Previously:
Ved unlocked a glimpse of his true power by defeating the Yama Construct with a forgotten mantra of flame. The sanctuary now knows — he's not an ordinary initiate. But others are watching. And the past is waking up.
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"Not all echoes fade. Some scream until the future answers."
– Archive Fragment, Level 3
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Sanctuary – Medical Bay
Ved's arms were still trembling. The white flame hadn't hurt him — but it had taken something.
Energy. Breath. Memory.
Raksha stood beside him. "The mantra you chanted… no one teaches those anymore. Not since the Veda Collapse."
Ved raised an eyebrow. "Collapse?"
Sia entered, holding a tablet. "After the World Chakra Fracture, almost every ancient technique was lost or sealed."
Raksha nodded. "Some say the scriptures rewrote themselves to avoid being misused."
Ved looked down at his palm.
"But I… remembered it."
"Or you were chosen to remember," Sia corrected.
He looked up at her.
"You think I'm special?"
"I think you're dangerous."
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Flashback – 13 Years Ago – Unknown Village
A child screamed as flames surrounded a collapsing house.
Inside, a toddler sat unharmed — silent — as the fire circled but never touched him.
A figure in saffron robes watched from the forest.
He whispered:
"Agni accepts him. The boy will be the first Flame-Born."
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Now – Beneath the Sanctuary: The Code Library
Agnira led Ved deep below the earth, past sealed iron doors.
"This place is older than the city," she said.
"What is it?"
"The Pralaya Archives. Only Flame-Born or Chakra-Bound can enter without being erased by the scripts."
Ved raised an eyebrow. "Nice security."
They entered a circular chamber, where glowing texts floated midair.
Agnira pointed to a sigil.
"This is your code mark — the Deva Flame. Only five humans have ever been born with this potential. The others died… or were erased."
"Why?"
"Because the flame doesn't just burn matter."
She leaned closer.
"It burns fate itself."
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Varanasi – Nightfall
The Warden kneeled in a dark temple.
Around him, nine shadowed figures flickered into view — holograms with distorted voices.
"Status?" one asked.
"He's active," the Warden replied. "The white flame has awakened. But he is untrained."
"Too soon," said another. "The boy may unlock the Deva Core prematurely."
The Warden stood. "Then we'll prepare the Others."
The council's voices merged into a chant.
"Samhāra begins."
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Sanctuary – Courtyard Training Ground
Ved and three others stood before Agnira.
"From today," she said, "you four are designated the First Flame Cell."
Sia nodded, calm. Next to her was Rehan, the sound compression user, and Anya, the girl who could fold light.
Their mission?
Track rogue scripture awakenings across the country — and stop power misuse.
Ved clenched his fists.
This wasn't just training anymore.
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Later That Night – Sia's Room
Ved walked past and noticed her meditating.
But something was… off.
She was weeping silently — glowing symbols dancing across her back like scars.
He knocked.
She opened one eye. "Eavesdropping?"
"I saw pain."
"Echoes," she whispered. "Every voice I touch, I carry."
Ved looked away.
"This path we're on… we might not survive, huh?"
Sia smiled, thin and real. "That's not the question."
He blinked.
She stepped close.
"The question is… will you burn out, or burn through?"
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Final Scene – Unknown Himalayan Location
Inside an underground shrine, an old monk opened a scroll bound in red cloth.
He read aloud.
"The Fifth Flame rises… and the Shadow Warden moves."
He placed a chess piece — a silver flame — on the board.
"The war of scriptures begins again."
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Next: The team's first mission outside the Sanctuary — and what ancient horror still sleeps beneath Delhi's forgotten vaults?
Episode 7: Vault of the Sleepers — coming next.