Chapter 11 A Trace of the Forgotten

The modern Strand Bank Road vanished, replaced by a thick forest surrounding him. Instead of the Mourner's restroom, a tattered hut stood in its place. The footprints remained the same, moving alongside him. The hum of the River Ganga filled Rudranath's ears. The burnt stench of flesh, along with the sweet fragrance of marigold, brushed against his face.

He turned to his left, following the familiar smell. The footprints also stopped. By the riverbank, a crowd had gathered around an ongoing cremation. The fire burned brightly under the midday sun, consuming the wooden logs beneath the dead body.

There were no crematoriums like those of the modern era. Rudranath looked at them. Black smoke coiled upward. All of their heads remained low as tears rolled down their cheeks.

"Look at those long faces..."

The sudden voice made his spine shiver. When he turned his gaze to his left, his heartbeat quickened. Where the footprints had halted, a man now stood exactly on them. A worn-out dhoti wrapped around his legs. An unkempt, long beard paired with his long, messy hair had almost covered his face. Rudranath could count his ribs through his naked torso. The frail limbs attached to them made him look like a walking ghost.

A wide smile curled through his lips. Yellow teeth peeked through his moustache and beard.

“Why do you mourn for someone who is ascending beyond all suffering?”

He exhaled, shaking his head.

“Fools…”

He spat on the forest floor and walked towards the tattered hut, phasing through Rudranath as if he were not even there. Rudranath spun on his ankle. His eyes widened while his fingers brushed against his shirt. He could feel his own touch.

He drew his brows. The footprints were still glowing beneath the man's feet until he vanished inside the hut. Rudranath finally moved from his place. There was no door. The frame stood hollow, revealing the darkness inside it. The moment he stepped into the hut, his throat felt dry. The air crackled against his skin, yet somehow he felt as if he belonged inside it.

"You do not belong in this age, boy."

Rudranath staggered back a little. His hand found the cracked wooden frame behind him where the door should have been. The man sat on a tiger skin spread across the floor, smiling at him. A human skull rested before him, facing the doorway. The word 'OM' was carved into the skull in Sanskrit.

The words shivered out of Rudranath's throat.

"You can see me..."

The man's smile widened.

"You can see me, so why can't I, boy?"

Rudranath swallowed.

"But you just..."

Before he could finish his line, the man laughed out loud and stood up from the tiger skin.

"I just walked through you? Is that what you were going to say?"

Rudranath's parted lips snapped shut. The man widened his arms.

"Come, boy."

His eyes narrowed.

"You should also be able to do the same."

Rudranath stood like a statue. But the instant his eyes met the man's, his body walked forward against his will. It felt as if his muscles were no longer his own. It felt as if they were obeying some supreme signal that his brain had never generated.

The distance between them closed within moments. The man's widened arms wrapped around Rudranath. But there was no sense of touch.

"May you succeed in your journey, Rudranath."

Rudranath gasped.

“How did you know my name?”

But he had already phased through the man. The hut glitched for a second, then vanished. The smile on the man’s face remained intact till he faded into thin air. Concrete walls welcomed Rudrnath back. He was standing inside the mourners’ restroom of the crematorium. The temple bells had stopped. There was not a single howl of wind anymore outside. He stood clueless inside the room, gazing through the window.

“When did I come inside the restroom?”

A whisper slipped free from his lips. But there was no answer to his question. Only the system interface flickered with a few notifications.

[Trace of the user’s bloodline retrieved.]

[Due to the successful purification of the Trishna, the user had gathered new experience points.]

[User has levelled up.]

[Soul Essence capacity increased drastically for retrieving the bloodline’s trail successfully.]

[User’s Soul Essence recovered due to the level-up.]

The chill on his forehead had dissolved. He felt the black key suspended peacefully in his inner sanctum. His soul essence had found its natural flow. He sat on the white bed at the center of the restroom. A new screen appeared before his eyes.

[User Level: 5

EXP: 800/7000

Soul Essence Capacity: 5000/5000]

Skills:

Soul Skills—

Soul Control Lv.1

Essence Guidance Lv. 1

Soul Palace Lv. 1

[Soul Skill 4: ???]

Innate Skills––

Soul Vision Lv. MAX

Eternal Understanding Lv. MAX

]

Rudranath leaned his back against the soft bed, looking at the system screen. He read each of the skills. He furrowed his brow, thinking about how suddenly his normal life had changed within the last few days. His stomach growled.

"I am hungry..."

He rubbed his hand on his torso. His thumb touched his shirt's pocket. Inside the fabric, he felt a paper. His eyes widened. Sekhar had placed that paper in his pocket before his departure from that warehouse. He shot up. With a quick flick of his wrist, he pulled out the folded paper and stretched it before his eyes. A message was written in it.

Dear Mr. Bhattacharyay,

We, the workers of D.O.S.A.M., are also human, just like you. I believe a six-year-old has not committed the sin with her full understanding of the consequences. I also believe your daughter doesn't even have an idea what she has actually done. Please do not lose faith in us. The way you saw her was the only way to delay their entrance to the mortal world. We are also trying to understand the reason for her sudden awakening and figure out a way to replenish the veil. Kindly be patient and try to reach at least the rank of an Ascendant during your training. So that I can argue with the board of directors for you to have a proper say in your daughter's trial next month.

Thank you,

Sekhar Manjrekar.

The moment he finished reading, the lines glowed in a green shimmer. Within a moment, the paper dissolved in thin air between his fingers. A long sigh slipped free from Rudranath's lips as he looked towards the door of the restroom.

His fist clenched beside him. His jaw tightened, slipping the whisper out of his lips.

“Rank Ascendant?”

He had no idea what that even meant. But if it would help him save his family…his gaze hardened.

“Let’s do it!”