The sun hung low over the ruins of Takṣaśilā, a molten disc bleeding orange into the cracked horizon.
Shiva stood before the sealed gate, every muscle trembling from exhaustion. Dust and sweat streaked his skin; his hammer was half buried in the ground beside him.
He had struck the barrier more than a hundred times. Each blow had sent a flash of green light across the ruins — and each time, the gate remained untouched, unshaken, unmoved.
The air itself felt like it was laughing at him.
[Warning: Stamina Critically Low]
[HP: 35 / 120]
[Recommendation: Cease Physical Combat]
He ignored it.
He roared and swung one last time — a desperate, furious arc that sent cracks rippling through the earth but did nothing to the barrier. The impact threw him backward.
For a moment, he just lay there, staring at the sky.
"Damn it…" he rasped. "What do you want from me?"
The Interface blinked weakly above him, pulsing once before fading out.
He sat up slowly and called it open again.
🧭 STATUS — SHIVA
Name: Shiva
Title: The Revived one.
Race: Human (Altered)
Age: 25 (Chronologically Dead for 5 Years)
Affiliation: None
Location: Patliputra Outskirts
System Link: Active (Resurrection Protocol Confirmed)
⚔️ STATS
Attribute Value Notes
Level 1 Recently revived; core
system stabilizing
XP 100 / 100 Regenerates via
Symbiotic Pulse
Strength 18 Enhanced post
fusion
Agility 12 Average; increases
during battle focus
Endurance 16 Boosted by Ashen
Ram link
Vitality 14 Slowly rising through
regeneration
Willpower 20 Affects link stability
and awakening speed
🔥 ACTIVE TRAITS
• Resurrection Anomaly (Unique): Host revived outside natural law. Unknown consequences.
• Symbiotic Pulse Lv.1 (Beast Link): Gradual HP regeneration when near linked beast.
• Kinetic Absorption Lv.1: Stores impact energy and releases it in a counter-attack.
• Fire Resistance (Minor): Can withstand temperatures up to 800°C without injury.
🐏 BEAST LINK
Linked Entity: Ashen Ram
Link Stability: 61%
Shared Energy Flow: Active
Bond Effect: HP Regeneration + Ember Aura
Tattoo Manifestation: Right Hand (Ram Horn Pattern)
⚒️ ARTIFACTS
• Vajra-Agni (Hammer) — Bound Artifact: Elemental Core: Fire & Kinetic. Absorbs and channels impact energy.
• (Empty Slot) — Secondary Weapon Slot Locked until Level 2
📜 QUEST LOG
• Main Quest — "Reclaim Patliputra": Restore order in the fallen city. Reward: ???. Failure: Permanent Death.
• Side Quest — "Seek the Wanderer" (Unknown): Progress 0%.
• Hidden Quest — "Purification Stone" (Inactive): Hint: 'Only those who balance creation and destruction may touch it.'
🌒 NOTES
• System Calibration: 82% Complete
• Fusion Capacity: 1 / 10 Beasts
• Emotional Sync Detected: 27% (with Ashen Ram)
He stared at it in disbelief.
"Still level one… after everything?"
His hands trembled with rage. "I killed beasts, survived hell, faced that damn Yaksha — and you still mock me?"
The window didn't reply.
It simply blinked once — then closed itself.
Shiva slammed his fist into the dirt. The energy from the impact fizzled harmlessly, leaving only his shallow, ragged breathing.
After a while, even anger felt heavy.
He leaned back against a cracked stone, watching the sky turn from orange to violet. The ruins glowed faintly, the ancient glyphs on the gate pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Somewhere deep inside, the fused ram stirred — its warmth spreading through his chest like an echo of life.
Shiva exhaled. "You'd probably laugh at me too, huh?"
The wind answered with silence.
Minutes passed. Maybe hours.
Then — unbidden — an old memory surfaced.
Raghu's voice, steady as iron. "The hammer forges what you strike. The mantra forges what you are."
