Mirage of the Warrior

The world around Kedar tilted like a boat in a violent sea.
One moment he stood inside the cracked throne hall…… the next, he blinked and found himself standing on the rooftop of Parshu Ashram.
Cold wind rushed past him.The sky burned orange like a setting sun.
He recognized this place — the night he first awakened his Fire Prana.
But something was off.
Anant stood beside him, but his eyes were hollow.Shakti appeared next, her hands trembling, her voice a dried whisper:
> “Why didn’t you save us?”


Kedar’s heart skipped.
“No—this never happened.”
The ground fissured under his feet.The sky shattered like glass.The rooftop twisted into a spiraling staircase descending into darkness.
And then—
Guru Parshu appeared at the base of the stairs, surrounded by students.
Only their faces were blank.Like clay dolls.
> “Your power is dangerous, Kedar.” Guru Parshu’s voice echoed, distorted.“You were always the problem.”


Kedar staggered back. “This is fake. This is—”
A hand grabbed his shoulder.
He spun.
His father stood before him.But his face was burned, melted, unrecognizable.
> “You brought ruin to everyone you touched.”“Like fire.”


Kedar’s fists shook.His breath quickened.His heart hammered like a drum in panic.
He wasn’t just seeing illusions.
He was reliving fears he never admitted aloud.

---
Mayan’s Voice Slips In
From somewhere above — or beneath — the cursed prince’s voice drifted like silk dipped in poison.
> “What is a warrior who cannot protect those he loves?”“What is a leader who doubts his own worth?”


Kedar clenched his jaw.His Fire Prana flared — but fizzled instantly, smothered by a wave of cold illusion.
He felt suddenly small.Weak.Like he was sinking into a dream he couldn’t wake from.

---
The Illusion Deepens
The world rippled.The students vanished.Guru Parshu dissolved into mist.
Now Kedar stood in a forest — the same one from the dhuma parvart 
Except—
Bodies lay everywhere.His classmates.His friends.All lifeless.
A single figure stood among them, covered in blood and shadow.
Mayan.
But his voice was different.Younger.Human.
> “See what will happen, Kedar.”“Your flames bring only death.”“And one day… even they will turn against you.”


Kedar felt the world compress around him like a cage.
> “STOP!”


His shout cracked the illusion — for a moment.
He fell to his knees, sweating, heart racing.

---
A Glimpse of the Unknown Past
The world shifted again.
Now he stood in a burning village.Flames everywhere.Screams echoing.Smoke choking the sky.
But unlike the previous illusions—This wasn’t any place he knew.
Yet it felt familiar.
A woman’s voice cried in the distance.A child wailed.Dark armored shadows moved through the fire.
Kedar’s breath froze.
His mind screamed that this was not real—
But his heart whispered otherwise.
> Where… is this…? Why does it feel like I’ve seen this place?


Before he could take a step, everything froze.
Mayan stepped out of the flames — not as a monster, but as the human prince he used to be.
His eyes glowed faintly blue.
> “Even you fear your past more than your future, Fire Bringer.”“And you don’t even know what you’ve lost.”


Kedar’s throat tightened.He didn’t understand—and yet something inside him trembled like a sealed door rattling.

---
Kedar’s First Resistance
“No more illusions.”
Kedar raised his hands — Fire Prana flickered again.
But this time he didn’t force it outward.
He focused inward.
He remembered what Guru Parshu taught:
> “A warrior who knows himself cannot be deceived.”


For a moment—the illusions thinned.Mayan’s human form shimmered.The burning village flickered.
Kedar could see cracks forming.
He was getting closer.Just a little more—
Then Mayan’s voice boomed loudly inside his skull.
> “DARE YOU DEFY MY REALITY?”


The palace collapsed.The world shattered into a thousand mirrors around Kedar.
Each mirror reflected a different version of him—weakarrogantdeadafraidcryinglostscreaming.
The reflections reached out, grabbing for him, pulling him into their distorted surfaces.
Kedar’s breath faltered.His consciousness blurred.
> “Give in.”“Let me make the world quiet for you—forever.”



---
A New Spark Awakens
Just when the mirrors began to swallow him—A faint outline glowed on his chest.
A small ember, pulsing red.
Not Fire Prana.
Not physical strength.
Something deeper.
A dormant seed… now stirring.
His heartbeat stabilized.His vision cleared.He stood up straight.
The mirrors cracked around him.
> “You can twist my memories,” Kedar said, voice steady.“But you can’t twist my will.”


For the first time—Mayan’s voice faltered.
> “…interesting.”


The illusion began to warp again, preparing stronger attacks—but Kedar had taken his first step.
He could see the edges of lies.The smudges in the illusions.The wrong shadows.
A new ability was waking.
Not fully formed.But growing.
And Mayan knew it.

To ne continued......