The dawn arrived not with sun, but with smoke—thick and coppery in the back of Arjun Rathore's throat.
From the Gurudwara's upper terrace, he watched the grey-red line of destruction on the horizon. Ash floated like snow across Delhi's desecrated skyline. His breath fogged in the strange morning chill, despite the midsummer heat.
Behind him, survivors stirred quietly—men and women from all castes, backgrounds, languages—living as one in sacred safety. Roles had been assigned, stockpiles organized, teams led by Varun and Dhani had returned with salvaged medicine and tools.
A breath of order returned to the world.
But that morning, a hum pulsed in Arjun's HUD—slow at first, then persistent.
Distress Beacon Detected – Ruined Sanctuary: Sher Khan MandirLocation: North Delhi SectorStatus: Final Collapse PhaseDivine Linkage Detected: Saraswati-Class Seal DisruptionSurvivors: UnknownEstimated Time Remaining: 10 HoursThreat Classification: Ritual Cursed Ravagers + Heretic Cultists
A red signal marked the map — a temple surrounded by desecrated ruins and soul-harvesting blight.
Arjun's grip on Vajrapath tightened.
"We're going," he said.
With quiet haste, the rescue team set out:
– Arjun, armored and silent, leading with righteous purpose– Varun, prepping makeshift explosive traps and handling recon– Dhani, tapping into his elemental senses with growing finesse
It took nearly three hours, winding through sewer-wrecked streets, acid-burned rooftops, and roads where nothing human breathed anymore.
The wind whispered louder the closer they got.
When the Sher Khan Mandir appeared, its spires half-fallen and courtyard smeared with dark symbols, it didn't look like a place of worship anymore. It looked like a wound in the Earth.
They saw the survivors—trapped behind melted railings, terrified, silent.
And standing in the center of the broken compound were robed figures—chanting, bleeding into bowls, feeding the blackened air.
Ravagers circled like dogs, waiting for the ritual to complete.
Quest Activated: "Ashes Must Rise"Objective: Terminate Cult RitualistsSave at least 40 SurvivorsOptional: Reclaim Sher Khan Temple as Safe ZoneTime Limit: 6 HoursReward: ???
Arjun didn't wait for words.
He stepped forward, blade drawn, and fire answered.
From behind him, Varun lobbed pipe bombs with deadly grace. Steel-shard shrapnel ripped into the cultists, interrupting the incantation. The elemental air around Dhani surged—vines crackled and coiled, slamming into the altar.
The Ravagers reacted—screeching, lunging.
One massive beast – black-skinned, four-eyed – charged at Arjun.
He met it head-on.
Vajrapath pulsed with divine strength. Hanuman's might lent him raw power. Veerabhadra's fury turned his strikes into storms. Saraswati's calm kept him focused, analytical.
The beast struck with a claw the size of a tire.
He caught it. Turned. Threw.
The Ravager crashed into a pillar, breaking it into shards.
When the battle ended, forty-six survivors huddled beneath the broken archway.
Arjun approached the altar — now dim and still. From behind it, an emaciated boy no older than ten emerged — clutching a broken idol of Saraswati.
He held it up.
Arjun took it with reverence, cleaned the blood with a torn cloth, and placed it back on a new pedestal.
The system shimmered.
Quest Complete: "Ashes Must Rise"Survivors Saved: 46Divine Interest +++
New Mission Triggered – "Sanctum of the Fourfold Flame"Connect the following sanctuaries to create India's First Unified Divine Zone:– Gurudwara Sahib Sanctuary – Done– Sher Khan Temple Ruins – Done– ???– ???
Unlock: Inter-Zone Fast Travel, Shared Resource Grid, Divine Defense ProtocolMain Questline Progress Unlocked: "Journey to Find the Missing"
Arjun's eyes narrowed.
Four sanctuaries. Four divine forces. Four safe zones to anchor India's resurrection.
Only then could he go searching for his real mission—the one that haunted every moment of silence: his missing family in Uttar Pradesh.
That night, they buried the dead. Lit incense for the fallen. Dhani raised earth-walls. Varun helped craft makeshift barriers. The survivors helped rebuild.
The Saraswati idol now stood at the compound's center.
A new Divine Protection Field emerged: soft blue-white light glowing in geometric pulses. The black stains faded. The cursed air cleared.
The Sher Khan Temple was alive again.
Not perfect. Not whole.
But holy.
He stood beside the idol under the stars.
Hanuman's fire. Veerabhadra's rage. Saraswati's wisdom.
A triangle of divinity building in his soul.
"I don't want to lead," he murmured to himself. "I just want to find them. I want to see if they're alive."
But every soul he saved… every shrine he stood beneath… whispered the same truth:
You must build the path before you can walk it.