Third Person POV
Hearing the wish, even though they already knew what he wanted the most, as every ripple of thought within the young man's mind was clear for them to read.
But still, Mahadev was genuinely intrigued. It was one thing to see a destiny written in the fabric of time; it was another to hear the mortal soul claim it with such trembling, honest fervour. It's not like it was the sole wish; he had so many to count. He was genuinely waiting for the time when he would meet God and ask for the boon he craves the most.
Rudra's POV
The Great Lord looked at me for a moment, their gaze calm yet unfathomably deep, as if the history of every civilisation was reflecting in their eyes. I waited for them to speak, to acknowledge my wish and maybe grant it, but their lips remained still for a heartbeat longer than expected.
"I can grant this wish of yours," They finally said, the resonance of their voice making the very snow beneath my feet hum. "Meeting Me, even if by accident, gives you the right to ask as one of My children.
But child, look at yourself. You are a creature of the modern age—soft, fragile, and bound by the laws of a world that has forgotten its own strength. As you are now, you will not be able to survive in that primordial era. A time where even celestials walk amongst mortals. The power and the laws of that time are as harsh as the sun and as heavy as the mountains."
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the snow. I hadn't thought that far. Yes, in the novels, the heroes just... survived. But that was fiction; they have an author to write for them, to point them in the right direction to guide them, but this... this was reality. Or a reality far more real than the one I had left. As I won't be going to familiar areas or even familiar times. If it were like those fantasy novels, maybe I could hope for the novels to guide me forward, but here I'll be alone.
After saying this much, Mahadev turned their gaze slightly behind me, a look of infinite tenderness softening their features.
"Is that not so, dear?" They spoke softly, the words carrying a sweetness that changed the very atmosphere of the mountain.
I turned my head, my breath catching in my throat. In my heart, I already knew who would be standing there. The air suddenly filled with the scent of a thousand blooming lotuses, a fragrance so pure it felt like it was washing my soul clean.
When I finally looked, I saw a Lady whose presence was the very definition of Motherhood.
They wore pure white garments that flowed like moonlight, adorned with jewellery themed after the rarest flowers of the heavens. Their beauty was not something that could be captured by words.
It felt as if Nature itself had borrowed its grace, its colours, and its life from Them. Their smile felt like every flower in existence blooming at once, and yet even that image failed to describe the radiant warmth they carried.
Mother Goddess, Mata Parvati, smiled gently at me. Their voice, when they spoke, was more soothing than a lullaby and more powerful than a river.
"Yes," They said, stepping forward until they stood beside Mahadev. "Your assessment is correct, Mahadev. And for this sweet child, we can do more than simply send him into the past, where he would not last long in his current state. We can train him. We can make him capable enough so that he does not suffer. We shall give him the strength to not just witness the beginning, but to endure the weight of the Divine."
Standing before the two Gods I worshipped and respected the most, I lost myself in my thoughts. My mind felt like a storm of static and lightning.
Even now, a part of me, the sceptical, logical part, kept whispering that this was a dream, a coma-induced hallucination from the space collapse. Or maybe even space collapse was also just a dream.
Yet, how could a dream be this vivid? I could feel the biting cold of the wind against my cheeks, smell the ancient ozone and sandalwood, the flowers or maybe it's the air itself that smells divine, and hear the rhythmic breathing of the massive tigers that watched us from the treeline.
The sacred calmness and holiness of this place were too heavy, too "solid" to be a product of my imagination.
Maybe it's my habit of reading endless fantasy novels that has actually prepared me for this. I was going with the flow far better than I thought possible. I was actually surprised at how calmly I was taking all of this. Meeting the Supreme Couple, nearly being shredded by a spatial anomaly, and now having my deepest wish acknowledged by the Creators of the Universe.
But as the initial shock began to fade, a new, sharper emotion pierced through the peace.
Oh, wait, if I'm to leave, what about...
My parents. My mother, she would be waiting for me to walk through the door.
My father, he who would ask me about my bus journey.
My friends, my classes, my books... everything was on the other side of that spatial tear.
