Arjun was still basking in the joy of becoming a Voidborn rank when a frail, trembling voice pierced through the silence.
"Boy... how did you do this?"
Startled, Arjun turned toward the old man, nodding politely as he replied,
"Grandfather, I don't know myself. Suddenly, my body was overwhelmed with a sharp, searing pain... and the next moment, I found myself standing in the Voidborn rank Examination."
Even as he spoke, Arjun instinctively turned inward — diving into the depths of his consciousness. What he found left him stunned.
There, glowing amidst the void, was a radiant sphere of energy — his source core.
But it was unlike any ordinary core. It was surrounded by an ancient, luminous force — a halo of divine light. The very same energy he had felt surge through him just moments before. As Arjun tried to touch it with his spiritual presence, a sudden shockwave threw him violently out of his own consciousness.
Meanwhile, the old man was visibly shaken by Arjun's response. He stood in stunned silence for several moments before finally offering a soft smile.
"You truly are blessed, boy," the elder said with quiet awe.
"It seems the heavens have chosen you... and granted you a second chance. In all my years, I've never witnessed anything like this. Once a warrior's power pathways and source core are destroyed, they never regenerate. But you... your source has not only returned — it radiates ancient power. That can only mean one thing: someone beyond our realm wants you to rise again."
Still reeling from the light that had ejected him from within, Arjun gave a faint, wry smile.
"Perhaps you're right, Grandfather," he said softly.
"Maybe my fate really has taken a turn for the better."
But then, almost unconsciously, he added under his breath,
"Though I had to wait an entire lifetime for this... and lose someone I could never replace."
The mention of her name never came — but it didn't have to.
The memory of Nitisha washed over him like a wave of pain.
Tears welled up in Arjun's eyes, but the old man misunderstood them. Believing they were tears of joy, he gently patted Arjun on the back.
"Now, now, lad," he said with a smile, "this isn't the time for tears. You should be celebrating. You've been given another chance to grow stronger — to reclaim what was lost."
Arjun gave a slight nod, a faint smile appearing on his lips. But it wasn't the kind of smile one would expect from a warrior—it carried no joy. Instead, it reflected a deep sorrow… the grief of losing someone dear.
And with that pain lingering in his eyes, Arjun murmured to himself,
"Nitisha, I can never forget what you did for me. But I promise you this time… I won't let those demons destroy our world again like they did before."
His eyes shone with unshakable determination.
Meanwhile, the old man was still standing beside Arjun. Noticing the distant look in his eyes, he spoke,
"Boy, where have you wandered off to?"
Arjun shook his head slightly, signaling it was nothing. Observing him, the old man continued,
"You've just become a Voidborn. You need to rest for a while and try to stabilize your powers. In the meantime, I'll go inform Acharya Parikshit about your recovery."
Hearing the name 'Acharya Parikshit', Arjun's eyes widened in disbelief. The old man chuckled softly at his reaction and added,
"Why do you look so surprised, boy? It was none other than Acharya Parikshit who brought you here."
This revelation stunned Arjun. Not even in his previous life had he known that the one who brought him to this sacred place was Acharya Parikshit himself.
Acharya Parikshit was a legendary name across the Devantak Empire—renowned as one of the most powerful beings alive. So much so that countless warriors sought to become his disciple. Yet, he had never accepted anyone under his wing. In his past life, Arjun too had yearned to become his student, but fate had been cruel. His path to power had crumbled, and he never even got the chance to meet the great master.
With a spark of curiosity and hope in his voice, Arjun asked,
"Baba… is Acharya Parikshit here? Can I meet him?"
The old man shook his head gently and replied,
"You cannot meet him yet, not unless he chooses to meet you himself. And as for whether he's still here or not..."
He paused, letting out a long breath before continuing,
"Even I don't know if he's still in the temple or has already left."
A shadow of disappointment crossed Arjun's face. Looking at the old man, he said quietly,
"Very well, Baba… Please, if you do meet him, tell him I wish to see him."
The old man nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Arjun in silence.
Once alone, Arjun crossed his legs and sat firmly on the wooden cot, closing his eyes in deep concentration. To truly gain control over Voidborn powers, one had to journey inward—to the deepest corners of the mind and spirit. The process demanded complete focus and unwavering calm. Any lapse, and the power would spiral out of control.
With absolute dedication, Arjun began to meditate—ready to confront the storm within, and master the void that now surged through his soul.
As Arjun descended once again into the depths of his inner consciousness, he found himself standing before the same ancient light — the radiant aura that had completely engulfed his source core.
Drawing closer, his eyes fixed on the luminous phenomenon, Arjun murmured to himself,
"What is this light? I remember… in my past life, this light had emerged from within me… when Nitisha chanted that strange incantation and sacrificed herself."
