Chapter 4 – The Sage’s Revelation
Champapuri – Twenty Days Since the Arrival
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Aryan's Perspective: A Soul Stirring Beneath Flesh
The Ganga's breath whispered across the surface, cool and fragrant, as morning light filtered through the neem canopy. Aryan sat where the river met the mud, his eyes half-lidded, his tiny limbs covered in earthen stains. At only twenty days old, his body could barely hold balance. And yet—his spine remained unnaturally straight, his head unbowed, and his gaze aware.
"This body is weak… but not useless," Aryan thought, as he pressed his palms into the mud, sculpting shapes with a precision beyond his age. "Even if I can't speak, I can act."
In his past life, meditation meant silence. Here, it meant clay. His small fingers formed concentric rings, then a dome, and finally—painstakingly—a miniature Shivling, complete with the crescent ridge and vertical line.
As his finger dragged across the third line, something clicked—not physically, but cosmically. The world paused. The Ganga's current halted around their stretch of the bank. A peacock feather drifted from a cloudless sky, landing on the shrine. And beneath his swaddling, the rudraksha bead grew hot.
"He sees. Mahadev sees."
From nearby, his three-year-old brother Karna called out. "Maa! Look what Aryan made!"
Radha turned, and for the second time in her life, she dropped her laundry—not from exhaustion, but awe.
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Karna's Perspective: Brother of the Flame
Karna didn't fully understand what Aryan was. But he felt it.
His brother didn't cry like other babies. He didn't cling or whimper. He watched. He listened. And when Karna touched Aryan's chest—where the glowing nine-flamed mark sometimes shimmered beneath his skin—he always felt warm.
Today, Karna had tried to copy the other village boys, using a stick to practice mock combat. But his gaze kept drifting back to Aryan, who now sat building… something. Not a sandcastle. Not a pile. A form. Something sacred.
Then the air changed.
The river stilled.
And the sound of approaching thunder echoed—not from the sky, but from the forest.
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Radha's Perspective: The Unnamed Mother of Kings
She'd never seen such a thing.
Her twenty-day-old child sat forming a Shivling while the river paused to witness. When the air shimmered, she thought it might be heat. When the peacock feather fell, she almost fainted.
She held both sons close as the tremor of footsteps approached.
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Narrative: The Axe-Bearer's Arrival
From the trees stepped a figure who did not belong to time.
Guru Parashuram.
His robes bore the blood of fallen kings.
His axe—the legendary Parashu—hung silent on his back, though it could cleave mountains.
His eyes, older than the sun, scanned the riverbank and settled on the mud Shivling.
He knelt. Not in curiosity—but reverence.
"Who built this?" he demanded, voice like cracking stone.
Karna pointed at Aryan. "My brother. He made it."
Parashuram stared into the infant's eyes. "Not a child. A returning flame."
He began his puja immediately.
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Parashuram's Perspective: Seer of Cycles
The Shivling was not made of stone. It was made of intent.
With practiced hands, he completed the ritual:
1. Sankalpa – drawing water, he let it drip across the shrine.
2. Abhishekam – golden droplets now, transformed mid-air.
3. Mantra – "Om Namah Shivaya"—the air thickened with vibration.
But then… he felt it.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
> Divine Multiplier Activated (×1000)
1x Puja Received → 1000x Spiritual Merit Accumulated
Soul Sync Initiated: Partial Shiva Consciousness
"He carries it," Parashuram thought. "Not just memory—but tools."
He looked into Aryan's eyes. "You remember, don't you?"
The child couldn't nod, but the ॐ-mark on his palm pulsed.
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Divine Gifting: Boons of the Future
Parashuram turned first to Karna.
"Ask, child. One boon."
Karna stepped forward without fear. "Make me the greatest warrior. So I can protect my brother."
The sage nodded. "You will train with me. Come to Mahendra Parvat when you are eight."
Then, turning to Aryan, he called out in a tone that shook trees:
"Simha!"
From the woods bounded a white lion cub, its fur like moonlight, its roar more chirp than thunder. It padded to Aryan, nuzzled his tiny feet, and transferred a drop of glowing blood onto his tongue.
[SYSTEM: BEAST BOND ESTABLISHED]
> Companion: Divine Lion – Simha
Shared Lifeforce (Pain/Healing sync)
Dharma Guardian (Will attack those who violate sacred order)
Parashuram named it: "Simha—child of Narasimha. Protector, not pet."
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The Sage's Warning
Before leaving, Parashuram paused.
"To both of you—know this: Time will challenge you. Kings will hunt you. Even the gods may fear you. But hold to dharma, and no storm can break your purpose."
And then, he vanished into the forest as if swallowed by the air itself.
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Epilogue: Future Echoes in Dream
That night, Aryan dreamed again. In the dream:
Simha, now grown, roared atop a cliff.
Karna, clad in solar armor, stood opposite him.
The world was fire and ruin.
[SYSTEM: FUTURE ECHO DETECTED]
> Bonds may become chains. Destiny is not a road—it is a wheel. Ride it… or break it.
Radha's lullaby anchored him to the present:
> "Sleep, little flame, don't burn too soon…
The moon guards your cradle, the sun comes at noon."
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Key Structural Enhancements:
All perspectives (Aryan, Karna, Radha, Parashuram) included.
Divine elements explained through system and spiritual logic.
Aryan remains realistically limited in body but grand in cosmic design.
Karna's wish reveals early signs of his future tragedy.
Simha added as divine protector linked to Vishnu's legacy.