Would they think I was dead? Would my mother cry herself to sleep every night, wondering where her son went? Or would they just forget about me, that I even existed?
The thought of their grief made my heart ache with a sudden, agonising intensity and more so, my grief and sadness for what if I'm really forgotten, I felt like a selfish child who had run away from home without a word and still wants them to keep me in their heart and mind and not forget about me.
While my mind was wandering into these dark corners, I suddenly felt eyes on me. I looked up and saw that Mahadev and Mata Parvati had finished speaking among themselves. They were now looking at me, and as if they were reading the very ink of my worries, they smiled with a compassion that made my guilt melt away.
"You don't have anything to worry about," Mata Parvati said, their eyes shimmering like twin stars.
"As you are going to the past, the time in your world will be as if stopped for you. To your parents, not even a second will have passed. When you have completed your journey and reach this point in time again, you can choose to join your family once more, or decide whatever path your heart desires then. You will lose nothing of the love you left behind."
Hearing this, a weight I didn't even know I was carrying vanished. I felt a surge of relief so strong I almost fell over. I smiled, tears pricking my eyes, and bowed low.
"Thank You... thank You, Mata. Thank You, Prabhu."
Then, everything changed.
The snowy peak of Kailash didn't fade; it shifted. The scenery blurred into a kaleidoscope of colours, and a moment later, I found myself standing in a place that felt like home. It was a nature-made home, of stone, trees, etc., even though I knew I had never set foot here. It was another location, perhaps a hidden valley deeper within the sacred mountain.
A flower garden spread across the land as far as I could see.
flowers that glowed with their own internal light, pulsing in rhythm with the earth.
Trees towered so high they made the skyscrapers I have seen in telivision and media look like toys. Birds with feathers like spun gold chirped melodies that sounded like Sanskrit chants, and the very air seemed to vibrate with a low, constant hum of the word "OM." It filled the space, vibrating in my teeth, my skin, and my soul.
I wondered if I was truly standing upon the inner sanctum of Kailash. My doubt was answered by a gruff, powerful voice right beside me.
"Yes, boy. This is the heart of Kailash, the eternal home of my Lord Mahadev."
I jumped, spinning around reflexively.
"Yes… oh, okay," I stammered, my heart racing again.
A stray thought crossed my mind:
Does everyone here read thoughts, or am I simply that easy to read? Am I really that weak?
I focused on the figure standing before me, and the moment my eyes adjusted to its form, recognition struck me like a bolt of lightning.
They had a massive, burly body with powerful muscles that radiated an aura of pure, unadulterated strength. Their skin was tanned deeply by the sun of a thousand ages. They wore simple, rugged rags that didn't hide their immense power. Two majestic horns, resembling those of a great bull, rose from their forehead, curving toward the sky. Around Their neck hung a thick, bold silver-colored necklace that looked heavy enough to crush a normal man.
A waistband with a golden sheen rested at their waist, and their ears were distinctively bovine, twitching slightly as they watched me. Their feet ended in solid, obsidian-like hooves, and around their right ankle hung a bangle with a small golden bell that chimed with a sound of pure divinity.
Shock ran through me, followed by an overwhelming sense of respect. This wasn't just any guardian.
I immediately folded my hands and bowed so deeply my forehead almost touched my knees.
"Nandi ji!" I exclaimed, my voice full of awe. The very bull whose ear I had whispered into just an hour ago was now standing before me in a form that commanded the respect of the entire world.
Nandi ji looked at me, a glimmer of amusement in their eyes.
"So, the little student wants to see the world, does he? Well, boy, you've got a lot of work to do before you're ready for that."
"But first, let me show you around the place where you'll be staying for the time being." And they proceed to take Rudra on a walk around the Kailash to show him the place.
Hearing the first part, Rudra blushed, but he was still excited to see and roam the Kailash he longed to visit one day. For he tried to stay true to himself and as pure as he could be in the modern world. So that once he dies or something, he will get the chance to meet the God he longs to meet and will walk on the soil of Kailash.