My Game Begins Chapter 1 / Episode 1: Part 6 – Aftermath of the Battle end of episode 1

 My Game Begins

Chapter 1 / Episode 1: Part 6 – Aftermath of the Battle end of episode 1 

Right before Ren’s paralyzed eyes, the awe-inspiring, multi-headed, multi-armed cosmic manifestation began to retract. The blinding divine light slowly condensed, pulling the celestial weapons and majestic crowns back into the ether. As the grand illusion melted away, the towering deity shrank down, finally revealing Srinivasulu standing in his normal, exhausted human form amidst the ash.

The five glowing cards drifted gently down from the heavens, hovering obediently in front of him.

Srinivasulu reached out, his hands trembling slightly from the adrenaline. With profound reverence, he collected the five cards, gently pressing them against his closed eyes in a sacred gesture of respect. Carefully, he tucked the divine artifacts into his pocket.

The air was heavy with the stench of scorched earth and splintered wood. Srinivasulu slowly walked over to the edge of the crater where Ren lay entirely broken.

"Can we finally talk now?" Srinivasulu asked, looking down at the defeated game protagonist.

Ren stared back, his breath rattling in his chest. "Who... who the hell are you? What do you actually want from me?"

"I told you from the very beginning," Srinivasulu replied, his voice calm but absolute. "My name is Srinivasulu. And I came here... to live like you."

"Live... like me?" Ren coughed, the concept entirely alien to his mind.

"Yes," Srinivasulu nodded. "To live as you. I shattered all the walls that stand between fiction and reality, begging the Divine to let me cross over. And I came here. Into your world."

Ren let out a weak, raspy breath. "How... how is it even possible for you to live as me?"

"Like this."

Srinivasulu closed his eyes. A soft, flowing golden aura erupted from his skin. The light cascaded over his body, physically reshaping his height, shifting his clothes, and altering the very bone structure of his face.

Ren’s eyes widened. As the golden light faded, standing before him was not the boy from Earth, but a flawless, exact mirror image of himself. Srinivasulu had physically become Ren.

Srinivasulu extended his open palm toward the treeline. With a faint hum of telekinetic energy, Ren’s bag flew through the air and slapped perfectly into Srinivasulu’s grip. He casually slung it over his shoulder.

"I'll be taking my leave now, Ren," Srinivasulu—wearing Ren's face—said smoothly.

A bitter, hacking laugh escaped Ren’s lips. "Do you really think... just because you took my face... you can actually live my life?!"

"Let's see if I can or not," Srinivasulu replied coldly, turning his back to walk away.

"Wait," Ren choked out, coughing up soot. "You said you came from another world to live like me. Someone who prayed to their God just to cross over and take my place... to experience the life someone else is meant to live. Doesn't that feel wrong to you? Doesn't it feel like a sin to steal an existence?!"

Srinivasulu froze. His shoulders stiffened. Slowly, he turned back to face Ren, his borrowed eyes narrowing with years of buried, agonizing frustration.

"What? Am I doing something wrong?" Srinivasulu’s voice rose, vibrating with raw, unchained emotion. "Does it truly feel like I am committing a sin to you? Because if it does, I am not doing anything new! Countless others have done this before me! Suddenly, some guy gets hit by a speeding truck, and he opens his eyes in the body of a hero in another world! Another guy dies of a random heart attack, opens his eyes, and is reborn as a prince! What about them, Ren?! Is that not taking over someone else's life?! Why is it that when they do it, it is hailed as a 'Grand Adventure', but when I do it, suddenly it looks like an injustice to you?!"

Ren stared up at him, completely speechless, unable to formulate an answer.

"Besides... what injustice have I committed?!" Srinivasulu yelled, stepping closer to the edge of the crater, pointing an accusing finger at the game protagonist. "What wrong have I done?! I am only asking for the reward of the game I played all this time! If there is no reward for the effort poured into a game, then it’s not a game—it’s a waste of a life! Listen to me! Behind every single victory of yours, it was me! I am the one who made you win every time! Every event in your life, every critical decision you ever made—that was me taking them! I navigated the dangers, I defeated the bosses, I dragged you to the finish line every single time! So who deserves the credit?! You, or me?!"

Tears of sheer, overwhelming frustration welled in Srinivasulu’s eyes.

