Chapter 21: The Divided Heart
The air in the Patala Labs grew heavy, thick with the scent of ozone and the metallic tang of blood. Vikram stood amidst the wreckage of the Dream-Anchor, but his mind was twelve hundred miles away. The Karmic Resonance was screaming—a jagged, high-pitched vibration in his soul that told him the forge of his father was no longer ringing with hammers, but with the screams of his kin.
[ SYSTEM ALERT ]
Karmic Distress: High.
Intuition Check: Success.
Vision: A flickering image of a burning thatched roof and the shadow of a Vayu-Ratha.
"They went for the root," Vikram hissed, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the Whisper of Kalindi. "They couldn't break me, so they went for the ones who made me."
The Astral Projection: The Sage's Multitasking
Vikram knew that if he left Lanka now, Rama's army would be crushed by the reinforced Palace Shields. If he stayed, his parents would die. In the Treta Yuga, the mind of a L10 Intellect Sage could perform the impossible: it could be in two places at once.
"System," Vikram commanded, sitting in a sudden, deep meditative posture. "Purchase the [Astral Projection Scroll: Divya-Deha]. Cost be damned."
[ AKASHA SHOP: TRANSACTION ]
Item: Divya-Deha (Divine Astral Body).
Cost: 100,000 Punya.
Current Punya: 5.
Warning: Your physical body in Lanka will be in a [Catatonic State] for 10 minutes. Your Astral Body will possess 50% of your current Attributes.
"Do it. Now."
Vikram's soul literally split. A shimmering, translucent silver version of him erupted from his chest. This was the Astral Sage. With L11 Speed (halved to 5.5, but still faster than any mortal), the Astral Vikram shot upward, bypassing the rock and earth, flying across the ocean like a falling star of pure light.
Back at Vajra-Grama: The Silver Protector
The Asura Commander, a hulking beast with a face like a boar, laughed as he raised a torch to the village's central granary. "The boy thinks he can play hero in the South while his home turns to ash!"
Suddenly, the sky above the village tore open. A silver bolt of lightning struck the center of the square.
The Astral Vikram stood there, his form flickering but his eyes burning with a terrifying indigo fire. He didn't have his physical sword, but he had the L11 Strength of his soul.
"Touch one more stone of this village," the Astral Vikram whispered, his voice echoing through the minds of every Asura present, "and I will erase your lineage from the Akashic Records."
The Commander snarled. "A ghost? Kill the spirit-brat!"
The Asuras charged. Even at 50% power, Vikram was a monster. He moved like a glitch in reality. He didn't punch them; he simply tapped their foreheads with a finger infused with Rudra-Shakti. Each tap sent a vibration that shattered their internal armor.
In the Patala Labs: The Physical Peril
While the Astral Vikram fought for his parents' lives, his physical body sat motionless in the dark laboratory. Meghanada, having escaped to the surface, had sent a squad of Nikumbhila Assassins to finish the job.
Six elite Asura ninjas, masked in shadow-cloth, dropped from the ceiling. They saw the boy sitting in meditation, defenseless.
"The Prince said he was a god," the lead assassin whispered, drawing a jagged obsidian dagger. "He looks like a corpse to me."
He stepped forward, the blade inches from Vikram's throat.
[ SYSTEM WARNING ]
Status: Physical Body Vulnerable.
HP: 100%.
Threat: Fatal strike imminent.
Time Remaining for Astral Projection: 07:42.
The Convergence of Wills
Vikram's consciousness was stretched to the breaking point. In the village, he was catching fire-arrows with his bare hands. In the lab, he could feel the cold steel of the dagger nearing his neck.
Vikram must prioritize his energy. Where will he focus his remaining "Dhi" (Intellect)?
The Village Defense: Focus entirely on the Astral Body to unleash a Mass-Purge Mantra, wiping out the Asura detachment but leaving the physical body to take a non-fatal wound.The Physical Reflex: Trigger a Passive Karma-Shield in the lab body that reflects 100% of damage back at the assassins, but weakens the Astral Body's strength in the village.The Parental Link: Use Charm (L10) to mentally "possess" his father, Kashyap, giving him the temporary strength of a Maharathi to defend the villagers while Vikram wakes up in the lab.
The blade is at your throat in the South. The fire is at your home in the North. What is the move?
Chapter 22: The Twin-Soul Paradox
The obsidian dagger touched the skin of Vikram's throat in the Patala Labs. A thin line of red appeared—the first time Vikram had bled since his awakening. Simultaneously, twelve hundred miles away, the Astral Vikram felt the sting. The connection between the two bodies was a double-edged sword: what one felt, the other endured.
