Viranth was confused for a moment, unsure of what he was hearing. A faint crying sound echoed around him. He quickly looked around, trying to locate its source. Guided by the sound, his feet moved almost on their own, leading him toward the river.
As he approached the riverbanks, the crying grew louder, but he still couldn't see anyone. Then, to his shock, he spotted something strange: a massive snake swimming along the surface of the river. It wasn't an ordinary snake — it had a single body but many heads, each one fierce and terrifying. A creature capable of destroying anything in its path.
Instinctively, Viranth considered running. But just as he turned, the cry rang out again — desperate, innocent.
Confused and on edge, Viranth scanned the area once more. That's when he saw it — a small basket floating in front of the great serpent.
The basket itself didn't surprise him. It was the unmistakable sound of crying that came from within it that sent a chill down his spine.
He stared, not fully understanding what he was witnessing. As the basket floated closer, so too did the enormous snake, its heads weaving protectively above it. Viranth's face paled. Inside the basket, he could now clearly see — it was a baby. A tiny, fragile baby... and the snake was shielding it from the rain.
At first, fear gripped him — was the snake hunting the child? But the longer he watched, the clearer it became: the snake wasn't attacking. It was protecting.
A memory flashed through Viranth's mind — a legend of a great serpent with many heads, known as Shesha, a devotee and protector blessed by the Almighty Himself.
He stood frozen, unable to comprehend how to react to the sight before him — a divine creature guarding a helpless child. In the midst of his hesitation, the Almighty's words echoed in his mind: "You still have much to do."
The more he thought about it, the more he felt certain — he had been saved for a reason. Perhaps it was to save this child.
The basket and the snake drifted closer to the shore. Viranth's heart raced. Should he approach? Was it safe? Trusting his instincts, he decided — the snake wasn't his enemy. Without another thought, he stepped into the river.
The current was brutal, strong enough that any ordinary boat would have been shattered. Fierce winds lashed around him. Yet strangely, the basket remained untouched, bobbing along peacefully as if the river itself protected it.
Even after achieving transcendence, Viranth felt the immense pressure of the water threatening to pull him under. Exhausted from his previous battles, he knew that if he slipped here, he would be swallowed by the river and die a miserable death.
Still, he swam forward, battling the current with everything he had.
To his astonishment, the flow of the river shifted. The basket, once near the middle, now drifted steadily toward him — almost as if the river was helping him.
Driven by this miracle, Viranth pushed forward. As he reached the basket, he saw the serpent coil itself like a canopy above the baby, its tail carefully keeping the basket afloat.
Awe filled Viranth's heart.
He touched the basket, and true to his instincts, the serpent didn't attack. Peering inside, he saw the baby boy crying — yet not a single drop of water had touched him. The basket was bone dry from within.
Cradling the basket carefully, Viranth turned and made his way back to shore.
As soon as he stepped onto dry land, the rain abruptly ceased. The clouds parted, revealing a clear blue sky overhead.
The great serpent had vanished without a trace.
At first, Viranth thought it might have all been a hallucination, but the baby — perfectly dry — and the waterlogged ground around him proved otherwise. The serpent had been real, and it had been protecting this child.
Curiosity gnawed at him. Who was this baby? Why was nature itself bending to shield him?
Viranth leaned over to look at the child properly. The baby had stopped crying and was now sleeping peacefully, wrapped snugly in a soft, cotton-white cloth.
A rare, gentle smile crossed Viranth's weary face.
He collapsed beside the basket, gazing up at the sky for a few moments, gathering his strength. Then, determinedly, he stood, lifting the baby into his arms. As he did, a small note slipped out from between the folds of the cloth.
Holding the baby with one hand, Viranth picked up the note with the other and unfolded it.
On it, only two letters were written: "OM".
The moment he read it, a strange feeling coursed through him. Instinctively, he looked down at the baby and whispered, "Om."
The baby, still sleeping, smiled in response.
Viranth's heart swelled with emotion. He knew then — this was the baby's name.
He looked up at the heavens and declared, "Lord, you gave me life to protect this child. I swear, I will guard him with my own."
With renewed strength and purpose, he began walking back toward his base, cradling little Om in his arms.
It was then he noticed — Nil's body was nowhere to be found.