"Who deserves to be the hero?!" Srinivasulu screamed, his voice breaking. "Who deserves to live happily?! You, or me?! But what did I get for all those thousands of hours I played?! Nothing except the fleeting joy of a screen turning off! You—who did nothing but exist—get to live in a beautiful world, surrounded by loyal friends, wielding incredible power, living happily as the chosen hero... while I, the one standing behind you, making every decision and guaranteeing your survival, am left to rot in a dark room! With no friends. With no one. Left to die in absolute, crushing loneliness! Is that justice, bro?!"

Srinivasulu wiped his eyes, his breathing heavy. "That is why... every single time I lit a lamp before my Swami, Lord Venkateshwara... every single time I performed a pooja... I asked for the exact same thing, over and over again! And today, my Swami fulfilled my wish! He granted me these divine powers and sent me into your world!"

Srinivasulu threw his arms wide open, looking up at the smoke-filled sky, his voice roaring with absolute, undeniable triumph.

"From this day, from this very moment, I declare this! With the Seven Worlds Below, the Seven Worlds Above, and the Fourteen Realms as my witness... I am the Hero of this world! I AM THE HERO!"

His voice echoed endlessly across the burning valley. He lowered his arms, his chest heaving. "And the reason for all of this... is my Swami."

Overcome with devotion, Srinivasulu dropped to his knees right there in the dirt. He folded his hands tightly together, pressing them to his chest, completely ignoring the defeated game protagonist behind him.

"Edukondalawada! Venkataramana! Govinda! Govinda!" Srinivasulu chanted, his voice thick with tears of absolute surrender. "Srinivasa Govinda! Venkataramana Govinda! Vaddi Kasula Wada Govinda! Bhaktavatsala Govinda! O Lord Venkateshwara! Even in the horrific darkness of this Kali Yuga, You heard the desperate cries of this devotee! You saved me from a life of pitch-black despair! You granted me these incredible powers, allowed me to defeat him, and gave me the chance to live his life! You gave me the chance to live independently as a true hero! O Apadamokkula Wada! O Anatha Rakshaka (Protector of the Orphans)! O Govinda! Dhanyosmi! Dhanyosmi! (I am blessed! I am blessed!)"

Srinivasulu stretched his hands out toward the heavens, loudly and passionately praising the Lord, his devotional cries resonating through every inch of the silent, ruined forest.

From the bottom of the crater, Ren let out a weak, raspy laugh.

"So..." Ren whispered, his voice failing. "You came all the way from another world... just to live like me, huh? You came to live like a hero who saves the world. Then live it... if it is possible."

Srinivasulu stopped praying and looked over his shoulder. "What does that mean? Are you saying I can't live like you?"

"You won't know that..." Ren smiled faintly, his eyes half-closed, "...unless you actually live as me."

Srinivasulu stood up, his face hardening. "I will live it. And I will show you."

Ren let out a soft sigh. "What did you say your name was?"

"Srinivasulu," he replied proudly. "It was the name given to me after my great-grandfather. And my great-grandfather was named after one of Lord Venkateshwara's own divine names... Srinivasulu."

"Srinivasulu..." Ren murmured softly into the night sky. "Nice name you got there."

With those final words, Ren’s eyes fluttered shut, and his head rolled to the side. He slipped into deep unconsciousness.

Suddenly, Srinivasulu flinched. A gentle, warm, blindingly white energy materialized from the very earth beneath Ren. The light completely enveloped the unconscious game protagonist, and before Srinivasulu could even blink, Ren vanished entirely from the crater.

"What?!" Srinivasulu panicked, rushing to the edge. "What is this?! What just happened here?!"

From the infinite expanse of the starry sky above, a serene, cosmic voice resonated directly within Srinivasulu’s mind, carrying the peaceful, melodic strum of a divine Veena.

"Narayana... Narayana... Do you not understand yet, my child Srinivasulu?"

Srinivasulu gasped, looking up. "Sage Narada?!"

"I have veiled him in illusion and brought him to my Maya Lokam (Realm of Illusion)," the voice of Sage Narada echoed peacefully. "Until the time comes for me to awaken him here, this Ren will remain in a deep, undisturbed slumber."

"But... but his body!" Srinivasulu asked, suddenly anxious. "Nothing happened to him, right, Munindra? He must have suffered severe injuries from the battle I fought against him!"

