–Shivgiri Mountain–
Looking down the cliff, Swapna asked, "Are you sure it's around here?"
"I can't say for certain. There are still more places I need to search before I find it," I replied.
I tied the rope securely to a sturdy tree, double-checking the knot, I began my descent, the rope creaking softly as I lowered myself down the vertical face.
The cliffside was quiet, save for the soft clatter of loose rocks shifting under my weight. I shifted my weight carefully.
I pressed onward, descending fully to the base, the ground meeting my boots with a dull scrape. My eyes swept the shadowed ledge and surrounding terrain, searching for any mark or trace of the Lingam. There was nothing here.
The air smelled damp and earthy as I traced the footprint of the cliff, stepping carefully across uneven ground and small plants clinging to the rock. No signs, just the quiet certainty of a mountain.
With a small sigh, I decided to search the lower terrain briefly before ascending again. The base opened onto a narrow, uneven shelf of rock, scattered with scree and sparse vegetation. I kicked aside a few stones, but found nothing—no clue, no clue at all.
After a final scan, I tethered the rope and began the long climb back up. My arms burned from the effort, but the thought of leaving this spot behind compelled me onward.
At the top, Swapna waited, her gaze expectant. I shook my head. "Nothing here. We'll have to try another place."
She nodded quietly, and together we turned our eyes toward the next stretch of the mountain. The search was far from over.
It's been days since we started searching, with little to show for it, and the Day of reckoning closes in. Just when I think today will end the same as the rest, I catch a glimpse of a lone man fending off a small group of attackers. His Strength Above Average.
Another attacker lunges, aiming a wooden club that would crush a rib. The man spins, drives him back with a sharp elbow, then snaps upright as two more close in.
I slip forward, and the fight explodes into a tangle of desperate bodies and dusty rock. The mountain seems to lean in, listening as fists meet flesh.
Anji catching another strike on a forearm and snapping it aside with a crack that makes the others pause.
The last man rounds the corner, clutching a club and going for a surprise strike. Before the blow lands, I arrived, driving him off balance and flattening him with a hard shove that sends him crashing to the ground and the weapon skittering away. He's out cold before he realizes what happened.
Anji's shoulders heaving, knuckles smeared with dust and blood—glances toward me. He wipes a line of sweat from his eye and rasps, "Thanks for Help, Brother."
"You don't have to thank me and I see you could have handled it yourself."
"My name's Anji."
"Pankaj." Saying that I move my hand forward for a handshake.
"I should be going as it's getting late, oh! and if you need any help you can look for me in Asharam."
"Well, you already helped me Enough." I saidwhile looking at the cliff.
Anji find it a little strange but didn't ask anything.
I watched Anji push his bike down the trail and kick it into life. He waved without looking back. Going towards the Asharam.
And after a few minutes Swapna also appears on the ridge above. She meets my eyes.
"Why are you smiling like that, did you find any clue?"
Swapna steps down "Only four days are left." she says.
"Not Clue but the Lingam itself, let's go."
"Why not now?" Swapna asked as I already got the location.
"I will tell you Tomorrow."
–Next Day–
After I tied the rope, I went straight to the battered jeep. The cliff where the thing lay was below and I could see the dark patch of earth at its base, like a black eye.
My hands moved on their own as I opened the trunk. Inside, wrapped in a cloth were the things that will help me get the Lingam.
: gandharva haldi, a small pot of pavitra kumkum; and a narrow, cork-stoppered bottle of Nag Nandi Ganga jal.
"Why those?" Swapna asked, coming up behind me. Her boots left fresh prints in the dust.
"Abhishek (Pouring it on Lingam) ," I said.
"You wash the lingam with these. First haldi, then with kumkum, and finally pour the Ganga jal at the end. If you don't, No one can touch it. And the reason is that it has protectors"
I kept my voice low. "A big snake. And the swords that guard it and if you don't do Abhishek anyone of them can kill you within a seconds."
Swapna was a little scared and didn't ask anything.
As I strapped the rope tighter than before, tested the knot twice.
At the lip of the ledge I paused and looked down.
"Please let it down there, Om Namah Shivaya."
I lowered myself. Every footfall was careful, every handhold checked. When I reached the shelf, the ground was cold under my boots. I walked to the dark patch and saw a tree, his roots- No I should say It's tail.
The Snake is Guarding it, taking the appearance of a Tree while the sword is stuck to ground sleeping, waiting for the right moment.
I don't want to make any mistake so, after taking my shoes off I sprinted to Lingam and started the process of Abhishek.
First I poured the haldi and kumkum on the Atma Lingam, just as I was about to pour the ganga jal.
The Majestic Snake gets out of his frozen state and the Sword Hovering Above but I didn't flinch and finished the Abhishek.
Steam rose where the Ganga meets with Lingam.
The stone glowed a fraction warmer. And both the Snake and Sword disappear into particles.
The Atma Lingam felt alive in my hand. Its surface was cool yet pulsing, a Faint light shimmered across it.
For a long moment, I just stood there, staring at it, the silence of the mountain pressing in around me.
I could hear my own breathing louder than anything else. My legs shook slightly, not from fear, but from the excitement. This was my first step towards immortality.
I slipped it carefully into the cloth I had carried, wrapping it layer by layer.
"Om Namah Shivaya," I whispered again.
Pebbles trickled down the cliffside, and I knew I had no time left to linger. I tied the cloth bundle to my chest, fastened the rope, and began the climb upward. My arms screamed with each pull, the added weight pressing me downward as if the Lingam resisted being taken. Still, I forced myself on. I know, I am not good but also not evil.
Halfway up, I paused. A faint sound reached my ears—like whispers carried on the wind.
"Rakt....Tadim.....Tadim-
I felt a strange pull but I resisted, Gritting my teeth, I pushed onward. Each move became slower, heavier. The voice power was testing me, perhaps even trying to do something. But gathering all of my strength I climbed forward.
Finally, my hand gripped the edge of the ridge. With one last heave, I pulled myself over the top, collapsing onto the rock, my chest heaving. Dust filled my throat as I gasped for breath.
Swapna rushed to me. "Pankaj! Are you—"
Her words broke off when her eyes fell on the cloth bundle tied against me Lingam glowing inside. Her hands flew to her mouth, and her knees gave slightly. "You… you really found it."
I sat up slowly, unwrapping just enough to let her see. The glow reflected in her wide eyes, casting her face in red and gold light.
"The Atma Lingam," she whispered, voice trembling with awe. "So, it really exists."
I said quietly. "Some one's here, we have to leave.."
She looked at me, confused. I tied the cloth tight again and stood up.
As if to prove my words, we heard a gun shot. The wind picked up, sharp and cold, whistling.
Swapna steadied herself. "What now?"
I looked out over the endless ridges of Shivgiri, Impossible to see them clearly. "Lets go fast."
Leaving our things there, we directly sat in jeep and began the long drive down the narrow trail. The mountain loomed behind us, its peaks jagged like teeth biting into the sky.
I glanced at the bundle resting beside me, wrapped tight but glowing faintly through the cloth.
Swapna sat silent, staring out the window, her expression torn between relief and fear.
Well for me, Finding the Atma Lingam was not the end. It was only the beginning of my Journey.
And as the road wound downward, I couldn't shake the feeling that unseen eyes followed us. That damn old man goons, though left behind, had sent after us.
Something that would not stop until the Lingam was not in his Hand.
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.
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To be Continued. . .
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