crushing weight of defeat. His immortal body, once so invincible, was now a prison.
The Price of Immortality
The pain was unbearable, and as he fought against the demon's hold, he realized something far more devastating: immortality came at a price far greater than he had ever imagined.
The world itself was rejecting him. The gods had turned their backs on him. And now, a demonic force was consuming him from within. His connection to the powers that had once made him a god among mortals had shattered, and his body, even in its immortal state, was breaking down.
But in that moment, when all seemed lost, a flicker of realization sparked within Shree Yan's heart. He had always sought power for the wrong reasons. He had sought revenge, immortality, control—but he had never stopped to question the true cost of these desires.
Was immortality worth this?
The answer, it seemed, was a resounding no.
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