Kiran ne aankhein kholi toh hawa alag thi.
Yeh koi normal sapna nahi tha.
Zameen ke neeche se halki si roshni phoot rahi thi, jaise khud duniya saans le rahi ho. Aasmaan purple aur blue ke beech kahin atka hua tha, aur door-door tak tootey hue pillars khade the—ek bhooli hui civilization ke nishaan.
"Welcome to the Inner Realm,"
ek awaaz goonji.
Kiran ne mudkar dekha.
Elyon.
Iss baar wo sapne jaisa blur nahi tha. Wo bilkul real lag raha tha—lambha, calm chehra, aur aankhon me aisa gyaan jaise usne hazaar saal dekh liye ho.
"Yeh… Forgotten Realm hai?" Kiran ne dheere se pucha.
Elyon ne sir hilaaya.
"Iska ek hissa. Jahan sirf wahi aa sakta hai jo Dream-Bounder ho."
Kiran ne apni hathon ki taraf dekha. Glowing mark ab stable tha, par uske andar ek ajeeb sa pressure mehsoos ho raha tha—jaise koi power bahar aana chahti ho.
"Kal raat jo hua," Kiran bola, "main Aanya ko almost kho deta."
Elyon ki aankhon me pehli baar seriousness aur gehri ho gayi.
"Isi liye training zaroori hai."
Wo aage badha aur hawa me apni ungli ghumayi.
Agle hi pal, zameen se ek shadow-figure ubhar aaya—insaan jaisa, par bina chehre ke.
Kiran instinctively peeche hat gaya.
"Abhi? Yahan?"
Elyon ne shant awaaz me kaha,
"Battle ke liye nahi. Control ke liye."
Shadow-figure ne attack nahi kiya. Wo bas khada raha.
"Apni power ko mehsoos karo," Elyon bola.
"Dar ke bina."
Kiran ne aankhein band ki. Usne apne sapno ko yaad kiya—portal, awaaz, glowing door. Dheere-dheere, uske haath chamakne lage.
Par achanak—
BOOM!
Energy out of control ho gayi. Zameen crack ho gayi, aur Kiran ghutnon ke bal gir gaya.
"Hamesha yahi hota hai," Kiran ne gusse me kaha.
"Power meri sunti hi nahi."
Elyon ne uske saamne ghutna tek diya.
"Power tumhari dushman nahi hai, Kiran. Tum usse samajhne ki koshish hi nahi karte."
Shadow-figure aage badha.
Kiran ne aankhein kholi—iss baar bhaagne ke liye nahi.
Usne saans li. Gehri. Stable.
"Main ready hoon," usne kaha.
Shadow ruk gaya.
Ek halki si smile Elyon ke chehre pe aayi.
"Good. Kyunki ye sirf shuruaat hai."
Aasmaan upar se dark hone laga.
Door kahin, kisi aur jagah…
kisi ne yeh sab dekh liya tha.
Aur Veiled Order ne apna agla move plan kar liya tha.