Morning sunlight poured through the windows of Vikram's house while the smell of fresh poha and chai spread through the entire living room. The television played some overly dramatic serial in the background while ceiling fans spun lazily against the Mumbai heat. Everything felt normal again.
At least on the surface.
Vikram sat slouched at the dining table half-asleep while Anu placed another serving onto his plate despite his protests.
"Maa, enough."
"You look weak."
"I literally ate two plates already."
"You still look weak."
"That's emotional manipulation."
Anu ignored him completely.
Across the table, Aditya calmly drank tea while reading the newspaper. "He does look weak."
"Traitor," Vikram muttered.
His grandmother immediately joined the attack. "Dark circles came back. I told you Delhi air is useless."
Vikram rubbed his face tiredly. "Can everyone stop inspecting me like damaged vegetables?"
Granny clicked her tongue. "Attitude also increased."
From inside Vikram's mind—
Power spoke suddenly.
Your family is correct.
Vikram nearly choked on tea.
He froze instantly.
Anu frowned. "What happened now?"
"Nothing."
Inside his head, Power sounded mildly judgmental as usual.
You look spiritually exhausted.
Vikram mentally replied while trying not to look insane in front of his family.
You cannot just randomly talk inside my brain during breakfast.
Why not?
Because normal people don't do that.
You stopped being normal the moment you accepted the Supreme King Mudra.
Vikram sighed internally.
Unfortunately—
She was correct.
After breakfast, Vikram immediately tried escaping toward the front door before anyone assigned him household tasks. He quietly grabbed his hoodie and moved carefully like a criminal attempting prison escape.
He almost succeeded.
"VIKRAM."
He froze instantly.
Granny sat near the small temple corner of the house holding prayer beads while staring directly at him with terrifying grandmother authority.
"Come here."
"…Why?"
"Come."
That tone carried no survival options.
Vikram walked toward her dramatically like a man marching toward execution. "I was going outside."
"First sit."
Granny forcefully pulled him down beside her near the temple area. Incense smoke drifted slowly through the room while small oil lamps flickered beneath idols of various deities decorated with marigold flowers.
Vikram already looked spiritually exhausted.
Granny handed him flowers. "Pray properly."
He stared blankly at the flowers.
"…Can't God and I maintain long-distance understanding?"
"No."
Inside his head, Power spoke again.
Your dedication level is embarrassing.
Vikram mentally snapped back.
Why are YOU participating?
Because you are sitting before divine symbols while behaving like a sleepy buffalo.
That is incredibly offensive to buffaloes.
Granny immediately smacked the back of his head lightly.
"Focus!"
"How do you people keep timing that perfectly?"
"God sees everything."
Power added calmly—
And I hear everything.
Vikram silently suffered.
Granny continued praying peacefully while chanting softly beneath her breath. Vikram sat beside her trying very hard not to die from boredom. His eyes wandered across the room repeatedly while his leg bounced impatiently.
Granny noticed instantly.
"Sit still."
"I am sitting."
"Your soul is roaming."
Inside his head, Power agreed immediately.
Correct observation.
Vikram wanted peace.
Instead he received two women attacking him spiritually from different dimensions.
Granny finally finished one round of prayers before glancing sideways at him. "You children nowadays have no patience."
Vikram sighed. "I respect God. I just don't understand why prayer takes so long."
Granny smiled faintly.
Then her expression softened slightly.
"You know why old stories matter?"
Vikram shrugged.
"Because humans forget quickly."
The room grew quieter.
Even Power stopped speaking.
Granny adjusted her saree slightly before beginning calmly—
"Long ago there was a king named Sagara."
Vikram immediately recognized the storytelling tone.
Here we go.
"He had two wives," Granny continued. "One wife gave birth to a single child. The other gave birth to sixty thousand sons."
Vikram blinked slowly.
"…Excuse me?"
Power spoke inside his mind immediately.
Biologically impressive.
Vikram almost laughed.
Granny continued peacefully. "King Sagara once performed the Ashwamedha Yagna. But Indra became jealous and stole the sacrificial horse."
"Classic Indra behavior," Power commented dryly inside Vikram's mind.
The sixty thousand sons went searching across the world for the stolen horse. Eventually they discovered it near the sage Kapil, who sat deep in meditation."
Granny's voice became quieter now.
"But arrogance blinded them."
Vikram listened silently.
"They accused the sage of theft. They disturbed his meditation. They forgot humility before spiritual power."
The incense smoke drifted slowly around them.
Then Granny softly continued—
"When Sage Kapil opened his eyes…"
Her fingers lightly tapped the prayer beads.
"All sixty thousand sons burned to ash instantly."
Silence settled briefly.
Vikram frowned slightly. "That's… intense."
"Pride destroys faster than weapons," Granny replied calmly.
Power added inside his mind—
And ignorance invites annihilation.
For a strange moment, Vikram felt like both women somehow planned this lesson together.
Which terrified him.
Granny finally smiled softly and touched his forehead. "Remember this. Strength means nothing without discipline."
Vikram nodded quietly.
