Ninefold_Sage

The world you know is a lie.

Veer was born in the slums, mocked for his weak spirit, destined to be nothing. But when he awakens the Vajra Fragments, the truth unravels—he’s not just a warrior. He’s a living key to an ancient power that should not exist.

The prestigious Jyotirlinga Academy claims to train the strongest, but beneath its walls lies a secret: those with Vajra Fragments are not trained… they are sacrificed.

But the biggest lie?

The Vajra was never destroyed—it became a person.

The world already ended once—now, it's just an illusion.

And the ones pulling the strings? They have been waiting for him.


When betrayal shatters his reality, Veer must forge his own path—through lost temples, ancient wars, and a hidden truth that could burn the heavens themselves.

In a world built on deception, will he break free… or become its greatest weapon?


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Ashes of the Vajra

Veer balanced on a flickering golden step, his muscles tense.

The temple still seemed so far away, and yet half the applicants were already gone, swallowed by the mist below.

He turned to the noble boy behind him—who, despite his earlier arrogance, now looked terrified.

"I take it back," the noble muttered. "I'd rather fight the fire monsters."

A few feet ahead, a girl with braided hair and glowing tattoos leaped gracefully from step to step, her movements precise. Unlike the others, she never hesitated, stepping with complete confidence.

Veer narrowed his eyes. She knows something.

"Oi, tattoo girl!" he called out. "Mind sharing the secret?"

She shot him an unimpressed glance but sighed. "The path isn't about just watching the steps—it's about feeling the flow of energy beneath them."

Veer frowned. "The flow of what now?"

She rolled her eyes. "Mantra energy. The safe steps pulse with power a moment before they appear."

The noble scoffed. "Ah, yes, because all of us are obviously trained mantra users."

The girl ignored him, focusing on the shifting path. With fluid precision, she took another leap, landing on a barely visible step just as it solidified beneath her.

Closing his eyes, he tried to sense the energy she mentioned.

At first, there was nothing—just silence and the faint crackling of unstable magic around him.

It was faint, like a whisper in the back of his mind.

He opened his eyes—just as a new golden step appeared.

Without thinking, he jumped, landing perfectly.

The noble boy scoffed. "Lucky guess."

Veer ignored him and focused again. The pulse came again—this time, a split second before a new platform emerged.

Soon, Veer was gaining speed, weaving through the flickering steps with ease.

The noble boy, watching in horror, muttered, "You've got to be kidding me…"

Behind them, other applicants struggled. A muscular warrior tried brute-forcing his way across—only for a step to vanish mid-stride, sending him plummeting with a scream.

Veer winced. "Oof. That's gotta hurt."

The noble gulped. "I—uh—think I'll be staying behind you from now on."

They pressed on, the temple drawing closer.

But just as Veer was about to leap to the final stretch—

The golden steps vanished all at once.

For a heart-stopping second, he was falling.

With pure instinct, Veer twisted midair, just barely landing on it.

He glanced around—only a handful of applicants remained. The rest had fallen into the mist below, their screams already fading.

The floating temple was now only a few jumps away.

But something told him the worst was yet to come.

Chapter 6: The Vanishing Path