Chapter 4: The Watcher of Devprayag
The wind carried the scent of pine and river mist as Aarav stepped onto the soil of Devprayag, where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi met to birth the Ganga. The town was quiet but ancient, wrapped in whispers and ritual.
But something in the air was alive — like the land itself was watching him.
He moved past the temples and sadhus until he reached the confluence, where the waters churned like twin serpents. A narrow path behind the ancient temple of Raghunathji led to an old stone shrine, half buried in the roots of a sprawling vatavriksha (banyan tree).
On its door, carved in faded Sanskrit, was a verse:
> "When memory returns to the bearer of fire,
Let the Watcher open the Eye of Dharma."
Aarav's palm burned as he approached. The trishul-shaped scar glowed faintly. The shrine door creaked open.
Inside, a man sat cross-legged on a bed of kusa grass. His beard reached his chest. His eyes — white, clouded. Blind.
But he spoke clearly. "I've waited, Aarav."
> Aarav froze. "How do you know my name?"
"You've had many names. But this one is written in the current of this Yuga."
"Who are you?"
"I am the Watcher," he said. "Guardian of memory. One of the seven whose eyes were never closed, even when the others chose to forget."
The Watcher raised his hand, and a golden orb formed between his fingers — flickering with ancient scripts, like a sun trapped in glass.
> "You've started remembering. That is dangerous. And necessary. The Fifth Yuga has no written place in the Vedas — it was removed, hidden, buried beneath eons. But time doesn't forget, Aarav. And neither do your enemies."
The orb floated toward Aarav and hovered over his chest.
> "In your past life, you were called Rishan, the bearer of Jyotir-Astra, the Light Weapon forged by the Ashvatta Tree. You were the fifth guardian. You sealed the Gates. And she… she betrayed you."
Images swirled — fire, battle, a girl's voice screaming his name as she wept. A blade of black lightning. A city of mirrors collapsing.
---
Flashback Memory: A Lost Age
Rishan stood at the center of a floating temple as celestial armies clashed. A girl in red robes — Anaya — begged him not to leave.
> "Rishan, the tree will die without you!"
"If I don't seal the Gate, all the Yugas will collapse. Even Kali."
"Then we lose everything."
"Not everything. We save what we can."
She kissed his hand and placed a ring in it — the ring he now wore unconsciously in the present day. A dull copper band with no gem.
> "Forget me if you must. But never forget the truth."
---
Back to Present – Devprayag
The vision faded. Aarav stumbled back, heart racing.
> "She knew the cost," the Watcher said. "But something went wrong. The Seal was never complete. The enemy you fought then has begun to rise again — but now he wears many faces."
> "Who is he?" Aarav asked.
"He goes by many names. Raktaveer. Naraka. Mahakaal. But the ancient name is lost, for it was burned from all memory. All but one."
The Watcher handed Aarav a scroll — old, wrapped in leather, sealed with wax that bore the same trishul mark.
> "This will lead you to the second anchor. Her name is Anaya, and she has also begun to awaken. But she is being hunted by those who remember too much — the Vratyas, exiles from the last yuga, twisted by memory and hate."
> "And the others?" Aarav asked. "The Seven Gatekeepers?"
> "Scattered. Some sleep. Some serve the enemy now."
The Watcher's voice lowered.
> "But beware, Aarav. In the Fifth Yuga, even truth is a weapon."
---
As Aarav stepped out of the shrine, the wind shifted. From the hill above, a figure in black robes was watching. His face was veiled, but his eyes glowed red.
He whispered to himself, "The bearer walks again. The Eye is open. Let the hunt begin."
---
Elsewhere – Unknown Shadow Sanctum
A stone chamber flickered with cursed fire. Seven empty thrones circled a black flame. A shadowy priest knelt in front of the fire, chanting in a forgotten tongue.
From the flames, a voice emerged.
> "The mark has reappeared."
"Send the Rakshas. Begin with the girl."
And far across the land, in a hidden forest ashram, a girl named Anaya woke from a dream — gasping, her hands glowing with mantra-fire.
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End of Chapter 4