CHAPTER 29, THE GRANTH OF THE FORBIDDEN PATH AND THE BEGINNING OF THE DIVINE TEST
Night had deepened far beyond what the eyes could measure.
Hero Academy stood wrapped in silence, but it wasn't a peaceful silence. It carried weight—like something unseen was watching, waiting, preparing. The echoes of the Royal Battle had faded, yet their impact remained, lingering in the very air.
Inside his room, Krrish hadn't moved for a long time.
He stood near the window, his gaze fixed on the vast sky stretching endlessly above. The stars flickered faintly, distant and indifferent, but his mind was far from calm.
One name continued to echo within him.
Mahadev.
The one beyond gods and demons.
The only being who might hold the answer to a problem that defied logic, power, and even the laws Krrish had begun to understand.
But knowing who wasn't enough.
The real question remained—
How?
How do you reach someone who exists beyond existence itself?
How do you find a being who does not appear unless he chooses to?
Krrish slowly closed his eyes.
"I need a path…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"And I won't find it here."
---
The next moment—
His consciousness sank inward once again.
The physical world faded.
Sound disappeared.
Light dissolved into nothingness.
And he found himself standing in the vast darkness of his inner space.
Endless.
Silent.
Unchanging.
---
The Black Shadow was already there.
It stood still, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
This time, however—
Its presence felt different.
Heavier.
Sharper.
More aware than ever before.
---
Krrish stepped forward without hesitation.
"I know the answer lies with Mahadev."
His voice was steady.
"But knowing that doesn't change anything."
He looked directly at the Shadow.
"Tell me how to reach him."
---
For a moment—
The Black Shadow said nothing.
It simply observed him.
As if trying to measure not just his determination…
…but whether he was truly ready for what he was asking.
---
Finally, it spoke.
"Reaching Mahadev is not like seeking power."
Its voice was calm, but carried depth.
"You cannot simply travel to him."
"You cannot summon him."
"You cannot force your way into his presence."
---
Krrish's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then what do I do?"
---
The Shadow raised its hand slowly.
The darkness around them began to shift.
Space itself seemed to ripple, and from within that distortion—
An image began to form.
---
A book.
Ancient.
Massive.
Worn by time.
Its surface was covered in symbols that didn't belong to any known language. They pulsed faintly, as if alive—carrying a presence that felt neither divine nor demonic.
But something else entirely.
Something older.
---
"This…" the Shadow said.
"…is your path."
---
Krrish's gaze locked onto the image.
"A book?"
---
"Not just a book," the Shadow replied.
"It is a Granth."
"A record of a path that very few have ever walked."
"It contains the method… the key… the understanding required to even attempt to reach Mahadev."
---
Krrish stepped closer.
Even though it was only an image—
He could feel its presence.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Unforgiving.
---
"Where is it?" he asked.
---
The Shadow's expression didn't change.
"That… is something you will have to discover yourself."
---
Krrish frowned slightly.
"You're saying you don't know?"
---
"I know what it is," the Shadow replied.
"I know what it represents."
"But its location…"
A pause.
"…is not something that can simply be told."
---
The darkness around them shifted again.
The image of the Granth flickered, then expanded—
Revealing fragments of places.
Distorted landscapes.
Floating ruins.
A forest where shadows moved against the light.
A temple that seemed both real and unreal at the same time.
---
"It exists in a place where reality and illusion overlap."
"Where perception cannot be trusted."
"Where even your own mind can betray you."
---
Krrish's expression hardened.
"So finding it…"
"…is the first test."
---
The Shadow nodded.
"Yes."
"And not just a test of strength."
"A test of your awareness."
"Your control."
"Your ability to distinguish truth from deception."
---
Silence followed.
Then the Shadow spoke again—
Its voice deeper now.
"Understand this, Krrish."
"This is not a journey you can approach casually."
"Because once you step onto this path…"
"…you cannot turn back."
---
Krrish didn't hesitate.
"I never planned to."
---
For a brief moment—
The Shadow smiled faintly.
"Good."
"Because this…"
"…is only the beginning."
---
At that exact moment—
Far beyond the Human Realm.
Beyond the Demon Realm.
Beyond even the Divine planes known to existence—
---
A space existed where time did not flow.
Where creation and destruction held equal presence.
Where silence itself carried meaning.
---
There—
Mahadev sat in deep meditation.
His form was calm, unmoving.
Yet his presence…
Felt infinite.
Boundless.
As if the universe itself was merely a fragment of his awareness.
---
Slowly—
His eyes opened.
And in that moment—
Reality itself seemed to acknowledge it.
---
A soft voice echoed nearby.
Gentle.
Yet filled with immeasurable power.
"You've seen him."
---
Beside him stood—
Adi Shakti.
The embodiment of divine energy.
The origin of creation itself.
---
Mahadev's gaze remained steady.
"Yes."
---
There was no surprise in his voice.
Only certainty.
---
"He has begun to walk the path," Adi Shakti said.
---
A brief silence followed.
Then Mahadev spoke—
"Then the time has come."
---
The space around them shifted subtly.
As if responding to his will.
---
"We cannot interfere directly," he continued.
"But we can prepare him."
---
Adi Shakti looked at him.
"And how will you do that?"
---
Mahadev's eyes reflected something vast.
Ancient.
Unavoidable.
---
"We will test him."
---
At that moment—
Three distinct presences resonated across the void.
Creation.
Preservation.
Destruction.
---
The Tridev.
---
Brahma.
Vishnu.
Mahadev.
---
Though not all physically present—
Their essence aligned.
Their intent became one.
---
"We will prepare a Divine Test," Mahadev said.
"One that will measure his mind…"
"…his strength…"
"…and his soul."
---
Adi Shakti's gaze softened slightly.
"Is he ready?"
---
Mahadev closed his eyes for a brief moment.
And in that instant—
Countless possibilities unfolded and collapsed within his awareness.
---
Then he spoke.
"Readiness…"
"…is not given."
---
"It is forged."
---
His eyes opened again.
Calm.
Absolute.
---
"If he succeeds…"
---
A pause.
---
"He will gain the truth he seeks."
---
"And if he fails?"
Adi Shakti asked quietly.
---
For a moment—
Even silence seemed to hesitate.
---
Then Mahadev answered.
"He will become part of the same cycle he seeks to break."
---
Back in the Human Realm—
Krrish's eyes opened instantly.
A faint shift in the air made him aware—
Something had changed.
Not visibly.
Not physically.
But deeply.
---
He stepped forward slightly.
His mind clearer than before.
His path now defined.
---
"The Granth…"
he murmured.
---
That was his first step.
His first objective.
His first trial.
---
Inside his mind—
The Black Shadow spoke one last time.
And this time—
Its tone carried a rare seriousness.
---
"Prepare yourself, Krrish."
---
"Because this path…"
"…will not just test your strength."
---
"It will test your mind."
"Your control."
"Your identity."
---
A brief pause.
---
"And once you begin…"
---
"You won't just be hunted by demons…"
---
"Or watched by gods…"
---
"You will be judged."
---
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
---
Krrish walked toward the window once more.
The night sky stretched endlessly before him.
Unchanged.
Yet now—
It felt different.
---
His reflection stared back at him.
Calm.
Focused.
Unshaken.
---
"I'll find it."
---
No doubt.
No hesitation.
---
Because now—
This was no longer just about stopping a war.
---
This was about breaking a system that had existed for ages.
---
And to do that—
He would have to walk a path that no one else dared to take.
---
A path that led beyond gods…
Beyond demons…
And into something far more dangerous—
---
Truth itself. 🔥