Chapter 1
The Delusional God
Somewhere on the eastern borders of the Kanna region, on the riverbank of the Pandu River, I stood there waiting patiently for the enemy yet to come. Wherever I turned my gaze, I saw burning ships scattered across the river. Flames stretched out in every direction, as if fire and water were coexisting — like the river was burning from the battle that was yet to come.
Soon after, a cold wind blew across the river, cutting through the heat of the flames that burned on the ships. As the cold wind blew across the battlefield, something in the air shifted. It was as if the wind itself carried a message — one that spoke of inevitability. Everyone on that field felt it. They knew that the moment of decision had arrived.
Before anyone could move, a dark force swallowed the fire, the ships, the battlefield itself. It consumed everything in its path. The flames, once fierce and bright, flickered out as if snuffed by an unseen hand. A cold chill spread across the battlefield, sinking into the bones of every soldier. It was as though the darkness itself had arrived — death in the purest form was there to claim them all. The air grew thick with it. Everyone felt true fear, a warning that the end was near.
The battlefield fell into silence, broken only by the sound of each heartbeat thundering in the chest. In the midst of the chilling darkness, I could feel my grip tightening around the hilt of my sword. My fingers, cold and stiff from the chill, wrapped around the familiar handle as if it were the only thing holding me to reality. The fear that had taken root in my heart began to stir, but I refused to let it control me. I had faced many battles before, but this... this felt different. As the darkness pressed in, I stepped forward, ready to face whatever came next.
As soon as I clenched the hilt of my sword, I barely had time to react. Before I could even see what was happening, a sword imbued with dark matter pierced through my abdomen, cold and sharp. The battlefield fell silent — no one moved, as if their feet were bound to the earth, unable to react. I coughed up blood, my vision blurring, and when I raised my head, there he was. The general of the Karma stood before me, a smirk tugging at his lips. It wasn't just a smirk; it was a message, a silent mocking that echoed in my mind. His eyes told me everything.
You knew this was coming. You knew this was inevitable. You were fighting a battle you could never win.
In that moment, everything I had been through flashed before my eyes. It was as though my entire life was unfolding in front of me. I took a slow step back, away from him, while the silence on the battlefield hung thick in the air. The weight of the spiritual pressure was so overwhelming that no one could move an inch. The army behind him, frozen in place, could only watch. Desperation surged within me, and I had one last card to play.
"Ashflare.....!" I whispered with all the strength I had left.
The blast of fire shot out, a desperate attempt to break free from the suffocating grip of his presence. He blocked it with his black sword, using it to protect himself. But the sheer intensity of the flare was too much for the soldiers behind him. The flames burned through them, leaving only scorched earth, and even he couldn't avoid the damage entirely. A small cut appeared on his hand, but it was nothing compared to the destruction the flare caused to his army.
He looked at me, a smirk creeping onto his face as he wiped the blood from his hand.
"Don't try to test me, kid," he sneered. "You think these wounds are gonna kill me? Or that by slaughtering these dead ones, you'll somehow change the outcome? In the past, I gave you a chance to live... and here we are."
My eyes were going blurry, as if I were trying to wake up from a bad dream. The world around me swam in and out of focus. I could hear a distant voice calling my name, cutting through the fog of sleep. It took me a moment to realize where I was — the cool breeze, the rustling of leaves above, the solid branch beneath me. I wasn't on the battlefield anymore. I wasn't fighting for my life. Reva's voice broke through my confusion again, sharper this time.
"Vedha... Vedha, wake up!"