"No, child," Narada chuckled softly, a sound like chiming bells. "The moment he stepped foot into my Maya Lokam, all of his wounds completely vanished. He is resting very safely in my realm. Putting that aside... you have truly achieved the impossible, Srinivasulu."

Srinivasulu listened, awe-struck by the cosmic presence.

"Through relentless rituals, deep poojas, and unyielding devotion, you managed to please the Bhaktavatsala (friend of Devotees)—Lord Venkateshwara. You obtained this unimaginable boon, crossed into this reality, defeated the chosen protagonist, and now, you are stepping into his place to live his life. You humans are truly something else. Knowing perfectly well that if asked with pure devotion, the Lord will never say no, you please Him and continuously ask for such reality-breaking boons. Perhaps it is exactly because of devotees like you... that Lord Venkateshwara is becoming an even greater 'Bhola Murthy' (easily pleased deity) than Lord Shiva himself!"

Srinivasulu bowed his head in deep humility. "I don't know, Narada Munindra. Me asking the Lord... Him showing mercy on me through you... me arriving in this world... defeating this hero... taking his place... all of it feels like a wild, impossible dream."

"It feels like that, child. Narayana, Narayana," the sage’s tone suddenly shifted, shedding its lightheartedness and growing profoundly, terrifyingly serious. "But remember this well, Srinivasulu. The divine powers granted to you will not work for your own selfishness whenever you simply wish to use them. They will only awaken when you walk the path of Dharma. When you selflessly protect others. Whenever Dharma is in true peril, or when an unjust, unprovoked threat comes upon your life... only in those moments will your powers function."

The cosmic voice seemed to vibrate the very air. "But heed my warning. The moment you stop living righteously... the very second you begin living this new life solely for your own selfishness... the divine powers granted to you will become completely useless. When that happens, those sacred cards you hold in your hands will remain as nothing more than useless pieces of cards."

Srinivasulu—still wearing Ren's face—placed a hand firmly over his chest pocket. "I understand perfectly, Munindra. I will live like a true hero in this world. I will live independently, and I will live righteously. I shall take my leave now, Munindra."

"Go my child," Narada blessed from the heavens. "Shubhamastu. Vijayostu. Vijayibhava. Digvijayibhava." (May goodness be yours. May victory be yours. Be victorious. Be universally triumphant).

With a final, determined breath, Srinivasulu turned his back on the battlefield. Dressed as Ren, wearing Ren's face, he began walking out of the burning, smoldering forest, stepping out into the vast unknown of his new world.

As the boy disappeared into the dark treeline, the viewpoint shifted, soaring high above the burning forest, piercing through the clouds, and ascending into the starry cosmos.

There, standing majestically amidst the galaxies, holding his divine Mahathi veena, was Sage Narada. He looked down at the tiny, walking figure of Srinivasulu, his eyes filled with profound, sorrowful wisdom.

"Rejecting a life of peace, he has willingly stepped into an ocean of endless hardships just to live a life that is not his," Narada mused aloud to the universe. "He looks at this curse and wholeheartedly believes it is a boon. A curse that he himself begged for. He surrendered the true freedom of his real life, walked straight into this Maya (Illusion), and actually believes this Maya is freedom."

Narada shook his head slowly, his fingers grazing the strings of the veena.

"He thinks he is going to play a game with this world... but he is entirely failing to realize that this world is about to play a horrifying game with his life. Thinking it is absolute freedom, he marches inside, completely unable to realize that this world is a quicksand. A swamp that will pull him deep into its depths and never let him out once he steps in. Srinivasulu doesn't even have the awareness that he is walking directly into a quicksand and getting trapped."

Narada looked up toward the supreme, cosmic light of Vaikuntha.

"Oh, Lord of the Seven Hills, Venkataramana... Oh, Venkateshwara... To finally open his eyes and make him realize the true value of his real life... this is the grand divine game (Leela)You are playing with him, isn't it? Edukondalawada... Venkataramana... Govinda, Govinda... Narayana, Narayana..."

Narada smiled a knowing, melancholy smile, plucking a final note that echoed across the stars.

"From now on, Srinivasulu, who took Ren's form and went to live his life... whether he can actually survive living like him or not... we will see in the next chapter. Narayana, Narayana..."

(To be continued on Chapter 2 / Episode 2)