Across the Realm of Twilight Conflict, bells rang.
Not ordinary bells forged by hands of man, but living bronze relics gifted by the Lich and purified in the Hero's sanctum—each tone filled with divine resonance, infused with the will of the Monarch Beyond Veils.
The war-torn capital city of Kshatriya-Jyot had changed. The once-crumbling walls were now reinforced by holy runes. The streets bustled not with merchants and nobles but with monks, knights, and newly ordained Veil-Forged—warriors blessed by one of the avatars. The world had been reborn as a temple-battleground.
And at the center of it all, atop the Radiant Steps, stood Vishvarath, Rudra's third avatar—the holy Hero-King turned Paladin-Executor. His silver-blue armor glowed under the sun, and his golden hair whipped in the wind as he addressed the crowd.
> "Today, one of you shall rise."
The crowd stirred. Among them stood warriors, sages, even children with battle scars, survivors of years of war and plague. But none knew whom the Hero would choose.
> "The Monarch sees all," Vishvarath continued, voice strong but serene. "He desires a mortal hand—a Paladin born not from power, but from faith."
He turned. Behind him, a stone obelisk shimmered—a relic forged jointly by the Elf Queen and the Lich, charged by both life and death. It would judge the soul of the one who touched it.
"Step forth," the Hero whispered.
And from the crowd, a boy walked forward.
Not a soldier. Not a monk. A one-armed stable hand named Eshan. Dirty. Skinny. Forgotten. But his eyes—they burned with devotion, unwavering.
Gasps echoed.
He placed his hand—his only hand—on the obelisk.
Nothing happened.
And then—everything changed.
The sky turned crimson. Winds howled through dimensions. Across every realm Rudra ruled, his avatars paused. They all felt it.
He had chosen.
---
Rudra's Apartment – Earth
Rudra sat in darkness. He hadn't eaten all day. A pile of books lay open before him—homework, untouched. Outside, his city roared with mundane life: traffic, honks, children crying.
But inside him, the Zix Core pulsed violently.
He whispered, "Let it be Eshan."
The moment he said the name, the core responded.
A surge of energy rippled across the realms. It passed through Kaalkrit as he trained his demon legions. Through Ratri, who paused mid-seduction in a dark pleasure temple. Through the Merchant, who froze mid-deal in a floating realm of golden islands.
In every realm, Rudra's voice echoed through his avatars:
> "Protect him. Teach him. Shape him."
> "He shall be… My Paladin."
---
Twilight Realm – Baptism of Flame
Eshan screamed—not in pain, but in rapture—as divine flame enveloped his body.
His missing arm grew back—twice the size, made of golden light and etched in moving runes. His chest bore the Mark of the Monarch—an invisible symbol that burned into his soul. A halo of violet fire circled his head, but he remained mortal.
Vishvarath knelt before him. Not as king. Not even as a god.
But as his guardian.
> "My Lord's First Paladin," Vishvarath said, smiling. "You do not serve me. You serve the Will of He Who Is Hidden."
---
Training Begins – Guidance of the Avatars
The next days passed like years for Eshan.
Vishvarath trained his body—swordsmanship, meditation, and sacred war tactics.
The Elf Queen taught him communion with nature—how to hear the voice of the Monarch in birdsong, wind, and beasts.
Kaalkrit arrived in a vision, forcing Eshan into a realm of nightmares, where the boy faced inner demons, lust, anger, guilt—and slew them all.
Ratri appeared once, draped in shadows, teasing, testing, wrapping herself around Eshan's body, only to whisper:
> "You're not yet ready to survive me, child. But someday… you might be worthy of her who bears His seed."
And she vanished in smoke.
Even the Merchant Avatar met him—testing his mind with riddles, contracts, and the temptation of greed.
> "To serve Rudra," she said, "you must never be bought. You must become priceless."
Through it all, Eshan remained loyal. Pure. Unwavering.
He wasn't perfect. He stumbled. He cried. But he never broke.
And that, Rudra knew, was true power.
---
Back on Earth – The First Miracle
Meanwhile, on Earth, a dying orphanage in South Africa suddenly received a miraculous delivery—food, medicine, and gold coins that no one could trace. The staff cried. The children sang.
When asked who sent it, the delivery man—an illusion summoned by Lucifer—only smiled and said:
> "He Who Sees, Provides."
It became the first Earth-side miracle tied to the Veiled Monarch.
Governments scrambled. Spies searched databases. Hackers scoured the dark web. And yet, they found… nothing.
But common folk? They whispered the name.
They started praying—not to God. Not to heroes.
To the Unseen One.
---
Eshan's Oath
In the silver moonlight of the Twilight Realm, under a sky of twin moons and fireflies, Eshan stood in the sacred circle formed by all avatars.
His armor now reflected every realm: demon-black trim, holy gold chestplate, emerald-green cape, bone-white belt, and silken runes flowing like breath.
He raised his blade—gifted by the Hero, tempered by Kaalkrit, blessed by Ratri's blood, and fused with the Lich's bone.
> "My Lord Rudra," he swore, "I am your sword. Your shadow. Your flame."
> "I shall cross realms. I shall hunt evil. I shall birth kingdoms in your name."
> "I swear by all you've created… my life is yours."
Far beyond, Rudra—sitting on Earth in a dirty room with exams tomorrow and bills due—closed his eyes.
He smiled.
> "Then go, my Paladin. Let the universe know… the Monarch walks among them."