"Tatva vera: The Prophecy of Elemental Harmony"

#Chapter 10: The Maw of the Gale

                                             But as we stood in the circle formed by the three statues the center of the circle began to stir. The stone altar, adorned with ancient symbols, started to glow with an ethereal light.

I felt a pull in the air, a gathering of energy that seemed to resonate with the very core of my being. The light grew brighter, and the ground beneath us trembled. The symbols on the altar came alive, each one igniting like a star being born.

"Stand back!" I shouted, but it was too late. The light erupted into a blinding column that pierced the heavens, and from it, a maw opened—a vortex that resembled a black hole, its edges swirling with the colors of the cosmos.

The wind howled, a gale that carried the voices of a thousand worlds. It swept around us, a cyclone of power that threatened to uproot the very essence of our souls. We reached for each other, trying to anchor ourselves to something, anything.

But the maw was relentless. It engulfed —everyone. We were pulled into its depths, our bodies stretching and twisting as if made of light. I could see my companions, their faces etched with determination and fear, as we were drawn into the unknown.

Inside the maw, time and space lost meaning. We were adrift in a sea of stars, surrounded by the fabric of reality itself. It was beautiful and terrifying, a place where the laws of the physical world bowed to the whims of the wind.

I could feel the presence of the Vatika's, their essence intertwined with the vortex. They were guiding us, showing us the path through the storm. And as we hurtled through the void, I realized that this was not the end—it was a beginning.

The vortex had torn us apart, its maw swallowing my companions like leaves in a tempest. I screamed their names—Zeur, Arun, Anilika, and the others—but the wind carried my anguish away. The world spun, and I was flung into oblivion.

When I woke up, it was to a desolate landscape—a wasteland of shattered memories. The ground was cracked, as if the earth itself had wept. Ruins stretched to the horizon, their jagged edges like broken promises. The air tasted of ash, and the sun hung low, casting elongated shadows.

I stumbled, my legs weak from the journey through the vortex. My heart clenched with grief. Where were they? My friends, my companions. Had the vortex devoured them, leaving me alone in this forsaken place?

And then I saw them.

Nerida, her azure hair tangled, knelt by a fractured fountain. Water dripped from her fingertips; each drop a lament for what was lost. Her eyes met mine, and they held a sorrow deeper than any ocean. She had survived, but at what cost?

Beside her stood Prithvi, the earth mage. His skin was dusted with soil, and his hands traced patterns on the broken ground. He had always been the quiet one, the steady force that anchored us. But now, even he seemed fragile, as if the weight of our separation threatened to crumble him.

"Viraj," Nerida whispered, her voice like wind through a hollow reed. "We are the remnants—the survivors."

I nodded; my throat too tight for words. We had lost everything—the laughter, the battles, the shared dreams. The vortex had torn our bonds asunder, leaving us adrift in this barren nexus.

"Why?" I asked, my voice raw. "Why were we spared?"

Nerida's eyes held a secret. "Perhaps fate has other plans," she said. "Or perhaps we are meant to find answers here."

Prithvi stepped forward, his palms pressing against the fractured ground. "The elements still sing," he murmured. "Listen."

And so, we listened. The wind whispered tales of forgotten civilizations. The earth cradled our sorrow, absorbing it like rain on parched soil. And Nerida—wept. Her tears fell, merging with the remnants of the shattered fountain.

"We are the last," she said.

But in that moment, I understood. We were not alone. The elements remained; their echoes woven into the very fabric of this broken land. And perhaps, just perhaps, we could rebuild.

Together, we would seek answers. We would unravel the vortex's mystery, find our lost companions, and restore what was shattered. For we were elemental heroes, and even in this desolation, our purpose burned bright.

To be continued......