He came to a halt beside the glowing veil. But this time, unlike before, he made no attempt to touch it. The memory of his last encounter — when his soul had been violently ejected from his body — was still fresh and chilling.
For several moments, he simply stared, the brilliance dancing in his eyes, pulsing softly, as if alive.
"How am I supposed to know what this light is doing here?" he asked himself aloud. "Why is it surrounding my source core like this?"
The instant the question left his lips, the light flared.
Suddenly, a searing brilliance consumed everything around him. Arjun flinched, shielding his eyes, but even through closed lids, the intensity pierced through. Then — from within the radiance — a strange form began to emerge. Slowly, it coalesced into a large, intricate symbol hovering just before his source core.
It wasn't just any mark. The symbol was ancient, pulsating with power, unlike anything Arjun had ever seen. Etched across its surface were unfamiliar characters — runes from a forgotten language. He couldn't read them, but he could feel them.
There was power in that symbol — overwhelming, terrifying, divine.
A force so immense that even a Trial of Sacrifice warrior would struggle to endure its might. And Trial of Sacrifice warriors were the pinnacle of strength — beings capable of obliterating legions single-handedly. Above them were ranks like The Unseen Master and Shadow Duel, with even the Ember in the Dark and Realm of False Realities preceding them in ascending mastery. But a true Trial of Sacrifice could erase a hundred thousand enemies in a heartbeat — that was their legacy.
Now, standing before this mark, Arjun felt something far beyond even that.
At first, he was stunned, frozen by awe and reverence. But within seconds, his wonder twisted into dread.
Because the mark was directly in front of his source core — the very essence of his power.
"If this mark… if it even touches my core," he whispered, panic creeping into his voice, "I could lose everything again."
The fear was real.
One wrong move, one flicker of aggression from the mark — and his source could be shattered once more, leaving him crippled… just like before.
He stood, breath shallow, body tense, mind reeling.
And the mark continued to glow — silent, pulsing, watching.
There was fear on Arjun's face, yet he mustered his courage and slowly approached the strange mark glowing faintly on his body. With a hesitant voice, he whispered:
"Friend, was it you who helped me become a Voidborn rank?"
For a moment, the mark remained still—completely unresponsive. But then, after a few seconds, it began to shimmer with a sudden brilliance.
Seeing this, Arjun's eyes widened in astonishment. He leaned in slightly and asked again:
"Can you hear and understand me?"
As soon as he posed the question, the mark pulsed once more—this time not only glowing, but also trembling faintly.
Arjun was stunned. How could an inanimate symbol understand him? And even more bewildering—how could it respond?
After a brief pause, still overwhelmed by the strangeness of the situation, Arjun asked a third question:
"Can I know who you are? Where did you come from, and how did you appear on my body?"
But this time, there was no reaction. The mark remained completely still.
A shadow of disappointment crossed Arjun's face, but he had already begun to understand that this mysterious symbol—whatever it was—meant him no harm.
With that realization, Arjun turned his attention away from the mark and focused on trying to control his newfound powers. But in doing so, he failed to notice something critical.
The moment he averted his gaze, ancient letters began to appear above the mark—slowly etching themselves into glowing form. Had Arjun seen them, he would've been shocked beyond words.
Because the word written was: "Kaalchakra."
And along with the text, a mystical symbol emerged—a spinning wheel that resembled the wheel of time itself. It began to rotate slowly, steadily, just like time that never halts.
As the wheel turned, an aura of immense, ancient power radiated outward. And from within the layers of this divine force, a strange, almost imperceptible voice echoed.
The voice was so faint, so deeply hidden in the frequencies of reality, that it was nearly impossible to hear—unless one focused their entire being into listening.
As the mysterious voice continued to hum, its melody was so soothing—so enchantingly divine—that anyone who heard it would be compelled to lose themselves in it.
With each note, a strange and powerful energy began to seep out from the temporal wheel and merge directly into Arjun's core of power. His core, which once gleamed like a bright white sphere of light, was slowly beginning to shift—its color deepening into a radiant gold. The change wasn't just in color. It began to glow with a brilliance unlike anything before, as if some ancient divine force had awakened inside it.
"What... what is this power?" Arjun whispered, his voice trembling with awe.
The transformation was undeniable. His once dormant, powerless energy source now pulsed with the aura of something celestial—something beyond the realm of mortals.
But what was this mysterious wheel of time?
What exactly was this Kaalchakra—this ancient entity that had begun to intertwine with Arjun's destiny?
And more importantly… how was it going to change the fate of a man once abandoned by power?
"But what if the Kaalchakra wasn't just here to help him rise... but to test if he was ever worthy of rising at all?"
To uncover the truth behind the Kaalchakra, and witness Arjun's rise as a force the gods themselves would fear, stay with us in this tale of vengeance, destiny, and rebirth—
"Rebirth of the Last Warrior."