Chapter 8: Whispers of the Vajra

The moonlight draped Kashindrapura in a silver veil, casting long shadows through the narrow alleys of the lower district. Veer sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor of his cramped dwelling, the faint flickering of a single oil lamp barely illuminating the space.

The events of the day still weighed on his mind—his near-death encounter, the strange surge of power within him, and the cryptic words of the academy elders. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became.

There was something they weren't telling him.

He reached into his robe, fingers wrapping around the smooth surface of the Mantra Core he had salvaged. The inscriptions on it pulsed faintly, as if responding to his touch. It was old—far older than anything commonly found in the city.

"This isn't just any relic," he thought, turning it over in his hands. "Why does it feel… familiar?"

A sudden gust of wind rattled the wooden door of his home. Veer's senses sharpened. Someone was watching him.

He placed the core down and shifted his weight, silently reaching for the rusted dagger beneath his cot.

"Still as paranoid as ever."

A voice, smooth and laced with amusement, came from the shadows near the window.

Veer tensed, his grip tightening on the dagger. "Show yourself."

A figure emerged from the darkness, stepping into the dim light. A young woman, wrapped in a flowing dark cloak, her deep violet eyes gleaming like distant stars.

"Relax, Ashborn," she said with a smirk. "If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be talking."

Veer's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

The girl twirled a small silver ring around her finger. "Someone who knows what you really are."

The room fell silent.

For a moment, Veer's heart pounded against his ribs.

"Leave." His voice was steady, but his mind was racing.

The girl didn't flinch. "You're carrying something important, aren't you?" Her gaze flickered to the Mantra Core on the floor. "Something ancient. Something they don't want you to have."

Veer felt an unsettling familiarity in her words.

"Why do you care?"

"Because the Academy is lying to you." She took a step forward, her tone softening. "The Ashborn… the Vajra fragments… the truth about the world. They've hidden it all."

The room seemed to shrink around him.

"What do you know?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The girl hesitated, then sighed. "Not here. Meet me at the ruined temple outside the city—at dawn. If you want answers."

With that, she turned and leapt through the window, vanishing into the night.

Veer stared after her, his thoughts a whirlwind of confusion.

He looked down at the Mantra Core, its inscriptions glowing more intensely than before.

Something deep inside him stirred.

He had no choice now.

He had to find out the truth.