Chapter 15: The Path to Drawrna Mountain

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the rugged terrain as Shubhu and Satya trekked toward Drawrna Mountain. The air was thick with tension, every step they took filled with the sense of looming danger. The mountain loomed ahead of them, its jagged peaks piercing the sky like the fangs of a great beast. They had been walking for hours, each footfall bringing them closer to the mystery that awaited them at the top.

"Have you heard anything from the exploration team that went before us?" Satya asked, breaking the uneasy silence between them.

Shubhu shook his head. "Nothing. They went silent two days ago."

The mention of the previous team cast a shadow over their thoughts. Shubhu and Satya were supposed to investigate Drawrna Mountain after receiving word that the exploration team had gone missing. Now, they were the last hope to uncover what had happened. The silence from the team was unsettling, but Shubhu had a sinking feeling that something far worse awaited them at the mountain's peak.

As they approached the base of Drawrna Mountain, the remnants of the exploration team's camp came into view. Tents were torn to shreds, equipment scattered, and the unmistakable signs of a violent struggle littered the ground. Satya knelt down, inspecting the deep claw marks gouged into the earth.

"This wasn't a human attack," Satya muttered, his eyes narrowing as he looked around. "Whatever did this... was something else."

Shubhu said nothing, his gaze fixed on the path ahead. He could feel it—the strange, tingling sensation in the air, the kind that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. There was something familiar about this place, though he couldn't place what it was. His connection to the spirits seemed to hum more intensely with each step, as if they were warning him, pulling him toward something yet unknown.

The two pressed on, climbing the steep slopes of Drawrna Mountain. The air grew colder as they ascended, the wind howling through the jagged rocks. It wasn't long before they reached the top, where ancient ruins stood, half-buried in the snow. The stone structures were worn with age, their surfaces etched with faded symbols and patterns that hinted at a long-forgotten civilization.

Shubhu stopped dead in his tracks, his heart pounding in his chest. As soon as they reached the ruins, a surge of energy pulsed through him. He staggered, his breath catching in his throat as a wave of recognition hit him. The energy surrounding the ruins felt... familiar.

"Shiva?" Satya called out, noticing his friend's sudden change in demeanor.

But Shubhu wasn't listening. His senses were overwhelmed, memories flickering in the back of his mind—memories of another time, another place. The energy here was like a distant echo of the godly powers that he had once wielded. There was no mistaking it: this place held a connection to the divine, to the very essence of his forgotten past.

"We need to move carefully," Shubhu finally said, his voice low. "Something is... watching us."

Satya nodded, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his sword as they moved further into the ruins. The wind seemed to die down, the air becoming eerily still as they ventured deeper.

Suddenly, without warning, the ground began to tremble. From the shadows of the ancient stone pillars, monsters emerged—grotesque, twisted beings with sharp fangs and glowing eyes. Their bodies rippled with unnatural energy, their claws scraping against the stone as they surrounded Shubhu and Satya.

"Looks like we've found what happened to the exploration team," Satya muttered grimly, drawing his weapon.

But something strange happened as the monsters advanced. Instead of attacking Shubhu, they stopped in their tracks, their glowing eyes fixed on him. Then, as if in unison, they parted, creating a path for Shubhu to walk through.

"They're... letting you pass?" Satya's voice was full of confusion, but he didn't lower his sword. He stepped forward, but as soon as he tried to follow Shubhu, the monsters reacted violently, blocking his way and snarling.

Shubhu turned back, a frown on his face. The creatures weren't attacking him—only Satya. It was as if they recognized something in Shubhu, something that kept them at bay.

"This doesn't make sense," Shubhu said, taking a step back toward Satya. But as he moved closer to him, the monsters grew more agitated, their growls deepening.

A strange sensation coursed through Shubhu's body. His heartbeat quickened, and his vision blurred for a moment. Then, without warning, his eyes began to glow with a brilliant, ethereal light. Satya's eyes widened in shock as the air around them grew thick with energy, shimmering and distorting as if reality itself was warping.

The monsters froze in place, their growls cut short as time itself seemed to halt. The world around them went silent, the wind ceasing to howl, the snowflakes hanging suspended in midair. Everything stopped.

Shubhu stood in the center of it all, his glowing eyes reflecting the frozen world around him. He could feel the power surging within him, a power far beyond anything he had ever experienced before. It was as though the very fabric of time and space was bending to his will.

And then, as if drawn by an unseen force, a portal began to form in front of him. It swirled with light, the edges shimmering with the same energy that had surrounded him in his dreams. Shubhu's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the place beyond the portal—it was just like the godly realm he had glimpsed in his dreams, the place where he had once walked as a divine being.

Without hesitation, Shubhu stepped forward, crossing through the portal. As he did, the world around him shifted, and he found himself standing in a vast, ethereal palace, bathed in golden light. The architecture was grand and majestic, unlike anything found on Earth or Satal. The floor was made of gleaming marble, and the walls were adorned with intricate carvings that told the stories of gods long forgotten.

It was the God's Trial Palace. The same place he had seen before in his visions.

Shubhu's mind reeled. How could this place exist here? How could it be connected to the ruins on Drawrna Mountain? And more importantly, why was it calling out to him?

As he stood there, the power within him continued to grow, his connection to time and space becoming more and more pronounced. He could feel the essence of the gods, the echoes of their divine power lingering in the very walls of the palace.

But something was wrong. His heart pounded in his chest as memories from his past life began to flood back, memories of betrayal and war, of powers beyond his understanding. The faces of the gods who had turned against him flashed before his eyes, and the weight of his forgotten identity pressed down on him like a vice.

Shubhu closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. He wasn't just a survivor of a cosmic disaster. He wasn't just another human blessed with powers by the gods.

He was something far more. But what exactly, he still didn't know.

As the portal behind him shimmered, Shubhu knew he couldn't stay in the palace for long. He had to return to Satya, to figure out why the monsters had let him pass. But the questions in his mind were relentless.

Who am I really? Why do I keep seeing these visions of gods and battles? And why does this power feel so familiar?

With one last glance at the magnificent palace, Shubhu turned and stepped back through the portal, ready to face whatever awaited him outside. But the truth of his identity was becoming harder to ignore. Something within him was stirring, something ancient and powerful, and soon, he would have to confront it—whether he was ready or not.