Shiva closed his eyes. "The mantra…"
He had memorized the Gāyatrī Mantra years ago — back when life still had color, before death and resurrection. He had never believed in divine words. But now… now he had nothing left to lose.
He folded his legs, placed the hammer across his lap, and drew a slow breath.
"ॐ भूर् भुवः स्वः
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्…"
The words came haltingly at first, scraping against the edges of his doubt.
But with each repetition, his voice steadied.
One. Ten. Fifty. A hundred.
The ruins began to hum faintly.
After two hundred recitations, the air grew warmer.
After five hundred, the glyphs on the gate began to flicker faster.
After seven hundred, the ram's pulse inside him aligned perfectly with his breathing.
And by the time he whispered the mantra for the **one thousand and eighth time**, the world *breathed with him*.
The gate flared emerald white.
The Interface burst open on its own, flooding his vision with light.
[System Resonance Achieved]
[Meditation Detected — Sādhana Protocol Activated]
[Experience Multiplier Engaged x10]
[Level Up!]
The screen pulsed brighter and brighter until he could barely see.
Name: Shiva
Title: The Revived One
Race: Human (Mutated)
Class: Undesignated
Level: 2
XP: 0 / 200
⚔️ STATS
Attribute Value Notes
Strength 22 Gained through
combat with beasts
Agility 17 Improved via battle
and Kinetic Absorption
Energy 65 / 100 Can be restored
(Prana) through meditation
Endurance 25 Reinforced by Ashen
Ram fusion
Vitality 20HP Regeneration due to
Symbiotic Pulse
Focus 15 Sharpened during
Gayatri meditation
Intelligence 13 Gained from Interface
comprehension
Spirit 28 Major spike from
mantra resonance
TRAITS
Resurrected Vessel — Resistance to death-type corruption.
Beast Link (Ashen Ram) — HP Regeneration + minor fire resistance.
Symbiotic Pulse Lv.1 — Shared vitality with bonded beast.
Adaptive Reflex Lv.1 — Slight reaction speed boost.
Kinetic Absorption Lv.1 — Absorbs 33% kinetic impact to release.
Mantra Resonance — Stabilizes spiritual energy flow.
SKILLS
Hammer Wielding Lv.1
Sword Wielding Lv.0
Meditation (Vedic Focus) Lv.1
EQUIPMENT
Vajra-Agni (Bound Artifact) — Hammer with kinetic and fire amplification.
Vajra-Vāyu (Spirit Blade) — Wind-aspected sword; dormant.
BEAST LINKED (1/10)
Ashen Ram
Link Stability: 61%
Bond Type: Symbiotic
Tattoo: Right Hand, curled horn motif
Trait: Symbiotic Pulse (HP Regeneration)
Growth Potential: Dormant
SYSTEM LOG
[Spiritual Awakening Detected — Gayatri Protocol Resonance Complete]
[Interface Synchronization: 82%]
Shiva opened his eyes. The world was sharper — colors more alive, the air almost vibrating with unseen rhythm. The glyphs on the gate now pulsed in sync with his heartbeat.
For the first time since returning from death, he felt whole.
He exhaled slowly.
"So that's what you wanted… not rage, not strength — focus."
He stood, lifting Vajra-Agnī. The hammer glowed a deep gold-green, almost like it was breathing.
"Fine. I get it now."
He looked at the massive sealed gate again — but this time, he didn't strike it. He simply stepped forward.
The energy barrier rippled like water — then dissolved at his touch.
The path to Takṣaśilā opened with a low, resonant hum.
[Quest Complete — "Trial of the Yaksha"]
[Reward: Entry Granted]
[New Quest: "The Vaults of Takṣaśilā"]
Shiva smiled faintly. "Took you long enough."
As he stepped inside, the Interface flickered one last time.
[Observation: Subject has achieved first state of Integration — "Sādhana Link."]
[The Wanderer watches in silence.]
The gate closed behind him with a whisper.
And within the ruins of the ancient university, long-forgotten mantras began to awaken — their voices merging with the hum of the machine.
End of Chapter 7: The Mantra and the Machine