Aagami - Episode 4: The Cycle of Time

  FADE IN.

  Neel’s body aches, his breath still uneven. His hands tremble, but not from pain—from rage.

  Everything is gone. His home. His family. And now—his purpose.

  Because if what Niki just said is true…

  Then nothing he does will ever matter.

  Her words ring in his head.

  "Now shut up… and listen."

  Neel stays silent, but every part of him wants to scream.

  Niki moves toward the massive mural behind them—the one Neel had noticed the moment he arrived.

  The stone carvings glow faintly, ancient Sanskrit inscriptions shifting like whispers of something old… something alive.

  Behind her, the image of a lone warrior facing an army of shadows looms. The warrior’s sword is raised. But he is alone.

  Neel’s fists clench.

  NEEL (low, trembling): "Say it again."

  Niki places her hand against the mural. The golden light flares, and for a brief second—the warrior in the painting moves.

  His sword cuts through shadows.

  But they never stop coming.

  Niki doesn’t turn around.

  NIKI (calmly): "This battle… has happened before. And it will happen again."

  Neel exhales sharply, his shoulders shaking.

  NEEL: "And no one… ever won?"

  A heavy silence.

  Then—

  NIKI (softly): "No one."

  The words hit Neel like a blade to the gut.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  His breath catches.

  NEEL (barely above a whisper): "Then… what’s the point?"

  Niki finally turns to face him.

  But Neel isn’t looking at her anymore.

  He’s staring at the mural—at the lone warrior who has fought, bled, and died again and again.

  A warrior who never won.

  NEEL (voice breaking): "Why should I fight if I have no chance to win?"

  Niki says nothing.

  Neel lets out a sharp, bitter laugh.

  NEEL: "You just said it’s a cycle, right? If no one has ever won, then no one ever will."

  His hands shake.

  NEEL: "I lost my family… and for what?!"

  His voice rises, echoing off the stone walls.

  NEEL (yelling): "If this war is endless, then nothing I do matters!"

  His breathing is uneven. His vision blurs.

  For the first time since this nightmare started—he feels truly powerless.

  NEEL (low, defeated): "So tell me, Niki… why should I even try?"

  Silence.

  Niki’s expression doesn’t change—but for the first time, there’s a flicker of something else in her eyes.

  Something that Neel recognizes.

  Pain.

  She exhales slowly.

  Then—she speaks.

  NIKI (softly): "Because someone has to."

  Neel looks up, his jaw tightening.

  NIKI: "You think I haven’t asked myself that same question?"

  She takes a step toward him.

  NIKI: "Every time I fought. Every time I lost someone. Every time I thought—‘What’s the point?’"

  Her voice is quiet, but firm.

  She gestures at the mural—to the warrior standing alone.

  NIKI: "But this battle… it’s not just one war. It’s a war that has been fought through time itself. Across four Yugas."

  Neel’s breathing slows.

  NEEL (confused): "Yugas?"

  Niki nods, placing her hand against the glowing inscriptions. The Sanskrit letters shift, forming new symbols in the air.

  NIKI: "There are four Yugas. Four ages of time."

  The golden glow expands, and suddenly—Neel sees it.

  Four massive stone tablets appear from the walls, each with an ancient warrior carved into them.

  NIKI: "But there is something that can stop the ghosts from coming. Or at least delay the destruction."

  Neel’s eyes narrow.

  NIKI: "A warrior… the one who wields the Chadraka Sword."

  Neel frowns.

  NEEL: "The Chadraka Sword?"

  Niki nods.

  NIKI: "It is Lord Shiva’s sword. A weapon beyond time itself. The only blade that can cut even immortal beings."

  Neel feels a chill crawl up his spine.

  NIKI: "I don’t know where it is now. No one does. But… if there is a way to stop this, even for a time, it is with that sword."

  Neel swallows hard.

  NIKI (softly): "But understand this—nothing we do is permanent. The most we can do… is hold back the darkness."

  She turns back toward the mural. The warrior still stands. But he is not winning. Just fighting… holding the line.

  NIKI: "We can only fight until the time comes… until the Supreme Being Himself returns as an avatar in Kali Yuga."

  Neel’s breath catches.

  NEEL: "You mean… until God Himself intervenes?"

  Niki nods.

  NIKI: "That is how every Yuga ends. But until then… we fight."

  The ashram walls tremble slightly, as if something far away… had heard them.

  Neel’s fingers twitch.

  For the first time—he realizes.

  This isn’t just his fight.

  This is so much bigger.

  FADE TO BLACK.

  TO BE CONTINUED…