The moment Dhruv stepped into the heart of the Memory Tower, the world dissolved.
There were no walls, no sky, only an infinite void stitched together by fragments of lives long past. Each floated like a lotus petal, suspended in memory: images of war, of silence, of betrayal and devotion, each as real as the breath in his chest.
Memory Sync Initiated.Primary Signature: Vishwamitra. Karma Depth: Sovereign-Class.
Dhruv was pulled through one memory after another, not like watching dreams, but living them. Every scent, emotion, regret, etched into him like fire into wax.
He was a boy dying in a siege, holding his sister's hand. He was a merchant bribing a general. He was a sage, cursing a prince.
And then, he was a king.
A king standing on a battlefield made of glass and fire.
His armor gleamed with sacred glyphs. His voice boomed with command. Opposing armies knelt before him, not in loyalty, but in terror.
Then it cracked.
The illusion shattered.
He stood now on a platform of polished obsidian, floating above an abyss of stilled time. Across from him stood the memory of Vishwamitra, not just a man, but a fragment of karmic law, bound in light and rage.
The ancient sage's hair flowed like black rivers in reverse. Weapons floated around him, chakras, blades, tridents, each humming with script. His eyes were not human; they were stars that had forgotten how to die.
"You wear my burden," Vishwamitra said.
"I didn't choose this." Dhruv's voice wavered.
"You did. Long ago. Power without wisdom. Rulership without restraint. You sought divinity by force."
Trial Initiated: Karmic Reckoning – Crown of Fire.
A weapon launched, a crescent blade inscribed with the hymn of Rudra.
Dhruv barely dodged. The blade clipped his shoulder, and the pain opened another flood:
A younger version of himself, storming a monastery, forcing sages to kneel. A bloody signature on an edict condemning an entire caste. A coronation where the sacred fire turned black.
Back in the trial space, Dhruv collapsed, trembling.
"I'm not that man anymore!"
Vishwamitra circled him. "You are. The lives live within you. Until you burn them clean."
Another weapon struck.
This time, Dhruv didn't dodge. He caught it with his bare hand.
Pain lanced through him like molten karma.
But he didn't let go.
He closed his eyes and accepted the pain.
Threshold Crossed: Acceptance of Past Self – 42%
Vishwamitra stepped closer. "Then look deeper."
A new vision erupted.
He was in a palace, one not of stone, but of thoughts.
Thousands knelt before his throne, chanting his name. His body glowed. His eyes were golden. Behind him rose seven relics, each a symbol of the sages he'd consumed.
But none bowed out of love. Only fear.
He looked to his right. A woman stood there. Her name was lost, but her soul was familiar. She had once believed in him. She had once walked beside him until he had sacrificed her to seal a relic.
He turned away in shame.
When he opened his eyes, he was kneeling once more.
"I don't want to become that."
"Then burn him," Vishwamitra growled.
Meena's voice cut through.
"You are not just what you were. You are what you do now."
She appeared beside him, her body limned in white light, her thread of karma intertwined with his like twin flames.
Shared Will Invoked.Bond Strength: Unshakable.
Dhruv stood.
And for the first time, the weapons stopped spinning.
He raised his palm.
The Staff of Echoes formed in his hand, not summoned but remembered. A long rod of silvered wood, inscribed with mantras that pulsed to his heartbeat.
He spoke, not to Vishwamitra, but to himself.
"I forgive you. I forgive myself."
A ring of fire spread from his feet. Memories ignited, not in destruction, but in transformation. Each life he'd lived became fuel. Each regret became a foundation.
The throne shattered.
The battlefield dissolved.
And the sage smiled.
"Then you are ready. Not to rule. Not to ascend. But to remember."
Trial Complete: Karma of Vishwamitra Integrated.Relic Obtained: Staff of Echoes (4/7)New Class Path: Dharma-Bound Sovereign (Awakened)Ancestral Merge Unlocked: Merge with a past life for 1 battle (Cooldown: 3 arcs)
Dhruv awoke on the steps of the Memory Tower.
Meena was already there, seated beside him. Her eyes were red, but she smiled.
"You were gone for a day. The Tower didn't just test you, it called your ancestors."
He flexed his fingers. The staff was still there.
But so was something else. A feeling.
Purpose.
Above them, the sky had changed. A second moon, faint, glassy, now hovered beside the first.
Dimensional Shift Detected: Lunar Echo Phase Activated.Warning: Entities Awakened by Karma Surge. Proceed with Caution.
From far away, beyond the forest, a drumbeat echoed.
Not war.
A summons.
Meena tilted her head. "We're not alone anymore."
Dhruv nodded. "The Circle's waking up."
He looked at the staff.
And saw not just a weapon.
But a key.