"Arre yaar, one second I'm weaving through Jaipur's Ajmer Road chaos—horns blaring, cows photobombing, chai spill from my steel tumbler—next, Truck-kun yeets me to the beyond. No white tunnel, no Yamraj memes. Just... infinite peace? Holy ash vibes. That's Mahadev, isn't it?"
The void wasn't cold or empty—it hummed, alive with a vibration deeper than any Jaipur temple bell at Kanwar Yatra. No body weighed me down; I was Karan, 28, ex-IT drone from an MG Road paying guest, weekends lost in Mrityunjay PDFs and BORI critical editions, secretly rooting for the sutaputra who defied fate. Truck's grille flash replayed in soul-memory: screech, shatter, blackout. Then this.
Lord Shiva materialized gradually—not a pop, but unfolding like dawn over Aravalli hills. Ash-smeared throat glowing faint blue (halahala's eternal badge), matted jatas cascading Ganga's flow, crescent moon a quiet tiara. Trident grounded reality itself, damaru silent but pulsing potential. Beside him, subtle—Parvati's maternal warmth in Ardhnarishwar harmony, unseen yet felt like a mother's hand on fevered brow.
"Karan of Jaipur," Shiva's voice resonated, each syllable a Ganga dip—cleansing, eternal. No thunder-god dramatics; pure simplicity, Bholenath as devotees whispered. "Your kalyug sadhana whispers amid maya's roar—traffic snarled like Nagas, office fluorescents mocking stars, yet nightly namaskar to eastern sky. Death visits unbidden, mid-strife. Speak varadan, putra. Weave new thread as Suryaputra Karna, tragedy's shadow lifted."
Soul-breath caught. I'd dreamed this—fanfic what-ifs during chai breaks. But real? Heart (or atma-equivalent) hammered. "Prabhu, Mataji Parvati's grace too—immortality's cage tempts none. Birth me Karna, rewrite ill-fate. Grant Apex Dharma Amplifier: 10 Million Times Crit upon every gain—train one breath, harvest eons; boon received, infinity amplified; satvic deed, dharma tsunami. Cloak my presence from devas, asuras, Naradji's wander-tales till apex blooms. Let me honor Itihasa true—Pandavas as bandhu, Duryodhana mitra unbreakable, Krishna Madhav as wisdom's flute."
Shiva's lotus eyes softened—no judgment, infinite compassion. Damaru twirled once, soft rhythm syncing my pulse. Parvati's unseen smile warmed like Diwali diyas. "Dharma's bold flame, not ahankar's blaze. Varadan samarpit. Amplifier etches your atma eternal; wield for loka kalyan, mere mortal no more." Golden nectar surged—not burn, embrace. Soul drank deep.
[APEX DHARMA AMPLIFIER: GENESIS WHISPER COMPLETE!]
[Host Fusion: Karan (Jaipur Dust) → Karna (Solar Apex)]
[Core Vortex: 10M Crit Eternal – Skills, Boons, Powers, Deeds x10,000,000. No Limits, Pure Dharma.]
[Veil Active: Atma Mirage – Undetectable Till Chosen Reveal.]
Samsara yanked me—Ganga's roar flooded senses first. Cool rush, reed-scrape on basket. Weight: tiny limbs, solar-warm skin prickling air. Kunti's face hovered close—youthful beauty cracked by dread, unwed Kuntibhoja princess, mantra's reckless fruit. Her silk trembled; tears pearled like dewdrops on lotus.
My kundalas materialized—gold heavier than Hastinapur vaults, pulsing inner suns. Kavacha bloomed across chest, not skin-peel fragile, but Omni-Apex Solar Bastion, threads weaving fate-proof weave.
[Natal Boon Cascade: Surya's Mantle Awakens. 10M Crit → APEX SOLAR ETERNITY!]
[Invul: Beyond Devas | Dominion: Sunflare Genesis (Controlled Yield) | Aura: Silent Radiance.]
Kunti's arms tightened, then quivered. "Vasusuta... my Karna," voice fracturing like temple conch mid-prayer. Fingers brushed my cheek—mother's first touch, electric. She rocked me, sobs building slow. Forest around us bloomed unnatural: birds stilled mid-song, wind hushed, sunbeams converged unnatural on our basket. Celestial eyes watched unseen—Surya distant, pained; Indra thunder-rumblings far-off.
"Forgive, putra," she whispered, voice raw. "Mantra's fire birthed you too soon—unwed shame chains me. River claims what palace cannot." Basket woven hasty with Priyamvada's flowers; her hands lingered infinite seconds, tracing kavacha's glow. One final kiss forehead—nectar-sweet, tear-salt. Push gentle; Ganga claimed me, current lullaby cruel.
Infant eyes locked hers fading silhouette. Mata... Apex flips this. Patience. Basket bobbed; system purred first whisper.
[Genesis Quest Stir: Maternal Parting Endured. Reward Pending – River's Trial.]
Slow current carried, reeds whispering secrets. Hunger gnawed faint—not mortal babe's wail, but solar core's hum. World narrowed: water's lap, distant village smoke. No rush. Just beginning.