The air grew colder as they stepped into the passage. Stone walls pressed close, the light from their flashlights bouncing off damp surfaces, tracing faded symbols long forgotten by the world.
Kunal reached besides Vaibhav, the obsidian fragment warm in his palm, pulsing faintly. Each step down felt heavier, like the earth was wrapping around them, swallowing them deeper into the pit.
Vaibhav's voice broke the quiet.
"Bro… you sure this isn't a bad idea?"
"Nope," Kunal said flatly, without slowing. "But we're here."
They reached a chamber — circular, wide, empty except for a single archway with its door locked, closed for ages, faint designs still visible at the center, half-buried in dust giving faint humming. The fragment in Kunal's hand vibrated harder, pulling him forward.
He stepped towards the grand door as if possessed fitting the stone into a circular hole that wasn't there until Kunal approached; it opened by itself..
Just the perfect size of the obsidian stone.
The stone glowed.
And suddenly the humming got louder and in front of their eyes the door was covered in bright white light and after that the door was visible in it's full glory.
Showing a young warrior fighting some monsters and the stone was there in his sword glowing and with a click then doors opened suddenly and a deep rusty smell hit their senses and in front of them was a long dark tunnel.
Kunal and Vaibhav stood rooted in their spot.
Then suddenly Vaibhav whispers in low voice,"Bro, why does it feels like we are getting invited by a sleeping ancient Mummy".
Kunal chuckled lightly and moved forward and Vaibhav rushing behind,"Don't leave me behind man!"
When they entered the tunnel the torches light by themselves showing them the long path which they have to take.
They kept walking for a long time while looking at murals of some ancient warriors and many forces fighting among themselves.
There were distinctively two sides fighting one with features same as humans with various weapons and some glow behind their heads with which they can concluded it's Devas and others with monster like features and among them some with human features but with horns, multiple arms or legs or eyes and crude weapons with which they concluded they were Rakshasas and Asuras.
Also there were many gems and gold engravings on the walls glowing faintly in torch lights. Vaibhav touched one of the gem in the wall however suddenly all torchlights blacked out.
Kunal stopped Vaibhav and as soon as Vaibhav pulled back, torches got reignited once again.
"Bro, it's like someone is really inviting us inside and saying don't touch anything and already gave us a warning"
Kunal didn't say anything and kept moving forward and after walking for around half an hour more which felt like days they reached a golden gate now which felt like it's fully made of gold. Showing four roaring lions in different directions and a Dharma chakra beneath their feet same as Ashoka's symbol and the door opened by itself as soon as they reached near the door.
Inside the door was a huge hall with huge pillars engraved in golds and exotic gems of different colors. And a huge throne at the end of hall. With lion engravings at both the armsets and the back.
Vaibhav whistled while looking around everywhere his eyes were on the gems and golds on the pillars while Kunal was just looking at the throne.
"Bro what a wealth. Now I truly believe our India was truly Golden Bird in ancient times. Bro, if I survive this, I'm gonna chip one off and retire. Call me Gem Vaibhav."
He felt his chest tighten, a strange reverence settling in. The throne wasn't just a seat. It was a symbol. And it was calling for him.
Kunal started moving towards the throne as if hypnotized by it. Then suddenly a voice, deep and steady, filled the air.
The same words he'd heard in Taxila, now rolling through the chamber, deeper, heavier, ancient.
"Born for the protection of the wheel of Dharma, again and again;
Where you have fallen to the earth, surely there you shall rise;
In your land of birth, O divine prince, you shall arise once more."
The world tilted.
Light surged around him.
This time Vaibhav also heard the voice and shouted something — but the sound was distant, drowned beneath the rising hum.
And then Kunal wasn't in the chamber anymore.
---
He stood in a dim study, the walls lined with scrolls and ink pots. The scent of sandalwood, old paper, and oil lamps filled the air. A figure sat cross-legged across from him — weathered, wiry, sharp-eyed. Kunal already knew his identity.
Chanakya.
The strategist's gaze was piercing, heavy with knowing.
"You've come late," Chanakya said quietly. "But you've come."
Kunal tried to speak, but no words came. His throat felt locked.
Chanakya gestured to a low table between them, where an unfurled scroll showed symbols — the same strange patterns carved in the chamber walls.
"This knowledge… it was never meant for easy hands," Chanakya continued. "It can build. It can destroy. But those who first carried it… they understood balance."
He looked up, his face lined with fatigue.
"I tried to hold the empire steady. But Ashoka's path… softer. Kinder. And for that, cracks widened."
Kunal's chest tightened. He could feel the weight in Chanakya's voice — a mix of pride and regret, of victories won and foundations lost.
"There were enemies beneath the silk," Chanakya went on. "Not just outside, but inside. Hidden. Watching. Waiting for softness."
He pointed at the scroll.
"They stole pieces of this. They twisted it. Used it to blind a son, to weaken a line, to shatter trust."
Kunal's breath hitched.
"Tishyarakshita wasn't alone," Chanakya said. "She was their blade, not their mind."
A faint tremor shook the air.
"They're still here," Chanakya warned. "The Guptacharas. The old bloodlines. The shadow hands."
His gaze fixed on Kunal.
"They don't just want power. They want the pattern. To write it their way. They want to rule."
The scroll shimmered, symbols shifting, rearranging.
"You'll need to finish what we could not."
Chanakya's voice softened.
"Not just strength. Not just wisdom. Both. Together. However don't become soft like your father did. In his younger days his symbol were roaring lions but after Kalinga he became soft and his symbol became lions which are just looking."
The light around him brightened.
"Remember: Balance isn't a line. It's a dance."
The vision trembled, fragments peeling away like sand in wind.
"Find the missing keys. The truth is scattered."
His last words echoed as the light swallowed everything.
"And all the wealth outside is yours to take. However, today you can't take it. Come tomorrow, you will be able to take that today and also a gift for you from me."
---
Kunal gasped, dropping to his knees as the vision snapped away.
Vaibhav was at his side instantly, grabbing his shoulder.
"Bro! Hey! You with me?"
Kunal blinked rapidly, the chamber swimming back into focus, the weight of Chanakya's words anchoring him.
He nodded weakly, chest heaving.
"Yeah…" His voice was hoarse. "Yeah… I'm here."
But his mind was still half in that other place, Chanakya's words echoing louder than Vaibhav's relief.
Vaibhav scanned him, eyes worried. "You zoned out, man. I couldn't wake you. You were just standing there… staring at nothing."
Kunal looked back at the throne.
The air was still.
But inside — something had shifted.
"Chanakya," Kunal whispered.
Vaibhav frowned. "What?"
Kunal met his eyes.
"He spoke to me."
Vaibhav stared at him for a beat.
"Okay… and what did Mr. Genius Advisor say?"
Kunal's lips pressed into a thin line.
"He said the cracks started long ago."
He stood slowly, muscles trembling but his gaze clear.
"And it's up to us to finish the fight."
Vaibhav groaned quietly. "You just had to pull me into an ancient political thriller, didn't you?"
Kunal managed a faint smile.
"Guess so."
His looked at the platform one more time, feeling the cold stone beneath his fingertips.
"Let's get out of here. We have to come tomorrow. Chanakya has called us here again tomorrow," he said quietly.
And together, they turned, walking back into the tunnel — the shadows closing quietly behind them.
To be continued…