Days passed.
Each morning began with silence.
Each night ended in questions.
The sage, still unnamed, taught not with lectures, but with riddles. Veer's meals were sparse, his rest broken by strange dreams—sometimes of fire, sometimes of ancient temples floating in clouds, and sometimes of a voice that echoed within the wind, calling him by name.
But today… everything changed.
The sky was different—darker, despite the rising sun. Clouds hung low, heavy with a strange energy that made the birds quiet. Even the leaves seemed to whisper as the wind passed through.
The sage stood at the edge of the jungle, staring into the distance.
"It is time," he said simply. "Time to test whether you've learned anything beyond memorizing silence."
Veer, who had just finished his morning mantra, stood. "Test?"
The sage turned toward him, his expression unreadable.
"You must enter the forest alone. No weapons. No food. No guidance. Only your breath, your mind… and your tongue."
He handed Veer a piece of cloth—deep blue, worn at the edges, with a single white thread running through the center. A symbol of the path between control and chaos.
"Wrap this around your arm. Speak no word unless it is your truth. You will return by sunset… or not at all."
The message was clear. This was not just a test.
It was initiation.
The forest changed the moment Veer stepped into it.
It was the same jungle he had walked through days ago, but now it felt… alive. Watching. Testing.
He moved carefully, feeling the weight of every footstep, his senses sharp.
> [System Monitoring: Active Trial Detected]
[Objective: Complete Spiritual Pathfinding Trial]
[Restrictions: Combat Forbidden | Wordcraft Disabled unless provoked]
Hours passed. The sun climbed. Hunger tugged at his belly, and his throat longed for water. He found a stream, drank slowly, and sat beneath a thick-rooted banyan tree.
That's when he heard it—
A voice. Familiar. Soft. Painful.
"Veer…"
He stood up sharply. "Mother?"
His eyes darted toward the sound. A shadow moved just beyond the trees. It looked like her—her shawl, her walk. She turned, just enough to show her face.
It was her.
Alive.
Without thinking, he ran.
The jungle twisted. The ground blurred. The light dimmed.
But the closer he got, the more wrong it felt. Her movements… weren't human. Her eyes glowed with a strange pale light. Her mouth twisted unnaturally.
"Veer… come home, child."
He stopped just short of her reach.
The illusion faltered. Her skin flickered, her form warped.
She was not his mother.
> [Spiritual Disturbance Detected – Trial Entity Manifested]
[False Emotion Trap: Active]
[Resist with Word of Truth: Available]
Veer's heart pounded. He closed his eyes.
This was the real test—not just to find the path, but to face his deepest weakness: grief.
He opened his mouth.
And spoke not with fear, but with clarity:
"You are not my mother. My truth is pain. And I accept it."
The figure screamed—an unearthly, shrill cry—and crumbled into a thousand ash-like petals, blown away by a gust of wind that came from nowhere.
Light returned to the forest.
> [Trial Passed – Emotional Clarity Achieved]
[Wordcraft Tier I Upgraded: Soul Barrier Unlocked]
[Passive Skill Gained: "Truth Shield" – Blocks Illusions and Manipulation]
[Spiritual Resonance: Moderate]
[Veer's Resolve: Strengthened]
He collapsed to his knees, tears flowing—not because he believed the illusion, but because part of him wanted to.
But he had let go.
And that made him stronger than he'd ever been before.
By sunset, Veer returned to the temple clearing.
The sage sat waiting, eyes closed as always.
"You faced her," he said, without looking.
Veer nodded.
"You did not strike her. You did not run. You spoke."
Veer sat across from him, exhausted, but calm.
"Words," the sage said, "are like fire. In a cold world, they warm. In a dry forest, they destroy. Learn the difference… and you will shape kingdoms."
He finally looked Veer in the eye—and for the first time, he smiled.
"My name," he said quietly, "is Tatvagya. The keeper of truth. And now, you are my disciple."
And so, the boy who had nothing but ash and silence became a student of truth, under the shadow of a forgotten god, in a temple lost to time.
The journey of words had begun.