For once—
He genuinely listened.
Far away from the warmth of Vikram's home, another conversation unfolded beneath darkness.
Inside an abandoned apartment building hidden deep within Mumbai's decaying industrial zones, King slept across a broken mattress surrounded by empty alcohol bottles, bloodstained bandages, and stolen weapons.
Rainwater dripped slowly through cracks in the ceiling.
The room smelled like rust, mold, and violence.
King suddenly opened his eyes.
Darkness swallowed the apartment almost completely except for faint moonlight leaking through shattered windows.
Then the voice returned.
Ancient.
Cold.
Detached beyond humanity.
KALI spoke inside his mind.
YOU WASTE TIME SLEEPING.
King smirked faintly while staring upward at the ceiling. "Even monsters need rest."
YOU ARE NOT A MONSTER YET.
The room temperature dropped sharply.
King slowly sat up, revealing bruises still covering his body from the police station massacre. Yet most wounds had already healed unnaturally fast.
His smile widened slightly.
"Feels good though."
Kali remained silent briefly.
Then—
THE SUPREME KING HAS AWAKENED.
King's expression darkened instantly.
"…Already?"
YES.
Kali's voice carried visible irritation now.
IF HE UNLOCKS ALL THIRTY-TWO VIRTUES BEFORE YOU ASCEND…
MY THRONE WILL BE THREATENED.
King leaned back against the wall thoughtfully. "So the chosen hero is real."
HEROES ARE SIMPLY ENEMIES WITH BETTER PROPAGANDA.
King laughed softly.
He enjoyed Kali's honesty.
Unlike gods pretending morality while drowning worlds in blood.
King cracked his neck slowly. "Then tell me what to do."
Kali answered immediately.
UNLOCK THE SINS QUICKLY.
As the voice spoke, dark symbols briefly appeared across the walls of the abandoned apartment.
WRATH.
GREED.
LUST.
ENVY.
PRIDE.
SLOTH.
GLUTTONY.
Each word pulsed violently like living curses.
THE MORE SINS YOU CLAIM…
THE STRONGER YOU BECOME.
King's eyes glowed faintly red in the darkness.
"And the Supreme King?"
KILL HIM BEFORE HE ASCENDS.
Simple.
Direct.
Exactly how King liked things.
He stood slowly and walked toward the broken window overlooking distant Mumbai lights.
"So this universe barrier thing…" he muttered. "Who damaged it?"
Silence lingered briefly.
Then Kali answered.
UNKNOWN.
For the first time—
The ancient entity sounded irritated.
SOMEONE CREATED THE BREACH TEN YEARS AGO.
THEY ARE PLANNING SOMETHING.
King frowned slightly.
"Even you don't know?"
Kali's anger deepened.
I KNOW MANY THINGS.
BUT NOT EVERYTHING.
The shadows inside the room twisted unnaturally.
WHOEVER CREATED THE HOLE POSSESSES TERRIFYING KNOWLEDGE.
King stared outward thoughtfully while rain began falling outside again.
"So until then?"
Kali's voice became colder.
HUNT THEM.
"Who?"
ANY HUMAN WHO AWAKENS POWER WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.
The room shook slightly.
NO NEW PLAYERS MUST RISE.
King grinned slowly.
Now this sounded entertaining.
Kali continued—
THE SUPREME KING MUST ALSO DIE.
BECAUSE HE HOLDS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SOMETHING FAR WORSE THAN HUMAN.
King tilted his head slightly.
"A deity?"
YES.
The word echoed heavily through the room.
IF HE ASCENDS FULLY…
EVEN I MAY LOSE CONTROL OF THIS ERA.
King remained silent for several seconds.
Then smiled wider.
"You're scared."
Instantly every shadow inside the apartment lunged violently toward him before stopping inches away.
Kali's voice became terrifyingly quiet.
I DO NOT FEAR.
King only laughed.
"Sure."
Silence.
Then surprisingly—
Kali spoke calmly again.
BECOME THE DICTATOR OF THIS WORLD BEFORE I FULLY EMERGE.
The statement hung heavily in the darkness.
King's eyes reflected distant city lights while he imagined it.
Entire nations kneeling.
Cities burning.
Absolute control.
No hypocrisy.
No weakness.
Only strength deciding truth.
Honestly—
It sounded beautiful to him.
"And after that?" King asked softly.
Kali answered without hesitation.
THEN WE REMAKE THE WORLD.
The rain intensified outside.
Lightning briefly illuminated the apartment.
For one single second—
King's shadow behind him looked far larger than human.
Meanwhile, inside Vikram's house—
He sneezed suddenly.
Power immediately commented inside his head.
Your spiritual sensitivity remains terrible.
Vikram frowned while wearing his shoes near the door again. "Can you stop insulting me for five minutes?"
Anu looked confused from the kitchen. "Who are you talking to?"
Vikram froze.
"…Myself."
Aditya calmly lowered his newspaper slightly. "Concerning habit."
Power sounded deeply unimpressed.
Your lying skills require improvement.
Vikram mentally groaned.
This was going to become a very long life.