Shaurya opened his eyes. The air of Earth filled his lungs with a new sensation—the earthy scent of soil, the moisture from the river, and the distant, bustling energy of human life. But today, there was something different in the air. A strange stillness, as if all of nature was holding its breath, waiting.
He looked up. The sky, usually a clear blue, was layered with clouds of deep crimson and gold, as if the heavens themselves were blushing. Lightning flickered between them, but its sound wasn't frightening; rather, it echoed like a powerful, divine announcement.
Shaurya's heart began to beat faster. Something was calling to him, a pull more profound than any mission. Using his cloaked divine vision, he scanned the horizon. A few miles away, from the pinnacle of a grand palace, a beam of amazing, gentle light was touching the sky. That light felt so familiar to him, so much his own, that his breath caught in his throat.
"No…" a whisper escaped his lips, "It can't be…"
He immediately started walking in that direction, his divine speed still far greater than any human's, even while diminished. Within minutes, he stood before that palace—the very palace where, in a life long forgotten, Advik had once said, "If I ever have to be born on Earth, I will be born in this very palace!"
A sound reached his ears, clear and poignant even from a distance. The sound of a baby crying.
Shaurya's body went numb. He moved forward, drawn by an invisible thread, his mission momentarily forgotten. He reached a grand door and, hidden from mortal sight, peeked inside.
The scene he saw would be etched into his soul forever.
A beautiful queen, drenched in sweat but radiant, held a newborn in her arms. The baby's face still had the redness of birth, but his eyes… those eyes took Shaurya five thousand years back.
The same playfulness. The same curiosity. The same amazing spark that had always been in Advik's eyes.
A tear dropped from Shaurya's eye, then another, and soon it became an unstoppable stream. These weren't tears of sorrow, nor of pain. These were tears of joy after a long, dark journey. These were tears of a reward received after five thousand years of waiting.
A smile bloomed on his lips—the first true, deep smile his face had seen in thousands of years. This smile reached his eyes, lighting up his entire face.
"Advik…" he whispered, the name a prayer finally answered, "I found you…"
At that moment, Shaurya's mind turned into a stormy sea, and the waves took him thousands of years back, to another birthday, in another realm…
Flashback - Swarg, Millennia Ago
The halls of Amaravati were filled with laughter and music. It was Shaurya's birthday. He stood surrounded by fellow Devas, accepting gifts and praises with his usual calm demeanor, but his eyes constantly scanned the crowd for one specific person.
Advik arrived late, as always, a whirlwind of chaotic energy. He pushed through the crowd, a mischievous grin on his face, completely ignoring the disapproving looks from the elders.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, not sounding sorry at all. He held something behind his back. "I was getting your gift."
"You didn't have to," Shaurya said, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his happiness.
"Of course I did! It's not every day my favorite Deva gets a year older." Advik finally revealed what he was hiding—a single, perfect lotus flower, but this one was unlike any other. Its petals seemed to hold a captured nebula within them, shimmering with a thousand tiny lights.
"It's a star-lotus," Advik explained, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "I grew it myself, in a secret spot where the boundaries between realms are thin. It will never wilt. Just like… just like my…" He trailed off, uncharacteristically shy.
Shaurya took the flower, his fingers brushing against Advik's. The contact sent the usual jolt through him. "Just like your what?" he prompted gently.
Advik's amber eyes met his, all traces of玩笑 gone. "Just like my love for you," he said, his voice firm and clear. "Eternal."
Shaurya's breath hitched. In front of everyone, though none truly understood the depth of his words, he pulled Advik into a brief, tight embrace. "I will treasure it always," he whispered.
Present Day - Earth
Shaurya's eyes opened. He was still standing at the door of the palace, where the newborn Advik was in his mother's arms.
Tears were still flowing from his eyes, but now they were even deeper, even more meaningful. The memory of the star-lotus, now pressed and hidden close to his heart, felt warm against his skin.
"You were right, Advik," he said softly, to the sleeping baby, "You were truly born in this very palace… and I came searching for you…"
He gently entered the room, invisible to all. He reached the baby Advik and placed a gentle, barely-there kiss on his forehead.
"Welcome back, Advik," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, "For returning after five thousand years. I will wait for you… as always."
He took one last, long look at that tiny, peaceful face, memorizing every detail. Then, he turned and left. There was a new determination on his face, a fire rekindled in his eyes.
Now, more than ever, he had to eliminate Vritrasur. He had to protect this world, this second chance. He had to return to Heaven, not as an exiled ghost, but as a warrior who had secured the future.
But he wasn't alone anymore. Now he knew that Advik had returned. And this time, he wouldn't lose him again.
Never again.
---
Chapter End :
He had found his lost love, reborn and vulnerable. But as Shaurya stepped out of the palace, the serene look on his face hardened into that of a warrior. The hunt was no longer just about duty or survival. It was about protecting the most precious soul in all the realms. And for that, Vritrasur had to die.