[ SYSTEM WARNING ]
Condition: Soul-Splitting Strain.
Integrity: 65% and dropping.
Physical HP: 98% (Bleeding).
The Parental Link: The Awakening of the Iron-Father
Vikram made a choice that defied the logic of the Asuras. He didn't focus on himself. He focused on the man who had taught him the rhythm of the hammer.
"Father," Vikram's voice echoed not in the air, but inside Kashyap's mind. "The forge is not just for tools. It is for the soul. Take the heat into your blood."
[ SKILL ACTIVATED: DHARMIC TRANSFERENCE ]
Cost: 50,000 Punya (Debt).
Target: Kashyap (The Father).
Effect: Grants temporary Strength L9 and Endurance L9.
In the burning square of Vajra-Grama, Kashyap's eyes turned a molten, glowing gold. He dropped his hammer and picked up a massive, red-hot iron beam from the ruins of his forge. He didn't look like a blacksmith; he looked like a Maharathi of old.
With a roar that shook the Asura chariots, Kashyap swung the beam. The shockwave leveled the front line of attackers. The Astral Vikram, now freed from the burden of direct combat, turned his gaze back to the South.
The Lab: The Reflex of the Sage
In the Patala Labs, the lead assassin sneered, pushing the dagger deeper. "Empty vessels don't bleed for long."
But before the blade could sever the artery, Vikram's eyes snapped open. They weren't the eyes of a boy, nor even the eyes of the Astral Sage. They were the eyes of the Third-Eye Blessing.
"My father is the hammer," Vikram whispered, his voice vibrating with L11 Strength. "And I am the anvil."
[Kaala-Gati] (L11 Speed) triggered instinctively.
00:01... Vikram's hand caught the assassin's wrist.
00:02... He didn't pull. He simply squeezed. The obsidian dagger turned to dust. The assassin's bones followed.
00:03... Vikram's Astral Body snapped back into his physical frame. The sudden reintegration caused a Pranic Shockwave.
BOOM.
The six assassins were sent flying into the metal walls with enough force to leave human-shaped indentations in the reinforced bronze. Vikram stood up, his throat wound closing instantly as his L5 Ojas (Vitality) surged.
The Collapse of the Shadow
Vikram didn't wait for the assassins to crawl back. He looked at the Pillar of Ego—the second of the ten. Meghanada had warned that it was reinforced, and he was right. It was now encased in a field of Black Vajra-Loha.
[ TARGET DATA ]
Object: The Pillar of Ego (Ahankara-Stambha).
Shielding: Tier 9 Absolute Defense.
Note: Requires L12 Strength or a Divine Astra to pierce.
"You think metal can hide your soul from the Eye of Truth?" Vikram growled.
He looked at his status. His Punya was at a negative balance due to the "Dharmic Transference" to his father.
[ KARMIC DEBT: -49,995 ]
Penalty Status: [Weight of the World] — Speed reduced by 50% until debt is paid.
"I don't need speed to hit a target that can't move," Vikram said. He raised his fist, the Rudra-Shakti glowing with a violent, dark violet hue.
He didn't just aim for the pillar. He aimed for the Concept of the pillar.
The Third Pillar: The Looming Choice
As Vikram prepared his strike, a communication-mirror on the wall flickered to life. It didn't show the Palace. it showed a hidden chamber where the Third Pillar (The Pillar of Delusion) stood.
In that chamber, he saw his parents. They hadn't escaped into the caves. They had been intercepted by a Vimana and brought directly to Lanka while Vikram was distracted. They were tied to the base of the Third Pillar.
If Vikram shatters the Pillar of Ego now, the feedback loop will detonate the Pillar of Delusion, killing his parents instantly.
The Surgical Strike: Use Mantra-Hacker (L2) to try and isolate the Pillars, but this will take time, allowing Ravana's main army to surround the lab.The Divine Trade: Access the Akasha Shop to offer your L11 Strength as a temporary sacrifice to save your parents, reverting you to a normal human for 1 hour.The Hidden Blade Gamble: Use your Eye of Truth (L8) to find a secret "backdoor" path that leads directly from the Lab of Ego to the Chamber of Delusion, attempting a high-speed rescue before the Sabotage.
The Ten-Headed King is laughing in his palace. The Sage's family is on the altar. What is the move?