Ashes Speak Again

The wind carried the smell of smoke.

Veer stood at the edge of the forest, staring at the distant hills where smoke twisted into the sky like a serpent. It had been two moons since he passed the Trial of the Tongue. Under Guru Tatvagya's silent and strict guidance, he had learned to meditate through hunger, see with closed eyes, and listen without hearing.

But now, the sage had given him a task.

"Go beyond the woods," he had said that morning, handing Veer a small pouch of ash, "to the village of Bharnakhet. There is pain there. Speak, only when your silence is no longer enough."

No more riddles. No more metaphors.

It was time to act.

Veer walked the narrow path out of the jungle.

With every step, his senses sharpened. He felt the soil change beneath his feet—the scent of herbs and bark faded, replaced by scorched earth and dry air. His fingers tightened around the ash pouch at his side.

By mid-afternoon, he reached the outskirts of Bharnakhet.

What he saw made his heart tighten.

The village was half-burned. Roofs had collapsed, cattle lay abandoned, and blackened skeletons of homes stood like broken teeth. Smoke curled up from smoldering wood, and villagers moved quietly, as if afraid to disturb the very air.

A young girl wept beside the remains of a well. A man with bandages over both eyes guided a child through the rubble. Not a single voice called out in joy, or anger, or even prayer.

> [System Update: Location – Bharnakhet Ruins]

[Spiritual Energy Level: Low]

[Emotion Field Detected: Despair | Suppression Zone Active]

Veer stepped forward—and a group of men immediately turned.

"Who are you?" one of them barked. "Thief? Bandit scout?"

Veer held his hands up calmly. "I come in peace. I was sent to listen."

One man snorted. "Then listen to this—we have nothing left."

Veer's eyes scanned the village. His gaze landed on a temple at the far end—collapsed. The trident above it had broken, half-buried in dust.

A Shiva temple.

He walked toward it.

No one stopped him.

Inside the ruins, Veer knelt. The floor was cracked. Ash covered everything. The idol of Shiva had fallen, its face buried in the rubble. But even so, the energy here… pulsed. Dim, but alive.

Veer opened the pouch and sprinkled some of his temple's sacred ash around the broken idol. He placed his hand on the ground, and closed his eyes.

He didn't chant. He simply whispered:

"I'm still learning. But if You're here… show me."

A wind rose.

Soft, but unnaturally warm. The ash stirred and swirled, forming symbols in the air—Sanskrit, glowing faintly. His system activated on its own.

> [System Link Detected: Divine Fragment Present]

[Wordcraft Path: Echo Invocation Enabled]

[Echo Glimpse Triggered]

Suddenly, light flashed—and Veer saw it.

A memory.

Men in dark armor. A general with a jagged sword. Fire being poured on rooftops. The temple priest yelling, "Protect the sacred shard!" before falling under the blade.

Then—darkness.

When Veer opened his eyes, the ash symbols had faded.

But he understood now.

Someone had attacked this village—not for land, not for revenge, but to steal something spiritual. A piece of Shiva's divine energy had been stored here… and someone had taken it.

He stood slowly.

His voice was steady now. "This village didn't fall from fate. It was attacked. For power."

The villagers looked up, eyes narrowing.

"How do you know?"

"Because the truth doesn't stay buried. It waits in ash, in silence… in memory."

> [Skill Activated: Truth Awakening]

[Passive Effect: Reveals Hidden Intentions in Speech Radius]

[Village Mood Shift: From Despair → Stirring Hope]

A woman stepped forward. "Can you help us?"

Veer looked at the horizon, where the trail of ash led into the hills.

"I will try. And I won't be alone.

That night, as he rested under the broken trident, the wind whispered again. But this time, it wasn't memory—it was something new.

A feeling.

That he was being watched.