1. The Whisper Beneath the Tulsi
It started with the earth humming.
Aarohi and Ishaan were sitting beside the oldest Tulsi plant, the one Vrinda often wrote about in her diary.
Aarohi's hand brushed against its roots — and she felt a pulse.
Not a heartbeat.
But a chant.
Not aloud. In her bones.
She leaned in.
The soil below her fingertips was warmer.
Almost glowing faintly blue.
Ishaan noticed too.
"There's… something under here."
Aarohi: "What if Vrinda didn't tell us everything?"
They dug with their hands. No tools. No planning. Just instinct.
The Tulsi plant didn't resist.
Instead — it parted slightly.
And beneath it…
Stone.
A carved surface, covered in moss.
Symbols glowing silver-blue under moonlight.
A circular emblem with twelve petals.
In the center, one line carved deep:
"युगांतः"
Yugantar – The Turning of the Ages
2. The Door to Below
As their fingers traced the circle, the stone rumbled softly.
A segment clicked inward.
The entire emblem rotated with a soft hum — like a clock.
A crack formed around it.
And then —
a trapdoor opened.
Underneath: spiral steps carved in black stone.
No torch. No flashlight.
But the path… glowed.
"This has been here for centuries," Ishaan whispered.
"How did no one find it?"
Aarohi:
"Because it doesn't appear for everyone.
Only when… the right two souls stand together."
3. The Chamber of Echoes
The descent felt endless.
The walls had carvings — but not of gods.
Of circles. Flutes. Trees. Eyes. Flames.
And in some parts: two figures holding hands… standing among shadows.
At the base of the staircase, they entered a massive underground hall.
In the center — a circular slab with nine engraved footprints.
But one spot remained empty.
A plaque beside the slab read:
"The tenth shall not enter until the hour is broken.
He who walks in logic must first lose his shadow."
Ishaan stepped back.
"It's about me."
Aarohi:
"It's about us."
4. The Timeline Inscription
On the far wall, an ancient inscription glowed to life.
*"In every yug, when Raas is paused… a dancer stays behind to wait.
In the Dvapara Yug, it was Radha.
In the Kali Yug…
It was Vrinda.
The soul of Radha rebirths with memory.
The soul of Krishna rebirths with curiosity.
But both must find each other before the Imitator takes form."
Aarohi clutched Ishaan's hand.
"This is it. This is why we remember.
Why we feel like we've been here before."
Ishaan nodded.
"We're not just witnessing a story.
We're part of an ancient system of return."
A soft whoosh.
Behind them —
The tenth footprint on the stone circle lit up.
For the first time in yugs, it was ready.
Ishaan looked at her.
"If I step into that…
I may not come back the same."
Aarohi held his face.
"We didn't come here to stay the same."
Together, they stepped into the circle.
The chamber lit up like stars were being born.
And above them, in the soil of Nidhivan…
a bansuri played itself.