Chapter 10 Beyond A Single Life

Rudranath nodded.

“Yeah…”

The man leaned closer.

“Are you sure?”

His eyes narrowed as he looked at Rudra. Rudra remained silent, looking at his arms and legs. Nothing was unusual. He was feeling fine physically. One of the girls shouted from the car.

“Mrinal Sir, please see this…”

The man snapped toward them and rushed. Rudranath remained where he was. He looked at them as they inspected something in the car.

“So his name is Mrinal…”

Mrinal shouted at him.

“Mr. Bhattacharyay! Come here, please.”

Rudranath moved forward. But suddenly his legs buckled. He dropped onto his knees. His throat was dry. His head felt empty as his vision blurred. He could see all three of them rushing toward him, yet he couldn't hear their footsteps. Only his heart kept throbbing in his ears.

A chill spread along his spine. Something warm trickled from his nose. He brushed his nose and raised his fingers before his eyes.

“Blood…? Why am I bleeding?”

[You have used too much soul essence compared to your body’s current capacity.]

The system’s voice sounded like it was coming from a long distance inside his head. His eyes closed, darkening the world around him. He had no idea how long he was out. His eyes snapped open to a very familiar voice.

“Rudra…Rudra…how long are you going to sleep?”

It was full of gentle care. His childhood flashed through his mind. The wooden beams in their home appeared in his memory when he was merely five. He opened his eyes expecting to see his father’s face as usual.

“Father…?”

But the darkness had not faded. Rudranath swallowed. For a moment, there was no one else inside the darkness. Then a white light shimmered ahead of him. Thin lines of white stretched, forming a human shape.

That same smile. That familiar beard. A hand touched his forehead. The familiar sensation made him shiver. His father was standing beside him—no mass, only a silhouette.

“Wake up, Rudra.”

He jolted up in the darkness. His eyes were glued to his father.

“Am I dead…? Is this afterlife?”

It was dark everywhere he looked. His thoughts spiralled. Saanvi? Aarohi? What would happen to them? But before he could sink further in his thoughts, his father’s voice rescued him from the negativity churning inside him.

“You are not dead, son…”

His smile widened.

“Not yet. It’s not your time.”

Rudranath trembled. His lips remained parted, yet his voice was silent. He had so many questions, but none escaped him. His fingers reached forward, trembling. But before Rudra could reach him, the silhouette flickered once, then faded into the darkness.

“You have a daughter and a wife to rescue, right?”

His voice lingered in Rudra’s ears before the darkness faded. His vision returned. A yellow glow was spreading warmth around him. He was inside an SUV. It was moving. One of the females from earlier sat by him in the back seat. Her hands were on his chest, emitting the golden glow.

He looked through the window. The car passed Aadi Shakti Bhutnath Temple before turning left from Strand Road. Then a right turn brought them onto Strand Bank Road.

“Are we going toward Nimtala Crematorium?”

He whispered. The female smiled beside him.

“Yes, Sir.”

Rudranath pushed himself off the seat. His words faltered.

“But… I am not dead yet!”

She giggled, covering her lips.

“Don’t worry, we are not going there for your cremation.”

She extended her hand forward.

“I am Trisha Chakraborty, A soul healer. Nice to meet you.”

Rudranath shook her hand. His narrowed brows remained locked on her face.

“Likewise…”

The SUV pulled up at the Crematorium. Trisha got out first. Then, from the driver's seat, the other girl came out. Rudra was going to come out, but Trisha raised a hand.

“Not yet… kindly stay inside.”

Rudranath tilted his head. Another engine roared to a halt behind their car. He looked through the rear windshield. It was the black SUV that had taken him out of the warehouse. It stopped just behind them. Mrinal’s voice rang out as he stepped out of the driver’s seat.

“Sayani, Trisha…”

Both girls rushed toward him and opened the trunk. The three of them pulled the two unconscious escorts out of the car. Blood covered both of their faces, dripping from the wounds on their heads. Rudranath gasped.

“Are they dead? Are we here for their cremation?”

Mrinal walked up to the SUV he was sitting in. With a smile, he opened the door for him.

“I had asked you if you were fine, Mr. Bhattacharyay.”

Rudranath returned the smile, stepping down from the car.

“Yeah! You had…”

It was a white SUV. He closed the door and looked at the escorts on the ground. Mrinal came closer. His fists clenched at his sides.

“They were not awakened like us. They were normal civilians doing their duty as government employees.”

Rudra turned his head.

“But…?”

Mrinal shook his head. His eyes were fixed on the dead escorts.

“That Trishna’s death essence has already infected them. We need to complete their cremation before they turn into a Trishna themselves.”

Rudranath grabbed Mrinal’s shoulder.

“Can’t we purify them at least?”

Mrinal smiled.

“They are in a stage of conversion right now. There is nothing to purify in them currently.”

Rudranath froze. He lowered his head.

“They must have a family waiting for them, just like me…”

A tear slid down his chin as he saw Mrinal and others carrying them inside the crematorium. Aarohi’s face flashed in his mind. His jaw tightened. Trisha’s voice drifted from ahead.

“Kindly wait in the Mourner’s rest room, sir.”

Rudranath stepped toward the Mourner’s restroom once their backs vanished behind tall pillars of the crematorium. The chill breeze was brushing against his face. With every step he took forward, the breeze started getting stronger. There were no clouds in the sky. He could clearly see the cracks spreading across the sky.

Tree leaves were not moving at all. Yet the breeze turned into a strong wind within a few seconds. Temple bells rang out loud from the Bhuthnath temple ahead of the crematorium. Every strand of hair on his arms stood on end. He looked around.

Nothing changed. His heart hammered loudly inside his chest once before the strange atmosphere felt familiar. His mind screamed,

“This is not normal.”

But his muscles felt at ease, as if it was a common occurrence.

SHHshhh!

A gust howled past him from the left. He snapped his head toward it. His eyes widened. Two white footprints appeared on the ground beside him, moving along with him. Only footprints. There was no body above them. Rudranath’s breath choked in his throat. The temple bells rang louder, their rhythm accelerating with each step he took.

The system screen flickered to life before his eyes.

[Traces of ancient blood from the user’s bloodline detected.]

[Lost Key of Cursed Wisdom is forcing Soul Vision to activate despite insufficient Soul Essence.]

A condensed chill swirled inside Rudranath’s forehead as the last traces of his essence were ripped from his inner sanctum. The white flames coursed through him at terrifying speed, spreading warmth through his body. They had responded to the call of the black key.

He fluttered his eyes. His eyeballs burned as the white flames tried to devour the chill of the black key. A white glow spread across his irises.