The moment Om stepped outside the house while calling for the guard, the sight before him made his body freeze.
His eyes widened in unspeakable horror.
For a second, his mind simply refused to understand what he was looking at.
The world outside…
was destroyed.
Everything had turned into chaos.
Gigantic creatures of different shapes and sizes rampaged across the streets. Some crushed humans beneath their feet like insects. Others ripped people apart with their bare hands.
Children screamed.
Women cried.
Old people begged for mercy.
But mercy no longer existed there.
Om watched in horror as one of the monsters casually picked up a small child between two fingers…
and devoured him alive.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
A terrified scream escaped Om's throat.
His breathing became unstable as he looked around helplessly.
"What… what is happening?! What are these things?! Mom… Dad!!"
And then—
his eyes landed on something even worse.
Right before him, the entire Kathwani family… the Mayor family… and the Joshi family—
all died together.
A gigantic demon crushed them beneath its foot like they were nothing.
And in their final moments…
all of them screamed only one name.
"OM!"
But the nightmare didn't stop there.
Everywhere he looked, monsters tortured innocent people. Small children were being slaughtered. Elderly people dragged through the streets. Women screamed helplessly while the creatures laughed.
Rage exploded inside Om.
"You bastards!"
He charged toward the demons in fury, trying to attack them—
—but the moment he reached them—
his hands passed right through.
He couldn't even touch them.
Om froze.
None of this was real.
Or maybe…
it was something even worse.
Looking around at the destruction, Om began screaming in panic.
"No… no! Why is this happening?! STOP THIS!"
Then suddenly—
his parents appeared before him.
Both of them smiled lovingly at him.
"Son… come inside the house," they said softly. "Stay with us. Isn't this what you always wanted? A happy family? Look… our family is together and happy. Why should we care about everyone else? Come home, son."
Om stared at them in disbelief.
Tears streamed down his face as he shook his head.
"No… no… my parents would never say something like this! They cared about everyone!"
Then he screamed at the top of his lungs,
"NO! I DON'T WANT THIS!"
Om covered both his eyes and ears tightly.
But the moment he shut out the noise—
everything suddenly became silent.
Completely silent.
Then a calm voice echoed near him.
"You can save everyone. That is why you were born. But you still refuse to let go of childish thinking. Your purpose is not just to fix your own life… your duty is to protect this world."
Slowly, Om lowered his hands and opened his eyes.
Everything around him had turned completely white.
The destroyed world…
the monsters…
the screams…
all gone.
And standing before him—
was Dhoomketu.
Dressed in simple white robes like a sage, his hands folded behind his back, his face calm yet serious.
Om looked around in confusion before staring at him.
"Grandpa… was all that just a dream?"
Dhoomketu smiled faintly.
"No, my child. That was one possibility… one future created by your decisions. And if you continue behaving like a child, then one day reality may become even worse than that."
Om's eyes widened.
"What… what do you mean?"
Dhoomketu slowly stepped toward him.
"Om, my son… you are not an ordinary child. Yet even after gaining such powers, all you think about is your own life and your own family. That is why you lost today like the weak."
Om clenched his fists.
Dhoomketu continued,
"You could not save me. Though that was not your fault… it was my destiny. But if you continue being careless like this, then one day you will fail to save anyone."
His voice grew heavier.
"Not your friends. Not your family. Not anyone."
Then he pointed toward the endless white void around them.
"And when that day comes, demons will take over this world completely… and everything will end. Even though you had the power to save everyone."
Om's breathing became heavier.
"And then," Dhoomketu continued, "your regret will slowly turn you into something terrible. A monster… just like the ones who killed your grandfather today."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Why are you so obsessed with family?"
That question finally broke something inside Om.
He looked at Dhoomketu with anger burning in his tear-filled eyes.
"Do you even know what I've suffered all these years, Grandpa?!"
His voice trembled with pain.
"You stayed far away and watched me my entire life even though you knew I needed someone! A nine-year-old child whose parents were dead… whose uncles didn't even want to accept him… a child left completely alone to survive!"
Tears rolled endlessly down his face.
"You knew I was dying inside, didn't you?!"
His breathing became shaky.
"After that… I somehow rebuilt my life. I made a family. I found friends. So why should I care about people who never cared about me?!"
The pain in Om's voice echoed endlessly through the white emptiness.
Dhoomketu listened quietly before speaking softly,
"Om, my child… yes, I stayed far away. But I never truly abandoned you. I was always there for you in ways you never realized."
Then he stepped closer.
"You are chosen, Om. And because of that, you must protect those you still can save. Great power always comes with great responsibility… and none of us can escape that truth."
Hearing those words, Om finally broke down completely.
He fell to his knees crying.
Then, like a tired child crushed beneath the weight of the world, he looked up at Dhoomketu and whispered,
"But why me…?"
His voice cracked.
"I don't want any of this…"